The tips of Kurosuki Raiga's twin Thunder Swords crackled with arcs of blue lightning, filling the small hut with a suffocating tension. Sparks hissed in the air, the atmosphere taut as if a storm were about to break.
But instead of striking, Raiga lowered his weapons, a thin smile twisting his lips. "Forget it. Once this mission's over, I'll come looking for you again."
He leaned lazily against the wall, eyes gleaming with malice. "Mr. Gato is paying a handsome sum. I couldn't refuse."
Unlike Momochi Zabuza, who moved like a lone wolf, Raiga was never alone he had underlings to feed, men who followed him for power and coin.
Zabuza's single visible eye narrowed dangerously. "Gato hired me already. And yet that rat still dares to invite someone else?" His voice dripped with irritation.
Raiga only shrugged, lightning dancing harmlessly along his blades. "Money talks. If he can afford me, why not?"
Zabuza fell silent. As much as he hated to admit it, the man wasn't wrong. In the shinobi world, coin could bend even demons to one's will.
"Fine," Zabuza finally growled, hefting his Executioner's Blade and slamming it against the floorboards. "But if you get in my way, I'll cut you down myself." His voice carried unrestrained killing intent, sharp enough to chill the air.
Raiga chuckled, undeterred. "I look forward to your funeral, Zabuza."
With that, he turned and strode out, his followers trailing close behind.
Zabuza's gaze lingered on Raiga's departing figure. The bulky rise beneath Raiga's cloak caught his attention, and his eyes narrowed further.
That man wasn't hunchbacked.
"Zabuza-sama," came a soft voice. Haku had stepped silently into the room, watching Raiga's group fade into the mist. "Should we eliminate them first?"
"They're just lucky brats who stumbled upon stolen swords," Zabuza muttered, dismissive. "Raiga didn't earn those blades with blood or honor. He fled the Land of Water with them like a thief in the night. Hardly worthy of being called one of the Seven Swordsmen."
Haku frowned slightly. "Then should I deal with him now?"
"No," Zabuza said, shaking his head. He rested the great blade casually against the wall. "Let them test the strength of our enemies first. The Demon Brothers were cut down already that means our opposition includes at least one jonin-level shinobi."
Haku's eyes lowered respectfully. "Understood."
Meanwhile, Naruto's group had reached the Land of Waves by boat.
The country was an island shrouded in mist. Fog rolled thick across the coastlines, veiling their arrival. The ferryman who smuggled them across did so at great risk; Gato's grip on the nation was absolute, and even whispers of rebellion were punished.
Life under his tyranny had left the villagers impoverished, their hope of freedom hinging entirely on the completion of Tazuna's bridge. Yet despite their hatred for Gato, fear kept their voices silent.
Once inland, the group slipped into the forest. Hinata activated her Byakugan instantly, pale eyes shimmering as her gaze pierced through the trees.
With her vision, the chance of an ambush was almost nonexistent. That was the power of her clan's eye technique an unmatched tool for reconnaissance.
But suddenly, Hinata stiffened. "Wait…" she whispered, her breath catching.
Naruto, Sasuke, and even Kakashi turned toward her, alarmed by the unease in her tone.
"There are many of them," Hinata murmured, her brows furrowing. "I see over twenty chakra signatures ahead. At least twenty-two."
Sasuke frowned, drawing a kunai instinctively. "Gato hired that many shinobi?"
Naruto's expression darkened. Something felt off. He suspected their target wasn't just Tazuna. His very existence as the Fourth Hokage's son painted a target on his back if assassins dared to strike him within Konoha, then outside the village, he was fair game.
He lifted his right hand into a sword-seal, releasing a subtle wave of wind chakra that swept invisibly through the forest. The breeze whispered back to him, carrying the truth.
"There are only nine," Naruto said flatly.
"What?" Hinata gasped, disbelief flashing across her face. Her Byakugan had never once failed her. To see over twenty when there were only nine it defied everything she knew.
The Byakugan was the strongest dōjutsu for detection in the entire shinobi world. For it to give false readings would be catastrophic for the Hyuga clan's reputation.
"If the wind says nine, then it's nine," Naruto said firmly, glancing her way. "Don't doubt yourself. Some hidden technique must be masking their numbers. It's not your fault."
Hinata bit her lip, but nodded, reassured by his calm tone.
Naruto looked toward Kakashi. "What now, sensei?"
Kakashi's visible eye shifted toward Tazuna. "Any other paths to your home?"
"Only two," Tazuna said nervously. "This forest trail, or the main road. But if we take the road, Gato's men will know I hired ninja."
"You think they don't know already?" Sasuke asked coldly, arching a brow.
Tazuna faltered, sweat dripping down his temple. He wanted to resist, but fear of Gato's retribution weighed heavily on him.
Kakashi sighed. "Then there's no point hiding. If they're waiting in the woods, that's their trap. We'll take the open road clear sightlines, nowhere to hide."
With their team's strength, even a jonin wouldn't scare him. And Gato? There was no way that miser could afford a true kage-level shinobi.
The group veered off the forest path, returning to the stone-paved road that cut through the countryside. It was wide enough for two ox-carts at most humble, but enough.
Hinata's Byakugan remained active as she tracked the enemy. "They're moving too," she reported, voice low. "They've changed direction to intercept us. It looks like their destination is the same."
Kakashi's eye narrowed. "So they have a sensor-nin of their own. That explains it."
In the forest, a sensor could turn the tide of battle. But on the open road, their advantage would shrink.
Not long after, the enemy revealed themselves.
Eight shinobi emerged from the mist ahead, weapons drawn and eyes cold.
Sasuke tensed, kunai glinting in his hand. "Only eight? The numbers don't match."
Naruto's eyes sharpened. "There's a ninth. On the leader's back, hidden under his cloak. Breathing, body heat they can't hide those from the wind."
Hinata's face tightened. "Strange… Now my Byakugan also sees only nine. How could it shift like that?"
Her confidence faltered again.
Naruto stepped forward, voice calm. "Don't overthink it. Once we beat them down, we'll make them explain."
Before the words even left his mouth, Naruto shot forward, a golden blur racing across the stones.
Sasuke and Hinata dashed after him, determination blazing in their eyes.
Kakashi exhaled slowly, watching his students clash headlong with seasoned enemies. A wry thought crossed his mind.
Am I even needed here?
Still, he stayed behind, dropping a hand to Tazuna's shoulder. A jonin's role was more than just fighting he had a client to protect.
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