"Confirming one last time, Owl."
Linjiao crossed his arms, voice heavy. "You're really going alone?"
"Decided." Sogetsu nodded. "Kirigakure excels at assassination, sits in the mists, walls of water on all sides. One more body or one less changes little. One shadow slips further than a squad."
Linjiao considered, then inclined his head. "Agreed. Less noise, less risk of exposure." He produced a scroll. "Then take this."
Sogetsu accepted without unsealing.
"Our asset list inside the Mist." Linjiao's tone turned cold. "If needed, reactivate them. In an emergency, they are expendable. Your safety is paramount. Understood, Owl?"
Sogetsu's eyes flickered. "Isn't that… excessive?"
Long-term moles cost years, blood, and luck. Each one was a fortune in lives spent. To call them expendable—
Linjiao's hand fell warm on his shoulder. The chill in his voice eased. "It's also the Hokage's will. To him, you matter more than any list."
That was one dividend of trust well earned.
"Thank the Hokage for me." Sogetsu bowed his head slightly. "I'll complete the mission."
"Be careful." Linjiao's concern slipped through. "We'll be waiting."
"Count on it." Sogetsu waved once and left.
Behind him, Linjiao's mouth quirked. A nearby ANBU blinked. "Sir… you rate that kid that highly?"
Bonk. A sharp knuckle to the head.
"Tell the others to mind their tone." Linjiao's gaze went flat. "He'll soon be someone we look up to."
The ANBU hissed. That meant only one seat. "You mean… Head of ANBU?"
"If he completes this, yes." Linjiao didn't hedge. "The Hokage favors him. This mission tests everything—stealth, judgment, restraint, force. It wins him the right and the applause to silence dissent."
"No wonder the Hokage handed him the Mist network list."
Linjiao chuckled, remembering. "Don't mourn Danzo's losses. The list? Borrowed from him by the Hokage."
He could still see Danzo's face purpling, his cane cracking in his grip.
…
Sea and sky, all white.
Fog swallowed the horizon. Visibility fell under ten meters. A wide-bellied merchant ship crawled forward, a trader's pennant flapping wetly—one of the few legal conduits connecting Water Country to the world.
Kirigakure kept to itself, but even hermits needed grain.
Sogetsu boarded with a tourist's ticket and a quiet smile.
"First time to Water Country, kid?" a short, smoke-stained boatman asked, teeth yellowed by the sea.
"How'd you know?"
The man gestured at the blank fog. "Nothing to see out here. Folks don't loiter on deck unless they're new."
"I see." Sogetsu nodded, eyes distant. "First time here. Curious, is all."
The boatman leaned beside him. "Curiosity's a poor habit in these waters. Kills cats."
Sogetsu's glasses flashed. "Funny—I heard cats have nine lives."
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios