This time, infiltration was a lot more difficult. Kirigakure was honestly a bit of a mess - Sasuke wasn't sure if this was an organised mess, or just a mess.
There were bodies strewn about everywhere - cadavers resurfaced on peat bogs, which surrounded Kirigakure. There was so much blood that Sasuke finally understood why it was referred to as the Bloody Mist in the future. He kept having to watch where he stepped, because there were just that many corpses and bones lying around.
"So far, we haven't found any evidence of Kirigakure allying with Iwa. I think we got false info," Minato stated, cautiously avoiding stepping on a dead body.
"I don't get what we're supposed to be doing here," Sasuke admitted. He deftly stepped over a skull.
"First, we'll just break into the Mizukage's office. If we don't find anything, we'll break into other locations," Minato explained calmly. Sasuke huffed in annoyance - that was an extensive list. He hated the mission, but he loved the money.
Finally, they were at Kiri's border. In war times, no tourists or foreign ninja were allowed in without a multitude of documentation. So Sasuke and Minato had to sneak in unnoticed. The fence was chakra-sensitive, so Minato threw over one of his tri-pronged kunai and then teleported them.
Teleportation sure is useful, Sasuke thought bitterly. Undeniably, he had to figure out how the Hiraishin worked, in case Minato and him ever got into an altercation.
They both adopted disguises, apt for walking around Kiri without attracting glances. Silently, they headed towards the Mizukage's office, which was, as expected, located in the centre of the village.
He never studied the Mizukage, except for Yagura and Mei, so he didn't know who the current one was, but he didn't particularly care. If they ran into them, he'd kill them. Simple.
The Mizukage wasn't here. Sasuke would've called getting into their office laughably easy, but he still had his guard up. There was something suspicious about the situation, so he told Minato to ransack his office while he stood at the door.
In retrospect, he should've been looking at the ceiling, which promptly burst as the Third Mizukage - whoever it was - hit the floor, along with several Kiri ninja.
Shit, Sasuke thought. Kiri may not have allied with Iwa, but now, they would definitely turn hostile. He may have fucked things up.
"Nah, it's fine," Minato interjected, wary of the other ninja, "They were allied with Kumo." Minato clutched and waved some papers. Those papers were probably significant.
"Go on ahead," Sasuke said, easing into a fighting stance, "I'll catch up. You just...teleport out of here."
Minato glanced at him, then at the other ninja, and then at him again. He looked hesitant and unsure of leaving Sasuke by himself.
"Haha," The Mizukage began guffawing, seeming to genuinely find the situation humorous. Sasuke was sure this guy had a screw loose in his head - albeit that may have been a little hypocritical coming from him (but at least Sasuke was aware of his unstable psyche).
"You think you can beat me, the Mizukage? By yourself? You're just a boy. How cocky," he looked at Sasuke as if Sasuke was a bug on his shoe. It pissed Sasuke off - he was much too used to giving other people that look.
Minato looked on at the scene with apprehension. Suddenly, he shrugged and vanished, teleporting elsewhere.
Sasuke sighed in relief. Honestly, he was glad Minato was gone, because then he didn't need to hold back.
"Alright," Sasuke cracked his knuckles, "I suppose that you should all get ready to die."
With blinding speed, Sasuke drove a kunai into the necks of a few of the Mizukage's ninja: more dead bodies to dump on the outskirts of Kiri. He used a lightning jutsu to smite the rest of the Mizukage's ninja. Except for one pathetic ninja, who he knocked out instead. Someone had to be left alive to spread the word. The rest burned like crisp, the ashes dispersing in the humid air.
Finally, he regarded the Mizukage.
The Mizukage's jaw hung slightly open. Sasuke had effectively eliminated every trace of cockiness from the man's face. Sasuke smirked at him evilly. Then, he activated the Mangekyou, upsetting the Mizukage even more.
"What is that?!" The Mizukage exclaimed, not being able to look away from the Mangekyou.
"Your death," Sasuke responded calmly, his evil smirk widening. As he overlooked the Mizukage, a part of him started wondering...maybe, just maybe, he was starting to enjoy killing a little bit too much.
The high he felt when his hot blood pumped rapidly through his blood vessels. Adrenaline coursing, his heart thudding, veins throbbing - perhaps he loved the sensation too much, to the point of addiction. What he was doing was starting to get dangerous not only for those he killed, but also for himself.
Sasuke paused. He shrugged. Eh, who the fuck cares? He banished such thoughts, realising that he honestly didn't give a fuck about his moral issues. Then, he performed Amaterasu, watching remorselessly as the Mizukage's blood-curdling, guttural screams ripped through the air. When it was done, Sasuke yawned. He hadn't slept in a while.
He jumped through the window, breaking the glass. He didn't pay any mind to the sharp shards. He inhaled, trying to sense Minato. When he detected him, he shot towards him, arriving in a few minutes, since Minato was peacefully walking through the outskirts.
"The fuck?!" Minato looked taken aback to see Sasuke there. "It hasn't even been ten minutes," he said, checking his watch. "Jeez, what sort of monster are you? Killing a Kage in a few minutes..." his tone was sarcastic, but there was a hint of curiosity too.
"Never mind that," Sasuke yawned again. "You've got the papers, right? Let's head back."
"I've got them," Minato replied, examining Sasuke, "You look tired. Wanna make a pit stop at the Land of Hot Water? It's on the way."
"..." He glanced at Minato. "Are we allowed to do that?" The idea appealed to him, but he was sure Minato would get into trouble if anyone found out.
"Sure," Minato shrugged, "Everyone does it. What's Hiruzen going to do if he finds out? Fire me? Haha," Minato chuckled to himself.
"Okay, let's go," Sasuke agreed, "And in the mean time, can you teach me some sealing jutsu?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes wonderingly, "Please," he added for effect.
"What? Yeah sure," Minato giggled again. He brandished some ink and paper, imbuing both with his chakra. Minato began talking, explaining how a simple storage seal worked, and Sasuke listened attentively.
While walking, Minato effortlessly drew a small, simple mandala-like pattern on the paper. He clutched the papers, bringing it near the pattern. After pumping a small amount of chakra into it, it vanished into the paper, amazing Sasuke.
"Now you try," Minato handed him some equipment, along with the storage seal he drew. He began walking ahead, leaving a perplexed Sasuke to stare at the equipment and the seal. He tried to copy what Minato did.
"Anyway, don't get hung up on it if you don't get it first try," Minato said after a few minutes, almost cockily, "It took me a week to learn how to do it properly, so-"
"Like this?" Sasuke asked, prompting Minato to turn around. He held up his imitation - a perfect copy of Minato's. The quality was exactly the same. Minato's jaw hung open.
"Did you use the Sharingan?" Minato inquired. His eyes bugged out in shock.
"No," Sasuke responded, "Why? Should I have-"
"I hate prodigies," Minato muttered, walking even faster. Sasuke kept up.
"Don't feel too bad about it," Sasuke teased, "It's okay if you're a little slow at some things. Doesn't mean you're worthless," Sasuke chuckled teasingly, giving Minato a shit-eating grin.
"I'm not slow..." Minato whined, although there was considerable doubt in his words.
"Oh yeah?" Sasuke interjected, about to make Minato feel even worse, "One of my friends in the future learned Rasengan in a week. How long did it take you again? Oh, four years!" He began laughing. His humour was a strange thing to understand.
"What?!" Minato exclaimed. His posture became sloppy as his shoulders drooped. "I don't believe you," he huffed immaturely.
"Eh? You don't believe me?" Sasuke was offended. "Why not?"
"Firstly," Minato began, "I created the Rasengan, so of course it'll take longer. Secondly, you expect me to believe you have friends?" He clutched his sides, beginning to laugh manically, "As if! You're so socially incompetent, I feel bad!"
Now it was Sasuke's turn to become mopey. "I'm not socially incompetent," he gritted his teeth, "I just don't want to socialise," he complained. Minato continued to guffaw.
Eventually, they drifted off into a comfortable silence, now having acquired a cozy camaraderie between them. Although, Sasuke and Minato continued to bicker until they arrived at the Land of Hot Water.
