My Techniques are a bit off

Nighttime, A Town on the Border of the Land of Fire, A Certain Inn

"Whoosh~"

The late autumn wind howled, masking the faint sound of footsteps landing lightly on the rooftop. Four shinobi appeared silently atop the building.

They wore brown, streamlined jumpsuits with dark blue half-body armor, distinctive respirators, and headbands marked with the symbol of the Amegakure, which glimmered faintly under the dim moonlight.

The leader gestured, and the four split up, infiltrating the Inn from different angles.

None of them noticed a small, pitch-black shadow pressed tightly against the rooftop, blending seamlessly with the interplay of light and shadow.

One of the long-haired shinobi scaled the wall and reached a window on the Inn's top floor. Pressing his hand lightly against the glass, he pushed it open and slipped inside without making a sound.

But as soon as his foot touched the floor, he saw a short Konoha shinobi standing at a distance, glaring coldly at him.

[A brat from Konoha.]

He instinctively began forming hand seals, only to hear the sound of something slicing through the air from behind.

[A shadow clone? Or—]

The long-haired shinobi raised his kunai to block the attack, his seasoned combat instincts allowing him to pinpoint the strike's origin from the sound. He effortlessly parried the attack coming from behind, noting from its height that it likely matched the stature of the short Konoha shinobi before him.

If that's the case, attacking the original should suffice.

Gathering chakra, he lunged toward the short Konoha shinobi with his kunai in hand.

"Shing~"

The small shinobi snapped his fingers, and four fingers transformed into senbon, piercing the air toward him.

The long-haired shinobi swung his kunai repeatedly, deflecting the projectiles, which were average in speed and power. [A strange technique, but lacking strength.]

Though unscathed, the slight pause in his movement filled him with unease as the short Konoha shinobi charged at him. Changing direction mid-dash was difficult for both parties.

If a clash was unavoidable, it was better to strike first!

He reversed his grip on the kunai, slashing at the Konoha shinobi's neck. Being an adult, his reach was naturally—

His opponent's head fell off.

The head and neck tumbled to the ground, leaving only the body holding the kunai to collide with him. Shocked, he instinctively shifted his body, using his arm to block the attack.

"Thud!"

The kunai pierced his arm. Ignoring the pain, he kicked the headless body away, but before he could recover—

"Bang!"

The headless body dispersed into white smoke, and the sound of two kunai cutting through the air came from behind.

[I'm done for!]

"Thud!" X2

His final thought flickered as the kunai brutally stabbed his abdomen and the back of his neck. The searing pain exceeded his threshold, plunging him into darkness.

"Thud!"

"One down."

Link released the kunai, pushing the bloodied corpse off his back. He expressionlessly pulled out another kunai and left the room.

His shadow had returned to its two-dimensional form, slipping through walls and rooms to scout the hallway.

He followed closely, quickly arriving at another battle scene.

"Bang!"

A Amegakure shinobi was sent flying into a wall by Iris's kick. Ami emerged from the shadows, driving her kunai into the shinobi's temple, twisting it before pulling it out.

Seeing Link arrive, Iris held up two fingers.

[Four enemies. Three down, one likely headed straight for the merchant's room.]

Link nodded without a word, motioning for them to remain vigilant before leaving.

The hallway floor was littered with bodies—those of both Amegakure shinobi and the convoy's guards. For the shinobi, killing a few samurai or ronin was child's play.

Reaching the hallway outside the merchant's room, Link found the convoy leader, a samurai, leaning against the wall clutching his bleeding abdomen. Nearby, three samurai corpses lay on the ground, bristling with senbon.

Nara Ensui was securing a scroll in its holder, while the beheaded corpse of the Amegakure leader lay at his feet.

The three exchanged glances without speaking. In the oppressive silence, they returned to their positions as the surviving samurai began cleaning up the battlefield.

This wasn't their first assassination attempt.

Leaning against the wall, Link closed his eyes to recover his stamina and calm his mind, reviewing the earlier battle.

There wasn't much to review. Against ordinary shinobi with no trump cards, he could easily achieve instant kills.

Even his weakest skill—taijutsu—became overwhelming with his shadow techniques. A two-on-one fight alongside his shadow was something even average Genin or Chūnin couldn't handle.

As for why he didn't summon substitute, use shadow clones to weaken the enemy, or call upon his Earth Release techniques—

There was no need.

Shinobi battles heavily relied on information. For him, the fewer techniques he exposed, the better.

He had nine different ways to kill an opponent—nine! But when it came to real combat, simplicity, directness, and minimizing intel leakage were paramount.

As the convoy neared the border of the Land of Rivers, they had already faced three attacks: one by a group of ronin, one by defectors from the Kusagakure, and this latest assault by Amegakure shinobi.

The first two incidents were handled entirely by Iris and Ami without requiring intervention from him or Nara Ensui.

Would stronger enemies await them in the Land of Rivers?

Link didn't know, but he suspected the coming days would leave little time for rest.

Stationed at his designated post until dawn, he took a soldier pill and prepared to depart.

By morning, the corpses and bloodstains in the Inn had been cleaned up, leaving little trace of the previous night's carnage. Still, a faint metallic scent of blood lingered in the air. While the shinobi and samurai handled the killing, the convoy's civilians were tasked with cleanup and tending to the merchant.

After reuniting with Ami, Iris, and Nara Ensui, they prepared to leave, only to witness the overweight merchant berating the pale-faced samurai leader:

"You idiot…"

Even though the man had risked his life to protect him, the merchant's only complaint was that the noise last night had disrupted his sleep.

Two scantily clad women exited the merchant's room as he ranted.

Link watched coldly, while Iris clenched his fists in frustration, his indignation barely contained. Ami stopped him, saying nothing but casting a furious glare at the merchant.

Nara Ensui ignored the scene, signaling his team to follow the merchant and his guards out of the Inn.

This was the way of their world. Shinobi, who wielded the strongest power, saw themselves as tools, perpetuating a cycle of morally ambiguous violence under the shinobi system.