Silence hung heavy over the ruins of the clearing. The stench of blood, charred wood, and venom tainted the air. Anko's summoned snake had already disintegrated, leaving blackened scars on the earth. Karui, still on her knees, struggled to breathe. Her arms hung limply, and her blue lips trembled faintly under the spasms of paralysis.
Anko, panting, observed her work, still lost in the thrill of battle.
Then something changed.
A cold shiver ran down her spine.
A faint crack. A shift in the air. She straightened suddenly, her senses flaring.
He was there.
"…Takeshi?"
He stood at the edge of the clearing, wrapped in a torn black cloak. His face was smeared with soot and dried blood, his eyes veiled in unfathomable darkness. He didn't speak. He didn't move.
He was watching.
The clearing.
Karui's body.
Then Anko.
The silence weighed like a mountain.
"You came," she said, her voice turning cold. She tried to speak again, raising a trembling hand.
But something primal in her screamed.
She stepped back. The scent of danger oozed from him, blacker than ever. Yet she naively thought other Kumo shinobi were rushing in.
"Listen to me, Takeshi. From now on, you will do what I…"
She froze.
He had just appeared in front of her.
She hadn't seen him move.
Hadn't felt the shift.
He was simply there.
She saw the blade too late.
A flash of steel.
A breath.
And then pain.
Cold. Dry. Relentless.
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her eyes widened, frozen in a raw expression of horror.
Her throat was now a clean, silent red line.
Blood gushed silently.
Her hands shot to her neck in a desperate reflex. She fell to her knees, her eyes searching Takeshi's gaze for answers.
But there was nothing.
No rage. No triumph. Not even hate.
Only absolute emptiness.
She collapsed slowly to her side.
And her final sight was the sky, blurred by mist.
Takeshi slowly sheathed his blade.
His gaze turned to Karui. Her eyes were barely open, her breath as fragile as a leaf in the wind. He knelt beside her without a word.
She tried to speak, but only gargles escaped her throat.
"It's over," he whispered. "I'm here now."
He slid one arm under her legs, the other behind her back, and lifted her like a feather. Her body burned with fever, trembling—but alive.
He formed a hand sign.
"Shunshin."
The world dissolved in a rush of wind and chakra.
---
Konoha — Hokage Tower
"Tsunade-sama, it's urgent!"
The messenger's voice cracked like a whip through the Hokage's office. Shizune stood up immediately, intercepting the sealed scroll the ninja offered. She read in silence, her brows furrowing as she went.
"What is it?" asked Tsunade, not looking up from her paperwork.
"It's from the Raikage… a response to our latest diplomatic report."
Tsunade raised her eyes.
She read the letter.
Then her fist slammed onto the desk.
The wood cracked.
"What do they want?!" she growled.
Shizune paled as she replied.
"He claims that several shinobi wearing Konoha headbands were spotted in or near Kumogakure. Clashes occurred… facilities were destroyed… shinobi injured."
"And?"
"…He threatens war. A war without mercy."
Silence fell. Only the rustle of papers dared disturb the atmosphere.
Tsunade leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, sinking into the seat.
"Not now. Not after the war with Orochimaru. Not while the Akatsuki still lurks in the shadows…"
"He demands an immediate explanation. And the identities of the culprits," added Shizune.
"And we have no idea, do we?"
Shizune shook her head.
"Nothing official. But there are rumors in the intel reports. Some names are circulating. Anko was allegedly seen in the Land of Lightning. Accompanied by another shinobi… unidentified."
Tsunade slowly stood up.
Her gaze was hard as stone.
"We need to find them. If they're from Konoha… or once were… we must identify them before this escalates. I want every lead. Every witness. Comb through the mission archives, recent movements. Understood?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
But Tsunade wasn't finished.
"And if they've become rogues… then prepare a tracking unit. I won't tolerate any Konoha shinobi igniting a war."
She turned to the window, her eyes lost on the horizon.
"Who are you really… and why now?"