Guy and Neji set temp camp. Tenten nursed client; Lee quieted, recovering from kinjutsu.
Genin shone in battle; Might beamed at teamwork. Kiri jonin-merc no threat next day-two—Guy disabled guaranteed. Four enemy chunin dead, Neji finished two more. Client defense solid, despite poison. Tenten's efforts: architect recovers soon, transportable in hours. Mission delays though—unknown more mercs after Tazuna.
Suddenly, Guy sensed periphery.
"Neji, check southeast," jonin ordered.
Hearing serious tone, genin tensed, activated dojutsu. Hyuga's face shift: enemies inbound, no chunin. Tenten caught talk, paused expectantly on Neji.
"Sensei... it's..." Neji seemed lost. "Never seen that much chakra."
Guy raised brow, awaiting. Hyuga gritted teeth—unreal sight.
"Two... jonin probably. Not hiding, closing fast," Neji swallowed. "One has five times yours, sensei."
Might nodded. Brief thought, orders:
"Third Team! Grab architect, retreat. I'll handle them."
"But Guy-sensei," Tenten began. "Two of them. We can help..."
"They're beyond your level," Might's voice dropped, brows furrowed. "That's an order."
Genin froze seconds, grasping. Retreat with architect. Tazuna needs rest; transport worsens but treatable later better than death here. Obvious. Guy dead serious first time in memory. Foes outleague; they'd just hinder. Obey sensei only option.
"Yes!" Neji and Tenten barked. Rushed architect. Girl sealed meds, supplies, cookware.
"Lee, move!" Neji called teammate. Byakugan tracked foes: seconds away. "Lee, hurry! Why frozen?"
But Rock sat catatonic, ignoring surroundings. Head chest-low, face hidden. Empty bottle and architect's pack at feet.
Bad feeling hit Neji.
"Poisoned somehow too?" Hyuga thought. Gut iced.
"Ready!" Tenten said. "Grab architect and go..."
Neji went to shake Rock—but grating voice cut:
"Not so fast, kids."
Genin froze in place. "Damn, we didn't make it..." thought Neji.
Soon, two figures emerged from behind the trees, dressed in strange attire: black cloaks adorned with red clouds.
"Itachi, let me handle them myself," drawled the stranger in the same grating voice as before.
The speaker was very tall— a head taller than their sensei. The crossed-out forehead protector of the Mist, grayish-blue skin, and sharp teeth bared in a predatory, bloodthirsty grin were perhaps the most striking features of his appearance. Blue hair resembling a fin and gill-like markings under his pale gray "fish" eyes didn't add any attractiveness to the man either. A long hilt of a bandaged sword peeked over his shoulder.
"Wait, Kisame," said the second one indifferently—a young man who looked about eighteen. "Maybe we can negotiate with them. Remember, our main target is the bald Kage-level shinobi. So it's better to conserve our strength..."
"Who are you?" Guy interrupted their conversation.
"Look at that, the animal can talk," Kisame smirked. "No need for a corpse to know who we are..."
The young man silenced the giant with a palm gesture. The latter scowled and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Long time no see, Guy-san. Have you already forgotten me?"
Might Guy frowned. He scratched his chin, trying to recall the young man standing about ten meters in front of him.
A shadow of a half-smile flitted across the brunette's face. His eyes changed, revealing to those present the Sharingan with three tomoe.
"Uchiha," Guy nodded, instantly realizing who was before him, and lowered his gaze. "And what do you two want?"
"Actually—not much," Itachi said. "Hand over the architect, and... no one gets hurt."
"But what about the fight, Itachi? And the bounty on this beast's head?" Kisame flared up, but upon meeting the firm gaze of the red eyes, he toned it down a bit.
"So, Guy-san?" Itachi asked, once again scrutinizing the Green Beast intently. "Are you ready to hand over the client, or will you choose death... for yourself and your team?"
A tense silence hung in the air. No one moved. Everyone awaited Guy's decision. Mighto could hardly hold off both opponents; they were far too strong. So if the Konoha jonin ordered the genin to retreat, one of the enemies would give chase, and the kids could do little to protect themselves or the architect. Lee after opening the Gates. Neji had expended most of his strength and chakra in the previous battle. And Tenten alone simply couldn't defeat an S-rank opponent.
Guy glanced at his team. Neji had the architect on his back; the guy was already ready to retreat. Tenten had pulled out her scrolls and could cover the withdrawal with a hail of thrown weapons and a smoke screen.
"Team Three!" Guy shouted, assuming a fighting stance. "In the name of the Power of Youth—we will complete this mission! Retreat..."
"Oy yo..." his order was interrupted by the voice of one of the genin.
Rock Lee was trying to rise with a groan, but at first, it wasn't going well. When the guy finally managed to get to his feet somehow, everyone present could see his misty, dazed gaze, half-closed eyelids, and flushed cheeks. He swayed from side to side, his hands as if holding sake cups in the air.
"Oh, no. Not this!" Guy paled and broke out in a cold sweat. He shuddered as if it weren't the warm climate of the Land of Waves around them, but the far north of the Land of Snow.
The genin froze in place, unable to tear their eyes from Lee. Tenten's eyes widened so much it seemed they might pop out of their sockets. Neji clenched his teeth until they ground.
The forest echoed with Guy's thunderous shout:
"What are you standing around for?! Run, you fools!"
The genin didn't need to be told twice. They leaped onto the branches and, with the unconscious Tazuna, took to the treetops heading back west—away from the architect's home. Who knew how many more mercenaries awaited them ahead? So the smartest move was to retreat far from the site of the upcoming battle and potential dangers.
They left Lee behind. Because there was no talking to him right now. The guy had somehow gotten a drink of alcohol and would now demonstrate the Drunken Fist style. The problem was, he usually showed it to everyone around, regardless of whether it was an enemy, sensei, or teammate. Last time at the cafe, drunk Rock Lee caused a riot and even beat up the owner. It had taken Team Three with Guy great effort to calm the thick-browed one down. Neji had even had to seal his tengketsu while Guy held his student from behind.
"This is your choice," came the indifferent voice of the Uchiha. "Kisame, kill them. And don't dawdle. The main target will appear nearby soon."
Kisame grinned horrifically, baring his sharp triangular teeth again. He formed a seal, and three water clones appeared beside him—one for each genin. Two leaped onto the branches, while the third charged at Lee.
"You shall not pass!" Guy roared, dispersing one clone with a kick.
"Your opponent is me, beast. I am Hoshigaki Kisame—the Monster of the Hidden Mist and one of the Seven Swordsmen," Kisame declared, raising his massive bandaged sword overhead.
Mighto dodged the strike, his eyes following the second copy of the enemy pursuing his students. A pair of genin should handle one clone. Guy worried less about Lee; in that state, the thick-browed one was a serious—and most importantly, unpredictable—fighting unit.
Guy brushed aside stray thoughts, leaning back from another sword thrust. The battle was joined. Hoshigaki began gradually pressing Mighto...
Meanwhile, Kisame's clone drew a water copy of the bandaged weapon from behind his back and leisurely approached Rock Lee. The thick-browed one swayed like a ship in a storm. He literally had to fight gravity every second. But credit where it's due—the guy managed quite successfully.
"But... but... but... m-my legs won't hold... hic!" the drunk genin groaned. "Everything's spinning... around..."
The Hoshigaki copy was just about to strike with his sword when suddenly the thick-browed one, losing his balance, plopped down on his butt, and the sword whistled over his head. Then the genin yawned and simply stretched out on the grass.
"Snr... phew... snr-rrr..." Lee suddenly fell asleep and began snoring loudly.
"Think you can toy with me, kid?" Kisame rasped. "Go ahead, lie there and sleep. I'll cut off your legs for now..."
The sword cleaved the air and ended up... in the ground. Lee had curled up on his side and was smacking his lips in his sleep. Then came another strike from the swordsman, and another, and another... but none hit the mark. Lee seemed to dodge completely by accident, and while lying down at that. Kisame flew into a rage and decided to use a water technique:
"Suiton: Water..."
Suddenly, Rock Lee struck his opponent at an utterly impossible angle with his foot. One powerful blow was enough for the clone to splash apart in water droplets...
"Water clone of that shark-toothed guy. He's catching up," Neji tossed out. Tenten grimaced at the news but nodded.
"Neji, we'll have to fight."
"I know," Hyuga replied grimly. "But what about the client?"
The girl cast a fleeting glance back. The giant's silhouette was closing in fast.
"Don't run, kiddies," came the grating voice, "and don't be scared. I'll cut you nice and easy. Heh-heh-heh..."
Neji seriously considered ditching the hapless architect and bolting. But that wasn't what their sensei wanted. Nor what the duty of a shinobi demanded. Guy had taken out one clone, so only a single copy was pursuing them. Sensei had simplified the task. They just needed to defeat one clone of an S-rank shinobi.
Neji dropped to the ground and carefully laid the architect down, propping him against a tree. Tenten stayed up top, scrolls at the ready.
"Oh, the kiddies wanna fight," Kisame drawled on the move. "Even more fun that way."
The girl unrolled a long fuinjutsu scroll, from which shuriken and kunai immediately flew at the mercenary. But the shark-faced man deftly sidestepped, letting the projectiles whistle past. Kisame leaped to the ground, forming a couple of seals in midair:
"Suiton: Mizurappa."
A powerful jet of water burst from the man's mouth, surging toward Hyuga. Neji scooped up the architect and jumped upward to evade the wave of the water jutsu. As a result, the technique submerged the nearest hundred meters of terrain under water. Fortunately, trees were everywhere, so mobility wouldn't suffer too much.
Tenten, seeing the grinning enemy standing on the surface of the artificial pond, cursed and hurled kunai with explosive tags at him. An explosion rang out, black smoke shrouding the epicenter. When the smoke cleared, the giant was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is he?" Tenten cried out. It was foolish to hope she'd dispersed the clone.
Hyuga reactivated his Byakugan:
"Underwater! Right, two o'clock!"
From another scroll, the girl unsealed a ball covered in large spikes. Kibaku fuda was attached to it. As soon as the projectile hit the water, Tenten and Neji with the architect on his shoulder leaped back. The kunoichi formed a seal, and the ball exploded, shredding everything within a couple dozen meters with metal shards.
"Is he alive?" Tenten asked.
But Neji didn't get to answer. The bandaged sword flew straight at the genin from the water, aiming right for the architect's body. Hyuga twisted his torso right to take the flying weapon on his side—Rotation Technique couldn't be used with the extra "cargo." But in midair, the sword transformed into a Kisame clone. A punch drove the wind from Neji, and he lost hold of the architect—the man tumbled into the water like a log. Hyuga himself was flung aside, but suddenly grabbed by the leg and smashed against a thick branch.
"Neji!" Tenten cried, seeing her teammate's arm twisted unnaturally.
"That's the end, kiddies," Kisame rasped, forming a one-handed seal. "Suiton: Water Prison Technique!"
Hyuga couldn't react in time; his body was swiftly enveloped by the unknown water jutsu. The liquid emanated directly from Kisame's hand. In a couple moments, the genin was trapped in a massive water orb that prevented him from escaping or getting a breath of air. Neji, jaws clenched, growled to push back the pain from his broken arm, but no sound escaped outside. Only air bubbles from his mouth were visible.
"Heh-heh-heh," Kisame laughed in his vile voice, maintaining the technique. "What will you do, girl? Let the old man drown but save your friend? Or abandon your teammate to save a stranger?"
Tenten gritted her teeth. Pulling out a new scroll, she glanced at the pond where the client had fallen. Two more giants in cloaks with red clouds were slowly rising from the water...
"Ugh, everything's swimming..." Lee slurred with a thick tongue. "I feel kinda weird."
The genin swayed even more than before. Zigzagging along, Rock Lee approached the Uchiha, who stood calmly with his left hand on his cloak clasp; the sleeve of his garment fluttered in the wind.
Lee lost balance and dropped to his knees. His dazed gaze finally locked onto the guy.
"You... whatcha starin' at, huh?" The genin's head lolled side to side. "I'll sock ya right now!" He punched the air and toppled sideways.
Itachi remained in the same relaxed pose. His face was like a frozen cold mask, showing no emotion.
"Don't... hic... ignore me!"
Suddenly, Lee's body shot toward Itachi like a projectile. Stopping a couple meters from the rogue ninja, Rock began throwing punches at the air. With each strike, the genin drew closer to his chosen opponent. The Uchiha didn't budge an inch. He didn't even twitch—all the blows flashed before him, but Lee hadn't landed a single hit on the brunette.
Suddenly, the thick-browed one closed in on the Uchiha and went into "full contact." This time, a flurry of strikes came from Lee, but Itachi blocked them all with one hand.
The Uchiha's eyes flared crimson, tomoe spinning, and the genin froze for a couple moments—but then hiccuped and delivered a sudden kick.
Itachi leaped back. He touched his split lip.
"I see," he said, wiping the blood. "You're simply drunk, so genjutsu is ineffective against you."
"Huh?" Lee swayed. "Am I the drunk one? I'm not... hic, drunk! Not at all. I'm not allowed to drink. I'm... uh... not-of-age... not-of-age..." The boy shook his head. "I'm... un-der-age, yeah! Got it?"
The Uchiha didn't reply. He merely slipped his left hand back into his cloak sleeve and drew a kunai.
"Well then, entertain me, boy. Show me your Drunken Fist..."
Lee darted one way, then veered the other. Suddenly, he was to the Uchiha's left, unleashing a series of "claw" strikes formed by the Drunken Fist style. This time, none connected. The brunette dodged each one. Despite the genin's incredible speed and unpredictability, the Sharingan and combat experience let Itachi evade in time.
"Not bad... hic!" Lee noted, punching the air. "But this... uh... hm... wait, what am I even doing here, and who are you?" Rock asked, barely staying on his feet. It seemed like the kid would collapse any second.
The Uchiha stayed silent. He wasn't fooled by his opponent's apparent helplessness and awaited the next attack from the thick-browed one. Glancing at Kisame's fight, he noted with surprise that the swordsman was winning.
"Ora... everything's swimming," Lee muttered. "And doubling... hic... Come on, attack me, all four of you!" He waved at Itachi. The latter looked around but, predictably, saw no one else. "I'll beat you all! Eh, no. Beat... be-at... wrong again. Anyway, I..."
The genin couldn't finish. His eyes rolled back, and he fell flat on his back, arms splayed.
Snoring came from the genin moments later.
The Uchiha didn't move. Expecting a trick, he watched the genin intently for several seconds. But the kid seemed genuinely asleep on the battlefield.
Itachi huffed. He slowly approached his prey. Gripping the kunai, he aimed it at the genin's throat.
*Whistle*
"Gotcha!" Lee shouted, springing up and grabbing the rogue ninja's arm. In the next instant, his free hand hammered several blows into the brunette's torso, then a kick sent the Uchiha flying. The impact launched the rogue ninja into the air, then dragged him several meters across the damp ground.
"I pretended to sleep, but I wasn't sleeping, ha-ha," Rock declared, his tongue barely slurring now. "Every ninja must act unpredictably. Guy-sensei, I remember your lessons," Lee finished firmly.
Tears suddenly welled in the genin's eyes. Raising his thumb, he couldn't hold back an inspired shout:
"Yes! Truly so, Guy-sensei! Your wisdom is boundless! Guy-sensei... I... I..."
By the end of his speech, Rock deflated like a balloon. Lee's eyes rolled back again, and he flopped onto his back, arms splayed once more.
"Snr-rrr..." came from the genin.
Itachi showed no reaction. He merely closed his eyes for a dozen breaths, then addressed his partner:
"Kisame, our target is almost here. Finish it, or I'll handle him myself."
Kisame was very strong. Mighto's strikes were easily blocked, and the enemy pressed on, swinging his sword like a bat. Seeing the Green Beast's sluggish resistance, the mercenary grinned and decided to chat. But that let Guy land a successful technique:
"Konoha Senpu!"
The spinning kick connected, but the mercenary was a water clone. A sudden side sword thrust—Maito tried to stop it with his foot but sensed something off at the last moment and dodged aside. Just in time. Long spikes burst from the bandages concealing the weapon, capable of serious damage.
"Heh-heh-heh," Kisame laughed. "Samehada tears foes to shreds."
Guy, frowning, retreated. The spiked club unnerved him and hindered full use of Leaf taijutsu.
"That sword," Mighto drawled. "I think I get it..."
"O-oh..." Kisame grinned, resting Samehada on his shoulder. "You recognized it. This sword is one of the Seven..."
"Yes," Guy nodded firmly, cutting him off. "That sword. It's your weapon. Right?"
"Eh?" Kisame raised a brow. "That's kinda obvious. Just look at Samehada to figure it out. Looks like your brain's not animal-level, but insect..."
"But there's a big difference between seeing it's your weapon," Mighto stated gravely, "and knowing it."
Suddenly, Lee's drunken voice rang out:
"Yes! Truly so, Guy-sensei! Your wisdom is boundless!"
Guy nodded at his genin's words and puffed up with pride. Mighto was glad to hear support from his favorite student. Noting in passing that Rock Lee seemed safe for now, the jonin got serious.
"Well then, allow me to show my weapon," he offered Kisame.
Guy pulled steel nunchaku from his compact back pouch. Slinging the pouch back on, he demonstrated mastery with the weapon. The mercenary grinned in anticipation at the display.
"Kisame, our target is almost here," came the Uchiha's cold voice. "Finish it, or I'll handle him myself."
The swordsman snorted but hurried to obey his partner. He charged the Green Beast. The bandages fully unraveled from his weapon, revealing the spiked sword-club, which he swung immediately. Guy met him head-on, and the men exchanged blows.
This time, the fight's tempo surged. The shinobi darted between trees, clashes lightning-fast and furious. Guy opted for "strike combo—disengage," which made sense—the sword was too heavy, the mercenary's thrusts too powerful; blocking directly with nunchaku was illogical, easier to dodge. Kisame tried several times for a large-scale water technique, but Guy prevented it. The most the swordsman managed was water clones and "shark bombs," which yielded no results.
Yet despite Guy's speed advantage, the shinobi's situation was a stalemate. Kisame was too tough—even direct nunchaku hits did negligible damage. Guy was monstrously enduring; it would take ages to wear the jonin down, time the mercenaries lacked.
"Too slow, Kisame. I'm tired of waiting," came the Uchiha's cold voice.
In the next instant, the Uchiha's silhouette appeared before Guy.
"Damn!" Mighto cursed, instantly dropping his gaze to the new foe's feet.
"Too late, Guy-san," Itachi said. Guy knew it too. For just an instant, he'd seen the famed Sharingan in the Uchiha's eyes. But the dojutsu looked odd—not three tomoe; it was shaped like a three-pronged shuriken. "Tsukuyomi..."
"So, how much farther we gotta go?" Saitama asked lazily.
Mitarashi walked while peering at the Land of Waves map. Saitama strode beside her, scanning the mangrove forest surroundings now and then. They hadn't eaten since last evening, which soured the bald guy's mood. His stomach growled in protest.
"Dunno," Anko replied. "We should've caught up on the mainland. It's surprising—Team Guy was escorting the architect. How'd they cover that distance so fast with a civilian?"
"I... dunno," Saitama said, scratching his head.
"I'm not asking you," Mitarashi shook her head. "Just weird. And I have a bad feeling about this mission."
"Me too," the bald one frowned.
"Yeah?" Anko tensed, looking at her companion. "You felt something too?"
"Uh-huh," he nodded.
"What?"
"Hunger," the guy said. "I have a feeling I won't eat anytime soon."
Anko rolled her eyes and stowed the map in her pouch.
The issue was Anko had no clue where to go. Support mission for Team Three, but they still needed to find Guy and the genin. They'd reached the Land of Waves, but no one told them the architect's house location. Maybe help wasn't needed anymore. Maybe Saitama and Anko were just late, and the client was safe. In that case, the mission was pointless, and the Hokage's fears of S-rank mercenaries were mere unfounded worries. But then where did this gnawing bad feeling come from, plaguing Anko since yesterday?
"I think I heard something," Saitama scratched his chin.
Anko listened. Only birdsong, water noise, and...
Suddenly, an explosion boomed in the distance. Birds flushed from their perches in panic, fleeing skyward.
"Where?" Mitarashi nervously scanned around, trying to pinpoint the source.
"There," the bald guy waved southeast.
"You sure?" Anko asked, drawing a kunai.
"Yeah."
"Then let's run," the kunoichi declared, taking to the treetops.
The bald shinobi ran straight across the wet ground. He hit such speed that Anko couldn't catch up, even at full throttle on thick branches.
"Stop, Saitama!"
Saitama halted and turned to the girl:
"Stop or run, Anko? Make up your mind."
Mitarashi hissed like a snake but composed herself:
"Don't charge straight in. It could be dangerous!"
"Don't worry, Anko. I'll help them. Heroes always arrive on time. And I will..."
Saitama spun around, and in a blink, the spot where he'd stood erupted in dirt clods as he vanished from sight.
"I hope," Anko whispered, following the bald one. "But be careful..."
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: patreon.com/Granulan