When Worlds Collide
Chapter 4: Adolescent Assassin
Welcome back! So, these next couple of chapters are going to be part of what I have lovingly titled the Shimada Arc. Basically, expect the next few chapters to be detailing what happens leading up to our first major decision change. Enough talk, to the story!
Turns out the Shimada were being targeted by the Hyuga for a reason back in the Warring States period. That reason is? We're training fucking assassins. What's the difference between that and a normal Shinobi? Shimada are taught to kill at age three. Most three year olds don't even know what death is, much less be forced to execute a criminal. Turns out that's one of many rites of passage for Shimada. After a Shimada's third birthday, if said child wants to become a Shinobi, they must sneak into the Death Row portion of the jail and execute any of the prisoners there. What makes it even harder is the fact that we are only given a small wakizashi blade, a type of sword that is basically a smaller, slightly more curved katana. Once the sword is bloodied, then the child may begin Shinobi training. And I thought the Mist Village test was bad. Zabuza ain't got nothing on us.
That brings me to my current location, the roof of Konoha's jail. My target is a serial killer, known for raping then slitting the throats of over twenty women. I was given a map with a preferred route through the jail to his cell, a handheld mirror, a smoke bomb, and what is to be my wakizashi. The blade is obviously scaled down for my child self, as the blade is only about 10 cm long. The simple curved blade shines blue in the pale moonlight, a stark contrast to the black leather handle and sheath. Looking down on it, it's obvious the blade is razor sharp, one small touch to the edge enough to cut. I tilt the blade, and catch a glimpse of myself. I'm dressed in the standard black suits of the village, with specialized sandals for stealth. I say specialized but I really mean that they're typical sandals with cloth draped around the bottom to avoid the creation of noise. The lower half of my face is covered in a mask, leaving only my cheekbones and dark grey eyes uncovered. My forehead is covered with a simple black headband, with my jet black hair pulled back into a warriors ponytail. I sheath the blade, thinking over the conversation I had with Uncle Touhiro last week.
"Your stealth training has gone great so far, Kai." Uncle Touhiro said. He was a very tall man, almost as tall as Killer Bee. His deep blue eyes peered down at me, a slight smile on his lips, curving the scar that ran diagonal across his cheek down to his chin. His jagged hair was ruffled by the slight breeze running through the cherry blossom clearing we were in.
"You really think so?" I said, excited. Uncle Touhiro was one of the best when it came to stealth. Apparently he has a story where he managed to sneak past the Hokage Anbu Guard, a group that contained an Uchiha and two Hyuga. If he was saying I'm doing good, then that means I must be a fucking legend.
"No, you're footfalls are too heavy, and that damn ponytail of yours has a tendency to stick out over any surface you're crouched behind." Uncle Touhiro, while a stealth master, was also known for being an asshole. "I'd just cut the damn thing if I were you."
"But Uncle, I liiiiikkkkeeee itttttttt." I said, pouting. I thought it made me look like a weeb, but in the world where I'm literally in an anime, might as well embrace the weeb culture.
"Fine. At least wear it a bit lower when you go to the rite." Uncle said, a small twinge of amusement in his eyes. "All that being said, your foresight and ingenuity are above where they need to be. The only thing you really have an issue with is noise. But, if all goes as it should, the halls should be damn near empty when you go for your rite, and the noise of the city should cover you as you ascend the walls."
"Understood, Uncle." I said, suddenly formal. I knew better than to not be formal when Uncle gave specific compliments. If you're informal, or god forbid disrespectful, he has some very specific insults waiting alongside a lightning fast jab to the stomach.
"That's the last thing I can tell you. I have a mission coming up, and I won't return until the night of your rite. I should be able to help you gear up, and I believe Sansa wants me to help present your birthright." Uncle said, carefully choosing his words. Technically, what the Shimada do is illegal. Fortunately for us, the Hokage has given us the go ahead to continue the tradition. Unfortunately for us, he has also not given us sanctity, and if one is caught they will face the full punishment for their crime. Because of this, specific talk is not allowed outside of the Head Council Chamber, where we receive our target, and our tools.
"You know how mother gets when it comes to these things. It would be best, for all of us, if you were there." I said, sighing. Mother always blows up about the traditions, and if it isn't followed down to the arrangement of the tools, she shows everyone why she is known as the Green Demon.
"Sansa is a sucker for traditions, isn't she?" Touhiro laughed. "Yea, I'll be there kid, don't worry."
I smiled thinking back on the memory. The presentation wasn't anything special, just Uncle giving me my blade, reciting something about the blade being an extension of one's own identity, and blah blah blah. Then the council gave me my target, my mirror and map, and I was off. Now we're here.
I lean over the edge of the roof, looking down at the windows of the top floor, the office area. Like Uncle said, the office closest to the staircase on the left is slightly opened. Using the mirror, I confirm the office is empty, and I climb down onto the ledge and raise the window some, just enough to climb in. The office was nothing special, just a desk and some filing cabinets. What was important was the cracked doorway, leading out into the hall. Directly across the hall was the opening to the stairwell. I just needed to get through the door and make my way down two levels. Once again, my mirror came in handy. I used it to peer around the door, seeing the long hallway of different offices. There was a single guard, heading down the hall away from me towards an open door at the end. I smirked and made my move. As swift as the wind I was through the door and heading down the stairwell, practically noiseless. These shoes come in handy. Once down the stairs, I got to the Death Row level. Here comes the tricky part. There is usually one guard that patrols the hallway while the prisoners sleep, making a loop around the outskirts of the floor. The issue was the fact that my target was in the farthest right corner, and I needed to get past a guard, and about 30 cells to get to him. If I woke a single prisoner, or if any of them were awake, I was screwed.
Lucky for me, the council devised a plan. I would need to go the opposite direction of the guard and go the long way. If I stick to that path, I should pass nothing but empty cells and solitary confinement doors. I just have to wait for the guard to pass, and move quickly to my target. Once again, fortune favored me, as the guard passed by and I was able to make my move. The cells were empty as predicted, and I made my way to the back wall, with the solitary cells. I used the mirror to check around the corner and almost dropped it in shock. This was not planned for. Slowly walking down this back wall was a second guard. He's closing on me, and I have nowhere to hide. Shit shit shit. Think, cmon, think.
The guard walked around the corner, looking to the inner wall, then the outer, before resuming his course down the hallway. Above him, I smirked behind my mask. I waited until he was a few paces away, and I let go of the vent on the ceiling, climbing back down the bars of the empty cell. That was too close. I made my way to my targets cell, and pulled the master key I swiped from the office out. Unlocking the solitary door, I opened it slightly and slipped inside.
Laying in the bed was my target. He was a middle aged man, slightly heavyset, his brown hair balding. I made my way to him, pulling my blade from its sheath on my lower back. I made my way to the man, setting up the strike from my blade, held in a reverse grip. One simple slash down to the throat, and I can leave. Slowly breathing out, I swung down.
The next second and a half would be forever ingrained in my brain. Time seemed to slow down as the blade sliced through the air. The man's eyes opened, startled by the sudden exhale. He saw me standing there, and a blade traveling for his throat. His expression changed to that of fear, the last one to ever be on his face. The man did not want to die, but he had no choice in this matter. The blade pierced his flesh and a scream started to raise from his throat, but it was caught by the blade, instead coming out as a slight sputtering of blood onto my face. The sword swiftly cut all the way through, fully decapitating the man. His expression stayed, and the light slowly drained from his eyes. Blood began to pour out of the man, making the once white sheets red.
Time resumed normally, and I stood there frozen in place. The blood kept flowing, starting to spill over onto the floor in a small pool. His expression was still the same, and it would only solidify. I wiped the blood from my blade on his shirt, and sheathed it. I wasn't sure what to think, but I knew I needed to leave.
The next few minutes were all a blur, nothing but the man in my mind. I don't really remember making my way back to the stairwell, or slipping into the office, putting the key back, and leaving through the window. The trip from rooftop to rooftop back to our compound might as well have not happened, as I don't remember an of it. I made it to the back entrance, and saw Uncle and Mother standing there, both with knowing faces. They took me by each hand back home, helped me wash up and change into sleepwear, and put me to bed. I laid on the small cot for hours, waiting for sleep to come. It never did.
So ends the heaviest chapter yet. Kai is technically 19 mentally, but keep in mind that three year olds were expected to do this. Leave a Review to let me know what you thought, and I'll see you next week.