Laterat Midnight,

Izuna andtherest of the members gathers inside the Terumiclan backyard in anbu outfits.

Mei walks out of the backyard and signals them.

"It's time to move."

All of them takeout an anbu mask from their pockets and wear it. They have been using these masks during their previous missions to hide their identity.

Swoosh… swoosh…

All of them flicker out of the mansion in the wake of night. They travel along one of the secret path near the small hill to move out of the village.

Hmm…

Izuna raises his head and notices someone following them.

'Hmm… It must be the noble clan.'

Swoosh…

Izuna disappears from his position and appears beside the hidden anbu.

"What the…"

Swish…

Izuna slices his neck with a sharp ice shard as a line of trails down the anbu's neck.

The rest of the group is startled when they see Izuna taking out the anbu so easily.

Zengetsu shakes his head as he speaks.

"Appearance are always deceiving. You look so harmless and frail with that face… but there is dangerous killer hidden beneath that face."

Mei and the rest of the people nods their head in agreement.

"We were also initially fooled by his appearance."

Cough… cough…

Izuna coughs slightly to gather their attention. He points at the anbu and replies.

"This guy was waiting in ambush for us."

He throws the body of the anbu in front of them.

Harusame searchesthe body of anbu and shakes his head.

"There is nothing on him as usual."

"We need to hurry up… looks like the noble faction is aware of our plan."

Mei immediately dashes towards the Mist Lake. Izuna and the rest of the group follow her.

Izuna notices the slightly tense expression on Mei's face. He catches up to Mei and speaks to her.

"You seem to be under lots of pressure. I can see it from your expression."

Mei turns her head away and tries to calm herself.

'I can't reveal the condition of father to any outsider. I can't misplace my trust.'

"It's nothing. I am just a little worried about the sealing team. They are an important part of our clan."

Izuna nods his headand overtakes her. Mei stares at his back and thinks to herself.

'I don't know… if I can trust you or not. Father trusted one of his best friend and was betrayed by him. Maybe… maybe I am too skeptical here.'

Swoosh… swoosh…

The group continues to flicker through the forest.

--

At the border of Landof Water… near a large lake…

A group of shinobis dressed in priest robe are staring at the center of the lake.

All of them wore blue priest robes with Kiri sealing corps symbol imprinted on their shoulders. They wear porcelain masks with many seals and Kiri symbol on it.

Elder Genji is standing at the forefront of the group as he staresat the red amalgamation of chakra in the center of the lake.

"It will be an hour before the beast revives in its original form."

He turns towards Ao, who is standing beside him.

"Ao… take charge of the barrier team and erect a barrier around the lake. We can't allow any disturbance while sealing the beast."

"Yes… Genji-sama." Ao bows his head.

He turns towards the barrier corps and signals them. A group of tenshinobis follows him and stands in a formation around the lake.

The barrier corps members have gigantic sealing scrolls tied on their back. After reaching their respective positions… the barrier corps members puts down the scroll and opens it.

There is a large sealing formula engraved on the scroll. The barrier corps members make some hand signs and slams their palms on the seal while infusing their chakra in the seal.

"Release"

All of them shouts in unison.

Many broad beams of purple light rises from the scrolls and joins together to form a gigantic purple barrier around the lake.

Ao looks at the giant barrier and nods his head. He looks at Elder Genji with reverence.

"Elder Genji personally created this barrier. It is strong enough to block at least two small tailed beast bombs from the Six tails. It was thanks to this barrier… wewere able to capture the Six-tails previously."

Elder Genji inspectsthe barrier and nods his head in satisfaction. He turns towards the sealing team and orders them.

"Prepare the seals… we will capture the beast and seal it inside this vessel until we find a suitable jinchuruki."

Elder Genji producesa giant vase with a red cloth covering its top. There is a giant black kanji letter for 'Demon' carved on it.

The sealing groupsurrounds the giant amalgamation of chakra and makes some hand signs. They slam their palms on the top of the lake.

Fwoosh…

Many black sealing formulas forms over the surface of water and creates multiple chains of fuinjutsu. The chains surround the chakra amalgamation andforms multiple chains around it.

Elder Genji places the sealing vase on the surface of water and patiently waits for the Six tails to revive.

--

Izuna and the rest of the group approaches near the lake. Theynotice the giant purple barrier around the lake.

The group frownsand raises their guard.

"It's the sealing barrier created by Elder Genji. He must be insidethe barrier." Mei assures them.

The group approaches the barrier. Ao notices them. He makes some hand signs and creates a small opening in the barrier.

The group entersinside the barrier and Ao reseals it.

Hmm…

Izuna curiously inspects the barrier.

'It is quite a powerful barrier. It is capable of dispersing the force of a blast all over the barrier. I would have to use thirty percent of my power at one point to break it in a single strike. I am honestly amazed by the Fuinjutsu capabilities of Kirigakure.'

The group notices the Elder Genji standing in the middle of the lake. Izuna notices the red amalgamation of chakra in the center of the lake.

He secretly activates his Sharingan and inspects the chakra amalgamation.

'Interesting…'

His curiosity is piquedas he inspects the process of revival of a tailed beast.

'Normally… when a person dies… all of his chakra returns to nature and slowly loses its will over the course of time… before converting into Nature energy.'

Hmm….

'But this lump of chakra has its own will… and its is preserved by a very powerful technique.'

He activates his Mangekyo Sharingan to notice the details.

'Incredible…'

He almost screams in amazement. His eyes widen as he notices something amazing.

--

Hmm…

Inside the Sin Grimoire,

Yin Kurama raises its head and notices the lump of chakra in the center of the lack.

'So… Saiken died and is about to revive.'

His eyes turn red in anger as he stares at the group of Kiri shinobiaround the chakra amalgamation.

'These human bastards!... they will capture and seal the moment he revives. I don't know why father entrusted the safety of mankind in our hands when these bastards seals us out of their selfish desires.'

Bam… Bam…

Kurama attacks the chains binding him.

Rattle… Rattle… Fwoosh…

More chains appear out of nowhere, and ties him down.

'Let me out of here. I will rip them apart into pieces.' Kurama growls in anger.

Minato and Kushina notices the disturbance. They try to calm him down.

"Calm down, Kurama… I am sure Six tails will also be able to find the peace… it has been seeking for."

Kurama calms down and stares at the chakra amalgamation.

--

Mei walks over to Elder Genji and speaks to him.

"Elder Genji… how long before the six tails revives."

"It will revive in approximately next thirty minutes. Prepare your squad for the fight. Six Tails will go on a rampage… once it revives. Your group has to hold it at bay as the sealing squads seals it."

"Yes.. Elder Genji." Mei returns to her squad as she instructs them.

'Amazing… this is a Yin-Yang Release technique.'

Izuna observes the process of Six-tails revival with full concentration.

'This is the 'Creation of All things', by utilizing this technique the user creates a spiritual form out of nothingness by administrating the imagination and then through the use of Yang chakra breathes vitality in the physical form.'

Izuna curiously records the process.

'This technique has given a spiritual consciousness to a mass of chakra thus creating tailed beasts… so it holds the consciousness of the creature by utilizing the Yin chakra and then reconstructs the breath and body through Yang chakra.'

Izuna tries to analyze the process.

'Incredible… simply incredible… If I can decipher this process even by a little amount… then I would be able to perfectly sync the spirit and body of Kushina and Minato.'

He continues to stare at the red mass of chakra.

"Your first time… seeing a tailed-beast."

A voice interrupts him.

"Hmm…"

Izuna subconsciously nods his head.

Hu…hu…

Zengetsu chuckles as he stares at Izuna.

"It is also the first time for me to see a tailed beast revival this up close. I have seen three-tails… but only from a distance."

Ahem…

Mei clears her throat as she interrupts them.

"The Six-tails is about to revive soon. We have to prevent it from rampaging and escaping from the barrier."

"Yes… Lady Mei."

Harusame and Utakata nods their head. She turns to Izuna and asks him.

"Yuito Yuki… can you freeze the water and encase the six-tails in ice to prevent it from escaping."

"Yes… I will try it." Izuna nods his head in approval.

"Very well…"She then continues to instruct the rest of the team.

Fwoosh…

The entire amalgamation of chakra swirls into a place as it starts to shape together.

"Get ready. Six-tails is about to revive."

Elder Genji warns the sealing corp. Their expression turn tense and all of them get in position.

Izuna jumps back and looks at the mass of chakra.

Swirl…

The red chakra swirls continuously as the concentration of chakra continues to rise and forms a dense sphere of chakra.

Swoosh… swoosh…

Elder Genji throws many talismans around the red sphere of chakra.

Awaah…

A roar escapes from the red sphere of chakra. The shockwaves from the roar push back the water and the sealing corps.

"Hold your position. Six-tails has almost revived itself." Elder Genji yells at the sealing squad.

Shoom…

A giant red pillar of chakra rises from the sphere and collies with the top of the barrier.

Rumble… rumble…

The barrier trembles from the forces of the chakra… but is able to hold itself together.

Shoom…

The red sphere of chakra cracks open and releases a powerful shock wave of the red chakra.

"Ice Release: Crystal Wall"

Izuna makes some hand signs and erects an ice wall to block the shockwave.

Crack… crack…

Some cracks appear on the walls but it holds on.

'Eight Trigrams Demon Suppression Seal'

Elder Genji creates a ram seal with his right hand and directs the other hand towards the floating talismans to control them.

Swoosh… swoosh…

Multiple black chains of fuinjutsu seals crawl out of the talismans and wraps around the six-tails.

Rattle… Rattle…

The chains rattle as Six-tails struggles to get free. Izuna dispels the ice wall to take a clear look at the Six-tails.

Six-tails is an enormous white bipedal slug. It has a blueish tint across its white skin. The slug has two small stubby arms, feet, and six long tails flailing behind it. It has two prominent optical tentacles and hole-like openings in place of a mouth. The entire body of six-tails is covered in a thick, slimy substance.

The Six-tails opens its mouth holes and exhales a large amount of dense white corrosive gas from its mouth. It instantly covers a large area.

Mei jumps in front of the gas and makes some hand signs.

"Boil Release: Skilled Mist technique"

Mei expels an acidic breath from her mouth which counters the alkaline breath of six-tails.

Izuna makes some hand signs and slams his palm on the surface of the lake.

"Ice Release: Frozen Capturing Field"

The water freezes under the six tails, immobilizing it in one place.

Six-tails opens its moth holes and expels a white viscous sticky liquid to gain mobility. The corrosive liquid melts the ice and six-tails move over the liquid.

It opens its mouth again and releases many large bubbles from its mouth. The bubbles travel rapidly near the sealing squad and burst on them releasing the corrosive fluid on top of them.

Aaah…

The sealing corps members shrieks in pain.

"No… you don't… you beast."

Harusame yells at Six-tails and takes out a blow-pipe from his holster.

He inhales deeply and exhales in the blow-pipe. The blowpipe releases many large bubbles from its other end. The bubbles rapidly surround the six-tails and burst near it.

The bubbles release an acidic fluid on the six-tails body. White fumes rise from the six-tails body as it whines in pain.

"Have a taste of your own medicine… you beast? I developed this technique after watching you. I call it… 'Soap bubble Ninjutsu'."

Harusame blows the pipe again and releases more water bubbles.

"Water Release: Ink bubble explosion"

The bubbles turn black and explode on top of Six tails drowning it in black ink. The acidic ink starts to melt its skin.

Awaah…

Six-tails yells in agony and releases another burst of chakra from its body. Blue and red chakra seep out of its body removing the black ink from its skin.

The blue and red chakra bubbles gather in front of its mouth and condense into a small sphere.

"Take cover… It is going to fire a tailed beast bomb soon." Elder Genji warns the sealing corps.

He turns towards Mei's squad.

"It's time for you to take action."

"Guess… it's my cue." Zengetsu walks in front of the group.

He makes many hand signs and claps his hand together.

"Water Release: Giant Water prison Dome"

Zengetsu creates a large water dome around the group. Harusame and Utakata nod to each other and both of them blow into the blowpipe.

"Water Release: Soap Bubble Technique: Bubble Dome"

They create a double layer of soap bubble at the edges of the water dome.

"Now…now… I can't stay behind… can I?"

Izuna gets serious and makes some hand signs and claps his hands together.

"Ice Release: Ice Rock Dome of Magnificent Nothingness"

He erects an icy, transparent igloo-like dome around the water prison.

Elder Genji throws a talisman towards the water dome and creates a defensive seal on top of it.

'It should be enough to hold it… right?'

Zengetsu looks at Elder Genji.

Awaah…

Six-tails roars again and fires the tailed beast bomb at the group.

Whoosh….

The tailed beast bomb quickly travels towards the group.

Bam…

It collides with the water dome and cracks it instantly. Zengetsu's expression turn ugly as he looks at his shattered dome.

Pop… Pop…

The soap bubble dome also cracks instantly.

BOOM…

The tailed beast bomb collides with the ice dome.

Crack… crack…

Cracks appear on the ice dome as it struggles to hold against the tailed beast bomb.

BOOM…

It holds on for a few seconds before shattering into various shards. The tailed beast bomb shatters the defensive seal of Elder Genji.

BOOOOMM…

It explodes into a violent explosion and covers the entire area. The purple barrier trembles from the explosion and hold against the tailed beast bomb.

Dust and debris settle slowly.

A major part of the lake has turned into mist as it gets evaporated by the tailed beast bomb. A few members of the sealing corps lost their life in the explosion.

Elder Genji emotionlessly looks at the members of sealing corps as he orders.

"Prepare to seal the beast. It won't be able to use the tailed beast bomb for a short while now."

"Yes…Genji-sama…"

The members of the sealing corps make some hand signs and slam their palms on multiple sealing nodes laid around the six-tails.

Swoosh…. Swoosh…

Multiple black fuinjutsu sealing chains rises from the nodes and wraps around the Six-tails. Elder Genji places his right hand on the sealing vase and speaks some incoherent words as he makes some strange hand signs with another hand.

Fwoosh…

The top of the container glows with purple light as multiple chains of chakra crawls out of it.

Whoosh… whoosh…

The chains wrap around the six-tails and drag it towards the vase.

Awaah…

Six-tails yells in agony as it resists to get free from the chains.

Whoosh…

The chains pull it inside the vase and the purple light fades. Elder Genji places a sealing talisman on top of the case and seals it.

"We have successfully captured the six-tails. It's time to return to the village."

He walks towards the barrier corps. The rest of the sealing corps members tends to their injured members.

One of them takes a storage scroll and places it on the ground. He puts down the corpses of the dead members and makes some hand signs.

"Enclose"

Elder Genji signals the barrier corps members. The barrier team lifts its hand from the giant scroll.

Swish….fwoosh…

The barrier slowly fades away and dispels. They pick up the giant scroll and ties it on their back.

Elder Genji turns towards Mei.

"Now… comes the real danger. You have to successfully escort the six-tails to the village. We have to look out for any traps and ambush laid out by the Noble clan."

"Yes… Elder Genji." Mei nods her head.

The squad lines up in a formation around the group as they depart for Kiri.

Izuna follows the back of the group.

He stares at the sealing artifact in the hands of the Elder Genji and mutters to himself.

'That's an interesting artifact. It seems pretty old… maybe it is one of those artifacts from the era before Rikudou Sannin excavated from some old ruins.'

Izuna scrutinizes the artifact and recognizes the seal on the talisman.

'Hmm… those seals on the talisman are similar to the one I found in the book in possession of the toads of Mount Myoboku… Perhaps there might be some connection between them. I must pay a secret visit to Elder Genji. There is much to them… than it meets the eyes.'

The group continues through the forest as they approach Kiri.

'This is the perfect place for an ambush.'

Izuna ponders as he looks around with his Sharingan.

Hmm…

'There they are… I was waiting for them.'

He notices a group of fifty people dressed in Anbu clothes about a mile away from them.

'Oh!... they have laid quite the number of traps here.'

Izuna and the group continue to move towards the trap.

Hmm…

The eyes on Elder Genji's walking stick shines with a red hue. Elder Genji frowns and warns others.

"There is an enemy ambush ahead. Prepare to engage them in a fight."

Mei and the rest of the group nod their head. Ao walks near Elder Genji and acts as a shield to deter the enemies.

'Interesting… that stick of his… is quite unusual.'

Izuna's interest is piqued by the walking stick of Elder Genji.

The rest of the group takes out their kunais, and weapons as they get ready for the fight.

Swish… swish…

Multiple kunais are launched at them.

Clank… clank…

The group quickly deflects all of them and engages in combat with the anbu members.

The leader of the anbu signals to his teammates.

Around thirty members of the enemy group make some hand signs and slam their palms on the ground.

"Co-operation Ninjutsu: Demonic Illusion: Steaming Multilayered Sealing Technique"

They use a wide area genjutsu to sever the senses of the group.

A thick layer of mist surrounds the entire area and encloses a large area around it.

Fwoosh…

The mist slowly vanishes and casts a genjutsu on the group. Izuna looks at the group of enemy anbus with a deadpan expression.

'Seriously, a genjutsu? You all disappoint me.'

Stab… stab…

The remaining members of the group stab the members of the barrier corps and the sealing corps. The leader of the anbu group makes some hand signs and vanishes from the vision.

'Water Release: Hiding in the Mist Technique'

The eyes of the staff of elder Genji glows and dispels the genjutsu on him.

'Byakugan!'

Ao activates his Byakugan and dispels the genjutsu. He quickly looks around for an enemy attack as he protects Elder Genji.

'Release'

Izuna infuses some chakra and disrupts the flow of chakra of Mei to dispel the genjutsu.

"Thank you."

Mei thanks him. She turns towards the group of enemy anbu members and makes some hand signs.

"Lava Release: Exploding Rings"

She fires multiple rings of lava from her mouth towards the enemy.

The lava rings explode and create a pool of lava beneath them.

Clang… clang…

Zengetsu, Harusame, and Utakata also dispel the genjutsu and fight against the enemy.

"Water Release: Raging Water Dragon Jutsu"

Zengetsu makes some hand signs and spews out a water dragon from his mouth.

Roar…

The water dragon roars and sweeps out several enemies.

Stab…

One of the hidden enemies appears behind him and stabs through his back.

Splish…

Zengetsu's body turns into a puddle of water and splashes on the ground. Large hands made of water appear from the ground and strangles the enemy.

'Water Release: Hiding in the Water Technique'

Izuna gives thumbs up to Zengetsu, who flashes a smile and fights with another enemy.

Izuna turns towards the group of enemies and smiles.

"Let's dance."

He makes some hand signs and slams his palms on the ground.

"Ice Release: Certain Kill spear'

Many pointed ice spears emerge from the ground and pierce the body of many enemies. Their blood dyes the ice spears in red.

The group continues to whittle down the number of enemies.

The Leader of the enemy who is hiding in the mist warily stares at them as his subordinates die one after another.

'I have to just retrieve the six-tails and according to the intel… it is inside that sealing vase.'

He sneakily walks up to Elder Genji and takes out a kunai from his holster and aims for Elder Genji's throat.

Hmm…

Elder Genji frowns as he senses an icy stare at his back. The eyes of the staff turn red. He immediately rotates the staff and stabs it backward.

Puchi…

The staff pierces through the throat of the hidden leader of the group.

The eyes of the leader widen as his body slowly turns into a puddle of blood.

Elder Genji wipes his staff and focuses on the remaining enemies in front of him.

"Ao… quickly take care of the rest of them. We have to seal the Six-tails inside a jinchuruki. This vessel can only hold it temporarily."

"Yes… Genji-sama." Ao quickly locates the hidden enemies with his Byakugan and attacks them one after another.

Mei and the group also finish off enemies on their end. Elder Genji stares at the group as he scrutinizes them.

'There are not that many trustworthy people present in the Terumi clan. I can't blindly entrust the power of a jinchuruki to anyone.'

He looks towards Zengetsu and shakes his head.

'The body of the Hozuki clan members isn't suitable for hosting tailed beast inside them.'

He then turns towards Izuna.

'Hmm… this Yuki clan member joined our faction… just a month ago… and he has proved to be a valuable asset for us. I am not fostering some skill-less shinobis on my side… they are countless of them present in the village. What I am looking for is… an individual with an indomitable will… a person who can control his inner demons.'

He scrutinizes Izuna for a while.

'He fits the criteria… but he isn't trustworthy enough. We can't control him as freely as we thought. We have to turn towards someone else.'

He turns towards Utakata and ponders for a while.

"This kid… he isn't that smart, powerful… or skilled. But… his loyalty to the village is undeniable. I will consult with Fuji and allow him to decide."

Elder Genji completely ignores the dead bodies of his allies and foes around him. He continues to move towards the village.

"Weakness is a sin. Those who are born weak… can only act as fodder for the stronger people. I have learned this harsh reality through three Shinobi Wars.

To make Kiri rise to greatness… some sacrifices are necessary."

He moves on as the group follows him. Some members of the group stay behind the collect the bodies of their friends and allies.

--

Inside Terumi Mansion…

Fuji nervously walks back and forth as he stares toward Mist Lake.

'I hope Mei is doing well. I can't allow anything to happen to her. Also… I want to successfully capture Six-tails and create a new jinchuruki.'

Sigh…

Fuji rubs his forehead and tries to ease some tension.

"With a jinchuruki on our side… the power balance between the noble clans and the middle faction will be balanced. They won't be able to suppress us as easily as they did before."

Swoosh… swoosh…

One Anbu members flicker in front of him and reports.

"Fuji-sama… Elder Genji has arrived with his group. They are near the south gate of the village."

"Good… we have to prepare some precautionary measures." Fuji immediately commands his personal Anbu squad.

Uncle Wakan and the rest of the anbu squad follow him as they flicker towards the South Gate.

--

Inside a large Mansion,

Bam…

One of the members of the Noble clan slams his hands on the table as he lashes out.

"Damn!... they were successful in their attempt. They now have Six-tail on their side. With this… the scales are balanced… we can't pressure them anymore."

The elder barks in anger. The expression of the rest of the Noble clan elders turns ugly as they hear this news.

"What should we do next?... At thisrate… their power will grow day by day… and one day… they will grow equal to us."

Another member of the council clutches his fist in anger.

They frantically discuss possible countermeasures among themselves.

Akifumi silently stares at the group as he thinks to himself.

"What should I do? How should I handle this situation? Lord Madara help me."

Akifumi infuses some chakra in a ring on his index finger. Some incoherent whispers resound in his ears.

A smile appears on Akifumi's face ashis eyes lit up. He turns towards the elder council.

Ahem…

Akifumi clears his throat to garner their attention.

"I have a plan. If we follow it… then Kiri will forever be under our control."

Inside the meeting room,

Fuji stares at the group of people as Ao recounts the entire incident to him.

Sigh…

Fuji sighs and rubs his forehead.

"The losses were great... but it was worth it."

He signals to one of his subordinates as he orders him.

"Make necessary arrangements and compensation for their family."

Fuji turns towards Elder Genji as he continues.

"Now… six tails is under our control."

Fuji stares at the sealing artifact for a while before nodding to Elder Genji.

"Ahem… I need to have some private discussion with Clan leader Fuji."

The remaining people leaves the room as only Elder Genji and Fuji stays in the room.

Izuna bade farewell to the rest of his team and walks out of the Terumi clan.

"Oye Yuito… Yuito…" Zengetsu yells his name and shakes his hand.

Izuna turns around and looks at Zengetsu with a questioning gaze.

"Hey… Yuito… if you are free tonight… then what about a drink? It is on me." He hurriedly convinces Izuna to join him.

"Very well… We will meet tonight at the Thirsty Man bar."

Izuna nods his head and flickers towards his residence.

Sigh…

Zengetsu sighs and removes his hat. He restyles his hairs to allow them to hang freely. His expression turns serious as he looks towards the center of the village.

"Mangetsu… we will have our rematch soon… and this time I won't be the loser."

Zengetsu removes the blade strapped on his back and caresses it gently.

Inside the Terumi Mansion….

In a private room,

Elder Genji looks towards Fuji for a while before he tells about his decision.

"Clan Leader Fuji… I initially decided to make Utakata… the jinchuruki of the Six-tails and after observing him for a month… I hold on to it."

Fuji frowns and questions him.

"But wouldn't Yuito Yuki. be a better option. He is a capable shinobi with Ice Release. He has shown his worth during this past month. He would be a perfect jinchuruki for the Six-tails."

Elder Genji shakes his head and continues.

"Somehow… I don't have confidence in him. Even Ao thinks the same. I have survived this far because of my instincts and experience."

Elder Genji taps his staff on the ground.

"Very well… I trust you Elder Genji. Then we will go with Utakata." Fuji decides.

--

Inside Noble clan mansion,

The rest of the elder raises their head as they curiously look towards Akifumi.

"What plan? Care to enlighten us… Akifumi!" One of the old elders questions him.

Ahem…

Akifumi clears his throat as he explains.

"Kirigakure came into existence when First Mizukage Byakuren-sama… my grandfather founded the village. He fought a bloody battle against various other clans during the warring state to lead us to where we are."

Hmm…

The rest of the elders nods their head in agreement.

"He achieved this with the help of other clans who allied with us and fought that bloody war." Akifumi continues.

"We are well-aware of this matter. These same ally clans are now opposing our rule and threatening to take our position." The old elder clenches his fists in anger.

Akifumi smirks as he looks at them and continues.

"It was indeed hard for grandfather to convince so many clans. But during the warring state… a band of seven swordsmen acted as his bodyguards. These seven swordsmen wielded seven powerful swords and single-handedly overpowered most of the clans and forced them to agree to our terms. Haha…"

Akifumi laughs as he mentions this. There is a reverent expression on his face as he speaks of this matter.

"Every person in Kiri… and even other villages are aware of this fact. Those seven people are the 'Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist' who slaughtered their way through every war and made other villages wary of us.

But… after the Third Shinobi War… most of them died at the hands of a powerful Konoha ninja who single-handedly killed four out of the seven swordsmen. Juzo and Raiga deserted the village and Fuguki later died on a mission."

Another elder states the facts and sighs.

"If only… the Seven Mist Swordsmen were alive… then we would have a better chance against the middle faction… since they captured the Six tails."

Haha… ahaha…

Akifumi laughs as he stares at them.

"Who said… there are no Mist Swordsmen alive anymore?"

He signals to one of the shinobi.

Whoosh… whoosh… whoosh…

Three people appear behind him.

Akifumi introduces them to the elders.

"These are the current members of the Seven Mist Swordsman fostered by me. Don't look down on their number."

Akifumi points towards one of them and introduces.

"He is Mangetsu Hozuki… the current leader of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist. At the mere age of eighteen… he had already mastered all the seven swords and can wield them in battle. Don't look down on him because of his young age."

Akifumi points towards the second member and introduces him.

"He is Kisame Hoshigaki… one of the members of the Fuguki's squad. He was the one… who unmasked the traitorous deeds of Fuguki and later killed that traitorous swine. He is the current wielder of Samehada."

Akifumi points towards the third and the last member.

"He is Renjouro… the current wielder of Hiramkarei. He is a capable swordsman with multiple S-rank missions under his belt."

Akifumi waves his hands and the three swordsmen disappear from their vision.

"Sadly… the fourth member… Zabuza Momochi betrayed us and left the village. I will kill that traitor with my own hands… if he appeared before me."

Akifumi clenches his fists in anger.

"Ahem… anyway… with 'Seven Mist Swordsman' on our side… we can make a pre-emptive strike and attack the middle-class faction. If we assassinate their leader… then the rest of the faction will fall apart."

Akifumi smirks as he looks at the rest of the elders.

Hmm…

The elders ponder for a while before they nod their heads.

"That's a good plan. But… are you sure… your 'Mist Swordsman' will be able to pull it?" One of the elders raises his suspicion.

Hmph…

Akifumi scowls as he chides the elder.

"You can test their strength… with your most elite anbu unit… if you doubt their abilities."

"No… no…" the elder shakes his hands in denial.

"It's decided then… let the war begin. Haha…"

Akifumi laughs maniacally.

--

Later inside Thirsty Man bar,

Gulp… gulp…

Zengetsu chugs down one jar of alcohol after another.

Haah… bam…

He slams the empty jar on the table and yells.

"Refill GIVE ME A REFILL." The server hurriedly refills his jar.

Gulp… gulp…

Zengetsu chugs down the jar and looks towards Izuna… who is sipping lemonade right beside him.

"Hicc… I thought… you would drink with me." Zengetsu complains.

"I like soda more." Izuna calmly replies to him and continues to drink his lemonade.

"…"

"Aw.. man… that hurt my feelings. I thought you will be a fellow brother-in-arms… who will drink together and drown all their sorrows. Hicc…"

"…"

Izuna silently stares at Zengetsu.

"Are we that close?"

Zengetsu thinks for a while before he shakes his head.

"I guess not. Hicc… but come on… just listen to me. I want to get this off my chest."

"Well… if you want to tell me your story… then I am interested."

Izuna puts down his glass and turns towards Zengetsu.

Bam…

Zengetsu smacks the empty jar on the table. He takes out the blade from his back and caresses it.

"You must be aware of the Seven Mist Swordsman…"

Izuna nods his head and replies.

"Yes… who doesn't know about them? But sadly, almost all of them died a few years ago. I heard it was a Konoha shinobi who killed them."

Zengetsu shakes his head and continues.

"I am not talking about them… but the previous generation… the first generation of Seven Mist Swordsman."

Izuna shakes his head.

"I don't know about them. For me… they are part of a legend."

'Sadly… I wasn't able to stop Might Duy's untimely death. I was on my journey to Land of Whirlpool and lost my sense of time.'

Hicc…

Zengetsu hiccups and continues.

"Around fifty years ago… during the warring states. The First Mizukage excavated an ancient ruin together with Elder Genji…."

"Oh! Now I am interested." Izuna raises his eyebrows as he is curious to know the origin of those seven blades.

'There is no way… the current blacksmiths can forge such blades. Like, come on… Samehada is a living creature.'

"… it was inside those ruins… the First Mizukage-sama found those seven blades and many other wonderful artifacts. Even Elder Genji's staff is from that ruin." Zengetsu raises his head and looks towards Izuna.

Mmm…

Izuna nods his head.

"… it was during this time… the First Mizukage founded the 'Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist'. He trained young shinobis while wielding those swords. My father was one of those young shinobi. Yes… he was a member of first-generation."

Zengetsu proudly puffs his chest as he continues.

"… my father has two younger brothers. The middle brother was skilled in genjutsu and ninjutsu… he later became the Second Mizukage… and the youngest brother…"

Zengetsu's expression turns ugly.

"… he was also skilled in swords. He also became a member of the Mist swordsman. "

Sigh…

Zengetsu sighs and chugs down the refilled jar in a single gulp.

"…. Father and younger uncle had a dispute over the position of the leader of the seven swordsmen. Both of them fought a heated battle and in the end… father won the battle…"

Haah… Bam…

Zengetsu slams the empty jar on the table.

"… he spared the life of his younger brother… but uncle felt it as a humiliation to his skills… so he backstabed father… father… in his last moments… stabbed through the heart of uncle… and… and both of them died in the battle."

Haah…

"It sounds ironic… isn't it…"

Zengetsu chuckles and looks at Izuna. Izuna silently listens to him.

"Now… uncle's elder son… Mangetsu… he has joined the noble faction… to train in swordsmanship… his target is me… he wants to kill me… and honor his father."

Sckinck…

Zengetsu unsheathes the blade on his back and brandishes it.

"… And I am ready for his challenge."

··

In the ghastly pale and wan moonlight,

The newly recruited members of Seven Mist Swordsmen stands at the outer edge of the Kiri village.

The group stares at the premises of a clan building from a cliff as they discuss among themselves.

"Akifumi-sama... passed his orders to slaughter the subsidiary clans of Terumi clan. Since… we aim to weaken their power and influence… let's start with the Doku clan… this clan would prove quite troublesome… if not dealt early."

Mangetsu stares at the buildings of the Doku clan as he orders the rest of the group.

Slick…

Kisame licks his lips as he stares at the clan.

"Samehada is quite hungry these past few days… I haven't gotten an opportunity to feed it. Looks like the time for the feast has come… slick…"

Renjouro frowns as he remarks.

"Kisame… I am sure… you are aware of the abilities of the Doku clan… if not... let me remind you… Doku clan does not possess frightening fighting capability as a shinobi clan… but their Kekkei Genkai 'Poison Release' is a quite fearsome ability….

Doku clan members can manipulate their chakra and surrounding water to create a deadly poison… Even their chakra contains poison… Once it comes in contact with water or mist… the poison will quickly spread in the surroundings…

Their poison mist was feared among all other nations during previous Shinobi wars. One slight mistake… and you will be poisoned to death."

Renjouro warns Kisame.

"Don't be too reckless… Kisame."

Kisame pats Samehada as he draws it from his shoulder.

"Nah… Samehada is way too gluttonous… it won't be affected by the poison. Poison will only numb its senses for a bit of time and will make it drunk."

"Samehada may be immune to poison… but the same can't be said about you." Renjouro remarks.

"Who knows…" Kisame has a mysterious smile on his face.

"Focus on the mission… we have to do a clean job… we three will take care of the main fighting members of the Doku clan. The rest of the Anbus will take care of the remaining members."

Mangetsu silences them as he plans out their attack.

"You are the leader…" Kisame raises his hands in agreement.

"Very well…" Mangetsu signals to the rest of the Anbu members as he leaps from the cliff.

Kisame and Renjouro follows him.

--

The Moonlight slowly fades away as dawn appears on the horizon.

"Huff… huff… Bad news… Fuji-sama… bad news…" Wakan breathes heavily as he rushes through the corridors of the Terumi mansion.

Fuji is sipping his morning tea with Elder Genji as they discuss various political matters.

"Bad news… Fuji-sama…"

Wakan hurriedly pushes away the door and enters the room.

Fuji and Elder Genji frown as both of them stare at Wakan.

"Calm down... Wakan…" Fuji calms him down.

"Now explain…"

Wakan takes a deep breath as he reports.

"Doku clan… Doku clan… is gone… Fuji-sama…"

"WHAT?..." Fuji exclaims as he stands from his seat.

"What's the matter… tell me every single detail of this matter." He grabs Wakan's shoulder and questions him.

Wakan narrates the entire series of events to Fuji.

Bam…

Fuji stomps his foot on the floor as various cracks appear from the ground. Steam rises from Fuji's legs.

"Those noble clans bastards… they have done it now… we can't maintain our neutral stance any longer… those bunch of lunatics murdered an entire clan of shinobis because they feared their prowess… Damnit… I can't stand them any longer. Now… only a war will calm my flames of fury."

"They have crossed the boundary with this move…" Elder Genji clutches his staff in anger.

"… First Yuki clan… now… Doku clan… they are destroying the very foundation of the village. Doku clan with their 'Poison Release' Kekkei Genkai was one of the major factors which lead to our victory in the Second Shinobi War."

Bam…

Elder Genji slams his stick on the floor.

"Immediately… summon all of our forces and the leaders of our ally clans… we have to counterattack against the tyranny of Noble faction."

Elder Genji orders his subordinates.

--

Later in the afternoon…

Izuna is sitting beside Mei as he listens to the conversation of various clan leaders happening in the emergency meeting.

Hmm…

He looks around and is unable to locate Utakata.

'So… they sealed the Six-tails inside him. I guess… it will take some time for the seal to stabilize… the sealing formulas of Kirigakure aren't as efficient as the Uzumaki clan.'

Izuna muses over the conversation of various clan leaders.

'So… the noble faction made their move and directly massacred the Doku clan.'

Izuna folds his hands below his chin as he ponders.

'Doku clan members possess the 'Poison Release' Kekkei Genkai… I have met and done some missions with their members during these few previous months… Last night… just happened to be the night… where I returned to Konohagakure… But I never expected such a thing from Noble faction.'

Mei listens to the conversation as anger seethe in her eyes.

"Unforgivable… this act is unforgivable. Those noble faction members are a bunch of animals… they even massacred the innocent children and even civilians residing near the Doku clan."

Izuna tries to calm her down.

"Lady Mei… we won't let them get away scot-free from this incident. All of them will pay for their crimes."

Mei calms down a little as anger is still blazing in her eyes.

"We will hunt down their anbu members… one by one… I will make them repay this debt of blood."

She turns to Izuna and the group and discusses a plan with them.

"Let's go and investigate the clan district of the Doku clan."

The group departs for the Doku clan district.

--

Inside the Kiri village….

The information of the wipeout of the Doku clan spreads like a wildfire across the village. Various rumors and hoaxes spread among various civilians.

Many civilian shinobi starts to have second thoughts about the village.

"We don't want to get embroiled in this power struggle of shinobi clans. It is better to leave this bloody village as soon as possible." One of the civilian shinobi talks with his friend.

"Yes… I have similar thoughts… I don't want to die an untimely death. We civilians have no backing, and the higher-ups will order us to do their bidding during this war. I became a shinobi to feed my family… not to get tossed around by the whims of those higher-ups. Who knows… when will they send me on a suicide mission?" His friend nods to him.

Similar conversation occurs throughout the village as many shinobi plans to desert the village.

Mei and the group walk through the village as she listens to one such conversation.

Mei frowns, and an ugly expression appears on her face.

"If only the Fourth Mizukage could handle this matter more efficiently… then such a situation wouldn't have happened in the village. He is still yet to address the massacre of the Doku clan… when apparent involvement of Noble clan is visible."

'Hmm… Yagura is under Obito's control… and I have some doubts regarding this Akifumi of the Noble faction. I must check on him.'

Zengetsu tightly clutches his sword.

"Looks like… I will soon get the opportunity to fight him. That sword style… it was his… there is no mistake in it."

Izuna raises his head and looks at Harusame.

'He hasn't talked a single word since the meeting. I am sure he is upset about Utakata becoming a jinchuruki. I am not sure of his backstory... and I have no interest either.'

"Time to put our plan in action." Mei signals them.

The group walks towards the outskirts of Kiri and arrives in a dilapidated slum area.

The area reeks of blood, piss, and poverty. Izuna frowns and turns towards Mei.

"Do you think it will work?... your idea to negotiate with the lower caste of Kiri. Most of them hate Kiri to their core… and if they are provided with an opportunity to slaughter… then they won't hesitate to do so."

Shh…

Mei places a finger on his mouth as she lowers her voice and whispers to him.

"Exactly… these groups of people are enemies of Kirigakure… or to be exact… they are enemies of the higher caste. The Noble faction has abused them since the era of the First Mizukage… and over time their hatred turned into a deep-seated grudge." Mei smiles at him as she remarks.

"You mean to say that… you will use the people of lower caste to fight against the Noble faction." Izuna raises his eyebrow.

Mei nods her head.

"Yes… these people have enough hate inside them to annihilate the Noble faction. If I negotiate with them… then they will be able to help us deal with the Noble faction."

"Will this idea of your work? What if these people backstab you and follow the Noble clan… won't our middle-class faction fall in trouble?" Izuna questions her intention.

"No… they won't." Mei shakes her head.

"I have seen the harassment and abuse of Noble faction on these people. Never in their sane mind… will they betray us. Alright… let's talk with them."

Mei walks up to a nearby lower caste shinobi who has been scrutinizing them with a vicious gaze for a while.

"We have a deal for you. Take us to our leader." Mei cuts the chit-chat and jumps directly on point.

"Who are you?... We have nothing to talk with higher class people… get out of here… you are not welcome here." The shinobi waves his head in annoyance.

'Come on… I don't have time for this. I will do it my way.'

Izuna activates his Sharingan.

'Genjutsu: Sharingan'

He casts a genjutsu on the shinobi. The shinobi walks deeper into the slums.

"Follow him. I think he is leading the way."

Izuna follows him. Mei tilts her head in confusion but follows him nonetheless.

'How did he change his mind so suddenly?

Inside the Terumi Mansion,

Fuji listens to Terumi's plan as he frowns.

"Mei… are you sure you can trust the people of the lower caste. Most of them are banished criminals, war prisoners, and even some ninjas who have fallen out of the grace… I don't think it is a good idea to employ them."

Fuji rebukes her.

"Father… trust me on this matter." Mei had a resolute expression on her face.

Sigh…

Fuji sighs as he sees her resolve.

"Very well… I will trust you. But what did you promise them in return? Also… I still don't trust them… they might backstab us at any moment." Fuji warns her.

"Father… I promised them… Freedom. After the power struggle of Kiri is over… there won't be any caste system in Kiri. I want the division to be based on merit rather than the birth of a person…"

Mei states her opinion.

"… I know it is easier said than done… but I will give it a shot." She continues.

"I believe in you… Mei." Fuji nods his head and discusses plans with Elder Genji.

"Elder Genji… now since we have the support of the lower caste… it would be easier to take on the Noble clans."

Elder Genji and Fuji strategize about the upcoming war for a power struggle.

"How was it?... did he agree?" Izuna is resting against a wall as he questions Mei.

"Yes… father agreed to my plan." Mei nods her head in affirmation.

"I don't know… how you did it… you were able to convince the leader of lower caste with a few words." Mei looks at Izuna in incredibility.

"It's… my little secret." Izuna chuckles and walks out of the mansion.

'Now… how could I tell her… that I just used Kotoamatsukami on that poor guy. I just gave him a simple suggestion… that's all.'

"Hey… tell me about it." Mei follows him. Both of them walk out of the Terumi Mansion and disappear into the streets of Kiri.

Elder Genji and Fuji look at their back as Fuji thinks to himself.

"Elder Genji… what are your thoughts on Yuito Yuki? Do you find him trustworthy?... or is he a spy?" Fuji questions Elder Genji.

"It's hard to say… a nameless shinobi of his caliber just appeared out of nowhere. It seems too good to be true… but then there are various other shinobis hidden everywhere."

Elder Genji shakes his head.

"… Up till now… he had helped us a lot… be it saving Mei's life multiple times… completing various suicide missions or some other life-threatening tasks… we have tested his capabilities and loyalty multiple times. If he was an assassin… he had multiple opportunities to get rid of Mei… but he didn't do so. And a spy will remain hidden… he won't appear in open." Fuji remembers the various missions he had assigned to Izuna in these past few months.

"… But I am willing to put my trust in him. Besides… I have yet to search for a suitable candidate for Mei to marry. I don't know how long… will I able to live with this condition… but I want to see my Mei live a happy and cheerful life. This is the last of things… I could do for her as her father. Sigh…"

Fuji sighs and turns around.

"Let's go… meet with the leader of lower caste… we are allies now… so we would need to show some respect to him… to win their trust."

Ao and Wakan follow after them.

--

In a secret hideout…

Obito stares at the map of Kiri laid on a table.

"The preparations are complete. It's time to execute the plan."

He folds the map and swirls out of the hideout.

Black Zetsu stares at his back and muses to himself.

"Mother… it won't be long before… I free you out of your prison… You were right… mother… these humans are such foolish creatures… they are delusional to their very core."

Swoosh…

He enters inside the ground and follows after Obito.

"I have recorded every incident of the Shinobi world into my memory… I will silently watch and record this moment too."

--

Inside a large Mansion in Noble estate…

Akifumi stares at the group of the Mist Swordsman.

"All of you did pretty well… I am elated by your magnificent performance. Now… we have to eliminate one more ally clan of the Terumi clan... and the victory will be ours. We will crush their rebellion and make an example out of them…"

Akifumi clenches his fist.

"… the position of leader of Kiri belongs to us. Mizukage is just for namesake… he is nothing but a puppet of our elder council."

Akifumi turns towards the Mist Swordsman group.

"I have another mission for you."

He takes out a scroll from his pocket and passes it to Mangetsu. Mangetsu opens the scroll and notices the picture of a woman.

"… She is Mei Terumi… The daughter of Fuji Terumi… and is the future successor of the Terumi clan. I sent multiple ninjas in various previous attempts to assassinate her… but alas… she survived… every one of them… Those bunches of incompetent shinobis of anbu. They are useless…"

Akifumi gnashes his teeth.

"… anyway… I want you three to assassinate her… when you have an opportunity… killing her will deal a fatal blow to Fuji Terumi's spirit… and we will be able to easily wipe them clean. Haha..."

Akifumi orchestrates a scheme to assassinate Mei.

'It won't be long before… the entire Kirigakure will fall under my control. Grandfather… you founded this village and I will rule it.'

Akifumi is lost in his delusions.

The Mist Swordsman walks out of the noble estate. All of them depart their way.

Kisame looks at their departing back and sighs.

"Day after day… I spent my entire life… searching for meaning in my life."

He slowly walks towards the outer edge of the village.

"What am I living for? Friend…"

Images of his previous team with whom he completed various missions pop into his mind.

"No…" He shakes his head.

"The world is full of lies. They betrayed the village… so I had to kill them."

Kisame stares at his hands.

"These hands were once soaked in the blood of my comrades. I don't have any friends anymore… I killed them with these very hands."

Kisame clutches his hands into a fist.

"… then what am I living for?... Family?"

Memories of the orphanage appear in his mind… where he spent his entire childhood.

"No… I never had a family to begin with… I was an orphan from birth…"

Crack…

Kisame clutches his hands tightly as bones crackle within them.

"… then where do I belong to?... who needs me in this world? Will I die a nameless death… in one of the remote corners of this world…"

He closes his eyes as he imagines the scenario of his death.

"A comrade-killer like me… never had any place… to begin with. This world is built on lies… and in this deceitful world… I am just a worthless fool with no meaning whatsoever."

Kisame slowly walks deeper inside the slums.

"That might not be true…"

A deep voice interrupts his thoughts.

"Who??..."

Kisame immediately draws Samehada and points towards the newcomer.

A masked figure walks out from the shadows and looks at him.

"You have your worth… you have your own role to play in this world?" The masked figure slowly approaches him.

"Who are you?... Reveal your face this instant or I will have to consider you as an enemy." Kisame warily points Samehada at the masked figure.

"I am Madara Uchiha…" The masked figure slowly removes the right part of his mask to reveal his Sharingan.

Kisame frowns as he stares at the Sharingan.

"Impossible… Madara Uchiha was killed by the First Hokage… Hashirama Senju… don't try to impersonate as him and try to fool me."

Kisame attacks Obito with his sword.

Swish…

The Sword passes through Obito's body without dealing any damage to him.

"What?..."

Kisame's eyes widens as he stares at Obito.

"This is… how is this possible?" He gapes at Obito's invulnerability.

"Now… do you trust my identity as Madara Uchiha?... No one… beside… Hashirama Senju was worthy enough to fight against me… but sadly… in our fight… due to a moment of letting down my guard… I lost the battle… and was almost killed by him. But… I survived… and now… I want to form an ideal world…"

Kisame silently listens to Obito's explanation.

"A world where no one will be forced to… betray their friends and forced to kill them. A world where there are no lies or deception… A 'World of Truth'."

Obito stretches as a hand towards him.

"Will you join me for my noble cause… and help in the salvation of this deceitful world?"

Kisame stares at the masked figure for a while before he replies.

"Let me think about it. I need some time to digest this information."

"Very well… tomorrow we will meet at the same spot… and I will reveal more information to you. Till then, farewell."

Swirl…

Obito swirls out of the place. Kisame looks at the empty space in front of him.

"A 'World of Truth' Huh!"

In a small house in the middle of Kiri,

Izuna is restingagainst a tree in the backyard as he watches Kimimaro training.

Hmm…

Izuna activates hisSharingan and inspects Kimimaro's body.

"In the Original timeline… he passed away from an unknown disease. I wonder… if he still has that disease."

Izuna uses his microscopic vision to check Kimimaro's bones.

"This is…"

He notices some tiny abnormal clumps of cells in Kimimaro's bone marrow.

"… this seems like cancer cells."

Izuna frowns as he notices the cancer cells in Kimimaro's bone marrow.

'Kimimaro's Kekkei Genkai allows him to manipulate his bones. He can produce multiple bones from his body… this process is carried by the rapid replication of cells in his body. Most of the bone marrow cells are found in the spine… and I have seen him replicating his spine… and using it is a spear.

Seems like the rapid multiplication has led to the development of cancer cells in his bone marrow. I would have to treat him soon… before cancer reaches the nextstage.'

Cough… cough…

Kimimaro coughs a little as he is training.

'Seems like… he hasdeveloped symptoms.'

"Ok… it's enough for now… you can stop your training."

Izuna stops him. He infuses some Nature energy in Kimimaro's body to rejuvenate him.

Kimimaro's bones absorb the chakra and turn in a shade of grey for a while before turning to normal.

Hmm…

'This is…' Izuna notices the peculiarity.

He infuses more chakra in Kimimaro's bones. The bones absorb more chakra and redirect it towards his bone marrow. The cancerous cells in Kimimaro's bone marrows decline a little.

'This is interesting… I wonder if it was the reason… Kimimaro has such a high affinity for the cursed seal of Earth of Orochimaru… well... he does possess Otsutsuki bloodline… and thus a connection to the Sage of Six Paths. Maybe… it is the reason Orochimaru was able to prolong Kimimaro's life for such a long period by using the cursed mark.'

Izuna stops infusing Nature energy in Kimimaro's body. The cancer cellsinthebone marrow start to slowly replicate again.

'Looks like… he needs a constant supply of Nature energy to prevent the multiplication of cancer cells.'

Izuna starts to make some hand signs.

'I have researched Orochimaru's seal present on Anko… and I have a gist of it. Orochimaru stored a fragment of his soul and will inside the cursed seal to revive himself… if he dies somehow. Otherwise… he can also… use it as a medium to take over the body of the inflicted person.

In a sense... it is similar to Karma Sealsof the Otsutsuki clan… but it is a watered-down version of Karma Seals. I wonder… where did Orochimaru get his hands on such a powerful sealing technique.'

Izuna continues to make multiple hand signs.

A black sealing formula appears in his hands. He places his hand near Kimimaro's spine.

'Orochimaru's seal was meant for his revival… but my seal will function as a Nature energy battery… it will passively absorb a little amount of Nature energy from the surroundings and infuse it in his spine to prevent the production of more cancer cells.'

Sizzle… Sizzle…

Ugh…

Kimimaro grimaces in pain.

"Hold on for a minute. I am treating you."

The Sin seal on Izuna's hand activates and infuses some energy with the seal on Kimimaro's hand.

'Hmm… what's this Sin seal trying to do?'

Orange black marks appear on Kimimaro's spine. The sealing formula completes and forms three tomoe arranged in a circle around a black dot in the center.

Izuna frowns as he stares at the seal.

"It turned out to be different than I expected."

He turns to Kimimaro and questions him.

"Kimimaro… how are you feeling now?"

Kimimaro wears his Kimono and stretches his arms and muscles.

"Angel-san! For some reasons… I feel great and full of energy right now. All of my fatigue and exhaustion are gone. I can continue my training…"

"Well… don't push yourself too hard." Izuna shakes his head and closes his eyes.

Kimimaro continues his training.

"There seems to be no problem with the seal. I wonder what changes the Sin Seal made to it… well… I figure that out in the future?"

Izuna stretches his hands and yawns lazily.

"Sadly… I have made no progress with the Kekkei Shi. It is some hard to balance… four elements together… I don't want to repeatthe same mistake and blow myself again. Maybe… I will take a break from the training."

He takes out a picture from his pocketand lovingly stares at it.

"Ayaka is already two years old now. I am such a terrible brother… for not spending enough time with her. After… the civil war in Kiri ends… I will spend more time with her… and teach her. I don't want to spoil her too much… Shinobi world is a cruel world… Weakness is a sin here… I will give her my share of love… but I won't hold back on her training."

He continues to stare at the picture.

"Yuito… Yuito… are you there… Yuito?"

A sweet female voice interrupts his thoughts.

Izuna immediately pockets the picture and walks to the front yard.

"I am here Mei… did something happened?"

He notices a grim expression on Mei's face.

"Yes… Something terrible happened… quick… I will explain it during our journey. For now… we need to move out."

"Yo!..."

Zengetsu waves his hand at him.

"Let's go…" Izuna nods his head and follows after them.

Swoosh… Swoosh…

The group quickly flickers out of the Kiri. While traversing through the forest, Izuna turnsto Mei and asks her.

"Ok! What's the matter? Can you inform me now?"

Mei nods her head.

"It's like this… the civil war in the Kiri has drawn the attention of the Daimyo. It has been two months since we collaborated with thelower caste… the murder and massacre have become a common thing on the streets. The economy of the village has plummeted to rock bottom. The already unstable Land of Water has further descended in chaos…"

Mei takes a deep breath before she continues her explanation.

"… The Daimyo of Land of Water grew frustrated by the situation… since the flow of moneystopped in the land. He suffered a massive loss in his business… so he scheduled a meeting between various factions for peaceful negotiation."

Izuna nods his head.

"Yes… I heard about it. What's the big deal?"

"… this is a big matter. Earlier this morning… father and the Elder Genji secretly departed towards the center of the Land of Water for the meeting. He only brought some of his trusted people with him…"

"Well... that's normal after all… too many people will leak the information of his whereabouts and the route he takes to reach Land of Water." Izuna nods his head.

"… No… the thing is… the information of his departure was somehow leaked to his enemies. They are already on their way to assassinate him." Mei informs with a panicked expression.

"What? How?... how did the information got leaked….and how did you came to know of this?" Izuna questions her.

"Someone informed me… to be exact… one of the members of the Seven Mist Swordsman… his name is Renjouro and he is the wielder of Hiramekarei. He didn't know about the name of the spy… but he informed of this matter before vanishing from my sight… I don't know… if I can trust this information… but I want nothing to happen to my father." Mei answers him.

"This could be a trap… maybe they are trying to lure you out… and assassinate you." Izuna speculates.

"It could be… that's the reason I came to you for help… and I came across Zengetsu along the way."

"Fine… let's go. We have to hurry up." Izuna increases his speed.

Mei and Zengetsu follows his pace.

'Hmm… Renjouro and Hiramekarei… I wonder if there is some connection with Chojouro. Looks like… the civil war is about to end soon…'

--

Inside the forest…

A group of three people hides on top of a tree, as they silently wait for their prey to arrive.

"We never got a chance to assassinate Mei Terumi during these past two months… but Fuji Terumi is fine too. It is a pleasant opportunity to get rid of him."

Mangetsu stares at the deeper parts of the forest.

"Samehada is thriving for more chakra… I hope they have strong people with them." Kisame caresses his blade.

"We are in the middle of an assassination… a powerful foe is the least we would like to ask for." Renjouro rebukes him.

"But… Samehada doesn't like the taste of chakra of a weakling." Kisame retorts.

Hmph…

Rejouro snorts and stops talking. He has a slightly worried expression on his face.

'Chojouro… I am doing this for your sake. I have seen the ways of the Noble clan… and I don't think… they have a chance in this war. I hope you will be able to find a better life ahead of you.'

Cough… Cough…

He coughs out some bloodfrom his mouth. Renjouro quickly wipes awaytheblood.

Hmm…

Mangetsu raises his head. He notices a giant lava ball moving towards them.

"Get on your guard… it is an enemy attack."

Mangetsu cups his hands together and stretches them towards the lava ball.

"Water Release: Water Hail"

He fires a barrage of small water bullets from his hands. The bullets nullify the lava ball.

"Ice Release: Shard Hailstorm"

Multiple ice shards attack them from all directions.

Kisame jumps in front of the attack and makes multiple hand signs.

"Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave"

He spits out a great volume of water from his mouth. The water surges towards the ice shards and blocks the attack. The ice hail freezes the entire water, leaving behind a large trail of ice.

Renjouro swings his blade Hiramekarei, releasing multiple light blue senbons towards the ice. The senbons pierces through the ice, shattering in the process.

"… the surprise attack was a failure. I never expected the enemy to be this skilled.

Mei frowns as she warily inspects the group of Mist Swordsman in front of her.

--Flashback-No-jutsu--

Mei and the group dashes through the forest to intercept the enemies.

"It will take too long for us… to catch up with the group." Izuna comments.

"… then do you have a faster way to reach there?" Mei anxiously asks him.

'… well If I use my normal speed… then it won't take me long to catch up with the group… but I am hiding my identity here… Oh! I almost forgot about it.'

Izuna makes some hand signs and slams his palm on the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu"

A large summoning seal appears on the ground."

Poof…

A giant brown eagle appears inside the smoke. Izuna jumps on its back and signals Mei and Zengetsu.

"… Hop on… It will be much faster through the air."

"…"

"You should have done it earlier," Mei complains.

"I almost forgot about it." Izuna scratches the back of his head.

"… well… it's not too late. Hold tightly… we are going full speed." Izuna instructs them. He gently pats the eagle's head.

Scree…

The eagle screeches and instantly speeds up.

"… fast… that's too fast."

Mei grabs his waist to take support. Zengetsu grabs his leg to support himself.

"…"

'What's with this situation?... Anyway… it was a nice idea to form a summoning contract in Shikkotsu forest. Well… I formed a summoning contract with all the summons of the Shikkotsu forest.'

Whoosh…

The eagle increases its speed by another notch and whizzes through the air. It reaches supersonic speeds and breaks past the sound barrier. Mei tightly hugs his waist as she looks around.

"At this rate… we will be able to overtake the father's group in a few more moments. But at this speed… I can't spot a thing." Mei sighs in relief.

Whoosh….

The eagle continues to soar for half an hour.

"Found them…"

Izuna stops his eagle above the clouds as he observes Fuji and his group moving towards the center of the Land of Waves.

"They are right below us…"

Izuna points out the location of Fuji to Mei and Zengetsu.

"Man… you have quite the sharp eyes." Zengetsu stares at the escort group as they appear as small as ants in his vision.

"I just have good eyes." Izuna chuckles and turns towards Mei.

"So… do you want to group up with your father?"

"No…" Mei shakes her head in denial.

"He won't allow me to… he is worried about my safety… and would probably send me back. We should move forward and ambush the enemy." She suggests to them.

"Are you sure… it is a good idea? What if the enemies outnumber us?" He questions her decision.

"It is fine… we have your eagle with us. We will survey the situation from above… and if there are too many enemies… we will retreat and regroup with Father's group to support them." Mei forms a plan.

"Well… you call shots here… so it's fine with me." Izuna pats Eagles' head.

The eagle speeds and disappearson the horizon.

The group moves for another hour before they spot the Mist Swordsman.

"Enemy!... up head…" Izuna warns them.

Mei frowns and questions him.

"How many?"

"I can see three people with peculiar swords in their hand." Izuna describes their appearance to them.

"It is them… the newly formed Mist swordsman." Mei recognizes the features of one of them.

Zengetsu clutches his blade.

"The time for our showdown has finally arrived."

"Let's engage them… I think we have a chance against them." Mei signals Izuna.

Izuna lowers the altitude. Mei jumps from the top of the eagle and makes some hand signs.

"Lava Release: Lava Meteor Shower"

She fires a giant lava meteor ball towards the enemy group.

--

At present,

Izuna and Zengetsu jump behind Mei and groups with her. The eagle nods its head and disappears in a poof of smoke.

Kaching…

Zengetsu draws out his blade from the sheath and points towards Mangetsu.

"He is mine… don't interfere in our battle."

Zengetsu dashes towards Mangetsu with a blade in his hand. Mangetsu frowns as he notices Zengetsu.

"I will handle this bastard."

He makes some hand signs.

"Water Release: Water Gun"

Bang…

He shoots a small water bullet from his finger.

Kachin…

Zengetsu slices the water bullet with his sword. He makes some hand signs in retaliation.

"Water Release: Water jet pistol"

Zengetsu points his sword towards Mangetsu and fires a jet of high-pressure water.

Bang…

Mangetsu blocks the attack with his sword and engages Zengetsu in a sword fight.

"I have some questions to ask from him." Mei points towards Renjouro.

"Boil Release: Corrosive Mist Breath"

She releases a highly acidic mist from her mouths.

"Hiramekarei: Release"

Renjouro swings his sword and disperses the mist. He dashes towards a hill and Mei follows after him.

"So… I guess… you will be my opponent then." Kisame stars at Izuna.

"Well… I don't know… how to feel aboutit…" Izuna cracks his neck and stares towards a tree.

Hmm…

'So both Obito and Black Zetsu are monitoring the situation. As much as I would like to kill them now… if I did so… I might spark the attention of Isshiki Otsutsuki… Black Zetsu is Kaguya's will and Isshiki was her partner… I don't know… if he is aware of Black Zetsu… and is monitoring him through some secret techniques.'

Kisame places his blade beside him and quickly makes multiple hand signs.

"Water Release: Four Shark Shower"

He slams his palm on the ground.

Rumble… Rumble…

A large surge of water erupts from the ground. The water forms a group of four water sharks which rushes towards Izuna.

Izuna makes some hand signs and stretches his hands towards the sharks.

"Ice Release: One-horned White whale"

He creates a humongous ice whale. The whale slams into the water sharks and freezes them.

Shatter…

The ice whale and the water sharks shatter into multiple ice shrapnel which launches towards Kisame.

Clang… clang… clang…

Kisame blocks the ice shrapnel with his blade.

Haha…

Kisame grins as he looks towards Izuna.

"It has been a while since I came across such an opponent. Even Samehada is happy to fight against you. Entertain me while you can…"

He grabs the giant shark blade and swings it towards Izuna.

Clank…

Izuna blocks the attack with a kunai.

Clank… clank…

Both of them exchanges a few blows.

Skkiirr…

The shark's skin rips apart the bandage tied on the blade and attacks Izuna.

Clank…

Izuna makes an ice kunai and blocks the attack.

"Oh… no one has ever been able to escape unscathed from this surprise attack. You are the first person to do so." Kisame is surprised to see Izuna block his attack.

Fwoosh…

Kisame performs a backflip and creates some distance between them.

He makes multiple hand signs anddirects his palm towards Izuna.

"Water Release: Water Shark Bomb Jutsu"

He manipulates a large amount of water and directs it towards Izuna. The water shapes into a giant water shark and opens its enormous mouth to bite Izuna.

"Let me see… how are you able to dodge this?"

"You talk too much." Izuna makes some hand signs and thrusts his hand forward.

"Ice Release: Ice Dragon Blizzard"

He sends a gigantic dragon of ice to intercept the shark.

BOOM…

The shark and the ice collide with each other and explodes.

Haah…

Kisame smirks and makes a ram hand seal.

The water droplets in the surroundings turn into multiple small sharks and attack Izuna.

"Water Release: Thousand Shark Shower"

In response, Izuna clasps his hands together.

"Ice Release: Swallow snowstorm"

Many surrounding ice splinters turn into small ice swallows and collides with the small water sharks freezing and shattering themin the process.

"No one except Mangetsu has been able to make me sweat this much in a while. What's your name?... I will remember you as a worthy opponent before I kill you."

Kisame question him.

"You seem pretty confident aboutkilling me."

BOOM… BOOM…

Various explosion occurs in a distance as Zengetsu fights against Mangetsu.

'Water Release: Hydrification Technique: Great Water Arm Technique'

Zengetsu raises his right arm. The arm absorbs the moisture from the body and compresses it into the arm. The muscles of the arm enlarge and gets strengthened.

Zengetsu clutches his sword with the right hand and performs a spin in air before slamming the sword towards Mangetsu.

"Kenjutsu: Decapitation Strike"

Bam…

Mangetsu blocks the attack with this blade.

Swoosh…

The force from the attack sends him flying.

Fwoosh…

He performs a summersault in air and steadily lands on the ground.

Whoosh…

Zengetsu strengthens his leg muscles using the Hydrification technique and increases his speed.

He instantly appears in front of Mangetsu and slashes his sword at him.

Clang…

Mangetsu blocks the strike.

Crumble…

The ground beneath him caves in. He struggles to push the blade away from his throat.

Crack… crack…

Some cracks appear on his blade.

Tch…

Mangetsu clicks his tongue.

"Water Release: Hydrification Technique: Jet Pump Kick"

He enlarges his right leg and kicks Zengetsu away.

"In all those years… your skills have improved Zengetsu. You forced me to use one of the Seven Swords."

Mangetsu makes some hand signs and summons a scroll in front of him. He slams his palm on one of the seals on the scroll and summons a blade.

"Behold Kabutowari!!"

Mangetsu wields a peculiar sword with a giant axe on one end tied to a hammer on the other end with a thin, leather-like rope.

Zengetsu makes some hand signs and slams his palms on the ground.

"Water Release: Tate Eboshi"

A giant gust of water erupts from the ground. The water turns into a giant pufferfish and moves towards Mangetsu.

Mangetsu raises his hand in the air with the axe part of the blade in his right hand and the hammer part in the left hand.

"Kenjutsu: Kabutowari: Deep Earth Slash"

He infuses some chakra into the blade and slams it on the ground.

Rumble… rumble…

Ground tremble underneath his strike as the blade releases a vertical blade of energy towards the pufferfish.

"Kenjutsu: Kabutowari: Endless Heaven Smash"

Bang…

He slams the blunt part of the axe with the hammer.

BOOM…

The axe and the hammer releases a shockwave which tears through the ground and smashes into the pufferfish.

BOOM…

The pufferfish disperses into countless raindrops, and the shock wave pushes Zengetsu.

Zengetsu holds his blade horizontally in his hands and infuses chakra into the blade.

"Kenjutsu: Surudoiken: Halo dance of Waning Moon"

The blade glows with a cyan hue. Zengetsu slashes it horizontally towards Mangetsu. The blade releases a cyan blade of water.

The cyan blade slashes through the shockwave and travels towards Mangetsu.

Mangetsu frowns as he looks at the cyan blade.

"Water Release: Hydrification Technique"

His body turns into the water as he receives the attack.

Bam...

The cyan blade slams into his liquified body and throws Mangetsu in the air.

Cough… Cough…

Mangetsu holds his chest as slowly stands up from the rubble.

"Now… die… it's time to end our long rivalry."

Zengetsu swings the blade towards Mangetsu's neck.

Slash…

He slashes Mangetsu's body in half.

Plop…

Mangetsu turns into a puddle of water and falls on the ground.

"A water clone."

Zengetsu frowns. He immediately turns around and blocks an attack from the real Mangetsu.

"Kenjutsu: Shibuki: Bakuto Ren"

Mangetsu swings a giant sword. The sword has two distinct sides with a narrow cutting edge on one side and a broad platform with a scroll attached to the other side.

The scroll unfolds and releases multiple explosive tags from it.

"Explode"

Mangetsu makes a hand sign. The explosive tags on the blade glow brilliantly.

BOOM… BOOM…

Zengetsu is blown away by the explosion.

Bang…

He smashes through multiple trees and finally collides in a giant tree.

Cough… cough…

He coughs out a mouthful of blood. Mangetsu slowly walks towards him.

"You are too soft… just like your father."

He lifts the blade and slashes Zengetsu.

--

Near a cliff on top of a hill,

Mei is fighting against Renjouro as she questions him.

"What are you trying to achieve through this?... you are the one who informed me of this ambush and now you are fighting against me."

Renjouro silently makes some hand signs.

"Water Release" Great Waterfall Technique"

He spits a huge amount of water from his mouth. The water cascades into a spinning vortex destroying land and trees along its way as it travels towards Mei.

Mei frowns as she looks at this jutsu.

'He is not pulling back his punches… in that case…'

Mei makes multiple hand signs.

"Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique"

She spits out a large amount of lava from her mouth. The lava razes everything to ashes as it collides with the giant vortex of water.

BOOM…

The clash between two jutsus produces a large amount of Mist which hinders their vision.

Renjouro grabs his blade as he makes some hand signs.

"Water Release: Hiding in the Mist Technique"

He slowly vanishes in the mist and moves towards Mei.

"This is looking bad for me."

Mei makes some hand signs.

"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique"

She exhales a small amount of mist which encompasses a small area around her.

Sizzle… Sizzle…

She senses some disturbance in her mist.

Clang…

Mei immediately draws out a kunai from her holster and blocks an attack from Renjouro.

"Hey!... what are you trying to achieve through this? You first informed me about the ambush… and now you are attacking me… was it a part of your plan?"

Clang…

She questions him as she blocks another strike from him.

"No… it's not a trap. I called you here for a purpose…" Renjouro replies to her as he disappears in the mist.

'Silent Killing… he is utilizing the art of Silent Killing… one of the sword art of Mist Swordsman.'

"… I have a younger brother called Chojuro… both of us were orphans. Akifumi-sama adopted us from the orphanage. He raised us and trained us to wield a sword…"

Clang…

Mei blocks another attack from Renjouro.

"… Chojuro is such a clumsy child… he can't properly handle a sword… so I was chosen to become a member of the Mist Swordsman… Cough… cough…."

Renjouro coughs a little blood from his mouth. He stops his attack and appears in front of Mei.

"… during all these years… I saw all the horrendous deeds committed by Akifumi-sama… I even did many dirty jobs for him… all these years… I came to know about the dark side of the Shinobi World. I have always thought to myself what if something similar happened to me and Chojuro…"

Renjouro draws hi blade again and attacks Mei.

Clang…

Mei blocks the attack.

"… so I thought of repenting my crimes… I thought of abandoning my position as a Mist Swordsman and thought of defecting from the village together with Zabuza… but Chojuro is still under their control. I can't leave him alone… in all these years… I… cough… cough… gained nothing but this disease."

Renjouro coughs another mouthful of blood.

"…I don't have long enough time to live and watch Chojuro grow… so when I heard about the tension between the factions… I thought of defecting for Chojuro's sake."

Renjouro throws a scroll towards Mei.

Mei catches the scroll and notices a location marked on the map.

"… this is the location of ambush plotted by Akifumi… he is personally involved in this ambush. As for the fight… I wanted to test your strength and see for myself… now…"

Renjouro stops all of his movements. He wields the Hiramekarei blade in his hands.

Snip...

The blade separated in two separate dual blades.

"… here is my final attack… if you can block this attack… then I will at least die happily as Chojuro would be in safe hands… if not then you will die together with me."

Renjouro takes a sword stance.

"Kenjutsu: Hiramekarei: Bloody Mist Sword Art: Bone Mutilation"

Both blades glow with a pale blue light. Renjouro slashes them towards Mei.

"Now… watch out for my attack."

Swish… swish…

Multiple large pale-blue chakra blades shoot towards Mei. Mei's expression turns serious.

"I have to give my all to counter this attack."

Mei clasps her hand together as she riles up her chakra.

"Lava Release: Bone Ash Annihilation Meteor"

She directs her hands towards the multiple chakra blades.

Boom…

A large lava meteor appears behind her. The meteor smashes into the multiple chakra blades.

BOOM… BOOM…

The chakra swords bombard the meteor.

BOOM…

The meteor explodes annihilating the swords. A giant pool of lava forms on the ground. Mei faints from Chakra exhaustion.

Renjouro stands at the edge of the cliff as he stares at the lava pool.

"Guess… I made the right choice."

He closes his eyes and silently falls from the cliff into the bottomless abyss of the Mist Sea.

--

"Oh! Those are some big words coming from your mouth." Izuna stares at Kisame.

He makes some hand signs and slams his palm on the ground.

"Let me see… if you can handle this…"

"Ice Release: Frost Apocalypse of End"

Rumble… Rumble…

The ground beneath them shakes as the surrounding temperature falls below the freezing point.

A chill runs through Kisame's spine.

'I have to stop him before he completes his jutsu.'

He grabs Samehada's handle and yells.

"Samehada transfer me some chakra."

Samehada follows his order and transfers an enormous amount of chakra to Kisame.

His skin turns blue as shark gills and fins appear on his body.

He clasps his hand together and stretches them towards Izuna while infusing a massive amount of chakra in his attack.

"Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique"

Kisame creates a gigantic water shark from his chakra and launches it towards Izuna. The shark opens its enormous mouth as it bites everything along its way and grows stronger by each second.

The shark arrives before Izuna in just an instant as it tries to swallow him.

"Too late."

Izuna finishes his hand signs and claps his hands together.

"Release"

Fwoosh….

A chilling wind blows through the entire area, covering the entire forest in ice.

The water Shark instantly freezes into ice.

Clatter… clatter…

It shatters into countless fragments of ice and falls on the ground.

The entire land is covered in snow as it continues to rain down snow.

Kisame's body gets frozen into an ice sculpture.

Clatter… clatter…

Obito clatters his teeth as his body starts to freeze.

"Wha… wha… what kind of Ju… jutsu… is this? Such powerful forbidden Ju… jutsu. If not for Hashirama cells… my body would have been frozen by now."

BOOM…

Izuna hears an explosion in a distance.

"That's from Mei's location."

He quickly dashes in Mei's direction.

"Qui… quick… grab him. Even my body is starting to freeze now."

Black Zetsu reminds Obito.

Obito immediately approaches the Kisame Ice Sculpture and stores him in his Kamui.

"We… we have to thaw him… out of ice. But for now… let's get out of here."

Swirl…

Obito and Black Zetsu teleport from the ice hell.

Slash…

Mangetsu slashes his blade at Zengetsu.

Haah…

Zengetsu smirks as he stabs his blade in ground.

"You lowered your guard."

"Kenjutsu: Surudoiken: Blade Crucifixion: Death by Thousand Cuts"

Slash… slash….

Almost a thousand glowing chakra blades erupt from the ground.

"Hydrification Technique"

Mangetsu yells immediately. His body turns into the water to avoid the physical attack.

"It's useless… These blades are infused with chakra."

Stab… stab…

The blades stab through Mangetsu's body. His body turns into a jelly-like state as it slowly converts into a puddle of water.

Cough… cough…

"I did it… I brought honor to you… father."

Zengetsu slowly closes his eyes as blood continues to spill from his wounds.

"No… not like this… I won't die alone… I will take you with me."

A hand comes out from the puddle of water. There is a long needle sword held in the hand.

"Kenjutsu: Nuibari: Wire Crucifixion"

The hands stab the needle through Zengetsu's throat.

Guffaw…

Zengetsu coughs out a mouthful of blood as he struggles to breathe. Zengetsu infuses more chakra in his sword as the blade pierces through the puddle of water, silencing it completely.

"Guess… in the end… like father… I will also die a meaningless death because of a foolish rivalry. I only came to know of this fact at my deathbed."

Zengetsu's vision blurs as his eyes shut down.

--

Izuna immediately approaches the direction of the explosion.

He notices a giant pool of lava at the center of the pool. A frown appears on his face as he notices Mei lifelessly lying on the ground.

He quickly approaches her and checks her pulse.

Phew…

"She is alive… she just ran out of chakra."

Izuna makes some hand signs and grabs her hand.

"Chakra transfer"

He transfers some of his chakras to Mei while rejuvenating her with Nature energy.

"Ugh!"

Mei slowly opens her eyes as she looks around.

A handsome face appears in her vision as she is lying in Izuna's lap.

"What… what? What happened?"

She quickly distances herself from Izuna as a slight blush appears on her face.

Cough… cough…

Izuna coughs a little to remove the awkwardness.

"So… what happened here? Where is the enemy?" He asks her.

"He… he is gone… forever." Mei points towards the cliff.

Izuna understands her gesture and nods his head.

"So… did he give you any information?"

Mei immediately passes the scroll to Izuna. Izuna opens the map and notices the marked location.

"It is situated on the alternate route of the escort group. We have to hurry up."

Mei slowly stands up and tries to walk. She staggers and falls to the ground.

"I am still weak from the chakra exhaustion." She takes out a chakra pill from her storage scroll and consumes it.

"We don't have time to wait for your recovery." Izuna grabs her by the waist and Princess carries her.

"Wha… what are you doing? Put me down…" Mei protests.

"Listen… we don't have time for this banter… your father needs your help." Mei hesitatingly nods her head and stops struggling.

"Let's pick Zengetsu too… that guy is like a cockroach… he won't die easily with his water body." Izuna closes his eyes and senses Zengetsu's chakra.

A frown appears on his face.

'His chakra signature is too weak.'

He immediately dashes in Zengetsu's direction. He arrives at the location to see a needle sword stabbed through Zengetsu's throat.

He places Mei against a tree as he approaches Zengetsu.

"Zengetsu!..."

Izuna immediately pulls out the sword while he treats him with 'Mystic Palm Technique'."

"Oye! Zengetsu!... open your eyes… you can't die like this. You are an unkillable cockroach… just open your eyes… you can't die like this." Izuna infuses Nature Chakra in Zengetsu's body while treating his wound with 'Mystic Palm'.

"Ugh!"

Zengetsu slowly opens his eyes as he stares at Izuna.

"It's futile… I won't live longer… my end has come."

Zengetsu places a hand on Izuna's shoulder.

"It was fun to know you… I hope… I will be able to have a friend like you in my next life."

Zengetsu closes his eyes.

"Name?... tell me your real name?" Zengetsu asks him.

"… no Yuki clan member can use such a high level 'Medical Technique'. You are not a Yuki clan member… so at my last moments at least tell me your real name."

Izuna opens his eyes and activates his Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Amenominakanushi"

Izuna activates his Mangekyo ability as he stops time. He holds Zengetsu's hand to remove the effect.

Zengetsu slowly looks around and notices everything frozen in a place.

"This is…"

His eyes widen as he notices everything frozen around him. Zengetsu turns towards Izuna and notices his Sharingan and real face.

"Haha… as I expected… who could it be except the 'Silent Shinigami' of the Shinobi World. There is no ninja as talented as you." Zengetsu chuckles as he struggles to utter more words.

Izuna clutches his right hand as he tries to communicate with the 'Sin Seal'.

"Sin Seal… damnit… listen to me… save him… like Minato and Kushina… I made a friend in this shinobi world… and he is on the verge of death… save him…"

The Sin seal remains dormant without any activity.

"Damnit!... Damnit!"

Izuna smashes his fist on the ground.

Crack…

A crack appears on the ground.

"Just give up on me..."

Zengetsu holds his hand.

"I don't have much time… here take this sword as my present for you…"

Zengetsu passes his sword to Izuna and slowly closes his eyes.

"Remember… what I said about the origin of 'Seven Swords of the Mist'. It is the Eighth sword out of the Seven. No one… no one… was able to use it… Even now… I don't know what else is it capable of… just take this sword as a memento from me."

Zengetsu slowly passes the sword to Izuna as he breathes his last.

"Damnit!... Damnit!... Even if we knew each other for a few days… but I came to consider you as a friend."

Izuna holds the sword in his hand.

A strange feeling wells up within him as he feels a strange connection to the sword.

He ignores this feeling and stows the sword into his storage scroll.

Bam… Bam…

Izuna digs a grave near Zengetsu's body and place him inside it.

"I won't allow anybody to pilfer your remains and disrupt your rest."

He makes multiple hand signs and places various fuinjutsu seals around Zengetsu's grave.

"Release"

Izuna releases his space-time ability and walks towards Mei.

"Zengetsu has left this world."

He emotionlessly informs her. Mei silently nods her head. He makes some hand signs and slams his palm on the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu"

Izuna summons his eagle and moves towards the Escort Group.

"We will unite with the escort group and face the attack of the enemy together with them."

Mei silently stares at Izuna's solemn face while sitting on top of the eagle.

'Is this the face of a man who lost his friend? Is this how… father felt all those years when he lost his friends and family?... No… I don't want to lose my father.'

She clutches her fists tightly.

They travel for another hour before they spot Fuji and his escort group.

Ao frowns as he notices some chakra signatures.

He activates his Byakugan and notices Izuna and Mei flying towards them.

Ao turns towards Fuji and informs him. A frown appears on Fuji's face.

"This girl… why did she come all the way here?"

The eagle lands in front of the group and Mei jumps down and rushes towards Fuji. Fuji stops her and questions her.

"What's the meaning of this, Mei? You were supposed to stay in the village… under Terumi clan's security."

Fuji notices the worn-out condition of Mei as his frown deepens.

"Father!... you can accuse me later… but listen to me first."

She thrust the scroll into Fuji's hands and narrates the entire series of events to the group.

Sigh…

Fuji sighs to himself as he laments Zengetsu's death.

"His father was my savior. He saved my life during the Second Shinobi War. I can't even take care of his only son… what kind of friend am I?"

"It's not the time for the mourning… we have to move forward… or else his sacrifice will go in vain."

Elder Genji reminds him.

Sigh…

Fuji sighs again and continues his journey. Izuna moves alongside them as he recalls his journey in the shinobi world.

'As an Otaku… I thought the Naruto world… would be an interesting place… from the anime and manga I read… I always find it fascinating… when a bunch of shinobis throw around there cool jutsu… but I guess… I was naïve back then… my powers might have made my life a bit easier… but there is still pain, suffering, and death in this world.

There is no true peace in this world. Only endless conflict and war… if there is no conflict then the human will create a new one… ahh… it is the nature of man.'

--

Inside the Storage scroll…

The sword continues to glow with a cyan hue as many strange seals appear on its entire blade.