Naruto: Kakashi of the spider sage

It had been a week since Shisui and Kakashi arrived in the capital. During this time, Shisui had been working tirelessly to predict the next attack location. The pattern of previous incidents suggested a tunnel was being dug, possibly stretching from the Land of Fire to the Land of Fields. After careful analysis, he had narrowed it down to three potential villages in the tunnel's projected path. Now, all he had to do was set a trap and wait.

Positioning himself at a strategic midpoint between these three villages to ensure a quicker response time, Shisui performed a set of hand seals.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he called out, and three identical copies of himself appeared in a swirl of chakra-infused smoke.

His clones stood before him, awaiting his orders. "You each head to one of the villages. If the rogue Kaguya appears or anything suspicious happens, dispel immediately so I'll know. Understood? Now go."

The clones nodded in unison before vanishing at high speed, each heading toward their assigned village. Shisui exhaled, glancing toward the horizon. Based on his calculations, the attacks occurred once every two weeks. The last attack had been 11 days ago. That meant the next one could happen at any moment.

Meanwhile, Kakashi had been keeping close tabs on Kaizo, slipping in and out of noble gatherings and occasionally eavesdropping on the council's meetings. He had even infiltrated one of their court sessions under a well-placed Transformation Jutsu. What he saw in that meeting had been deeply unsettling. If Danzo had been a thorn in Konoha's side, then this council was like a nest of a hundred Danzo-like schemers, each vying for power, cutting budgets, and reducing the mission flow toward Konoha.

At first, Kakashi had only found the situation mildly concerning. But then, a small monkey carrying a scroll with the Hokage's seal arrived at his window. That alone spoke volumes. The Hokage was getting restless, and Kakashi could guess why. If the number of missions coming to Konoha kept dwindling, the village's stability would be at risk. That gave him an idea.

The next morning, Kakashi arranged for a private meeting with the Daimyo.

"Lord Daimyo, I've noticed a significant decline in the number of missions assigned to Konoha over the past two months. Is that correct?" Kakashi asked, his tone measured.

The Daimyo sighed, rubbing his temples. "Not my fault. I've tried to allocate as many as I could, but it all started two months ago when my brother began diverting missions to the Land of Iron. They charge 30% less than Konoha, and their success rate isn't much worse. Naturally, more people began choosing foreign ninja or independent mercenary groups instead."

Kakashi folded his arms, considering this. "And who else, aside from you, has the authority to allocate missions?"

"I used to control 90% of the missions passing through the Daimyo's palace, and I gave all of them to Konoha. But now, I only control about 70%. The ones who took most of the remaining 20% are definitely the noble faction."

"So the noble council is the biggest competitor for mission allocation, right? And after them, your brother?" Kakashi clarified.

The Daimyo nodded. "That's correct."

Kakashi's eye sharpened. "I need all documents related to mission allocations for these two factions. Every mission completed in the last two months—I want them by tonight. Can you arrange that?"

The Daimyo hesitated for only a moment before giving a firm nod. "That shouldn't be a problem."

Satisfied, Kakashi flickered away.

Back with Shisui, he was perched on a tree, scanning the area with hawk-like vigilance. Minutes ticked by in agonizing silence. Then, his Sharingan flickered to life.

A sudden shift in the air.

He tensed, his instincts screaming at him. "Bastards..." he muttered, disappearing in a blur.

Three minutes later, he arrived—and what he saw was horrifying.

The village was in ruins. Bodies littered the dirt roads, their blood soaking into the earth. Homes had been reduced to smoldering wrecks, and the stench of burning wood and flesh filled the air. He hadn't just arrived at an attack—he had arrived at a massacre.

But what stood out most was that the perpetrators weren't just a rogue Kaguya—they were a group of seven shinobi, accompanied by several civilians.

Shisui forced himself to remain calm. Revenge would come, but first, he needed information. Assessing the scene, he identified the shinobi as hired muscle. But among the civilians, one man stood out—a well-dressed noble, his garments pristine despite the carnage around him. Wealthy. Likely the one in charge. The others seemed to be workers, likely tasked with digging the tunnels.

"Alright, boss. Most of the men are dead. We kept some to work on the tunnels," one of the shinobi reported.

The wealthy man sneered. "As usual. The women and children will be sold—some of my noble friends would love additions to their collections. Now, make them start digging."

"Alright, bos—"

The shinobi never finished his sentence.

A crimson arc split the air as his head separated cleanly from his shoulders. The body crumpled, blood still spraying in rhythmic pulses.

Before the others could react, Shisui moved.

To the naked eye, it was as if he hadn't moved at all. But to the trained shinobi, it was a slaughter too fast to comprehend.

A flicker—

Steel flashed—

Another head rolled.

A kunai buried itself into the skull of the third shinobi before he could even draw his weapon. The fourth tried to scream, only to find his throat slit open before a sound could escape. The last three barely had time to turn before their lives were erased in an instant.

It wasn't a battle.

It was an execution.

Silence fell, the only sound remaining was the pained whimpers of the workers and the panicked breaths of the noble.

Shisui turned his gaze toward the trembling man. "The easy way or the hard way?" he asked.

The merchant, shaking like a leaf, swallowed hard. "T-The easy way."

Shisui's lips curled in disgust. "Nah. There's no easy way for you."

And with that, he beat the man into submission, striking with precision, ensuring he remained conscious enough to talk but broken enough to be compliant.

After securing him upside down from a tree, Shisui activated his Sharingan and placed him under a genjutsu.

"Why build the tunnel?" he asked, voice cold.

"I-I don't know," the merchant stammered.

"What do you know about it?" Shisui pressed.

"A month ago, a high-ranking noble approached me with an opportunity to oversee the project. I only had one instruction—to ensure the tunnel reached the Land of Fields before the 17th of February. That's all I know!" the man cried.

"Who was this noble?" Shisui asked, voice deadly quiet.

"Yaharu Otona, from the Otona family. One of the Eight Families on the council..." the merchant confessed, his voice barely above a whisper.

Shisui narrowed his eyes. This just got more interesting.