"The first target… in the Hidden Cloud Village? Are you sure you're not joking? I have a feeling that working with you may not be the best decision. My goal is to destroy the Leaf Village, and provoking the Cloud Shinobi isn't exactly in my favor."
Sitting in a room marked "Lab" on the door, Hama grumbled, dissatisfied with Hiruko's mission request.
Although they were allies and partners, Hama felt as if Hiruko treated him more like a subordinate, which irritated him.
"Even if you avoid provoking the Cloud Shinobi now, once the Leaf Village is destroyed, the Land of Fire will still have to face the Cloud, Rock, Mist, and Sand Shinobi. They are enemies of the Land of Fire and thus yours as well. Making a move against them shouldn't be a burden to you, should it?"
Hiruko spoke calmly.
If only he wasn't staring obsessively at the fresh blood he had just drawn from Hama—it would have made him seem more convincing. His absent-minded expression didn't help his credibility.
Still, Hama grudgingly accepted the explanation.
He was doing all this to ensure the Land of Fire had only one supreme force. No matter how others saw it, he believed his actions were for the country's greater strength. For the sake of the Land of Fire, he was willing to take out a few Cloud Shinobi.
"Remember your promises."
Hama rolled down his sleeve to cover his arm, which still bore the mark from the blood sample Hiruko had taken just moments before, following an injection of an inhibitor he had spent four days developing.
"Time will prove my integrity," Hiruko said with a smile, placing the test tube on the rack.
"Let's hope so."
It had been six days since their first meeting. Over several discussions, they established a partnership: Hama delivered a White Zetsu to Hiruko and agreed to help gather "materials." In return, Hiruko promised to address Hama's issue within a year and, after completing his own plans, would make a move on the Leaf Village.
Whether the terms were fair depended on perspective, but if both parties were content, that was enough.
"Heading out already?" Hiruko asked, watching Hama pack.
"Not much point in staying here any longer. Besides, I'm not keen on lingering in a place like this when I could be working. By the way, how long can your inhibitor keep me moving freely?"
"About a month. If you use that forbidden power, the effect will shorten. I had planned to monitor you for a while, but… you don't seem too willing to cooperate!"
"No need. A month's enough; I'll be back before it wears off."
Hama opted to reject Hiruko's plan.
He had already wasted enough time; five years had passed since he left the Daimyo's estate. If Hiruko could truly help resolve his issue, Hama figured he still had three or four decades left—assuming he wasn't killed in the meantime.
But his patience wasn't infinite.
Taking the forbidden jutsu of the Tsuchigumo Clan had brought him closer to realizing the urgency of time. Relying on a distant future seemed unwise; the longer he delayed, the more unpredictable things would become, especially since he could no longer sense any personal growth in his power.
While he stagnated, the Leaf Village was recovering from the losses it sustained during the Third Shinobi World War and the Nine-Tails' attack. Young talents had been emerging in the Leaf, while the forces he gathered hadn't grown as strong as he had hoped.
Since Hiruko seemed interested in challenging the Leaf, why not give him a push?
After all, the White Zetsu wasn't his asset. Lending Hiruko a little manpower seemed like a fair deal, and from what Hiruko had displayed of his own abilities, he might just be able to trouble the Leaf Village.
Hama left Mount Miro.
Meeting up with his comrades outside the mountain, they set off toward the northeast, heading for the Land of Lightning.
---
Time passed in a blur, and spring gave way to summer.
By late June, a teahouse sat along a road leading to the Hidden Mist Village. Travelers wearing straw hats rested there, weary from months of travel. They had witnessed the towering peaks and thunderous scenes of the Land of Lightning, explored its vast, desolate mountain ranges, and even experienced its unique "rock rain."
Now, they had journeyed to the island nation of the Land of Water.
"This fog is insufferable," Ziko complained, munching on a coarse snack from the teahouse.
Having grown used to the clear seasonal scenery of the Land of Fire, she found the perpetually misty, seasonally ambiguous Land of Water to be incredibly unpleasant.
"We'll leave once our task here is complete; we won't stay long," Hama said, sipping the bitter tea, his face twitching from its awful taste. But in a roadside teahouse, there wasn't much room for high expectations.
"Hey, Tenme, has our target arrived yet?" Ziko asked, turning to her companion.
"No," Tenme replied listlessly. "I'd tell you if I saw anything. And Ziko, please stop asking every few minutes; let me rest for a bit, will you?"
"Hmph! Fine, I won't ask," Ziko huffed.
Ignoring their bickering, Hama continued sipping the dreadful tea, contemplating the future. Once they acquired this target's materials, according to Hiruko's plan, it would be time to target the Leaf Village. Then, he could see how far the Leaf had truly come.
Time crept by slowly.
Though the fog concealed the sun's position, the clock's hands had ticked past two. According to their intel, the target should arrive soon. Tenme, who had been resting his head on the table, lifted it and whispered:
"They're here."
"Finally!" Ziko exhaled, standing up and transforming into the teahouse's owner—a small, white-haired old man. As for the real owner, Ziko had knocked him out, gagged him, and stashed him in the bushes some twenty meters away.
Only two other guests remained in the teahouse, who had also been tied up and stashed with the owner in the bushes.
And with that, they successfully took over the teahouse. Ziko transformed into the teahouse's owner, while Hama and Tenme sat in a corner, still wearing their hats and cloaks, looking as suspicious as ever.
---
"Brother Mangetsu, let's take a break here! Let's have some tea before we keep going."
"If you're tired, we'll stop."
Their voices reached the ears of the three hidden shinobi.
Disguised as the old owner, Ziko smiled. Their target willingly stepping into the trap was ideal; they had planned for the possibility of an ambush, but this was much easier. It seemed luck was on their side.
A group of people lifted the curtain and entered the room. There were four of them, both men and women, all young. They wore the standard Mist Village vests and forehead protectors. The leader, a young man with white hair and purple eyes, was none other than Hozuki Mangetsu, who had recently returned home on leave.
"Welcome. Please, have a seat."
"What would you like to order?" asked Zizi, who had disguised herself as an old man, speaking in a raspy voice.
"Just give us your best tea, and maybe a few snacks," Mangetsu replied casually. As he glanced around, he noticed two mysterious figures in black cloaks and straw hats sitting in a corner. His brow raised slightly in curiosity, but he didn't comment. Instead, he sat near the door.
"Brother Mangetsu, are you really leaving?" asked a young man with short brown curls who looked about seventeen or eighteen, sitting across from Mangetsu. He looked at him eagerly and added, "Couldn't you stay in the village? We could send a few others to Konoha. It'd be great if you stayed!"
"No, Hirokane. Once I'm back in the village, I'm heading out again," Mangetsu replied, shaking his head. He didn't seem eager to discuss it further.
Mangetsu changed the subject. "Do you see those two over there? Something seems strange about them."
Hirokane glanced at the two figures in the corner and shrugged. "They don't look like regular folks, but probably just ninja from some clan. Not anyone from the village, I'd guess." He dismissed it easily.
In the Land of Water, the Mist ninja only saw each other as competition. Other clans, rogue ninja, or smaller groups didn't concern them; even the once-powerful Kaguya clan had fallen to the Mist. Why worry about anyone else?
"No, there's something unusual about them," Mangetsu insisted, sipping the tea brought to him by the owner. His brow furrowed as he looked down at the greenish-yellow liquid. "This taste… something feels off."
"It's pretty bad, yeah. But these little places are like that," Hirokane agreed, grimacing as he bit into a soy sauce cracker.
Nearby, the two other Mist ninja showed no reaction to the tea, but—
"Something's wrong with this tea," Mangetsu said suddenly. His body quickly transformed into water, separating out a drop of dark purple liquid from the stream. Eyes widening, he glared at the disguised Zizi. "Who are you?!"
"Poisoned?" gasped Hirokane, dropping his cracker as he felt weakness spread through his limbs. His vision blurred, and before he could say a word, he slumped over the table. The other two Mist ninja had already collapsed.
"My poison didn't work?" Zizi dropped her disguise, surprised to see Mangetsu unaffected.
"Seems the Hozuki clan's hydration technique is as impressive as they say," said Homma, standing up with Tenmoku and Zizi. Together, they moved to surround Mangetsu.
Homma eyed Mangetsu with interest. The hydration technique… It was a fascinating skill. He wondered if someone outside the Hozuki clan could learn it. But something told him that even if it were possible, it wouldn't work for him. His chakra lacked the Water nature, which likely disqualified him.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Mangetsu asked sharply, trying to recall where he'd seen Zizi before. But the hazy memory eluded him, and the hats worn by Homma and Tenmoku obscured their faces, revealing nothing useful.
"It doesn't matter who we are," replied Homma, picking up a metal staff and tapping it against the floor. "I'll deal with you quickly."
At that, Zizi attacked, hurling poisoned senbon needles at Mangetsu. He casually deflected them. Thanks to his hydration technique, he had no fear of physical attacks or poisons; any weapon or toxin would pass harmlessly through his water form. But Mangetsu knew these strangers likely had more tricks.
The battle, it seemed, was just beginning.
Just then, a row of earthen spikes rose from the ground, forcing Mangetsu to react. While he himself wasn't vulnerable, his poisoned companions couldn't defend against the spikes. He threw Hirokane and the others to safety, away from the attack.
But then, one of the mysterious cloaked figures lunged at Hirokane and the others, scooping up the unconscious Hirokane and preparing to flee. Mangetsu froze for a split second, realizing their true target was Hirokane. He sprang forward to intercept, but a thick wall of rock rose up, blocking his path.
"Your opponent is me, prodigy of the Hozuki clan," Homma taunted, stepping forward to confront Mangetsu.
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