Absolutely no involvement

A red sun rose above the horizon, staining all the surrounding seawater crimson.

Kisame Hoshigaki guided his Summoning Beast as he gazed at the glittering waves. The sea was only a step away.

Never had he longed so desperately to return to the sea's embrace.

There was no freedom across the sea, only the blood-soaked Kirigakure, but at least he could stay alive there.

Yet a figure blocked his path: a young man with the Byakugan and a faint smile on his face. The blue-green Caged Bird Seal on his forehead looked more like a demon's mark.

He swore he had never witnessed such a powerful Taijutsu practitioner.

The gusts generated by a mere swing of his fist were enough to scatter the B-rank Ninjutsu Kisame had painstakingly cast.

Hand Seals could strengthen Ninjutsu. No matter how others cut down on them, he had always believed that, diligently forming every seal and winning through powerful Ninjutsu and sheer chakra reserves.

But after witnessing Zou Hyuga's attack, he doubted himself for the first time.

He also became convinced that the almost fantastical rumor circulating in the village held considerable truth. Supposedly, a Konoha Genin had shattered Kirigakure's pride-the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, who were powerful enough to hunt down the Five Kage.

Zou Hyuga approached Kisame and felt rather embarrassed when he saw the cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Am I really that frightening? I'm just a branch-family Ninja who can barely protect himself, without even the strength to truss up a Tailed Beast.

Shaking his head inwardly, Zou Hyuga walked toward Kisame and unleashed a series of Gentle Fist strikes too fast to follow.

Kisame tried to resist, but he was like a fallen leaf tossed about in a downpour, barely holding on.

Fortunately, his physique was exceptionally strong. With the aid of chakra, he could just manage to respond.

Bang, bang, bang!

Zou Hyuga struck Kisame over the heart with one palm and hit his temple with another. The tremendous force sent Kisame flying into a reef.

Activating his Byakugan, Zou Hyuga leaped forward, drew a kunai, and slit Kisame's throat.

Without looking back, he headed inland. He did not know exactly how strong he was, but in Sage Mode, he should be no weaker than the Jonin in his clan. At the very least, he could overwhelm Kisame as he was now.

Upon entering the dense forest, Zou Hyuga spotted Samehada in Fuguki's hands, and his eyes lit up.

The Shinobi World was vast and full of wonders. Many Summoning Beasts could transform into weapons of frightening durability.

The great sword Samehada before him was one example; the Third's weapon, Enma in his adamantine staff form, was another. These weapons could withstand a Tailed Beast Bomb head-on, making it hard not to wonder how tough their bodies were as Summoning Beasts.

"Finished off shark-face?"

Oto Uchiha appeared beside Zou Hyuga, her face slightly flushed. "Want to fire off a few Ninjutsu?"

Throughout the fight, she had relied on Taijutsu and Ninja tools such as Explosive Tags, without yet using the chakra in her body.

It was not that she was reluctant to spend her chakra, but one Kakashi's worth of chakra could only do so much.

Those weaker Fire Release Ninjutsu would be extinguished by the Samehada in their opponent's hands, merely wasting more chakra.

Zou Hyuga glanced at Kakashi and Asuma in the distance and shook his head gently. "There are too many people here. We could easily expose ourselves. If your Sharingan gets exposed, there's still room to recover. Not for me..."

Oto Uchiha nodded slightly. She had never intended to hide her three tomoe; she was only doing so because Zou Hyuga had told her to.

Kakashi and Asuma breathed a small sigh of relief when they saw Zou Hyuga.

His arrival proved that the shark-faced Ninja had been dealt with. With all four of them together, the fight would become considerably easier.

Suikazan Fuguki was a renowned Ninja with the strength of an elite Jonin.

But they were no ordinary Ninja either. Each possessed a kekkei genkai and considerable fighting ability.

"That brat Kisame was killed?"

Fuguki looked at Zou Hyuga with growing anxiety. He knew his subordinate Kisame's physique very well. That Ninja had extraordinary potential, and with enough time, becoming one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist like him would not have been difficult.

In truth, he was now considering fleeing as well, rather than lingering in battle.

Leading men to raid the Land of Fire's border had not been a mission from the village, but his own decision.

Fuguki had no time to think further before he found himself surrounded and gradually forced onto the defensive.

Chirp, chirp!

Once Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha had tied up his great sword Samehada, the shrill sound of Chidori rang out behind Fuguki.

"What?!"

Fuguki was about to turn and fight back, but Zou Hyuga closed in and sealed the chakra points on his arm, leaving him unable to channel the chakra in his meridians.

That was the formidable power of Gentle Fist. Deliberate physical contact was unnecessary; sometimes, it could even seal chakra points from a distance.

Still, Zou Hyuga felt it was nowhere near as useful as a gun. Given the choice, he would rather use a chakra sniper rifle-or perhaps a chakra Gatling gun?

Squelch...

The razor-sharp Chidori pierced Fuguki's flesh, its Lightning Release glow reflected in Kakashi's Sharingan.

Lightning Release: Chidori was a Ninjutsu he had created himself. It was so fast that only with his Sharingan active could he just barely follow it.

Damn it! I can't escape!

The instant that thought formed, Oto Uchiha severed the arm holding Samehada. With his back pierced through and an arm lost, his fighting ability dropped by at least seventy percent.

Already at a disadvantage, he now faced certain death.

Fuguki glared fiercely at the Byakugan Ninja, realizing something was amiss. His Samehada could protect its wielder automatically, yet it had done nothing just now. Having his arm sealed had been far more than a simple application of the Byakugan and Gentle Fist, too.

The instant the Byakugan Ninja touched his body, his chakra had fallen into turmoil and slipped out of his control.

Before he could think any further, Fuguki felt himself spinning rapidly.

Then he saw his own headless body, along with the smile at the corner of Zou Hyuga's mouth.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

After Fuguki's head was severed, Oto Uchiha promptly followed up with Fire Release Ninjutsu, setting his corpse ablaze.

No one dared assume that decapitation guaranteed death. The Shinobi World was vast, and strange things abounded.

Zou Hyuga had once jokingly mentioned corpses coming back to life, even saying that promoting cremation could preserve peace in the Shinobi World.

It sounded utterly absurd, but techniques for feigning death were hardly uncommon among Ninja.

"Hah... hah..."

Kakashi panted heavily. After the earlier fighting, Chidori had taken a rather heavy toll on him.

With his above-average chakra reserves, he should have been able to use Chidori five or six times without any trouble. But the Sharingan he could not deactivate consumed chakra constantly, leaving his body thinner by the day.

Fortunately, their squad had ultimately secured victory, killing a long-renowned elite Jonin.

They had completed this difficult A-rank mission.

"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist aren't much after all..."

Asuma extended a hand and recalled the twin chakra blades that had been knocked away. Despite having contributed little more than a bystander, he was exceptionally excited. Since graduating from the Ninja Academy, he could now count himself as having personally helped kill an elite Jonin.

Looking at the headless corpse in the distance, Zou Hyuga was thoroughly satisfied. He even wanted to laugh aloud.

All the credit for killing Fuguki belonged to Kakashi and Asuma, with Oto contributing a little support at most.

Fuguki had ultimately died to Chidori and chakra. Zou Hyuga had absolutely no part in it.

Everyone was satisfied with this result. It was a happy ending all around.