Naruto: How to Be an Undercover Shinobi

Reiji lay motionless in the hallway outside the bedroom. Inside, the fight had already begun. Three hired shinobi were engaging two members

Reiji lay motionless in the hallway outside the bedroom.

Inside, the fight had already begun.

Three hired shinobi were engaging two members of the assassination squad.

Because of the employer's presence, the mercenaries avoided using large-scale destructive jutsu. They kept the client safely in the center, guarding against the sudden strikes of mist-shrouded blades.

Within the dense white fog, sparks flew, and muffled grunts echoed intermittently.

Outside the room, from the far end of the hallway, three more figures in assassin gear burst forth, rushing toward the bedroom.

They're here.

He sensed them—two distinct chakra signatures surging side by side toward the bedroom.

Just as they passed him and were about to enter, Reiji twitched his toes and lightly tapped the mercenary lying "unconscious" beside him.

In the next instant, both Reiji and the mercenary sprang up, launching themselves toward the assassins' exposed backs.

Unlike his partner, Reiji didn't draw a kunai. Instead, he grabbed Fuguki Suikazan's shoulder with one hand while forming a seal with the other.

Meanwhile, deep in Yugakure's underground...

Reiji's prepared clone—already transformed into Fuguki Suikazan—grabbed the corpse of the guard Reiji had replaced.

At that exact moment, the Flying Thunder God Formula etched on both their palms flared to life.

Flying Thunder God: Mutual Instantaneous Rotation!

In a blink—barely a thousandth of a second—Reiji and Fuguki Suikazan's figures blurred and switched places.

To the Kirigakure assassins, it looked as if Fuguki Suikazan had quickly drawn Samehada and cleaved the ambushing guard in half.

They had no idea that the one wielding the blade was actually Reiji's clone.

The real Fuguki Suikazan and Reiji had already been transported to Yugakure's underground base.

Dizzy from the sudden shift, Fuguki Suikazan instinctively unsheathed Samehada and slashed at Reiji without a second thought.

Sparks flew as the blade struck.

With a casual gesture, Reiji raised his arm and blocked the thick barbs of Samehada barehanded.

Fuguki Suikazan's eyes went wide with shock.

He blocked Samehada... with his arm?!

What kind of monster is this?!

But before he could react, Reiji forcefully knocked Samehada aside with one hand, then drove a hand blade straight through Fuguki Suikazan's heart at a speed too fast for the eye to follow.

"Heh. You really dared to space out this close to me? Don't even know how to spell 'death,' do you?"

With a flick of his wrist, Reiji yanked out his blood-soaked hand.

Fuguki Suikazan's pupils dilated. His face twisted in shock and disbelief as blood gushed from his chest like a fountain.

Wiping the blood from his hand, Reiji casually picked up Samehada beside the now-limp corpse.

Zzzrak!

A burst of sparks erupted as countless sharp spikes shot up from Samehada's hilt.

Clearly, the blade didn't want him touching it.

But Reiji didn't get angry. Instead, he thought back to that stubborn Two-Tails Kitty from before.

Heh. Another grumpy one.

Now wasn't the time to wrestle with the sword. Reiji inscribed several Flying Thunder God markers onto it, then formed a seal.

Immediately, his body began to transform.

Under the nourishment of chakra, tendrils of Earth Grudge Fear rapidly expanded.

In no time, his once-lean abs ballooned into a round belly.

His height surged—from just over 1.8 meters to nearly 2.3.

And that was only Fuguki Suikazan at age fifteen or sixteen.

Had he reached adulthood, he might've hit 2.5 meters.

Too bad he'd never get that chance.

As black tendrils of Earth Grudge Fear writhed, Reiji's handsome face puffed up, reshaping from an oval to a pear.

He rummaged through a corner and pulled out a mirror, carefully comparing his appearance to Fuguki Suikazan's.

Soon, he found the last detail—his teeth.

Kirigakure ninja were a strange bunch. Every single one of them had a mouth full of sharp fangs.

No choice.

Reiji pulled out a rasp and started grinding his teeth.

Moments later, with two little buns tied on his head, broad shoulders, a thick waist, and a mouth full of jagged teeth—the bootleg version of Fuguki Suikazan was complete.

Samehada sat off to the side, its hilt bent awkwardly, the skull at the grip locked in Reiji's direction like a stunned fool.

It couldn't make sense of it—how had this guy transformed so perfectly into its previous master?

...

Meanwhile, back at the wealthy man's estate, the hired shinobi lay dead across the floor. The nameless Kirigakure assassination team had already fled Yugakure, carrying the severed head of their target.

They were bringing that priceless trophy back to the village to complete their mission.

Aboard the returning cargo ship, Reiji took advantage of a bathroom break to once again swap places with his clone.

Since Samehada still refused to cooperate, he had no choice but to carry a fake version. Once he got back to Kirigakure and settled in, he'd deal with the disobedient sword properly.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Thanks to Fuguki Suikazan's naturally withdrawn and calculating persona, Reiji blended into Kirigakure with ease.

After submitting the mission and receiving a pitifully small reward, he followed Fuguki Suikazan's usual routine—heading to a local izakaya to have a quiet drink.

Later, slightly tipsy, he staggered home.

From beginning to end, he never showed the slightest sign of nervousness or unfamiliarity, as if he were the real Fuguki Suikazan.

Through careful observation, Reiji had thoroughly memorized his behavior patterns—down to bizarre details, like how he always laid toilet paper on the seat before sitting down to keep water from splashing on his butt.

Of course, that habit meant his toilet was clogged more often than not.

But to Reiji, these were the kind of nuances only an elite undercover agent would catch.

Back home, Reiji didn't immediately deal with Samehada. Instead, he continued pretending nothing was out of the ordinary—sleeping in, then heading to the izakaya for a drink every afternoon.

He wasn't sure if ANBU were monitoring him from the shadows, but when you commit to a role, you go all in. It would be idiotic to jeopardize everything over a minor slip.

...

More than a week passed.

In the Water-stained and unimpressive Mizukage Office within the Mizukage Building, a masked ANBU captain stood at attention, delivering his report with practiced precision.

"Lord Mizukage, regarding mission 14-231—the assassination of the wealthy man from the Land of Tea—the assassination squad has found no irregularities after a full week of review."

Standing by the window with his back to the captain, the Third Mizukage gave a casual nod.

"Tell the Bounty Station's embedded agents to start limiting how frequently they take missions. In three months, I want everyone back in the village."

Hearing this, the ANBU captain frowned slightly, then asked in a respectful, low voice,

"My lord, what about the shinobi currently out on assignment?"

"Three months... isn't enough?"

The response came in a voice so cold it carried not even a trace of warmth.

The ANBU captain shivered involuntarily and gave a sharp nod.

"Yes, Lord Mizukage!"