It's Too Troublesome to be Hokage

'That… was just a clone?!'

Oyashiro En stared at the dissipating smoke cloud in disbelief, the remnants of Nara Shikadan's [Shadow Clone Technique] curling away in the air.

Even his Blood Dragon Eyes, eerie and ghostly, dimmed slightly from the shock.

But he wasn't an ordinary ninja. He was a veteran jonin. The moment he realized his visual genjutsu had failed, he forcibly re-centered himself, gathering chakra to retreat immediately.

But the moment he moved—

That familiar sense of restriction returned.

'Again?!' He was back under the kid's control.

'When did he sneak behind me?!'

Teeth grinding, blood still flowing from his eyes like tears, Oyashiro En heard the boy's childish voice behind him and knew:

His identity had been completely exposed.

He had no time to panic.

Only one thought filled his mind:

'Run! Grab Chino and escape the perception net of the Konoha ninjas—NOW!'

Just as he surged his chakra to its limit—

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio moved.

Yamanaka Inoichi stepped out of hiding.

He sat cross-legged and raised his hands, forming a strange gesture—thumbs and index fingers touching in a frame-like seal, resembling a camera shutter.

This was no standard hand sign.

In the ninja world, most jutsu used twelve common hand seals based on the zodiac.

But the Yamanaka Clan's spiritual arts required unique ones—and this particular gesture activated one of their most advanced secret techniques.

He aimed it directly at the immobilized Oyashiro En.

"Secret Technique: Mind Fracture Technique!"

Yamanaka Inoichi's Yin Release surged—piercing the space between them, and flooding straight into Oyashiro's brain.

Oyashiro remained conscious…

…but his spirit and body disconnected.

He could no longer move, no longer channel chakra. His bloodline abilities—disabled.

"Someone else has entered the fight…"

Oyashiro's heart sank as his body fell limp. 'A Yamanaka… This really is the Ino-Shika-Cho trio…'

From the shadows, Nara Shikadan stepped forward. He could feel it immediately—his opponent's resistance had crumbled into nothingness.

From the treeline, the old clan leader emerged.

Nara Shikano approached calmly, pried open Oyashiro's jaw, and forced a black pill down his throat.

"It's over, Shikadan."

He gave a subtle hand signal.

"I've given him a chakra-suppressing drug. He won't be able to mold chakra for a while."

Shikadan gave a quick nod and released the [Shadow Binding Technique].

Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza also stepped out from cover, surrounding the subdued jonin.

Though Oyashiro looked drained and broken, all three senior ninjas stared at Shikadan—not him.

Before the skirmish had even begun, Inoichi and Choza hadn't held much hope for Shikadan.

Information may be a ninja's best weapon—but only when both sides are evenly matched.

A Genin vs. an Elite Jonin?

It wasn't just unfair.

It was suicide.

Especially when their intel on the Chinoike Clan was decades out of date.

But even after Oyashiro displayed techniques well beyond expectations, Shikadan still delivered a perfect outcome.

"Impressive, Shikadan."

"You really are a genius of the Nara Clan!"

Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza offered sincere praise.

"Excellent work, Shikadan."

Nara Shikano added, his voice gruff but proud.

Though he'd been watching from the shadows, ready to intervene… he hadn't needed to.

Shikadan had truly subdued an elite enemy with his own tactics.

Even Shikano privately acknowledged—

If Shikadan had used [Shadow Sewing] rather than [Shadow Binding] during the sneak attack, the fight might've ended even before the Ino-Shika-Cho could act.

More importantly…

Shikadan's creativity with the clan's shadow jutsu had surpassed all expectations.

Shikadan bowed slightly to acknowledge the praise, then quietly opened his system panel.

Just as the old patriarch administered the chakra-suppressant—

[Mission Complete: You have defeated the B-rank Ninja Battle Target!]

[Reward Received: B-rank Ninja Secret Scroll]

Shikadan blinked.

'So it really doesn't matter who finishes the fight…'

As long as the enemy fell in front of him, the system gave full credit.

'Commission tasks, battle tasks—they can all be… "swiped."'

He squinted.

'[Lazy Ghost System], huh?'

'Eat pills to boost stats, do the bare minimum to win battles… This system's almost turning into a task-farming engine.'

He grumbled internally.

But still… he wasn't complaining.

His gaze shifted briefly to Oyashiro En—now slumped over like a dried-up fish, completely drained of chakra and spirit.

'Let's see what treasure this [Secret Scroll] contains…'

He tapped the panel.

[Opening B-rank Ninja Secret Scroll…]

[Scroll Contents: Technique Unlocked]

[B-rank Technique: Blood-Piercing Bullet]

Technique Description: Advanced blood control secret technique of the Chinoike Clan.

Technique Effect: Compress blood using Yin Release chakra until it reaches critical density. Eject it with force equal to the speed of sound, like a bullet.

Technique Evaluation: "Hit. Dead. End of story."

Shikadan blinked.

'Eh?'

His pupils widened slightly.

'Did I just transition from the cold weapon era to ballistics?!'

Compared to techniques like [Camouflage Concealment] or [Super Beast Imitation Drawing], this was a direct combat-type Yin Technique.

Right up his alley.

A grin crept onto Shikadan's lips.

He was already theory-crafting.

'Use [Camouflage] to vanish. Sneak close. Then—one shot. Point-blank. To the head.'

'It's such a dirty combo that only a truly despicable ninja would even think of it…'

He was thrilled.

At that exact moment, Oyashiro En stirred.

His chakra suppressed, his eyes had reverted—lavender now, not crimson.

"So… I've fallen into Konoha's hands."

He looked up weakly, and muttered:

"But tell me… I was careful. I erased my chakra signature. I disguised myself. I used no Chinoike jutsu until now. So—how did you find me?"

Shikadan didn't answer.

But if he had, he might've said:

We didn't. We just had a Genin with really good instincts and a suspicious mind.

The old patriarch, however, wore a stern face.

"That's a secret."

He knelt before the fallen jonin, gaze unwavering.

"You hid your identity and infiltrated the Land of Fire. Why?"

"You'd better tell us the truth, or we'll pull it from your brain ourselves."

Right on cue, Yamanaka Inoichi stepped forward, casting a long shadow over the prisoner.

He didn't say a word. He didn't have to.

Oyashiro En saw him and visibly flinched—he hadn't recovered from the mental trauma of that last spiritual assault.

His voice was dry.

"If I said… I just came to the Land of Fire to sell goods… make money… and support my family…"

He looked up at them, tired, bitter.

"Would you believe me?"

-End Chapter-

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