The leaden-gray clouds gathered under the howling wind, sealing away the last sliver of golden light. The faces of those below darkened as the world dimmed around them.
"Fog again?"
Naruto's wild blond hair whipped in the wind as he craned his neck toward the coast. A thick, murky mist—almost the same color as the darkened sky—spread across the sea, turning the vast waters into a chaotic abyss. Hidden currents surged beneath the fog, as if monstrous creatures lurked just out of sight, sending chills down their spines.
"With wind this strong, this isn't natural fog."
Sasuke's white robes fluttered violently, his Sharingan's twin tomoe spinning as he traced the faint blue chakra glow within the mist.
It was subtle, almost indistinguishable from ordinary chakra—but he recognized it instantly.
"It's that bastard Zabuza!"
A shrill, furious voice cut through the silence.
Everyone turned to see Gato, bound and stuffed inside a coffin, his face bloodied, sunglasses shattered, teeth broken—nothing left of his former tycoon's arrogance.
"Shut up!"
A self-defense fighter kicked him, silencing his outburst.
"That's Zabuza's jutsu… Didn't he run away?" someone muttered.
"He didn't run—he just disappeared!"
"Same difference. Why's he back now?"
"Probably hiding nearby. Saw Raiga Kurosuki was dead and decided to slither back!"
Whispers spread through the crowd. Many still remembered Zabuza as the "hero ninja" who had helped them break free from Gato's grip years ago. Without him, the bridge—and their survival—would've been impossible.
Even if he'd vanished when they needed him most, most couldn't bring themselves to curse his name.
Naruto opened his mouth, eager to defend Zabuza, but Sasuke silenced him with a sharp look.
If Zabuza's been hiding, exposing him now would just paint a target on his back—and endanger the Land of Waves all over again.
Some burdens couldn't be shared.
---
### West of the Plaza
Hikari continued extracting Ranko's red eyes, though her movements quickened slightly.
"That's the direction we came from," Kakashi noted, stepping beside her.
Even with the Sharingan, the dense fog was impenetrable—only the faintest traces of chakra flickered within. The villagers were right. This was Zabuza's Hidden Mist Jutsu.
"About two nautical miles out," Hikari murmured, calculating the distance as her chakra scalpel worked.
The plaza sat on the western coast, connected to the Hero's Bridge—a hub for trade between Fire and Water.
Raiga's gang had blockaded the bridge, forcing Team 7 to sneak in by sea. Now, the mist's epicenter hovered near their landing point.
"Zabuza's being chased," Kakashi deduced. "His pursuer must've found his real body."
He glanced at Hikari.
Zabuza's enemy had to be at least elite jonin-level—maybe stronger. If not, Zabuza wouldn't have fled so desperately.
Logically, this wasn't their fight.
But—
"Is that girl, Haku, really that important to you?" Kakashi asked bluntly.
Hikari didn't pause. "Critical."
That single word sealed their course.
"Any intel on the enemy? Strength?"
"Stronger than the Hokage. No obvious weaknesses. No point planning."
Kakashi stiffened.
Stronger than the Third?
A foe on par with a Kage—here, now.
He exhaled sharply, then vanished in a blur, reappearing beside Naruto and Sasuke.
If this battle erupted, the entire port would be leveled. Evacuation came first.
---
### Hikari's Preparation
With Ranko's red eyes safely preserved in saline solution (why did she carry that around?), Hikari straightened, her gaze locked on the chakra storm in the mist.
She hadn't expected this level of opposition.
Originally, she'd thought this mission would be a simple skirmish with Zabuza—so she hadn't brought much chakra.
Three "Floating Water Cannons" against Raiga had cost less than one "card" of chakra.
Now?
Twenty-four cards left.
Should be enough.
"Hmm—"
The crimson seals on her skin glowed, violet chakra surging through her veins like lightning. Flesh and meridians overheated from the sheer output.
"Pfft—"
Steam hissed between her lips, swirling around her like ethereal serpents trapped in a diamond-red barrier.
A low, mechanical hum filled the air as six elongated water spears materialized around her, their turbine-like cores accelerating.
Predatory eyes snapped open along their lengths, locking onto the distant fog.
Their mission?
Snipe the enemy before they reach shore.
---
### Five Minutes Earlier – The Sea
A bloodied figure darted through the mist, his movements erratic, ghostly—leaving no ripple in the fog.
Behind him, black tendrils, thick as cables, slithered through the air like monstrous parasites, their sheer numbers enough to make skin crawl.
"Hah—!"
Zabuza exhaled sharply, his Hidden Mist Jutsu weaving a net of chakra-laced fog—a futile attempt to slow his pursuer.
The tendrils ignored it.
They twisted, merging into a single, spear-like formation—
—then shot forward with a sound like tearing metal.
CLANG!!!
Zabuza barely swung Kubikiribōchō in time. The impact slammed into his back, nearly knocking him into the waves.
His organs screamed. Blood filled his mouth.
Damn it…!
Through the mist, he sensed his enemy's chakra—ten times his own.
A monster.
The last time he'd felt this suffocating pressure was years ago, during his failed assassination of the Fourth Mizukage.
Why is someone like this after me?!
His luck was cursed.
- Water Country? Ambushed by Kirigakure hunters.
- Escape by sea? Stumbled into Orochimaru and the Mist's Bloody Fangs mid-battle.
- Hide in Wave? First Raiga, now this.
He'd barely survived each time—thanks to Haku.
Now?
Alone.
"Tch—!"
The tendrils struck again, forcing him into another desperate dodge. His chakra was drying up.
Then—
SPLASH!
The sea erupted, more tendrils bursting from below, their surfaces studded with eerie white masks.
Zabuza skidded to a halt, surrounded.
A calm, hollow voice echoed behind him.
"Momochi Zabuza. Wanted: 30 million ryo. Kubikiribōchō: 25 million."
Zabuza's blood ran cold.
When did he—?!
No time to think.
With a snarl, he whirled, his massive blade carving a deadly arc—
—and finally saw his hunter.
A man in a black cloak with red clouds, half-unbuttoned.
Pale skin. Sewn-shut mouth. Yellow eyes, empty as a corpse's.
Another monster.
"Die, freak!"
Zabuza's veins bulged as he swung, pouring years of frustration into this single strike.
---