Hanyu Town—a small, ordinary settlement in the Land of Rain.
But hidden in this unremarkable place lived a major figure in the underground market: a black market shinobi known as Black Fog.
After confirming the exact location of the town, Hoshiyomi and Kuugetsu headed straight for it.
Thanks to Konoha's victories on both battlefronts, they now controlled more than seventy percent of the Land of Rain's territory. Technically speaking, Hanyū Town was within Konoha's temporary sphere of control, so there was no need to worry about deep-penetration operations behind enemy lines.
That made things simpler. The town was small, with very few shinobi. A simple sweep with sensory perception would be enough to locate Black Fog.
After searching the town for half a day, Hoshiyomi had already combed through most of it. When passing by an inconspicuous house, he suddenly stopped.
Kuugetsu, who had long since lost the excitement she'd had at the start of their trip, was no longer looking around with curiosity. Instead, she followed along mechanically, head lowered.
She didn't even notice that Hoshiyomi had stopped. She bumped right into him and blinked in confusion.
"Sensei, why did you stop?"
Hoshiyomi found himself thinking this disciple might have a certain hidden "airheaded" side to her that could be amusing to explore later — but now was not the time. Eyes fixed on the humble-looking house ahead, he said:
"Because we've arrived."
At that very moment, inside the house, a middle-aged man's eyes snapped open. In a quiet little town like this, such a strong chakra presence appearing right at his doorstep could only mean one thing — whoever it was, they were here for him.
Black Fog, who considered himself the number one fighter in the Land of Rain's underworld, felt no fear at the thought of an unknown visitor. Without a moment's hesitation, he picked up the Sword of Kusanagi: Chokutō — lying beside him, and stepped outside.
At the front door, Hoshiyomi and Black Fog made eye contact, then simultaneously looked at the ninja blades at each other's waists.
Black Fog's heart stirred when he saw the elegant curve of Hoshiyomi's Mikazuki Munechika, silently admiring its craftsmanship — and feeling a surge of desire to claim it for himself.
Hoshiyomi, on the other hand, instantly recognized the straight, slender ninja blade at Black Fog's waist. There was no doubt — this was the Sword of Kusanagi: Chokutō, one of the Kusanagi Swords, and later to become Sasuke's weapon in the original story. His trip hadn't been in vain.
Hoshiyomi met the man's gaze and said calmly:
"Put down your sword, and I'll let you live."
"That's my line, brat. Best not get too full of yourself."
There was no room for further words. At the same moment, both men placed their hands on their hilts.
Hoshiyomi's master-level swordsmanship was no joke. The moment the Mikazuki Munechika was unsheathed, he had already gained the upper hand.
Black Fog's swordsmanship was already quite good, but he was immediately at a disadvantage the moment he drew his sword. Hoshiyomi's Mikazuki Munechika had already thrust forward, while Black Fog was barely drawing his Kusanagi Sword.
Cold sweat prickled Black Fog's brow. He didn't yet know the full extent of his opponent's strength, but one thing was certain — this man's swordsmanship surpassed his own.
Still, years of battle-hardened experience weren't for nothing. Black Fog twisted his wrist, using the Kusanagi Sword to parry the thrust, while swinging the scabbard upward as a makeshift weapon.
It was a move reminiscent of the "Twin Dragon Flash," but Hoshiyomi wasn't going to fall for it.
He took a step back to evade the scabbard's strike, then brought Mikazuki Munechika down in a powerful overhead cut.
This was the second stage of Twin Dragon Flash: Thunder, but executed with both hands gripping the hilt.
Black Fog's right hand held the Kusanagi Sword, while his left was still committed to wielding the scabbard offensively. That meant he couldn't abandon the attack in time to grip his sword with both hands and properly block.
That left him only one gamble — hope the other's raw strength wasn't as great as it seemed. Gritting his teeth, he braced the Kusanagi Sword in one hand to catch the descending blade, while swinging the scabbard at Hoshiyomi again.
Unfortunately for him, he had underestimated his opponent. The moment the blades met, the sheer power of Hoshiyomi's two-handed strike nearly wrenched the Kusanagi Sword from his grip.
Forced to abandon his attack with the scabbard, Black Fog braced it against the back of the Kusanagi Sword's blade to reinforce his block.
Even so, he barely avoided being crushed to the ground, rolling backward in a clumsy retreat to escape Hoshiyomi's follow-up.
That terrifying level of swordsmanship… there was no mistake. This could only be the man who had shaken the Land of Rain — Konoha's Silver Moon, Gekkō Hoshiyomi.
When he thought that the young man in front of him was the rumored Gekkō Hoshiyomi who had defeated Hanzo alongside the Sannin, Black Fog's heart grew cold. He even had an uncontrollable thought of surrendering the Kusanagi Sword to save his life
But his unwillingness to part with the Kusanagi Sword made him suppress his desire to live.
So what if he's the Silver Moon? If I can't beat him, I can still run.
With that thought, Black Fog suddenly formed hand seals.
"Secret Art — Black Mist Concealment!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he exhaled a thick, dense black fog. His codename came from this very technique.
This was no ordinary Hiding in Mist Jutsu — mixed into it was the ink of a cuttlefish species unique to the Land of Rain, reducing visibility to an extreme worse than pitch-black.
Alone, that wouldn't be much of a threat to a shinobi with good hearing.
But Black Fog had a second secret technique to pair with it — Secret Art: Thunderclap.
Within the impenetrable blackness, several Lightning Release shadow clones split off, each channeling lightning chakra into their Kusanagi Sword.
The Sword of Kusanagi: Chokutō's exceptional chakra conductivity amplified the technique's power. Under his deliberate control, the crackle of lightning grew sharper and higher in pitch, until the mist rang with an ear-splitting chorus of birdlike chirps.
Kuugetsu clutched her ears, wincing in pain at the piercing noise.
Black Fog grinned in satisfaction. Depriving an enemy of both sight and hearing often led to swift victory — countless targets had died to this simple but effective combination.
But Konoha's Silver Moon wasn't someone you could judge by common sense. Black Fog had no intention of dragging this out—he let his clones maintain the noise while his true body began to slip away.
Against someone else, he might have escaped. Unfortunately for him, Hoshiyomi had already mastered a perfect counter to such techniques back when he faced Hanzō: his Wind Barrier.
A swirling current of Wind Release swept the black fog away, exposing Black Fog's fleeing form. Without hesitation, Hoshiyomi used Shunpō followed by Crescent Moon Slash to end his life.
The Kusanagi Sword: Chokuto — one of the Kusanagi Sword — had changed hands.