"ARISE"
Kuro chose to use Shadow Extraction rather than devouring it. He hopes to learn who the figure is and who sent him.
The shadow mist around the figure starts to squirm.
Tti-ring!
[Shadow Extraction has failed.]
[Two more attempt remaining]
'....'
Kuro looks at the notification in disbelief. 'So I could also fail on Shadow Extraction too?' He looked back at the figure again.
[It is no longer possible to perform Shadow Devour on the selected target.]
'I can no longer devour the shadow since I have cast Shadow Extraction. This also means that I cannot extract a shadow if I devour it. I have to choose one or the other."
Kuro release a sigh and with firmer conviction, casted Shadow Extraction again.
"ARISE!"
[Shadow Extraction was a success.]
"Wuuaaahhhh…."
Thick, heavy moans resounded from the shadow as a black hand rose up from the dead body of the figure. It pressed down on the ground hard, and slowly, the shadow rose up.
'OH! MY! GOSH!' Kuro screams internally. Seeing a humanoid shadow rising up was different than seeing the bird rising up.
Soon, a Shadow Soldier with jet-black shinobi gears stood there, staring at Kuro. Kuro walks toward it and touches various places to get a feel of the shadow. He couldn't feel any signs of life from it. The shadow didn't breathe, and there was no heartbeat.
Kuro uses his skill Analyze to get the Shadow Soldier information after satisfying his curiosity.
[?? Lv. 1]
Rank: Knight
Seeing the rank of the Shadow Soldier, Kuro was surprised. If going off the Hunter ranks, it means that the figure he just defeated would be an A-rank Hunter.
Kuro looked at the dead body and couldn't help but shiver. Looking back at his fight, if he hadn't injured the figure using the distraction created by the Shadow Bird, his chance of winning would have been abysmal.
Kuro also saw a couple of question marks instead of its name.
As if reading Kuro's mind, the system sends him a new message.
Tti-ring!
[You can bestow a name to a knight grade soldier.]
[The bestowed name will be maintained until the shadow soldier is dismissed.]
[Please set the soldier's name.]
'A name, is it?' Kuro tried thinking of a name. He was never known to be good at naming things.
'Since it is my second shadow, let's name him Niji.' Kuro nodded his head at the great name he just came up with. He doesn't feel ashamed using a name from another show.
[Will you set the name as 'Niji'?]
"That's right."
As soon as Kuro spoke, the question marks on the shadow head disappeared and the name Niji appeared there.
[Niji Lv. 1]
Rank: Knight
Kuro took one last look at Niji and activated Shadow Preservation.
When he did that, Niji was absorbed into his shadow.
It was then.
Swoosh!
Lady Mito appears beside Kuro, looking at the dead shinobi. "Tell me what happened here, Kuro."
Kuro blinked, momentarily caught off guard by Lady Mito's sudden appearance.
"I don't know the exact details. I was heading back home when I was attacked along the way. Also, he said that the target was a girl, he only targeted me so he could use me as bait to lure you away from the villa."
Lady Mito's expression darkened as she processed Kuro's words. The fact that the figure had been targeting him to lure her away from the villa only added more layers to the situation. If the target was truly Kushina—the girl she had just taken in—then the stakes were much higher than Kuro realized.
Lady Mito's mind was racing, piecing the fragments of information together. Only a handful of people knew about Kushina's arrival in the village—and none of them would have given such vital information away. Hiruzen, the elders, and herself.
It hasn't even been a day and there was already an attack? Mito could only point that it was an insider job. However, she doesn't have any evidence and the memories of the now dead shinobi would have been wiped as soon as it died if the shinobi is associated with the group she suspects. He was likely under some kind of genjutsu or seal that erases his memories to protect the organization's secrets.
Mito looks at Kuro and then at the dead shinobi. She wonders how strong Kuro is to defeat a member of that organization without breaking a sweat.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Members of the ANBU arrived one after the other. Mito looks at them before telling Kuro that he should make his way home and let her handle the rest.
"You should go back home now, Kuro. I bet your parents would be worried about you. Also, don't tell anyone that it was you who defeated the shinobi. If asked, tell them that it was me. I'll handle the rest."
Kuro looked at Lady Mito and nodded his head. 'It seems that the attacker is not an outsider.' He thought from looking at Lady Mito facial expressions. 'Must have something to do with Root.'
Kuro walks away from the scene and toward the Nara compound. Since it seems that Root was involved, he doesn't want to stick out just yet.
The battle with what seems to be a Root agent has given Kuro a glimpse at his strength compared to others, he still not confident he can protect himself if Danzo decides to send a Jonin to get his ass.
The ANBU did not stop him since Mito was glaring at them. They could only watch Kuro walk away from the scene.
***
Back at the Nara compound, the familiar, comforting scent of his home greeted Kuro as he stepped inside.
"Welcome home, Kuro," his mother called, glancing over her shoulder. "Did you have a good day?"
Kuro forced a smile, his tired eyes betraying the exhaustion he felt. "Yeah, just… got caught up in something, but everything's fine."
His father, who had been reading a scroll by the window, looked up, narrowing his eyes. "You've got that look about you. What happened?"
"Nothing serious, Dad," Kuro answered quickly, hoping to deflect any further questions. "I'll just be in my room for a bit."
His parents exchanged a glance but said nothing more. Kuro gave them a brief nod before retreating to his room. Once inside, he closed the door behind him, leaning against it for a moment.
"Niji" Kuro called and Niji rose from his shadow. "Tell me who sent you."
Niji nodded and sent his thoughts to Kuro. 'Danzo. Root.'
It seems that Niji can't articulate a whole sentence but just from the two words, Kuro got his answer. 'It seems that Danzo is behind this. Also whatever sealing used to wipe the memory does not affect the Shadow Soldier.'
'Root... Danzo… I had nothing against you but you want out of your way to target me. Just you wait, I will have my vengeance. By then, all of Root would be mine. Its members would be more loyal to me than any others. I also wonder what rank you will be as a shadow Danzo. Hopefully, you don't disappoint me.'
The shadows in the room seemed to grow longer as a cold smile tugged at the corner of Kuro lips.
Kuro assigned Niji and the Shadow Bird to look out as he closed his eyes.