Smoke and Mirrors -- A Naruto Fanfiction

Welcome back to the Smoke and Mirrors AU.

“I’m sorry Hattori-san, I’m not sure I understand.” Yuta’s voice was quiet, barely a whisper.

“An A-Rank Mission.”

“Why us?”

“Everyone else has many things to do, Yuta-san. Asahiro asked to be on break from completing missions. Team Mei, and Team Yuki are splitting shifts patrolling the border.”

“...”

“Yuta Yanmaru. Will you join me on this mission?” Hattori’s voice was firm. He really wanted to go on one. The only missions he had been on so far were simple D-Ranks in Bukai.

“If it is by your order, Clan Head, then I will follow you on this mission.” Hattori only nodded.

Finding Mission . . .

. . .

[A-Rank Mission]

The Uchiha Clan’s ‘Sharingan no Yuugito’ is currently on a mission in the Taka Province, Land of Fire. Track them, gather intel on their mission, and then assassinate the target.

[Rewards:30,000 Ryo, Clan Fame Feature unlocked, Random B-Rank Technique Scroll]

[Time Until Mission Expires: 1 Month]

[Estimated Mission Duration: 3 Weeks]

[Team Assigned: Jonin Hattori, Yuta Yanmaru]

He felt a headache coming. “The mission, Yuta-san. We will be taking down a notable Uchiha. Sharingan no Yuugito.” Yuta’s eyes shifted to the Bochigan immediately upon hearing Uchiha.

“When do we leave, Hattori-san?” Hattori thought for a few seconds, before responding.

“Now. Team Mei is currently off patrol shift. Inform them, and we leave immediately after.” With that, Hattori stood. Yuta Yanmaru was ranked second in the Clan after having returned from his mission. Asahiro was ranked fourth, taking Mei’s spot.

The Founder’s System understood the power of his eyes. He would explain it as best he could while Yuta and him were on the move. It was only after several minutes that Yuta returned.

“Team Mei has been informed we will be on a mission together, Hattori-san.” He gave a nod to the boy. He pointed to two identical outfits, laid out on his floor. They were the armour from the Shinobi who had tried to assassinate Team Yuta’s client.

Deep-red coloured steel glinted in the moonlight. “We’ll wear this for the duration of our mission. Standard cloth will be of little use against enemy weaponry. I’m sorry, Yuta-san. I should have supplied outfits like this to our Clan long ago.”

Yuta shook his head. “We are a new Clan, without much funding. I understand Hattori-san.” He bowed low, before moving to grab his gear and leave. Hattori watched silently, moving to put on his own after Yuta had left.

The cloth had been mended in Bukai, cleaned of any leftover blood, contaminants, and other general dirty things. It was perfectly usable; and on a mission to assassinate an Uchiha reputed for his Sharingan, the two Yanmaru needed all the protection they could get.

In terms of weight, while it was heavy, it was much lighter still than the usual weight Hattori trained with. It would hardly dampen his speed.

Less than a minute after Hattori had put on his armour, Yuta opened the cabin door. They nodded to eachother.

“Our first stop is Yamatari. We have to gather intelligence on his whereabouts. There’s a few other things I want to gather, as well.” Yuta’s face formed a small frown, but he nodded.

Seconds after they exited the cabin, they vanished from the Yanmaru compound in a burst of speed. They ran on ground level, racing towards the thinnest part of the river where it stretched barely thirty meters in width.

Hours passed by in silence. It was only after the first day of travel had passed on their journey to Yamatari, when they had set up a small camp, that they spoke.

“Sharingan no Yuugito… How strong is he?” Yuta asked.

“His fame isn’t small.” Hattori replied.

“If only one of us engaged him in combat, would we win?”

“Uncertain, Yuta-san.”

“..I see.”

Silence fell over the camp. For several minutes, until Hattori spoke. “The Bochigan, Yuta-san. How much do you know about its abilities?”

Yuta thought for several seconds before speaking. “It has the ability to detect others, at enormous distances. No matter how far someone is, if your Bochigan is developed enough, you will see them distinctly from the background. It’s impossible to ignore, or miss.”

Hattori nodded, motioning for him to continue.

“Aside from this ability, whenever I activate my Bochigan, it’s like my movements are being guided, and tugged along. At first it was odd and uncomfortable, but I soon noticed it was making my movements better. Little hints at where would be best to strike, how I should shift my grip.”

Hattori nodded again, but spoke. “The Bochigan’s perfect movement. Yes, Yuta-san. This Dojutsu urges you to perfect every move you make, whether as simple as a step, or as complicated as handseals.”

Yuta’s eyes widened. “Handseals? Could this Dojutsu allow us to discover new Ninjutsu?” Hattori sighed, and said no.

“The Bochigan is powerful, but it cannot do that. It only perfects physical movements; Handseals, for some reason, are considered perfect by our eyes. It doesn’t allow us to mould our Chakra any differently, or nudge us in directions of new Ninjutsu. What else do you know about it?”

“Time slows down when it’s activated. Seconds take minutes to pass by, although that capability isn’t set in stone. It’s possible-”

“Possible to return the speed of perception to normalcy, even with it on. The downside to this is that you must concentrate to restore its slowed perception of time, which isn’t easy in battle.”

Yuta frowned. “I see.”

“...”

Several minutes of silence passed before either of the two spoke again. This time, it was Yuta.

“Is that all our Dojutsu is capable of?”

“Is it not enough?”

“No, Hattori-san. It’s enough.”

Hattori offered a smile before he stood. “I will keep watch. You have an hour of rest, then we swap. Once I finish my hour of rest, we continue.”

Hattori moved to the base of a tree, leaning against it as he sat down. His eyes closed, as Yuta was left in the flickering light of a smokeless campfire.

Two hours passed by, with both Yanmaru now well-rested. An hour of rest was not enough rest for a child as young as Yuta, but it had to be dealt with for now. Their journey continued silently, much the same as the first day, for the next three.

It was on the dawn of the first day that they arrived at the city gates of Yamatari. The walls were high, made of carved stone and intricately detailed. The gates of the city were guarded by a dozen Samurai; the actual entrance was a large Torii gate made of redwood.

In a single word, the city was massive. In two, it was fucking massive. Hattori mentally estimated it would take him ten minutes of full-speed running to go from one side to the next, if it was on flat ground.

He gave a look to Yuta who seemed unphased, as they halted their breakneck pace and began to walk towards the gate. The Samurai on guard looked up, poking and prodding each other to gather everyone's attention.

Each of them seemed to tense up when they realized the two Yanmaru were approaching.