Once Upon An Assassination Attempt || Kamisato Ayato

Chapter 1 | The first attempt

UNEDITED

It happened on a beautiful day. The sun was high up in the sky, with the clouds guarding it. The rays of sunlight seemed to touch the surface of everything; the green leaves of the tree branch I was on, the blue tiles of the rooftop of the house I was staring at, and Kamisato Ayato's face.

It was particularly annoying how effortlessly elegant the head of Kamisato clan was, in every situation. Right now, he was discussing clan matters with Kujou Sara, likely about the recent plans to abolish the Sakoku Decree.

Whatever his plans were, they wouldn't see the light of the day. He wouldn't see the light of the day again. I waited until Kujou Sara left, for the only time today that was perfect for an undetected assassination. He was overlooking papers, his amethyst eyes going over the lines.

It was time.

I can do this.

I've done it before and I can do it again. It's what I had always known.

Only, this time it was so much more different. I was always assigned, as I requested, criminals. Those that had committed such grave sins and made powerful enemies along the way. Some dirty politicians, some fatui networks, people that were better off dead. All of them had something. Something I determined was enough to give me reason to shake off the ever growing conscience. Even when I knew I was no better. So I did research.

Kamisato Ayato was the head of the Kamisato clan, and also of Shuumatsuban. That meant that the whole of inazuma's ninjas, the underground network, they all answered to him. And I'd searched. I'd searched for the black patch every politician has, the little dirty secret they try to keep hidden away. Corruption, fraud, smuggling, anything at all that he could have put his hands on. And yet, I couldn't find any. Of course as head of Shuumatsuban, there was bound to be assassinations he would have to carry out, but it's not like I could say anything about that considering my occupation. It was ironic, really. Sending an assassin to assassinate another assassin.

In my view as an assassin with her hands too dirty to be cleaned, Kamisato Ayato's background was as white as his stupidly long sleeves.

For the first time in my life, I found my hands trembling over the trigger. I found myself questioning.

I took a deep breath, and calmed myself down. I could do it. I had to do my job. It wasn't like me to question it.

Again, I looked through the scope to set the timing right, and almost dropped the rifle.

No way. He was looking right at me, a playful smirk on his face that reminded me of a sly fox. He shouldn't be able to see me. I was over 2000 yards away. The momentary hesitation made me pull the trigger prematurely, which went right through his tea.

The rustling of the leaves behind me confirmed that I had given a rough idea of my position away, and all for nothing.

"Fuck."

The Shuumatsuban was definitely onto me now. Luckily, today was the day security was most lax, and I'd even found one ninja sleeping under a tree.

Not giving my pursuers any moment to fasten their pace, I swiftly hid in the way they least expected.

My target was a rookie ninja who had just gotten into Shuumatsuban. Her height was similar to mine, so that made disguising myself as her a lot easier. She was also someone who didn't have any friends so there was no worry over someone suspecting me.

I kept her tied up in a cave where people would eventually find her. I didn't plan to disguise as her for long anyway.

"Everyone, fall back." A voice came from behind me. "We've lost the assassin. We will continue to search for tracks. And you," he said with a glare.