Chapter 165: The Shadow of Rebellion

 Day 8.

The stone streets of the village felt darker than usual, the air heavy, as if something unseen slithered through the alleys.

Shōgeki stood in a secluded corner, surrounded by a small group of Kumo ninja.

He watched them calmly, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Look around you."

His eyes drifted over the half-empty streets, the scattered patrols of Kumo that seemed thinner, more disorganized.

"Noriaki's control is slipping. His command is crumbling… and you will be next."

The ninja exchanged uneasy glances.

"What do you mean?" one of them asked.

Shōgeki took a step closer, lowering his voice.

"Have you noticed? More and more dissenting ninja are disappearing."

A tense silence.

"Where have they gone?"

No one answered.

No one dared admit it.

The truth was darker than they could imagine.

Because the disappeared ninja were not victims of Kumo.

They had been eliminated by Borei, Kagerō, and Hokujin.

Disguised, they had lured them into isolated alleys and wiped them out without leaving a trace.

And now, the remaining ninja were beginning to fear they were next.

Day 9.

The air had grown heavier.

Whispers spread of vanished shinobi, of dissenters who had disappeared into nothingness.

Then—the second killing happened.

Another merchant was slain in broad daylight.

An ordinary man.

One of them.

The culprit?

A Kumo ninja too arrogant for his own good.

Or at least, that's how it seemed.

Because the merchant who died wasn't actually dead.

It was Hokujin.

Disguised, he had provoked the ninja with carefully chosen words.

The man lost his temper.

He had only shoved him.

But Hokujin fell backward, his head striking a stall… and he pretended to die on impact.

The crowd saw everything.

Another merchant killed in broad daylight.

"They are murdering us!"

The shout spread like wildfire.

In the heart of the crowd, two men roared with fury.

Civilians? No.

They were Kagerō and Borei.

Disguised, they stirred the masses.

And Aki's father, his face etched with pain and rage, led the charge.

This was no longer a protest.

It was the beginning of a rebellion.

- - -

The shadows of dusk stretched long over Kumo's command tents.

The wind carried the acrid scent of the sea and the dust kicked up by the hurried footsteps of shinobi.

Noriaki watched the city from above.

His face was unreadable.

But his eyes were sharp.

Then—a ninja burst into the tent, breathless.

"Noriaki-san… the villagers are revolting."

Silence fell like a blade.

Noriaki slowly lifted his gaze.

"Explain."

"One of our men killed another merchant in front of everyone. And now… the city is in chaos."

Noriaki remained still.

A merchant?

An ordinary man, yet the people were revolting for him?

A trap.

Whoever had orchestrated this was forcing his hand.

Noriaki immediately understood he couldn't wait.

He had to act.

Accompanied by ten ninja, Noriaki marched through the village streets.

The villagers watched him with hatred.

"You are no longer welcome here."

In the main square, a crowd awaited him.

Merchants, fishermen, mothers with their children.

Among them, an elderly man stepped forward.

"ENOUGH!" he shouted.

The people moved with him.

"For too long, you have treated us like filth!"

A murmur of approval rippled through the crowd.

Noriaki studied them, emotionless.

"Who told you these things?" he asked, his voice calm, neutral.

The old man clenched his fists.

"We don't need anyone to tell us what we can see with our own eyes!"

The air crackled with tension.

Then, it happened.

BOOM!

An explosion shook the square.

Smoke billowed into the air.

- - - a few moments later - - -

The clash of blades rang out across the square.

Smoke from explosions choked the streets, while screams of fear mixed with shouts of rage.

Aki's father gripped his son's hand tightly, desperately searching for an escape route.

But a Kumo ninja moved swiftly, his eyes locked onto him.

He had identified the man who had led the uprising.

And now, he was going to eliminate him.

The blade came down with force.

CLANG!

A sharp impact stopped the lethal strike midair.

The Kumo ninja's eyes widened.

He shifted his gaze to the figure who had blocked his sword.

Emerging from the smoke and chaos—

Shōgeki had appeared.

His arm outstretched, his blade holding back the mortal blow with inhuman strength.

"Not here."

His voice was calm. Cold. But his eyes burned with ferocious intelligence.

The ninja tried to withdraw his sword, but he never had the chance to react.

Shōgeki twisted his wrist, smoothly deflecting the attack, then struck the ninja with a powerful kick to the chest.

The Kumo soldier flew backward, crashing onto the dusty ground.

But as the ninja's body hit the dirt—

Another Kumo warrior lunged at Aki. Blade raised. One strike.

A lethal attack.

Aki didn't have time to react.

° ° ° A Golden Light ° ° °

A golden glow exploded from Aki's chest.

The Kumo ninja was thrown backward, his eyes widening in shock as his body was blasted away by an invisible force.

On the ground, split in two, lay the talisman Borei had given him.

Aki trembled, unable to comprehend.

The crowd saw everything.

And now—

This was no longer a rebellion.

It was war.

At the heart of the chaos, Noriaki watched everything unfold.

His cold gaze slowly settled on Shōgeki.

Their eyes met.

A single moment.

An instant that froze time.

Then, Aki's father grabbed Shōgeki's arm, panting.

"Thank you… thank you for saving me."

Shōgeki never broke eye contact with Noriaki, but his voice was clear.

"Fortune favors the bold."

He barely turned his head, his gaze glacial.

"Now go. Don't let your son grow up without a father."

Aki's father nodded sharply, dragging his son away from the battle.

Noriaki never lowered his sword, there was no longer any doubt.

This wasn't the real Shōgeki.

"Have you become a good Samaritan, Shōgeki?"

His voice dripped with venom.

He took a slow step forward, his piercing eyes drilling into his opponent's face.

"But tell me, Shōgeki…"

He let the words hang in the air, taunting.

"If you've copied his face… have you copied his strength as well?"

"Because if you have—"

A smirk played at Noriaki's lips.

"Then you must be just as weak as he was."

Borei, disguised as Shōgeki, smiled.

A slow, disdainful smile.

"I can't understand how A ever entrusted a mission like this to a ninja as foolish as you."

The battle was about to begin.

And this time—

There would be no more deceptions.

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