Battle Before the Mizukage Building

It was night!

Moonlight over Kirigakure filtered through the mist, draping the ground in a faint veil of light. In the dim shadows, two Anbu sneaked furtively toward the Mizukage Building.

Terumi Mei crouched halfway atop a tree, staring at the Mizukage Building ahead as her heart sank. "Something’s wrong. The outer perimeter security is far too lax."

"A trap?" Duke asked.

"Doesn’t look like one. Rather than going to such lengths for just the two of us, they could simply send a large force to capture us. Yagura couldn’t possibly have overlooked that." Terumi Mei shook her head.

"Stop guessing. We’re already here, so why not just go in and find out?" Skilled and bold, Duke had nowhere near as many reservations as Terumi Mei.

Terumi Mei was speechless for a moment. "We’re infiltrating. Of course we need to be cautious. We don’t have enough intelligence to act rashly."

"Then how about this? I’ll sneak in and gather information while you stay here and cover me." Duke swiftly formulated a plan. He had been worrying over how to find an excuse to send Terumi Mei away.

"Don’t underestimate me. How could I let you handle such a dangerous mission alone?" Terumi Mei shook her head in refusal.

"Someone has to stay behind and cover me. There’s no one else but you." Duke shrugged.

"Fine. Be careful. If you run into danger, don’t be reckless. Get out immediately—I’ll be waiting here." Terumi Mei nodded helplessly, watching Duke vanish into the darkness before anxiously waiting.

What the two of them did not know was that twenty minutes earlier, a group of ill-intentioned Mist Shinobi had already infiltrated the Mizukage Building. With the help of an elder’s mole, they bypassed the trigger traps, broke through barrier after barrier, and charged straight into the plaza within the Mizukage Building.

However, their luck ended there. The password used to undo the barrier was wrong, alerting the Anbu inside the Mizukage Building. Before long, blood flowed across the plaza.

Because of the barrier, everything outside the Mizukage Building remained calm, while inside, the sounds of slaughter shook the heavens.

Flashes of blades and sword shadows flickered amid firelight as the two sides fought fiercely, screams ringing out without end. The Anbu guarding the Mizukage were Yagura’s trusted subordinates, carefully selected elites who had been brainwashed by Yagura into fearless killing machines. Though the Mist Shinobi had several experts such as Zabuza, they could only gain a slight upper hand.

Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!

The roaring water dragon swept up two Anbu and tore them to pieces. Filthy blood mixed into the current and washed over the plaza floor. The gap was quickly filled, and before the Mist Shinobi who had landed the attack could even turn around, several blades pierced through him.

Water Release: Violent Water Arm Technique!

"…"

Water Release: Water Fang Bullet!

"…"

Die, you butchers!

A ninja battle was not like in anime, where a single fight could last dozens of episodes. Even a small-scale clash quickly produced a victor. In the end, the Mist Shinobi, who held the advantage in numbers, secured a difficult victory.

The group led by Zabuza ignored their groaning comrades on the ground and all stared ahead with grim expressions. An indescribable pressure was approaching. Such immense chakra was rare even across the entire ninja world. Without question, within Kirigakure, only one person possessed such chakra.

The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura!

Massive searchlights suddenly switched on, illuminating the plaza as brightly as day. Dozens of masked Anbu appeared one after another. Standing at the center, the Fourth Mizukage Yagura frowned at the rebels below, a trace of displeasure flashing across his face.

Yagura was the Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure in the Land of Water and the Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails. He appeared to be a short man with silver hair and purple eyes, with a scar like a stitched wound beneath his left eye that added a touch of ferocity to his unsmiling face. Though he looked like a child, he had long since reached adulthood. In other words, this was a perfectly legal shota still within his expiration date.

The weapon on his back, the Coral Staff, was particularly distinctive—a black iron rod adorned with green flowers and hooks at both ends. There was no other weapon like it in the ninja world.

"Momochi Zabuza of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. I never expected the man called the Demon of the Hidden Mist to choose to betray me!" Despite facing betrayal, Yagura showed no anger. He calmly looked at everyone as though he had long known this day would come.

"Your cold-blooded policies are destined to be overthrown. Today, I’ll take your head with the Kubikiribōchō." Covered in blood, Zabuza gripped his massive sword, murderous aura rolling off him like that of an evil spirit.

"You slaughtered your own classmates after graduation, yet you call me cold-blooded? How utterly laughable." Yagura sneered repeatedly.

"Enough nonsense. This day next year will be your death anniversary." Veins bulged on Zabuza’s forehead as he formed hand seals.

Water Release: Hidden Mist Jutsu!

Mist spread over the broad plaza. Zabuza concealed himself within layers of dense fog. Facing the strongest Mizukage in the village’s history, he immediately used his most adept technique, the Silent Killing Technique.

Besides Yagura, there were dozens of Anbu present. Zabuza only wanted to use this move to buy time for his people to rest and recover their strength.

"Using Water Release before me, the Mizukage? How naive." Yagura’s voice sounded from within the thick mist. He did not hesitate to expose his location.

Water Release: Isobu Great Waterfall!!!

Before Yagura had even finished speaking, his enormous chakra violently churned the mist. Centered on himself, the Three-Tails’ chakra erupted, creating a raging torrent in an instant. Almost immediately, Yagura used the tailed beast’s chakra to raise a monstrous wave. The tsunami-like flood swept away the mist and crashed down upon Zabuza.

The vast plaza suddenly seemed incredibly cramped. The Mist Shinobi who had come to assassinate the Mizukage had nowhere to flee and were swallowed whole by the tsunami. Atop the surging waves, Zabuza swung the Kubikiribōchō and engaged Yagura in fierce close combat.

Zabuza’s massive blade came chopping down with tremendous force. Yagura immediately raised his Coral Staff to block it. With a piercing metallic screech, their weapons collided in midair, spraying sparks everywhere.

It was hard to imagine that Yagura’s small frame could unleash strength no weaker than Zabuza’s.

After their brief clash, the close-range blade fight erupted. The two wielded their weapons, fighting evenly for a time. The difference was that Yagura looked completely at ease, while Zabuza, unable to secure victory after a prolonged battle, grew increasingly agitated. As the wielder of the Kubikiribōchō, close combat with cold weapons was Zabuza’s specialty, whereas Yagura’s advantage lay in the tailed beast within him. The longer this dragged on, the more disadvantageous it became for Zabuza.

Yagura keenly caught Zabuza’s impatience and deliberately exposed an opening, luring Zabuza into swinging his blade and missing.

Coral Staff: Four-Hit Combo!!

Yagura sneered and poured chakra into the Coral Staff, striking repeatedly at Zabuza’s chest. If those consecutive heavy blows landed, Zabuza would lose half his life even if they did not kill him.

"Idiot. Did you really think I wouldn’t see through such an obvious opening?"

At the critical moment, Zabuza swiftly pulled back his sword and spun around, slashing straight at Yagura’s neck.

Though the Kubikiribōchō looked as heavy and cumbersome as a door panel, it felt nothing of the sort in Zabuza’s hands. In the original story, when he fought Kakashi in close combat, he took him down in just a few moves, which said it all.

By now, he had mastered the Kubikiribōchō to perfection. He wielded its weight with effortless ease, feeling none of its bulk. If anything, it even seemed somewhat nimble in his hands.

Yagura had fallen for Zabuza’s trick and hurriedly pulled back the Coral Staff to block. Though he escaped the fate of having his head severed, the rushed defense still sent him flying from the savage force of the blow.

Duke, who had just arrived at the plaza, witnessed this scene. "Holy shit, since when did Zabuza get this badass? He’s beating a Jinchuriki into the ground?"

Seeing the two sides fighting to the death, Duke’s eyes rolled. Without making a sound, he avoided everyone and secretly slipped deeper into the Mizukage Building. He did not know what was happening, but with someone willingly drawing all the fire as cannon fodder, Duke naturally had to seize the opportunity.

"Zabuza’s actually not bad. He’s pretty helpful. I should find time to tell Kakashi not to stab him quite so hard next time."

Duke took two steps at a time, winding through the corridors and miraculously making his way into the Mizukage’s office. The office was completely unobstructed. Apart from the documents on the desk and a large window overlooking Kirigakure, there was nothing else. He found nothing.

"Hey, who the hell are you?" A masked Kirigakure Anbu blocked the doorway, speaking in a carefree, flippant tone.

Duke blinked, sensing the overwhelming chuuni aura in the air, and instinctively said, "Obito?"

Thanks to readers ‘Elegant Cabbage,’ ‘Collecting 16 to 25 Year Old Beautiful Girls,’ ‘Story of the Starry Sky,’ ‘Call Me Tank-sama,’ ‘Ginger Tracks,’ ‘Swablu,’ and ‘Corpse Immortal Emperor Suppresses Eternity’ for their tips!