Lost in the Hidden Mist

Watching the endless rain, Danzo grew irritated. Every day in the Land of Wind, he had worried about water shortages; every day in the Land of Rain, he complained about the excessive rain. After the war with Sunagakure ended, Danzo had withdrawn his forces to the Land of Rain to recuperate.

Following the Hokage's advice, nearly half the ninja had been rotated back to the village. Even Tsunade and Orochimaru had returned to Konoha Village. Only Jiraiya remained behind, though no one knew where he had run off to.

Just as Hidden Leaf Village's old strength had been spent and its new strength had yet to emerge, Hidden Stone Village suddenly made its move. With lightning speed, it crushed the Land of Grass, an ally of Hidden Leaf Village, before launching a massive invasion of the Land of Rain. On one hand, Danzo urged Konoha Village to send reinforcements; on the other, he decisively retreated. With the cooperation of Hidden Rain ninja familiar with the terrain, he waged guerrilla warfare against Hidden Stone Village in the cities. After wearing down their momentum, he brought the two sides into a standoff.

Danzo's plan was to keep draining Hidden Stone Village's strength, then launch a large-scale counterattack once reinforcements arrived. For now, all he could do was wait patiently. Fortunately, he no longer had to worry about things behind him.

"Report. This is the latest dispatch," a ninja said.

Danzo accepted it.

On the afternoon of the 8th, Kazekage Jing Hang of Sunagakure and the Hokage of Konoha Village formally signed a peace and alliance agreement in the Hokage's Hall. The agreement was as follows... Danzo turned the page. He knew its contents better than anyone.

On the morning of the 9th, Kazekage Jing Hang, accompanied by the Hokage and relevant personnel, visited Konoha Village's Ninja Academy and sat in on a lively ninjutsu lesson. After class, the Kazekage expressed his admiration for all the academy's faculty and staff. He said that Konoha Village's comprehensive educational system and its staff's dedication to their duties were evident for all to see, and that there was much worth studying and learning from.

He also stated that he had specifically brought ten ninja learners with him for this visit, who would be arranged to study Konoha Village's Ninja Academy teaching methods. He hoped such exchanges could better promote the peaceful development of both villages. To express his admiration for the academy's faculty and staff, the Kazekage immediately picked up a brush and wrote: Where leaves dance, fire burns on without end. The bold grandeur of his calligraphy earned unanimous praise from those present.

"This kid sure knows how to dress up his words." Danzo savored the line before continuing to read.

On the afternoon of the 9th, the Kazekage visited Konoha Village's Sensory Division...

On the morning of the 10th, the Kazekage visited Konoha Village's Administrative Division...

On the afternoon of the 10th, the Kazekage visited Konoha Village's Medical Division...

"Is this guy planning to tour all of Konoha Village?" Danzo said impatiently. He skipped reports like these outright. At last, one item caught his attention.

On the morning of the 12th, Konoha Village Jonin Torifu Akimichi and Jonin Renga Hyuga will lead three thousand elite troops to the Land of Rain to rotate defenses...

"They've finally arrived." Only then did Danzo breathe a sigh of relief.

"You mean the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the report in his hand, his brows knotted tightly.

"Yes. The ANBU received this intelligence yesterday. Those war-loving maniacs definitely aren't here for anything good at a time like this," Homura Mitokado said.

"We only just formed an alliance with Sunagakure and stabilized the western border, while the war in the Land of Rain to the north is at a critical juncture. We can't let one problem after another arise. Notify the ANBU to raise Kazekage-sama's security level. This diplomatic visit is nearly over; nothing can happen at this point."

"What if something happens on the Kazekage's way back?"

"I've made arrangements for that. Call Tsunade."

"Ten years of drinking ice, yet the blood still burns." Gazing at Monument Mountain under the crescent moon outside the window, Jing Hang could not help but sigh.

He had first watched Naruto during the summer vacation of 2007. He had just finished the college entrance examinations then, finally gaining vast amounts of time to squander as he pleased. After trying everything he could think of and playing everything he could play, he had eventually set his sights on that passionate anime that had already been popular for years. Who would have thought that once he started, he could never stop? From his university years to entering the workforce, he had followed it for a full ten years!

Jing Hang had not missed a single episode, not even those flashbacks that circled around the plot. Ever since crossing into this world, he had dreamed of visiting Konoha Village. Today, that dream had finally come true. The only regret was that he had arrived several decades too early and could not witness Naruto and Sasuke's fiery years. Still, it did not matter. The world of Naruto was not without techniques for immortality and rebirth. He could slowly find a way when the time came.

Over the past few days, he had visited the Ninja Academy, the administrative building, the medical division, and other places. He had even climbed Monument Mountain, sat atop Hashirama's head, and looked out over all of Konoha Village. He had even gone to young Teuchi's Ichiraku Ramen and eaten a bowl of tonkotsu ramen, thoroughly fulfilling his wishes. Honestly, it had merely been ordinary tonkotsu ramen. The broth probably had not been simmered long enough, so it had nothing particularly special about it. But no matter how wonderful a paradise was, it was not home. Now that he was the Kazekage, Sunagakure naturally came first. Rest assured, even if my homeland is not beautiful, I will build it into a desert pearl no less magnificent than Konoha Village.

"Rasa, Pakura, we'll return tomorrow morning. We'll take the route I mentioned—rather than retracing our steps, we'll pass through the Land of Fields and the Land of Crafts, then return home through the Land of Rain. I'll also pay Hanzo of the Salamander a visit along the way. Rasa, set out in advance now and send him a formal diplomatic note. That old man is terribly suspicious. Don't let him think we're interested in that damp, miserable patch of land of his again. We'll meet up in the Land of Rain."

"Yes." Rasa vanished in an instant.

"Pakura, aside from the ninja staying behind to study, there shouldn't be many of us returning. Go make arrangements for the journey back. Oh, and take good care of that kid Hidan."

"Yes," Pakura said.

Inside a cave outside Konoha Village, a group of oddly shaped ninja gathered around a fire, plotting something. Under the flickering firelight, it became clear that they wore not Konoha Village forehead protectors, but Hidden Mist ones!

"Konoha Village has raised its security level. Our arrival must have been exposed. But it doesn't matter. He has to leave eventually. As long as he leaves, we'll have an opportunity." A tall, fat ninja spoke. His eyes were as small as mung beans, his mouth was full of sharp teeth, and his face was covered in flesh. A massive sword wrapped in bandages rested on his back. If Jing Hang had been present, he would have recognized him immediately as Fuguki Suikazan, one of Hidden Mist's Seven Ninja Swordsmen—the wielder of the greatsword Samehada!

"Will it work if we don't act inside Konoha Village?" asked a masked ninja with an explosive mane of hair. He was none other than Kuriarare Kushimaru, wielder of the longsword Nuibari.

"It doesn't matter. This whole region is within Konoha Village's sphere of influence. If anything happens to the Kazekage anywhere in these nearby countries, Sunagakure will put the blame on Konoha Village. Akebino Jinin! Go find out the Kazekage's route home in secret."

"Yes." A ninja with a garlic-shaped nose answered in a muffled voice, then turned and vanished into the firelight.

"A great war is about to begin. This is precisely the time for us men of Hidden Mist to win glory and establish merit! The Third Mizukage is far too conservative. This is clearly the time for Hidden Mist to expand its influence—how can we shrink back on our islands and miss such an opportunity? As long as we provoke another war between Sunagakure and Konoha Village this time, the village's militant faction will speak up and answer our call from afar. Both Konoha Village and Sunagakure will submit beneath Hidden Mist's feet!"

"Long live!" "Long live!" "Long live!" The group shouted around the fire. Their shadows cast upon the cave walls looked like vicious ghosts.