The past three days had passed in a blur. On the surface, everything appeared normal- Kanekuwa Yori, the noble warrior, continued his fake tourism with his family, visiting tea plantations, cultural landmarks, and trade centers as any noble would.
But beneath this illusion of leisure, a silent war raged.
From the shadows, elite warriors loyal to the Yori moved swiftly, eradicating enemy shinobi who had infiltrated the Land of Tea. These shinobi, originating from various minor villages, were discovered to be assisting the Hidden Tea Village in its attempted coup.
The major powerful ones were dealt by the Kagami alone but because of his fame in the underworld his movements were restricted.
The coup itself had not yet begun, but it was clear that things were boiling beneath the surface.
~~~
Yuichi still vividly remembered the moment Kanekuwa Yori revealed the true nature of their mission.
Seated around a dimly lit table, the mood was heavy as Yori leaned forward, his expression calm but coldly serious.
"Let me be clear," Yori began, his sharp eyes scanning each of them. "This is not a simple escort mission."
Exhaling a sign of annoyance, he spoke, " To be honest, I myself don't know the reason why you 3 genins are present in this mission and except the facade that you provide to the mission, it's hardly any work for you. But it's better you knew the mission then messing everything up."
Mio and Sakumo sat rigidly, their expressions a little prick, while Yuichi kept his composure, he had guessed this much already.
Meanwhile Kagami, who had already known everything, simply sipped his tea without a care in the world.
"The Land of Tea's Daimyo is facing a power struggle with the village head of Hidden Tea Village," Yori continued.
"There are two main reasons for this conflict. First, the Hidden Tea Village is weak. Compared to the five great nations' shinobi villages, they are insignificant, evidenced by the fact that for years, not a single one of their shinobi has managed to pass the Chunin Exams in the great nations."
Mio frowned. "That would mean they lack skilled shinobi, right?"
Yori nodded. "Correct. Their shinobi are far too underqualified to compete on an international level. And yet, despite this, their demands for higher pay have continued to rise. They want more money while contributing less and less to the nation's defense."
Yuichi processed the information quickly. "So, the Daimyo is refusing their demands?"
Yori smirked. "Not just refusing. He is cutting them off completely. From now on, the Daimyo intends to stop funding Hidden Tea Village altogether."
Sakumo's brows furrowed. "That's basically a death sentence for the village."
"Indeed," Yori confirmed. "A ninja village without funding is a doomed village. They cannot sustain themselves, they cannot train new generations, and most importantly, they cannot compete with other nations."
Mio exhaled slowly. "And that's why they're attempting a coup…"
"Exactly," Yori said, his expression darkening. "The village head has begun conspiring with shinobi from other minor nations, hiring them to bolster their forces. Their plan is to assassinate the Daimyo and place a puppet ruler on the throne—someone who will continue funding them."
Yuichi narrowed his eyes. "And we're here to stop it."
Yori smirked. " At Least you three are quick. I like that."
Kagami finally put his tea down and stretched. "Well, that's the gist of it. While Yori plays tourist, me and the other warriors from the palace will handle the cleanup.
Remember we're here to make sure things stay quiet with no presence of Konohagakure as It will only make things worse and provide other big nations reasons to pull their claws out."
Yuichi leaned back in his chair. This mission was far bigger than they'd thought. But with minimal involvement in it. On a fake guard duty, they were at the center of a political war acting as the performers to cover for others.
~~~
As the day passed by, Dozens of enemy shinobis got eliminated in the shadows. The Daimyo's elite warriors, alongside Yori's palace warriors and Kagami moved methodically, cutting off the Hidden Tea Village's external reinforcements before the coup could begin.
Yuichi, though not directly involved in the kill missions, had spent much of his time gathering intelligence.
Everywhere he went, he could sense tension rising in the capital.
Now every ninja alongside traders and people involved with the politics of the country, even minorly, knew what was happening. With the external help gone, the pressure on the hidden village was at peak leaving only two options, either revolt or submit.
Kagami, despite his usual carefree attitude, was on constant alert. Yuichi had caught him casually flicking kunai between his fingers, something he only did when anticipating a fight.
Sakumo and Mio too were on alert, being more serious over the last three days. Understanding that their mission was far more dangerous than they had anticipated. The risk of things going haywire was also very high.
***
On the fifth night, Yuichi found himself unable to sleep.
Sitting on the rooftop of their residence, he gazed out at the city. The lights of Camellia City twinkled below, reflecting off the vast tea plantations stretching into the horizon.
Footsteps approached behind him.
Yuichi didn't turn, but he heard his sensei let out a deep sigh before sitting beside him.
"Can't sleep?" Kagami asked casually.
Yuichi exhaled. "Something feels… off."
"That's good. Trust your instincts," Kagami smirked.
There was a brief silence before Kagami continued.
"You've been improving a lot, Yuichi," he said, his voice holding a rare tone of seriousness. "Your ability to sense things is getting sharper. But be aware when you move very quickly you tend to make basic mistakes."
Yuichi nodded and thought back to his growing ability to feel chakra. However, since he started using his power, his connection to the chakra around him had strengthened.
"You noticed?" Yuichi asked.
Kagami chuckled. "Of course. You think I wouldn't notice my own student developing a sensor-like ability?"
Yuichi hesitated before finally asking.
"Kagami-sensei… do you think it's possible for my power to evolve?"
Kagami tilted his head. "Evolving?"
Yuichi looked down at his hands. "Ever since I started using my ability, I feel more connected to chakra. It's like… every time I activate it, I become more aware of everything around me. And now, I don't even need to activate it fully to sense things."
Kagami hummed, rubbing his chin. "Well, if that's the case, then you're in for one hell of a future trouble. And about the evolving powers… There are many like that, my own powers are one such example. "
Yuichi gave him a questioning look.
Kagami smirked. "Don't give such a look, it's good to have an evolving battle kit. If your power is evolving… then who knows? Maybe one day, you'll be able to reach things beyond normal ninja's limits, reaching the title of god."
" I will try to thrive for it," Yuichi replied, clenching his fists. That possibility… excited him.
But before he could dwell on it further, Kagami's expression shifted.
His playful smirk faded, replaced with cold sharpness.
Yuichi immediately felt it too.
A presence.
Something was moving in the darkness.
Kagami exhaled, his fingers tapping against his knee.
"Looks like our mission is gonna end today."