Mastermind of the Akatsuki

Byakuya tossed the special oil to Konan, his voice low and instructional as he briefed her on its use. His mind, however, raced ahead, strategizing the next move in their clandestine dance.

Within his sensory range, figures blurred past, their trajectory a panicked retreat rather than a purposeful approach. Grass Ninjas, Byakuya noted, fleeing with a desperate urgency that spoke volumes. Who, or what, could inspire such abject terror? Famed Jōnin from Iwagakure or Konohagakure, perhaps even a Kage themself? Byakuya couldn't be certain, but these fleeing figures were now their adversaries. Identity could wait; eliminating the immediate threat was paramount.

Patience, always a virtue Byakuya possessed in abundance, served him well. After a tense wait, four Grass Ninjas materialized from the foliage.

"Three Chūnin, one Tokubetsu Jōnin!" Byakuya murmured to Konan, his voice barely a whisper as his keen senses unraveled their chakra signatures.

A kunai, launched with deadly precision, arced through the air, embedding itself deep into the branch where a Grass Ninja was about to land. A flurry of shuriken followed, a whirlwind of steel aimed to cripple and contain. One Grass Ninja, caught mid-air, was struck by the shuriken, a pained grunt escaping their lips as they were forced to scramble for a less-than-graceful landing.

Seizing the opportune moment, Konan unleashed her own barrage. Paper shuriken, imbued with deadly purpose, swarmed another Grass Ninja, engulfing them in a fluttering storm that rendered them immobile.

"Nicely done, Konan-senpai finally got the kill!" Byakuya commended Konan before refocusing on the remaining Grass Ninjas. Although the outcome deviated slightly from his expectations, incapacitating a quarter of the enemy's forces in the initial surprise attack was commendable.

Of the remaining three Grass Ninjas, one clutched at their side, the toxin from Byakuya's kunai already working its insidious magic. Their death, it seemed, was a matter of time.

A tense silence descended, broken only by the ragged gasps of the poisoned ninja.

Byakuya and Konan, poised for another coordinated attack, unleashed a torrent of kunai and shuriken. But their carefully crafted plan was thrown into disarray as the Grass Ninja captain, with a surge of earth chakra, slammed his fist into the ground. The earth rumbled in response, a series of hardened rock layers rising from the ground like a defiant shield, effectively blocking the incoming barrage.

Grass Ninjas? Nope. These were Rock Ninjas, cleverly disguised, their mission shrouded in deception.

Byakuya pondered silently, then called Konan, "Konan-senpai, you go deal with the Chūnins. I'll handle their captain!"

Despite a flicker of apprehension – the first pangs of taking a life – Konan obeyed instinctively, her movements fluid as she darted towards the enemy. In the face of mounting danger, her trust in Byakuya solidified.

Byakuya locked eyes with the Rock Ninja captain, his voice laced with cool amusement.

"Should I address you as Grass Ninja, or perhaps Rock Ninja?"

The exposed imposter scowled. "Who are you? Konoha scum?"

Byakuya's lips curved into a faint smirk. "Not at all. I am from Amegakure."

"Then why are you stopping us?"

Suppressing his anger, the Rock Ninja captain knew he couldn't engage in conflict with the opponent. If they were delayed, the terrifying ninja from Konoha would catch up soon.

"You appeared in the territory of Amegakure, so naturally, we have to stop you."

The Rock Ninja captain scoffed, his facade crumbling. Engaging in open conflict was unwise. "We strayed unknowingly. We'll leave immediately!"

Byakuya ignored the blatant lie, weaving hand signs with practiced ease. A torrent of paper erupted from his clothes, transforming into razor-sharp shuriken that whistled towards the captain.

Following with another set of hand seals, Byakuya unleashed his jutsu, amplifying the shuriken's lethality. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

The Rock Ninja captain, realizing the imminent attack, mirrored Byakuya's hand movements in a desperate attempt to defend himself. A wall of earth rose from the ground with a resounding boom, just barely deflecting the barrage of empowered shuriken.

Taking cover behind the hastily erected Earthen Flow Wall, the captain bellowed, "Amegakure ninja! Are you deliberately inciting a war between our nations? We merely made a navigational error! We'll depart at once!"

Byakuya remained unfazed. He molded chakra, spitting out a torrent of water that engulfed the Earthen Flow Wall with a hiss. The rushing water masked the sound of paper sheets detaching from his form, bypassing the wall and completely enveloping the Rock Ninja captain.

Panicked, the captain fumbled for a kunai, intending to sever the paper bindings. But it was a futile effort. Concealed within them were explosive tags, detonating in a blinding flash. The deafening blasts startled the forest into a symphony of squawking birds.

Smoke from the explosion cleared, revealing the Rock Ninja captain, his once-proud stance reduced to a crumpled form. Soot-covered and disarmed, he glared at Byakuya with a smoldering resentment.

Byakuya, ever cautious, didn't approach recklessly. He finished the incapacitated opponent with a swift kunai strike. Examining the body, he found a Jōnin vest and the insignia of Iwagakure – concrete proof of the imposter's true identity.

A disbelieving thought flickered across Byakuya's mind.

Had he truly eliminated a Jōnin-level opponent? He scoffed at the notion.

A casual takedown of such a formidable foe was inconceivable.

The success of this encounter hinged on a confluence of factors – the element of surprise, the Rock Ninja's fear, and the resulting loss of will to fight.

These, combined with his own skills, culminated in the unexpected demise of the Iwagakure Jōnin.

However, the opponent might only be a special Jonin from Iwagakure, not a true Jonin.

Moreover, the crisis facing him and Konan had not been completely resolved. They had only taken out the fleeing Iwagakure ninja team, but the ninja who forced the Iwagakure team to flee was the true monster.

At this moment, Konan, who had been pursuing another Iwagakure ninja, returned to the original location.

Having overcome her psychological barriers, a Chūnin-level Iwagakure ninja could not possibly be Konan's match. After three years of training under Jiraiya, the three-man team actually had the strength close to that of Jonin. However, due to their reluctance to kill, they were overly conservative in their actions, leading to an inability to fully utilize their strength.

Konan glanced at the fallen Rock Ninja captain on the ground and was about to say something when she noticed the paper pieces next to Byakuya, deepening her confusion.

She didn't remember using ninjutsu here.

Perhaps the intense battle just now caused her to forget.

Not dwelling on it, Konan approached Byakuya and looked at him with concern, "Byakuya, are you injured?"

Byakuya shook his head and picked up the spoils with the Iwagakure insignia. "Konan-senpai, these people aren't ninjas from Kusagakure but Rock Ninjas disguised as Grass Ninjas, probably trying to provoke a war between the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass..."

Konan felt like her brain wasn't functioning properly.

"They were supposed to chase down a group of rogue ninjas, right? How come the identity of these rogue ninjas keeps changing? They were disguised as Grass Ninjas just now, and now they're disguised as Rock Ninjas."

The ninja world seemed even more complex than she had imagined. She couldn't even distinguish who the enemies were.

But if she, as a ninja from Amegakure, mistakenly reported them as Grass Ninjas, it might indeed spark a conflict between the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass.

Byakuya noticed Konan's expression. He wanted to reassure her, but what Konan needed was a lasting impression.

"Konan-senpai, it's not just about disguising as ninjas from other countries; even the villagers could be enemy impostors."

"In this chaotic world, we can't let our guard down, not even against anyone, including our comrades."

"That's the cruel world of shinobi!"

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