Chapter 22: The Mind of War
The night was still, the kind of silence that crept into a soldier's bones. Shin lay on his cot, his breathing soft and steady. But peace was a fleeting illusion.
A chime rang through his mind—a sound he had come to dread.
[System Notification] — Mission: Survive Root's All-Out Ambush. Reward: Djinn of Wind — Focalor (Bracelet Vessel). Failure: Death.
His eyes flew open, body tensing. Root. Of all the threats in this world, they were the most insidious. Danzo's invisible hand—unmarked, unofficial, and utterly ruthless.
He sat up instantly. Hikari was asleep just a few feet away. Kakashi was slumped against the tent flap, chin tucked into his scarf. Neither of them stirred.
No time. Shin silently slipped out of the tent and sprinted to the edge of the clearing. With a thin chakra thread, he triggered an alert pattern in the outer defense line and sent a covert signal directly to Sakumo.
Then the night exploded.
The first wave of explosion tags went off near the path where the convoys had camped. Two unlucky genin were instantly vaporized—nothing but scorched earth left behind. But thanks to Shin's early warning, the others were up and moving. Sakumo's sharp voice rang out across the forest, ordering a full defensive posture. Medics pulled the convoy back behind a natural ridge, forming a barrier of crates and supplies as a fallback point.
They didn't know who had attacked. But Shin did. These weren't Suna or Ame shinobi. These were ghosts—men without symbols, operating without emotion or mercy. Root.
And they were here for him.
Fifteen shinobi in total. Two elite jōnin. Five standard jōnin. Eight chūnin. A full assassination squad designed to erase him from existence.
Shin's heart pounded. This wasn't a battle he could win by holding back.
He stood alone at the front as the black-clad shinobi emerged from the treeline, their movements precise, masks cold and silent. Even before they attacked, they had blood on their hands.
Shin clenched his fist and made his decision.
He raised his hand toward the stars and whispered, "Spirit of the Djinn… dwell within me. Change my body into a great Djinn... Dantalion."
The ground trembled. A swirl of dark violet light erupted around him, reshaping his body into something otherworldly. His robes melted into armored silk woven with celestial glyphs. A glowing gauntlet wrapped around his forearm, and his hair shimmered with arcane power. His eyes gleamed with infinite calculation—the mark of Dantalion.
The Root squad paused. They felt it too.
Shin wasted no time. He lifted both hands, inscribing a rapid constellation in the air. Magic circles spiraled into view, forming a giant arc above the trees. The portals blinked open like the eyes of a god.
"Ultimate Magic: Dante Al Thais."
A roar echoed from the constellation, followed by the blinding surge of Bararaq Sai. Dozens of lightning lances rained down through the portals, each guided by Dantalion's vast intellect. The chūnin didn't stand a chance. Their bodies were erased in moments. One jōnin raised a barrier. It shattered, and he vanished in the blast.
The forest lit up as Konoha's defenders rallied to the shockwave. Sakumo himself met one of the elite jōnin head-on, blades clashing in a blur of white and steel. Hikari had awoken, stunned by the scene in the distance. Kakashi didn't move—he was watching, calculating. Learning.
Shin stood amid the devastation, still cloaked in magic. Smoke curled around his form. Blood trickled from his lip, and he dismissed the Djinn Equip before it consumed more than his body could handle.
In the silence that followed, the survivors regrouped. Root's formation collapsed—some fell, some fled, all scattered. The camp was safe, for now.
A soft ding echoed in Shin's mind.
[System Update] — Phase One Complete. Reward Unlocked: Djinn of Wind — Focalor (Bracelet Vessel). Djinn Equip Status: Sealed. Passive Ability: Wind Affinity Boost (Low Tier).
He looked down. A new bracelet glimmered on his wrist—etched with the crest of Focalor, the Wind King. His next challenge had already begun.
But no one around him noticed. To the others, he was just lucky. Skilled. Brave. A promising genin with mysterious techniques.
Only Shin knew the truth.
Only Shin knew what came next.