A/N - Thank you, Lida and Jake for supporting Azure Awakening!

----------------------------------------

Unlike the clans, who had no choice but to defend Takimura - since everything they possessed was at stake - civilians could escape and start over somewhere else. They wouldn’t be chased, and slipping away as a family of two, three, or even five was far easier than trying to move hundreds.

But the one who kept civilian shinobi - no matter how few they were - from leaving was Shin.

He was the strongest civilian shinobi in the village and a role model for many. His presence alone made others stay, despite the looming war.

But for him, escape was never an option.

His ties to Takimura were different.

At first, he had grumbled when Maki asked him to train the younger generation and become their team leader. He was a free spirit, not a teacher or a team leader material. Even on the battlefield, his fighting style was not suited for teamwork. He was an assassin through and through.

But slowly, the three members of Team Shin managed to earn his trust and something close to affection.

Soon, without realizing it, he started to care. Especially about Mizuki who reminded him too much of his deceased sister.

He even taught Akane his swordplay, keeping an eye on her progress and watching over them even when no one expected him to. Shin felt responsible for them now.

But there was another bond, one even stronger than duty or mentorship.

Maki.

Shin was in love with her.

And the Tigress wasn’t entirely platonic toward him either. Or at least, that’s what he thought.

His feelings for her were his greatest happiness and his greatest regret. But no matter what he wanted, he couldn’t ignore the pull he felt toward her.

Even now, he stood in the forest, leaning against a towering oak, watching as Maki pushed herself beyond her limits again and again.

She was trying to break past them, to reach a level that defied human logic.

One day soon, she would be far stronger than him. But he didn’t care.

‘If I hadn’t met you that day…’

He chuckled, shaking his head.

‘So many things would have gone differently. And I definitely wouldn’t be here.’

His mind drifted to his darkest past. The life he had before Takimura.

Before her.

<<<>>>

Arakawa Shin, or more precisely, Awaraka Shin, was born in Kusagakure.

He came from a shinobi family and was raised as one, just like his older sister, Nami.

Kusa was not a strong village. It had been invaded by Iwagakure before and now relied heavily on Konoha for protection. In many ways, it was practically affiliated with the Hidden Leaf.

Not everyone was happy about that.

Kusa didn’t just have an alliance with Konoha - they commissioned missions to Konoha shinobi, cutting down their own village’s ability to nurture its forces.

For Konoha, this was a source of income - but, more importantly, it weakened Kusagakure. The fewer shinobi Kusa produced, the more reliant they became on Konoha’s protection.

And that suited the Leaf just fine.

Konoha shared borders with every Great Village. Even a weak ally like Kusagakure gave them an advantage, a foothold. It was meant to be a thorn in Iwagakure’s side. If Iwa ever attacked, Kusa could be used against them.

Some people in Kusa hated this dependence.

One of them was Shin’s father. Shin was thirteen when his father joined the rebels, attempting to overthrow Kusa’s leadership.

Shin begged him not to. He pleaded, telling him Konoha would never allow it. Even if the rebels somehow gained the upper hand, the Leaf would crush them before they could take control.

His father had only waved him off. “A shinobi should never fear death,” he had said. “You should do whatever it takes to achieve your goals.”

But the worst part was that Shin’s sister, Nami had been dragged into it too as she would never go against their father’s wishes.

Shin knew the rebellion would never succeed. Konoha would never allow Kusa’s current government to fall. And the only way the rebels could have won was by allying with Iwa, which would have been even worse.

Unlike Konoha, Iwagakure didn’t care about maintaining an honorable image. If Iwa took control, Kusa wouldn’t be an ally. It would be a conquered territory.

So Shin made a decision.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

A difficult but still, a necessary one. He became a mole.

He struck a deal with Kusa’s leadership - if they spared his family, he would spy for them.

And he did.

Thanks to Shin or not the rebellion was crushed, but everything else went in the wrong direction.

His parents refused to surrender and were killed. Nami was captured, but when she found out that her own brother had been the one who betrayed them, who got their parents killed, she took her own life.

Just like that, Shin’s whole life was ruined as he was left with nothing.

Nothing but guilt.

He was almost fifteen when he abandoned the village, becoming a rogue shinobi.

For a time, he wandered alone. But soon, he found his way into a small group of mercenaries. Most of his jobs were assassinations.

It didn’t take long for him to become completely detached - not just from himself, but from humanity.

He view this as his punishment for what he had done. For what he hadn’t been able to stop.

But everything changed when he received a mission - another assassination order.

The target was a relative of the Water Daimyo.

<<<>>>

Shin stood hidden in the shadow of a tall tree, crouched on a thick branch as he observed the moving cart below. His target sat carelessly, oblivious to the danger lurking above.

The Water Daimyo’s relative was a young, carefree girl who had yet to experience the harshness of life, let alone harm anyone. But Shin didn’t care.

She was nothing but a target- no more, no less.

‘A shinobi has to do whatever it takes to complete a mission,’ he told himself.

Shin expanded his sensory field, scanning the area carefully. Two guards, one chunin, one jonin, accompanied the girl.

‘I’ll poison their water and food at night.’

Since direct confrontation wasn’t an option, stealth and poisons were his best choice.

Night fell quickly, but despite waiting patiently, he found no opening.

He tried again the next night.

And the night after that.

Three nights passed, and still, there was no chance to act.

‘Something’s off…’

Even experienced shinobi made mistakes. These two weren’t anything special, yet they never let their guard down.

He studied them again.

‘They aren’t wearing headbands. They must be from some remote place.’

That single detail changed everything.

‘I’ll assassinate the chunin tonight and fight the jonin one-on-one.’

It would have been better to eliminate the jonin first, but he was leaving no openings, so stealth wasn’t an option. If he tried and failed, he’d be forced into a two-against-one battle, which would leave him at a disadvantage.

So, he waited.

The chunin, a dark-blue-haired girl, finally lay down to sleep.

The jonin, still on guard, stepped away momentarily to relieve himself.

It was time to strike.

Shin flickered toward his target, blade ready for a clean kill, but before his strike could land, his wrist was caught mid-air.

“I thought you’d never attack,” a voice chuckled.

Before Shin could react, a fist slammed into his face, sending him flying back.

Dazed, he barely processed what had happened before he analyzed the attacker - Maki Takime.

‘She had been suppressing her chakra to chunin levels, deliberately hiding her strength.’

The commotion immediately alerted Akura, who had been nearby. The moment he saw the fight break out, he stepped in.

Shin was subdued within seconds.

His arms were bound, and a chakra-suppressing seal was placed on his stomach.

Lying on the ground, he didn’t resist.

‘Finally… I’ll reunite with you, Nami. I hope you’ll forgive me.’ He had accepted his fate. Everything had gone wrong from the beginning.

There were supposed to be one guard, not two. And both had turned out to be jonin. He had no way of knowing that Maki was training under Akura, simply following him as part of her development.

Shin thought fate was punishing him.

But the punishment had only just begun.

The Water Daimyo’s relative turned out to be curious one.

Extremely curious.

From the moment he was tied up, she wouldn’t stop talking.

“Why did you want to kill me?” she asked, tilting her head. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before. Did I offend you somehow? I’m so sorry if I did! Can you tell me?”

Shin ignored her.

But that didn’t stop her.

Even Maki started getting irritated on his behalf. After several minutes of relentless questioning, she finally answered for him.

“You haven’t done anything wrong,” she sighed. “He’s a hired assassin. He kills for money.”

The girl’s eyes widened. “Oh, really? Then… did I offend the person who paid him? Maybe if I apologize…”

Maki’s face twisted in annoyance.

At first, she had found the girl’s quirks amusing. But now she was just plain irritating.

“He won’t tell you,” Maki sighed, rubbing her temple. “Besides, even if he wanted to, he probably doesn’t even know.”

She thought that would finally shut the girl up.

She was wrong.

For hours, the girl kept talking, throwing question after question at them, completely unfazed by the fact that she had nearly been assassinated. Even Shin, who had resigned himself to his fate, was starting to feel that death might have been preferable.

Then, suddenly, they were attacked.

Shuriken came flying toward them from two sides.

Akura reacted instantly, hands flashing through seals.

“Earth Release: Earth Wall!”

A thick, wide wall of solid mass erupted from the ground, blocking the shuriken aimed at the Daimyo’s relative.

But the second wave of shuriken was headed straight for Shin.

And to his shock, Maki moved to protect him.

She deflected the shurikens with a swift slash of her blade before charging straight at the attackers.

Shin remained still for a moment, watching her go.

‘Why would she do that?’

He didn’t have an answer.

Before he could dwell on it, his eyes flickered toward the attackers and he froze.

He recognized them.

They were from the same group of rogue shinobi he was part of.

Maki was slowly gaining the upper hand against her opponent, and Akura had even managed to injure his slightly. But the situation took a turn when a third shinobi joined the fight. He wasn’t as strong, but in a close battle, even a small shift in numbers could change everything.

Akura and Maki could have escaped, but if they did, the Daimyo’s relative would be dead.

Maybe the girl realized it herself, or maybe it was just a reckless impulse, but she suddenly turned toward Shin.

She lowered her voice. “I’ll let you go… but help us, okay?”

Shin hesitated, considering his options.

Then, after a moment, he nodded.

The girl removed the chakra suppression seal, and as soon as he was free, he flexed his fingers, assessing the situation.

For a brief moment, the thought crossed his mind - his target was standing right in front of him.

But then his eyes flickered back to the rogue shinobi, the same people who had just tried to kill him.

‘If not for this strange girl, I’d be dead right now.’

Fine.

He’d repay the kindness, this time. In a single flicker, he vanished.

By the time the third rogue shinobi even registered his movement, Shin was already behind him.

One swift stroke of his blade, and it was over.

The moment the numbers shifted in their favor, Maki and Akura completely overwhelmed their opponents.

One of the remaining assassins, clearly panicked, tried to appeal to Shin.

“Shin, what are you doing?! We’re from the same group!” he called out desperately. “Help us kill them, and we’ll forget this ever happened!”

Shin didn’t answer.

He pressed forward, blade slicing through the air without hesitation.

“You bastard,” the rogue spat, dodging barely in time. “The boss won’t let you live! You won’t survive betraying the group!”

His threat was cut short when Maki’s fist smashed into his face, sending him crashing into the dirt.

She snorted. “Didn’t you guys try to kill him first?”

The fight ended quickly.

The last two assassins lay dead at their feet.