Cold light reflected off the scroll in his hands as Takuno's fingertips slowly traced the dark lines of ink.
This was not the first time he had read it, but his sharp gaze still darted between the words, accurately catching the information worth noting.
Especially concerning the faraway, fog-shrouded Hidden Mist Village, and the name that had already secured a place on his roster: Zabuza.
This powerhouse, who was once expected to dominate the Hidden Mist, had already embarked on the path of defection last year.
The intelligence did not state the reason, but Takuno knew that Zabuza had let out a desperate roar against the Fourth Mizukage Yagura's sudden shift to cruel policies, leading him to take a huge risk and instigate that assassination attempt.
Unfortunately, Obito, the mastermind in the shadows, had long been manipulating the Mizukage's will like a puppet master, turning Zabuza's valiant resistance into nothing more than a fleeting illusion.
If not for the manipulator hidden behind the scenes, Zabuza should have been the Fourth Mizukage's capable right-hand man, instead of ending up like this—
One could only say that fate was playing tricks.
Zabuza was now like a caged beast freed from its shackles, forced to submit to the dark rules of the underground world, his blade no longer pointed toward his former beliefs, but instead moving between bloody missions for glittering money.
A clear thread of interest arose in Takuno's heart; recruiting this person might be exactly what he needed right now.
His gaze swept past the scroll, and the image of the distant Land of Snow, specifically the Hidden Snow Village situated in the frozen wasteland, involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
The Shinobi guarding that place, Takuno's mouth twitched downward slightly, were simply too weak.
Even the so-called "strongest," Roga Nadare, had power that was dependent on the environment, much like the fragile glaciers of the Land of Snow.
Outside that realm of perpetual snow, stripped of geographical advantage, he was at best a Special Jonin barely meeting the passing grade.
And the Hidden Snow Village—as a fortress housing many of his crucial secret experiments—its defenses absolutely could not be so weak and inadequate.
It required true strength, a pillar capable of deterring minor threats and ensuring absolute security.
In fact, the first figure to appear in his ideal blueprint was not Zabuza, but the more daunting existence, Hoshigaki Kisame.
That man, like a deep-sea shark, possessed strength and loyalty that, even if twisted, were nothing short of perfect.
However, this thought was quickly extinguished by the cold water of reason.
A look of solemnity flashed in Takuno's eyes; Hoshigaki Kisame had now been firmly persuaded by the will of that "Madara" and was deeply embedded in the Hidden Mist's vortex.
Trying to recruit a pawn already grasped in the hand of the mastermind? It would be impossibly difficult.
At this moment, he was burdened with the heavy responsibility of monitoring the controlled Fourth Mizukage.
After all, Obito couldn't stay in the Hidden Mist Village forever; a reliable spy had to be fixed there.
This destiny of guardianship would shift when Uchiha Itachi was finally forced to join Akatsuki, and Kisame's mission would seamlessly transition.
From guarding the Mizukage to guarding that genius rogue Shinobi.
Confined to another person's shackles for life, Takuno let out a nearly inaudible sigh at the thought.
Ironically, it was this shift in fate that tied down Kisame, giving Mei Terumī and others the opportunity to expose the massive Genjutsu placed upon the Mizukage.
Without this constraint, Mei Terumī, the strongest of the Hidden Mist's new generation at the time, would likely have been defeated by Kisame.
A faint trace of regret passed through his heart, both for Kisame's destiny and for that strength which was so difficult to seize.
However, Takuno's gaze fell back onto Zabuza's name. After a moment of scrutiny, the balance in his heart had tipped.
This man is sufficient.
The man who could fight and struggle with "Copy Shinobi" Kakashi outside Konoha, even forcing him into danger at one point, possessed undeniable strength, firmly standing at the Elite Jonin rank.
As a Shinobi proficient in Water Release, if he were rooted in the extremely cold soil of the Land of Snow, given time, he might well adapt to that unique frozen environment, potentially elevating his combat strength further.
Moreover—Takuno's finger unconsciously tapped the cold tabletop, his eyes looking out the window, seemingly piercing through the spatial barrier to rest upon the Hidden Snow Village in that desolate wasteland.
How many true Kage-level figures would cast their scrutinizing gaze upon a barren place so poor that not a blade of grass grows and resources are so scarce they deter visitors?
Thinking this way, using his strength to lead the Snow Shinobi of the Hidden Snow Village to execute missions and expand operations would surely be far more efficient than the current situation.
An outstandingly powerful leader is enough to make the survival and development of the entire Village much easier.
As his thoughts raced, the advantages became clear.
Takuno's gaze finally settled on the most ordinary notation at the end of the scroll.
Finding Zabuza—the act itself was not difficult. The man was currently a bounty Shinobi, and only required a sufficient sum of money to be easily lured out, eliminating the need for further trouble.
"In that case, let's go meet this wandering Demon of the Hidden Mist."
The night was inky black, pressing heavily upon a derelict house. The air was thick with the scent of damp mold and dust.
The light inside the house was so dim that it could only barely outline shapes, with just a sliver of pale moonlight filtering through a broken window.
"Creak—" The door hinge let out a grating groan.
A tall figure, wrapped in blood-soaked bandages and carrying an inescapable stench of blood and medicine, forcefully squeezed inside.
It was Zabuza, the "Demon of the Hidden Mist."
His brows were knotted tightly, and his sharp gaze, like that of a hawk, quickly swept across the cramped space.
Soon, his sight fixed on the only seated figure deep inside the room.
That person was lazily leaning back on the single tattered sofa, their face covered by a fox mask. In the gloom, the mask's empty eye sockets and frozen smile appeared particularly eerie and sinister.
"Hmph," Zabuza grunted, his unconcealed irritation audible in his throat, "You're the client for this mission?"
His voice was deep, hoarse, and full of impatience.
"That's right."
The voice coming from behind the mask was flat and utterly devoid of inflection, as if processed, making it impossible to distinguish the gender, adding to the mystery.
Zabuza's frown deepened, his distaste for this pretentious client growing stronger. He suppressed his anger and asked.
"Cut the nonsense. What exactly is the mission?"
"The mission—" The fox mask tilted slightly, its empty eye holes seemingly piercing Zabuza's core. The voice remained level, "—is that I require your fealty."
"Fealty?!"
The air instantly froze! Zabuza's pupils suddenly contracted to pinpricks, and his entire body felt as if it were burning up.
A furious rage born of utter humiliation "boomed" up to his skull!
"What kind of joke is this!!" he roared like a wounded mad beast. "I am the Demon of the Hidden Mist! You want me to swear fealty to a secretive wretch like you? You must be seeking death!"
Zabuza's rage transformed into violent action! His right hand shot toward his back like lightning. "Clang!" A sharp metallic screech tore through the silence!
The massive Executioners Blade, gleaming with a bloody cold light, was now firmly gripped in his hands!
Without the slightest hesitation, he put all his strength into swinging the blade, creating a heavy silver arc accompanied by a tearing whistle, viciously cleaving toward the waist of the eerie figure on the sofa!
This single strike, infused with the Demon's killing intent, was powerful enough to easily cleave steel!
However, facing this fiercely unmatched strike, Takuno merely raised his right hand casually.
"Buzz—"
A subtle spatial fluctuation flashed, and a pitch-black Kunai had appeared between his fingers at some unknown point.
The Kunai was raised precisely, blocking the trajectory of the mighty Executioners Blade just before it could descend.
"Clang!!"
A deafening metallic explosion suddenly erupted! A powerful shockwave rippled through the air!
An astonishing sight occurred! That tiny Kunai, like a towering, immovable mountain, had forcefully blocked the Executioners Blade, which was dozens of times larger and heavier than itself!
The blade could not move forward even a fraction of an inch! The fierce recoil traveled up the hilt, making Zabuza's arm slightly numb, while raging waves crashed in his heart!
"Oh?" Takuno's voice was placid as water, even carrying a hint of playfulness as it passed through the mask. "You couldn't wait? Swinging a blade at your future master is not the behavior of a qualified subordinate."
"What are you! Do you even deserve it?!" Zabuza was both shocked and enraged, but his extensive combat experience immediately told him that the opponent's strength was extraordinary.
An intense sense of danger instantly overwhelmed his anger! He decisively chose a tactical retreat!
"Swoosh!" Zabuza abandoned the struggle without hesitation, rapidly retreating. He smashed through the rotting wooden door and shot into the dense, impenetrable darkness outside like a shadow.
He dared not gamble on whether this house, chosen by his opponent, had already been rigged with deadly traps.
Takuno stood up unhurriedly and stepped out of the doorway with the relaxed air of someone strolling in their own garden.
The moment he stepped out, his vision was instantly stripped away. The world was filled with a thick white fog, so dense it was like heavy milk, making it impossible to see his own hand!
Cold, viscous moisture instantly enveloped him.
"Heh, Water Release: Hiding in Mist Technique?" Takuno murmured softly to himself, his tone betraying no panic whatsoever.
His eyes, hidden behind the mask, silently transformed. A pool of blood-red spread, and within his pupils, two black tomoe slowly rotated, emitting an eerie red glow.
However, even this pair of Two-Tomoe Sharingan, hailed as eyes that perceive all things, seemed somewhat powerless in the face of the dense fog.
Although his sight was clearer than normal vision, it was limited to only a few feet around him.
The thick Chakra mist indeed acted like an impenetrable barrier, greatly weakening the visual capabilities of the Sharingan.
"As expected of a Ninjutsu capable of hindering Kakashi's vision, the Chakra contained within is sufficient to obscure sight—" he mused internally, then a nearly imperceptible curve lifted his lips. "Too bad it can obscure the Sharingan, but it can't block my Mind's Eye of Kagura—
On a level Zabuza couldn't perceive, Takuno had already silently deployed the Mind's Eye of Kagura.
This dense fog, which Zabuza viewed as his home turf and which could block sight, was as clear as a daytime map within Takuno's sensory network.
The trajectory of that hostile Shinobi Chakra signature moving through the fog was completely visible to him.
Deep within the heavy fog, Zabuza held his breath and stealthily crept forward.
He could clearly sense that the target, Takuno, was still standing in place, seemingly helpless against the Ninjutsu he had deployed.
"What's going on?" A hint of confusion arose in Zabuza's mind. "Even if this guy can't see me, why isn't he adopting a basic defensive stance? Is he paralyzed by fear, or does he have another trick up his sleeve?"
The unease caused by the huge discrepancy raised a trace of vigilance in his heart, but the thought vanished instantly.
His fighting instinct urged him on; whether the opponent was being arrogant or luring him in, this was the optimal moment to strike!
He suppressed all his presence; even his heartbeat seemed to slow for a moment.
As the master of the former Hidden Mist Anbu's "Soundless Killing Technique," Zabuza moved through the white fog he created like melting snow, not betraying a single sound.
He approached the unsuspecting target silently, like a true shadow.
The instant he reached optimal striking distance!
"Die!" Killing intent erupted in his heart! Zabuza activated Mist Shushin! His body seemed to vanish into thin air and then abruptly reformed behind Takuno!
The Executioners Blade, charged with his full strength and Chakra, let out a terrifying shriek that tore the air, descending fiercely toward Takuno's defenseless nape with the power to split mountains and rocks! This was an absolutely fatal blow!
"I got him!"
Instantaneous joy rushed into Zabuza's heart.
However, the familiar heavy sensation of cleaving flesh and bone did not arrive! What the Executioners Blade transmitted was an extreme feeling of empty weightlessness, as if he had swung with full force through nothing but air!
"What—?!" Zabuza's pupils suddenly dilated to their maximum size! He watched in disbelief as the "Takuno" he had struck silently twisted and dissolved like a watery illusion—
"Clone Technique?! When!!"
A massive chill instantly shot up Zabuza's spine from his feet! His proud Soundless Assassination had been easily fooled by a mere clone? And where was his opponent's true body?!
The moment that thought arose—"Pfft!"
An extremely sharp, soul-freezing sting came with absolute precision from the spot directly over his heart on his back!
All the blood in Zabuza's body seemed to instantly freeze! A massive, near-death terror gripped his throat!
He stiffly rotated his eyeballs, using all his remaining courage to sense the presence behind him.
"It seems the famous Hidden Mist's Soundless Killing Technique," Takuno's despairingly calm voice rang out this time, clearly and coldly right behind his head, "is nothing special."
"You—!" Zabuza swallowed with difficulty, his Adam's apple bobbing, his voice hoarse like sandpaper rubbing, "Who exactly are you?"
Beads of cold sweat instantly soaked his bandages. His proud Hiding in Mist Technique, which obscured vision, combined with his perfect silent assassination, had actually been a slaughterhouse tailored specifically for his opponent!
In his opponent's eyes, he was likely nothing more than a clown dancing with a torch in the fog!
"The Collector." Takuno's voice carried a self-evident sense of control. "Remember that. It is your future master."