The alarm shattered the night.
Hanekawa's eyes snapped open before the sound fully registered. Around the base camp, ninja were already moving—trained reflexes overriding sleep. He rolled out of his sleeping bag and stepped into the cool air.
"All team captains, assemble at the main tent. Now."
Tsunade's voice carried across the compound with the weight of command. Hanekawa exchanged a quick glance with Kurenai and Rin. They moved without discussion.
The main tent was already crowded when they arrived. Tsunade stood at the center, her expression grim.
"The Hidden Mist Village has launched a full-scale assault on our northeastern stronghold," she announced, her words clipped and efficient. "The Third Mizukage is leading the attack personally. We're mobilizing support teams immediately. Assignments are being distributed now."
Hanekawa's mind raced. A full-scale attack? With the Mizukage himself?
That didn't make tactical sense. In any prolonged conflict, both sides ground each other down gradually. You didn't commit everything unless you had overwhelming advantage or absolute certainty of victory. The current forces were roughly balanced—a fifty-fifty proposition at best.
Unless someone was manipulating the board.
Uchiha Madara.
The name crystallized in his thoughts like ice forming on still water. Madara still possessed a three-tomoe Sharingan, even without his Rinnegan. Enough power to control the Three-Tails. Enough influence to bend the Third Mizukage to his will.
The real question was why. Madara's endgame involved Rin—the future Three-Tails jinchuriki. Everything else was just pieces moving into position.
"Move out!" Tsunade's command snapped him back to the present.
The camp erupted into organized chaos. Teams dispersed in all directions. Hanekawa, Kurenai, and Rin followed Tsunade toward the northeastern stronghold, accompanied by Hyuga Hizashi and his unit.
"The northeastern stronghold," Tsunade said as they moved. "They're targeting our supply depot."
Hanekawa's frown deepened. That location was deliberately obscure—known only to high-level command. How had Mist discovered it?
White Zetsu.
The artificial beings could use Mayfly Technique to travel undetected, combined with their Disguise Jutsu to infiltrate and gather intelligence. With both abilities working in concert, finding a hidden stronghold would be trivial.
The pieces were falling into place. And none of it was coincidence.
Ten minutes later, the stronghold came into view—shrouded in thick mist, screams echoing from within.
"Byakugan," Tsunade commanded.
Hizashi's eyes activated, the veins around them bulging as his vision pierced the fog. "Twenty Mist ninja. The Third Mizukage is among them. Eight of our people are still alive, holding position near the mountain ridge."
"You handle the rescue," Tsunade said. "Hanekawa and I will deal with the Mizukage."
Hanekawa raised a hand before they could move. "Wait."
He formed seals, and chakra flowed through his hands. The air rippled, and a massive slug materialized before them.
"Slug, I need you to split into six. Follow them."
The slug's body divided smoothly, smaller versions climbing onto the shoulders of Kurenai, Rin, and the others.
Tsunade caught his meaning immediately but said nothing. The slugs would serve as both protection and a tracking method. If Madara made a move—when he made a move—Hanekawa would know.
"Go," Tsunade said. "We'll handle the Mizukage."
Hizashi and his team vanished into the mist. Hanekawa waited two seconds, then looked at Tsunade. "Ready?"
She nodded.
Hanekawa's hands moved through the seals. Chakra erupted from his core, and a massive water dragon coalesced above them, roaring as it dove toward the mist.
The attack passed through empty air.
Three figures emerged from the fog as the dragon dissipated.
"Is this how Princess Tsunade greets her guests?" The voice was smooth, almost amused. The speaker had long black hair and closed eyes—the Third Mizukage, radiating controlled power.
"You're not guests," Tsunade replied, stepping forward without hesitation. "You're enemies."
Hanekawa felt the weight of a stare and didn't need to look to know who it was.
His eyes found her anyway.
Mei Terumi stood to the Mizukage's left, and the fury in her gaze was almost physical. She'd grown since their last meeting—taller, more graceful. The classic blue tube-top dress from his memories had become reality, clinging to a figure that was rapidly approaching the beauty she'd possess as an adult.
The third figure was a middle-aged man with white hair and a red dot on his forehead. His expression burned with fanatical intensity.
Corpse Bone Vein. Hanekawa recognized the telltale signs. A Kaguya clan member.
That was... unexpected. The Kaguya clan shouldn't have been destroyed for several more years. Their extinction had been ordered by the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, under Madara's influence. But that was still in the future.
Unless Madara had accelerated the timeline.
Screams erupted from the mist—Hizashi's team engaging the Mist ninja.
"It seems conversation is unnecessary," the Third Mizukage observed calmly.
"Indeed," Tsunade agreed.
Her body blurred. The ground beneath the Mizukage cracked as her fist descended, sending chunks of earth flying in all directions.
The Mizukage scattered sideways. Mei and the Kaguya clan member followed suit, spreading out to avoid the shockwave.
"You," the Mizukage said, his tone still measured, "deal with Hanekawa. I'll handle Tsunade."
The Kaguya clan member moved first, rushing forward with predatory speed.
Mei's frown was barely visible before she was already moving—not toward Hanekawa, but toward the Kaguya, clearly irritated at being sidelined.
Hanekawa reacted instantly, clapping his hands together. A wall of water rose before him just as a bone blade—sharp as any sword—pierced through it. The projectile continued forward, forcing him to dodge.
Corpse Bone Vein: Ten Finger Penetrating Bullets.
Hanekawa grimaced. Just looking at the technique made his skin crawl.
Mei Terumi formed seals, and a massive water dragon erupted from the ground, crashing toward the Kaguya clan member. She wasn't going to let him monopolize the fight.
Hanekawa seized the opening.
Water Style: Water Flash Technique.
His body transformed into liquid, flowing across the ground as the bone projectiles sank harmlessly into the earth. Water had no solid form to pierce—a fundamental advantage against purely physical attacks.
The Kaguya clan member's eyes widened as his technique failed.
Lava Release: Melting Monsters.
Mei Terumi spat a ball of corrosive acid without hesitation, her eyes locked on Hanekawa. She'd learned quickly—no technique would work twice.
Hanekawa reformed mid-air, clapping his hands together. A tornado of water erupted outward, transforming into rain that fell like a curtain.
Boiling Release: Qiao Mist Technique.
Mei opened her mouth, and scalding vapor erupted, evaporating the rain before it could touch her.
Hanekawa raised an eyebrow. She's already mastered two bloodline limits.
The Kaguya clan member launched himself upward, bone blade extending from his arm like a grotesque sword.
Hanekawa pivoted and kicked.
The force was devastating. The Kaguya's body rocketed downward like a meteor, crashing into the earth with bone-shattering impact. Dust exploded outward.
He struggled to his feet, blood dripping from his mouth. Even with bones reinforcing his body, the internal damage was severe.
Mei's mist technique reached Hanekawa, and he felt the heat immediately. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall.
The earth barrier rose—and melted away in seconds.
He backpedaled, creating distance.
Chidori Flow.
Lightning erupted from his right hand, spreading across his body like a living thing. It radiated outward in all directions, forcing both opponents to retreat.
The Kaguya clan member hissed, bones retracting defensively. Lightning was the enemy of physical techniques.
Mei's mist and the lightning collided, creating strange distortions. Under the extreme heat, even the electrical discharge began to dissipate.
Hanekawa's mind calculated rapidly. Her bloodline limits are too versatile. I need to end this quickly.
He vanished.
Body Flicker Technique.
Mei's eyes widened as she realized he'd disappeared. She spun, searching—
The ground beneath her cracked as hands erupted from the earth.
She jumped, barely avoiding the grab. Her chest heaved as she landed, eyes scanning frantically.
Not far away, Tsunade and the Third Mizukage were locked in combat, their exchange of blows creating miniature earthquakes.
Mei's moment of distraction cost her.
Hanekawa appeared behind the Kaguya clan member, moving with lethal precision.
Magical Tree Binding Killing.
The Kaguya's eyes went wide as the world shifted. Suddenly, he stood in a forest of massive trees, their branches wrapping around him like serpents. An illusion—but one that felt absolutely real.
Body Flicker Technique.
Hanekawa closed the distance.
"Not good!" Mei Terumi's voice cut through the chaos.
Water Style: Water Formation Wall.
A barrier of water erupted between them, but Hanekawa simply smashed through it with a punch.
Lava Release: Rasengan.
The sphere of molten chakra formed in his palm, and he drove it forward without hesitation.
The Kaguya's bones began to melt immediately under the combined assault of heat and pressure.
Mei Terumi's shock was visible even through the mist. He has Lava Release?
The middle-aged man screamed as his body began to give way.
Mei formed seals desperately.
Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu.
A massive dragon of water surged toward Hanekawa, but it was too late.
He drew the Thunderfire Sword and drove it through the Kaguya's heart.
Blood erupted. Hanekawa sidestepped the water dragon with minimal effort.
He and Mei locked eyes across the battlefield.
Her breathing was heavy. Her expression was unreadable, but her eyes betrayed her thoughts—shock, calculation, and something that might have been respect.
The Third Mizukage glanced at the fallen Kaguya, and for the first time, surprise flickered across his face.
"When you finish here, that will be your death," Tsunade said coldly, not breaking her rhythm against the Mizukage.
"Princess Tsunade, it's not that simple," the Mizukage replied, his smile never wavering.
A chakra signature erupted in the distance—massive, ancient, and utterly wrong.
Tsunade's head snapped toward the source. Her expression darkened.
The chakra was coming from Konoha itself.
"The Three-Tails," the Mizukage said softly. "Isobu has awakened."
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