Night fell. At Kakashi's urging, the young woman rested first. The silver-haired boy, however, felt no inclination to sleep, his senses sharply focused on the cave entrance, vigilant for any potential attack.
During the day, the sounds of birds and insects filled the air. But now, at night, besides the rhythmic crashing of waves, the silence was so profound he could almost hear his own breathing. Any movement within the cave seemed amplified tenfold.
Outside, on the beach, the four pursuers who had split up earlier had now converged.
"Kushimaru, you two attacked together and couldn't even take down a couple of kids?" sneered a large, obese ninja wielding Samehada, the most difficult to control of the seven swords. "Maybe you should just hurry back to the village and commit suicide to apologize to Lord Mizukage. Save us the trouble of collecting your corpse later."
"You didn't even lay eyes on them, so you've got no right to talk," retorted the bandaged, masked wielder of Nuibari, the man known as Kushimaru Kuriarare, pointing his needle-like sword threateningly at the large man.
The newcomer was the notoriously infamous Fuguki Suikazan of Kirigakure. Beside him stood another man carrying the massive Kubikiribōchō, Jūzō Biwa.
Ignoring the brewing confrontation, Jūzō Biwa, despite possessing good teamwork instincts himself, held absolutely no trust in his fellow swordsmen. The name "Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist" wasn't an official organization; it was merely a collective title given by outsiders to those who wielded these seven legendary blades. In truth, the capabilities of the swords varied wildly. For instance, his own Kubikiribōchō's only special ability was self-repair through absorbing iron from blood – practically useless compared to Samehada's power to absorb chakra and transfer it to its wielder.
However, this didn't mean Jūzō Biwa was weak. A weapon's effectiveness is determined by its user, not the weapon itself. As far as he was concerned, the three men around him weren't necessarily his superiors in combat.
Fuguki Suikazan spoke, having received an update from the Mizukage en route. "That Raiton kid isn't one of ours after all. No ordinary Genin, no matter how strong, could break that barrier and kill so many Anbu simultaneously. He's Konoha's youngest Jōnin. His name is Hatake Kakashi."
"A Jōnin? Ha! Has Konoha fallen so low they're promoting teenagers to Jōnin now?" Kushimaru scoffed.
"Don't be careless," Fuguki warned Kushimaru gruffly. "If you get yourself killed, I won't be avenging you." His massive frame towered over the others like a small mountain. He glanced behind him. "Come on out."
"Yes, sir," a voice replied.
A white-haired boy with shark-like teeth emerged grinning from the shadows.
"The Hozuki kid. I remember you," Jūzō remarked, recognizing the boy. He had briefly taught swordsmanship at the Academy and was deeply impressed by this exceptionally talented child. Regardless of the blade, as long as it fell under the category of a sword, Mangetsu could master it rapidly, wielding it after just a few days with the proficiency others took years to achieve.
"I requested permission from Lord Mizukage and Lord Fuguki to assist you gentlemen," Hozuki Mangetsu announced.
"You little brat," snarled the wielder of the explosive blade, Shibuki, stepping menacingly towards Mangetsu. It was Jinpachi Munashi. He unfurled a string of explosive tags attached to his bizarre sword, looking ready to strike at any moment. "Tell us how exactly you can help. If you can't, I'll butcher you right here."
Unfazed by Jinpachi's threat, Mangetsu's body dissolved into a pool of water, merging seamlessly with the ocean before them. His voice echoed from the water, "In the sea, I can clear the path for you, my lords."
"Young, but you talk big," Jinpachi grumbled, rolling up his explosive tags. He and Kushimaru stepped onto the ocean's surface. Dozens of small islands dotted the waters ahead.
"Which one do we search first?" Jinpachi asked.
"Doesn't matter," Kushimaru replied dismissively.
"Perhaps it would be best if you gentlemen split up?" Mangetsu suggested, his form vanishing back into the sea.
"I'm enough on my own," Kushimaru declared arrogantly.
"Don't underestimate him," Jūzō offered a rare word of caution, but the other two ignored him completely.
"You take the ones on the left, I'll take the right," Jinpachi instructed Kushimaru. "You two can just wait here on the shore for news."
With that, the pair vanished swiftly into the dark expanse of the sea night. Jūzō sighed wearily. He had no intention of searching through the night. Better to rest now and plan tomorrow morning. While the silver-haired kid sounded strong, he couldn't possibly be a match for two veteran elite Jōnin, even if they were searching separately.
Looks like this mission is pretty much wrapped up, then.
Finding a suitable rock, Jūzō settled down to sleep without even informing Fuguki, completely unconcerned.
Fuguki remained standing where he was, indifferent to his teammate's actions. There was a critical piece of information from his mission briefing that he hadn't shared.
Konoha's "Yellow Flash," Minato Namikaze, was personally leading his Uchiha apprentice to the Land of Water to retrieve the boy, Kakashi.
This presented a perfect opportunity to ambush and eliminate the Yellow Flash.
The Fourth Mizukage's words still echoed in his ears: "Bring him back alive."
Only by capturing the silver-haired boy alive could they force the Yellow Flash into a deadly confrontation within the Land of Water.
"Lord Fuguki."
Hozuki Mangetsu materialized silently behind him.
"Find the silver-haired kid before those two do. If you can't..." Fuguki unwrapped the bandages on Samehada, the blade scraping a deep groove into the sand. "...you understand the consequences."
"Yes, sir."
Mangetsu bowed his head, skillfully concealing the rising killing intent within him. His eyes burned with fervor as he watched the distant figures of Kushimaru and Jinpachi.
「Your swords... they'll all be mine eventually.」
The net was slowly closing. Whether the fishermen would be dragged into the depths, or the great fish hauled ashore, the outcome would soon be revealed.
On one of the small islands, Kakashi's senses picked up two distinct chakra signatures beginning their search. Just as he'd predicted, they weren't together.
But what about the other two?
Despite making various preparations, the silver-haired youth couldn't guarantee victory. Only by fully ascertaining the enemy's numbers and tactics could Kakashi confidently plan to eliminate them one by one.
A cold wind howled outside, swirling into the cave, penetrating clothes, chilling necks, and stealing body heat. The girl lying on the ground shivered involuntarily and sneezed. She carefully opened her eyes, saw Kakashi hadn't noticed, and quickly closed them again.
"Stop pretending. If you don't actually sleep soon, it'll be morning," Kakashi said quietly.
"Cold..." Mei murmured.
Kakashi untied the black cloak he'd bought in the city earlier and tossed it to her. "Wear this."
The cloak still held the boy's warmth. Mei didn't act coy; she slowly put it on. It was a size too large for her, and when she curled up, it enveloped her down to her thighs.
"If we survive this... where can we even go?" she asked softly.
"Don't raise flags like that."
"Flag? What's a flag?"
"Where we go doesn't matter right now," Kakashi replied evasively.
"Then... can you... Never mind. It's nothing."
The girl seemed conflicted for a moment, then decided to feign sleep again. Kakashi didn't press her. In situations like this, even just closing your eyes offered a valuable moment of rest.
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