A special thank you to my patrons:
—Cain, kevin Williams, Jose Carrillo, Jose Sierra, Salim, Vora, kurtis newman, 66835, Alex Rushing.
ad 30 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
-------------------------------------------------------------
Mangetsu, Zabuza, Suigetsu, and Haku were discussing the night's operation at their "base"—a somewhat aged tavern within Kirigakure.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open.
The four of them were startled.
Their mission was to overthrow the Mizukage's regime. If discovered beforehand and reported, they would all be dead.
Mangetsu's heart raced. He turned to see the person who entered, his anxious heart settling, only to be replaced by irritation. "Why is it you? Couldn't you knock?"
Akimoto Ruri closed the door behind her. "Have you already begun the operation?"
"Not yet. The second half of the night is better. Kirigakure's main forces should be tired, their vigilance lowered. That's when we'll act, breaching the village gates in one go."
"Then it wasn't you... This is bad." Ruri placed her hands on the table. "Chaos outside. The gates were opened by someone. Fighting has already broken out at the village entrance."
"What?" Mangetsu was stunned, immediately rushing out of the room, the other three close behind.
On the street, ninja continuously ran past them.
"What's happening?" Mangetsu was baffled.
Ruri tugged at his clothes again, signaling him to return to the tavern first.
Once everyone was back in the room, Ruri spoke. "The rebels have already moved."
"How could they..." Mangetsu's face paled. "We haven't started yet. Who opened the village gates?"
"Maybe it was like-minded people within Kirigakure... After all, we're not the only ones who hate Igawa Bu," Suigetsu said, clenching his fists, his face excited.
Mangetsu shot Suigetsu a look. "You really don't use your brain, do you?"
"What?"
"If this person—whoever they are, whether they're on our side or not—opened Kirigakure's gates early, with the purpose of letting the rebels in, do you know what that means? It means... he, or they, not only discovered the rebels' movements but also guessed our plan. Doesn't that scare you? We're being led by the nose by whoever opened that gate." Mangetsu said gravely.
Suigetsu's face turned ashen. He hurriedly asked, "Then what... what do we do now?"
"What else can we do?" Zabuza lifted a floorboard, retrieving the Executioner's Blade from underneath. "We can't back down now. If we do, and the rebels are suppressed by Kirigakure's forces, we'll lose our chance. As for you..."
Zabuza looked at Ruri.
Ruri shook her head. "I won't join your action... If we must face the Mizukage, I can fight with my life. But those other Kirigakure ninja... in the end, I am one of them."
Suigetsu frowned.
Ruri's eyes were evasive, clearly conflicted.
"But what will you do next?" Zabuza asked further.
"Next... I'll likely try to contact Mei Terumī. To keep this battle within acceptable limits, Mei Terumī's support is indispensable."
"Just someone picking the fruits when they're ripe..." Suigetsu muttered under his breath.
Ruri glared coldly at Suigetsu. "I heard that."
"So what if you did? I'm not wrong..."
"Shut up! Apologize!" Mangetsu cut Suigetsu off.
"Brother..."
"Don't call me brother if you don't apologize." Mangetsu said resolutely.
Suigetsu's face flushed red. Grudgingly, he uttered, "I'm sorry."
Ruri didn't respond, turning and leaving the room.
"Brother, look at her..."
"Shut up! You speak without thinking... Picking fruits? Ha, do you really think winning this battle today will be easy? Our enemies are two Mizukage plus two Tailed Beasts. At the same time, there's that mysterious gate-opener whose identity is unknown. Do you think the rebels alone can win this fight? Anyone caught up in this battle will be lucky to survive until dawn. The fruits aren't that easy to pick. You'd better worry about whether you'll still be alive at daybreak!"
Mangetsu took the Twin Swords, Hiramekarei, that Zabuza had retrieved from under the floorboards. "Get ready, we move out! No matter what, we must stabilize the situation first and wait for Makoto's squad to reinforce!"
"Yes!"
The three men left the tavern, quickly disappearing into the mist.
*****
Makoto stared at Hidan in astonishment. Around Hidan, ten bodies already lay on the ground.
These were the core members of the rebels, most of them Kekkei Genkai users.
Even facing Kirigakure Jōnin, they wouldn't have died so swiftly.
If the first man with the club died due to carelessness, the other nine who fell had clearly used their respective Kekkei Genkai...
No, one more hadn't even had time to use his Kekkei Genkai before being cleaved by the multi-sectioned scythe.
More critically, his companion stood to the side, showing no sign of wanting to intervene, clearly looking down on them.
'Where did these two come from?' Cold sweat broke out on Makoto's forehead.
"Kabetsu! Take the others and retreat immediately..." Makoto ordered the people behind her, while her gaze remained fixed on Hidan, wary of any sudden movement.
From a large tree behind Hidan, a dark figure rose. He exchanged a glance with Makoto, gave a slight nod, then drew back his bow and fired an arrow straight at Hidan's chest.
The arrow flew with incredible speed but made no sound.
This was that man's Kekkei Genkai. It could eliminate sounds caused by wind, channeling that suppressed energy into an object. Upon impact, the pent-up sound energy would erupt outward.
The arrow pierced Hidan's heart without issue. The shaft exploded inside Hidan's body. Hidan fell backward, collapsing to the ground.
"Got him!" The archer clenched his fist triumphantly and shouted. The next moment, a kunai thrown by Kakuzu struck him, and he fell from the tree.
Seeing her comrade die so brutally, pain shot through Makoto's heart. But at least the scythe-wielding ninja was dead. Now there was only one left.
"We have no grudge with you, yet you obstruct our mission. Now, your companion is dead too. So..." Makoto suppressed her rising fury, speaking sternly. "Do you want to end up like him?"
"I'd love to, but there's one thing you got wrong. He's not dead," Kakuzu said.
"He's already fallen..." Makoto's words cut off abruptly. The Hidan who had just fallen was now standing up again. "You're not dead!? What are you?"
"Me? Is it important?" Hidan grinned, baring his teeth. "Since you can't kill me... Let me think, should I just kill all of you?"
"Kabetsu, take the others and go. The brothers up ahead have already breached Kirigakure's gates. Don't let their blood be shed in vain."
"What about you!?" Kabetsu yelled.
"I'll hold them off!" Cold sweat beaded on Makoto's forehead.
"I didn't agree to let them leave..." Hidan swung his multi-sectioned scythe, attempting to bypass Makoto. Suddenly, a massive ice spear, two meters long, shot up from the ground.
While slicing through the ice spear, Hidan's body was forced back. When he looked forward again, the others had vanished into the night and thick fog.
"I told you, you can't pass." Makoto took a deep breath, her eyes locked on Hidan.