"Konoha's ninja? Retreat now! Go inform Lord Mizukage!"
The voice from afar made Sasori pause—it was Kisame's voice, though altered by a voice changer.
"Handled…"
At some point, Kisame, shrouded in a blue holy light, appeared before Sasori.
"Impressive… truly impressive…"
For a moment, Sasori found it difficult to breathe.
This suffocating maneuver… somehow, it actually worked.
Unbelievable…
---
The two retreated. Kisame seemed to be pondering his recent actions, as if summarizing what had just transpired.
Sasori alternated between looking at the ground, the sky, and Kisame ahead of him.
He began to question his existence.
What's going on with this world?
---
"Lord Mizukage, our team was just attacked by Konoha's ninja!"
In the Mizukage's office, where Itachi and Jūzō were drinking tea, a masked Mist ninja suddenly appeared.
"What? How dare they!"
Hearing this, Jūzō slammed his cup onto the table.
Konoha had already been pushing its luck, but now they dared to make a move in the Hidden Mist Village? Jūzō's temper flared instantly.
"Impossible! It's just the two of us from Konoha. How could we have attacked the Hidden Mist? This must be a false accusation!"
Faced with Mei Terumi's questioning, Kurenai Yūhi, her face flushed, argued with Mei and Ao.
Meanwhile, Guy frowned deeply, sensing that the number of people around them was increasing.
---
Looking at Mei Terumi's demeanor, which didn't seem fabricated, Guy felt a growing sense of doubt.
This didn't seem like something the Hidden Mist would orchestrate. If they were behind it, they wouldn't have been so passive during the negotiations and certainly wouldn't have provided such generous hospitality.
Even if they had ulterior motives, they'd wait until the third round of negotiations concluded, allowing Konoha to return and consult with the Hokage before making a move.
"Does Konoha think they have us, the Hidden Mist, cornered?"
As Guy sank deeper into thought, a heavy voice echoed from outside the room.
The voice silenced the entire room.
Shortly after, a figure wearing a conical hat and a young man slowly entered.
---
"Lord Mizukage…"
With Jūzō's arrival, Mei Terumi and the others immediately greeted him.
"Lord Mizukage…"
Seeing this, Guy and Kurenai also offered their greetings.
Noticing their behavior, Jūzō seemed to ponder something, while Itachi's expression turned slightly surprised.
He hadn't expected Konoha to send these two this time.
"Hmph!"
Jūzō responded to their greetings with a cold snort, his eyes narrowing beneath the brim of his hat.
A sharp killing intent radiated from him.
This was the Hidden Mist Village, the Land of Water's territory—Konoha had no right to act so brazenly here.
---
"Lord Mizukage, this situation seems rather suspicious. I believe a third party has intervened, trying to sabotage the alliance between our two great nations and villages."
Unlike Kurenai, who appeared flustered, Guy calmly explained.
While Kurenai, who had been passionately arguing over the unequal terms imposed by the Hokage, felt a pang of guilt, Guy remained composed, his voice steady and confident.
"Oh? Why now, of all times? I think it's clear Konoha is trying to pull a fast one! Don't you know that all previous negotiations were conducted secretly via letters? No one else could have known about this."
Jūzō mocked Guy with biting sarcasm.
Meanwhile, Kurenai's mind momentarily froze. Unlike Guy, who was notoriously bad with faces, she found the man beside the Mizukage oddly familiar.
It felt like she had seen him somewhere before, but she just couldn't recall where.
"This…"
Jūzō's words made Guy frown even more deeply. His eyes darkened as he scanned the surroundings.
Judging by Jūzō's tone, this wasn't going to be easy to resolve. He needed to find a way out and protect Kurenai.
As a man, he was determined to keep her safe.
---
"Lord Mizukage, it seems the situation is more complex than it appears. Let's go to the crime scene together and investigate."
Just as the tension in the room was about to reach a breaking point, Itachi spoke softly.
His tone hinted at a strategy where one played the "bad cop" and the other the "good cop."
Referring to Jūzō as Mizukage served a dual purpose: concealing Jūzō's true identity and preserving his dignity.
Hearing Itachi's words, the icy expression on Jūzō's face began to soften.
The fury in his mind slowly subsided.
He could ignore the words of others, but Itachi's words carried weight.
If Itachi hadn't spoken up, he would have spilled the blood of the Konoha people on the spot. How dare they cause trouble in the Hidden Mist Village without knowing their limits.
This was a blatant provocation, a slap to his face.
Some people were simply going too far.
Did they really think he cared so much about forming an alliance with Konoha? If worst came to worst, they'd go to war.
Whether they could win or not was something to worry about later. But there was no way they could show weakness now. Once they showed weakness, they'd lose their dignity forever.
This would be a devastating blow to the Hidden Mist Village.
Perhaps this was the true meaning of "losing the battle but not the war."
...
"Let's go. Take them to the crime scene and let them see for themselves why they deserve to die," Tenzo finally broke the silence, speaking softly.
"Yes, sir!"
Following Tenzo's order, the crowd parted to make way, and they began heading toward the crime scene.
Guy shot a grateful glance at Itachi, then nodded toward Kurenai.
Kurenai sensed Guy's confidence, and her heart eased slightly.
Still, she couldn't help but regret leaving the village this time.
If it weren't for Asuma Sarutobi chasing her relentlessly, she wouldn't have taken on this ridiculous mission just to get away.
This mission was beyond her usual scope of expertise.
She and Asuma had been classmates from the same generation, and Asuma had been pursuing her since they were children.
However, Asuma didn't quite fit her aesthetic or personality preferences, so she had been avoiding him.
Thankfully, Asuma eventually had a falling-out with the Hokage and joined the Twelve Guardian Ninja to protect the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, keeping him away from the village for years.
...
But recently, Asuma had returned to the village.
When he found out she was still single, he resumed his aggressive pursuit, leaving her overwhelmed.
His tactics had become even more cunning, making things incredibly difficult for her.
To escape the pressure, she had decided to take on this mission and leave the village for a while.
The mission wasn't too challenging, and it offered a long duration outside the village with plenty of follow-up tasks, so she accepted it.
Guy, on the other hand, had been assigned to protect her by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
...
This kind of mission was not something the Hokage would personally attend to.
Ordinarily, such tasks would be handled by elders leaving the village for negotiations.
But since Danzo had severed ties with the rest of them, the other elders were too cowardly to leave the village, forcing the responsibility onto the younger generation.
After all, the Hidden Mist Village had fought Konoha several times in the past, and with their history of internal conflicts, elders like Koharu Utatane wouldn't dare take such risks.
They were experts at flaunting authority and exploiting their positions but utterly useless when it came to doing actual work.
...
"Itachi, what do you think of this situation?"
Tenzo walked alongside Itachi, asking for his opinion in a quiet voice.
"Just watch. What else can you do?"
Itachi responded bluntly, not bothering to hide his irritation.
Still, thinking about Tenzo's earlier display of authority, Itachi couldn't help but feel a twinge of respect.
Tenzo's oppressive aura had been quite convincing.
Indeed, power was a fascinating thing.
...
Before long, the group arrived at the scene of the attack on the Mist Ninja.
The air still carried lingering traces of Water and Earth Chakra, and the ground and trees bore visible damage.
"Bring them forward," Tenzo commanded as he surveyed the scene.
"Yes, sir!"
At his order, four masked Mist Ninjas carried two bodies into the area.
"What about the injured survivors? Bring them here as well, along with the headbands recovered from the attackers," Tenzo continued, his tone growing colder as he gazed at the fallen comrades before him.
These men were his close brothers-in-arms.
Without their support, he wouldn't have achieved his current success.
...
"Do you see this, Konoha Ninjas?"
With all the evidence and the bodies now presented, Tenzo spoke in a chilling voice.
The surrounding Mist Ninjas began to close in, ready to act at Tenzo's command and ensure the Konoha Ninjas wouldn't leave alive.
"This..."
Guy and Kurenai exchanged uneasy glances as they looked at the corpses on the ground and the headbands in the box.
"Lord Mizukage, you must seek justice for our fallen brothers!"
A wounded Mist Ninja shouted, his voice full of grief.
...
"You've been through enough. Tell us what happened again. I promise, justice will be served!"
Tenzo stepped forward, gently patting the injured ninja on the shoulder and speaking softly.
--
"Lord Mizukage, here's what happened. The three of us were patrolling this area when a ninja appeared in the distance. He walked over with an air of arrogance."
"When we looked closer, we noticed he was wearing a black robe and a Konoha ninja headband. His skin was somewhat dark, and because the mist was heavy, we couldn't clearly see his face."
"Just as we were about to question him, he launched an attack without hesitation. His mastery of Water Release was extraordinary, and his Earth Release was incredibly powerful. We were injured almost instantly upon confrontation…"
---
After hearing his subordinates' report, Juzo's expression turned completely grim.
"Do you two have anything else to say?"
Juzo looked at the pair, who were now scrutinizing the battlefield in disbelief.
"Lord Mizukage, this must be a setup! Konoha only sent the two of us here—there's no way there was a third person. Also, the headband was knocked off during the fight, and neither of us has any injuries. The real culprit must be someone else!"
As Juzo listened, his anger and the mounting tension in the air grew palpable. Guy's scalp tingled as he nervously spoke up, his heart filled with unease.
He wasn't sure if this was all part of some contingency plan by the Hokage.
He and Kurenai had come to negotiate together, but the terms Kurenai proposed had left him dumbfounded.
This wasn't an alliance—it was more like trying to turn the Hidden Mist Village into a subordinate!
---
Offering such an insincere proposal clearly hinted at the possibility of pressuring the Hidden Mist Village or even attacking them outright.
But Konoha had always been a peace-loving village. Could they really be behind something like this?
Guy was starting to doubt everything. It felt beyond his comprehension.
---
"Guards!"
Seeing Guy falter, Juzo grew furious. To him, Guy's behavior was nothing short of a guilty conscience.
"Lord Mizukage, imprison them. Draft a letter to the Hokage and see how they respond. Even during wartime, envoys are never harmed—let alone when we're in the middle of discussing an alliance."
At Juzo's command and the rising murderous aura, Itachi spoke softly.
He wasn't sure if Juzo was truly overcome by anger or just waiting for him to mediate.
By protocol, the Hidden Mist's people should handle this, not him. After all, he wasn't part of the Mist Village.
But since he had already stepped in, there was no turning back. Terumi Mei and the others might even be waiting for him to speak up.
---
"Itachi, they're going too far!"
Juzo's frustration was evident as he replied to Itachi.
---
"Itachi? Lord Mizukage! Uchiha Itachi is one of Konoha's S-rank rogue ninjas! Why are you so close to him?" Kurenai exclaimed, her voice sharp with accusation.
"I now have reason to suspect that this entire incident was orchestrated by you in collusion with Itachi to frame Konoha and entrap us! Hidden Mist Village owes Konoha an explanation!"
Kurenai's sudden outburst seemed to light a fire in her. She finally recognized the familiar figure before her.
Coupled with the connection between the Mizukage and a rogue ninja, it all looked like a conspiracy aimed at Konoha.
---
Even with his usual composure, Itachi's brow furrowed at Kurenai's baseless accusations. Her behavior was perplexing and increasingly grating.
---
Meanwhile, Kurenai interpreted Itachi's frown as confirmation of her suspicions, becoming even more emboldened. Forgetting her precarious position, she marched straight toward him.
"Lord Mizukage, I hope you refrain from interfering in Konoha's internal matters. Otherwise, you risk igniting a war between our villages!"
Kurenai declared with righteous indignation, as if she had single-handedly exposed the Mizukage and Itachi's grand scheme.
Her self-assured demeanor and commanding stance stunned Guy, leaving him utterly bewildered.
---
"Heh, go ahead."
At Kurenai's words, Juzo chuckled.
He stepped back like a gentleman, giving her space and gesturing invitingly.
His gaze, filled with amusement, made Kurenai slightly uncomfortable.
Shouldn't they be panicking or enraged after being exposed? Why were they acting like this?
Shouldn't the Mist villagers question their Mizukage's actions or express doubts about his connection to a rogue ninja?
---
Kurenai felt increasingly uneasy under their strange gazes. She glanced back, annoyed to find that Guy wasn't standing by her side.
Wasn't he supposed to resolutely back her up and help her bring the fugitive back?
Now, she was stuck in an awkward position.
According to the movies she'd watched, exposing the truth should've turned the tide in her favor.
So why wasn't anyone following the script?
Did she have to defeat the "villains" herself before they realized their mistakes?
Distracted by movie plotlines and her scattered thoughts, Kurenai failed to notice her own growing paranoia.
---