Catch Them! Don't Let a Single One Get Away!

Everyone in Kirigakure was now watching to see when the Third Mizukage would finally die. In private, they each supported their own preferred candidate in the struggle to become the next Mizukage.

Karatachi Yagura wanted the Mizukage's seat too. He had crossed the sea with his trusted subordinates to rally the defeated Kirigakure forces because he wanted to achieve something first, then return home on the heels of a great victory and seize the position of Mizukage.

But he had never imagined that, as difficult as Konoha was to deal with, the news that the Third Mizukage had suddenly fallen gravely ill would hit him like a heavy punch. He had seen how formidable Konoha's ninjas were during the Shinobi World War, so he had been prepared for that.

Now he was far from home, and it was plain to see that the fighting would not end anytime soon. No one knew which day the Third Mizukage might suddenly drop dead. By the time Yagura finished the fighting here and returned home, who knew whether a new Mizukage would already be in power?

But if he abandoned the fighting here and headed straight home, forget about all the effort he had already invested. His sudden return might give the still-living Third Mizukage an excuse to arrest him on the spot for his defeat.

And he could forget about the Mizukage's seat. The infighting within Kirigakure was brutal; it would take only a few days for him to be killed—or he might even be killed on the spot...

"Go back, or keep fighting..."

He turned the question over and over in his mind, but still couldn't make up his mind.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the tent.

"Lord Yagura, something's happened!"

Yagura's head buzzed. He furrowed his brow, stood up, and looked at the person who had arrived.

"What happened?"

"Lord Hozuki and Lord Meido were ambushed while escorting supplies. Both were killed, and the entire fleet of transport ships was destroyed..."

Yagura clenched his fingers until they cracked. After a long silence, he suddenly slammed his palm down on the table.

The wooden table shattered, sending splinters flying.

"Damn Konoha scum! I'll make them pay!"

After that, he ordered his men to take him to the place where the transport fleet had been attacked.

The night had not yet faded, and a thin mist still hung over the river.

Yagura stood on the bank, his pale violet eyes reflecting the charred remains of the transport ships in the water.

Twelve ships, twelve blackened skeletons, like twelve enormous corpses floating on the surface. Now and then, sparks crackled and wisps of smoke curled into the air.

The Kirigakure ninjas standing behind him didn't dare make the slightest sound.

The air was thick with the pungent stench of charred wood, blood, and the foul river water.

The bodies of Kirigakure ninjas lay scattered across the shallows. Some had been burned beyond recognition, while others still had kunai and shuriken embedded in them.

Yagura's gaze shifted from the shipwrecks to the bodies on the bank, and he walked past them one step at a time.

He saw Hozuki's body lying in the forest. The blood from his chest had run dry and crusted over, but his eyes were still open, his pale blue pupils staring blankly at the sky.

Yagura stopped beside him and stood in silence for a while. Then he crouched down and closed Hozuki's eyes with one hand.

He rose and continued onward, stopping in front of Meido.

Meido's eyes were wide open. He was kneeling bolt upright on the ground, face turned skyward, with a gaping, bloody hole blasted through his chest.

Meido and Hozuki had both been his trusted subordinates. Meido had been not only his confidant but also a fellow clansman. Yet here, in his own rear, he had suffered a crushing defeat.

Anger began to churn inside him.

Closing Meido's eyes, Yagura said softly, "I brought you here, never thinking I'd be the one to get you killed... So be it. Go in peace. I'll avenge you!"

"Have you found out who did this?" he asked as he stood.

His subordinate replied nervously, "According to the survivors, a small group of Konoha ninjas had hidden here in advance. As soon as the fleet arrived, they launched an attack..."

"Do you know which Konoha ninjas attacked us?"

"Not exactly. They only said there were several Uchiha."

"Can you find out where they fled?"

"We're looking into it..."

"Then why are you still standing there? Get lost!"

"Y-yes..." His subordinate turned to leave as if fleeing for his life.

"Wait." Yagura called him back.

"Sir..."

"You said there were survivors. Where is one?"

The subordinate pointed to a Kirigakure ninja behind him, then hurried away.

Yagura approached the man and asked, "You're the one?"

The man swallowed and nodded.

"How did you survive?"

"I..."

The man stammered through a lengthy explanation, but Yagura understood.

The bastard was a deserter!

Yagura's lips curled into a sinister smile.

"Your comrades are all dead, and when you saw things going badly, you ran off ahead of time. Is that right?"

"No, sir, it wasn't like that..."

"In that case, you can join them and be reunited!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he slammed his palm onto the man's head. The man's skull burst like a watermelon.

Blood and brains sprayed across Yagura's baby-faced features. Paired with his smile, he looked just like a demon crawling out of hell.

The Kirigakure ninjas around him fell silent with fear. It seemed as though the air itself had grown several degrees colder.

Yagura whipped around, eyes wide, and pointed north.

"C-catch them! Don't let a single one get away!"

A branch in the bonfire crackled softly, breaking the silence of the night.

Naoki stirred awake, stretched, and looked around.

Uchiha Setsuna sat high in a tree, meditating with his eyes closed, blending in with his surroundings.

Uchiha Zongye leaned against the trunk, his severed left arm wrapped in bandages. The firelight did nothing to hide his pallor.

Uchiha Zongxin and Itachi were huddled together, fast asleep. Itachi's small body was curled up, his brow faintly furrowed even in his dreams.

Hyuga Hiroshi sat by the bonfire with his arms around his knees, chin resting on them. Even in sleep, he hadn't taken off his damaged goggles.

Was someone missing?

Naoki touched the wound on his stomach, which had already begun to heal, then got up to check on things.

Shi emerged from the dark forest and said, "You're awake."

"Go get some rest. I'll keep watch for the second half of the night."

Shi nodded, then slipped back into the darkness and disappeared.

That Anbu Ninja was a little strange. He barely spoke the whole way, and even when he slept, he liked to hide in the shadows. If you didn't know better, you'd think he'd come from Root...

After grumbling to himself, Naoki returned to the bonfire and poked at the burning wood with a branch.

Hyuga Hiroshi had woken up at some point too. He was hugging his knees and staring blankly into the flames.

"Naoki, do you think we'll make it back?"

"Why would you suddenly say that? Of course we'll make it back."

"It won't be that simple, will it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I just had a dream. There was this blood-covered guy pointing at me, saying he was going to capture all of us and not let a single one get away..."

Naoki chuckled.