"Hmph."
"Stay down!" yelled the Konoha shinobi who had arrived on the scene, quickly binding the assassin who had attempted to infiltrate and murder the Princess of the Land of Fire. With both legs crippled by Kirito's shots, the man had no way to escape and could only submit to capture.
Leading the response team was Konoha jōnin Yamashiro Aoba, accompanied by several chūnin. As an elite jōnin who had undertaken numerous high-risk missions, Aoba's experience and knowledge were unmatched. The moment he laid eyes on the intruder, his expression darkened.
"You're… an A-rank rogue-nin on the Lightning Country's wanted list. Real name unknown. Codename 'Silent Oriole.' Known for assassination techniques.
Your combat ability is average, but your infiltration and evasion skills are infamous across the shinobi world. Who would've thought you'd get caught here of all places." Aoba's voice was calm, but his eyes narrowed sharply as they turned toward Kirito.
"Tch! Dammit!" The man, Silent Oriole, glared hatefully at Kirito, his voice tinged with bitter disbelief. "I didn't expect Konoha to possess such terrifying weapons..."
"You'd best start explaining everything, your objective, your backers, all of it, down to the last detail," Aoba said coldly. "Though, knowing your kind, I doubt you'll talk so easily. Doesn't matter. Our interrogation division will loosen your tongue soon enough."
At the mention of Konoha's infamous interrogation unit, the assassin visibly shuddered. That name struck fear across the ninja world. His face twisted in resolve as he opened his mouth, clearly intending to bite down and end it all.
But a hand clamped over his forehead in an instant.
"Don't bother," Aoba said sharply. "Tricks like that won't work on me."
He formed a one-handed seal, casting a Genjutsu that immediately dulled the assassin's senses. His eyes glazed over, and he slumped into unconsciousness.
As the threat was neutralized, Kirito's system interface updated. The progress bar on his A-rank mission to protect Asuna had ticked upward, from 5% to 10%.
But Kirito didn't feel like celebrating.
Capturing a single assassin had only earned him a tenth of the progress bar. That could only mean what lay ahead would be far more dangerous, perhaps ten times worse.
In exchange for this 10% completion, the system awarded him an item, not attribute points this time, but equipment.
[Concept Armament: Anti-Magic Cloak]
[Effect: Slightly increases resistance to chakra-based attacks.]
A "slight resistance"… In other words, a small buff against ninjutsu and genjutsu. Previously, Kirito had invested his attribute bonuses into Durability, which only raised his defenses against physical (taijutsu-based) damage. That made sense, by shinobi standards, taijutsu was physical, while ninjutsu and genjutsu were considered chakra-based techniques.
This reward wasn't impressive, but it was better than nothing. The task hadn't been especially hard, so a modest reward was expected. Still, Kirito was keenly aware: better equipment would only come at the cost of greater risks.
As for uncovering the mastermind behind the assassination attempt, Kirito had already handed the suspect over to Konoha. That part was no longer his concern.
He also chose not to tell Asuna about the incident. It was a decision made on a whim, but a deliberate one. This trip outside the palace was a rare moment of freedom for her. There was no need to ruin it with worry over something she couldn't control. Even if she knew, what could she do? Better to let it go. And naturally, Konoha would keep the incident under wraps, the attack occurred on their watch, and they wouldn't want that shame getting out either.
…
In the following days, Kirito remained by Asuna's side, taking the initiative to teach her swordsmanship. That way, he could protect her at all times.
Asuna was thrilled, of course. She had always admired the way Kirito, though not a shinobi, possessed strength that rivaled or even surpassed one.
Since Asuna got along well with Hinata, she had taken up temporary residence at the Hyūga compound. The Hyūga clan welcomed her warmly, after all, Hinata, often alone in the vast estate, now had someone her age to talk to. Her smiles had become more frequent of late.
Today marked the last day to register for the upcoming Chūnin Exams. Not that any of it had anything to do with Kirito. He arrived as promised to pick up Asuna, escorting her to the dojo for their sword training.
Some of the Hyūga elders had opinions about this, after all, he was an outcast, but none dared voice them directly in front of the princess. Hinata, busy preparing for her team's participation in the exam, had already left early that morning to meet up with Kiba and Shino.
"Kirito, do I still have to practice the basics today? Can't we move on to real sword techniques now?" Asuna asked as they walked.
"We'll see," Kirito replied offhandedly. He wasn't trying to brush her off, it was just that he was genuinely surprised by how quickly she was progressing. He had chosen a few frontal techniques from his assassin-style sword forms, which weren't many to begin with. Yet Asuna had already grasped the basics in just a few days.
If she kept this up, he'd have nothing left to teach her.
As they walked in silence, Kirito mulled over how to handle this situation. But before he could reach a conclusion, they were stopped.
"Hey. Where's the Chūnin Exam registration office?" said a rude voice.
The one who spoke was a boy, his face smeared in strange paint, his body wrapped in tight-fitting clothing. A long, bandaged object, clearly a weapon, was strapped to his back. From the emblem on his forehead protector, it was clear he was from Sunagakure.
He was a foreign shinobi who had clearly lost his way in the unfamiliar streets of Konoha.
Unfortunately for him, he had picked the wrong person to ask.
Asuna, who had only recently arrived in the village and had no interest in the exams, furrowed her brow in annoyance.
"I don't know," she said curtly, clearly unimpressed by his attitude.
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