"Boom!!!"
A thunderous explosion echoed through the dense forest, the violent shockwave scattering the surrounding mist.
The stench of scorched flesh drifted on the wind.
"...Tch! What a waste."
Hōzuki Mangetsu stepped up to the edge of the blast crater.
Peering down, he saw dust and smoke still rising. The remains of the body—splintered bone fragments—were scattered outward in a radial spray.
It was only natural that no intact corpse was left behind. A dozen explosive tags carried enough power to shred a man into pieces. But still—such a pity about those eyes...
Mangetsu had intended to capture this rare prize alive. Even if that failed, he had hoped at least to preserve the Sharingan.
Yet this Uchiha was no ordinary shinobi. The moment he realized escape was impossible, he detonated every explosive tag on his person without hesitation—without even a second's pause—too fast for Mangetsu to intervene.
In the end, all Mangetsu gained was a field of charred bone fragments.
His mood soured further.
Lately, he had been receiving nothing but bad news.
The war was going poorly.
Now that Konoha had ended its conflicts with Kumogakure and Iwagakure, it was clear they were pouring more troops into the eastern front. With reinforcements arriving, Konoha abandoned its defensive strategy and bared its fangs, launching fierce counterattacks against the Mist.
The momentum shifted sharply. Where once Kirigakure had held the advantage, they were now being brutally forced onto the back foot.
The situation was sliding toward disaster.
"Captain."
Three Kiri-nin hurried over—Mangetsu's subordinates.
Not long ago, Mangetsu had received new orders: he was to report to the Kirigakure forward headquarters immediately. An important mission awaited. On the way, he had stumbled across this Konoha squad and decided to wipe them out.
But the fact that Konoha shinobi were already appearing so close to their main camp spoke volumes about how dire the front lines had become.
He had a suspicion about what kind of mission awaited him. He didn't know the details yet—but he was certain it wouldn't be anything easy or glorious. What lay ahead was bound to be a task both arduous and dangerous.
"Collect those two bodies."
Mangetsu ordered curtly.
Though the Sharingan had been lost, the other two Konoha corpses had survived the blast in relatively intact condition. Damaged, yes, but serviceable. Perhaps the interrogation unit could still extract useful intelligence from them.
He waited half a minute while his men secured the remains, then gave the order to continue moving.
This time, no further incidents occurred. They reached the Kiri's forward headquarters on the eastern coast of the Land of Fire without interruption.
"Mangetsu, you're finally here!"
A Kiri-nin greeted him the moment he arrived at the camp gates.
Mangetsu frowned. The man's tone only confirmed his suspicion: this mission was going to be worse than expected.
"I ran into some Konoha shinobi along the way—it delayed me a little. But Ryūsei, is it really that urgent? Don't tell me you've been waiting out here just for me."
"This isn't the place to talk. Come with me. We need to see Jin-sama."
Without waiting, the Kiri-nin—Kirigumo Ryūsei—grabbed Mangetsu by the arm and pulled him along.
"What about my squad?" Mangetsu asked.
"They'll be taken care of."
Soon, they arrived at the largest tent in the center of camp. Two Kiri guards stood watch at the entrance, eyes sharp and unyielding. Even with their status as heirs of noble clans—Kirigumo Ryūsei and Hōzuki Mangetsu, both regarded as prodigies—the guards maintained vigilance.
"Jin-sama, Mangetsu has arrived!" Ryūsei called out from outside the tent.
A moment later, a deep voice responded: "Enter."
The guards stepped aside.
Ryūsei lifted the flap and strode in, dragging Mangetsu behind him.
"Jin-sama, Mangetsu is here—and, ah, Ao-senpai, you're here too!"
Mangetsu gave a flat nod. "Jin-sama. Ao-senpai."
Inside were two men.
At the desk sat Terumī Jin, commander of Kirigakure's eastern front. His long, reddish-brown hair framed striking green eyes and handsome features, his appearance seeming closer to thirty—but in truth, he was well past forty. The Terumī clan aged gracefully, after all.
Standing before the desk was a tall man with gray-blue hair tied back, a single visible eye beneath a black eyepatch. Strange talisman charms hung from both ears. His expression was stern, almost forbidding. This was Ao—not from a noble clan, but personally trained by Elder Genji himself, and a trusted aide to the Fourth Mizukage.
Jin's face was grim, and paired with Ao's equally severe demeanor, it was clear the two had been in the middle of a heated debate. But Jin did not let that tension spill over onto Mangetsu and Ryūsei. He forced a smile.
"Mangetsu. Was your journey smooth?"
"Some trouble along the way, but it's been dealt with," Mangetsu replied.
"Trouble?" Jin's smile faded. His brow furrowed.
"A squad of Konoha shinobi."
"Where did you encounter them?"
"South of camp. Roughly twenty kilometers out."
"...So close already..." Jin exhaled heavily.
"Jin-sama, you said there was an important mission waiting for me. What exactly is it?" Mangetsu asked bluntly.
"...It's the Mizukage's order."
Jin fell silent for a few seconds before continuing. "You should already know—the war against Konoha is going poorly. To put it plainly, we're losing ground. At this pace, within a month we'll be forced to accept defeat, whether we want to or not."
"What do you need me to do?" Mangetsu didn't ask about the broader strategy.
He didn't care for politics or planning. What he wanted was combat—clashing blades and blood on the battlefield—not sitting at a desk.
"The Mizukage has decreed: to reverse the tide, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen will infiltrate Konoha's rear lines and conduct sabotage. But because Biwa Jūzō has been reassigned to another mission, he cannot participate. So... Mangetsu, you'll take Jūzō's place and move with the rest of the Seven Swordsmen."