Discord Above and Below

In a secluded valley on the western border of the Land of Hot Water, a group of ninjas led by Suikazan Fuguki, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, had set up a temporary camp. His subordinates, Uesugi Shinji, Kisame, and Rin, had just returned to report on their mission.

The Land of Hot Water borders the Land of Fire to the west and the vast ocean to the east, where the Land of Water, home to Kirigakure, sits in isolation.

When Kirigakure ninjas operate within the borders of the Land of Fire, they almost always pass through the Land of Hot Water to avoid the prying eyes of Konoha ninjas.

Suikazan Fuguki was a hideous, obese man with long red hair. Despite his fierce appearance, he styled his hair into two buns that gave him an indescribably jarring look.

Standing tall and broad, he carried a massive blade on his back, wrapped in white bandages and far larger than any ordinary sword. It was none other than the "Great Sword Samehada," the strongest of the seven blades of the Mist.

After Uesugi Shinji finished recounting the details of the mission, Suikazan Fuguki's eyes flickered, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"As expected of my most trusted subordinates, this mission was executed perfectly. Not only did you eliminate the target, but you also took out that troublesome fellow Shirokumo Hayama. It seems that with your strength, you will soon become core figures of the village," Suikazan Fuguki said, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

As he spoke the final sentence, Suikazan Fuguki's eyes locked directly onto Uesugi Shinji's gaze.

Although Suikazan Fuguki appeared very pleased with the results of Uesugi Shinji's team, in reality, his thoughts were far from it.

While the "Seven Ninja Swordsmen" held a certain reputation in the ninja world, its members were merely first-rate ninjas, not top-tier elites.

If any one of them were compared individually to Shirokumo Hayama, a veteran elite jounin of Konoha, they would fall short in both strength and personal prestige.

Now that Uesugi Shinji had managed to kill Shirokumo Hayama single-handedly during the mission, his strength was clearly no longer inferior to his superior, Suikazan Fuguki himself.

Once this news reached Kirigakure, Uesugi Shinji's prestige within the village would skyrocket. It was highly likely that the upper echelons of Kirigakure would take notice and recruit him, and his status might soon rival that of Suikazan Fuguki.

Suikazan Fuguki had many character flaws, and jealousy of talent was one of them; he could not stand his subordinates surpassing him!

Kisame and Rin did not notice the strange look in Suikazan Fuguki's eyes, but Uesugi Shinji sensed it clearly.

"Captain, the mission report is complete. If there are no further instructions, we shall take our leave," Uesugi Shinji said calmly.

Suikazan Fuguki was the leader of the Anbu, and the ninjas under his command addressed him as "Captain."

Seeing Uesugi Shinji's indifferent attitude, Suikazan Fuguki interpreted it as a lack of respect. Secretly seething, the perfunctory smile on his face faded even further.

"Go and rest. We are in a special period, and there will be new missions soon," Suikazan Fuguki said slowly.

After the three of them left, Suikazan Fuguki noticed some of his other subordinates discussing Uesugi Shinji's feat of killing Shirokumo Hayama.

Their attitude toward Uesugi Shinji was clearly different from before, their tones carrying a level of awe that hadn't existed previously, which only made Suikazan Fuguki feel more displeased.

"Hmph, it won't be so easy for you to climb over my head!"

Watching the backs of Uesugi Shinji and his team as they walked away, Suikazan Fuguki narrowed his eyes slightly.

"The Captain seems very satisfied with the results of our operation. Taking down a ninja like Shirokumo Hayama should count as a major achievement, right?"

On the way back to their tent, Kisame said with a smile.

Beside him, Rin crossed her arms and snorted, "Duh, that goes without saying."

Rin then looked at Uesugi Shinji, her tone filled with expectation as she asked, "With a contribution like this, do you think we have a chance to be noticed by the higher-ups and use this opportunity to leave the Anbu?"

Because the Anbu often carried out missions to assassinate their own village's ninjas—targets who were sometimes defectors, but more often those who had been captured by enemy ninjas or were being silenced by the higher-ups after executing top-secret missions—Rin had long grown weary of such work.

Hearing Rin's words, Kisame also looked at Uesugi Shinji with a serious expression; what Rin said was exactly what he was thinking as well.

Uesugi Shinji stopped in his tracks. He looked at the blood-red setting sun in the distance and fell silent. After a few seconds, he spoke slowly: "I have a premonition that war is about to begin again."

"This is our chance to leave the Anbu and secure a place for ourselves in Kirigakure."