The nature of Yamanaka Shinno and Namikaze Minato's mission dictated that they couldn't reveal their identities.
At the very least, they couldn't let the upper echelons of Kirigakure and Sunagakure find out that Konoha was involved in their conflict. Otherwise, with Konoha's natural tendency to attract hostility, they'd instantly become the primary target.
Every past Shinobi World War had seen Konoha at the center of attacks from other villages. If their interference was exposed, not only would the two of them be facing consequences from Konoha's higher-ups, but they'd also be painting a massive bullseye on their village.
Meanwhile, the disappearance of the massive sword, Samehada, had sent Fuguki Suikazan teetering on the edge of losing control. His reckless, indiscriminate fighting in the middle of town wouldn't just intensify tensions between Kirigakure and Sunagakure—it would significantly accelerate the war's progression. Worse still, the fate of Samehada could end up exposing both Yamanaka Shinno and Namikaze Minato.
At this point, they had only two options.
One, they could somehow return Samehada to Fuguki Suikazan without raising any suspicion.
Or two... they could silence him permanently and shift all the blame onto Sunagakure.
"I'm willing to talk. As long as you return Samehada, Konoha has no involvement in this matter..."
Fuguki Suikazan's thoughts raced.
As one of Kirigakure's ANBU leaders, he possessed a wealth of intelligence. His knowledge of the Mind Destruction Dance Jutsu far exceeded that of an ordinary shinobi.
He knew that this technique had incredibly strict activation conditions—it required the target to remain perfectly still, and if the user made even a single mistake, they would be left completely vulnerable. Yet, despite these drawbacks, it was still classified as an S-rank jutsu.
Not only was it absurdly difficult to learn, but once it hit its target, resisting became nearly impossible!
At this moment, he was the fish, and they held the knife.
To survive, he was willing to compromise—whether it meant giving up Samehada or even... sacrificing Kirigakure's interests!
"Can you at least die with some dignity? Have a little backbone, will you?"
Yamanaka Shinno shot Fuguki a sidelong glance, clearly unimpressed.
With a mere thought, he activated his jutsu.
The shinobi under his control simultaneously drew kunai from their waists and aimed them at Fuguki Suikazan.
"Wait! Samehada is yours! I won't tell anyone about you! Just stop! Stop!"
"I—I can give you intel on Kirigakure! I know a lot—classified information!"
"I can sow discord between Kirigakure and Sunagakure! I can be a spy!"
"Don't kill me! I'm valuable! I'm one of Kirigakure's top officers, I—!"
In that moment, Fuguki Suikazan displayed the most despicable aspects of human nature in full force.
But Yamanaka Shinno had no patience for his rambling.
The Mizukage himself was already under Uchiha Madara's control. Even if Fuguki Suikazan went back as an informant, how much of a difference could he possibly make?
The most likely outcome?
Madara would see through him instantly.
Not only would that fail to resolve their current predicament, but it would also draw unwanted attention to Shinno far earlier than he wanted.
Whizz—whizz—whizz!
The sharp sound of kunai cutting through the air filled the battlefield.
Fuguki Suikazan, unable to move a muscle, could only watch in horror as blade after blade pierced through his throat, heart, spleen, liver, and kidneys...
[...]
[A known side character has been eliminated. A slight deviation in the world's development has occurred. Rewards earned: Trait Extraction ×1, Trait Gift ×1.]
The familiar system prompt rang in Shinno's mind the moment Fuguki Suikazan died.
His eyebrows twitched slightly.
It seemed the system's judgment of mission impact and major events was far more flexible than he had initially thought.
A known side character...
Did Fuguki Suikazan really count as a notable figure?
In the original story, his appearances could be counted on one hand.
His greatest contribution was probably his influence on Hoshigaki Kisame, which indirectly pushed certain main storylines forward.
So...
Shinno's gaze shifted to the side, landing on Pakura.
"Hmm... the most famous back in the shinobi world, betrayed by her own village, stabbed full of kunai like a pincushion..."
He sifted through his mental archive of Pakura's story.
Then, he looked at her with unmistakable pity.
The woman was a prime example of an utterly tragic shinobi.
For a moment, he considered whether killing her might also grant him some rewards.
But after reviewing her history...
It seemed pointless?
Pakura, the wielder of the Scorch Release kekkei genkai, had a reputation far greater than Fuguki Suikazan's.
Yet, in terms of the main storyline, her influence was practically nonexistent.
While she was alive, she loyally served her village and was hailed as a hero.
Then, the higher-ups sold her out to Kirigakure as a peace offering, leaving her to be ambushed and killed.
Even after being reanimated with Edo Tensei, she had to endure the insipid ramblings of her overly naïve former student before being sent back to the afterlife.
And in the movie?
She didn't even get a proper scene—just showed up as a corpse, only to have her bloodline stolen by Hiruko's Chimera Technique.
"What a tragic, tragic existence..."
Even Shinno was at a loss for words.
Pakura had it even worse than Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo.
At least Hatake Sakumo had a son who understood him in the end.
Pakura...?
Ehhhh...
Someone like her wouldn't be worth killing for system rewards.
But what if he flipped the script instead?
The system's reward mechanism was clearly linked to deviations in the main storyline.
If Pakura's fate were drastically altered, her position in Sunagakure and her strength—far beyond that of an ordinary jōnin—could easily impact the main story!
Meanwhile, Pakura had been observing Shinno, watching as his expression shifted between pity and excitement.
For a brief moment, she was utterly baffled.
Then, realization dawned.
She immediately classified him as a complete and utter pervert.
One moment, he had that harmless, easygoing smile on his face as he casually ordered his men to turn Fuguki Suikazan into a pincushion.
The next, he was cycling through a range of expressions while staring at her.
What was he doing?
Was he deciding which expression to use when he killed her?
Tch—spit!
This guy's mind was seriously twisted!
Konoha really is full of perverts!
"Shinno, stop messing around. If any civilians see this, it'll cause unnecessary trouble."
Namikaze Minato, seeing Shinno hesitate for so long, finally spoke up.
"Alright."
Shinno sighed in resignation.
Still holding his single-hand seal, he suddenly increased the flow of his chakra.
Pakura's expression stiffened.
The power she had been gathering in secret—the chakra she had intended to unleash at the last moment—suddenly vanished from her control.
Her hands, now acting on their own, formed the seals for Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder.
Her well-trained instincts followed the chakra pathways she had honed countless times before.
In an instant, blazing spheres of superheated energy erupted from her palms, launching straight at the Kirigakure shinobi!
Their eyes widened in horror, their bodies moving against their will.
At the same time, under Shinno's command, they reflexively formed water jutsu hand seals.
Water Release: Water Bullet Technique!
Water Release: Water Fang Bullet!
Water Release: Water Shark Bullet!
The water jutsu bypassed Pakura's fireballs and surged toward the immobilized Sunagakure shinobi.
A heartbeat later, both sides were swallowed by each other's attacks.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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