Under the high sun, the polished edge of the Kusanagi blade glinted like a warning in Uchiha Kaien's hand. Below him, Terumi Mei's heart hammered as she tightened her grip on the kunai, her breath shallow. In the blade's reflection, she glimpsed Kaien's face—handsome, calm, twisted into a cold, triumphant smile.
She felt her fate slip away.
But then, the world shifted. A powerful roar of water sliced through the air.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
With a thunderous whoosh, torrents of chakra-charged water dragons burst from seal formations around Kaien, crashing into the mist ninjas and ripping them apart. Explosions bloomed as kunai with embedded tags detonated and jutsu collided in a chaotic ballet.
Kaien's sword halted mid-strike. He pivoted on a heel, the blade singing as it redirected the incoming attacks. A wave of force slammed into Mei's back, and she coughed up blood.
"Ugh!"
A merciless kick sent her body spinning through the air—Kaien using her as a makeshift shield against flying kunai and tag blasts. Pain exploded in her ribs, but she clung to consciousness.
He leapt back, sword poised. "The Mist truly despises Kekkei Genkai users," he said, voice as cold as steel.
Anger flared in Mei's dark eyes—this man, sowing discord even as he fought her.
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
She thrust her palms forward, forming a translucent barrier that absorbed shockwaves of explosions. Shrapnel rained down, and Mei tasted blood at the corner of her mouth, her abdomen pierced by a blade. Her lungs burned; one more cut and she'd be dead.
When the dust settled, she spat a choking stream of vapor.
"Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique!"
A suffocating fog blossomed around her, and in its swirl, a flash of lightning cut through the haze. Kaien frowned as he withdrew his sword, scarlet droplets tracing its edge.
"Escaped, huh? Worthy of you, to flee even now," he murmured.
Deep in a shadowed grove, Terumi Mei collapsed beside a shallow puddle. Her mask was cracked, blood soaked her garments, and each breath was a battle. She stared at the oscillating mist and recalled the terrified villagers she'd sworn to protect—abandoned by their own shinobi, left to die.
Her chest heaved with rage. "Uchiha clan," she whispered, "we're far from finished."
In the distance, thunder rumbled. On the battlefield, Uchiha Kaien emerged, electricity dancing along his skin. His cursed seal blazed, inflating his strength and speed until he blurred with lightning. A dozen mist-nin corpses lay at his feet, limbs scattered. With Sharingan-enhanced vision, he weaved through foes, Thunder Style: Chidori crackling in his grasp.
"Nothing but prey," he thought, voice distant. "And I am the storm."
Kaien plunged his arm into the heart of another mist ninja. The Chidori Current's paralyzing charge turned them to statues, and with a practiced twist of his sword, he finished them. Their bodies slumped; the thunder quieted.
Somewhere behind him, a shout: "Retreat! I repeat, retreat!"
Mist ninjas fired signal flares that arced skyward, blanketing the field in rolling fog.
"Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
Within seconds, the world became a drifting white. Kaien's foes vanished like ghosts, but the Hidden Mist covered their escape.
"Byakugan, report!" came a voice.
"Retreat bearing eleven o'clock!" another answered.
"Thirteen o'clock!" "Eight o'clock, forest edge!" The Hyūga scouts' calls cut through the haze. Leaf shinobi smiled behind masks.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A gale tore through the mist, revealing silhouettes of fleeing figures. Branches snapped, fog dispersed, and the battlefield lay in ruin. Bodies of mist nin littered the clearing; their heads removed—secrets for Konoha's libraries. The wounded were spared; medical squads hurried forward.
"Stabilize their chests," ordered a jonin. "Tourniquets on those with minor cuts. Replenish chakra."
Jonin and Chūnin barked orders, and the Leaf forces reassembled, disciplined as a single blade.
Kaien sheathed his sword. Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy appeared at the forest's edge, their expressions grave.
"Captain Kaien," Guy panted, concern in his stance.
Kaien inclined his head. "This was only a probe."
Kakashi tightened his headband over his Sharingan. "They want to wear us down," he stated.
Kaien's lips curved into a grim smile. "Exactly. The Mist uses attrition; they hold fewer lands but can strike repeatedly. Their Fourth Mizukage—under Tobi's sway—seeks to weaken both Konoha and their own blood clans."
Kakashi's brow furrowed. "Their two mines are side by side. Our three are scattered. They'll concentrate power; we're vulnerable."
Kaien nodded. "They covet our chakra-metal and iron deposits. Unless reinforcements arrive, they'll raid us at leisure."
Kakashi's eye gleamed. "So it's a war of resources. We have numbers; they have initiative."
Kaien's gaze turned steely. "And I fear they'll aim to draw us into every skirmish."
Kakashi managed a half-smile. "Watch your eyes, Kaien."
Kaien's own scarlet Sharingan flickered. "I will. We both bear Mangekyō burdens."
A hush fell as two Sharingan warriors exchanged knowing glances. Beyond the grove, Konoha stood ready.
Hidden Mist Village, Mizukage's chambers.
Fourth Mizukage Yagura unfurled a scroll, his lips curling. Crimson tomoe shimmered in his gaze.
"Laughable," he whispered. "Let Konoha bleed. Tobi will guide my hand."
An ANBU officer knelt at the door. "Orders, Lord Yagura?"
"Notify Raikage A and Ōnoki: we claim the Land of Whirlpools. But we need distractions—send 300 more shinobi here."
"Yes, Lord Mizukage."
With a flourish, Yagura sealed the scroll. Over a thousand mist-nin now pressed into the whirlpool territory. A clear message: aid us, or watch us seize it.
Hidden Cloud Village, Raikage's study.
Fourth Raikage A roared with laughter, slapping his desk. "Leaf in chaos—at last, they'll falter!"
"Hearty as ever, old friend," his advisor replied.
"Send word to the Mizukage: Cloud forces bolster the whirlpool front," A ordered. Then he grinned. "Spread word among the smaller villages—let them think Konoha is on its last legs."
"Yes, Fourth."
A slapped the table again. "Their Four-Tails disaster, Orochimaru's betrayal… it's the perfect storm!"
Iwagakure, Tsuchikage's hall.
Elder Ōnoki peered at intelligence papers, then chuckled. "Sand's short-sighted as ever. It's time for a little chaos."
He summoned a messenger. "Hire Akatsuki. Stoke turmoil at Konoha's borders. And send envoy to Sunagakure—offer an alliance, but at our price."
The messenger bowed and departed. Ōnoki stroked his beard. "Let Sarutobi bargain for the Sand. He won't like the cost."
He watched the sunset beyond the courtyard. "After so long in Konoha's shadow… it's time to pull down the strongest."
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