Chen Xing's right hand pressed firmly onto the wandering ninja's head. A pulse of purple-black light flickered from his palm — the mark of his experimental curse technique. Under the terrified gaze of the captured ninja, the markings writhed like living serpents, crawling across his skin and sinking deep beneath the flesh.
"Hmph." Chen Xing stepped back, releasing the man, and watched calmly as the curse faded from sight, leaving no visible trace.
The rogue ninja stumbled, clutching his chest, then glared at Chen Xing. "What… what did you do to me?!"
"It's a curse seal," Chen Xing replied flatly, his dark eyes cold. "From now on, your life and death are tied to my will. If I wish, I can end you in an instant."
"You bastard!" the rogue ninja roared. His face flushed with rage, and without thinking, he lunged forward, throwing a punch.
Boom!
A dull thud echoed through the cave as the man's body slammed into a nearby tree. Bark splintered, and he crumpled to the ground, groaning in pain.
Chen Xing didn't even move from his spot. He raised one hand, forming a single seal. "I warned you."
The curse seal ignited. Purple-black patterns burst to life again, glowing through the man's skin. The rogue ninja screamed — his veins bulging, body writhing as chakra flared uncontrollably inside him.
"Ahhh! Stop! I'll serve you! I swear, I'll do anything you say!" he cried out, thrashing on the ground in agony.
Chen Xing released the seal. The markings faded, and silence returned to the clearing. He crouched down, his expression unreadable. "Serve me well. Five years. Do your job, and I'll lift the curse myself. Fail… and you'll regret it."
The rogue ninja lay trembling. Sweat mixed with blood trickled down his face. When Chen Xing tossed him a roll of bandages taken from a medical pouch, he caught it with shaking hands.
"Th… thank you," he muttered weakly.
Chen Xing turned away, sitting down beside a large rock. "You're lucky," he said quietly. "I didn't come here for you — but fate handed me a test subject."
The rogue ninja, who had introduced himself as Songdao, lowered his head in silence, knowing resistance was useless.
---
Later that night, as the wind swept across the plains of the Grass Country, Songdao spoke hesitantly.
"Lord Chen Xing… your target here in the Land of Grass… is it true it's that man — the Demon of the Hidden Mist?"
Chen Xing's eyes flicked toward him. "You mean Momochi Zabuza? Yes."
Songdao gave a bitter laugh. "I ran into him a few days ago, near Maple Town. He was with someone wearing a mask. I didn't dare approach."
"That matches my information," Chen Xing said, nodding slightly. "Stay here. I'll handle it myself."
Songdao's injuries still hadn't fully healed, and he sighed in relief. "Understood. I'll wait."
---
Outside Maple Town, Land of Grass.
A tall man leaned against a tree trunk, sharpening his massive sword — a blade as tall as a man, with a circular gap near the tip. His sharp eyes gleamed from beneath a mop of hair, his face framed by bandages. His Hidden Mist headband had a deep slash across it — the symbol of a missing-nin.
He was Momochi Zabuza, once one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, wielder of the Decapitating Carving Knife (Kubikiribōchō).
Beside him sat a young girl dressed in a boy's shinobi garb. Her pale skin glowed faintly in the mist, and her long black hair was tied neatly behind her mask. She was tending to a small injured rabbit with quiet focus.
This was Haku — the orphan Zabuza had taken in after the Hidden Mist's bloody civil war. Her gentle demeanor contrasted painfully with her deadly potential.
"Still too kind…" Zabuza muttered under his breath, watching her smile faintly as she wrapped the rabbit's paw. "In this world, kindness gets you killed."
For a moment, even Zabuza — the Demon of the Mist — couldn't bring himself to destroy that purity.
But fate was already closing in.
---
As the crimson sunset bled across the horizon, Zabuza dropped a few freshly caught pheasants onto the ground.
"Haku, prepare these for dinner."
"Yes, Zabuza-sama." Haku nodded softly, setting aside the rabbit.
Before she could begin, a calm, unfamiliar voice cut through the clearing.
"Sorry to interrupt your meal," it said, smooth but cold. "I'm afraid I'll be delaying your dinner plans."
Zabuza's expression darkened instantly. He turned, kunai already in hand. His trained instincts screamed — the speaker had approached without a sound. Even for an elite shinobi like him, that was impossible to ignore.
"How long have you been there?" Zabuza asked, his voice low and dangerous.
Chen Xing stepped from the shadows of the trees, the faint glow of his curse seal glinting under the dying sun. "Long enough."
Zabuza's eyes narrowed. "You… the Peacock King, huh? I've heard the name whispered in the underground markets. Never thought the infamous bounty hunter was just a kid."
Beside him, Haku's soft voice carried through the mist. "Peacock King? So you're the one who's been hunting rogue nin lately…"
"Two targets in one place," Chen Xing said evenly. "My luck's not bad."
In an instant, Zabuza's chakra flared. "Haku. Mist Formation — now."
"Yes, Zabuza-sama!"
As her hands formed quick seals, a thick white fog poured from her lips, engulfing the forest in seconds. The dense mist rolled through the clearing, blinding all sight.
Chen Xing stood still, his Sharingan-like gaze glinting faintly as he muttered to himself.
"So it begins… Hidden Mist Technique, just like in the reports."