Chapter 9: One Less Executioner (Kaito)

Kaito crouched on a large sea stack jutting out of the turbulent ocean below. The column of rock extruding out of the surface of the ocean must have been separated from the mainland thousands of years ago due to endless erosion. His anbu team was silhouetted behind him. Their menacing forms stood straight against the onslaught of the storm crashing against them. The sea churned as the coast was battered by a storm. Wind tour at his anbu uniform and rain battered against his porcelain mask.

The form of a boat was just barely visible through the thick sheets of rain. A flash of lightning behind the boat helped outline its vertical mast with three large sails. "Deer, survey the boat," Kaito said. They needed an accurate count of ninja on board.

"I see ten significant chakra signatures. I can't get a read on their relative strengths from this distance though." She yelled above the howling wind. Ten was more than he wanted but he was confident his team could manage.

"We approach quietly in teams of two. The boat's trajectory should bring it close to this rock. We will swim out into the path and wait under the surface for it to pass over us. The storm should cover our approach." He yelled over the crash of a wave as it impacted the column of rock and covered them in sea spray. "Hawk and I will enter through one of the portholes into the lower deck and take out as many ninja below deck as we can. Deer and Bear will climb the side of the boat and assault the upper deck. Kill as many as you can silently. There's no way we won't get noticed, so try to thin the numbers as much as you can before they begin retaliating."

"What's the plan for when we get spotted?" Bear asked.

"Flare your chakra and we will regroup on the upper deck. If things get too hot, our retreat plan is this rock. Jump off the boat and get to this structure as quickly as possible. Understood?" He yelled and received nods of confirmation from the team. "And if it wasn't clear, show no mercy. They certainly won't show you any."

Seeing the boat coming close, Kaito stood and dove off the rock into the turbulent sea below. Piercing the surface headfirst, he kicked hard with his legs and swam into the path of the boat. He looked behind to see his anbu team following under the water, Bear, and Deer breaking away as planned.

As the boat passed overhead, he and Hawk shot towards the surface and latched on to the side of the haul using chakra. Scaling the rocking boat as quietly as possible they reached the first set of portholes and peered in.

The initial room on the bottom deck was filled with crates and barrels. No sign of ninja. Kaito gave the all-clear hand signal to Hawk and they both climbed in. They both dropped quietly to the deck, the soft sound of water droplets hitting the wooden floorboards was the only sign of their intrusion.

Kaito reach over his shoulder and pulled out his katana. Keeping low he stalked forward until he reached the edge of a wall. Stopping just short he tilted his head around the corner to survey the next room. Two hammocks hung from support pillars. The fabric bulged from the obvious presence of two people sleeping in their rocking forms. The hammocks were stacked on top of each other, only two feet separating them.

Kaito looked over to see Hawk gliding across the floor to the other side of the room where a ninja was rummaging through a crate counting the contents. Hawk looked back and Kaito signaled to him.

You get that one. I got these two.

Hawk nodded and crept forward behind the unsuspecting ninja. Kaito moved as well, stalking silently forward to the two hammocks. He coated his blade in a thin veil of wind chakra. The added nature to the blade would increase cutting power. Peering over to see Hawk grab the standing ninja and snap his neck before a sound could be uttered, Kaito readied his wind-coated blade.

With a sudden upward slash, Kaito cut through the two hammocks in one swing. The wind-powered blade cut through with little resistance. Blood splattered across the ceiling above as the hammocks split and the halved forms of two dead ninja spilled out onto the floor.

"What was that?" A voice said from around the corner.

Kaito shot up into a standing position and flattened himself against the wall. As he heard the man approach, he readied a kunai in his left hand. Just as a pair of feat became visible beyond the precipice of the wall Kaito swung his arm out with the Kunai raised at about head level. He was rewarded with a sickening crunch as he buried his Kunai to the hilt into the unsuspecting ninja's forehead.

Kaito pulled his arm back to reveal a dead man still stuck to his Kunai. Kaito gently laid the body on the floor and placed his foot on the man's chest. Pressing down with his foot he gave the Kunai a sudden yank to free it from the man's skull.

Four dead. Six to go.

A flair of chakra from Bear above reached Kaito's senses. He quickly turned to Hawk and nodded. Kaito turned and jumped through the nearest porthole. Using a hand infused with chakra he latched on to the rim of the opening and swung his feet out until they hit the side of the boat. Using chakra to stick to the exterior of the wooden hull he sprinted towards the top deck and flipped over the side railing onto the rain-soaked upper deck.

Just as he landed, he saw a man with an enormous sword kick Bear in the chest sending him flying towards the front of the boat. Bear landed hard on his back and slid into the front railing right next to the prone unmoving form of Deer.

On the other side of the boat Hawk flipped over the railing and immediately raced towards their two downed teammates. The man with the sword noticed Hawk and sprinted forward trying to cut him off from the incapacitated duo.

With a quick succession of hand seals in his left hand, Kaito activated his Wind Walker jutsu and wind-dashed into the path of the mist swordman. Skidding to a halt, Kaito spun to generate power and sent a brutal upward kick aimed at the swordsman's chest releasing wind chakra at the same time to increase the power of the kick. Surprisingly the mist ninja reacted quickly and brought up his sword blocking Kaito's kick with the broad edge. But the power behind his kick still sent the man flying back towards the opposite end of the deck. The man flipped in midair, landed on his feet, and stuck his sword into the deck. The sword cut a gash in the wooden floor and slowed the mans slide to a halt.

"Are they ok?" Kaito asked Hawk without taking his eye off the mist ninja.

"I think so, Deer is unconscious but breathing. Bear has a couple of broken ribs but is awake." Hawk said.

Relief filled Kaito as he dropped into his comfortable fighting stance.

"Well well well. I was starting to wonder when we'd encounter some resistance. Things have been too easy. Dare I say, too boring." The swordsman yelled from the other side of the boat. Three additional mist ninja emerged from the stairway behind the man. They must have come from one of the lower decks he and Hawk didn't get to clear.

Getting a better look at the swordsman, Kaito made out some key features. The man had white bandages wrapped around his neck and chin. Red painted lines or scars crisscrossed the lower part of his face and mouth. Sharpened teeth grinned menacingly out from the man's cruel grin. An X-shaped scar was on his right cheek. But the most striking detail was the enormous sword the man hefted. A long sword with a head-sized hole near the tip and a similarly sized half circle along the sharp edge near the hilt.

That was the famous Executioners Blade and the man wielding it was Jūzō Biwa, a high-profile A-ranked ninja and a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist. The man featured prominently in Kaito's bingo book. A ninja known for his brutality, physical strength, and destructive water style skills.

"Hawk, see to Bear and Deer. Keep an eye out for stray kunai or jutsus. Leave the rest of the ninja to me."

"But that's Jūzō and there are three other ninja with him. You can't possibly hope to.."

Kaito unsurpassed his chakra and flared it in warning, cutting off Hawks protests mid-sentence. The wooden floorboards under his feet groaned and cracked under the immense pressure of his chakra. The wind that cloaked his body burst forth, tendrils of wind lashed out causing the sails of the ship to flap wildly.

"Looks like you're the captain. And from the feeling of your chakra quite a strong one." Jūzō said with obvious excitement. The man's hand twitched around the hilt of his blade as he crouched down ready to attack. "It's been a while since I've sensed a chakra as potent as yours."

Seventy percent should be fine. Kaito thought to himself as he loosened the restrictions he had previously placed on his chakra channels to hide his true strength and aid with stealth. His wind cloak flared a small amount more as the amount of chakra Kaito made available to himself increased slightly. He raised his hands and formed a T shape with his index fingers. As he channeled chakra he imbued the chakra with a simple command, a singular intent.

Kill.

A single shadow clone burst into existence at his side. Kaito reached into his kunai pouch and handed the shadow clone a single kunai and nodded to it. It knew what to do.

A haunting laugh came from the other end of the boat. "A singular clone? The disrespect is on another level. If you think one measly clone will make a difference against me, then you're mistaken. Your entire team will die because of your stupidity." Jūzō said arrogantly back.

"The clone isn't for you." Kaito calmly stated. The clone by his side activated its wind walker jutsu and slowly strode forward.

Jūzō motioned with his arms and the three mist ninja behind him moved forward. "Kill them all."

The three mist ninja pulled out an assortment of weapons and rushed forward. Without hesitation Kaito's clone wind-dashed to the first ninja. Catching the ninja by surprise with its speed, the clone caught the ninja's wrist as he swung a sword down attempting to cut the clone in half. The clone rammed the kunai into the man's lower stomach and wrenched up opening the man's stomach from belly button to sternum. A blood-curdling scream escaped the man and he dropped to his knees, hands flying to his stomach as he tried in vain to keep his organs in place.

The second ninja body flickered behind the clone and jabbed downward with a kunai. The clone let go of the kunai still in the first man's chest and ducked letting the mist ninja's kunai and arm pass over its left shoulder. It then grabbed the man's extended arm, twisted so his elbow was facing down, and pulled down hard while simultaneously using its legs to stand up. The ninja's arm buckled as his elbow pressed against the clone's shoulder and strained against the joint. A crack rang out as the joint gave under the pressure. The ninja dropped the kunai in pain and the clone snatched it out of the air. In one smooth motion, Kaito's clone rotated on the balls of its feet and buried the kunai in the side of the mist ninja's head. The limp body of the second ninja fell to the ground.

"Fuck fuck fuck!" The third ninja screamed as he nervously clutched his katana and backed away from the clone.

The clone stood up and slowly turned to the last ninja. As it calmly walked towards the man it formed two hand seals in its freehand and took in a breath. The mist ninja screamed and rushed forward with his katana raised above his head. Kaito's clone shot out a single wind-style wind bullet from the small hole in its mask. A wet crunch reached Kaito's ears as the ninja's head snapped backward and blood arched from the back of his head as the bullet exited.

A series of claps rang out from Jūzō. "Well done. But I'm not impressed, they were all weaklings. You did me a favor. Now I get a bigger cut of the mission reward." Jūzō said and spit on the deck in disgust. The large man nonchalantly swung the Executioner's Blade onto his shoulder and leaned forward in anticipation. "Now, how about we get started?" he said as he started weaving hand signs.

Kaito dispersed his clone and reabsorbed the chakra. He readied his katana and crouched low ready to engage. Goosebumps rose on his arms from the large amount of chakra Jūzō channeled.

"Water-style Multi Water Dragon Jutsu!" he yelled. Four large water dragons sprung up from the surrounding ocean and twirled above the boat. Jūzō brought his hand down and the four water dragons sprung to life diving down towards Kaito.

Kaito looked behind him and noticed his three teammates were in the path of the dragons. His left hand burst into action and wove hand seals in a blur. Kaito spread his legs and bent his knees to strengthen his base. Pulling his chakra in and compressing it. As soon as he finished the last seal and added Wind nature to the chakra, he released the built-up pressure.

"Wind-style shock wave!" He yelled. A half-dome of wind-natured chakra exploded out of the tenketsu points on the front of his body and traveled forward towards the incoming dragons. The dragons crashed against the expanding dome and exploded sending torrents of water and mist into the air blocking his vision of Jūzō.

The tip of a sword pierced through the veil of water vapor and swung horizontally towards him. Kaito jumped, bringing his knees to his chest just barely pulling them over the enormous sword. Jūzō's form shortly followed through the veil, fist extended and barreling towards Kaito's chest. Still in the air, Kaito wind-dashed back towards the ground dodging Jūzō's fist by inches. As soon his feet hit the ground, he planted his left foot hard into the deck and kicked out with his right. His foot buried itself into Jūzō's chest.

Jūzō's form morphed and liquified, it then exploded revealing it to be a water clone. The sound of footsteps rapidly approaching from his left gave Kaito no time to think. He spun and slashed his sword towards the sound. A loud metallic clang rang out as Kaito's katana hit the sharp edge of the executioner blade. The impact created a small shockwave blowing the mist veil away revealing Jūzō holding the large blade with both hands driving it downward. Kaito's legs buckled slightly under the force, the floorboards below his feet cracked and splintered.

Jūzō's gaze met Kaito's, and he grinned as he applied more pressure on the blade, barring down on Kaito's crouched form. Both of Kaito's hands were on the katana holding back the immense force the huge blade. Creaks reverberated through his katana and into Kaito's arms. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw cracks begin to propagate along the flat edge of his standard anbu issued sword.

Taking the initiative, he twisted his blade and reduced the force he was applying. This surprised Jūzō as he wasn't expecting the reduction in force. His blade shot forward grinding against the side of Kaito's blade and embedding itself into the deck to Kaito's right side. Kaito twisted and swung upward forcing Jūzō to release his hold of the executioner blade or lose his hands from Kaito's slash. The mist ninja leaped backward and brought his hands together for a jutsu.

No you don't.

Kaito wind-dashed forward with his hand outstretched. Appearing in front of the mist ninja in a gust of wind he inserted his hand in-between Jūzō's own and disrupted the jutsu formation. He then grabbed onto one of his wrists and wrenched backward, pulling Jūzō down and towards him. Kaito's knee came up and crashed against Jūzō's chin snapping the man's head back and sending him flying across the upper deck. Jūzō slid across the rain-drenched deck until he hit the railing on the starboard side.

Taking advantage of his dazed opponent, Kaito pulled out two Kunai, sleaved them in wind chakra, and sent them flying towards Jūzō. With a satisfying thud, they pierced through each of his shoulders, sinking all the way to the finger holes and pinning the man to the wooden railing.

Kaito slowly walked towards Jūzō, his Katana in his hand glinted with every lightning flash from the storm raging around them. "Who the hell are you!" Jūzō yelled through gritted teeth. His arms limp at his side due to the kunai severing the tendons required to move them. "There's no one in any bingo books with your abilities. No one that matches your description. A ninja of your strength can't go unnoticed."

Kaito stopped feet in front of the man and raised his katana to Jūzō's chin. The tip drew blood from the light pressure he applied as he raised the man's head so that he could make eye contact.

"Just who the fuck are you!?" Jūzō screamed again, trashing against the kunai pinning him against the wall. Blood spilled out of his shoulders as the movement tore at his skin. "I don't get it. I know every A rank ninja and up from every village. Your face is nowhere. Your abilities are listed nowhere!"

"Unfortunately, Jūzō. I can't provide you with the closure you desire. But as your about to die I can tell you whom I serve." Kaito said as he pulled his mask off his face. "The Mist's transgressions here have angered the Leaf. You think us weak and disorganized after the Nine-Tails attack, but I can promise you it's the opposite."

Kaito raised his katana high above his head preparing for a clean strike. "I'm hoping your death along with recent events in Kano will make the Mist second guess its plans. The shock of your death, one of the legendary seven ninja swordsmen of the mist may save thousands of lives."

Jūzō laughed between blood-filled coughs. "Fuck you. My death won't change a god damn thing. The Mist will do as it pleases with or without me."

"Then your village will enter a conflict with one less powerful ninja and the blood of the Mist village will turn the eastern sea red," Kaito said. In one swift motion he brought his katana down and severed Jūzō's head from his shoulders. As the A-rank ninja's head rolled across the deck Kaito whispered, "I've failed my village once. I won't fail it again. The Mist has no idea what I'm capable of."

With a quick twist, Kaito flung the blood of his katana and sheathed it on his back. Turning to his team he saw all three of them staring at him. "Status?" Kaito asked as he walked over to where they were still sitting. By the lack of an answer, he guessed he was going to have some awkward questions later.

"Hawk, Status?"

"Oh, yes. Sorry. Bear has several broken ribs but is otherwise ok. Deer has a broken femur. I need to set the bone. She will need to be off the leg for several weeks."

"Good. You tend to them, and I'll set the explosive tags."

"Understood sir."

Ten minutes later Kaito and his team were standing safely on the same column of rock they started on before assaulting the boat. Hawk stood next to him supporting Bear's weight. Deer lay in Kaito's arms, her femur set and wrapped with a splint. With his fingers, Kaito activated the explosive tags he planted throughout the boat. Immediately the boat lit up in a satisfying orange glow. Vibrations racked the hull as it split in half and began to sink below the turbulent ocean surface.

"Panther?" Deer asked quietly in his arms.

He looked down and made eye contact through the eye holes in their masks. "Yes?"

"Your file says B-rank jonin. And yet you made that A-rank ninja look like a joke." She said but then paused seemingly in thought about what she was going to ask next. After a short moment, she continued. "Are we allowed to know who you really are?"

Silence enveloped the group as they all looked at him. "No, you aren't." He said. They would no doubt have questions and their previous trust in him rattled. He couldn't tell them the truth, but he could at least try to calm their uncertainty. "All you need to know is that I'm your ally, and I will do everything in my power to protect the Leaf and my comrades." He sighed. Kaito hated keeping secrets from his comrades. It was something he struggled with when he made the transition to Hokage, and it has only increased since he started his new life. One day he hoped he could tell them, but not today. "That is all I can tell you. If you do not trust me and wish to stop working together then I can have that arranged."

"No." they all said resoundingly around him abolishing the worry that had crept into his chest. A smile crept onto his face under the mask. "Good. Because I have a feeling it's going to get really busy, and I'd rather not have to break in a new team."

Authors Note 3/25:

Sorry for the late post! Life got in the way. Hope you all are enjoying the story!

Kaito's team gets a small glimpse of his power, and we get to see the difference in a A-rank vs high hokage level ninja. At least my interpretation.

Kaito is not tethered to the office like Minato. He is willing and ready to do whatever he can to ensure the Leaf's safety and he's extra motivated this time after his failure in his previous life. I'm aiming for a morally grey character here. He isn't a white knight. He has the strength to make a significant difference and he will use that power to help the Leaf and his friends. But it's going to come at the cost of some unfortunate Mist ninja. Let's hope he doesn't sink too far in the muck and end up like Danzo.

I've seen some reviews asking questions about pairings and Kushina. I love reading your review and seeing the questions you have! Keep them up! Yes, I plan on giving him a pairing. No, it will not be Kushina. I am not the biggest fan of all happy stories. I like stories that have a happy and joyful ending, but I think characters need to struggle and have hardships. These experiences add conflict to the story and provide opportunities for the characters to grow. Romance and friendship will be in the story and will play a significant part. But they won't be the main theme. Action, adventure, drama, romance, friendship I think will would be the most appropriate order of themes.

Format change. I plan on including some interlude chapters that cover some of Kaito's past. These will most likely be short stories told from other people's perspectives. Some will be from the current setting Kaito is in. Others will be from Kaitos previous life where he was the current 4th hokage. I think the first one I will input between chapters 4 and 5. So this will change this chapter to 9 on the chapter list on the website. So, if you see an update notification and the latest chapter is one you've already read it's because I've inserted a new chapter before in the order.

I plan on experimenting with these interlude chapters. Maybe one from a civilian's perspective or a teammate's point of view. Perhaps the last journal entry from an enemy ninja before Kaito killed him. Hopefully fun and interesting ways to learn a little about Kaitos past and how people view him in the story.