"I-impossible!"

"It can't be!"

The Mist shinobi, from their combined Fire Style Jutsu, watched in terror as the combined elemental heat failed to burn the titanic walls of ice formed. Small droplets indicated that their fire was hot, but it wasn't enough to even melt the ice.

Glancing sidelong at her Yetis, she gestured silently with her staff, and they lunged towards battle once more.

One of the shinobi rushed at her with blinding speeds, hoping to engage her with close quarters combat, but it was his assumption, along with the rest, to assume Yelena honed her efforts in keeping enemies in range. A fatal assumption if any. Rapidly forming twin daggers as the ice morphed into ones in her hands, she blocked the downward stroke of her adversary's blade. The shock on his face was enough for her to strike at his side, his blood spraying through the misty field, as the dagger she made cut through clothing and flesh like butter, but froze, as he could do nothing but watch as his blood splashed across the field and then began to solidify.

Though Yelena's focus was keeping her opponents off balance with her Arts and keeping them within her crosshairs, she did not let herself become weak in close ranged combat. Within years of fighting against the labor camps of Ursus, Yelena learned that long ranged combat could only get her so far. With her Arts she was able to create daggers and blades of her chosen element that aided her in close quarters fighting.

She lunged at her next adversary as he barely drew his own weapon and met her charge. Yetis and Mist now continued to fight in close or long ranges. Arrows flew to pierce targets while the Mist shinobi responded with kunais and shurikens and even Jutsus.

"W-watch out!"

A group of Mist shinobi who were too slow to react were pierced by the volley of icicles that came their way. A few had been able to utilize the Substitution Jutsu at the last second, while a few others had leaped out of the way at the last second, but watched in horror as their comrades were pierced by the icicles and then spread. Their screams echoed across the field as many Mist shinobi watched as those who had been struck were now being frozen. Rapidly from head to toe, they screamed and could only struggle with their limbs, before they too were frozen over and their entire bodies frozen.

"Captain! They're-! I have to go to them!" Genji waited for an opening, then lunged at one of his rapidly freezing comrades.

His senses were flaring as he blocked a blow from one of the white garbed forces and sent a kick to his stomach, before he tossed kunais to pin and pierce his foe. As his gaze turned, he allowed his sensory abilities to hone in on the frozen individuals, their chakra was depleting and confusion marred his face that moment and he realized the danger a second too late. "No! Don't!"

As soon as Genji touched their own, he watched, watched in terror as the ice rapidly spread through his arm. Like an infectious disease that was highly contagious, the ice traveled rapidly up his body. His screams were cut off as he too followed his companions in short order and then watched, could only watch, as they exploded.

Genji and the other shinobi whose name he had yet to know exploded into frozen particles, never to be reformed again. And the chakra signatures within their icy prison, encasing them within the frozen shell, still barely flickering.

They were dead already the moment they were frozen.

The Captain had fought through the Third Shinobi War. He had been Chunin at one point, and went face to face with some of the most recognizable and powerful shinobi from home and other villages and came out of it alive. Wicked Eye Fugaku. Shisui the Body Flicker. He at one point had also fought with Zabuza the Demon of the Mist as a Hidden Mist shinobi. Yet even despite all of them, he could never face them, forced to flee and forced to watch as his own Captain and other experienced Jonin face off them boldly, while he sat back, helpless to engage, his level of skill insufficient. Training for over ten years and becoming one of the Mizukage's trusted elites, he swore that he would uphold the values of Mist.

But as he faced her, the leader, her expression cold, and the atmosphere dropping so much that he could feel nothing, for it was so, so cold, his hands were numb,, he knew, felt that he was facing that same feeling once more, helpless to do anything but watch.

Cold and terror seized the Mist shinobi for a moment.

A shinobi must make peace with death.

The fear was still there. Oh yes it was. But he decided he would not retreat or flee. For he was a Mist shinobi and his own comrades were depending on him.

Raising his blade, he lunged at the snow haired leader. For Kagura Yaratachi. For the Hidden Mist, their cries sounded out. A few had formed hand signs and casted their Jutsus at them. Others engaged in close combat.

Bravely, splendidly, they fought. They were warriors who fought despite their slow movements of her Arts. They continued to move who resisted her and her Yetis well. And so Yelena and her Yetis would give them all she had as well.

The battle between the Yetis and Mist continued.

"Gozu!" Meizu scanned around him.

"I know!"

It was much colder now, far much more cold that Gozu swore his mask and gauntlets had trinkles of icicles in them, and what sweat that did form on his body froze, adding to the layer of the landscape.

Warning signals formed in their heads immediately, and both leaped to the side, watching as the orange flames of the Fireball Jutsu consumed the trees in the path they had just once been into ash.

Nodding, they leaped up one alcove of a tree. Utilizing the branches, they leaped higher and higher, pushing chakra to their feet until they reached the top, from the vantage point where they saw the battle.

"W-who are they?!"

They watched the battle unfamiliar with the tactics of the forces opposing the Mist. Dressed in white and matching the atmosphere, they fought with strategies unknown to them. Yet they were stunned, frozen, as if they too had been claimed by the atmosphere.

The Mist were known throughout the villages and lands as the "Bloody Mist" and it was for a reason. With the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist serving as one of Mist's notorious reputation, Konoha had the Yellow Flash and the Sannin among others. Stone produced Onoki of Both Scales and Mu, his predecessor, the former stated to be an equal of Konoha's Third, the "Professor". Cloud had Ay, a figure reputed to be equal in speed as the Yellow Flash. With Mist, it was the group of swordsmen, legendary figures in Kenjutsu, and garnering such a reputation that most shinobi fled from encounter, as many who had tried to lay claim to one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist would lose their lives from their own arrogance. Yet Mist, despite its significant losses in the Third Shinobi War, also had their fair share of victories against the other villages, and gained their reputation as bloodthirsty with their tactics.

These tactics were so frightening that many outsiders and travelers gave the Mist a wide berth, and even heard other shinobi speak of the Mist, names and titles such as "demonic village" and "land and village of hell." Zabuza and the swordsmens certainly didn't help with the claim.

What shocked both Demon Brothers, wasn't simply for the fact that the figures garbed in white were holding them back, but also fighting back.

"Meizu! Look! That's one of Yagura's commanders! Captain Aodi!" Gozu pointed.

Meizu turned to see, narrowing his eyes. It was. "Who is she?"

The young woman who was fighting was beautiful. It was the only word to describe her. Her hair flowed like silk down her back and face, covering one portion of it. Her skin was alabaster, smooth without any blemishes, yet despite her beauty, the single dark eye that stared at her adversary was cold, yet also filled with determination. In her hands were ice daggers that solidified, strong enough to block the blade of her adversary. Swinging his blade again, she flipped over him, and both Demon Brothers saw it, the large darkened icicle behind her back that was sharp to a senbon like point, she simply raised a hand to his direction, firing them off.

They watched as one of Yagura's elites channel his chakra through the blades as he was able to parry and deflect the hail, yet his face was scrunched up in concentration, as his body twisted and turned. As he could no longer deflect or dodge any more, his body was impaled by the projectiles as he cried out, embedding deep into him as he dropped his chakra blade.

Was that it?

No. They watched as his body dropped to the ground, before it lost its form and mass and morphed back into a puddle of water. A Water Clone! Her eyes widened only for a brief second of shock and surprise on her otherwise emotionless face, and the top of her head were… ears?! They twitched rapidly as she lunged out of the way of the Jutsu, a Wind Style Jutsu. Coming at her once more in a blur of speed, they watched as the temperature plummeted once more, in one of her hands was ice coalescing, forming into a blade of ice, as she bent his blade expertly, locking it in place.

The two combatants's arms trembled as they struggled to overpower the other. Then they saw their mouths move. A shout from Captain Aodi as he screamed something unintelligible they could not hear from their abode. The emotionless cold unflinching mask, one that was familiar to most shinobi and expected of a typical shinobi, fell for a brief moment as confusion fluttered on her porcelain pretty face for a moment before it narrowed as they saw the surge of chakra, and a loud snapping noise, and her blade was broken, his surge of chakra in his own blade and strength allowing him to overpower her.

Gozu and Meizu, the Demon Brothers, watched the battle from above.

"M-meizu. Meizu!"

"What?!"

His masked brother and partner turned to him. "Shouldn't… shouldn't we do something?"

"What?!" He hissed. He glanced down at the raging battle between the two and their forces. "Are you stupid? Why?! We don't even know who the other forces the Mist are fighting! So what if they're fighting whoever the hell that girl and those other guys are?! We don't know if they'll attack us next!"

"Yeah, but…"

He scoffed, "So what if that girl's like Haku, if she's a Yuki survivor or came from whatever! If she and the rest of them are, then it doesn't explain why now they're in the Mist." The girl's presence was frighteningly similar to Haku, and he was certain that the girl in front of him was dangerous. He was undoubtedly sure that her Ice Release and level of control far eclipsed anything he had seen from Haku, and she was currently holding her own against one of Yagura's handpicked elite commanders. "Zabuza and the brat will definitely come. Not yet." He gripped his gauntlet. If Haku even faced off against her, he was certain that Haku would not win, stood no chance of winning, and even Zabuza himself would have trouble. "We do not engage unless Zabuza and the brat arrive. If and when they do, be prepared. We may have two forces fighting against us."

Yelena stepped back to avoid the swing as it destroyed her blades, swiftly sidestepping and evading the blade that threatened to disembowel her. Walls and barriers of ice formed to fend off the assault of her foe as she directed it to block, but he continued to slice through them with his chakra enhanced blade. His hands began to quickly flash through hand signs, his concentration now focused on elemental attacks, but she would not let him as she fired off a looming wave that threatened to consume him. He backflipped away to escape the avalanche, but was far too slow watching as the tip latched onto his leg and spread rapidly, consuming him from feet to head, but her victory was short lived once more, as he proved to be deceptive and quick to escape, a stump of log now in place of her frozen adversary, the Substitution Jutsu, and she pivoted on her feet once more, forming a wall of ice to protect her from the scorching Fireball.

Her foe was truly worthy. She had not felt a level of this intense pressure in battle. While many had faced her in battle, her foe was unique and formidable. Though his words only caused her confusion. Rebels? Bloody Mist? She was able to deduce that she, her Yetis, and the old man along with the Shieldguards were in this "Bloody Mist." She wanted to question for more information, but his face was set, ready to kill, and determined. Was this Hidden Mist Village because of that? A sheer determination to shed blood? He refused to elaborate any further, seeing her and her Yetis as enemies to be eliminated. Peace talks were impossible at this point and far gone.

She had not utilized her full power yet, prolonging the conflict to gain as much information as possible. She watched as her opponent let out gasps, his breaths coming out slowly, his body trembling not just because of the cold but also the clear signs of fatigue, exhausting himself from their battle.

Any soldier would be afraid. And both knew that he was rapidly losing ground, his stamina dwindling and his chakra low. But he lunged at her once more despite it all, and she would honor him a warrior's death.

The cold became more prevalent in the air as Haku approached the vicinity to where the coldness in the Mist was. He felt himself getting drawn closer, as if it was calling to him. Leaping from tree to tree, chakra at the soles of his feet, pushing off into a burst of movement, he found himself drawn closer and closer to it.

Haku was used to the coldness. Even without the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai and his Yuki bloodline, he always found himself drawn to cold areas. It was a part of him that without it, felt like he was missing a piece of himself that was connected with the cold and gave him comfort. If there wasn't any, as a child, Haku felt the urge to make something of the sort with his Ice Release.

With the coldness around him, far greater and refined, was this a survivor of the Yuki Clan? Haku felt it was unlikely, even if he had some hope. The Uzumaki Clan he heard were wiped out from their home of the Whirlpool, and there was widespread belief that they were eliminated with no survivors, the attack by all other nations far too much for even the clan of Fuinjutsu masters with blood red hair to handle.

A deeper part of Haku, one he did not himself realize yet, was that he could connect with the owner of this chilling presence, one that wasn't far different from himself.

Buldrokastee knew that conflict was inevitable and unavoidable. Humanity would always devolve to fighting. When he had left Kazdel, it was for the Infected that received the severe treatments. When he and his Shieldguards met little Yelena and the children during one of their skirmishes to free the Infected labor camps, it was them without any other available options.

Conflict would remain a part of humanity no matter how long. And Buldrokastee watched, as he and his guerrillas faced off against the Mist, that it was unavoidable.

"Water Style: Streaming Vortex!"

The Mist Shinobi spat out a streaming geyser of water that circled around Buldrokastee and his guerrillas, yet they remained firmly planted within the tidal wave that threatened to throw them off their feet.

Abandoning close range combat they switched to long ranged Ninjutsu, and Buldrokastee knew their tactics. Being unable to pierce through their defenses, they hoped by switching to long ranged Jutsus that it would keep them at bay and wear them down. With a combinational pattern of elemental attacks, they could not hope to approach.

Buldrokastee scanned the field, hoping that there would be an opening for him to exploit in the multi pronged attack.

Though none of his Shieldguards have fallen yet, he knew that fatigue from the battle, one way or the other from their depleting stamina. Though Buldrokastee could fight for hours despite his Infection, fatigue would eventually claim him, and he could only push himself so far. His concern for also his Shieldguards, and from the opposite end, Yelena and her Yetis, even if he knew she was adamant of being independent. His gaze narrowed on the shinobi casters of their Jutsus, ascertaining any openings, but they were so small and narrow that he nor his guerillas would have the adequate time to take advantage of it.

The Hidden Mist shinobi were truly worthy and formidable.

Then all within felt it. A sudden chill swept through his entire body, and knew that the Mist shinobi had encountered Yelena and her Yetis, and now they proceeded to do battle as well. Whenever Yelena casted her Ice based Arts, and as the air and temperature plummeted, to where there was not even a hint of warmth or humidity, she was channeling more and more of her Arts, to where it could be felt from miles upon miles.

"Water Dragon Jutsu!"

Leaping high up above the trees as his towering figure avoided the aquatic dragon, roaring at him, Buldrokastee turned his body in midair as it lunged at him, and thrusted his weapon into the belly of the beast, before bringing it entirely down. The dragon lost its body as its eyes dimmed and it became nothing more than water as it splashed below.

Paper bombs attached to kunais were thrown at them, but they defended expertly, deflecting them aside to trees and elsewhere where it would not bring them harm. A few were snatched out of the air and hurled back at their owners. The world lit up in an explosion of orange and red as the paper bombs exploded.

Yet despite it, many remained standing. Buldrokastee did not curse. Such was unbecoming of him. But his brows narrowed in dissatisfaction at the course of the direction the fight was plummeting towards.

He saw that many of the Mist shinobi seemed to be tiring. The booklet reminded him that Jutsus, unlike Arts, as it was an internal energy source, was limited in that it required chakra. Arts also drained stamina, but functioned radically differently from Jutsus that both had very little in common. Arts could utilize an external energy source and in rare instances, the internal source if one was Infected. Jutsus however, required chakra and it was far more limited than Arts. Despite Jutsus having a variety of advantages over Arts, it also came with a number of weaknesses.

Genjutsu, the art of illusions, wasn't far off from what Buldrokastee faced in his years against those who utilized illusion based Arts and distorted his mind and soul. He recognized just as quickly as he was in an illusion, breaking them through by sheer will, and the vision of altered surroundings and Helen's and Grrovae'zzeal's bodies and Kazdel, all his regrets were gone, back to the field of the Mist.

His own selfishness he had already accepted had taken away Helen and Grrovae'zzeal. Even as he regretted it, he accepted. Anger not at the Mist who casted them, but at himself, his regrets simultaneously still with him and long since passed.

Any lesser foe would have fallen victim to their own fears, but not Buldrokastee. He still had many regrets, but he could not turn back time, accepting his loss and failures

They began to flash through hand signs once more, the seemingly infinite wave of attacks finally over, their postures tensed up for another bout, but watched as four of the Mist shinobi were decapitated, gore spraying across the battlefield, the sudden appearance of a blade that flew like lightning, that those unaware did not see. Screams decorated and were cut off from the Mist as flesh was torn until the blade embedded itself into a tree for all those to see, a few shinobi finally having the sense to duck to avoid the blade.

"Watch out!"

A man, not as tall as Buldrokastee or his Shieldguards stood on the gigantic cleaver of an imposing blade's handle. His body was left bare to show his impressive muscular build, signifying his intense training and stature. Buldrokastee could see the headband tied around his head, the same Mist symbol, only that it was slashed across the metallic frame. His face was wrapped up in a bandaged mask, though Buldrokastee could see the sharpened teeth that gleamed in delight as all eyes turned to the newcomers, and he could feel the intense pressure coming from the man, dangerous and powerful.

"Hello, gents! Enough room for one more?!"