It's Too Troublesome to be Hokage

"Shadow... Binding Technique?"

Oyashiro En immediately caught the key word—shadow. His instincts screamed danger.

He tried to glance down to check his own shadow—but the simple act of lowering his head now felt impossibly heavy.

He could only strain his eyes downward and barely make out their overlapping silhouettes.

'Damn! I've been caught in this kid's jutsu!'

He tensed, reflexively wanting to activate the Chinoike Clan's secret dojutsu—the Blood Dragon Eyes.

But he stopped himself.

'No... Not yet. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio is nearby. I can't afford to attract too much attention…'

No matter how sharp this Genin was, if all three of Konoha's elite support squad had identified him as the "Chinoike Butcher," they wouldn't have just sent a kid to do the job.

That meant…

They didn't know. Only he had been compromised.

"Young man," Oyashiro En forced a crooked smile, blood still dripping steadily from his sliced palm—oddly, not a drop had hit the ground.

"I've never heard of any Shadow Binding Technique. Mind releasing me? I'm just a humble caravan leader. If you've got questions, I'll answer them."

"You're no ordinary merchant."

Shikadan's voice was quiet.

But the moment Oyashiro spoke, Shikadan acted—swiftly invoking another family secret.

[C-rank Secret Technique: Shadow Strangulation Technique]

"Form a deadly hand from shadow—grasp their throat, and end the fight before it starts."

His objective wasn't to kill.

Not yet.

Until Oyashiro revealed definitive proof of his identity—specifically, the Blood Dragon Eyes—Shikadan had no legal authority to execute him. The man was still, on paper, a B-rank mission client.

But subduing him? That was fair game.

Shikadan's [Lacquer Eye] flared, casting no seals.

His shadow surged, stretching into a dark claw. It slithered up Oyashiro's stiff legs, aiming for his neck.

Oyashiro saw it coming from the corner of his eye—and cold sweat beaded on his brow.

'I don't have a choice anymore. I'll have to reveal something!'

In the brief exchange of words, he had already completed a rapid self-diagnosis.

Shikadan's shadow jutsu restrained movement, but not chakra flow or blood circulation.

That made all the difference.

'Most ninja rely solely on movement—but I'm not most ninja.'

'I have a bloodline limit. This much isn't enough to hold me.'

Oyashiro's pupils sharpened.

A fraction of his inherited power slipped through the mental dam he'd built.

The blood still in his palm—deliberately spilled earlier—did not drip out.

Instead, some of it reversed direction, flowing back into his bloodstream.

A strange pulse echoed through his chest.

Thump. Thump. THUMP!

With each beat, his frame bulked up—his thin frame swelling like an inflated balloon.

Boom!

In an instant, Oyashiro's body nearly doubled in size.

Shikadan's pupils narrowed.

'A transformation technique similar to the Akimichi Clan's Partial Expansion Jutsu?!'

He had been told the Chinoike Clan specialized in illusion and blood manipulation—but this level of biological modification?

That wasn't in the brief.

'Our intelligence on the Chinoike Clan… it's too old. Too outdated.'

Shikadan immediately tried to reinforce the shadow's grip.

But Oyashiro didn't let him.

Clenching his swollen left fist, a bright red shuriken of crystallized blood formed in his palm.

With his grotesque strength, he hurled it directly at Shikadan.

Fwoosh!

The blood shuriken ripped through the air—its sharpness rivaling that of forged steel.

Shikadan didn't flinch.

But he didn't want to expose the clone's "shadow immunity" ability—not yet. Not while Ino-Shika-Cho were watching from the shadows.

'Time for a different defense!'

Shikadan's will pulsed through his shadow—molding it into a defensive form.

[B-rank Secret Technique: Shadow Shield Technique]

"Harden your chakra into armor—defend from all sides."

A thick shadow burst from Shikadan's side, folding into a compact, armored shield.

Clang!

The blood shuriken slammed into the barrier—shattering into crimson sparks.

Blood droplets burst in midair like fireworks.

[Mission Triggered: B-rank Ninja Battle Mission]

[Mission Title: Last Survivor of the Chinoike Clan]

[Objective: Defeat or Kill Oyashiro En]

[Reward: B-rank Ninja Secret Scroll]

Shikadan only glanced at the panel.

He already knew.

Oyashiro En wasn't just a rogue jonin.

He was the last heir of the massacred Chinoike Clan.

And now he had broken free—retreating beyond the reach of Shikadan's shadow.

Huff…

Oyashiro's bloated body shrank rapidly, like a balloon losing air. He returned to his lanky form, panting, face pale but eyes sharp.

"Brother…" Oyashiro barked, feigning outrage. "What's the meaning of this? Is Konoha in the habit of attacking its clients halfway through a mission?"

Shadows churned beneath Shikadan's feet.

"Still pretending, Mr. Oyashiro?" His voice was quiet but razor-sharp.

"Those last two moves… were not something any 'ordinary caravan leader' can perform."

Oyashiro held up his right hand.

A faint green glow pulsed from his palm.

"Fine. I did hide something. But what wandering merchant doesn't learn a bit of medical ninjutsu for protection? That's not illegal, is it?"

"Including blood control… and giant-size jutsu?"

Oyashiro pushed his comically large diamond sunglasses up to his forehead, revealing sharp, tired eyes.

He tried to maintain composure.

"As a medical ninja—"

He stopped.

His sentence never finished.

Because the time for lies had passed.

With a sigh, Oyashiro's Bloodline Limit awakened.

His eyes changed—violently.

The whites flushed deep red. His pupils turned pitch black. And at the center of each eye… a lavender, straight-line pupil formed.

Two streaks of blood ran from his eye sockets down his cheeks, like twin tears of war paint.

Bloodline Limit: Blood Dragon Eye

"The Hypnotic Eye of the Chinoike Clan"

"Now, brat—witness the illusionary power once feared across the lands!"

Oyashiro locked eyes with Shikadan—attempting to drag him into a genjutsu realm.

Bang!

Shikadan exploded into a cloud of smoke.

"A clone?!"

Oyashiro spun—but it was too late.

From behind his shadow, the real Shikadan emerged—silent and precise.

[C-rank Technique: Earth Style · Earth Dragon Hiding Technique]

Before Oyashiro could react—

[Shadow Binding Technique—activated!]

The shadows surged again, seizing Oyashiro's body.

Shikadan's voice, low and cold, rang in his ear.

"Got you, ninja of the Chinoike Clan!"

-End Chapter-

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