Chapter 68

A/N: I hope you all like a little bit of politics. Also, I would be moving houses and would be temporarily staying in a relative house. I will not have access to my computer. So I do not know when I will release the next chapter. until then, ENJOY!

Kuro returns home after talking with Mito about future plans, unaware of the chaos his Shadow Soldiers were causing.

Not that he would've cared even if he knew.

Looking around the living room, he sensed no one was in the house. Instead, there was a letter on the living room table.

He picked it up, unfolded it, and read its contents.

Without a word, he set off toward the Inner Hall of the Nara Clan.

Apparently, his parents and Kisara had been summoned by the head of the Nara Clan.

"So the news about me finally reached them," he muttered, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Took them long enough."

***

Nara Clan Compound – Inner Hall

The traditional paper walls did little to muffle the weight of tension simmering in the room. Shadows from flickering lanterns danced across the floor.

Shikaku Nara, head of the Nara Clan, sat at the center, fingers steepled, his gaze unreadable but heavy. Years of strategy and survival had etched quiet dominance into his every breath.

Across from him sat Kuro's parents, rigid with concern, and Kisara, quiet but observant.

Advisors from allied clans stood nearby: Hiashi Hyuga, his arms crossed in disapproval; Torune Aburame, impassive behind his dark glasses; Choza Akimichi, arms folded, concern painted on his round features.

"We're not here to pass judgment," Shikamaru said, his tone firm but even. "We're here to understand."

Kuro's mother, Kokomi, responded sharply. "You've heard rumors. That's all. Our son has done nothing to warrant this... inquisition."

"It's more than rumors," said Hiashi Hyuga, his arms folded inside his robes. "There are sightings—reports of... creatures. Shadow-like warriors moving independently across the Land of Fire, all yelling, "FOR LORD KURO."

Kisara's gaze rose, piercing. Her voice, when it came, was soft and dangerous.

"And what if they are his?"

All eyes turned toward her.

Shikaku leaned forward. "If Kuro has created something powerful, we need to know if he can restrain it. Especially now, with tensions rising between the villages."

A murmur passed through the room.

Kisara leaked a little of her aura, not having any of the BS from these old geezers.

"Even so—what can you do about it?"

Silence.

"I guarantee you," she continued, stepping forward, "nothing good will come from pushing this line. Restrain Kuro?" She almost laughed. "He would sooner erase this entire hall, and revive you as his most loyal subordinates, singing his name like those shadow-like warriors."

She looked around at them, one by one, daring a response.

And then…

A breeze swept through the hall. A shadow flickered outside the paper door.

One of the guards at the entrance paled. "He's here."

The paper slid open with a soft hiss.

Kuro stepped into the room.

Calm. Composed. Dangerous.

"I heard my name," he said.

The room fell utterly still.

Kuro stepped inside as his gaze swept the hall like a tide testing the shore.

Shikaku studied him closely.

Kuro looked around slowly.

"Kisara," he said with a nod, his voice low, smooth.

"Mother. Father."

Then, his eyes landed on Shikaku and the advisors. "...Elders."

Hiashi narrowed his eyes. "You walk in here like this is a courtesy meeting. You're aware of the situation?"

"I am now," Kuro replied, tone light but laced with chill. "You've gathered to discuss how to restrain me, if I am correct?"

He stepped forward.

"And yet no one thought to wait till I am available to the discussion."

Torune finally spoke, calm and precise. "The concern, Kuro, is about control. These... Shadow Soldiers. They don't follow standard jutsu protocols. They act autonomously, almost... sentient. They've been seen intercepting rogue ninja, guarding borders, and attacking anyone who trash-talks about you, their Lord."

"I trained them well," Kuro interrupted. "Should I apologize?"

Shikaku raised a hand. "That's not the point. If they go rogue, what happens? Do you have the ability to contain them? Will you?"

Kuro tilted his head slightly, as if considering the question. "They won't go rogue."

"That's not an answer," Shikaku said.

Kuro's eyes met his. "They are mine. Every whisper they speak, every step they take—I hear. I feel. I command. They are not a threat to Konoha. Not unless Konoha becomes a threat to me."

Gasps flared from the back of the room. Even Choza's easygoing expression shifted to one of unease.

Kigan stood sharply. "Kuro—!"

"No," Kisara said suddenly, stepping beside him. "Let him speak."

Kuro's chakra stirred then, subtle but undeniable. The shadows around the hall grew darker, not from the fading sun, but from him.

"I didn't come here to ask permission," Kuro said. "I came to confirm that you now understand: what you've heard is true. And I will control them because it frightens those who live in the past."

Hiashi stood, voice sharp. "You threaten the balance of the Shinobi world."

Kuro smiled faintly. "Then maybe it's time that balance was broken."

A tense silence followed Kuro's words, heavy as thunderclouds.

Then, finally, Shikaku rose to his feet.

"Kuro," he said, his voice calm but commanding, "you're strong. Too strong to ignore. That much is obvious."

He stepped forward, just once, placing himself between Kuro and the seated clan advisors.

"But power without accountability is just tyranny in waiting."

Kuro arched a brow, amused. "Big words from the man who plays chess with human lives."

Shikaku didn't flinch. "Maybe. But I never moved pieces that I couldn't explain to the board."

There was weight behind that line, and Kuro recognized it. A warning. A line in the sand.

"You've given us no transparency, no structure, no limit. You've created an army in the shadows and offered the village nothing but your word that it's safe. That you're safe."

Kuro's smirk faltered just a hair. Not out of fear, but recognition. 'This sounds too much like Danzo's excuses. I wonder if he has anything to do with this.'

Kokomi stood now, her voice urgent. "Shikaku, we raised our son to be loyal to the Leaf. This—"

"This," Shikaku cut in gently but firmly, "is bigger than parenting. It's about politics. Survival. If the other villages see these Shadow-like creatures that have been causing chaos all over the world are being controlled by someone from the Land of Fire, we'll have war on our doorstep before Kuro finishes his next breath."

"And what do you suggest?" Kuro's face was now marked by annoyance.

Shikaku nodded. "You want freedom, Kuro? Fine. But then it's time you took responsibility. Transparency. Oversight. You want to keep your army? Then join the council. Submit to regulation. Let us see what you've built."

The room collectively held its breath.

All eyes are on Kuro.

He looked at them. At his parents. At Kisara. At Shikaku.

A slow, amused laugh escaped him.

"You want me to join your council? Sit in meetings while you bicker over funding and border patrols?"

"We want you to choose the Leaf," Shikamaru said. "Before the Leaf has to choose against you."

A long pause.

Then Kuro turned slightly, walking a slow circle around the center of the room, his footsteps echoing.

"I'll consider it," he said at last. "But understand something. If anyone tries to put a leash on me, even once..."

He stopped, facing Shikaku again.

"They won't have time to regret it."

Kuro also gave a silent order to the Shadow Soldiers. "Investigate what happened today. If Dayzo is behind this, I want his head."

***

Somewhere in the Land of Rivers – Midnight

Fog rolled thick over the marshlands, the moon a pale disc behind clouds. A group of rogue shinobi, former Grass ninja turned mercenaries, crept through the terrain with stolen scrolls meant for black market sale.

They never saw the first shadow.

It emerged soundlessly from the reeds, humanoid, yet wrong. Limbs too long. Armor that glimmered like obsidian glass. A katana forged of living night. Its hollow, echoing voice rang through the mist:

"For Lord Kuro."

Panic broke like glass.

One mercenary tried to flee. A second raised a jutsu, roots exploded from the ground. The shadow blurred, dodging unnaturally, slicing clean through the jutsu and the wielder in one smooth, chilling motion.

More shadows followed, five, then ten. Each one silent, efficient, inhumanly fast. They didn't kill for fun. They killed with purpose. In minutes, it was over.

The leader, a tall Shadow Soldier with jagged armor, knelt over the stolen scrolls, scanning them with a glowing sigil embedded in his mask. The data streamed directly back to the 'Nexus', the central mind of Kuro's forces, run by Niji.

Then, without a word, the soldiers vanished into the darkness like ghosts returning to their graves.