...

"At first, you clearly told me it would be three years, but three years passed and then another three, and then another three!"

"It's been nearly 10 years now, Yagura-san!"

On a rooftop, a young man in a gray Konoha combat uniform rested his hands on the railing. His brows were furrowed as he spoke, his emotions surging to the point where he couldn't control the volume of his voice. His movements became more exaggerated than usual.

Standing next to him was a man(/boy?) half a head shorter, looking about 12 or 13 years old. A deep stitched scar marked his face, and he appeared equally upset. 

"Could you treat me with a little more respect?"

"I'm the only one in all of Kirigakure who knows your real identity. If I go back and burn your files, you'll be a Konoha Shinobi for life and I won't have to bother with you!"

"What do you want me to do then?" The young man slammed his hand on the railing and pointed to the forehead protector on his head, raising his voice. "Remind myself every day that, 'I'm a Kirigakure shinobi!'? Follow the Will of Water even in my dreams?"

He pointed at Yagura and spread his fingers, showing five of them. "Five years old! A child of five! That young, and you sent me to Konoha as an undercover spy. I've spent more time infiltrating than I have lived in Kirigakure. I can barely remember what my parents look like anymore, and you still want me to show you respect?"

Yagura seemed like he wanted to explain something. "That's because you were mature for your age, emotionally stable, and during the village's selection..."

"Failing the selection meant death, so you tell me if I was emotionally stable or not?"

"..."

Yagura suddenly fell silent, unable to respond. The 'Blood Mist' village wasn't built in a day. Even before that era, there had been countless mysterious operations within the village that seemed almost inhuman. Recruiting child spies wasn't even the most extreme of these — there had even been specialized, custom tailored assassins as young as possible.

However, Yagura, as a Jonin of the village and the superior of the man standing in front of him, couldn't let his own resentment toward the village's demands show.

Not wanting to stare each other down any longer, they both turned their heads at the same time, gazing toward the distant Konoha streets.

Silence fell once again.

"Ten years..."

Yagura took a candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth. He silently chewed on the thought, feeling a strange heaviness in his heart.

Yagura, only 20 years old, was already one of the top Jonin of Kirigakure's new generation. He was the third direct contact officer for this deep cover spy from Kirigakure. Unfortunately, the previous two contact officers hadn't survived their time with this somewhat legendary spy, both dying at the hands of Konoha's ANBU and the Uchiha Police Force respectively. Now, it was Yagura's turn to take over this delicate task.

It was only upon assuming his position that Yagura had learned, through the Mizukage's secret archives, of this spy embedded deep within Konoha.

Code name: Deep Sea 004

Current Name: Sawara Kiri

Age: 15

Abilities: Proficient in Taijutsu and Water Release

Position: Konoha Chunin, Intelligence Division of the Jonin Unit, Level 2 Officer

Infiltration Period: 10 years

In a world where shinobis serve as the primary military force, infiltration, espionage, assassination, and interrogation are the most basic of tactics. The age of spies is not surprising either; whether a kunai is thrown by a 4 year old or a 14 year old, it's just as deadly, perhaps even more so.

However, even in a world teeming with espionage, a deep cover spy like Sawara Kiri, who had been infiltrating since childhood, was among the rarest of the rare. After all, while physical skills could be forcefully drilled into a child's brain, and loyalty to the village could be ensured through endless brainwashing, seals, and training, you couldn't easily manufacture maturity and a stable mindset.

Most child spies like Sawara Kiri were single-use tools, and only a handful ever had the chance to flee back to their home village after completing their missions. For a child of that age, successfully escaping was already an impressive feat.

Yet the man in front of Yagura had done something even more extraordinary.

Not only had he completed his mission after infiltrating Konoha, but he had somehow managed to evade Konoha's first wave of investigations, using his age to his advantage. He had enrolled in the Shinobi Academy and became a legitimate Konoha Shinobi. For ten years, he had continuously funneled information back to Kirigakure.

From that moment on, Sawara Kiri's personal file was classified at the highest level, locked away in the Mizukage's direct archives. From then on, he could only communicate with one representative from the Kirigakure leadership.

A sharp blade like him, resting in Konoha's heart, was extremely rare even in the entire shinobi world. Especially now, during the 3rd year of the Second Shinobi World War.

The spring of Konoha's 39th year was still turbulent.

This war, initiated by Sunagakure, had gradually dragged the entire shinobi world into a bloody whirlpool, with the Five Great Shinobi Countries and Amegakure constantly escalating their involvement. Even Kirigakure, isolated on an island, had to contend with threats from both Konoha and Kumogakure on the seas.

For the unstable Third Mizukage and the infighting Kirigakure leadership, this was a heavy burden indeed.

They needed... to further weaken Konoha.

Crunch

The candy shattered with a crisp sound.

Yagura finally broke the pointless silence, lowering his head in resignation. He called the man in front of him by his real name and pleaded:

"Ren..."

"No matter what, there are some things only you can accomplish."

Sawara Kiri...Ren... finally turned to look at him.

Though his shift in expression seemed minor to outsiders, for Ren, who had been surviving in the cracks for so long, Yagura's concession meant a lot.

He remained silent for a while, and when he spoke again, his tone was completely different from before, colder and more distant:

"Due to the aggressiveness of my previous missions, Konoha's ANBU has intensified their internal investigations, and the Root is starting to take action externally. At least two squads are actively searching for traces of me.

"So, the village's missions must be limited to one every six months. Reduce contact with me as much as possible as well."

"And your predecessor didn't have time to pay me for my last mission before he died, so please don't forget about that."

"..."

Yagura stared at him without speaking. Ren, unbothered, simply stared back, calm and patient.

Finally, Yagura pulled a scroll from his coat and handed it to Ren.

"I'll report your words to the Mizukage."

"After you complete this mission, no one will contact you for at least three months."

"And I'll ensure your previous mission's payment is delivered."

Only then did Ren accept the new mission scroll.

His requests had been pushed right to the edge of what was acceptable; it wasn't surprising whether they would be accepted or not. In truth, his main objective for this meeting was to establish his stance and secure his benefits, rather than the requests themselves.

After all, they wouldn't dare touch him until the war was over.

And as for what happened after that, well, they probably wouldn't have a say.

Ren quickly scanned the contents of the scroll, memorized them, and handed it back.

With a poof, his figure disappeared from the rooftop.

Yagura stood still, staring at the spot where Ren had been. He unconsciously replayed the expressions and movements Ren had shown, his gaze complicated.

In fact, before leaving the village, Yagura's superior had entrusted him with another task to investigate how the previous two contact officers had been exposed.

It was clear now.

At least in the eyes of the village leadership, Ren's 'usefulness' was nearing its end.

A Shinobi didn't need evidence. The moment someone was deemed untrustworthy, it was reason enough to kill them.

Once the war ended, they would likely make their move.

Despite all the intelligence he had delivered to the village...

A 'hero', perhaps?

Without realizing it, Yagura felt a sudden, indescribable sense of powerlessness and exhaustion toward this hopeless world.

Finally, he let out a long sigh.

"Sorry."

...

In the Hokage Building, on the third floor, inside the Intelligence Division of the Jonin Unit.

Sitting at his desk and carefully proofreading the logistics distribution list, Sawara Kiri suddenly jolted, like someone who had been sitting too long and accidentally pressed on a hemorrhoid, sending a shock through his body. The pen in his hand paused momentarily on the paper. He adjusted his sitting posture slightly.

The memories from his shadow clone flowed into his mind.

So they've changed the contact person again.

Unfortunately, this time it's a tough one to handle.

The Fourth Mizukage...

Sawara Kiri thought, his interrupted pen strokes resuming smoothly, as his mind raced to assess the potential impacts of Yagura's appearance. Just as had been mentioned, the reason Sawara Kiri was chosen as a spy embedded deep within Konoha was because of his maturity beyond his years. But this wasn't some natural gift. It was because he was a transmigrator, with several decades of life experience beyond others.

When he first discovered that he had transmigrated into Kirigakure; a place barely touched upon in the original Naruto storyline, Sawara Kiri initially planned to use his knowledge advantage to attract the attention of the higher-ups and survive until the plot began. However, things hadn't gone as expected.

Did he catch their attention? 

Oh, he caught it alright.

But not in a good way.

Who in their right mind plays double agent in the Shinobi World?

Shinobis aside, have any double agents in history ever met a good end?

None!

They all met miserable fates!

Clearly, this life couldn't go on for long.

Even a crafty rabbit has three burrows; how could a person not need an escape plan?

That's why Sawara Kiri's greatest wish now was to immediately, if not sooner, escape this grueling life of outwitting Konoha's ANBU every day, return to Kirigakure as a hero and with a mountain of merit, retire before the 'Blood Mist' era begins. He would wash his hands of the whole shinobi business and live a peaceful, leisurely life in the Land of Water, waiting for the 'saviors' chosen by the Sage of Six Paths to appear and handle everything.

After all, as long as you didn't get involved in Kaguya's family drama, it was still possible to live a decent life in the Shinobi World!

However, judging from Yagura's attitude today, things might not go so smoothly on the Kirigakure side either.

Sawara Kiri had considered rebelling, fleeing, or even defecting to Konoha, but there were at least three seals he was aware of on his body — one on his brain, one on his heart, and one on his tongue. In addition, there were countless sealing techniques placed on him when he was five years old. Just as he could easily manipulate Kirigakure's higher-ups at critical moments like during wartime, they, too, had numerous ways to control him.

Moreover, the Five Great Shinobi Countries were still embroiled in savage conflicts, and there were no prisoner-of-war treaties. Spies caught by the enemy were subjected to all kinds of brutal methods. Being killed swiftly during an escape attempt might even be considered merciful. Otherwise, there were forced mind searches, 36 types of whips, 72 forms of torture, and 108 methods of interrogation, all designed to squeeze out every last bit of value before tossing them into a lab to be used as test subjects, utterly consumed in a physical sense.

Could Sawara Kiri take that risk?

Clearly not!

The only silver lining was that after being transported to this world, he hadn't been entirely without resources.

'Today... it should be ready to activate.' Sawara Kiri thought, speeding up his proofreading slightly. After finishing the last stack of documents, he slapped down his pen, grabbed his small bag, and leapt out of the window.

"Hey! Sawara-kun!"

The pineapple haired superior across from him widened his dark ringed eyes, grabbing another stack of newly delivered files and yelled out the window after him.

That brat was skipping work?!

And right in front of him!

Damn it, I haven't had a day off in 87 days either.

He runs off to rest while I'm stuck here; isn't that the same as being cheated on?

"Shikakoshi-san, I will be taking the night off! I'll make it up tomorrow..."

From the distant end of the street, Sawara Kiri's distorted voice echoed back.

Nara Shikakoshi, watching his figure fade into the distance, collapsed back into his office chair with a look of impending collapse. Glancing at the half-human high pile of files on his desk, he felt like dying. Damn it! Tomorrow, I'll make sure this brat works overtime till he begs me for mercy!

Shikakoshi gripped his pen tightly, scribbling furiously as he cursed Sawara Kiri in his mind.

...

"I'm back!"

Sawara Kiri pushed open the door and strode into the living room.

"Huh?"

The teenage girl bustling about in the kitchen was startled, turning to him with a look of delight on her face.

"Oniichan! You're back!"

The petite girl, dressed in an apron, quickly approached him. "You're early today. You must be tired from work, right? Would you like to eat first, take a bath, or maybe..."

Bonk

He lightly tapped her forehead with his knuckles, making a crisp sound.

Sawara Kiri pretended to be annoyed, "You know adults who hit kids can get arrested by the Uchiha Police Force, right? Are you trying to frame your beloved brother, Yukie-chan?"

"Eh heh heh." Sawara Yukie wasn't angry. She took his small bag from him and followed closely behind "Oniichan, it's rare for you to come back so early today."

"Could it be you already knew I snagged some limited edition beef at the market?"

"Or maybe you even know we're having sukiyaki tonight...?"

"Hmm, that's quite a feast."

"Too bad it's a bit inconvenient today." Sawara Kiri interrupted, his hands pressed together in apology as he wore a bitter expression. "You'll have to eat without me, Yukie. I've got a new jutsu I need to test."

There was a subtle, unintentional sense of distance in his voice.

"Is that so..."

Before Sawara Yukie could ask more questions, Sawara Kiri had already hurried up to his room on the second floor.

Clearly, this was his 'younger sister'.

Sawara Yukie, 12 years old, had just graduated from the Shinobi Academy a year ago and was now an ordinary Genin. Despite the prolonged Second Shinobi World War, it was different from the upcoming war in ten years. Konoha, with its ample resources accumulated since the Second Hokage's time, was still wealthy enough. Genin like her, who had only recently graduated, were still under the guidance of skilled Chūnin instructors, quickly learning the ropes of being a Shinobi, with no need to head to the front lines any time soon.

The reason Sawara Kiri, a spy, had such a tag-along younger sister was simple. It was extremely complicated for an outsider to fully integrate into Konoha, involving numerous procedures and processes. If you wanted to enroll a child in the Shinobi Academy, it required thorough checks and multiple mental screenings. However, if you became the 'Head of a Family' that had been settled in Konoha for 20 years, with both parents deceased and only a younger sister in tow, you'd have a perfect, genuine social network. This would make becoming a 'Konoha local' much easier, drastically lowering any suspicions.

On the contrary, solitary individuals without family ties were always the first to be targeted in the village sweeps. Many orphans, with unclear backgrounds, were often monitored by Root.

A person without weaknesses is incredibly dangerous.

This is true for any villages or regime.

Luckily, in the year Sawara Kiri infiltrated Konoha, he found the perfect family. The parents had died in battle, the young brother had been crushed to death under a wall during a Shinobi skirmish, leaving only an infant sister stranded in a baby carriage, crying uncontrollably.

The perfect identity.

From that day, he became Sawara Kiri.

Naturally, this younger sister, three years younger than him, was someone he had raised from infancy.

However, Sawara Kiri was not naïve enough to trust her or rely on her simply because of this.

He was bound to leave this place.

Sawara Kiri subconsciously thought this as he turned away, not noticing the flicker of disappointment in Sawara Yukie's eyes.

...

Back in his room, Sawara Kiri first went through his routine check of all the traps, confirming that nothing had been tampered with and that there were no sealing techniques or surveillance devices present. Only then did he sit cross-legged on his bed, trying to suppress the faint excitement stirring inside him.

He closed his eyes and silently recited:

"System."

Almost instantly, a countdown appeared on the previously empty panel.

[Time remaining until System Activation...]

[00:00:09]

Yes.

The humorous 'System Activation'.

No matter how many times he saw this panel prompt, Sawara Kiri couldn't suppress the urge to curse. Despite starting his training, killing, infiltrating, and being brainwashed from a very young age, because his cheat system was rated 15+ under the national standards and minors weren't allowed to activate it!

It made no sense!

Before transmigrating, he had been a typical middle-aged man, so who exactly was this age restriction supposed to protect?

At least, the time had finally come.

As these random thoughts flitted through his mind, the countdown in the prompt box had already reached the final moments.

Nine.

Eight.

Seven.

...

Three, Two, One!

In that instant, Sawara Kiri's entire vision was engulfed by the bright white prompt box.

Almost simultaneously, a gentle female voice began to hum softly in his mind, distant yet calming, like the rustling of trees or the sound of springs, soothing his nerves.

["Are you... my Master?"]

"Yes."

Sawara Kiri's consciousness involuntarily deepened as he listened, his head instinctively tilting to hear more clearly.

The next moment, she began with an operatic recital-like tone, delivering her first line of utter nonsense.

["Ohhh~ Subarashii!"]

["You've just transmigrated, and you've already awakened the Universe's number one, most amazing [Sawara's Friend Notebook System!] Now, what's there to fear anymore? What's there to fear!!"]

["Punch Hashirama, Kick Madara and bend over Ōtsutsuki Kaguya!"]

["I, alone, will turn the entire world into my playground!!"]

["Sawara Kiri, when will you claim your title as the strongest in the shinobi world?"]

"..."

["Right now!"]

With the force of a great bell ringing out, like thunder crashing from a broken vessel, the words came out loud and powerful.

At that moment, Sawara Kiri's bright, vibrant gaze dulled in an instant, his complexion turned from rosy to ashen, and his entire being seemed to lose its vitality, crumbling into a grey, shattered state. He sat there silently, listening through the entire opening spiel.

The silence in the room was deafening.

"...?"

A sense of foreboding welled up inside him.

...