Zabuza and Raiga Kurosuki!

"Got some nerve!"

The battle here quickly alerted the people inside.

Several more men who looked like guards came rushing over.

Seeing the scene, their expressions turned fierce. "You actually dared to attack the Demon Group. Are you ready to die?"

"Heh heh, offend the Demon Group in the Land of Waves, and not even a god can save you!"

From the way they spoke, you'd think Sasori and Ye were already as good as dead.

And just then...

Two more tall ninja appeared behind them!

Seeing the pair, the guards immediately grew more confident and called out, "Meito! Big Brother Yeto!"

They were two men wearing Kirigakure rogue-ninja Forehead Protectors, each with spikes along the metal plate.

They wore camouflage uniforms and breathing masks.

Their presence was far more imposing than the guards'. Both were Chunin.

"Where did you punks come from, daring to cause trouble in front of the Demon Group?"

Meito, on the left, spoke arrogantly, glaring coldly at Sasori of the Red Sands. "Get on your knees and beg for mercy, and I'll give you a decent death!"

The guards behind him immediately began shouting, "Make him suffer, Big Brother Meito! Show him what we can do!"

"Kehehehe! Be afraid! Tremble! The man you're facing is the elite Chunin Meito of Kirigakure!"

"Didn't you hear him? Hurry up and beg for mercy!"

At their words, Uchiha Ye glanced around at them and shook his head helplessly. "Should I just say you're asking to die?"

His words made the guards laugh as if they'd heard the funniest joke in the world.

"Hahaha! What did I just hear?"

"We're asking to die?"

"Pfft! That's hilarious. Kid, did you get your head caught in a door?"

"We've taken out countless people like you, acting all mysterious. You think you can scare us?"

Even Meito and Yeto only sneered at that, their expressions growing more contemptuous.

"If you won't get on your knees, then die!"

With that, the two charged at once, reaching Sasori of the Red Sands in an instant. They swung their enormous iron claws, chains trailing behind them as they came down to bind him.

"There it is! Big Brothers Meito and Yeto's Combination Attack: Chain Binding Kill!"

"That's a technique only Big Brother Zabuza can dodge. Those two are finished!"

The guards couldn't help cheering excitedly at the sight.

But the next moment, their cheers abruptly died away.

The iron tail that Sasori of the Red Sands controlled lashed out from behind Hiruko, tearing through the chain and nearly ripping both Meito and Yeto in half.

"Argh!!!"

The two men hit the ground with a scream, blood pouring from their wounds.

Their lips quickly turned blue, and they couldn't stop vomiting blood.

Before they could struggle for more than a moment, they were dead.

"Hiss!!!"

The guards who'd been shouting moments ago fell silent, then stared in terror.

This had to be a joke!

Meito and Yeto were like gods to them. How could they have died so easily?

How could this happen?

The thought that they'd just shown disrespect to such powerful opponents made their legs go weak with fear.

"Who was it just now who told me to get on my knees and beg for mercy?"

Hiruko's cold gaze swept over them as he asked, each word deliberate.

The guards immediately began sweating profusely, then kowtowed frantically as they begged for mercy.

"Hmph!"

Just then, a heavy pressure descended, accompanied by a cold voice. "You've got some nerve, attacking my men. Do you think I, Zabuza, am easy prey?"

The guards seemed to have found their backbone again. They cried out excitedly, as if brought back to life. "Lord Zabuza!"

A man with short black hair approached, his lower face and neck wrapped in bandages, a long sword strapped to his back.

It was none other than their target for this mission: the S-rank rogue ninja of Kirigakure, the "Demon," Zabuza!

The guards who'd just been begging for mercy immediately put their hands on their hips and started shouting again. "Kehehehe! You're finished! Lord Zabuza is a Jonin of Kirigakure. He's an enemy you could never defeat!"

"Think we're easy to bully? We'll make you pay for that humiliation right now!"

Seeing this, Uchiha Ye couldn't help remarking, "You change your tune faster than you turn a page!"

Sasori of the Red Sands turned to face the newcomer and gave a couple of grunts. "The one in charge has finally shown up."

He got straight to the point. "Momochi Zabuza, I'm inviting you to join the Akatsuki organization!"

Zabuza gave a cold snort. "You think I'll join just because you ask? Besides, you killed my men. Aren't you going to give me an explanation?"

Behind him, a beautiful young "female ninja" approached.

Her aura was just as strong!

She had the strength of a Special Jonin.

But Uchiha Ye suddenly let out a surprised "Huh?"

Sasori of the Red Sands couldn't help asking, "What's wrong, Ye?"

Uchiha Ye was usually careful and composed. It was rare for him to show such surprise.

Could this mission have brought some unexpected powerhouse into the picture?

"Nothing. I've just spotted someone who shouldn't be here. It doesn't matter, though!"

He looked toward the man approaching through the mist behind Zabuza and curled his lips into a smile. "Interesting. I didn't expect to run into a legendary powerhouse here!"

He had long green hair, black markings around his eyes, and long, wide red lips. His upper body was wrapped entirely in bandages.

A pair of hooked swords was strapped to his back, and they flickered with faint flashes of lightning.

It was none other than the owner of the Thunder Blades, Raiga Kurosuki, one of Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen!

Perhaps Uchiha Ye's presence as a transmigrator had changed things.

Both Momochi Zabuza and Raiga Kurosuki had defected early!

That left Zabuza as little more than a capable Jonin at this point.

He hadn't yet acquired Kubikiribōchō!

"I just got here, and I've already run into a formidable opponent. Interesting!"

Raiga Kurosuki walked over to Zabuza, his expression equally amused. "So, Zabuza, want me to help?"

Zabuza nodded. "In that case, thanks."

Why turn down help?

The enemy was no pushover, after all!

But his arrival made Sasori of the Red Sands glance at Uchiha Ye. "Looks like we've got a target who wasn't part of the mission, Ye. What do you think?"

It wasn't that he couldn't handle him!

Sasori of the Red Sands could subdue several more of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen if he had to!

It was just that he'd agreed to face Zabuza alone.

But Raiga Kurosuki was an extra, outside the scope of the mission.

He wasn't part of the agreement between him and Uchiha Ye.

"Leave him to me. I like the look of those Thunder Blades!"

Uchiha Ye looked at Raiga Kurosuki and licked his lips.

Raiga Kurosuki's eyes narrowed, his expression turning dangerous. "Kid, do you know what you're saying? Do you want to die?"

He was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and this kid wasn't even fifteen. Did he really think Raiga was someone he could bully?