“How could it get this out of hand?” Raiga Kurosuki found Zabuza Momochi and angrily demanded answers.
When Zabuza had recruited them, the rogue Mist ninja, he never ntioned that they would end up leveling the entire Hidden Mist Village.
While they were renegades, most of them didn’t harbor deep hatred for the village they grew up in. The majority of these ninjas rebelled due to the oppressive rule of the forr Mizukage, Yagura, and had joined Zabuza’s plans for reform, thinking they would rely be targeting the corrupt higher-ups, including Yagura himself.
Initially, they had been eager, ready to return and settle old scores. But now, after watching their village explode before their eyes, all those vengeful feelings seed to burn away in the blast. Raiga, along with many others, started questioning the extre thods of the Yoko Organization.
Destroying the Hidden Mist Village completely?
This was supposed to be a revolution?
This wasn’t justice; it was sheer disregard for life!
What’s the difference between you and Yagura, the tyrannical Mizukage?
“Let go of ,” Zabuza said coldly, glancing at Raiga’s hand gripping his collar.
“This wasn’t what we agreed on!” Raiga growled back.
Behind Raiga, several other rogue Mist ninjas cast hostile looks toward Zabuza.
“I said, let go!”
“I need an explanation!” Raiga demanded.
“You’re asking to die!” Zabuza, finally losing patience, drew his Executioner’s Blade and swung it toward Raiga’s head.
Unfazed, Raiga released Zabuza’s collar and quickly drew his two strange, short swords to block the strike.
In an instant, the two were locked in fierce combat, exchanging powerful blows at close range.
Raiga was the wielder of the Thunder Blades: Kiba, one of the original Seven Ninja Swordsn of the Mist.
Zabuza, anwhile, was the current wielder of the Executioner’s Blade, part of the second generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsn.
Both were fierce warriors with short tempers, and given their lack of any real friendship, it was inevitable that their clash would escalate into a violent showdown.
“Water Release: Water Formation Pillar!”
A sudden surge of water shot up, forcefully separating the two fighters.
Zabuza, hoisting his Executioner’s Blade, turned his head to see none other than i Terumi.
“I couldn’t just stand by and watch this any longer,” i said irritably, wiping droplets of water from her mouth. “This is no ti for infighting! Both of you need to quiet down!”
Raiga was the first to speak. “I want answers.”
Before Zabuza could even respond, he sneered and raised his Executioner’s Blade again, glaring at Raiga. “I’ll give you your answers right now.”
He was about to charge forward and resu the fight, but i quickly stepped between them, rolling her eyes.
Looking directly at Zabuza, i said, “I know you’re upset, but don’t forget the mission Hashirama assigned to you!”
Then she turned to Raiga, glancing at the other rogue Mist ninjas behind him. “We owe you no explanations. This wasn’t our doing. We are all ninjas of the Hidden Mist Village, and destroying the village was never our goal.”
“The Six-Tails… you didn’t release it?” Raiga asked suspiciously.
“We’re connected to the incident, but we didn’t control it to launch a Tailed Beast Bomb into the village. It was the failure of the Hidden Mist ninjas to contain it and guide it to safety. That’s not on us,” i explained flatly.
Raiga’s expression remained serious as he studied i’s face, searching for any hint of deception.
After a mont, he sighed and muttered, “I’m not trying to bla anyone. It’s just that a lot of my n have family and friends in the village…”
“I understand,” i nodded, cutting him off before he could say more.
She held up a letter in her hand. “This is a ssage I just received from several of the village’s prominent clans. They agree with our reform plans and have asked us to help solve the crises the village is facing. We can proceed with the original plan: the village’s forces can’t handle the rampaging Tailed Beast, so we’ll take care of it.”
“The village can’t stop the Taketori Clan’s invasion? We’ll handle that too.”
“We’re here to reform the village and save the people of the Hidden Mist from destruction.”
Raiga, however, seed unfazed by i’s declaration. Even before he had defected, their relationship had been indifferent at best. i had always been more upright, while the Seven Ninja Swordsn were generally known for their lack of morals. The only mber who had a close relationship with i was the exceptionally talented Mangetsu Hozuki.
He nodded, gathered his n, and headed toward the battlefield where the Taketori Clan was attacking. i, anwhile, prepared to subdue the rampaging Six-Tails.
They had orchestrated the Taketori Clan’s invasion, and now they would be the ones to stop it.
They had caused the Six-Tails’ rampage, and now they would be the ones to quell it.
On the surface, it might seem like they were creating their own problems just to solve them. But in reality, by taking responsibility, they were seizing power. With this catastrophe, the people of the Mist Village were finally coming to terms with the overwhelming difference in strength, and the rogue ninja alliance was beginning to take control of the village’s leadership.
After Raiga left, Zabuza also departed, as he had other tasks assigned to him by Hashirama.
For i, the chaos triggered by the Tailed Beast Bomb was just a minor setback. In truth, the entire plan was unfolding much more smoothly than anticipated.
i walked alone through the now-empty streets of the Hidden Mist Village.
This part of the village was too far from the center to have suffered much damage, but the people had fled, fearing that death might arrive at any mont.
Sowhere along the way, i realized she had started viewing the Hidden Mist from the perspective of an outsider. Perhaps she had truly beco a traitor.
Yet, according to Hashirama’s vision for the future of the village and the ninja world, this revolution was for the benefit of the Hidden Mist. Perhaps she wasn’t betraying the village but instead investing in a grand cause for its prosperity.
And that cause began with seizing power. It was the first and necessary step. Those clinging to their outdated power were the true traitors, as they were the ones hindering the village’s progress.
It sounded like a twisted sort of logic, and i wasn’t entirely sure how much of it was true. But after being captured and witnessing the rapid developnt of Kenin Village, seeing the equality and cooperation among its people, and hearing Hashirama’s vision for peace, i couldn’t help but be swayed. It was what she had always wanted as well.
Only soone who had lived through the Bloody Mist era could truly understand how precious peace and stability were.
i knew she couldn’t change the current state of the Hidden Mist on her own.
But with a man like Hashirama having already paved the way, following his lead seed like the best course of action.
As she approached the village’s ruined center, i sighed as she gazed at the still-rampaging Six-Tails in the distance.
The cost of progress had proven to be steep, at least for the Hidden Mist.
Zabuza, standing on the edge of the battlefield between the Hidden Mist forces and the Taketori Clan, found a new mber of the Yoko Organization—Hiruko, who had co with the Taketori Clan.
Hearing footsteps, Hiruko looked up and asked, “Those battle-crazed lunatics won’t leave once they’ve started. Have you figured out a way to handle them?”
“They’re tools for us rogue Mist ninjas to redeem ourselves. We have too many deep grudges with the village. Without making so kind of effort, it’ll be hard to earn their forgiveness,” Zabuza said calmly.
Hiruko looked surprised that Zabuza would say sothing like that. “Is that your own thought?”
“That was Hashirama’s suggestion.”
“Ah, I see.” That made sense. Hiruko nodded. “The strongest among them has already broken into the village. The Mist’s defenses are lacking. If you kill the strongest of the Taketori Clan, you might not only clear your na but also beco a hero in the eyes of the entire village.”
“The strongest of the Taketori Clan?” Zabuza turned to look at the battlefield, spotting a large man with protruding bones, laughing maniacally as he slaughtered his foes.
“Yes, that’s the clan leader.”
“The clan leader? No, the strongest of the Taketori Clan isn’t him.” Zabuza’s gaze shifted back to Hiruko.
Though Zabuza’s voice was quiet, it was firm.
Hiruko felt uneasy under Zabuza’s stare. He frowned and asked, “What are you trying to say?”
“Hashirama asked to ask you a question,” Zabuza said, his tone steady.
“What is it?”
“Where is the Taketori Clan’s strongest weapon… Kimimaro?”
There was a pause before Hiruko quietly replied, “He’s
sick. He stayed behind at the clan’s stronghold.”
“The strongest weapon left behind… So how did you manage to convince the Taketori Clan to attack the Mist Village?”
“Just a little trick.”
“Is that so?” Zabuza studied Hiruko carefully.
“Yes.” Hiruko t Zabuza’s gaze without flinching.
“You didn’t eat him, did you?”
The question seed to co out of nowhere, and Hiruko’s expression imdiately darkened. He growled, “No!”
After a tense silence, Zabuza’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Then, I need you to go back and bring Kimimaro here. Hashirama wants to see him.”
Hiruko took a deep breath.
“Alright.”
The Six-Tails’ rampage continued, making it impossible for the Mist Village to fully respond to the Taketori Clan’s invasion.
Even though the beast’s tempo had slowed significantly after its Tailed Beast Bomb devastated the village’s center, its power remained too great for the Mist ninjas to easily control.
Fighting a Tailed Beast was always a drawn-out battle. Luring it to a remote area and wearing it down was essential. In this world, nothing and no one could withstand a direct hit from a Tailed Beast Bomb. Precision was key to all strategies.
In the past, the Mist Village had tried to use Rin Nohara to smuggle the Three-Tails into the Leaf Village’s heart and unleash destruction, only to be thwarted by Kakashi Hatake. Now, with half of the Hidden Mist devastated by the Six-Tails, it was as if fate had turned, and they were on the receiving end of such devastation.
While i might have criticized the Mist ninjas for failing to contain the Six-Tails, the truth was that any other village would have struggled to handle such a rampaging Tailed Beast.
Without soone controlling it from behind the scenes, the destructive power of a mindless Tailed Beast was sowhat limited. Their size made them hard to miss, but unless they were in a critical location, their attacks—especially Tailed Beast Bombs—could easily miss important targets.
Now, with the Mist Village’s heart struck by the Six-Tails, its devastation was almost unimaginable. Many suspected that soone was secretly guiding the beast.
“Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!”
Fuguki Suikazan unleashed a torrent of water, sending a massive wave crashing toward the Six-Tails. He glanced at the now-destroyed center of the village, fury burning in his eyes.
“Utakata! Look at what you’ve done!” he roared.
The torrent barely affected the Six-Tails, which remained firmly entrenched.
But Fuguki’s attack drew the beast’s attention. It writhed and sent out tendrils, which Fuguki quickly slashed apart with his sword.
As the battle between Fuguki and the Six-Tails continued, the Mist Village’s Sealing Team finally moved into action. Several sealing scrolls were thrown into the air, and black seals began to form a cage around the beast. However, the Six-Tails’ corrosive acid quickly ate through the seals, forcing the Sealing Team to strain just to maintain the barrier.
“Hurry! Now’s our chance!” one of the jonin shouted.
A female ninja darted across the top of the cage, making her way toward the Six-Tails.
She thrust her hands toward the beast’s head, shouting,
“Sealing Technique: Water Prison Seal!”
A layer of blue water-like light began to spread over the Six-Tails.
Sensing sothing amiss, the beast screeched, and the female ninja clutched her ears in pain as the blue light faded. The sealing attempt had failed.
“As expected… it’s not enough yet?” she muttered through clenched teeth.
The Water Prison Seal was one of the Hidden Mist’s most powerful techniques, but the Six-Tails had broken through it with ease. They needed to weaken the beast further.
Biting her lip in frustration, the female ninja ford another hand sign.
“Genjutsu: Release!”
The Six-Tails remained unaffected, but the female ninja lost her balance and tumbled off the beast’s head.
Suddenly, a torrent of acid shot toward her.
“Look out!” the others cried in alarm.
In that critical mont, a soft sigh echoed.
Chojuro, who had been tending to the wounded, looked up with a spark of recognition in his eyes.
An endless flow of water materialized out of thin air, diluting all of the acid.
“Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique.”
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