In a secluded valley on the western border of the Land of Hot Water, a group of Kirigakure ninja led by Suikazan Fuguki, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, had set up a temporary camp. Uesugi Shinji, Kisame, and Rin, three of Fuguki's subordinates, had just returned to report.
The Land of Hot Water bordered the Land of Fire to the west, while a vast sea stretched to the east. The Land of Water, where Kirigakure was located, lay isolated in that sea.
When Kirigakure ninja operated along the border of the Land of Fire, they usually traveled through the Land of Hot Water to avoid being spotted by Konoha ninja.
Suikazan Fuguki was a fierce-looking, portly man with long red hair. He had gathered some of it on top of his head into two bun-like knots, giving him an oddly incongruous appearance.
A huge sword wrapped in white bandages, far larger than an ordinary blade, was strapped to his back. It was Samehada, one of Kirigakure's seven strongest Ninja Blades.
After Uesugi Shinji finished recounting how the mission had gone, a glimmer appeared in Suikazan Fuguki's eyes, and a satisfied smile touched his face.
"As expected of the subordinates I trust most. You carried out this mission flawlessly. Not only did you eliminate the target, you also took care of that troublesome Shirokumo Hayama. At this rate, you'll soon become key figures in the village." Suikazan Fuguki spoke with an ulterior meaning.
As he delivered the last sentence, Suikazan Fuguki stared directly into Uesugi Shinji's eyes.
Though Suikazan Fuguki seemed very pleased with the results of Uesugi Shinji and the others' mission, that was not what he truly felt.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen had a considerable reputation in the Shinobi World, but their members were only first-rate ninja, not top-tier ones.
Any one of them, taken alone, still fell short of Shirokumo Hayama, a veteran Konoha elite jonin, in both strength and personal reputation.
Now that Uesugi Shinji had taken down Shirokumo Hayama on his own, his strength was already on par with Suikazan Fuguki's, his superior.
When word reached Kirigakure, Uesugi Shinji's reputation in the village would rise considerably. The village leadership might take notice of him and bring him into their ranks, and he could soon be on equal footing with Suikazan Fuguki.
Suikazan Fuguki had plenty of character flaws, including jealousy of the talented. He couldn't stand his subordinates surpassing him!
Kisame and Rin didn't notice the strange look in Suikazan Fuguki's eyes, but Uesugi Shinji did.
"Captain, we've completed the mission. If there's nothing else, we'll take our leave." Uesugi Shinji spoke without letting anything show.
Suikazan Fuguki led the Assassination Squad, and the ninja under him called him "Captain."
Seeing Uesugi Shinji's calm, unruffled manner, Suikazan Fuguki took it as a sign of disrespect. He was secretly irritated, and his already insincere smile faded further.
"Go get some rest. These are unusual times, and we'll have another mission soon," Suikazan Fuguki said slowly.
After Uesugi Shinji and the others left, Suikazan Fuguki noticed some of the ninja around him discussing Uesugi Shinji's defeat of Shirokumo Hayama.
Their attitude toward Uesugi Shinji was clearly different than before. There was a measure of respect in their voices that hadn't been there previously, which made Suikazan Fuguki even more displeased.
"Hmph. You won't find it so easy to climb over my head!"
Watching Uesugi Shinji and the others recede into the distance, Suikazan Fuguki narrowed his eyes.
"Looks like the captain's pleased with how our mission went. Taking down a ninja like Shirokumo Hayama should count as a major achievement, right?" Kisame said with a grin as they made their way back to their tents.
Beside him, Rin folded her arms and snorted. "Obviously. Did you really need to say that?"
Then Rin looked at Uesugi Shinji, hope edging into her voice. "With an achievement like this, do you think the leadership might take notice of us and give us a chance to leave the Assassination Squad?"
The Assassination Squad was often assigned missions to assassinate ninja from their own village. Only a tiny fraction of the targets had betrayed the village; most had either been captured by enemy ninja or were ordered killed by the leadership after completing highly classified missions.
Rin had long since grown sick of these missions to eliminate their own people.
At Rin's words, Kisame also looked at Uesugi Shinji with a serious expression. He shared her hopes.
Uesugi Shinji stopped walking. He gazed at the blood-red sun sinking in the distance and fell silent. A few seconds later, he finally spoke. "I have a feeling that war is about to break out again."
"This is our chance to leave the Assassination Squad and secure a place for ourselves in Kirigakure."
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