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“System, why did the mission change?”
Shin was currently in the quarters Hiashi Hyūga had arranged for him. Shortly after arriving, he’d received a notification from the System: His mission had been altered.
The original objective was to intercept Kumogakure’s envoys and snatch Hinata Hyūga from them. Now, the mission was simply to take Hinata, with no mention of Kumo.
The reward remained the same: x1 Advanced Replication Card.
While the change didn’t significantly impact Shin, he was curious about the reason. This was the first time something like this had happened; it would be strange not to be curious.
—[Master, you are currently within the Hyūga Clan compound. Based on system calculations, the probability of Kumogakure successfully abducting Hinata Hyūga is Zero. The ‘Steal From Thieves’ objective is no longer viable. Therefore, the mission parameters have been updated.]
“Ah, I see.”
Shin nodded, understanding now.
If Kumo envoys showed up, Shin would likely obliterate them instantly, making the abduction impossible.
Thus, the System adjusted the mission. This told Shin that System missions could indeed change based on real-world circumstances.
——
Two days passed.
Shin remained in the Hyūga compound, mostly amusing himself by teasing Hinata. He’d actually grown quite fond of her.
That evening, Shin was sitting by the courtyard pond with Hinata, feeding the fish. The pond was stocked with quite a few fish; Hinata mentioned Hiashi raised them.
Shin hadn’t pegged Hiashi as the type to have such hobbies.
“An uninvited guest has arrived.”
Shin looked up, his gaze piercing the shadows on the rooftop.
The leader of the Kumo envoy delegation. He’d decided to make his move tonight, targeting Hinata as planned. Kidnapping a young, defenseless child seemed the easiest route.
But Hinata wasn’t alone. Shin, a massive obstacle, was right beside her. The Kumo leader showing up now was practically suicide.
“There’s someone else here?”
The Kumo leader, hidden by the moonlight, spotted Shin next to Hinata and frowned heavily.
This complicated things.
He needed to eliminate the bystander silently, without alerting the Hyūga Clan. The Kumo leader was confident, but not arrogant enough to think he could take on the entire Hyūga Clan.
“Your bad luck.”
The Kumo leader’s eyes turned ruthless. He stealthily approached Shin, intending to dispatch the interference quickly before snatching the Hyūga Clan Head’s daughter.
“Aren’t you tired of sneaking around?”
Shin watched the Kumo Shinobi’s clumsy approach with amusement. His stealth skills were amateurish. Even White Zetsu couldn’t hide from Shin; this Kumo Shinobi stood no chance.
“He spotted me?”
The Kumo leader froze. He prided himself on his infiltration skills; how had he been discovered?
Since he was exposed, hiding was pointless. The Kumo leader stepped out of the shadows.
Shin looked him over—The idiot was practically wearing a neon sign advertising his affiliation with Kumogakure.
No mask, forehead protector proudly displayed—was he afraid people wouldn’t know he was from Kumogakure?
Then again, Shin mused, if he failed, hiding his identity wouldn’t matter anyway.
“Big brother…”
Hinata nervously hid behind Shin, peeking fearfully at the menacing Kumo leader. Seeing his fierce expression only frightened her more.
“Don’t worry, Hinata. Just a minor Kumo Shinobi. Even if the Fourth Raikage himself showed up, he’d be bowing before me.”
Shin gently patted Hinata’s head, reassuring her.
“Arrogant fool! Your biggest mistake was not calling for help immediately!”
The Kumo leader drew his sword, emanating icy killing intent.
Kumo Shinobi deeply respected their Raikage. Shin’s dismissive remark about the Fourth Raikage bowing before him ignited the leader’s fury. His hatred for Shin instantly peaked.
“Heh, your biggest mistake was not running away the moment you saw me.”
Shin chuckled coldly. Even if the man had fled, Shin wouldn’t have let him escape.
“<Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!>”
In an instant, Shin struck the Kumo leader’s chakra points. It wasn’t a chakra-sealing attack, but a fatal blow delivered directly.
Since Shin had decided to act, he wouldn’t leave the man alive.
He turned Hinata away, shielding her from the gruesome sight. Despite controlling his strength, the Kumo leader’s body was twisted grotesquely, unrecognizable even to those who knew him best. At least Shin hadn’t turned him into a bloody mist; that was something.
“Let’s go, Hinata. We’ll leave, then notify Hiashi to clean this up.”
Shin took Hinata’s hand and used the [Body Flicker Technique] to leave, reappearing before Hiashi, who was busy with clan affairs.
Being the head of a major clan meant Hiashi had many responsibilities.
“What brings you here?” Hiashi felt a headache coming on just seeing Shin. He desperately wished Shin would just leave already.
“Just came to ask you to handle a small matter. You know the leader of the Kumo delegation, right?”
Hiashi, though puzzled, nodded. He’d been keeping an eye on the Kumo leader. Though seemingly unrelated to the Hyūga, it was a major village event; Hiashi naturally paid attention. But he had a bad feeling about why Shin was bringing this up.
“Now, don’t overreact.” Shin warned Hiashi, anticipating his reaction.
Hearing Shin say that only increased Hiashi’s sense of foreboding.
“A moment ago, I killed him. In your courtyard. The body’s still there. You should probably take care of it before it starts to stink.”
“What?!”
Hiashi, who had been relatively calm, shot to his feet, eyes wide, staring at Shin in disbelief.
He thought he must have misheard. Did Shin really kill the Kumo delegation?
“Why are you panicking? You weren’t the one who killed him,” Shin said, looking at Hiashi with exasperation.
He’d expected Hiashi to be shocked, but not ‘This’ shocked. With this little nerve, he really wasn’t suited to be the Hyūga Clan Head.
Hiashi’s face turned dark.
While he hadn’t killed the man, the death occurred within the Hyūga compound. The Hyūga Clan would undoubtedly be held responsible.
He knew it! Shin staying with the Hyūga Clan would only bring trouble. Now it had happened.
This was a huge mess for the Hyūga.
Hiashi worriedly considered how to handle the situation, most importantly, how to extricate the Hyūga Clan from responsibility.
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