The start

Prologue: The Phantom's Return

The moon was a sliver in the sky, casting a ghostly light over the village. The wind carried the faintest trace of a whisper—an omen that the village's peace was about to be shattered.

Kaito, known as the Shuriken Shadow, had long been a legend—a myth. Yet tonight, he returned. No longer the idealistic student of the Shuriken Shadow Clan, he had become an instrument of vengeance.

His mission was simple, yet infinitely complicated: to find and eliminate Ryuu, his former comrade, now a traitor to the clan.

The winds stirred as Kaito dropped from the shadows, vanishing into the darkness.

Chapter One: The Shuriken's Edge

Kaito stood on the edge of the village's outskirts, looking toward the distant silhouette of the old shrine. It was a place where he and Ryuu had trained, fought, and shared the bond of brotherhood. It was the last place Kaito wanted to return to, but he had no choice. Ryuu was there, hiding in plain sight, surrounded by his new allies—the very warlords who had once been enemies.

As Kaito moved toward the shrine, he recalled the last time he had seen Ryuu. It had been years—before the betrayal. Ryuu had always been the more ambitious of the two, but Kaito had never imagined that ambition would lead him down a path of treachery.

The shrine loomed ahead. Kaito's every step was calculated. Silent. Precise. His fingers brushed the edge of his shuriken pouch as his heartbeat quickened. He could feel the tension, the weight of the past, bearing down on him.

Inside the shrine, the faintest movement caught his eye. He wasn't alone. Kaito dropped into a crouch, his body melding into the shadows, his instincts telling him he was being watched. The game had begun.