Several months had passed since the flawless completion of the mission to capture Ao alive.During that time, Mitsuki finally unlocked the achievement of sweeping clean the entire coastline of the Land of Fire — an accomplishment worth celebrating.
Throughout this campaign, Kirigakure suffered devastating losses. Any Mist squad that appeared within range of Mitsuki's Six Eyes was doomed. Whether it was the team captain or the lowest-ranked member, not one of them survived once Mitsuki locked onto them.
Eventually, the Third Mizukage was forced to issue a humiliating command:
"If a Kirigakure shinobi encounters Konoha's Gale while on a mission, you are permitted to abandon the mission without it being considered a failure."
To force a Kage to issue such an order spoke volumes about Mitsuki's brutality. In Kirigakure, his name had already become infamous — children whispered stories about the terrifying "Konoha's Gale" before bed.
Of course, in those tales, he was the villain.
Conversely, on the Konoha–Kirigakure front, the arrival of such a monster of a shinobi after months of defensive struggle was an enormous morale boost. The tides of war against Kirigakure were now beginning to mirror the previous year's campaign in the Land of Rivers, where Konoha had crushed Sunagakure.
If nothing changed soon, the Land of Water was destined to become the third defeated nation in the Third Great Ninja War.
...
A small harbor on the Land of Fire's coastline.
Seven shinobi stepped ashore, each bearing a unique weapon on their back and wearing the headband of Kirigakure.They were none other than Kirigakure's most feared elite unit — the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Jūzō Biwa, wielder of the Kubikiribōchō, surveyed the area expressionlessly."Our mission target" he said flatly, "is a brat named Shimizu Mitsuki."
Raiga Kurosuki, the man known for wielding the Kiba, snorted coldly.
"That 'brat' isn't simple. Underestimate him, and we'll die ugly."
Jinpachi Munashi, the short-tempered wielder of the Shibuki, clicked his tongue, a dangerous smirk curling his lips.
"Quit the chatter. Let's find the kid and kill him already so we can go home."
His long-time partner, Kushimaru Kuriarare — the wielder of the Nuibari—knew his temper all too well. Though he didn't particularly like Jinpachi, he still tried to cool him down a bit.
"Don't be careless. A name that famous doesn't come without reason. Intelligence says that Konoha's Gale developed his own kekkei genkai."
If Jinpachi could tolerate that warning, the next comment from another swordsman immediately reignited his fury.
That voice belonged to Jinin Akebino, wielder of the Kabutowari.
"Heh~ The Konoha's Gale is someone even the Mizukage himself treats as a serious threat. Lord Mizukage even said we can run away if we meet him. You think you, Jinpachi, can make the Third Hokage say something like that about you? Huh?"
"What the hell did you just say, bastard?!"
Jinpachi roared, nearly drawing Shibuki on the spot. He probably would've detonated Jinin into mist if Jūzō hadn't stepped between them.
"Enough!"
The massive, shark-like Fuguki Suikazan, wielder of the Samehada, barked the command. His booming voice cut through the tension like a blade.
"If you idiots keep fighting, we'll kill each other before we even see Shimizu Mitsuki. The intel says he always operates alone. Once we find him, the seven of us together will crush him easily. This mission is a top priority—Lord Mizukage himself is watching. If we fail because someone lost their temper…"
His sharp gaze swept over the group, the pressure alone enough to silence them all.
Though Fuguki's words addressed everyone, Jinpachi could feel they were directed at him. Still, he didn't dare speak again.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen had no formal leader, but hierarchy naturally existed among them.
Fuguki, the most senior and the head of Kirigakure's intelligence division, was the de facto boss of the group. Jūzō, nearly his equal in rank and far sharper in wit, was the one whose advice everyone took seriously.
The others—Jinpachi, Kushimaru, Jinin, and Raiga—had all been recruited by the Third Mizukage around the same time, which was partly why Jinpachi and Jinen constantly butted heads, each trying to outshine the other.
The newest member, Mangetsu Hōzuki, wielder of the Hiramekarei, had joined the Seven Swordsmen last. Yet his strength easily placed him among their upper ranks.
That wasn't because of perfect compatibility with Hiramekarei, but because he was already immensely powerful — mastering several advanced Hōzuki Clan secret techniques.
At that moment, Chinen remained silent through the quarrel. But if one were to ask which of them burned most intensely to kill Shimizu Mitsuki, the answer would be obvious.
Not one of them hated Mitsuki more than Mangetsu.
Not long ago, Mitsuki had led a squad that killed his younger brother — Suigetsu, one of Ao's personal bodyguards. And everyone in the ninja world knew: the bond between brothers often ran deeper than blood, deeper than any bond of parent and child.
To kill one's brother was an unforgivable sin — one that demanded blood in return.
To make matters worse, since Suigetsu's failure to protect Ao and the Byakugan, the Hōzuki name had been dragged through the mud in the Mist Village. His corpse might as well have been hung on the village's Pillar of Shame.
Mangetsu had loved his brother deeply. He'd even brought him gifts from a mission in the Land of Earth — only to return home and find him dead, his name disgraced and mocked by the villagers.
For the record, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had been dispatched to the Land of Earth not long before, investigating Iwagakure's condition after their victory over Kumogakure. The Third Mizukage wanted to know what price Iwa had paid in that battle — whether Kirigakure could exploit the situation with a surprise attack.
That was why Mitsuki hadn't encountered the Seven Swordsmen until now.
The Mizukage had briefly considered attacking Sunagakure as well, given how Konoha had left them in ruins. But after some thought, he'd abandoned the idea. That wasteland held no strategic value worth bleeding for.
Now, Sunagakure sat in a strange yet secure position—too poor to plunder, too weak to threaten.The major villages saw no profit in attacking it, and the smaller ones lacked the strength to do so. Even Amegakure, once full of ambition under Hanzō, had gone eerily silent.
Quite unlike the man who once declared, "I will make Amegakure the sixth great hidden village."
Still, for Sunagakure, that silence was probably the best outcome they could hope for.