Night fell and the mission began. The team reached their target quickly.
Renji and his two comrades struck first, silently killing the two hidden Anbu lookouts in the trees. They weren't strong and judging from their attire, they were low-level guards.
Kakuzu then slipped into the courtyard, aiming straight for the corner.
After dispatching the sentries, Renji vaulted toward the rooftop while his brothers charged into the yard, engaging the guards head-on.
Kakuzu cut down the ninja in the corner and, following the plan, knew the three would create openings for him to strike deeper.
Without hesitation, he smashed through a window and began his slaughter inside.
The rooftop guard was just about to sound the alarm when Renji surged forward.
"Light Release: Chain Step." His feet blazed with light chakra, carrying him faster than a lightning shunshin.
"Secret Sword: First Cut." One strike cleaved both the guard and the roof in half.
Renji dropped into the house. Inside, Kakuzu was already battling three ninja. In such tight quarters, ninjutsu was dangerous to use, but not impossible.
Renji blurred forward again with Chain Step, then slammed a Rasengan into one enemy, reducing him to ruin, and lunged toward the far corner where Koharu Utatane stood.
"Rasengan. Sharingan. You're Uchiha Renji! Do you know what you're doing? Are you betraying Konoha? Stop this foolishness. You'll bring disaster to your family!" The old crone shrieked.
Renji was unmoved. "One Sword Style: Godspeed." His blade slashed forward.
At the last instant he shifted his strike, not at her, but at the wall beside her.
The blade sheared through wood and stone, collapsing the corner and splitting open a hidden Root operative, blood spraying.
"Now who will save you? There's no crowd here to hide in." Renji sneered, already moving.
"Crescent Moon Dance. Lightning Release: Ground Walk."
His sword pinned her into the earth, then lightning chakra coursed into her, paralyzing her body.
He plastered explosive tags all over her, especially her head, then shattered the gag hook on her mouth so she couldn't cry out. He broke her arms and legs, hung her up with wire, and flung a wire-bound shuriken out the window as a signal.
By then Kakuzu had already finished his fight.
Together they quickly disposed of the corpses. Skulls crushed, bodies tagged, wires rigged. Everything prepared for detonation, then they slipped out.
Outside, their comrades had already won their battles too. Corpses hidden, traps laid, the faint sounds of fighting had already drawn patrols and Anbu.
The moment someone tripped the seals, the whole compound erupted in fire. Walls blew apart, corpses shredded. Koharu Utatane was obliterated, burned to ash.
Watching the blaze from afar, Renji felt his mind grow clear.
He escorted Kakuzu alone out of the village, paid him in full, and tossed him a scroll. "Inside is intel on Takigakure's Jinchūriki and the exact location of the Hero Water.
Kakuzu, your professionalism is something I admire. Until we meet again. Renji fled quickly, wary of betrayal.
Kakuzu chuckled.
"Interesting little brat. Generous too. Clients like this are rare. Otherwise I would have killed him already."
Meanwhile, Yan's shadow clone had spent the night impersonating Renji inside the village. As dawn approached, they swapped places at the gate.
The real Renji returned unseen, the clone changed shape and vanished.
Konoha was in an uproar. A former advisor of the Hokage, a member of the Second Hokage's guard, was assassinated in her own home. Ten bodyguards slaughtered.
Anbu reinforcements had arrived only to trigger traps, their bodies reduced to fragments.
Two high-ranking attacks in such a short time, both successful, both humiliating. Every intelligence and defense unit, from Anbu to Root to the Uchiha Police, had been slapped hard, twice, in the exact same spot.
But Renji and his brothers paid no mind. They went to the graveyard. Renji placed a rattle on the ground before his sister's tombstone.
"Big brother avenged you. Don't worry, I'll kill every one of those shameless elders, one by one."
Yan frowned. "The biggest loose end is Kakuzu."
Retsu shook his head.
"He's just a rogue mercenary. Even if he spoke up, the elders would say it's slander. They've always hated us anyway."
Renji stood, laid his hands firmly on his brothers' shoulders, and said, "Then we'll bury suspicion with achievement. From here on, we work harder, earn merit, make them choke on our results. Come on. This is just the beginning."
At home, his mother was cooking. His father was out. She looked up as Renji entered, smiling gently.
"Take off that filthy coat. I'll wash it. Go bathe and change. You reek after a night out."
She ruffled his hair.
"You've grown. You can shoulder great things now. Your sister would be proud. Go on, wash up." She hurried off with his clothes.
Renji watched her go, warmth rising in his chest. At least at home, someone believed in him. Keeping such a secret without sharing it with family was painful.
He chuckled to himself and went to bathe.
After lunch he left again, meeting Yan and Retsu as planned. They had agreed it was time to prove themselves publicly, to rack up merit.
At his post, Renji saw his men relaxed and cheerful. Unlike other districts, his was calm, untouched by chaos.
When he arrived, everyone greeted him with smiles.
Hualuo walked over and whispered, "News travels fast. Last night was chaos, but here there's nothing to investigate, because your earlier sweep had already purged all the troublemakers. The others envy us. They say you had foresight."
Renji laughed.
"Then I may disappoint them. Yan, Retsu, and I will each draw a squad from our companies to rotate into other sectors. Time to spread our strength where it's needed."
.
.
.
The tale of the Uchiha does not end with these words. Beyond this point lies the Legendary Hall, where the storm rages fiercer, and the shadows reveal truths not yet told. For those who dare to walk ahead of fate, the sealed scrolls await your hand.
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