The familiar chakra signatures made Shigure instantly tense, sharpening his senses to the limit.
But the moment he identified those chakra fluctuations, a faint smile appeared on his face.
So it's them…
He hadn't expected that lineup to appear in the Hidden Mist Village. Clearly, they were here for Tsunade.
However—
I can't let them succeed that easily.
Moreover, Tsunade was currently performing surgery on Ringo. Under no circumstances could she be disturbed.
"Haku," Shigure ordered sharply, "go to Flower Language Street. No matter who you encounter—attack immediately."
"Eh?"
Haku froze. Attack anyone he saw? What did that mean?
"Don't overthink it," Shigure said calmly. "You'll understand when you get there. Just remember—attack immediately."
At the entrance of the Hidden Mist Hospital, Jiraiya glanced at a drunken man sprawled on the ground.
He subtly gestured for him to leave first.
The drunkard staggered to his feet and stumbled away into a dark alley.
Under the dim starlight, his grimy face became faintly visible—it was Asuma Sarutobi.
He turned briefly, watching Jiraiya slip quietly into the hospital.
Lord Jiraiya… please be careful.
If he was discovered, the consequences would be dire.
This was the Hidden Mist Village—enemy territory, filled with skilled Kirigakure shinobi. Discovery here meant certain death.
Inside the hospital, Chōjūrō, standing guard outside the operating room, suddenly turned to see Shigure behind him.
"Lord Shigure, why are you—?"
"Go," Shigure interrupted. "Guard the garden behind the hospital. Don't let anyone approach."
Chōjūrō was momentarily stunned, then nodded quickly.
Without hesitation, he leapt out the window, landing lightly in the courtyard below.
Shigure stood before the operating room door. Forming a single seal, he released a dense mist that spread through the cracks around the room—
—enveloping the entire operating theater.
It wasn't an ordinary Hidden Mist Technique. This was his Mist Cage—a defensive barrier to shield Tsunade and her patient from any disturbance.
Shigure sat down on a chair before the door, eyes fixed down the corridor. It wouldn't be long before that intruder appeared.
Just then, the sound of clashing steel and exploding jutsu echoed from the distance.
Even from here, Shigure could sense it.
So it's begun… Zabuza, you truly live up to your reputation as a former Jonin of the Mist. You noticed them before anyone else.
Three streets away from the Hidden Mist Hospital—
Zabuza Momochi stood in the middle of a fog-shrouded street, his massive Kubikiribōchō resting against his shoulder.
His sharp gaze locked onto the shadow hiding in a nearby alley.
"Come out," Zabuza growled.
A silver-haired man stepped forward, his single visible eye calm but wary.
Zabuza's expression hardened.
"Kakashi Hatake… I didn't expect to meet you here, in the Hidden Mist Village."
"I could say the same," Kakashi replied evenly.
"A Missing-nin like you walking freely here—that's more surprising."
Zabuza smirked. "I'm not a Missing-nin anymore. I've been reinstated as a Chunin of the Hidden Mist."
He had atoned for his crimes and been readmitted, though stripped of his Jonin title.
Not that it mattered to him. Rank was meaningless compared to strength.
"The last time we met, our fight was cut short," Zabuza said coldly. "This time, you came to my village yourself. Don't think I'll let you walk away, Kakashi."
In an instant, he lunged forward, blade flashing down in a deadly arc.
Kakashi's kunai met the blow with a shower of sparks.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Steel clashed violently again and again, ringing through the fog-filled streets.
Kakashi's eye narrowed.
He knew this wasn't the place for a drawn-out fight.
After all, this was Kirigakure—enemy territory swarming with Mist-nin. Any delay could mean being surrounded.
Yet, from another perspective…
If he drew enough attention here, the others could move more freely.
With that thought, Kakashi steadied his stance and met Zabuza head-on.
The clash between Zabuza and Kakashi raged on—steel meeting steel, chakra surging through the thick mist that cloaked the streets.
A duel between two seasoned Jonin was never one to end quickly.
Meanwhile, Asuma, who had been circling the outskirts of the battlefield, suddenly heard the sounds of their confrontation. His instincts flared.
That chakra… Kakashi's?
Before he could react further—
Whizz!
A weapon shot from the darkness behind him, slicing across his cheek.
Asuma twisted away just in time, but blood still trickled down his face.
He turned sharply, eyes narrowing at the strange weapon spinning through the air before it suddenly arced back toward its owner—
—a long, gleaming needle-shaped blade.
What the—? A sword? No… a needle?
How could such a strange weapon move like that?
From the shadows ahead, a calm voice answered his unspoken question.
"Do you know where you are?"
Asuma's hand moved to his trench knives. A figure stepped out of the mist—slender, graceful, and unmistakably from the Hidden Mist.
It was Haku, holding the Longsword: Nuibari—one of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist.
Now Asuma understood how that blade had moved. Fine chakra threads were faintly visible in the moonlight, linking Haku's fingers to the sword.
"Of course I know," Asuma replied warily.
Haku's expression hardened. "Then you also know what happens to those who trespass into Kirigakure."
A cold wind brushed past as ice began to spread along the ground, frost crackling under Asuma's boots.
"This chakra… Ice Release?" Asuma muttered, startled. "So the rumors were true…"
Haku's eyes glinted. "You won't leave here alive."
At the rear courtyard of the Hidden Mist Hospital.
Chōjūrō stood guard as ordered, Hiramekarei strapped to his back. The night was quiet—too quiet.
He frowned, glancing around. "There's no one here… why am I even guarding this place?"
The hospital's rear garden was still and peaceful. A tranquil pond reflected the dim light of the moon—
Until the water suddenly rippled.
A large shadow surfaced, revealing what looked like a turtle's head.
"Huh? A turtle? Since when did the hospital keep pets this big?" Chōjūrō muttered. Then realization struck him like lightning.
"No! That's a summoning beast!"
Without hesitation, he drew Hiramekarei, chakra surging into the massive dual-sword.
The next instant, water exploded upward as a figure leapt out of the pond and landed before him with astonishing speed.
A powerful kick followed by a straight punch came in quick succession—so fast that Chōjūrō barely raised his blades in time.
Clang!
The impact drove him backward several meters, boots grinding against the wet earth.
His arms trembled from the force of the blow. Whoever this was—his physical power was monstrous.
"Oh! Not bad!" the man said cheerfully. "You actually blocked my taijutsu attack!"
The moonlight revealed the intruder's face—thick eyebrows, green jumpsuit, and an overwhelming aura of energy.
It was Might Guy of the Hidden Leaf.
Chōjūrō's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Konoha's… Jonin?"
Why would a Leaf shinobi appear in the Hidden Mist? Was Konoha declaring war?
He gritted his teeth, panic warring with duty.
He couldn't possibly win against someone of Guy's caliber.
Should I retreat?
No—he couldn't.
Lord Shigure's order echoed in his mind.
Guard the hospital. Don't let anyone through.
"Damn it…" Chōjūrō muttered, tightening his grip on Hiramekarei until his knuckles turned white.
Even if he had to die here—he wouldn't back down.
...
TN:
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