Johan's POV – Mission Day
The sky was still ink-black when I arrived at the village's southern gate. The world hadn't woken yet, but we had.
Tenzo and Ko were already there, silent, unreadable shadows in the faint torchlight. Yugao arrived moments later, her mask catching the flame's flicker like the edge of a blade.
Tenzo's voice was quiet. "Let's go."
No wasted words. We nodded and moved.
Midway through the forest trail, Tenzo spoke again, his tone clipped. "We have information. He may be near Kura Town. We move fast. No second chances."
We sped through the trees, the silence between us not born of comfort but of understanding. We all knew what this mission meant. What it required.
By the time we reached Kura Town, the sun was low. Not quite dawn. That hour where shadows still held their power.
Tenzo turned to us. "Pairs. Sweep the area. If you find him, signal."
He pointed.
"Me and Hawk(Ko).
Moon(Yugao) and Bat(Johan)."
I nodded once. No hesitation. No reaction. Just motion.
We moved.
The market was still asleep. Vendors setting up, children yawning as they chased after stray chickens, unaware that death slipped between the cracks of their village that day.
We searched.
Then the signal came, Tenzo's signal. We converged on their position.
Tenzo stood calm, as always. "Intel confirms. He's near the bounty exchange center."
We moved again.
Ko activated his Byakugan. "No visual. He's not inside."
Tenzo nodded. "We talk."
The bounty center stood like a scar on the edge of town, guarded, fortified, watching. As we approached, a guard stepped forward, expression cocky.
"Stop. What do you want?"
Ko muttered, "Is he an idiot…"
The guard narrowed his eyes. "What did you say?"
Tenzo's voice cut through, smooth but final. "We're here for information."
The guard's gaze swept over us until it landed on me.
He laughed.
"A kid? What's this, playtime?"
The others behind him laughed too. Arrogance. Ignorance.
Tenzo glanced at me. A silent signal.
I met the guard's eyes. Cold. Focused.
Genjutsu.
Silence.
The laughter died. Their bodies froze, only their eyes moved, wide and trembling. The guard who mocked me stood like a statue.
A moment passed.
"Hey! What are you doing?" another barked. "You wanna die?"
Before they could reach, a voice called from within. Calm. Firm.
"Enough."
The guards stepped back immediately.
A man emerged, his smile sharp. "Lord shinobi. My apologies. These fools don't know who they're mocking."
His eyes lingered on me for a breath too long.
He added, darker this time, "After all, ANBU don't leave evidence behind."
Every guard stiffened. The laughter earlier now seemed like a memory from another life.
"I'm Miyamura. Manager of this exchange," he said. "How can I help?"
Tenzo gave me a subtle nod. I released the genjutsu.
The moment it shattered, the mocking guard screamed.
"MONSTERS! MONSTERS EVERYWHERE! HELP ME! THEY'RE IN MY HEAD—"
He thrashed violently until his comrades knocked him unconscious.
Silence returned. Heavier this time. Dense. Like breath held in fear.
Even my own team looked at me with something different in their eyes.
Yugao thought, His genjutsu… it's evolved. This isn't just skill. It's something else.
Ko mused, The kid's got talent. Real talent.
Miyamura looked at me again, and though he smiled, something in his gaze had shifted.
Respect. And fear.
Tenzo turned to him. "We're looking for a guy, Masa, from the leaf."
Miyamura nodded slowly. "He was here. Trying to sell information. We passed him to a client. Gave him a location."
Tenzo handed over a sealed pouch, payment, most likely. These exchanges served all sides. Legally untouchable. Politically complex.
Soon after, we reached the coordinates.
Ko's Byakugan flared again. "Found him. Three people. Two unknowns."
Tenzo's voice was colder than the air. "Move."
We surrounded the clearing, silent like wolves.
The moment Masa saw us, his posture changed, his eyes wild.
"You found me…"
Tenzo stepped forward. "Surrender, Masa. Or die."
The other two, clearly missing-nin, looked at each other and backed away.
"We've got nothing to do with this! You want him? He's yours. We're leaving."
Cowards. Deserters.
Tenzo's voice was barely a breath. "Do it."
We moved.
Blades met skin. Wind met bone. Fire kissed blood.
One of the missing-nin tried to bolt. I was faster.
I moved in faster, then drove a chakra-enhanced kunai into his throat. Clean. Efficient.
Tenzo ended Masa himself, silent and precise.
Yugao and ko took the last one.
Then it was done.
Tenzo summoned a scroll, sealing the bodies inside without ceremony.
"Mission complete," he said flatly.
No celebration. No words.
We left as silently as we had come.
The forest closed behind us, and Kura Town remained untouched. Unaware.
But it had seen something today. A shadow. A chill. A quiet echo of the cost of betrayal.
And we—
We carried that silence back with us.
---
When we came back to Konoha, it was already nighttime.
The village was quiet, cloaked in shadows. The warmth of day had long faded, and the streets felt colder somehow, emptier.
Just when our team was about to disperse into the night, an ANBU appeared in front of us, emerging like a phantom from the dark.
He spoke with no emotion. "Lord Hokage has summoned Team Ro."
And just like that, he vanished into the mist, as if he had never been there.
We looked at each other, just for a moment. A flicker of confusion passed between us, but it was quickly buried beneath duty.
We moved.
The Hokage's office stood silent under a flickering lantern, its light dancing like restless spirits behind the windows.
We reached the door and knocked.
A voice came from within. "Come in."
We entered and knelt on a single knee, shadows cast long behind us.
Hiruzen's voice was calm, but carried the weight of something unsaid.
"Stand up."
We obeyed, rising without hesitation.
"You may remove your masks."
Without a word, we did.
---
Johan's POV – Hokage's Office
He looked at us seriously, eyes lingering just a little longer than necessary. Studying.
Then he asked about the mission.
Tenzo answered him, his tone as sharp and clear as ever, detailing each step without emotion, just truth.
After that, the Hokage's gaze turned to me.
There was something in his eyes I hadn't seen before. A flicker of thought. A shadow of concern.
"Johan," he said slowly. "We have some things to talk about."
I met his eyes and nodded, serious.
But inside, I could feel it, the silence shifting again.
Like something was beginning...