"Naruko, take the eastern side. Sakura, circle around from the west."
Sako leapt across the rooftops, her gaze locked onto the target hiding beneath the alley below—a small white kitten.
Today's commission was yet another lost pet retrieval, this time for Mrs. Fukada.
"…This really isn't the kind of ninja life I imagined," Sako muttered in her heart.
Landing lightly on the ground, she immediately gave chase.
Startled by the sudden movement, the kitten bolted toward the eastern exit of the alley. But the moment it darted out into the street, its body was lifted cleanly into the air.
"Hee-hee, where do you think you're running now?"
Naruko grinned as she held the cat up triumphantly, her small white hands poking and squeezing its soft body without mercy.
"Meow—!"
Seeing the poor cat completely overwhelmed, Sako walked over and patted Naruko on the shoulder.
"Enough already, Naruko. We still have to return it to Mrs. Fukada."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Just let me play for a bit longer," Naruko replied lazily.
At that moment, Sakura approached from the opposite direction. She glanced at the cat in Naruko's arms and sighed helplessly.
"Honestly… this has to be the sixth time this month we've been sent to catch cats."
"At first it was kind of fun," Sakura continued, "but doing nothing but chores like this over and over again is getting exhausting."
Naruko locked the kitten inside its cage and complained, "Seriously—when are we in Team Seven going to get a real mission?"
Just as the three girls headed off to submit the completed task, inside the Hokage Building, Ryoma was reviewing a newly delivered document.
It was a commission request from a bridge builder named Dazna.
Normally, a civilian from the Land of Waves wouldn't have drawn much of Ryoma's attention.
However, one name within the document immediately caught his eye.
"…Gatō Corporation."
Ryoma tapped his fingers lightly against the desk, his expression turning contemplative.
Gatō was the president of a shipping company operating in the Land of Waves, but in reality, he was nothing more than a local tyrant hiding behind a legal façade.
Ten years ago, during the unification of the continent, Ryoma had purged many rebel factions. Some surrendered instead. At the time, he allowed certain entrenched local powers to remain—groups that were deeply rooted in regional economies and governance.
As long as they maintained stability and didn't cross the line, Ryoma had no intention of interfering.
But Gatō had crossed it.
Recently, Gatō had begun using mercenaries and rogue shinobi to smuggle contraband, forcibly seize businesses, and eliminate competition.
Half a month ago, to protect his monopoly, he blocked Dazna's bridge construction project. Worse, he used his wealth and violence to seize control of all maritime routes surrounding the island.
On an island nation, controlling sea traffic meant controlling everything—resources, finances, even people's lives.
That alone was enough to place Gatō firmly on Ryoma's blacklist.
Still, Ryoma had no intention of handling this personally.
For someone in his position, dealing with a petty tyrant himself would be like an emperor personally arresting a street thief.
Just as he considered dispatching ANBU, another thought crossed his mind.
Naruko and Sako have been complaining nonstop about boring missions lately…
"With their strength—and if Rin supervises…"
Ryoma picked up his communicator and placed a call.
"Rin?"
"Yes, teacher," Rin replied calmly. "Do you need something?"
"There's a mission I want to assign to you."
Inside the president's office of Gatō Corporation, a short, middle-aged man wearing sunglasses sat behind his desk, staring suspiciously at the two figures before him.
One was a tall, black-haired man carrying an enormous blade on his back. His lower face and neck were wrapped in bandages, and he wore a sleeveless black outfit.
The other stood silently beside him—dark-haired, masked, and cloaked in deep blue.
"…Momochi Zabuza," Gatō said slowly. "The Demon of the Hidden Mist."
He stroked his figure-eight beard, his tone doubtful.
"Are you really as terrifying as the rumors claim?"
The moment those words left his mouth, a crushing killing intent flooded the room.
Gatō and his subordinates instantly felt as if their lungs had been seized. Cold sweat poured down their backs.
"Enough nonsense."
Zabuza's voice was icy.
He withdrew his killing intent, and only then did everyone collapse back into shaky breaths, staring at him in horror.
"I didn't come all the way to the Land of Waves to waste time," Zabuza continued. "What's the job?"
Gatō swallowed and raised a finger.
"I want you to kill someone."
"A bridge builder named Dazna."
"…That's it?" Zabuza frowned. "Why?"
"That old man wants to build a bridge. If he succeeds, my company will suffer massive losses. I can't allow that."
Zabuza narrowed his eyes. "He hired protection."
"…Who?"
Gatō hesitated, then answered quietly.
"Shinobi from Konoha."
"What did you just say?"
Zabuza's expression darkened instantly.
"Are you trying to get me killed?"
Konoha was the undisputed center of the shinobi world. Even ignoring Ryoma himself, a single elite squad could spell disaster.
"Shiro. We're leaving."
Zabuza turned to leave.
"Wait!" Gatō shouted desperately. "My intelligence says it's just one Konoha team!"
Zabuza didn't stop.
Gatō clenched his fists.
"…One million ryō!"
Zabuza halted.
"As long as you kill Dazna, I'll pay one million."
That price was absurd.
An S-rank reward—for killing an unarmed bridge builder.
After a brief silence, Zabuza turned back.
"Add that to the original five hundred thousand."
"I'll take the job."
"Deal!"
The Land of Waves—once called a country—was now merely a remote island territory under the Shadow Empire.
It had no standing shinobi force, no military, and barely any infrastructure.
The land was poor. The people poorer.
Gatō's company controlled the island's lifeline.
And that control wouldn't be broken overnight.
On a fog-covered shore, a small boat quietly docked.
Several figures stepped onto the pier.
"It's thick with mist," Naruko muttered.
"That's normal here," Dazna said calmly. "You'll get used to it."
Saeko frowned. "No… this mist doesn't feel natural."
Rin raised her hand. "Stop."
Footsteps echoed ahead.
Figures emerged—thugs, mercenaries, and rogue shinobi.
And at the front—
A man carrying a massive blade.
And a masked shinobi beside him.
Rin's eyes sharpened.
"…Momochi Zabuza."
Zabuza sneered.
"Walk away now, and I'll let you live."
"Bullshit!"
Naruko cursed coldly. "Stop talking nonsense. Let's fight!"
"Sensei, don't interfere," Sako said calmly. "Leave these two to us."
The moment her words fell, powerful chakra surged from both Sako and Naruko.
Seeing this, Rin said nothing more. She stepped aside, quietly observing her two students.
Sakura looked between Naruko and Sako, worry flashing in her eyes. She lowered her voice and asked, "Rin-sensei… is this really okay?"
"I trust them," Rin replied simply.
Hearing this, Sakura still felt uneasy, but she didn't press further.
Naruko and Sako stepped forward, each locking onto their respective opponents—Momochi Zabuza and Shiro.
As for the remaining hired thugs, they posed no threat at all.
In less than three seconds, Rin moved.
Cold flashes of steel passed through the mist, and the necks of the mercenaries were cleanly severed by kunai. Their bodies collapsed silently to the ground.
On the battlefield, Sako's eyes transformed, scarlet tomoe spinning as the Sharingan activated.
"Naruko," she said calmly, "which one do you want?"
Naruko pointed without hesitation.
"The one with the big sword."
"Alright," Sako replied. "Then the other one is mine."
She stepped toward Shiro.
Sensing her intent, the corners of Shiro's mouth curved upward beneath his mask.
"Facing me alone?" he said softly. "That takes courage."
In the next instant, Shiro retreated at high speed.
Momochi Zabuza and Sako both moved after him, vanishing into the mist.
Only Naruko and Zabuza remained.
They stood five meters apart, facing one another.
"So the so-called god of Konoha didn't come himself," Zabuza sneered, veins bulging on his face, "and instead sent a brat to deal with me?"
He ripped the Kubikiribōchō from his back, leveling its massive blade at Naruko.
"You're really insulting me."
Naruko didn't answer.
She calmly clasped her hands in front of her chest and closed her eyes, as if Zabuza wasn't even worth acknowledging.
That gesture completely enraged him.
With a violent shout, Zabuza stepped forward. His body dispersed like mist—and in the blink of an eye, he appeared before Naruko, the executioner's blade swinging down toward her neck.
Slash!
The air screamed as the blade cut through it, the killing intent sharp and absolute.
Zabuza never held back. Whether child or elder, once marked as an enemy, he aimed straight for the kill.
He could already picture the girl's head flying through the air.
But—
Just as the blade came within five centimeters of Naruko's skin, orange markings bloomed around her eyes.
Her pupils turned horizontal.
A pale hand snapped open.
Bang!
The massive blade was caught bare-handed.
The Kubikiribōchō stopped dead, unable to move an inch. The recoil nearly tore itself from Zabuza's grip.
"What—!?"
Zabuza stared in disbelief.
The girl had caught his full-power strike with her bare hand.
When he tried to pull the blade free, it wouldn't budge—like it had been fused into her palm.
"This isn't good…"
Abandoning the sword instantly, Zabuza kicked backward, retreating to create distance.
In a single exchange, he no longer dared underestimate her.
That small body contained power that made his instincts scream in warning.
"Tch."
Zabuza drew two special kunai.
"If brute force won't work, then I'll kill you another way."
He raised one hand and formed seals.
"Ninjutsu: Hidden Mist Technique!"
The fog thickened violently, swallowing the surroundings. Visibility dropped to nothing—one couldn't even see their own fingers.
Zabuza gathered chakra throughout his body.
"Silent Killing Technique."
A crimson, ghost-like chakra surged around him.
In this state, his speed and lethality skyrocketed. Combined with the mist, this was his ultimate assassination method.
"I'll carve you apart."
Zabuza's presence vanished.
He moved like a phantom, leaping from direction to direction, footsteps deliberately misleading, attacking the senses and crushing the enemy's nerves.
After several feints, he struck.
From directly behind.
His kunai stabbed toward the back of Naruko's head.
But—
Naruko tilted her head slightly to the right.
The blade missed.
Zabuza froze.
He didn't know that Sage Mode drastically enhanced perception. To Naruko, the mist was meaningless.
From start to finish, she knew exactly where he was.
She turned.
In her palm, a rapidly spinning sphere of chakra condensed.
"Sage Art: Rasengan."
The Rasengan slammed directly into Zabuza's chest.
BOOM!
The impact detonated.
Zabuza screamed as his body was blasted backward, launched through the mist like a cannonball, smashing violently into the distance.
(End of Chapter)
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