Chapter 26: Crows Before the Bloom

Weeping Forest – Shadow Lotus Border, Midnight Mist

The moon hung like a sliver of judgment above the trees. Fog clung low to the forest floor as twelve cloaked figures moved silently across moss-covered ground, eyes locked on a lone outpost tucked against the ravine wall.

These were assassins of the Western Tiger Basin, elite Core Seed to Nascent Soul cultivators, bearing mimicry seals infused with Vermilion glyphs—intended to fake an attack and frame Li Tianming's kingdom.

"Quick and brutal," whispered their leader, a Nascent Soul killer with cold gray eyes. "Burn their sigils into the walls. Leave no survivors."

Above them, a single crow croaked.

Then it multiplied into hundreds.

Upper Canopy – Shadow Watch

Perched on a bent pine limb, Shikamaru Nara sighed, arms crossed behind his head. His shadow writhed beneath him like a living serpent.

"Of all the nights to pull a false-flag op…" he muttered. "You'd think the Tiger Basin could at least try something subtle."

A few meters to his left, Itachi Uchiha stood perfectly still, his black cloak and crimson clouds still as water. His Sharingan glowed softly, spinning.

"They've begun," Itachi said, voice low.

"Yeah," Shikamaru said. "And they already lost."

Forest Floor – Seconds Before Impact

One of the Tiger assassins lit his glyph. It pulsed bright.

He never finished the incantation.

A shadow shot forward, slamming into his chest. His limbs locked mid-motion.

"What—?!" he gasped as his body stiffened, arms jerking unnaturally.

"Hi," Shikamaru's voice said lazily from behind a tree trunk. "Your posture's terrible, by the way."

Four more shadows exploded outward, grabbing nearby assassins and snapping their weapons from their hands like brittle twigs.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu," Shikamaru murmured. "Stronger with every second you hesitate."

Two of the Nascent Soul attackers tried to flee, but a storm of crows erupted from the trees.

They screamed as feathers and talons blocked their sight. Then the crows vanished revealing Itachi, eyes glowing.

"Tsukuyomi."

Time slowed to a crawl. The two assassins found themselves nailed to trees in an endless black void, reliving their deaths over and over.

One begged and the other shattered into insanity.

The Tiger captain growled. He flared his aura, Nascent Soul power boiling around him. Flames shaped like tiger fangs burst from his arms.

"Kill the shadow manipulator!" he roared. "The other one—he's not human!"

Two assassins leapt toward Shikamaru from opposite angles, blades raised.

"Bad idea," he said calmly.

His shadow detached, slithering up one man's leg, spreading like ink.

The attacker stopped mid-air, body snapping into stillness. "No…!"

"You jump. I jump," Shikamaru said, rolling his shoulders.

He forced the man to stab his comrade in the chest.

Two down.

The captain burst through the fog, leaping toward Shikamaru with flame-wreathed fists.

"Got you now—"

He froze mid-leap.

Time didn't stop. His mind did.

Itachi had stepped into his path

The Tiger captain's mind twisted. His vision fragmented.

A burning battlefield. A thousand crows. His skin melting, collapsed twitching, steam rising from his body.

The final three assassins screamed and charged toward Itachi together. One used wind blades, another summoned shadow beasts, and the third activated a lightning cloak.

They moved fast—desperately fast.

Itachi moved faster.

"Amaterasu."

Black flames erupted across their bodies instantly—unholy, undying fire that clung to flesh and soul alike. They didn't even reach him. The fire devoured them before their screams could fade.

A dozen Tiger assassins lay unconscious or dead—those not killed trapped in mental loops or paralyzed by Shikamaru's lingering jutsu threads.

Shikamaru scratched his neck. "Twelve out of twelve. No casualties. And I didn't even sweat. That's the real miracle."

Itachi didn't reply. He merely stared down at the Tiger captain—still twitching on the ground.

"We should leave him alive," Itachi said finally. "Let him carry the memory of failure."

Shikamaru yawned. "You're all about long-term trauma, huh?"

"He planned to burn a sanctuary of unarmed cultivators. Mercy was never part of his vocabulary."

"Fair."

Crescent Grove Spire – Inner Blossom Council

A glowing orb pulsed before the elders of the Shadow Lotus Sect, projecting the memory of the entire battle.

Elder Magnolia's expression never changed. Elder Orchid stared, pale.

Mei Xueyan stood nearby, calm.

"False-flag," she said. "Tiger Basin wanted us to retaliate. Wanted us to abandon diplomacy."

Mistress Hua shook her head. "And that boy…"

"You mean the one who turned assassins into puppets with shadows?" Orchid hissed. "What kind of cursed summon is that?"

"A clever one," Mei Xueyan said. "And the other?"

Magnolia's lips thinned. "A devil cloaked in justice."

"But effective," Hua said quietly.

Vermilion Palace – Night, War Pavilion Balcony

Li Tianming stood beneath the stars, robes loose, expression calm.

"So. They took the bait."

Shikamaru nodded. "Hook, line, and inferno."

Itachi remained silent beside them.

Tianming asked, "Cultivation strength?"

Shikamaru yawned. "Core Seed Peak. Not ascending unless you make me."

Itachi: "Mid-Nascent Soul. I have no need for realms beyond unless called for."

Vault IX Entrance – Later

Mei Xueyan walked beside Tianming toward the ancient seal. Blackened stone pulsed faintly.

"I trust you more now," she said, "but not blindly."

Tianming nodded. "Then you'll survive this."