[Point of View — Kurodan, Raiga Kurosuki, Ranmaru]
The stone whispered.
Deep within the hollow of the ravine, Kurodan knelt alone — bare hands pressed to the cold earth. The jagged cliffs of Dead Man's Cut rose around him like the ribs of some ancient, long-dead beast.
No wind. No birds. No life.
But beyond the stone — chakra.
Measured. Cautious. Approaching.
Kurodan opened his pale gray eyes — unblinking.
"So…" his voice drifted, thin as smoke, "Konoha sends its blade at last."
A faint rustle echoed through the rocks.
Raiga Kurosuki emerged from the darkness — tall, broad-shouldered, clad in scarred armor and storm-worn cloth. Twin Kiba Blades crackled faintly upon his back, arcs of living lightning dancing along jagged steel.
"They come,"Raiga rumbled. His smile gleamed like a predator's. "At last."
Another presence drifted forward like mist.
Ranmaru.
Small. Slight. Eyes of deep unnatural crimson glowing beneath his hood. Faint chakra threads shimmered around him — unseen to the ordinary eye.
"Two shinobi," Ranmaru spoke softly. 'One older — steady as tempered iron. The other... young. Bright. Too bright."
Kurodan rose slowly, fingers flexing. Scarred, calloused — the hands of a master puppeteer.
Around him, sealed deep within the stone, chakra-bound puppets waited in hollow chambers — creations of wood, steel, and ancient Mist craftsmanship. Faceless. Silent. Deadly.
"We hold this ground,"Kurodan said. "Let the walls bleed their will dry."
He gestured toward the narrow paths.
Layered illusions. Buried seals. Chakra tripwires and mirrored terrain. And when the final gate was reached — the puppets would emerge from the stone itself.
"They will be forced to split. To doubt."
Raiga's grin widened. His fingers brushed the hilt of his blade.
"No need for traps," he growled. "I'll face them head-on."
"No."Ranmaru's voice cut coldly. "Not yet."
Both men turned to him.
"The young one will probe with clones first," Ranmaru explained. "Let him doubt. When the real battle begins — we strike."
Kurodan's smile was thin, cold.
"Blind the sky. Bind the stone. The stage is set."
Ranmaru's hands moved in swift seals. The air shimmered — stone pulsed faintly. The ravine itself seemed to breathe — illusions coating the walls, masking the true path.
Beneath the earth, puppets stirred, awaiting their master's call.
Raiga laughed softly, lightning now writhing openly along his blades.
"I will tear them apart — piece by piece."
"Then," Kurodan whispered, "let the game begin."
[Entry of the Hunters — Naruto and Hayato]
The first pale light of dawn touched Dead Man's Cut.
The narrow ravine rose steep and jagged, casting long, twisting shadows across the stone below. Mist clung thick to earth and air alike.
Naruto moved beside Hayato — blade sheathed, senses stretched taut.
Two clones had already dispersed — flashes of warning sharp and sudden through Naruto's mind.
"This place is wrong," Naruto whispered.
Hayato's eyes swept the stone. "It is not a battlefield," he said softly. "It is a trap."
They advanced — each step measured. Naruto formed a quick seal — two clones shimmered into being and darted ahead.
The air resisted them, thick with unseen chakra.
Naruto's gaze narrowed.
A faint shimmer on the wall. Wire — almost invisible, coated in sealing ink.
"Explosive trigger," he murmured.
Hayato knelt beside him. "Disarm it. Quickly."
Naruto's fingers moved with precision — slackening the loop, neutralizing the seal. The wire snapped harmlessly.
Ahead, the path twisted unnaturally.
Genjutsu.
Ranmaru's illusions played across the stone — bending paths, warping light. One clone rushed forward — and vanished in a burst of pain.
Naruto closed his eyes.
Kai.
A pulse of chakra surged outward.
For an instant — clarity. The false paths flickered.
"Left," Naruto pointed."Only the left path is real."
Hayato nodded. "Good. Move."
Together, they pressed deeper.
The ravine narrowed — sheer walls pressing close. The air bent unnaturally; sound echoed wrong.
A sudden flare — chakra surged beneath their feet.
Boom!
A sealing array detonated — a transparent barrier flared between them.
"Sensei!"Naruto struck the wall with a charged palm — no effect.
Hayato's voice rang through the distortion.
"No time! They're forcing this! Stay on the mission!"
Naruto's breath steadied. Blade drawn.
"Understood."
Beyond the barrier, shadows gathered.
Kurodan stepped forth — arms raised, chakra threads gleaming faintly.
At his side, Raiga Kurosuki, blades humming with raw lightning.
Naruto's heart clenched — but there was no time to watch.
[Naruto's Battle — Blood and Blade]
The surge of chakra sealed Naruto apart from Hayato.
Though he had time to think.
Soon shadows shifted — enemies poured forth from hidden alcoves.
A dozen bandits, ragged but armed, rushed toward Naruto — weapons flashing.
Among them moved a lean figure — a rogue Chūnin, eyes cold, kunai already weaving deadly arcs.
Naruto's breath stilled. His blade slid free with a soft hiss.
"Come on, then."
They charged.
Naruto's hands blurred — Shadow Clone Jutsu!
Five clones burst into being mid-dash, forming a loose circle.
Steel rang.
Naruto's first swing cut down a charging bandit — blade arcing in a brutal slash. A clone drove a kunai into another attacker before vanishing in smoke.
The first wave crumpled — but the rest surged.
Naruto flickered back, blade spinning low — slicing through a bandit's outstretched spear. His clones struck from every angle — flanking, feinting, blades flashing.
But the rogue Chūnin was fast.
Too fast.
He blurred through the smoke — cold precision in every move. A single kunai strike dispersed two clones instantly.
Naruto pivoted — ducking a slash, blade sweeping toward the rogue's ribs. The Chūnin twisted — countering with a brutal kick that sent Naruto skidding across the stone.
Blood smeared Naruto's cheek.
Stay calm. Fight smart.
Another clone formed — the two split — one charging high, one low.
Bandits swarmed behind them.
Naruto fought like a storm's eye — blade flashing, clones intercepting with ruthless efficiency.
A thrown axe missed his head by inches — Naruto spun, blade driving through another bandit's chest.
A clone tackled a bandit off a ledge in a burst of smoke.
Only three enemies remained — two bandits and the Chūnin with a battered sword.
Naruto locked eyes with the Chūnin.
"Your friends are gone," he said coldly. "You're next."
The Chūnin sneered — and vanished.
A flicker behind Naruto — but a clone intercepted, sacrificing itself in smoke.
Naruto turned mid-spin, blade arcing.
Clash.
Pain lanced through his side — a shallow cut.
He gritted his teeth — countered fast.
Blade rising, he hooked the Chūnin's arm — forced him back. A clone swept low, knocking the rogue's footing.
Now!
Naruto lunged — blade thrusting clean through the Chunin's shoulder.
He gasped — kunai clattering from numb fingers.
Naruto twisted free — letting the man crumple.
The last two bandits fled in terror.
Naruto did not chase.
He stood alone amid the fallen, chest heaving — blade trembling faintly.
Blood stained the stone.
His gaze rose toward the flickering barrier where Hayato fought alone.
Naruto's grip tightened.
Hold on, Sensei.
[Hayato vs Kurodan & Raiga]
Beyond the barrier, Hayato faced two masters of death.
Kurodan stood calm — chakra threads weaving unseen traps.
Raiga grinned — lightning coiling along his blades.
"You will not leave this place alive," Kurodan whispered.
Hayato's blade flashed into guard — seal tags ready.
"Then I will carve my path through you."
Raiga struck first — blades sweeping arcs of lightning.
Hayato met the blow — blade intercepting, seal tags detonating to force space.
But Kurodan's threads lashed unseen — senbon tipped with paralysis seals darting from the shadows.
Hayato twisted — blade slicing three from the air, four evaded by instinct alone.
"You're fast!" Raiga laughed. "But not enough!"
Hayato's eyes sharpened — calculating, adapting.
One against two. No margin for error.
He moved — steel and seal, grace and will.
[Scene End — Dawn to Blood]
Stone and mist bore silent witness.
Two battles burned within the ravine's heart:
Naruto — bloodied, determined, blade still steady.
Hayato — steel and will against storm and shadow.
And above them all, Ranmaru watched — crimson eyes gleaming softly.
The young one still stands, he thought. Good. The dance is not yet done.
The morning had barely begun.
The true storm was yet to come.