In a heavily guarded stone chamber deep within the Mist-nin's forward base, Kisame stood calmly and respectfully presented a scroll to a towering, monstrous figure—like a mountain of flesh and muscle.
This was none other than Suikazan Fuguki, the first wielder of Samehada and one of the current Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Fuguki took the scroll lazily, barely glancing at Kisame, and said in a cold, chilling voice: "You're the only one who came back. Our intel didn't leak, right?"
Kisame's face looked blank and completely devoid of any emotion. He raised his head and replied in a flat voice: "There were no other survivors. I personally destroyed the brains of all the dead. There is no possibility of information leakage."
"Good, well done, Kisame." said Fuguki in a calm voice. That was all the praise Kisame would receive.
Fuguki opened the scroll, and his eyes began scanning the cryptic ciphers carved into the paper. As the code revealed its secrets line by line, a grin slowly formed on his face. And when he finally reached the bottom—
"Heh… heh heh heh…!" Fuguki's deep and cold laughter echoed through the stone chamber, bouncing off the frigid walls.
Kisame only stood there silently and calmly—obviously, he was used to Fuguki's character and personality.
When the full content of the scroll had been deciphered, Fuguki's laughter swelled into a roar of excitement: "Haha! This intel… it's invaluable! Every drop of blood spilled—worth it! Even if we lost double that number, it would still have been worth it!"
Still silent, Kisame stood motionless like a statue.
Kisame's squad was responsible for collecting intel about Konoha in the Land of Waves, and like any shinobi, they didn't use normal language to record the information they gathered for fear it might fall into enemy hands. Instead, they used special codes developed by the Hidden Mist in case their intel was compromised.
So, in order to prevent their special coding language from being discovered by Konoha, Kisame had no choice but to kill his own subordinates.
And what made Fuguki truly happy was not only that Kisame had prevented their codes from leaking to the enemy by killing the code bearers, but also that he had brought extremely crucial intel that could help them turn the situation in favor of the Mist.
In fact, if Ibiki had known what kind of intel Kisame possessed, he wouldn't have let Kisame escape so easily—even if it meant jumping off the cliff to catch him.
But unfortunately, it was too late now!
Fuguki didn't seem to care. There was a wooden sake bottle in his hand; he took a big sip with exhilaration, then looked at Kisame and shouted his new order—despite the close distance between them: "Gather all jonin at once. The time for our decisive strike has come!"
Kisame nodded and left without a word.
"Hahaha! Our opportunity has finally come!" Fuguki was left alone in the dark, laughing happily with a hint of madness in his voice.
---
Back on Konoha's side, Kisame's cliff dive had marked the failure of the mission.
Despite sweeping the battlefield for enemy bodies, all the heads of the Mist shinobi had been meticulously destroyed—no information could be salvaged.
The team returned to camp under a heavy cloud of disappointment.
Renjiro, though frustrated, wasn't too deeply affected by the failure of their mission to catch the code bearers. He had always known his role was minor—just auxiliary.
Renjiro had hoped to achieve something in this A-rank mission, but surviving was an achievement in itself, given his current situation.
Upon returning to the camp, Ibiki immediately dissolved the team.
"Renjiro, wait a minute!" Just as Renjiro was about to turn and leave, Ibiki called out.
Renjiro stopped, then turned and looked at Ibiki with confusion and curiosity: "Yes, sir?"
Ibiki looked down at Renjiro's youthful face and said in a deep voice: "Renjiro… have you ever considered joining the Anbu?"
"…Anbu?!" Renjiro was stunned.
Ibiki nodded and continued with a calm smile:
"Exceptional sensory ability. Calm under pressure. Adaptable to sudden changes on the battlefield. You performed admirably for a newly graduated shinobi. I believe you possess the qualities of a proper Anbu operative. So, I'm offering you a place."
Renjiro's mouth opened—then closed again. His heart was filled with shock, disbelief, confusion… and a hint of pride. For the first time, he felt that his efforts had been recognized.
Still, after thinking about the pros and cons of joining the Anbu, he shook his head and replied apologetically: "Thank you… but I must decline. My team needs my help now more than ever."
Although Renjiro was truly worried about his teammates, that wasn't the real reason for his rejection.
The Anbu operate in the shadows—bound by orders, loyalty, and silence. That wasn't the kind of shinobi Renjiro wanted to become. He'd seen, even in the anime, how that path stripped people of their identities, turning them into tools of killing and execution.
Renjiro didn't want to become a ghost in the dark, burdened by unspeakable secrets and moral ambiguity.
Ibiki studied Renjiro's face for a moment, then gave a faint nod—clearly a little disappointed by his choice—and said with a sigh: "It's a pity. But still, if you ever change your mind… my offer stands."
---
When Renjiro returned to his squad's quarters, the place was empty. As expected, both Meri and Maemon were out training or busy with their own tasks.
After washing up, Renjiro collapsed onto his bed and instantly fell asleep. He hadn't slept in over 30 hours since the mission began.
Knock! Knock!
He didn't wake until dusk, when Maemon came knocking, carrying a large boxed meal.
"Dinner." Maemon said coolly: "And before you ask—yes, I got enough for four. The captain's joining us."
Meri showed up moments later, and shortly after, Zeri himself arrived as well.
The food wasn't gourmet, but today's seafood curry was a hit—especially for those from inland Konoha, where fresh fish was rare and expensive. Here in the Land of Waves, it was a very common part of the local diet.
Halfway through dinner, Maemon casually asked: "So… where exactly did you disappear to last night?"
"Eh, I was a part—" Renjiro shrugged, just about to reply—
"Renjiro." Zeri interrupted sharply, putting down his spoon and looking at him with a stern gaze: "You're already an official shinobi. Talking about secret missions is forbidden. It's one of the rules you must follow strictly—unless you want to be labeled a traitor by the village."
Then, he turned to Maemon and said in a cold, chilling voice: "You should know better than to ask. There's a saying…"
He paused. The trio looked at him curiously. Then, in a serious, bone-chilling tone, he continued: "The more you know… the sooner you die. Some secrets are better left buried—especially when they involve classified missions."
There was a visible shiver at the table. Meri and Maemon flinched, and their bodies trembled.
Renjiro was the only one who remained composed. After all, despite his young appearance, his mind was that of a man nearing thirty—he didn't scare easily. Still, he didn't dismiss the weight of the words. He understood exactly what Zeri was truly trying to say.
Just as the tension hit its peak, Zeri's face broke into a wide, goofy grin: "Wow, I really got you guys, didn't I? Hehe. I've always wanted to try that line!"
For a few stunned seconds, the trio didn't know how to respond.
Then Meri pointed a finger at Zeri, her cheeks puffed up, blazing with outrage: "Sensei! You scared us on purpose! That's so mean!"
"Hahahaha!" Zeri laughed even louder.
Maemon pushed up his glasses and said in a cold, serious voice: "You know… scaring kids like that is probably why you're still single."
Puff!
Zeri felt as if an arrow had pierced his heart, freezing him into stone.
Renjiro swore he heard the critical hit sound effect in the air.
"Come on, let's eat."
The laughter returned to the table soon after.
---
But outside the safety of Konoha's camp…
In the wilderness, not far from the base, a mountain-sized boulder slowly rumbled aside.
Brrrr!
A hidden cave mouth opened, and from its dark, yawning depths, a single hand emerged… then another.
A hulking figure climbed out into the cold night air—it was Fuguki Suikazan!
"Bwahahaha! So, the intel was right! There really is a tunnel that leads straight to Konoha's camp!" Fuguki roared with laughter.
This hidden tunnel—an ancient escape route built by former village residents decades ago—had long been forgotten… until Mist spies rediscovered it.
And now, it could be the key to turning the tide of war between Konoha and the Mist.
If used, this path would allow the Mist to bypass all of Konoha's scouting lines and launch a surprise attack from within.
One by one, more Mist jonin emerged from the tunnel, each visibly stunned as they confirmed the tunnel's existence.
Even the most cautious among them had now turned into bloodthirsty hawks.
"Fuguki-sama!"
"Give the order! Let us strike and take them by surprise while the Konoha shinobi are resting!" One jonin said with a grin.
"Excellent." Fuguki said with a cold smile: "Call every available unit. We'll move our forces through this tunnel…"
"…We will strike Konoha's camp at midnight."
---
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