Tomorrow morning, on the day of the grand festival…
Haruto stood before the painted murals in his temporary quarters, eyes scanning the brushstrokes without really seeing them. A quiet sigh escaped him as he pressed a palm to his face.
"Kekeke…" the laugh was low, almost mocking himself.
"Am I losing my mind? I have Kurama… the Rinnegan… a sage's body—and yet here I am, leashed by the restriction of a mission."
His hand tightened.
"I'll break its shackles."
In the next breath, Haruto was gone.
---
Meanwhile
In a narrow alley, cloaked in shadow, several figures in dark robes gathered. Their movements were too precise for common thugs.
"Sir… we've tracked down Prince Reiju's location."
The leader gave a sharp nod. "Understood."
They moved as one, but before they could take another step—
"Oh…"
The voice drifted lazily from above. They looked up to see a lone man on a rooftop, red hair fluttering in the breeze. His expression was calm—too calm.
"What's the order?" he asked casually. "To kill?"
The assassins didn't answer. They rushed him instead.
But they forgot one thing—speed means nothing before absolute power.
In Haruto's hands, a blood-red sword shimmered into existence, its aura reeking of death itself. Poor lads… Haruto had long since discarded the idea of going easy.
With a flicker, his Rinnegan ignited—
Kyomu Realm.
Reality warped. In an instant, Haruto and his attackers stood in a fog-drenched void where time itself seemed sluggish.
"What… is this place?" one assassin muttered.
Shwip!
A head rolled before anyone saw the strike. Purple light flashed in Haruto's eyes as he body-flickered behind another assassin, booting him hard in the temple before a Rasengan caved in his gut.
Boom!
Red Death hummed, and with a single crimson arc, the remaining assassins fell.
Haruto stepped back into the real world, seeing Prince Reiju still strolling without a care. Time in Kyomu Realm barely touched reality. With the mission's final day upon him, Haruto vanished again—waiting.
---
Nightfall — The River of Light Festival
The crowd swelled along the banks as lanterns lit the dark water. Tradition said if the river glowed gold in your reflection, fortune was yours. If it shone red… disaster was near.
Reiju's breath caught—the water in his hands was crimson.
"…What's going to happen?"
Before he could dwell, chaos struck. A single arrow whistled past him.
The crowd erupted. "Enemy attack!"
People surged toward the bridge. Reiju was caught in the crush, shoved, stepped on, nearly trampled. When he finally struggled up—
"Hello…"
A man sat before him, blocking the way.
"Brother."
"Second brother?!"
The man's subordinates unsheathed their blades.
"This isn't the time to kill me!" Reiju barked.
"We'll do it the day we reach the throne," his brother replied coolly. "Unless, of course, Father changes his mind… You've always been a disappointment, Reiju."
Without warning—"Kill him."
The black-clad men surged—
---
"Who are you!" someone shouted.
From the crowd stepped Sahara, Narue, Hinata… and a green blur.
"We are the second prince's subordinates!" the assassins snarled. "You rogue shinobi have no chance—"
The leader's words choked off as a foot smashed into his jaw, sending him sprawling. The attacker stood swaying, flushed cheeks and unfocused eyes giving away his state.
Rock Lee. Drunk Version.
He hiccupped, tilted his head, and grinned. "You guys… look like training dummies… hic… time to warm up."
An assassin lunged. Lee stumbled sideways—then twisted mid-fall into a Drunken Whirlwind Kick, cracking the man's skull and sending him into two more.
Another came from behind. Lee bent backward at an impossible angle, the blade missing by inches, then "accidentally" smashed his foot into the man's knee, folding him to the ground.
"Oops… did I do thaaat?" he giggled.
Two more tried flanking him. Lee tripped—no, rolled—between them, sweeping their legs out before popping up to down his sake mid-fight.
Narue blinked. "Is he… actually winning?"
Hinata's Byakugan flared. "It's unpredictable… they can't read his movements."
An assassin charged with a short blade. Lee "slipped" forward, kneeing the man in the gut, then spun in place, heel smashing into three chins at once. Skewers and dumplings from a nearby stall exploded into the air.
"Alright… hic… warm-up's over!" Lee slurred, vanishing in a blur of drunken strikes. Bodies dropped one by one, littering the street.
When the last man groaned on the ground, Lee stood swaying, pointing at no one in particular. "Who's… next…?"
And then he collapsed face-first, snoring.
Then the second prince laughter grew"haha....hahaha" he laughed like a madman as he pointed his finger
"Fool! You think I only have a few subordinates!"
Just as the man clapped another voice echoed
"They are all dead" haruto elegantly jumped before his team as he saw Reiju holding Narue tightly
He sighed and spoke"give up now...before you die"
"What? You know who we are right? I'm the second prince!"
"Umm...so your the second prince..." The prince nodded as haruto spoke while bowing"my apologies...well withdrawn from our mission"
"...is that would you'd like to hear?" Haruto laughed as he slashed his katana, the blood droplets hit the prince's face
As the prince face darkened,"what's the meaning of this...shinobi of konoha"
"Oh...the meaning you ask? Simple."
"It's because I accepted a mission...and I never have lost"
"As per mission, I would have the permission to kill every variable to save the client, even if it would be king himself"
"As a shinobi village is hundred times powerful then a mere kingdom"
"Even though...the one your killing is me! The genius of the kingdom!"
"So? A evil genius?"
"Don't mind me then"
Haruto then smacked the prince unconscious as he throwed him towards his team
"Decide on what to do with him..."
"I have things to do" saying that he left
...
Author here, To be honest I don't really know what should I do to make the Shippuden story longer so I'm speeding it up a bit so enjoy!