Blood Mist Is About to Rise

Most things in this world share a common characteristic—balance, which might have been described in a past life as the unity of opposites.

But perhaps in some wondrous adventure of life, a completely new experience will arise, like the man standing before Kato Osamu.

I don't know why, but it seems that people like Akihamaru, who once hid in the darkness and experienced the ugliness of the world, would naturally be filled with negative emotions.

Yet it is often these very people who, because of even the slightest bit of kindness, will set everything on fire...

"So, she might not know you, and you might not have even spoken more than a few times?"

"Although I hate to admit it, it's true what you said..."

Akihamaru shrugged, a hint of unease on his face, but still managed a carefree smile, seemingly not caring too much.

"She was a very gentle girl who worked at a dessert shop. She loved dogs, grew some vegetables in her yard, enjoyed reading, had a small mole on her eyebrow, loved Anko buns, and wore a light blue dress..."

"But she's dead..."

Kato Osamu slightly raised his eyes. The black cloak covered half of his face, and Akihamaru couldn't see his features. However, his voice seemed to have stopped abruptly due to the heavy blow. He lowered his head and exhaled a deep breath after a long while.

"I wasn't there that day, and when I came back, she was gone..."

"Didn't find it?"

Walking slowly down the Mist Shinobi Street, amidst the slightly noisy surroundings, Kato Osamu remained silent, as did Akihamaru. However, when they passed a confectionery shop, Akihamaru bought some Anko buns.

He stuffed the food into his mouth and ate it in big mouthfuls, sobbing as he spoke. It took Kato Osamu a long time to understand what he meant.

"Found it..."

Perhaps such things are not unusual; in times of war, life and death separations happen almost every day, but those are other people's...

When even the most common form of grief befalls you, you can't simply erase all traces of it.

"I don't want to bring up that scene again. If you're interested, you can see for yourself..."

A blue glow flashed in Kato Osamu's eyes. A finger gently touched Akihamaru's brow, and a turbulent train of thought surged within him. His brow furrowed, Kato Osamu 'saw' that horrifying scene...

"This is..."

"You understand now...?"

With a soft chuckle, Akihamaru's face suddenly turned sorrowful. If it weren't for the inability to do so, who would willingly give up their life...?

"You gave me the scroll, so you should understand how heavily guarded that place is now..."

"Yagura Karatachi has been arresting criminals, prisoners, and even secretly arresting civilians under the guise of bloodshed to select Jinchuriki for the Tailed Beasts."

"The ridiculous thing is that Mist Shinobi doesn't have any powerful Sealing Formula, so they can only use human lives to try again and again."

"And those who fail will end up like her, charred and covered in sores..."

Akihamaru's voice was low and deep, yet it carried an unspeakable anger. It was clear that he had spent countless hours investigating the Three-Tails over the years.

"What? After living in Mist Shinobi for over a decade, you've come to consider yourself Mist Shinobi person?"

Kato Osamu couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark, but to his surprise, Akihamaru remained silent for a long time.

"Probably, there are some..."

"It's been too long, three years after three years, and three years after three years..."

"Sometimes, I can't even figure out my own identity. Is my obsession really for her, or just to give myself an explanation...?"

"Like a tangled mess..."

"Don't say these things to me. I don't want to understand your grief and your complicated emotions. That's not mine."

All I want to tell you is that the army of Mist Shinobi is ready to march. Do you think we can approach a place like this at this time?

"Or do you think I am a compassionate saint who has come to save you?"

Kato Osamu Teuchi Akihamaru's reminiscence. Sometimes, he didn't know why he did these things; hearing such words always made him inexplicably irritable.

"Kato- kun, help me this once, and my life is yours!"

Akihamaru stood ramrod straight, but his eyes held an inexplicable determination, and his eyes, as bright as the sunlight, made Kato Osamu narrow his eyes slightly and remain silent for a long while.

"Remember what you said..."

"I think you probably didn't just act on impulse..."

Quietly observing the excitement in Akihamaru's eyes, Kato Osamu inexplicably found her opinion of the man before her to have changed somewhat.

"Although Karatachi Yagura is the Mizukage and possesses the strength of a Kage, he is the weakest of all the Mizukage throughout history..."

"And I also know something..."

"The Demon of Mist Shinobi, the current wielder of the Kubikiribōchō, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen — Zabuza Momochi, this guy wants to assassinate the Mizukage..."

"Oh?"

He came to see me before, but I turned him down...

"Because it's not enough. With just the two of us, we can't even get close to the Water Shadow Building."

"Having intelligence on the Water Shadow Building, releasing the Three-Tails at a crucial moment, and infiltrating the Water Shadow Building amidst the chaos—if we include Lord Kato, the three of them should be enough..."

How do I leave?

"The Terumi Family, the Hōzuki Clan, and the Kaguya Clan won't just stand by and watch their shadow be assassinated..."

Perhaps by now, it's no longer just about Akihamaru; Kato Osamu has become somewhat tempted. He needs a formidable opponent to test his strength, and among the Kage-level shinobi of the various villages, there seems to be no one more suitable than Karatachi Yagura...

The Tsuchikage, Raikage, and Hokage are too powerful for Kato Osamu to match at present. The Fourth Kazekage Rasa, is not quite up to par with other veteran powerhouses. Only Karatachi Yagura can be considered a perfect opponent for him at this stage...

"The Kaguya Clan, Lord Kato, are you aware that this clan, much like the Uchiha Clan of Konoha, has long harbored resentment towards the Mizukage's faction? Their members often utter arrogant words, and they might even become our allies..."

Upon hearing this, Kato Osamu frowned. No one in a high position is a fool; any so-called conspiracy is at most exploiting an information gap. Now that almost all the intelligence is out in the open, Kato Osamu didn't believe that Karatachi Yagura couldn't see through it all...

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind..."

"Akihamaru, do you know that the easier something seems, the more likely it is to hide countless thorns and sharp blades within it..."

"Have you ever considered that if Karatachi Yagura did this intentionally, using himself as bait to lure out those with ulterior motives, and then brazenly wiped them all out, sweeping away all traces like leaves in the wind, then Mist Shinobi would become his personal fiefdom..."

"Absolutely impossible!"

"I've been lurking in the Mist Shinobi for over a decade. Even if there are differences between the various forces in the Mist Shinobi, I roughly know about seven or eight parts of them. It's impossible for such a powerful force to be hiding in the shadows and capable of turning the tide..."

"What if the Three-Tails has already been taken over by it?"

Kato Osamu's eyes held a hint of seriousness. He had witnessed the Eight-Tails' fighting power before, which was absolutely unmatched by ordinary ninjas. If the Mizukage were to combine the power of the Three-Tails with his own, he would have no choice but to run as far away as possible.

The sunlight in the Mist Shinobi seemed perpetually devoid of warmth; it fell upon him, yet offered no comfort whatsoever. As the autumn wind began to blow, Akihamaru couldn't help but shiver. He remained silent, unsure how to speak...

"I need a scroll for the Hydrification Jutsu..."

"Snipe the Hozuki Clan's Grand Elder first!"

"Furthermore, I need to know all the information about Karatachi Yagura..."

Kato Osamu's voice slowly rang in his ears. Akihamaru stared at Kato Osamu's cloak billowing in the autumn wind with a look of disbelief, but his feet seemed to be glued to the ground. As the figure in front of him grew farther and farther away, and seemed to be about to blur into the mist of the Mist Shinobi, he finally woke up as if from a dream.

"Yes!"

"Kato- sama!!!"