Power Stone Goals from now on: I always post a minimum of 5 chapters. Henceforth the following are the goals:
Every 150 powerstones, I upload an extra chapter.
If we hit top 30 in the 30-90 days power stone rankings, thats 1 more chapter
If we hit top 10 in the 30-90 days power stone rankings, thats 1 more chapter
If we are top 5...well lets get to that first. Happy readings!
Chapter 90:Escape
As I made my way back up to the surface, I could already sense the chaos unfolding above. Hundreds of Jonin were moving across the rooftops, scanning corridors, and cycling through the security grids with meticulous precision. Clearly, the squad I had eliminated had been discovered.
Strangely, none of the Jonin made any effort to intercept or engage the shadow clones I had stationed inside of the room. That told me they were trying to handle this quietly. They didn't want to trigger an alert until they had confirmation of my exact location—until they were sure.
With my Mind's Eye active, I could sense dozens of chakra signatures dispersing throughout the entire complex. A full search sweep was already in motion. It was only a matter of time before someone stumbled across my trail.
But I had already completed my primary objective: infiltrating the Shogun's mansion, locating the blacksmith Apollo and Yoru had mentioned, and securing his cooperation. That was a success by any measure. Still, I couldn't afford to relax.
Because the real problem was still ahead of me.
I was trapped inside a mansion filled with shinobi significantly stronger than me. Dozens of Kage-level opponents were patrolling the compound. And unless I was willing to reveal every trump card I had—including the Inner Gates, my sealed techniques and Matatabi—I wouldn't survive an open confrontation.
Realistically, I could take on maybe three or four Kage-level opponents at once.
But not the amount that were currently present.
And certainly not all of them in a confined space.
This made me realise though if I wanted any chance of escaping this place I needed my chakra back.
Without hesitation, I released the nine diversion clones I had stationed inside the room. Not the one in the Land of the Toads—that clone was still serving an important purpose. But the nine here? They had served their function. In an instant, their experiences, their observations, and most importantly, their chakra returned to me in a focused rush.
The effect was immediate. My reserves swelled, and I felt my senses sharpen. But with the return of their memories also came confirmation: the squad leader—the one who had originally split off from the group—had returned to check on his men.
And when he realised the differing behaviours between his men, he made me.
The clones were expendable. That wasn't the issue. What mattered now was the information I had gained—and the new urgency it brought.
Because now, every Jonin in the mansion would be moving with full knowledge that there was an intruder.
Me.
They'd switch to overdrive: tighter formations, more frequent sweeps, authorization for lethal force. Every corridor, every vent, every window would be under surveillance or locked down. Escape would become exponentially harder with each passing minute.
So I needed a solution.
And I needed it fast.
…
(3rd Person)
Currently, the ninja stationed within the Land of Iron, specifically those assigned to the Shogun's mansion, were on an unprecedented level of high alert. News had spread internally—an intruder had managed to breach the palace using a method of infiltration that was still unknown.
The implications were terrifying: if someone could enter undetected, they could just as easily pose as anyone. Every shinobi in the compound understood this.
Paranoia took root.
Trust broke down.
Even someone standing right beside you could be the enemy.
Protocol demanded immediate lockdown in situations like this. No one in. No one out. But this wasn't just any day at the palace.
The Shadow Kage Summit was in full session, with all the leaders of the great nations present under one roof. To announce a lockdown now would raise questions—questions the Shogun was not prepared to answer.
This was more than a breach of security. This was an embarrassment, a stain on the competence of the Land of Iron's elite.
After all, the palace was guarded by their best—the pinnacle of neutral military power in the shinobi world. And someone had slipped through.
So the Shogun gave a different order: maintain appearances. No lockdown. No disruptions.
All entrances and exits would be monitored. Security would be heightened under the pretense of protecting the summit. The Kage would be told that Konoha's absence had increased potential risks, necessitating extra precaution.
In short, everything needed to look normal.
As part of that control, a group of five chunin—all roughly the same height and build, clad in matching gear—was preparing to exit the Shogun's mansion.
A guard stopped them just outside the main gate. His hand hovered over the hilt of his katana. "Halt. Identification."
One of the chunin, with a firm jawline and squared shoulders, let out a theatrical sigh. "Is this about the intruder? Come on, we've been together the whole time. There's no way we've been compromised."
Another, a girl with short, cropped hair and an oddly squeaky voice, nodded. "There's really no need to check us."
The guard didn't budge. "Orders are orders. I still need ID from each of you. And the passcode."
"Passcode?" the speaker asked, tone thick with confusion.
"Yes. The passcode. You do know it, don't you?" the guard replied, tightening his grip slightly.
"Of course I do," the chunin said quickly.
The guard's hand relaxed.
The speaker turned to the team. "Hand me your IDs."
One by one, the chunin passed him their identification scrolls. He turned back and held them out.
As he did, another member of the squad suddenly lunged forward.
SPLASH.
A katana burst through the speaker's chest from behind, the blade protruding cleanly through his ribs. Blood spilled from his mouth as he staggered forward, stunned.
Still reeling, he instinctively reacted. He drew a breath and expelled a pressurized stream of water from his mouth—a water-style jutsu designed to push the four remaining chunin back. The surge shot forward violently, soaking the gate and sending the guard a few steps backward.
But before the jutsu reached full force, two more katana blades pierced his chest from both sides, each aiming precisely for the heart. His body trembled, then collapsed in a heap, blood pooling beneath him.
The guard, recovering from the blast of water, looked up in shock and confusion. "What the hell just happened?!"
He raised his blade, now fully alert, and aimed it toward the remaining four chunin.
"Explain yourselves! Why did you kill him?!"
The four stood in silence.
Their expressions were unreadable.
The man who had just been pierced through the heart fell to the ground with a heavy thud. The girl with short hair—the first to strike—raised her hands calmly, signaling she meant no harm.
"I just did all of us a big favor," she said, her voice still high-pitched and oddly squeaky despite the gravity of the moment.
The guard looked at her in shock, struggling to comprehend. The slain man had followed every protocol up to this point. His identification had matched. His reaction to the mention of the passcode had seemed sincere—genuinely confused.
In fact, the guard had been fairly certain the man was not the intruder.
And yet he was dead.
"Why?" the guard asked, still stunned.
"Because that man is a fake," she replied calmly.
Another member of the group—a male with similar build to the others, and the second attacker—stepped forward. "Our captain is left-handed. This guy was using his right. And our Captain does not know Water-Style Jutsu."
The guard blinked, absorbing the logic.
"Check him," the girl said. "You'll see."
The guard said nothing but stepped back, motioning to nearby comrades. Other guards had already gathered around, weapons drawn, tense and watchful. They were prepared to kill the entire squad if needed.
"One of you do it," he said with caution in case this was a trap.
The male chunin who had delivered the second katana blow crouched beside the body. With cautious fingers, he examined the neck, tapping lightly. Then his hand paused. He found something.
He gripped the skin around the base of the jaw and pulled.
The face peeled away in a slick, disturbing motion, revealing a completely different visage underneath. A face none of them recognized.
Gasps rose from the surrounding guards.
The young chunin stood up, holding the false face. He tossed it toward the original gate guard. "This is not our captain. This is your infiltrator. He tried to escape the mansion in disguise."
The guard nodded slowly, now understanding. It fit. The Shogun had issued a secret protocol involving a password test—there was no actual passcode. It was a trap. Anyone who tried to provide a real answer was flagged. The genuine response was confusion.
And the fake captain had played it wrong.
The short-haired girl stepped forward. "So what happens now? What's the protocol when the intruder has been killed?"
The guard she addressed recovered quickly. "I'll take it from here. Me and a few others will transport him to a secure site for post-mortem analysis. Maybe we can still learn something from the body."
He handed back their identification cards. "You four are clear to leave."
The chunin nodded, each wearing a grim expression. The loss of their captain, replaced and used like a puppet by the enemy, left a bitter taste. One of them clenched their fists tightly as they turned and walked away.
This was the life of a shinobi.
Five guards gathered around the fallen body. One of them stared down at the exposed, unfamiliar face.
"This guy caused us more trouble than we ever expected."
"Who's going to bring him to the extraction site?" one asked.
"I'll go," the original guard said. Another guard volunteered to accompany him.
Together, they hoisted the corpse—still warm, though the heart no longer beat—and began the journey to a secure facility outside the compound walls.
They had no idea just how many secrets this impostor had buried beneath his skin.
And someone went to inform the Shogun of this, the lockdown might be lifted soon depending on the information they found from the body.
(Authors note: Hi guys, I would appreciate it if more of you could write down reviews. It allows more readers to join, and thus more power stones which then means more chapters :)))
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Authors note:
You can read some chapters ahead if you want to on my p#treon.com/Fat_Cultivator