The Land of Water—under the moonlight, the thick mist made everything appear all the more dreamlike and surreal.
Within Kirigakure, the dense night had already prompted every shop to close early. The lights lining the streets had also quietly gone dark.
Only the faint sound of the wind stirred within the village. Everything felt especially quiet.
[Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—]
But at that moment, several dark figures suddenly emerged on the previously silent street.
These figures moved like phantoms, slipping silently through the heavy fog, all converging toward one place: the Mizukage Building!
[Woooo—]
Moments later, the entire village of Kirigakure was pierced by a wave of sirens.
Those blaring alarms shattered the stillness of the night—like the first sign of chaos erupting.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
"They've rebelled—protect the Mizukage!"
"You idiot, the Mizukage is the real curse on Kirigakure!"
In that instant, the village was filled with shouting and cursing, while Explosive Tags and Ninjutsu thundered throughout the streets. The piercing alarm wove itself into the noise—a chorus of madness within the mist.
"…This is insane."
Hiding in the shadows within Kirigakure, Jiraiya watched the frenzied Mist ninja. He couldn't help but swallow hard.
He had already been briefed with intel indicating that Kirigakure was on the brink of collapse, so this eruption didn't surprise him. But witnessing the carnage firsthand left him momentarily speechless.
He had seen wars before—but a village descending into chaos like this? That was something entirely new.
And it wasn't just him. Even Kakashi—someone who had once been dragged into an 'Assassinate the Hokage' plot—was seeing a scene like this for the first time.
The Mist shinobi were like lunatics, treating their former comrades as enemies without hesitation.
And the scale of this conflict—it was no different from an all-out war.
"Hmph. If only they had gone this far back then, maybe I wouldn't be in this state today."
Zabuza's gaze turned a little distant. He himself had once led a rebellion… but it had ended in failure.
What was unfolding before his eyes was the very scenario he had once dreamed of!
But he quickly snapped back to reality. This chaos? It belonged to someone else.
As for him—he had nothing.
And worse yet, his life was currently in someone else's hands.
"…What exactly are you planning?"
Zabuza raised his head to look at Jiraiya and the others, his voice low and steady.
"I brought you into the Land of Water. That's done."
"I led you into Kirigakure. That's done too. So now what?"
"If you're going to kill me as part of the deal, then make it quick and clean."
"I don't want to die—but I'm not afraid of death either. At the very least, I'm satisfied seeing things unfold like this."
Beside him, Haku also looked up. His eyes were full of worry and caution.
Even though the Konoha group hadn't harmed them along the way, he had once served in the ANBU—he knew their ways.
"Gen, can you pinpoint the cursed seal's location now?"
Jiraiya ignored the pair and turned to whisper to Kitagawa Gen. Kakashi also leaned in close.
"Yes."
Kitagawa Gen nodded. He lifted his hand and pointed forward.
"Before, we were too far to be sure. I could only vaguely sense it. But now I can confirm the location—it's over there."
"There?"
Kakashi followed Kitagawa Gen's finger, then turned his gaze to Zabuza.
"What's over there?"
"Hmph."
Zabuza snorted coldly, but still looked in that direction. He frowned slightly, then sneered.
"That place? That's an ANBU base. If I'm not mistaken, the one in charge there is that fat bastard Suikazan Fuguki."
Suikazan Fuguki?
Hearing that name, Kitagawa Gen suddenly remembered something. He immediately turned his gaze to Zabuza.
For some reason, that look made Zabuza shiver involuntarily.
...
"You, who carried out so many dirty missions for the village, only to be betrayed in the end—you understand best how fake this world really is."
Meanwhile, full-scale battle had erupted throughout Kirigakure.
And within that ANBU underground base, Hoshigaki Kisame had already eliminated Suikazan Fuguki.
However, just as he was about to leave, he was intercepted—by the Fourth Mizukage.
He had expected another brutal fight—yet to his surprise, the Fourth Mizukage seemed to approve of his actions. Moreover, the Mizukage's words had genuinely moved him.
"When I killed my own comrades, that's when I realized it," Hoshigaki Kisame spoke in a low voice, his bloodshot eyes flickering with emotion.
"As a Mist ninja forced to kill fellow Mist shinobi, what kind of person am I, really? Am I an enemy or an ally? What is my purpose? Where do I stand?"
"Where am I headed? Where can I find peace? The only thing I've truly experienced—is the falseness of it all."
"Then let me free you from this false pain. I'll build a place where you can belong."
Just then, a voice rang out from behind the Fourth Mizukage. It was entirely different from the Mizukage's own voice.
"Who are you?!"
Kisame's expression changed instantly. He reached back and grabbed hold of Samehada.
"Let's start with this country."
A black figure slowly emerged from behind the Mizukage. His face was still hidden in shadow, making it impossible to see his features clearly. Yet he showed no reaction to Kisame's sudden movement.
"All this time, you've fought over killing your comrades. Then let everything begin here."
"Begin here…"
Kisame's eyes narrowed, a strange look crossing his face—but deep down, he felt a pull.
He had chosen this moment to act because he knew the village was already steeped in chaos.
Could it be… all of this had been orchestrated?
Still, Kisame quickly shifted his attention back to the mysterious man before him. He tensed and asked with focus: "You seem to trust me a lot—but I don't even know who you are."
The man said nothing. He merely opened his eyes slightly—and in the darkness, their crimson glow blazed vividly.
"Eyes that shine in the dark…"
In that instant, something clicked for Kisame.
"So that's it. I always assumed he was merely one of the Fourth Mizukage's agents. But it was you. I never imagined you were controlling the Fourth all along… using the Sharingan."
At that, Kisame suddenly laughed.
"This world really is full of lies. Eyes powerful enough to control the Three-Tails' Jinchūriki... you must be Uchiha—"
[Boom—!]
Before he could finish, the wall beside them was suddenly smashed apart with a deafening crash!
Three figures burst through the opening, scanning the room in an instant—until their eyes locked onto the man in the shadows.
"We finally found you, Uchiha Obito!"
"…"
Hoshigaki Kisame blinked.
Uchiha Obito?
Who the hell was that?
Wasn't this guy Uchiha Madara?
Obito's face darkened as he recognized exactly who had arrived.
Jiraiya. That damned brat from last time. And—
"Kakashi!"
He just couldn't understand—why did these people have to show up now? Why now, of all times, to ruin everything?
Ever since he had crossed paths with that kid, everything seemed to have gone downhill.
"…Obito."
Kakashi's gaze had never left him. After a long pause, he finally spoke in a low voice.
"…Is it really you?"
"…"
Obito fell silent. He wanted to curse, but the words that came out were different.
"Kakashi… You're still the same useless fool as ever. What a disappointment."
"…Why?"
Kakashi took a deep breath, staring at him.
"If you're alive… why didn't you come back to the village? Why did you turn out like this—why…"
"Does any of that even matter?"
Obito opened his hands, speaking indifferently.
"If you need a reason—how about Rin's death? Is that enough?"
That single line made Kakashi's breathing grow visibly heavier.
Kisame watched the exchange with a mix of caution and curiosity. Jiraiya could only sigh inwardly. But Kitagawa Gen…
His eyes were fixed on the Fourth Mizukage—who stood there like a lifeless puppet.
Because he felt something coming from the Mizukage—something that was nearly identical to what he had sensed from Naruto.
'…The Three-Tails' chakra, huh.'
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