The mist rolled in like a living entity, a signature prelude to Kirigakure's arrival. Seisuke and Kakashi crouched behind a thicket, their breaths shallow. In Seisuke's thermal vision, the orange-red blurs of approaching figures grew larger, each radiating the heat of exertion as they closed in.
"Kakashi," he whispered, "five at one o'clock, six at eleven. Thirty meters out."
"Understood." Kakashi nodded, his knuckles white around the hilt of his kunai.
"One... two..." Seisuke counted under his breath, timing the enemy's steps. "Three!!"
They burst from cover in unison. Seisuke's palm ignited a roaring fireball that tore through the mist, illuminating the terrified faces of three Kirigakure ninjas before consuming them in a wave of screams. On Kakashi's side, there were no screams—only the swift, silent slash of his kunai across throats, each movement a cold, precise execution.
As bodies dropped, Seisuke said, "The main forces are closing in. This is where Konoha and Kirigakure clash head-on."
"Should we hold here as reinforcements?"
"First, we need to stay alive." Seisuke squinted at the thermal signatures multiplying in his vision. "That was just the vanguard. The real challenge is coming—look at all those heat signals."
"Here they are?" Kakashi strained to see through the dense fog, his Sharingan struggling to penetrate the moisture-laden air.
"Right on cue. Water release incoming—jump!" They leaping onto a nearby tree trunk just as a ten-meter wall of water crashed into the forest, shaking the massive tree but failing to dislodge them from its sturdy branches.
"Enemy forces have arrived in force." This time, Kakashi could make out the chakra signatures swirling in the mist—each glowing orb representing a ninja. A quick count suggested nearly a thousand.
"Roughly equal to our numbers."
"I see that. Any particularly strong chakra signatures?"
"Several." The air abruptly chilled, a telltale sign of the Mizuki clan's arrival.
"Get back!" Seisuke shoved Kakashi aside just as a hail of ice senbon embedded itself in the spot where they'd stood.
"A Konoha brat returns!" A Mizuki ninja stepped forward—though his delicate features and high voice suggested femininity, the fierce glint in his eyes betrayed his male identity. He was flanked by dozens of Kirigakure ninjas, forming a tight circle around the two Konoha shinobi.
"You know him?" Kakashi asked, eyeing the Mizuki's accusatory tone. Had Seisuke left a trail of romantic entanglements?
"Do I know you?" Seisuke frowned, genuinely confused. "I don't recall ever meeting you."
"You may not have, but you killed my uncle—along with countless Kirigakure elites and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen! I, Mizuki Sora, will avenge them!"
"Ah~" Seisuke drew out the word, a wry smile spreading. "Is that so? But don't you think... you overestimate your own strength?"
In a blur of motion, he closed the distance and seized Sora by the throat. "Even the Seven Swordsmen don't scare me. What can a runt like you do?"
Crack-crack-crack! Icy spikes shot up Seisuke's arm, creeping toward his shoulder. But in an instant, searing flames erupted from his skin, melting the ice and singeing Sora's throat, eliciting a strangled cry.
"Let go of Sora!"
"Attack together! He's Konoha—no need for one-on-one!"
Kakashi sighed wearily, charging into the fray. He kicked one ninja aside, then flung a kunai that lodged squarely in another's forehead. Two Kirigakure ninjas unleashed simultaneous Water Release: Great Waterfall Techniques, their torrents clashing mid-air. Seizing the opening, Kakashi activated his Sharingan.
"Genjutsu: Sharingan." The enemy froze, trapped in an illusion, and collapsed into the mud.
Seisuke snapped Sora's neck and waved his hand, splitting a fireball into twisting tendrils that snaked through the mist, igniting three more Kirigakure ninjas. "Here comes the next wave."
A Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique hurtled toward them. They dodged just as a squad emerged from the fog, led by none other than Kisame Hoshigaki, wielder of the great sword Samehada.
"Ah, Mr. Asakawa," Kisame grinned, his shark-like features somehow managing a polite demeanor despite the menace. "What an unexpected reunion."
"Indeed," Seisuke deadpanned. "To be honest, I was hoping to avoid this." Kisame was far more dangerous than Fuguki Suikazan—without Seisuke's intervention, Fuguki would have fallen to Kisame even while wielding Samehada, a testament to the new swordsman's prowess.
"Another acquaintance?" Kakashi asked.
"Quite. He's the new member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen... though I imagine you're the only one left now, yes?"
"True enough. Your campaigns against Kirigakure have been... thorough," Kisame chuckled, baring his pointed teeth. He hoisted Samehada, whose bandages burst apart to reveal the sword's ravenous, shark-like exterior.
"Must be a hassle to rewrap that thing every time," Seisuke commented.
Kakashi: "..."
Kisame: "..."
Kirigakure ninjas: "..."
Is this really the time?
"You have a sense of humor," Kisame conceded. "It is tedious, but I find wrapping Samehada after battle to be... meditative."
"Lord Kisame, perhaps we should focus on the fight?" a subordinate whispered.
"Right you are." Kisame lunged, Samehada swinging for Seisuke's midsection. Seisuke vaulted back, shouting to Kakashi: "Stay clear of Samehada! It absorbs chakra." Given Kakashi's meager reserves—exacerbated by the constant Sharingan drain—even a few hits would leave him incapacitated.
A fireball streaked in from the side, but Kisame didn't flinch. A ninja behind him spewed a stream of water to douse the attack. Perched on a tree branch, Kisame observed: "Looks like Konoha has committed all its forces. This won't be easy."
As if on cue, Konoha ninjas emerged from the mist. Orochimaru stood on a high branch, a cruel smile playing on his lips, while the pale, ailing Third Mizukage appeared across from him, supported by his guards.
The stage was set. The great battle between Konoha and Kirigakure was about to erupt in full force.