At the same time, not far from Kiyohara's squad, two Kirigakure teams advanced stealthily through another stretch of ruins, hidden beneath the cover of thick sea mist.
One of these squads had an especially unusual composition. Among them were Mei herself and a young man whose complexion was unnaturally pale, yet whose eyes burned with fierce, feverish intensity.
This youth was Kaguya Masaru of the Kaguya Clan.
"Cough… cough, cough…"
Kaguya Masaru abruptly covered his mouth, suppressing a series of deep coughs. A faint streak of dark red seeped through the gaps between his fingers.
He possessed the characteristic white hair and handsome features common among the Kaguya clan, but his sunken eyes and unstable breathing made it obvious that his physical condition was far from good.
"Masaru, are you alright?"
Mei furrowed her beautiful brows and asked quietly. Even in the Village of the Bloody Mist, she still cared deeply for her comrades.
Masaru waved his hand dismissively, wiped the blood from the corner of his lips, and instead revealed a disturbingly excited smile.
"It's nothing, Mei. This is merely the small price one must pay to gain strength."
His gaze drifted toward the deep fog ahead, filled with yearning.
"I simply want to witness the true wonders of this world before my life burns out completely. I heard that last time you encountered a Konoha shinobi named Kiyohara, someone strong enough that even Ao fell to him?"
He paused and looked at Mei with growing interest.
"And when you came back, you didn't talk much about the son of the White Fang but you repeatedly mentioned this Kiyohara… Someone who could leave such a deep impression on you must be quite an interesting opponent."
His tone overflowed with fanaticism for battle, as though he wanted nothing more than to blaze brilliantly in the short time he had left.
Mei watched the flames of obsession flickering in Masaru's eyes and sighed inwardly.
She knew all too well that most members of the Kaguya clan were battle fanatics, but those with stronger mastery of the Shikotsumyaku would also suffer more severe side effects — the dreaded Bloodline Disease.
"Enemy presence ahead. No sign of a Byakugan user."
At that moment, the Mist's sensory-nin detected the approach of Kiyohara's group.
In shinobi combat, sensory-types often detected each other first, allowing both sides to adjust their formations.
"Release the Hidden Mist."
Masaru ordered.
The sea fog in this area was already dense. Once strengthened by the Hidden Mist Technique, they would gain overwhelming battlefield advantage.
Two Mist-nin stepped forward, formed seals, and exhaled thick clouds of heavy mist.
Whoosh—
The fog churned as if stirred by an invisible force, becoming even heavier and more suffocating. Visibility plummeted instantly.
The disturbance was immediately noticed by Kiyohara's side.
"Damn it, this jutsu again!"
On the Konoha side, Genma scowled deeply, his expression filled with distaste.
The last time they fought within such fog, they suffered miserably.
"This is troublesome."
Even Kakashi's dead-fish eyes tightened. Although the Sharingan granted some visibility, it still couldn't compare to the Byakugan — its effectiveness was greatly reduced.
Just as the atmosphere grew heavy, Kiyohara suddenly stepped forward.
"Leave this to me."
He walked straight into the fog, his silhouette thin but unwavering amidst the swirling white haze.
"Kiyohara!"
Rin called out anxiously.
Kiyohara didn't look back. Instead, he raised his voice:
"My ninja way… is to advance bravely."
With that, he reached into his tool pouch.
Ever since he had suffered at the hands of Hidden Mist before, he had been thinking of ways to avoid fighting them in thick fog. Even with help from his future self, the advantage wasn't always guaranteed.
"Oh? You actually brought that?"
The spirit of Magnet Release Kiyohara floated behind him, chuckling when he saw the items Kiyohara pulled out.
Within the mist, Kaguya Masaru, relying on the Kaguya clan's instinctive killing-intent perception locked onto Kiyohara's approximate location.
His expression showed admiration as he muttered to Mei:
"To step forward alone, while knowing we're here… Is he planning to challenge us by himself? Hah… Such courage. He's worthy of being my opponent."
The blood in his veins seemed to boil.
But Mei's frown deepened. Something felt off.
That Kiyohara… he didn't strike her as a reckless fool blinded by passion.
"Masaru, be careful. That guy probably has something up his—"
Before she could finish, the lone figure standing before the mist suddenly acted!
He didn't form seals for a powerful jutsu.
He didn't charge with a blade.
Instead—
Kiyohara pulled out several dull gray pouches.
Then, with a sharp motion, he flung their powdery contents into the surrounding mist!
The next instant, his hands blurred through seals.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A broad gust erupted from his mouth, not overly strong but wide in scope. The wind swept up all the gray-white powder he had just thrown, turning it into a roaring cloud of ash-like substance that surged forward.
The fog ahead instantly mixed with the powder, forming a choking, burning haze.
It was quicklime.
"Cough! COUGH! My eyes!!"
"What the hell is this?!"
"Careful, it's powder— no, it's lime! DO NOT use Water Release on me!"
Screams, curses, and panic erupted from within the fog.
Quicklime reacted with moisture, releasing heat and strong alkalis. Anyone careless enough would be in agony.
"What—?"
Masaru's admiration froze. His battle-high disappeared instantly.
He knew Mei had described Kiyohara as a genius. Geniuses were supposed to be powerful and honorable.
But this?
Why is he using dirty tricks?
Where is the dignity of a genius?
Why is there absolutely no sense of style?
Mei barely managed to block the lime-laced wind with a Water Formation Wall, but seeing the chaos around her, she clenched her fists tightly.
This bastard!
On the Konoha side, Kurenai stared wide-eyed at the familiar tactic and whispered:
"A-again… He's using that again…"
She remembered the last time he fought Iwa-nin — he used a similar method.
If Kiyohara had a title like Lord Minato's, she was certain it would be:
"The Lime Shinobi."
Kakashi's dead-fish eyes narrowed. The method was definitely unorthodox, maybe even borderline shameless.
But the effectiveness… was undeniable.
He immediately seized the opportunity.
"Now! Attack!"
Genma let out a breath that was half exasperation, half admiration.
"This guy… damn, he's a genius!"
Rin, on the other hand, sighed in relief.
If it helped the team, then… surely Kiyohara had his reasons.
Kiyohara stood calmly at the edge of the lime-clouded fog, listening to the chaos within.
To him, a shinobi was fundamentally an assassin — deception, ambushes, and underhanded tricks were part of survival.
Insisting on honorable, "proper" battles was nothing more than stubbornness and stupidity.
Staying alive and completing the mission — that was true reality.
He slowly drew his blade.
Then, he put on a mask similar to Kakashi's — except his covered even his eyes, leaving only two lenses for vision.
Alright then.
Time to start earning money.
—No, wait.
Time to start hunting.
(End of Chapter)