The sky was clear, and the sun shone brightly.
Although autumn had arrived, it hadn't rained in the vicinity of Konoha for a while; the last rainfall was likely over half a month ago. On the dirt road of the main highway, every spot was dry and dusty enough to kick up clouds of grit with every step—except for two small, out-of-place puddles.
The setting was fundamentally at odds with those two patches of water.
Team 7, guarding the client Tazuna, held a tight formation with the target at the center. Kakashi walked alongside Tazuna, while Hinata led the way as the "arrowhead," with Naruto and Sasuke flanking the sides in a triangular formation.
Before leaving the immediate sphere of Konoha's influence, Hinata hadn't kept her Byakugan active to conserve chakra. However, as they passed the puddles, a sharp sense of incongruity struck her.
The team suddenly halted. Hinata formed a hand seal, preparing to use her ocular powers to scan the surroundings.
At that exact moment, two dark shadows lunged from the rear of the group. Chains descended from the air, instantly ensnaring Hatake Kakashi.
As the sound of the metal links echoed, Naruto and Sasuke whipped their heads around. Under their horrified gazes, the chains tightened with brutal efficiency. Within seconds, Kakashi's body was seemingly torn into several bloody segments.
"!!!"
The gruesome sight sent a shock through Naruto and Sasuke. Before they could react, a ninja wrapped in white bandages, wearing a Mist headband and a gas-mask-style breather, materialized in front of Naruto. The attacker swung a short, curved sickle directly at Naruto's exposed throat.
Mist Ninja!
They were still within the Land of Fire's territory, yet Mist Ninja were operating here. Worse, they had seemingly killed Hatake Kakashi instantly and were now capitalizing on Naruto's momentary shock.
As the first ninja struck, a second, similarly dressed assailant appeared behind Naruto. Coordinating perfectly to ensure a quick kill, the two "Demon Brothers" pincer-attacked the boy with twin sickles aimed at his vitals.
"Naruto!"
Just as the blades were about to bite, Hinata's low cry rang in his ear. In a blur of movement, she appeared at Naruto's side and shoved him clear.
Her Byakugan was open now, her vision instantly dissecting the battlefield. Moving with a speed born of high-intensity training, she lunged forward. With one hand, she caught the wrist of the front ninja; simultaneously, she used a "yielding" force to pull him toward her, using his own sickle to parry the strike coming from the ninja behind her.
"Clang!!"
The crisp sound of metal on metal snapped everyone back to reality. Naruto regained his footing instantly, reaching into his pouch and hurling shuriken at the ninja in front of Hinata.
Meanwhile, Sasuke, further back, adjusted his position with clinical speed. Before Tazuna even realized what was happening, Sasuke had positioned himself as a shield between the client and the attackers.
Though this was Team 7's first real escort mission, they had practiced these formations countless times at the Academy. The Ninja Academy wasn't just for books; it prepared students for the most common mission types through rigorous drills. As the top graduate, Sasuke knew that the client's safety was the only metric for success.
He didn't have time to mourn Kakashi. He had to protect Tazuna.
However, a thought flashed through Sasuke's mind: Something is wrong.
Generally, rogue ninjas don't attack commoners for petty cash. If it were money they wanted, they wouldn't target a group of Konoha shinobi. If it wasn't theft, it was assassination—but Tazuna seemed like a plain, unimportant old man.
Are they after the Hyuga's Byakugan?
Sasuke made his judgment in a heartbeat. His hands flew through a series of seals. Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique! A roaring sphere of flame surged toward the ninja behind Hinata, forcing the attackers to break their coordination.
The whistling of kunai and the searing heat of the fireball surprised the Mist Ninja. More surprising, however, was how easily the girl had neutralized their combined assault.
When they looked into Hinata's cold, veined eyes, their hearts sank.
Konoha's Hyuga Clan!
Recognizing her lineage, the two Mist Ninja immediately flicked away, vanishing into the trees.
The Silent Killing
The attacks from Naruto and Sasuke hit nothing but air. The Mist Ninja landed further down the road, blocking their path. They shared a look and began to weave seals in perfect unison.
A thick, unnatural fog began to roll out from the forest, quickly swallowing the road. Within moments, the visibility for Naruto, Sasuke, and Tazuna was reduced to less than two meters.
Hidden Mist Jutsu.
To perform a Mist technique of this scale in this dry weather suggested these two were experienced veterans. However, while the mist might obscure a Sharingan, it was useless against the X-ray vision of the Byakugan.
Hinata could see the enemies. She could see her teammates. And... she could see Kakashi.
Indeed, the attack hadn't killed Kakashi. He had used a Substitution Jutsu to test his students' reactions. He was currently crouched in the thicket by the roadside, watching intently. Had Naruto and Sasuke been more experienced, they would have noticed the lack of blood when "Kakashi" was shredded. But in the heat of a surprise attack, they had missed the detail.
Hinata, however, saw him clearly. Realizing his intent, her expression softened slightly. She backed up until her shoulders touched Naruto's.
"Naruto," she whispered. "I have their positions. Follow my lead."
Naruto calmed down instantly. His initial panic had been for Kakashi, but now he realized they had to save themselves. "Got it. Be careful."
He gripped a kunai, eyes darting through the white void. Meanwhile, Sasuke was whispering to Tazuna to stay close. He kept his eyes on Hinata, knowing she was their only "compass" in this fog.
Suddenly, the chains whistled through the air again. The Mist Ninja were trying to repeat their shredding tactic, targeting Hinata and Naruto simultaneously since they were standing so close.
Hinata saw it coming. Naruto heard the rattle only half a beat later.
"I'll handle this! Tell me where their real bodies are!" Naruto barked. He formed a seal—Shadow Clone Jutsu! Seven or eight clones burst into existence. One clone leaped upward, deliberately tangling himself in the chains to disrupt the momentum of the pull.
"One at one o'clock, the other at seven!" Hinata shouted.
Naruto didn't hesitate, launching shuriken with pinpoint accuracy toward those coordinates. He heard the clink of metal hitting metal in the fog, realizing they had blocked his projectiles, but the pressure of the attack had been broken.
The Mist Ninja, realizing these two were a tough nut to crack, immediately pivoted.
"Sasuke! They're coming for you!" Hinata screamed. She didn't dare move too far from Naruto, fearing a feint that would leave him isolated. If she was lured into the mist and surrounded, the team's vision would be permanently extinguished.
By shouting, she was also signaling Kakashi: Enough watching! Sasuke and the client are in danger!
The Jōnin's Intervention
"Is the target me?!" Sasuke tensed, his eyes scanning the white wall of fog.
Suddenly, two shadows lunged from his blind spot—not toward him, but toward the man behind him. The twin sickles swept toward Tazuna's waist in a silent, lethal arc.
The "Silent Killing" technique was so refined that Sasuke didn't even sense them. His "ninja instincts" didn't trigger because he wasn't the target. Tazuna, a mere civilian, was even more helpless.
"Well..."
A lazy, slightly disappointed voice echoed from behind Sasuke.
"You're all still far too green."
POW!
With two muffled thuds, Kakashi appeared. He grabbed each Mist Ninja by the throat, slamming them into the ground with enough force to kill. As their bodies went limp, a sudden gust of wind—generated by Kakashi's chakra—blew the mist away, revealing the clear road once more.
"Sasuke!"
"Huh? Kakashi-sensei? You're alive!"
Naruto and Hinata ran over. Naruto gaped at the very much not dead teacher, while Sasuke's expression shifted to one of "as I expected."
So strong... Sasuke looked at the two dead ninjas. He had felt their pressure; he knew that while Team 7 might have won eventually, they would have likely suffered injuries or a casualty. Yet Kakashi had ended it in a single second once he got serious.
The gap between a Genin and a Jōnin was an abyss. If Kakashi was this strong, how much stronger was his brother, the ANBU captain? Uchiha Itachi remained a mountain Sasuke had yet to even begin climbing.
"Haha, is everyone okay?" Kakashi asked with an eye-smile, as if he hadn't just crushed two throats.
He had seen what he needed to see. Team 7 had flashes of brilliance. Hinata's leadership and Naruto's quick thinking were commendable. If not for the liability of the client, they could have handled it.
But then, Kakashi's gaze sharpened. He had suspected the same thing as Sasuke. Initially, he thought they were after the Byakugan. But after watching them bypass the ninjas to kill the client...
Tazuna...
Kakashi didn't say a word, but his eyes lingered on the old man. Tazuna avoided his gaze, pulling his straw hat lower to hide his face.
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