Sword Pointed at the Mizukage, Calm Before the Storm

A crisp crack echoed far down the passage. Ye's boots crushed the stones beneath his feet as he turned around. Orochimaru's mess had long been cast from his mind. Dust still sifted from the abandoned dungeon's ceiling, while cold wind poured through the corridor, dispersing the thick stench of blood.

"Let's go."

Ye strode straight onto the stone steps leading to the surface without a moment's hesitation. The four behind him immediately followed. No one looked back at that empty human skin.

In a hidden coastal sea cave on the outskirts of the Hidden Mist Village, several dim oil lamps burned against the damp rock walls. Five long shadows swayed with the flames, which were tugged from side to side by the sea breeze blowing in through the entrance.

This was the safehouse Kabuto Yakushi had prepared in advance. Dual sensory barriers had been set up around it, and water clones stood guard outside. Ye stood before a stone table in the center of the cave, lightly tapping the tactical map spread across it. The map marked every major route through the Hidden Mist Village, the locations of its watchtowers, and the position of the Mizukage Building.

"The sensory barriers are functioning normally."

Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses and carefully stored the top-secret Impure World Reincarnation scroll he had just acquired in a sealing tool pouch. His gaze swept over everyone present, yet the breath in his chest still refused to settle. Working under this man, anyone with a weaker heart probably would not have lasted this long.

In that battle just now, they had faced one of the legendary Three Sannin, a name renowned throughout the Shinobi World. This hastily assembled team had not lost a single member. They had even forced Orochimaru to abandon his body and flee in disgrace.

Kimimaro sat alone in the shadows of a corner, carefully wiping away the blood lingering on his right index finger. The previous battle had allowed him to fully adapt to this reborn Perfect Sage Body. Abundant chakra surged through his meridians, with none of the old sluggishness or pain remaining. Only fanatical reverence remained in his eyes as he looked up at Ye's back.

Haku knelt beside the stone table, head lowered as he sorted a row of senbon needles. No emotion showed on that delicate face. Only when his fingertips touched the needles did faint chakra ripples arise.

Izumi Uchiha stood guard at Ye's side. Her Three-Tomoe Sharingan gradually faded as her attention remained fixed on every movement around them. Zabuza sat boldly atop a reef, the Executioner's Blade planted by his feet. The notches in its blade were slowly restoring themselves by absorbing moisture from the air.

"Rest for a day."

Ye withdrew his gaze from the map and looked at the others.

"Tell me. What suggestions do you have for dealing with the Hidden Mist Village's current defenses?"

Zabuza grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth.

"There are three layers of Anbu patrol posts around the village. Sneaking in through the cliff on the northeast side would be the easiest."

He planted a foot on the handle of the Executioner's Blade, his tone revealing his familiarity with the Hidden Mist Village's defenses.

"Take out two sentries, and I can lead you around the patrols and into the inner village without making a sound."

This plan perfectly followed the traditions of Hidden Mist assassins: covert, efficient, and giving the enemy no chance to pass along information.

Kabuto Yakushi immediately took over.

"According to our intelligence, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, rarely leaves the Mizukage Building."

He raised a hand to straighten his glasses, his fingertip landing at the center of the map.

"We won't just be facing the Mizukage's personal guards. There's also the one hiding in the shadows and controlling everything."

Kabuto marked several likely points of attack before finally withdrawing his hand.

"Infiltration is indeed the safest option."

After listening to both reports, Ye showed no reaction. He raised his right hand and casually threw a kunai. It stabbed into the map, pinning the location of the Hidden Mist Village's main gate.

"No assassinations. No infiltration."

Ye's voice rang through the sea cave, drowning out the sound of waves outside.

"Tomorrow at noon, we'll walk in through the front gate."

The cave fell silent for a moment after those words, leaving only the dull roar of waves striking the rock walls.

Zabuza's eyes widened, then he burst into laughter. He grabbed the Executioner's Blade and slung it over his shoulder, excitement written all over his face.

"Ha! Now that's the kind of fighting I like!"

Zabuza ran his tongue over his sharp teeth, and the blade on his shoulder tilted with the motion, its edge reflecting the flickering firelight.

"Sneaking around is boring. Smashing down the front gate is more my style."

Haku nodded softly, his expression as gentle as ever.

"I'll follow Lord Ye."

Kimimaro abruptly rose to his feet, straightening his back as all five fingers pressed against his shoulder bone.

"Wherever Lord Ye points, I'll kill my way there."

His gaze passed over the swaying flames and settled in the direction of the Hidden Mist Village.

"Whoever blocks the way, I'll break their bones."

Kabuto Yakushi's hand froze midair as he wiped his glasses. Cold sweat silently formed at his temples. He rapidly calculated both sides' strength and the likely casualties. The more he calculated, the more stifled his chest became. Five people were going to storm the military center of a great nation head-on. This was even crazier than infiltrating Konoha to assassinate the Hokage. Yet when Kabuto looked up and saw Ye's expression of complete control, he swallowed back the warning that had reached his lips.

Ye paid no attention to Kabuto's complicated thoughts. He leaped onto the tallest boulder in the cave and sat cross-legged. Closing his eyes, he circulated the immense chakra within his Sage Body, continuously nourishing the Sword of Takemikazuchi fused into his eyes. This divine weapon was enough to change the established rules. Before the decisive battle began, he had to fully master the power within it that could seal space itself.

As his chakra flowed, violet-black lightning began flickering across Ye's body. The space around him twisted slightly. Even the sea breeze blowing toward him slowed after entering that area.

At the same time, in the center of the Hidden Mist Village, the Mizukage Building towered amid the rain. The sky was dark, and low-hanging clouds nearly brushed the rooftop. Rainwater streamed down the outer walls in sheets. No lights were lit in the office, and the room, which never saw sunlight year-round, carried a foul smell of mold.

The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, sat in a broad leader's chair without moving in the slightest. His eyes were unfocused, faint scarlet light reflected deep within his pupils. The entire glass window before his desk was covered in rain trails, breaking the buildings and blood mist outside into blurred fragments.

The space behind Yagura suddenly rippled, forming a vortex. A man wearing a black robe patterned with red clouds and a tiger-striped mask stepped out from the depths of the vortex. His feet landed soundlessly on the floor. Obito stood within the shadows, his lone exposed Sharingan watching the rain beyond the glass.

"Orochimaru's presence has disappeared."

His voice sounded especially muffled through the mask.

"By now, he should have found that Kaguya Clan brat. Why did he suddenly run away?"

Obito shifted his gaze toward the puddles on the floor. The intelligence provided by Black Zetsu had never been wrong, and Orochimaru had invested considerable effort into that vessel. He would never leave empty-handed so easily—unless he had encountered a desperate situation that even one of the Three Sannin could not overcome.

The instant that thought crossed his mind, the Mangekyo Sharingan in Obito's right eye tightened sharply. A tremor shot from his eye socket into his mind. At the same moment, the Kamui Dimension experienced a faint disturbance. Some power beyond all common sense had briefly severed his connection to that separate dimension.

Obito clutched his right eye and took half a step back, his expression beneath the mask darkening.

"What was that?"

He swiftly scanned the entire office but found no trace of an intruder. Yagura remained seated exactly where he was, his eyes hollow, not even his posture changed. The feeling of losing contact with the separate dimension had vanished in an instant, but it was too real for Obito to ignore.

Since awakening his Mangekyo Sharingan, this was the first time Obito had realized that the Kamui Dimension might slip beyond his control.

"A monster beyond our control has come to the Land of Water."

Obito lowered the hand covering his right eye and turned his gaze southward.

"Zetsu, find out who it is."

The shadows on the floor stirred, and a half-black, half-white figure emerged from within them.

"Understood."

Zetsu's voice was hoarse as he looked toward the village swallowed by the torrential rain outside.

"But the atmosphere in the village has been strange lately. Terumi Mei's group should be preparing to make their move."

He turned to Obito.

"Should we clean them up beforehand?"

"Don't bother with those insignificant fools."

Obito stood in the shadows, coldly watching the Hidden Mist Village beyond the rain curtain.

"Let them make trouble. The muddier the water gets, the easier it will be to find the troublesome person who can interfere with space."

The scarlet Sharingan turned behind the mask's eyehole, killing intent quietly spreading outward.

"No matter who it is, anyone who dares ruin my plan will die."

A storm was closing in. Thunder rolled through the clouds outside, and the pouring rain blanketed the entire Hidden Mist Village.