Mist Ambush

Seeing three of their village's ninja slaughtered, Shirokumo Hayama and the other two Konoha jonin were incensed to the point of their eyes splitting. The Kirigakure captive strapped to the back of one of the Konoha jonin revealed a look of terror in his eyes; he realized that the Kirigakure assassination squad responsible for cleaning up his trail had finally caught up.

At that moment, two figures clad in Kirigakure ninja uniforms appeared on the branch of a large tree not far from them.

The Kirigakure ninja standing on the left was tall and sturdy, with short, stiff purple hair standing straight up. His face was hideous, featuring gill-like markings on both sides of his cheekbones, and the skin exposed on his body was a deep, unnatural shade of blue, making him look quite terrifying.

The Kirigakure ninja standing on the right had a much better appearance; he had a handsome face, black hair, and black eyes. He was about the same height as his companion, but he was not as bulky, giving off a feeling of being well-proportioned.

This ninja carried a straight-bladed wakizashi at his right hip, his right hand resting lightly on the hilt as if ready to strike at any moment.

"Oh my, I didn't expect Konoha to have such naive ninja. This comes as quite a surprise to This Humble One! Don't you agree, Shinji-kun?" the deep-blue-skinned Kirigakure ninja said in a mocking tone.

This Kirigakure ninja was no nobody; he was the future "Monster of the Mist" and "Tailless Tailed Beast," Kisame Hoshigaki.

However, at this time, Kisame Hoshigaki had not yet obtained the great sword Samehada, nor was he one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Instead, he was a subordinate of Suikazan Fuguki, the original owner of Samehada, tasked specifically with eliminating defectors or those who might leak intelligence.

The ninja beside him, whom Kisame called "Shinji," was named Uesugi Shinji. He was a partner in the same squad as Kisame and served as the squad leader.

Uesugi Shinji swept a cold, indifferent gaze over Shirokumo Hayama and the others. Ignoring Kisame's idle chatter, he said in a flat tone, "Do it."

The three Konoha jonin were filled with murderous intent. Shirokumo Hayama, acting as captain, signaled with his eyes, and his two subordinates immediately understood his arrangement.

The jonin carrying the Kirigakure captive retreated rapidly, putting distance between them to observe the surroundings and prevent any sneak attacks.

Under normal circumstances, ninja squads usually consisted of three to four members. Since only two Kirigakure ninja had appeared to attack, it was highly likely that there were other accomplices hidden in the shadows.

The other jonin moved to Shirokumo Hayama's side to provide support and assist him in dealing with the enemies before them.

Opposite them, Kisame Hoshigaki let out a strange laugh upon receiving the order to attack. He quickly performed hand seals, completing a very common Water Release ninjutsu in no time.

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

As Kisame completed the technique, a wave far exceeding a normal Great Waterfall Technique—comparable to a surging tide—formed beneath him and Uesugi Shinji, crashing toward Shirokumo Hayama and his team with immense force.

Seeing the astonishing momentum of this Great Waterfall Technique, the three Konoha jonin, including Shirokumo Hayama, were filled with shock, unable to believe that an unknown Kirigakure ninja could perform a ninjutsu of this scale.

However, these Konoha jonin were veterans of many battles and were not intimidated by Kisame's ninjutsu; they immediately began to respond.

The jonin assisting Shirokumo Hayama was named Toshiromaru, who specialized in Earth Release ninjutsu. Watching the giant wave rushing toward them, Toshiromaru quickly performed hand seals and pressed his hands to the ground in a half-kneeling position.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"

The ground within a ten-meter radius beneath Toshiromaru and Shirokumo Hayama suddenly loosened, and the entire surface rose rapidly. A massive rock wall shot up to a height of thirteen or fourteen meters, lifting all three Konoha ninja onto high ground.

Because this raised wall changed the terrain, Kisame Hoshigaki's Great Waterfall Technique failed to strike the Konoha ninja. The massive, imposing wave appeared to have been in vain, wasting a significant amount of chakra for nothing.

Just then, Uesugi Shinji, standing beside Kisame, had also completed a set of hand seals. His speed was incredibly fast, causing Shirokumo Hayama, who had been watching him closely from afar, to grow even more solemn.

This is the first time I've seen such speed in hand seals. This guy might be even harder to deal with than that blue-skinned monster with the monstrous chakra! Shirokumo Hayama thought to himself.

A chill rose around Uesugi Shinji's body, rapidly merging into the water wave summoned by Kisame beneath their feet.

"Ice Release: Ice Prison."

Under the influence of the Ice Release ninjutsu, the surging waves slowed down significantly. Dozens of thick water pillars instantly rose from the water and froze into ice, closing in toward the center of the rock wall and surrounding the three Konoha jonin along with the Kirigakure captive.

In just a second or two, the thick water pillars had completely solidified into pillars of ice.

Shirokumo Hayama tentatively threw a dozen shuriken to try and break through the ice, but to his surprise, the pillars were harder than he had anticipated and radiated an astonishing chill.

When his shuriken touched the pillars, they were quickly coated by the cold air and subsequently frozen onto the ice.

Staring intently at Uesugi Shinji, who was wreathed in cold air, Shirokumo Hayama knew that this Kirigakure ninja was the culprit who had just killed his three juniors!

Gripping his katana tighter, Shirokumo Hayama narrowed his eyes, a flash of murderous intent flickering within them.