Chapter 5

People are inherently driven by feelings of greed and profit. This stems from a simple desire—to fulfill their life's needs. Greed only fades when all needs are satisfied, but that is impossible. A person will always want something for their own satisfaction. This could be anything. The question is, what is a person willing to do to satisfy their selfish greed?

Takeshi put on his usual white mask, gray uniform, and adjusted his gloves with steel arm guards. In his regular camouflage, he headed towards the residence. He still had an hour before his meeting with the Hokage, but he didn't want to be late or disappoint the Hokage on his first day of important service. Glancing through the office window and sensing no living beings inside except for the Hokage himself, he quietly entered.

"We have a front door for that, you know."

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama."

"Alright, alright, it's no big deal. Just use the door next time, agreed?"

A short, affirmative nod was the response.

"Now, the mission is not particularly difficult, but not easy either," Hokage said, pulling out a paper with the mission description and laying it on the table. "It's to protect a merchant's caravan. He's been using our services successfully for a while now. There have been too many attacks lately, and it's become a bit of a problem. The mission is simple: escort the caravan, nothing more. However, there's a small condition that's not typically stated in these types of missions. I'll give you a direct hint now, but in the future, you'll need to figure out how to bring maximum benefit to Konoha on your own."

"No one is asking you to overextend yourself. In case of an emergency, you can always send a report and request assistance. Besides escorting, if bandits attack, your task will be to identify their control points, camps, or base. It doesn't matter what this rabble calls their hideouts. Should you obtain this information, you and your squad, to ensure the merchant's safety, are required to destroy them. After eliminating this problem, the trade routes will be clear and safe again—all thanks to us. Following this achievement, the mission's rank will rise from C to B, and your reward, along with your reputation, will increase..."

At this point, Hokage's tone took on an odd inflection, and he placed a hand on Takeshi's shoulder, as if speaking to a dear and close friend. Takeshi understood what he was getting at. If he wanted to change the governing system of the village and somehow influence the fate of Uzumaki Naruto, he needed to acquire two important things: reputation and influence. By helping various people—merchants, clans, advisors, or the Daimyo's supreme authority—his reputation in the village and the world would grow. Once he gathered enough allies, he could use them to achieve his goals.

Why did he have such seemingly deep sympathy for Naruto Uzumaki? In truth, it hadn't been there at the start. It was because, from his past experiences, humanity had repeatedly treated those with monstrous power in the same way. They would chain them, turn them into monsters, without considering their opinions. As a result, those who wanted the best for their people ended up with nothing but ruin and death. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions..." In this case, people see jinchūriki as nothing more than dangerous strategic weapons for the village, and refuse to view them as anything more. Takeshi simply didn't want this village to face the same fate. He couldn't be sure that this heavy burden placed on Naruto's shoulders could be endured alone. Maybe he was wrong, and Naruto really would achieve everything on his own, but Takeshi had always relied on his own feelings.

These people didn't necessarily need to walk down a path leading to their own tragic demise. Monsters deserved the right to be seen as people.

"Or perhaps I'm just looking for excuses to cleanse my own darkness...?" Takeshi thought to himself, recalling how, in the past, he had reveled in the feeling of power and had descended into madness, intruding on others who were chosen for the simple and entertaining act of murder. Without any real reason or goal. Just because it was fun—testing himself, hunting them one by one, and trying out new weapons, spells, skills, or tactics against superior numbers. Killing, dying, and repeating. The endless vicious cycle of undeath.

The only question was what would happen if he truly died here? After dying countless times, his fear of pain and death had disappeared on a purely mental level. Accepting the fact of his own disappearance—wasn't that what he had wanted all this time? Longing for nonexistence...? No, that was in his world. Here, he had a purpose.

The merchant was an ordinary-looking, slightly chubby, middle-aged man with brown hair, wearing clear white glasses. His clothes resembled a white robe, and he wore wooden sandals. The main reason the bandits hadn't been tracked down yet was that no one in Konoha took this rabble seriously, but once this problem affected their village, Konoha became immediately interested in solving this now-common issue.

Despite the primary objective being merely escorting the caravan, Takeshi was determined to eliminate this trash once and for all. He was given a squad of five experienced shinobi. After receiving brief information about their abilities, Takeshi could confidently rank four of them as genin, and the fifth as a chunin. Bandits were considered a weak threat, which was why he hadn't been provided with many men. As expected, they all wore identical uniforms, with only their animal masks differing. To his relief, no one in his squad questioned his age, accomplishments, or why such a "young kid" was appointed as their captain. There was a sense of responsibility, experience, and discipline in them—all good qualities for their mission.

"So, what's the plan, Captain?" one of them asked, with a slightly mocking tone regarding his rank.

Takeshi didn't pay any mind to the sarcasm. Although no one voiced their thoughts about their captain out loud, none in the squad could yet fully accept him as their commander. They accepted him solely because of the Hokage's order. Takeshi pulled out a detailed map of the area with their route and briefly informed them of his plan.

"Our dear and respected merchant, Sasaki-san, will travel with his caravan and ten men along his usual trade route. I managed to convince the merchant to act as bait for the thugs. We will follow them covertly, taking note of any suspicious details. We've all been provided with long-range communication devices," he said, pointing to his earpiece. "It's a three-day journey to the checkpoint, so the likelihood of encountering bandits is very high. If an attack occurs, our priority will be to protect the caravan, especially the merchant. If there's no attack, all the better for us."

"Heh, I wouldn't mind slitting the throats of those cheeky rats."

"Bloodthirstiness isn't the worst quality, but don't forget your duty. Everyone clear?"

A short nod was his answer.

"Then take your positions. The caravan moves out in ten minutes. Let's get into position."

Jumping through the trees and staying at a relative distance from the caravan, he listened through his earpiece to the dull tones of the reports about the surroundings. Nothing unusual. The first day passed quite peacefully. At night and during breaks, they always posted a guard who periodically checked the area. The second day was also calm, but the quiet irritated Takeshi. Everything was going too smoothly, too perfectly. His squad even started to feel disappointment that no one had taken the bait in the form of the large caravan. Only five kilometers remained until the capital, and then, conveniently, small problems began to arise.

"There's a tree ahead, blocking the road! In the bushes and near the trees, bandits are hiding, numbering between two and five dozen. I couldn't get an exact count, afraid they would spot me."

"Good work, Fox."

Despite his neutral tone, he wasn't pleased. Everything seemed planned in advance. Someone already knew they would take this exact road. This meant that, despite no one taking the bandits seriously, someone influential had managed to gather information about them.

"Nameless, what are the orders?"

"Two on the left side, two on the right side of the road. Keep an eye on the rear and eliminate everyone as quickly and efficiently as possible. Kai and I will protect the caravan in the center of the road and not allow anyone to get through to them. Any questions?"

There were no questions. It all began with the fierce battle cry of the bandits. They attacked the caravan from different directions, but at that very moment, the Anbu blocked their path. Despite only being four in number, the bandits couldn't simply bypass them due to the difference in skill level. A regular person cannot defeat a shinobi, even one of genin rank. Their speed, strength, and reaction time far exceeded human limits thanks to chakra, making the battle one-sided and pitiful.

Takeshi calmly observed the outcome of the fight, occasionally making swift and short movements with his partner to take down those who got too close to the caravan.

"Die!" A ragged middle-aged man suddenly burst onto the road, lifting a simple axe above his head. A step to the side, a kunai to the back of the head, and with a casual pace, Takeshi continued on. Another bandit attempted a horizontal slash and received a shuriken to the eye. The next one tried to stab Takeshi with a lunge, but instead of hitting its mark, the tip of the blade stuck in a log, and unexpectedly for him, Takeshi's heel, with his full body weight behind it, slammed his head into the ground. A finishing blow to the neck, accompanied by a brief crunch, ended his life.

This "battle" didn't last more than three minutes. Realizing too late that their numbers wouldn't help, the remaining bandits fled in panic.

"Don't let them escape! Leave one alive for questioning."

After the remaining groups were dealt with, just as ordered, one was tightly bound to a tree with rope, seemingly waiting for further action.

"Does anyone here have experience in interrogation?" Takeshi asked with interest.

"Let me handle it!"

"I appreciate your determination and enthusiasm, Fox, but your bloodlust is unnecessary here. What we need is a more businesslike approach."

Silence was the response. It seemed no one in the squad possessed such skills.

"Clear the road and follow the caravan. I'll handle this."

"B-but Captain!" The only teenage girl in their squad protested.

"No arguments."

Despite the brief internal conflict within the squad, they eventually obeyed the order and moved toward the caravan. Takeshi didn't care about the bandit's name, background, or the fact that he wouldn't willingly provide information. After all, Takeshi already knew what to do. Each bandit's death left behind a soul, which, like moths drawn to light, always absorbed into him. From a soul, one could extract more spiritual energy, as well as the memories of the victim. Thus, it wasn't hard to guess that he didn't need interrogations. The dead simply don't lie. The dead can't withhold important information.

"Why are you silent...?! Y-you're supposed to be torturing me for information! I'll tell you everything! J-just let me go and I won't..."

Takeshi calmly knelt down, covered the man's mouth with his left hand, and drove a kunai into his chin up to the hilt with his right. Shock and fear filled the bandit's eyes as he convulsed in his death throes, blood slowly dripping onto Takeshi's already blood-soaked gray gloves. He closed his eyes and delved into the soul's memories, uncovering their meeting points and all the necessary information.

Catching up with the caravan, he noticed the squad's only girl slightly lowering her mask and pulling out a small packet of pills, which she swallowed without even looking. Takeshi knew what they were. In Anbu, there were cases when some members struggled with psychological stress. These pills helped to temporarily suppress emotions and focus on the task. However, once their effect wore off, nausea and headaches followed, but that wasn't the point…

Takeshi shared the information the bandit possessed and ordered the squad to follow him to the suspected meeting points after escorting the caravan. Before completing the second part of the mission, he glanced back at the merchant one more time. In the memories, it was clear that the merchant was involved in all of this. It was Sasaki-san who leaked the information about his caravan, hiring ordinary people instead of shinobi from the nearby nameless village near the capital. After some mental effort, Takeshi realized that this was all planned by Sasaki himself. A major syndicate leader named Toshiko Tuwaru had taken control of a small territory in the capital of the Land of Fire and was now brazenly offering "protection" to these merchants in exchange for a hefty percentage of their sales. Sasaki knew that bandits would be waiting for him on the return trip and decided to hire Anbu, not shinobi, because he knew that the Anbu of Konoha always finish their mission.

One point after another, his squad eliminated Toshiko's bandit groups, hideout after hideout, until they finally reached his refuge. Toshiko begged and pleaded on his knees for them not to kill him. He even tried to bribe them to let him go. However, Takeshi couldn't find a reason to spare him, so another corpse was added to the pile.

It was strange that among the hired bandits there were no shinobi, and everything went relatively smoothly. As it turned out from Toshiko's memories, he had planned to eliminate anyone who wasn't paying for his "protection" anymore. Only, the latter didn't expect that Sasaki would hire the Konoha Anbu to get rid of him. What did Sasaki gain from this besides open trade routes? He was one of the few who accidentally discovered Toshiko Tuwaru's biggest secret. The syndicate leader wasn't particularly smart, cunning, or forward-thinking, but he had found a rich gold mine, and that gold became his lifeblood. Sasaki thought that by eliminating him, he could take the mine for himself, but now that Takeshi knew about it and soon Konoha would as well, Sasaki's plan would likely fail.

"Captain…?"

"We're done here. In the documents, I found some important information that might interest Konoha. I also discovered some details regarding our former merchant, Sasaki. If he was part of all this, then he'll likely become a victim of his own greed."

"And... what did you find out?"

Takeshi was slightly thrown off by the formal "you," but he decided to ignore it. Apparently, he had earned his squad's trust through his clear and experienced leadership.

"Toshiko Tuwaru has a gold mine, and Sasaki-san knows about it."

"You mean to say...?"

"Yes, most likely, after the information is passed on to the Hokage, there will be a minor clash over its ownership. But that's no longer our concern. We've done our part. It's time to return."

Upon arriving in Konoha, Takeshi informed the Hokage in his office of the mission's completion, and noted that he would provide a full report on the execution and details the next morning. While compiling the report at his desk, he noticed an Anbu in a white animal mask at the window, who silently left a letter and quickly vanished in a white puff of smoke.

"Do not leave your room. You will be summoned when needed. Order of the Hokage."

As the day was drawing to a close, Takeshi felt an odd sense of inevitability for some reason... as if something dreadful and terrible was about to happen. This feeling had often haunted him in his world, where no matter where he went, another terrible end awaited him. It was as if he could foresee death—his own and others'. He still couldn't fully trust the Hokage, thus allowing himself some leeway. However, he could not allow himself to be noticed. Unfortunately, Takeshi couldn't leave a clone in his apartment, so he had to use a fairly mediocre trick with the bed, pretending he was asleep. He did not feel monitored, so he just hoped that no one would check on him in his apartment.

Creating a tattered, hooded cloak of dark brown color and a black mask covering almost his entire face in crimson flames from the library of his soul, he also created the Ring of the Slumbering Dragon, which hid the sounds of its wearer, and the Ring of Mist, allowing its bearer to merge with the surroundings. Jumping out the window, Takeshi headed towards the source of this strange disturbance. The first thing he had learned in his world was how to hide. When facing an opponent overwhelmingly stronger than you, you either die and start over or hide from the threat and strike from behind, but from his experience, that was never enough... Creatures that were already dead couldn't be easily re-killed. He could conceal his aura and very existence, control his emotions and intentions, and even in a crowd of people, he would be absolutely invisible to the surrounding world.

The source of the malevolent aura turned out to be the Uchiha district. Due to their unique eyes, this clan was recognized as one of the strongest in Konoha, and the first problem he encountered was their clan barrier. He could attempt to destroy it and invade using his pyromancy, magic, or magical weapons, but then all clan members would regard him as an invader. An enemy. He was not familiar with the mechanisms of such complex barriers to pass through unnoticed. Would he have to turn back? To his surprise, and through some strange twist of fate, the barrier was broken. He felt it, as if something clicked in the surroundings for a moment. Realizing there would be no other opportunity to enter, he jumped onto the outer gates of the clan, then down and slipped into the nearest alley. Night. Screams of pain, panic, and pleas for help drowned out the sounds of battle. A familiar, irritating scent of blood struck his nose. Nearby, someone was fighting and someone was trying to resist. Carefully pressing against the wall and peeking around the corner, he saw the infamous Uchiha Itachi, methodically killing his own clan members one by one. Without mercy. Without hesitation. Without emotion.

Takeshi crouched down, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes. He was too close to Uchiha Itachi right now. He did not wish to meet him now and reveal himself. Uchiha Itachi was no fool and surely would not be doing something like this without a very serious reason. Considering that he was a member of the Anbu on duty for the Hokage—this meant that he had been ordered to eliminate his own clan. The question was just what had contributed to this? Would he intervene? No. He had no reasons to go against the decision of the Hokage, and especially not against a superior opponent. Nevertheless, he had chosen the role of an observer, and all that remained for him was to just watch the outcome of this action. However... there was something he still could do.

Waiting until Uchiha Itachi moved forward, he approached one of the Uchiha clan members, who had a fatal wound in the neck and was already choking on his own blood. His blood-red eyes, adorned with the familiar three tomoe of the Sharingan, radiated fear and pity, and his hand reached out in a silent plea for help. Takeshi took his hand and pressed it gently to his chest. So carefully and tenderly, as if afraid to cause more pain.

"I cannot help, but I can be your Shinigami today," the gaze of the unknown Uchiha fell to the ground as his soul was absorbed into Takeshi. Perhaps this was far better than fading into nonexistence. After all, despite their bodies being dead, they would still live inside him. For the undead, the body was still not the most important attribute for existence, and who knows, maybe in the future, when he could reach the level of a god, he could distort the very creation for them or... for himself? In his world, he had no opportunity to change anything. There, they only gave the illusion of choice, whereas in the end, you could do absolutely nothing. Every choice you made had already been decided for you, and even the end of the story was not an end in itself. Forever spinning in this foolish cycle of life and death without the possibility of stopping. Takeshi closed the eyes of his silent interlocutor and silently, also silently, moved on to collect the souls of the dead. Later, from them, he would learn the true reason for their destruction. For now, he must not make a mistake. Once again, he leaned against a wall, his breath halted by the sight of a figure in a dark cloak, with an orange spiral mask, whose aura and the dark color of his soul radiated so much pain and hatred, and just one resolve to destroy the Uchiha clan.

"I-Itachi...!" managed to cry out her final words before the man in the orange mask pulled the girl chained to him closer, and with his other hand quite cruelly, but swiftly ended her life, snapping her neck. He crouched over her body and, with precise accuracy, removed her eyes.

"Hmph... I can't take them all because of Danzo, but a promise is a promise," he calmly spoke his thoughts aloud and, in a technique unknown to Takeshi, disappeared in a spiral-space teleport. With silent steps, Takeshi approached her body and beckoned the soul of Uchiha Izumi to him. So much warmth, light, and joy—this feeling... Love? Yes, she had loved Uchiha Itachi, and now only sadness, pity, and fear of the unknown emanated from her soul. These feelings could become a problem, and therefore he already knew that he would assign each soul its own room. Their own world, which would be an illusion of life for them. And only those whose souls were strong would see through the lie and accept their death. After that, nothing would remain for him but to have a "heart-to-heart" conversation with them and then determine their fate. In the best case, the souls would agree to serve as observers. In other cases, they would become nothing more than a resource for increasing his power. Needless to say, with his level of spiritual power, none of the local souls stood a chance against him. They were lucky he offered them a choice. Any other crazed chosen undead in his place would have used their souls solely to increase their own power.

Time was running short, and now he wanted to conclude this brief stroll with a final stop at the home of the Uchiha clan head. After all, he of all people should know the exact details and reasons for this massacre and why his own eldest son had turned against him. He managed to slip back into a dark alley at the last moment and remain unnoticed because Uchiha Itachi was being pursued by his younger brother with a kunai in hand, demanding answers to his questions. He wasn't interested in the outcome of this encounter, so he quickly entered the clan head's house. Two corpses. Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha had been killed with a bladed weapon, and… beckoning their souls, he learned that it was indeed Itachi who had killed them. The last ones did not resist. They realized their mistake and decided to leave this world voluntarily.

"Sorry, Itachi... Forgive us..." the male and female voices resonated slightly, echoing, and a few unbidden tears fell from his eyes.

"Stop bothering me with your emotions. Otherwise, I'll lock you away somewhere deep and for a long time," the souls of these two caused a headache in his temples. They were strong. Stronger than all the previous ones, and therefore they nearly took control of his body for a fraction of a second, causing an unwanted reaction. There was too little time left for this stroll. If Uchiha Itachi had received such an order from the Hokage himself, the likelihood that Anbu would show up was extremely high, and therefore he needed to leave the clan territory as soon as possible and return to his room. Tomorrow he would already receive information from the Hokage. The question was, what version of events would they provide him? He didn't care. After all, he already had someone who possessed the truth and the real reason for this massacre.