This Overtime Pay Needs to Be Settled Properly

The explosions at the edge of the woods caused a brief stir in camp.

By the time Shuo leisurely wandered back near the medical tent, two patrol squads had already headed that way.

He yawned, doing his best to look like an innocent patient who had simply gone out for a stroll and been startled by the explosions.

"Shuo? Are you all right?"

Kentaro emerged from the tent, looking anxious. "Over there just now..."

"Ah, I heard it."

Shuo waved a hand, ducked into the tent, and plopped back onto his hard plank bed. "Such a loud bang~ Almost scared me right off the rock." As he spoke, he even patted his chest, his expression perfectly on cue.

[Ding! Performed an imitation of an 'irrelevant exaggerated description.' Imitation Points +2.]

Kentaro was dubious, but apart from looking a little paler and breathing a little harder, Shuo seemed otherwise fine, so he asked no more questions.

Shuo lay down, closed his eyes, and brought up the system panel.

[Current Imitation Points: 92/100]

Eight more to go. 'Ama no Murakumo Sword: Phantom'... The name alone tells you it's perfect for showing off.

Sure, the note says "toy dagger," but it's a light sword! What man could turn down a light sword?

How do I scrape together those last eight points? Lying around slacking off doesn't seem to earn any more.

While he pondered, the tent flap lifted again.

It was not a medical ninja, but the ANBU in the animal mask, his voice as cold as ever. "Uchiha Saku, the acting camp commander, Jonin Akimichi Dōtō, wants to see you. Now."

Shuo's heart lurched.

Oh, crap. Did what happened in the woods get out? That fast?

He slowly climbed up, forcing just the right touch of weakness and confusion onto his face. "Now? But I..."

"Your injuries don't stop you from talking."

The ANBU cut him off, his tone leaving no room for negotiation. "Come with me."

Shuo had no choice but to follow, calculating how to bluff his way through.

As they crossed the camp, he noticed that the atmosphere was tenser than before. Quite a few ninja were assembling and collecting supplies, their faces grave with the prospect of battle.

This isn't about me? Something really happened?

Inside the command tent, Jonin Akimichi Dōtō-the bandaged man from earlier-was staring at the map on the table, his brows tightly knotted.

Several Chunin squad leaders stood beside him.

That gloomy old fellow was also in a corner, like a shadow.

"Reporting: Genin Uchiha Saku is here." The ANBU stepped aside after speaking.

Akimichi Dōtō raised his head and glanced at Shuo, his gaze considerably sharper than last time. "Shuo, I'll keep this brief. A sizable Iwagakure force has been spotted moving to the southeast. Their intentions are unknown, but they're very likely heading for this supply point. The camp needs to prepare immediately for relocation and defense."

Shuo nodded, inwardly acknowledging it.

So the explosions were the trigger that let them discover something wrong ahead of time? Then why bring me here?

"How are your injuries healing?" Akimichi Dōtō asked.

"Not bad... They still hurt if I move too much." Shuo answered cautiously, trying to steer things toward "I'm still a patient."

"As long as you can walk."

Akimichi Dōtō's next words made Shuo's eyelid twitch. "The camp is short-handed. Everyone who can move will be assigned duties. You'll join the third lookout squad, responsible for observation and initial delaying action in the woods outside the camp's western perimeter. Your chakra nature is unusual, and your perception might also be stronger than most people's. If you spot anything unusual, send up a signal flare immediately."

Shuo: "..." Hold on, I'm a wounded soldier! The western perimeter? Isn't that over by those woods?!

"Um..."

Shuo tried to put up a struggle, his voice growing even weaker. "Sir, my injuries... And my ability... It's actually very unstable. Last time might've just been luck. If it fails at a critical moment..."

"It's better than nothing."

Akimichi Dōtō's tone brooked no argument. "That's an order. Kentaro will be on your team. He knows you. Report to the third squad immediately and collect signal flares and basic ninja tools." He paused, looking at Shuo. "I know you have doubts, but this is wartime. Everyone has a part to play. Remember, your task is only observation and early warning. Don't engage unless necessary. Staying alive comes first. Understood?"

With things put that plainly, Shuo sighed inwardly, knowing there was no getting out of it.

He lowered his head, his shoulders sagging slightly, and answered in a weak, resigned tone. "Yes... Understood."

[Ding! Displayed 'helpless weariness' when accepting a compulsory mission. Imitation Points +3.]

After receiving his assignment and collecting two signal flares and a few ordinary kunai, Shuo met Kentaro outside. Hearing they would be keeping watch on the western side together made Kentaro's face turn a little pale, but he said nothing.

The two followed the third squad's other two Chunin-one named Long, the other Aoki-toward the western side of camp. Long was a stern fellow with a scar on his face, while Aoki was younger, with tension in his eyes.

"Listen," Long said rapidly as they walked. "The western woods are dense, with complicated terrain. It's a good infiltration route. We'll split into two pairs. Aoki and I together, you two together. Keep two hundred meters between us and find high ground to hide on. If you see any non-Konoha personnel numbering more than three, or signs of a large summoning beast, don't hesitate. Send up a signal immediately. Then decide for yourselves whether to retreat and regroup or use the terrain to maneuver, depending on the situation. Our job is to buy time, not risk our lives. Understood?"

"Understood..." Shuo drawled in response. Kentaro hurriedly nodded too.

Once they arrived, the pairs separated. Shuo and Kentaro found a large tree with thick foliage and laboriously climbed it-Shuo struggled so much that blood nearly seeped through the bandages on his chest.

He finally settled onto a thick branch. The view was decent, overlooking a good stretch of woodland clearing.

"Shuo, can we... really do this?" Kentaro's hand trembled a little around his kunai.

Shuo leaned against the trunk, adjusted himself into a relatively comfortable position, and scanned below with half-lidded eyes. "Whether we can or not... we still have to stay here." He paused. "But, Kentaro."

"Yes?"

"If we really see something later... when you run, remember not to shout too loudly..." Shuo glanced at him, his tone earnest. "It'll give away our position... And strain your voice."

Kentaro: "..." That sounds like it makes sense, but why does it feel so off?

[Ding! Offered 'practically useless, pointless advice' amid prebattle tension, creating a subtle air of being out of step. Imitation Points +4.]

[Current Imitation Points: 99/100!]

Just one more point!

Shuo perked up slightly, but outwardly remained as languid as ever. He waited patiently and watched.

The woods were quiet, with only wind and birdsong. Time ticked by, roughly an hour or more, without anything happening.

Just as Shuo began to suspect the intelligence was wrong and wondered whether he could coast through this again, he caught a glint out of the corner of his eye at the edge of the woodland below, near the far side of his and Kentaro's surveillance area-the edge toward Long and Aoki.

It was not metal. It looked more like... rock? Or rather, an unnatural corner exposed as a rock-disguised covering created with Earth Release ninjutsu moved.

Then came a second, a third... At least seven or eight indistinct figures were silently creeping toward camp, using trees and earthen ridges as cover. They were not moving fast, but they were highly professional.

"Shuo..." Kentaro had spotted them too. His voice tightened as he reached for a signal flare.

"Wait."

Shuo spoke quietly, his eyes never leaving that direction. Behind those figures, deeper in the shadows between the trees, he seemed to see even more figures moving. More than one squad. There was no movement from Long and Aoki's side... Had they not noticed, or had something happened to them?

"There's quite a few of them..." Shuo muttered. Send up a signal? Definitely. But what happens after that? Our orders say to retreat. But at this distance, with this many enemies, can Kentaro and I-wounded and rookies-get away? What if they have someone who specializes in speed...

He glanced at the system panel: 99/100.

Just one fucking point short!

"Shuo! We..." Kentaro was getting frantic.

Shuo ignored him, his mind racing. He needed that final Imitation Point to unlock Ama no Murakumo. Even if it was only a phantom, at least it would be something he could hold. Even psychological comfort was better than empty hands.

How can I pull another "Kizaru" in the most natural, least forced way...?

He looked at the Iwagakure infiltrators drawing ever closer below, then at Kentaro, who was so nervous he could barely breathe, and thought of his own miserable situation and faintly aching wounds.

Suddenly, inspiration struck.

He turned to Kentaro with a complicated expression mixing utter helplessness, resignation, and a tiny trace of "what am I going to do with you people," then spoke softly, almost sighing, at a volume like he was talking to himself:

"That's why... things like war... are such a pain..."

His voice was quiet, but exceptionally clear in the tense, silent woods.

The weariness, irritation, and hint of world-weary numbness in that tone captured the essence perfectly.

[Ding! On the verge of triggering a combat mission, delivered the ultimate slacker's lament about 'war' itself. Highly consistent with the template's underlying mindset! Imitation Points +3!]

[Current Imitation Points: 102/100! Target exceeded!]

[Ability unlocked: 'Ama no Murakumo Sword: Phantom'!]

[Ability description: Consume stamina and a small amount of light energy to condense an extremely unstable golden light blade approximately forty centimeters long in your hand. Duration and sharpness increase with energy input and imitation level. Current status: fragile, adequate for illumination, outstanding intimidation effect.]

Here it is!

Almost the instant the notification sounded, Shuo felt a slight warmth in his right palm, and a strange "sense of summoning" welled up within him.

But he did not bring it out immediately. It was not time yet.

He took a deep breath and patted Kentaro's shoulder, his tone instantly becoming... somewhat perfunctorily decisive?

"All right, we've seen them."

Shuo said, "Send up the signal, Kentaro. Then..." He pointed to a downhill path running at an angle to the direction of the Iwagakure attack. "That way. Run. Don't look back."

"What about you?" Kentaro pulled out a signal flare with trembling fingers.

"Me..." Watching the Iwagakure figures who had already noticed the flare rising and abruptly accelerated toward them, Shuo gauged the distance, slowly stood up on the branch, and brushed the bits of bark off his trousers.

"I need to... stretch a little." He rolled his neck with a faint click. His face still looked as unmotivated as ever, but something else had entered his eyes.

"After all..."

He flexed his wrists, watching the two leading Iwagakure ninja enter the clearing and look up, locking onto their tree.

"Disturbing someone and making them work overtime..."

His right hand hung casually at his side, its fingers slightly spread.

Faint golden particles of light, like fireflies, began appearing out of thin air above his palm, spinning and gathering...

"Comes with a little 'price,' you know~"

The instant his words fell.

A slender, sword-shaped phantom, seemingly made of flowing liquid golden light, trembled into existence in his hand.

Though faint, its light steadily illuminated half his expressionless face, along with the suddenly constricting pupils of the Iwagakure ninja below.