The forest around them was quiet; only the sound of their footsteps and the rustling leaves filled the air.
Sukuna kept up with Team 7 in formation along with Tazuna and Karin. Everything had been peaceful so far—maybe too peaceful.
Not even the Demon Brothers from the story showed up as the warning for the upcoming dangers like in the anime. That was more grating on Sukuna's mind than if they had shown up.
For the first time, he was facing the plot change so completely that he didn't know what would happen ahead of time. It honestly made him a bit annoyed. He had gotten used to relying on his anime knowledge quite a lot.
Most transfigurators did, honestly. So, when that advantage was gone, it really made for a very irritated transfigurator.
Sukuna's eyes scanned the trees around them, his senses on edge. Perhaps he would be a lot more at ease if Madara freaking Uchiha himself showed up. At least for now, he believed that was better than being in this constant state of alert, waiting for something to happen.
It was nerve-wracking.
And then it happened.
A massive sword came flying through the air, spinning like a deadly wheel. The sound of it cutting through the wind made everyone freeze for a second.
"DUCK!" both Kakashi and Sukuna shouted at once. Sukuna was a tad bit faster since he had already been on alert, and his Sharingan caught the object just that much quicker.
At least there was one advantage to his otherwise always-active Sharingan—constantly filling his mind with needless information, frying it, and making him wish he had something more opaque than his glasses.
Though that would technically make him blind since, unlike a certain honored one, he couldn't see through things.
As the command was announced, everyone dropped down just in time. The sword whizzed over their heads and slammed into a tree trunk, sinking halfway into the bark. The impact shook the ground.
"W-What was that?!" Naruto yelled, eyes wide. Karin, Tazuna, and Sakura thought the same.
Sasuke and Kakashi, however, had seen it—Sasuke because he immediately activated his Sharingan as soon as he heard the command, and Kakashi because, well, he was Kakashi.
Before anyone could answer, a tall figure appeared on top of the tree, standing on the sword handle with calm confidence. "Heh, not bad… You dodged."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "That figure and that sword… you are…" Kakashi lingered on his words, trying to be extra sure before he came to a conclusion. The ridiculous reclusiveness of the Hidden Mist meant that knowledge rarely got past their murky waters.
Kakashi was one of the most knowledgeable shinobi in the ninja world currently, but even he couldn't remember every shinobi he had fought before—or just heard of.
"The Demon of the Hidden Mist… Zabuza Momochi." Still, Kakashi was confident in his guess. The sword was definitely one of the seven famous blades of the Hidden Mist, and while Zabuza was never seen, he was mentioned as its wielder. The description of Zabuza matched this shinobi well enough.
Zabuza smirked, his voice deep and cold. "So, you've heard of me. Good. Makes things easier. Hand over the old man, and I'll let the rest of you walk away alive. I have no business with you Konoha shinobi."
Tazuna stepped back, trembling. Being a civilian, he had no idea who Zabuza was—honestly, if he had seen the man before, he most likely wouldn't have been standing there alive.
However, the look and aura were enough to tell that the shinobi was dangerous. Tazuna might be a drunkard, but he was no idiot. His years of experience told him that this was no ordinary ninja.
Naruto gritted his teeth. "You think we'll just hand him over?!"
Before Kakashi could answer, Sukuna raised an eyebrow. Something felt off. His instincts screamed that this wasn't the same as before.
No, it wasn't exactly his instincts but his senses. He could sense more than just Zabuza. Anyone who had seen Naruto would know that Zabuza wasn't alone—Haku was there with him, hiding somewhere.
However, he felt more than just one presence. Definitely more than one.
And then, three figures appeared behind Zabuza.
The first one wore a mask—Haku, that was obvious enough. But beside him stood two others: a white-haired boy carrying a sword and another pale boy with long hair and bones wrapped around his arm.
Sukuna's mind raced; he knew who they were. The one with bones sticking out of his hand was easy enough—it was Kimimaro, technically supposed to be the only living member of the Kaguya clan, if the coup d'état really took place even after his meddling.
The other guy was even more obvious to him. That hair color and look—it was so much like the man he fought all those years ago. But the age clarified that this wasn't him. This had to be his brother, Suigetsu.
'But why… why are these two here as well?' Sukuna blinked, wondering how things had changed to bring forth this difference.
"Seems we don't have the clear numbers advantage as I thought?" Karin muttered. At first, she felt that with their overwhelming numbers, no matter how powerful the shinobi was, they could handle it—but he too had his team.
This would be troublesome. And judging by the ages of those teammates, it was clear this was another three-man cell team like theirs. Well, like Team 7.
She and Sukuna were just temporarily tagging along, after all.
Zabuza chuckled. "My students. The new generation of the Hidden Mist. We've been sent on an official mission—to eliminate this bridge builder. So, I'll ask again. Turn around and go back. Hand the bridge builder over, and let's avoid the conflict."
Sasuke clenched his fists. "Actually, I'll prefer conflict," he smirked, his fighting spirit rising higher. Finally, it was a chance to see how strong he had become.
Sukuna's lips twitched. He wasn't sure if he should laugh or frown. He had definitely twisted Sasuke's character a bit with his presence.
"This… isn't how it's supposed to go," he muttered with an accepting sigh. Knowing that changes would show up sooner or later from the canon, he wasn't that surprised.
Naruto turned to him. "What do you mean?"
Sukuna didn't answer. Why did that brat have such good ears?
His mind was racing. In the original timeline, Zabuza was a rogue ninja, and Haku was the only one with him. But now? Now he had Suigetsu and Kimimaro too—and they were working for the Hidden Mist officially.
The numbers didn't matter to him that much. They still had a numerical advantage, and if nothing else, he alone was enough to handle all of them. Not overconfidence—just pure strength.
What really caught his attention was the official mission part. Did that mean Zabuza hadn't defected?
Kakashi stepped forward, pulling up his headband to reveal his Sharingan. "Whatever your mission is, we can't allow you to harm our client. If you want him, you'll have to go through us."
Zabuza grinned, lifting his sword off the tree with one hand. "I was hoping you'd say that."
Suigetsu cracked his knuckles. "This'll be fun."
Both Haku and Kimimaro also took their fighting stances.
"Great… finally I can show just how much stronger I've become. Just look at me, Sukuna—and you too, Sasuke-teme!" Naruto shouted with excitement.
"Tch, focus, dead last." Sasuke snorted and turned back to the enemies, trying to pick the best opponent for himself.
Sukuna smiled faintly, cracking his neck. "I do agree with that—it's a good chance to test yourself with a powerful opponent. Karin, you should pick one too and test your skills." Sukuna said, making the girl look at him with a baffled expression.
He meant it. These opponents were perfect for them to test their skills. While sparring against him was good, it wasn't close to a real fight. Real growth only happens in a life-or-death battle.
...
A/N : What do you guys thing ? I personally see this happening when Yagura woke up from Obito's control early and was alive after that too. What do you think?
xxx
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