"Captain, we're ready to go."
Uchiha Minami walked up to Yu. After a pause, he lifted the Thunder Blade and said hesitantly, "Captain… I want to…"
"These ninja swords are useless to me. Let's move." Yu interrupted, knowing what Minami wanted to say. He glanced over his shoulder at the others.
To his surprise, Tsunade and Shizune were still following the group and hadn't backed out.
Meanwhile, Mei and Ao had already taken care of the Mist ninja's corpse.
"Yes, sir!"
Minami's mood visibly lifted. It made sense—Yu had that bizarre black sword; he had no need for conventional ninja blades.
Still, Minami hadn't expected that on their first entry into Kirigakure, he, Tamao, and Izumi would already acquire ninja swords.
If they kept this up, they could collect all of Kirigakure's legendary blades. The "Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist" might as well be renamed to the "Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Uchiha."
Shaking off the strange thought, Minami quickened his pace to catch up with the group.
The squad disappeared into the shadows in perfect formation.
---
...
---
A full moon hung overhead. But in the next moment, dense clouds swallowed its pale light.
Kirigakure.
Mizukage Tower.
Office.
Yagura's body trembled faintly. A White Zetsu clone slithered out of his right shoulder and turned to the man who had taken his seat back after disposing of Kirigakure's leadership—Tobi.
In a low voice, Zetsu said, "Our surveillance… it's gone."
"I know. You don't have to tell me," Tobi replied coldly.
His single eye betrayed a hint of reluctance as he rose from the Mizukage's seat.
He had sat there for years. And now, because of Uchiha Yu, he had to give it up.
Under the mask, Tobi's face was grim as he gazed through the window at the thick white mist outside. He let out a cold chuckle.
"Now it's our turn to act."
"Then good luck to you—good luck to both of us."
White Zetsu grinned, then sank back into Yagura's body.
Tobi stepped into the shadows, bringing with him a youth from the Hōzuki Clan still under genjutsu control.
Silence returned to the Mizukage's office.
Yagura stiffly walked back to the Mizukage's chair and sat down, his pale-pink eyes staring directly at the door—as if waiting.
Ten minutes later—
Crash—!
The floor-to-ceiling windows shattered.
Dark silhouettes tumbled into the office.
It was the Uchiha squad, guided through secret tunnels by Mei Terumi to avoid the pursuit of Kirigakure's clan forces.
In the gloom—
Blades gleamed coldly.
The Uchihas brandished their ninja swords, charging toward the seated Yagura.
As the broken glass scattered across the floor, shadows near the office door shifted—Kirigakure's ANBU surged forth as if lying in wait all along.
Two sides collided.
Cold steel clashed.
In the darkness, sparks flew wildly.
Crimson eyes glowed.
The Uchihas had all activated their three-tomoe Sharingan, effortlessly overwhelming the Mist forces.
Squelch—
Tamao gripped the Executioner's Blade with both hands, easily slicing a Mist ninja in two. His baby face was stained with blood, his expression manic with a twisted grin.
At the center of the battlefield, the most visually jarring figure was Izumi—petite, with a ponytail and a lovely face—wielding the enormous Samehada, a blade taller than her, to slash through enemies.
The Uchiha squad quickly eliminated the first wave of Mist ninja.
Suddenly, the office doors flew open.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
Outside, dozens of Mist ninjas weaved hand signs and spat thick torrents of water, forming a rotating wall to isolate the Mizukage from the battle.
Yagura slowly stood up and coldly scanned the scene. Spotting Mei Terumi and Ao among the crowd, he said in a deep voice, "You dare come back willingly!"
Mei and Ao's expressions shifted.
Standing tall with Uchiha Yu behind her, Mei glared at Yagura through the water barrier and shouted, "Fourth Mizukage! Why did you betray Kirigakure?!"
"…"
Yagura's face remained emotionless.
More Mist ninjas poured in from outside.
Across the street from the Mizukage Tower.
Tsunade and Shizune stood atop a cylindrical building, watching the battle in the office.
As the clash intensified, the surrounding mist thinned as the air heated up.
"My lady… should we—"
Shizune hugged little Tonton, glancing around at the incoming reinforcements, her voice hesitant.
"…"
Tsunade's face was ice-cold. Arms folded, she said nothing.
Inside the Mizukage's office.
Within the Uchiha squad, Uchiha Yu noticed Yagura glancing at the floor, avoiding eye contact. With no plants nearby to mark for his Mangekyō seal, Yu decisively activated his Amaterasu-Tsukuyomi Mangekyō Sharingan.
FWOOSH!
Orange-red flames burst forth. A skeletal frame emerged, soon clad in Karasu Tengu armor—Susanoo fully manifested, easily bursting through the office ceiling.
Debris rained down.
Susanoo summoned the Totsuka Blade, and Yu swung it down upon the water wall.
Sizzle—
The intense flames scorched the water wall, generating a thick cloud of steam. The barrier collapsed with a crash.
The Mist ninjas gasped, pupils constricting as they saw the fully-formed Susanoo. They instinctively stepped back in fear.
BOOM—
The Totsuka Blade sliced again, striking toward Yagura. The Mizukage calmly pulled out a scroll, unsealing a hooked staff-shaped ninja tool, and spun it toward the blade's path.
"Water Style: Water Mirror Technique!"
The next moment—
A round, mirror-like surface made of water hovered below the staff.
BOOM!
From within the mirror shot out another Totsuka Blade—this one ablaze too.
And then, a perfect clone of Uchiha Yu appeared, clad in an identical orange-red Susanoo.
The two Totsuka Blades clashed.
The Uchiha clan members gasped.
"Two captains?!"
Mei, Ao, and Nonoyu were stunned. They hadn't expected the Fourth Mizukage's jutsu to be capable of replicating even the Uchiha clan's Kekkei Genkai.
The flames flared violently.
Yu stared at his flaming doppelgänger and couldn't help but sigh. "This Water Style is seriously bugged. And where's the chakra to sustain this fake Susanoo even coming from?"
Yagura still didn't dare meet his eyes, but the corners of his mouth curled upward smugly.
But he didn't get to enjoy it for long.
CRASH—
A powerful figure descended from above, smashing through the ceiling.
Dodging falling debris, she landed precisely behind the clone Yu's Susanoo helmet, drawing back her fist.
Both Yu and the clone, along with Yagura, were stunned when they saw the intruder—it was none other than Tsunade, the Slug Princess and one of the Legendary Sannin.
"Lady Tsunade… eh?!"
Back on the rooftop, Shizune looked sideways to find Tsunade gone. She and Tonton both gasped at the scene below.
BOOM!
A thunderous crash shook the office. Everyone's pupils shrank as they watched Tsunade perched on the clone Susanoo's helmet. With a fearsome snarl, she smashed through it with a single punch.
Then, she dove into the shattered Susanoo, not giving the clone a chance to recover.
She grabbed its collar and drove her fist into its face. With monstrous strength, she distorted its features with a brutal impact.
"Get a good look! This is what's coming to you next!" Tsunade roared as she straddled the clone, unleashing punch after punch into its face in pure rage.
The floor cracked beneath them.
The fake Yu's face twisted under the assault, getting pounded deep into the rubble.
Tsunade couldn't hit the real Yu—but she could vent all her rage on his replica. If she couldn't beat the real thing, she could damn well beat the copy.
"Where the hell did this crazy woman come from?!"
The White Zetsu controlling Yagura roared in frustration. He wanted to respond—but it was already too late.
Yu: "…"
Tsunade's mouth really is something else.
Yu's thoughts raced, but his blade didn't stop.
With Tsunade taking care of the clone, he infused more chakra into the Totsuka Blade, extending its range. The flaming longsword pierced clean through Yagura's chest.
"Mizukage-sama!!"
The Mist ninjas screamed in horror and lunged toward the office, but the Uchihas drove them back.
"Ugh…"
Yagura's face contorted in pain. He tried to resist, but it was futile.
Yu raised an eyebrow slightly—he couldn't sense any tailed beast inside Yagura.
Clearly, Tobi had taken the Three-Tails and never intended to use it in this battle.
A smirk tugged at Yu's lips—a grin reminiscent of Orochimaru discovering something fascinating.
After sealing Yagura and the White Zetsu within the Totsuka Blade, Yu suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke.
It had only been a shadow clone.
---
Land of Water, near the Rain Country border—
Under the full moon, at a remote pier—
The real Yu crouched atop a utility pole, eyes fixed on the figure emerging from Kamui's space: Tobi, accompanied by a young boy from the Hōzuki clan.
°°°
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