Kirigakure was a "mysterious" shinobi village.
Not merely because of its remote location across the sea from the mainland, but because of the village's deeply isolationist nature.
During the Second Great Ninja War, Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure had waged a massive conflict in Amegakure. Soon after, the Land of Rain openly declared war against the three great nations, dragging the entire shinobi world into years of brutal fighting.
And through it all, Kirigakure remained eerily silent.
It showed no sign of participating in the war, nor any interest in the shifting balance of power or the immense profits that could be gained from the chaos.
No one could understand what the Mist was thinking.
Because if Kirigakure had simply stationed troops at the border of the Land of Fire while Konoha was fully occupied with Amegakure, then with Konoha's usual cautious approach, temporary compromise would have been inevitable.
The benefits would have been effortless.
Yet Kirigakure gave up that opportunity entirely.
Now, nearly three years into the Third Great Ninja War, they had only just chosen to involve themselves—and even then, they entered at an awkwardly late moment, almost as if they had been dragged unwillingly into the conflict.
If not for Madara's existence, Kirigakure probably would have delayed another year or more before stepping into this muddy war.
So what kind of deal had Madara struck with the Third Mizukage to influence Kirigakure's foreign policy so deeply?
And more importantly…
According to Fugaku's intelligence, the Three-Tails was not currently inside Kirigakure.
Then where was it?
A sudden image surfaced in Shimizu's mind—
Obito walking hand in hand with Rin through the streets.
How exactly would the history of this world unfold from here?
And how should he respond to it?
"…Sensei?"
Shisui's quiet voice pulled him back to reality.
Shimizu immediately refocused.
"This is as far as we can go," he said after carefully studying the surroundings. "If we move any closer, there's a high chance we'll be discovered."
The two of them were currently concealed within a patch of shrubs several hundred meters away from Kirigakure's camp.
It wasn't that Shimizu didn't want to infiltrate deeper with Shisui.
He simply couldn't.
He didn't possess Zetsu's bizarre Earth Release techniques that allowed silent movement beneath the ground, nor did he have Deidara's flying clay that could freely carry him through the sky.
The farther forward they pushed, the greater the risk of exposure became.
And ahead of them stood a military camp housing nearly two thousand Kirigakure shinobi.
"We wait."
At this point, they could only hope Fugaku and Takano managed to draw away enough of the camp's guards to create a window for infiltration.
"Understood."
Shisui crouched lower into the bushes, a kunai held tightly in his left hand as his breathing gradually slowed into a steady rhythm. Before long, his entire presence seemed to disappear into the darkness itself.
Watching him, Shimizu couldn't help noticing the resemblance.
The unconscious movements, the hidden posture, the subtle control over breathing…
Shisui looked strangely similar to the younger Shimizu from his Anbu days.
The talented boy had always chased after him as a goal, learning from him constantly, even unconsciously imitating certain habits and gestures.
Time passed in silence.
From time to time, Kirigakure patrols swept through nearby areas, and as the minutes dragged on, their frequency only increased.
Clearly, the Mist shinobi had begun sensing that something was wrong.
After another patrol finally moved away, Shimizu's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Fugaku and Takano have started."
"Your sensory perception is remarkable, Sensei.," Shisui said.
"The fog is interfering with my perception," Shimizu replied calmly. "Right now, my limit is around four hundred meters."
That was already comparable to an excellent sensory-type shinobi.
Shisui lowered his gaze slightly.
"My Sharingan still can't see that far."
"That's the Byakugan's specialty," Shimizu said casually. "No point comparing the two."
"…Right."
Silence returned once more.
Then, faintly, distant sounds of battle echoed through the forest.
Sparse at first.
Then gradually growing clearer.
Shimizu slowly rose to his feet.
"That should be enough. Kirigakure has already mobilized at least three divisions."
As he spoke, chakra surged through his body and he formed a Transformation Jutsu.
In the next instant, his appearance shifted completely.
He became one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—
Raiga.
His transformed appearance even carried the look of someone who had just survived a brutal battle—his body covered in wounds, his condition miserable.
"We're moving."
Meanwhile, Shisui transformed into Shimizu's appearance, disguising himself as a heavily injured, barely conscious version of the "Shunshin no Shimizu" himself.
"Not bad," Shimizu said with a faint chuckle.
Then he hoisted Shisui over his shoulder and headed directly toward Kirigakure's camp.
He made no attempt to conceal himself.
Before long, he deliberately crossed paths with a Mist patrol squad head-on.
"Raiga-senpai?!"
"Where is the Grand reat Elder?" Shimizu demanded immediately. "I have urgent intelligence."
"But senpai, weren't you—"
A burst of lightning suddenly exploded around him, instantly cutting off the shinobi's words and forcing all four members of the squad to instinctively retreat a step.
Shimizu barked coldly, "Do you idiots even know who this is?!"
Rumors had already spread throughout Kirigakure that only two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen remained alive, and that Kurosuki Raiga himself had been killed by Shunshin, Shimizu.
But Shimizu knew something they didn't.
Kirigakure's retreat after the battle had been too chaotic for them to recover Raiga's corpse, meaning the body had ultimately fallen into Konoha's hands.
And if the corpse had never been officially confirmed by Kirigakure…
Then there was room to manipulate the truth.
"That's Shunshin Shimizu?!" one of the Mist shinobi exclaimed after recognizing Shisui's transformed appearance.
"This was a classified mission assigned directly to the Seven Ninja Swordsmen by the Grand Elder himself," Shimizu snapped impatiently. "Now stop wasting time and take me to him!"
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen represented the pinnacle of Kirigakure's elite forces. Acting arrogant only made his disguise more convincing.
The squad leader hesitated visibly.
"This…"
At that exact moment, another massive explosion echoed from the distant forest, followed by the roaring aftermath of large-scale Fire Release ninjutsu.
"Hurry up," Shimizu pressed sharply. "This concerns highly classified information related to the Three-Tails. If you delay this, you'll be the ones paying the price."
A sudden Konoha attack on the camp.
Raiga-senpai seemingly returning from the dead.
And now intelligence involving the missing Three-Tails from Kirigakure itself…
The squad leader's thoughts spiraled into complete confusion.
"…Fine."
At last, he made his decision.
Still, he discreetly signaled his teammates to remain vigilant and keep a close eye on Shimizu's movements.
"Please follow me, senpai."
"Move faster," Shimizu urged again.
The group of five quickly arrived outside a hastily erected command tent guarded by two shinobi.
"The Grand Elder is inside," the squad leader explained. "Wait a moment while I inform him."
Shimizu silently sensed the chakra signatures nearby.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Hidden in the shadows were four additional shinobi—an entire standard Mist Anbu squad lying in wait.
"No need," Shimizu replied, waving dismissively.
He had no intention of letting the hidden Anbu scrutinize him long enough to discover flaws in the disguise.
He would force his way in directly.
As long as they successfully controlled one of Kirigakure's top leaders, their plan would already be halfway complete.
"But—"
"Raiga-senpai?!" one of the guards suddenly cried out in shock.
At such close range, however…
Who in the world could stop Shunshin Shimizu?
At that exact instant, Shimizu activated the Body Flicker Technique.
His figure vanished like lightning, crossing every layer of defense in a blink before appearing directly inside the tent.
Within his field of vision stood a long table.
Seated behind it was an elderly man around sixty years old.
"Raiga-senpai broke in!" the nearest guard shouted as both guards rushed into the tent immediately afterward.
The four hidden Mist Anbu followed close behind.
Then came the patrol squad that had escorted Shimizu there, each of them exchanging uneasy glances before entering one after another.
And in the very next breath—
The Mangekyō Sharingan activated.
Kotoamatsukami.
...
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