Mist Shinobi

"Bang!"

Not long after, a crisp sound came from the thick fog, the sound of swords clashing seemed to ripple through the entire mist.

Akihamaru was like a sword drawn from its sheath; after failing to strike once, he turned back and once Zabuza towards Zabuza.

"Good timing!"

Only then Zabuza seem to become more serious, intently observing the sounds around him, and the long sword in his hand began to glow with a bluish light.

"I didn't expect him to have some real skill..."

"Bite!"

As if pierced through the Mist Shinobi, Akihamaru's slender longsword was revealed. It seemed to be extremely refined and even sharper. In the instant they clashed again, the two looked at each other, both sensing how difficult the other was to deal with.

"As expected, you live up to your reputation; you're very strong too..."

The Silent Killing Technique isn't a unique secret art, but it's Zabuza's most proficient skill. Before striking, he hides in the thick fog, concealing all fluctuations, and strikes the moment his prey reveals a weakness, delivering a fatal blow.

After exchanging two blows, the entire battlefield fell silent once more, without a single sound.

"Akihamaru... that's quite unexpected..."

"It would be a shame to kill you..."

Watching his surroundings warily, Zabuza spoke slowly, seemingly trying to provoke Akihamaru into making a move, but no matter what he said, no one responded.

Zabuza, holding his breath and focusing intently on every movement around him.

As time passed, the two seemed to be playing a terrifying game of hide-and-seek in the fog.

"It seems your Hidden Mist Technique isn't quite up to par yet, not as eloquent as yours..."

He felt a slight rustling near his ear, Zabuza's face. In an instant, his long sword flashed like a black streak of light, slicing through the mist.

To his surprise, Akihamaru, whose figure had been discovered, dodged his attack like a fish, and struck first, a sword beam heading straight for his throat.

"Moon Shadow!"

In an instant, Akihamaru's figure seemed to transform into countless forms, each one indistinguishable from the real one, yet all wielding swords and thrusting horizontally. The stunning sword light seemed to pierce through the void, aiming straight for Zabuza's head.

Zabuza a step back, his eyes narrowed, and slashed out with his black greatsword, as if preparing to overcome skill with brute force.

Akihamaru's eyes sharpened, and with a sudden twist of his wrist, his scattered clones instantly appeared, their sword light layered upon layer, like surging waves, spreading towards Zabuza.

"Water Release..."

For some reason, just looking at the sword light before him, Zabuza could almost picture Water Release Ninjutsu. This guy, who wasn't that old, seemed to have infused the essence of Water Release into the sword light.

A glint of light flashed in his eyes; this guy had really given him quite a few surprises.

"I'm almost reluctant to kill you..."

Zabuza his underestimation, leaped into the air to dodge the sword's edge, clasped his hands together, and countless water whips seemed to spring from the void, slashing towards Akihamaru like a giant net.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The water whips swept across the sky, seemingly shaking the entire training ground.

"Water Release: Instant Water!"

Taking advantage of Zabuza's Water Release technique, Akihamaru activated the Instant Water Technique, moving on the water's surface with incredible speed. Although he did Zabuza know when Zabuza had prepared the Hand Seals for the Ninjutsu, he was not harmed in the slightest.

"The fog has dissipated!"

The impact of the Ninjutsu gradually dispelled the condensed mist, Jonin Mist Shinobi the stands became interested again, gathering together to look at the battlefield.

"Water Release: Bursting Torrents!"

The clash of Taijutsu was just a small appetizer; for the people of Mist Shinobi, Water Release seemed to be their true specialty. Akihamaru Hand Seals, and two huge streams of water beside him rushed towards Zabuza like swimming dragons.

"A Water Release technique, huh...?"

"Then let me see just how skilled you are in Water Release..."

Zabuza floated backward, and the moment he landed on the ground, two water dragons rose up from the ground.

The water dragon cut across the sky, its power astonishing as if it were blotting out the sun. The two Water Release Ninjutsu clashed, and the booming sound echoed throughout Kirigakure. A massive amount of water rushed down as if to devour everything, constantly striking the surrounding trees and forests. Terrifying ravines appeared on the training ground, all of them blasted out by the water falling from the sky.

Zabuza glanced at Akihamaru, who seemed to be panting slightly, and looked at him with a hint of appreciation and seriousness. "You're really impressive, to have blocked the Water Dragon Bullet..."

"If you survive, become my subordinate..."

"I don't want to become a subordinate of a defeated opponent..."

Although he appeared to have exhausted a great deal of Chakra, Akihamaru, panting heavily, showed no sign of backing down. He merely glanced at Zabuza and continued Hand Seals.

"Then... you should just die..."

Zabuza step forward, his body instantly bursting with sharp light. His long sword arrived in an instant, its momentum like an overwhelming wave, rushing towards Akihamaru. The black sword light seemed to become extremely terrifying.

"Wow, that's really impressive..."

Akihamaru seemed utterly fearless, his longsword dancing before him like a torrential rain, light and shadow intertwining, countless sword lights seemingly radiating endless brilliance, piercing the eyes so intensely they could not be looked at directly.

"Sunlight Dance!"

The clash of swords seemed to unleash countless streaks of light, as captivating yet dangerous as fireworks.

Akihamaru made a move as if he had no strength left, but fortunately he blocked Zabuza's attack. He smiled lightly and waved towards the high platform.

"I'm giving up, I admit defeat..."

Zabuza did not continue his attack. He simply watched the figure slowly walk out of the training ground, his eyes slightly narrowed, lost in thought.

Please stop fighting...

For several days, Kato Osamu and Orochimaru stayed indoors, finalizing all the details of the Living Corpse Reincarnation. The most difficult part of the research was always the technical challenges, but once the most difficult part was overcome, there would be no more obstacles to the rest of the work.

And naturally, he wouldn't let Orochimaru's efforts go to waste; Kato Osamu also offered his own reward...

"You want... the Chakra of Tailed Beasts?"

Kato Osamu's voice wasn't loud, but it made Orochimaru narrow his eyes slightly, looking at Kato Osamu with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Xu-kun seems to be bolder than I imagined..."

"Is Orochimaru- sensei scared?"

"Hmph... It seems Xu-jun still doesn't understand what kind of strength is needed to become the 'Shadow' of a village, even though he's old now..."

Orochimaru chuckled, looking at Kato Osamu with a hint of mockery.

"The Nine-Tails? Orochimaru- sensei is bolder than I imagined... I'm not that arrogant..."

"Orochimaru- sensei probably doesn't know is that your good friend, Lord Jiraiya, once fought the Eight-Tails and cut off one of its tentacles..."

"It seems he hasn't boasted about his 'brilliant' record to you..."

Although Orochimaru seemed to show no emotional fluctuation, Kato Osamu sensed a faint, complex emotion in Orochimaru's eyes.

"I heard that Minato Namikaze, and it seems the rumors are true..."

"Perhaps..."

"Perhaps after Orochimaru leaves, I'll still have to rely on him to survive... If anything goes wrong, it'd be best to pin it all on Orochimaru- sensei, that way I might live a little longer."

"A weakling like me naturally has to live a life of ignominy..."

Orochimaru glanced at Kato Osamu, couldn't help but chuckle twice, then his expression turned somewhat inexplicable, and he remained silent for a moment.

"Xu-jun..."

"He seems much more cheerful..."

Kato Osamu paused slightly, looking up at Orochimaru, but Orochimaru's calm expression revealed no emotion to Kato Osamu.

"I will go find Jiraiya. I hope you're not lying to me..."

"Of course not..."

"The Tailed Beasts have the characteristic of reviving after death, but that's not the most important thing. The most important thing is that their consciousness is never lost..."

"I wonder if Orochimaru- sensei has ever considered what kind of power preserves their consciousness during the void period between their deaths..."

"Perhaps, this can compensate for Living Corpse Reincarnation..."

With that, Kato Osamu tossed the prepared documents to Orochimaru.

"Regarding the Tailed Beasts, all my speculations may still need Orochimaru- sensei's supplement..."

Kato Osamu adjusted his cloak and prepared to leave the laboratory, but Orochimaru had just casually flipped through a few pages, suddenly called out to him, stopping him in his tracks.

"An S-rank Mission requires your attention..."

"Even someone about to leave Konoha is still dedicated to their duties. Orochimaru- sensei is truly a serious person."

Kato Osamu looked at Orochimaru with a strange expression, then seemed to realize something, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"I will obtain the Eight-Tails 'Chakra. As for the other thing you desire, perhaps you will need to obtain it yourself... This mission will give you ample time and the appropriate identity to search for it..."

"This is truly a mission delivered right to our doorstep..." Kato Osamu slightly raised his eyes and looked at Orochimaru with a hint of strangeness.

"The Kirigakure is holding the selection for the Seven Ninja Swords... and some people seem to be getting restless, wanting to interfere in the Kirigakure's war..."

Orochimaru's voice was unreadable, but one could easily detect his disdain.

"Was this a deal between you and Danzo?"

"It's also a deal with you..."

Orochimaru glanced at Kato Osamu. He didn't intend to hide anything; he roughly understood what the final piece of the puzzle for Kato Osamu's strength was.

He knew he wouldn't refuse.

"Not enough..."

"Oh?"

"The Summoning Scroll of Ryūchi Cave..."

"Can..."

With the mission scroll tucked into his robes, Kato Osamu slowly pushed open the door. He finally remembered what he had forgotten—his three subordinates.

The sunlight was slightly dazzling, but accompanied by the coastal breeze, it shone on Kato Osamu's face as he slowly turned his head to look in the direction of Konoha, a dangerous smile slowly creeping onto his lips.

"Mist Shinobi, huh? I'm really looking forward to it..."