Faced with the sudden strike, Natsuhiko remained exceptionally calm.
He had experienced far too many battles for an ambush of this level to shake him. More importantly, he could clearly sense that the blade aimed at him carried very little killing intent.
With a slight shift of his body, he effortlessly avoided the attack. He then stepped back, creating a bit of distance, but made no move to counterattack.
Instead, he was curious.
What exactly did these two want from him?
"Pretty quick reflexes."
A voice sounded from behind him, and a figure landed steadily at his back.
The positioning was obvious—they intended to cut off his escape route.
At the same time, another ANBU silently appeared in front of him, forming a pincer formation that trapped him completely.
The one standing before him wasn't particularly tall, and from her build, she seemed quite young.
Her figure suggested she was a woman—but in the world of ninja, gender meant nothing. They were all instruments of killing.
"Who are you?" the female ANBU asked, her gaze fixed on him, her voice low and muffled. "Why are you here in the middle of the night?"
"I'm here to find someone."
Natsuhiko thought for a moment before answering with a faint smile.
"My friend is in the Kaguya clan up ahead. Though, speaking of which… what's going on here? Why is—"
"Take off your mask."
Her tone suddenly turned sharp.
She raised her blade, pointing it directly at his chest.
"Don't try to play games with me. I've never seen that mask before. Who are you, and why are you here?"
"Haven't I already explained?"
Natsuhiko sighed lightly, his voice still calm and even.
"I'm just looking for someone. And wearing a mask isn't exactly strange, is it? The Kaguya clan is notoriously hostile to outsiders—I'd rather not run into unnecessary trouble."
There was nothing inherently wrong with his reasoning.
The Kaguya clan was infamous for their violent temperament and extreme exclusivity. Being discovered by them could easily lead to conflict—even if one managed to avoid a fight, having their appearance remembered would only cause more trouble later within the village.
And yet—
The moment he finished speaking, the female ANBU lunged again.
This time, her blade carried unmistakable killing intent.
So she was serious now.
Natsuhiko no longer remained still. With a light step, he slipped to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike.
Then he looked at her, a hint of curiosity in his eyes, before spreading his hands slightly.
"…Strange. Why attack me?"
"You're still pretending?"
The female ANBU stayed on guard, while the one behind him also raised his weapon, ready to close in at any moment.
"I'll admit—you're calm. Too calm. And your explanation was flawless."
She paused briefly, her tone sharpening.
"But that's exactly what makes you suspicious."
"…In the Hidden Mist as it is now—"
She didn't finish her sentence, but Natsuhiko already understood.
He couldn't help but shake his head faintly, a trace of resignation crossing his expression.
So that was it.
He had been exposed… because he appeared too normal.
The Hidden Mist was in complete turmoil—everyone lived in constant fear, their nerves stretched to the breaking point.
And yet, Natsuhiko had carried himself as if he were merely an observer, calm and composed, even when confronted by ANBU.
That kind of demeanor stood out far too much in a place like this.
After all—
He came from a world that, by comparison, was far more peaceful.
"I see… so that's how it is."
Natsuhiko shook his head lightly, then spread his hands in a casual, almost indifferent gesture.
"Thanks for pointing it out. The state of this village really is terrible, and I was in a bit of a hurry, so I didn't observe things carefully. A mistake like that… isn't something that should be tolerated."
"So you really aren't from this village—you're not even from the Land of Water!"
The female ANBU grew even more alert. Her chakra began to stir faintly, rising beneath the surface.
"Who exactly are you? I won't give you any more chances. Either you tell me now… or I'll take you to the ANBU headquarters!"
"ANBU, huh…"
A faint smile appeared on Natsuhiko's face. He seemed as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, he simply shook his head.
"…Forget it. I had originally planned to come quietly, find my target, and decide what to do afterward. But it seems I'll have to change my approach."
"Stubborn fool. Move!"
The woman's expression shifted slightly at his words, and she immediately called out to her partner behind him.
Natsuhiko raised an eyebrow.
By standard ANBU procedure, they should have already sent out a signal—especially with so many other operatives lurking nearby.
Yet these two hadn't done that at all.
Their behavior clearly didn't align with the ANBU protocols he was familiar with.
And then, a realization clicked into place.
These two… weren't part of the same faction as the others.
Originally, Natsuhiko's plan had been simple—eliminate one ANBU, assume his identity, and operate within the Hidden Mist. After all, with two separate ANBU factions in the village, both wearing masks, it wasn't guaranteed they would recognize each other.
Even in Konoha, the ANBU didn't necessarily know the members of Root—though Root certainly knew them.
Unfortunately, his luck hadn't been great. He had been stuck moving with that squad the entire time, and by the time he wanted to act independently, there had been neither the opportunity nor the space to do so.
That was why he had ultimately discarded that identity—and taken the chance to disgust Obito in the process.
And now… he had run into two more ANBU.
Even without knowing their exact affiliations, one thing was clear—
They offered far more room to maneuver than his previous identity ever had.
If he had wanted to continue using that earlier identity, he would have needed to eliminate the entire squad first.
But he hadn't known them well enough, nor had he gathered sufficient intelligence to pull that off.
These two, however, seemed to be operating independently.
And if that was the case…
As the incoming blade cut through the air toward him, Natsuhiko's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze turning sharp and dangerous.
In the instant he twisted his body to evade the strike, his hands had already completed the seals.
"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"
In the next moment, countless earthen spikes burst from the ground, surging upward as they curved around him and shot directly toward the female ANBU.
At the same time, the male ANBU behind him charged forward.
A strange chakra gathered in his hand, condensing into something sharp and focused. Without hesitation, he thrust it toward the incoming spikes.
"Water Release: Azure Dragon Palm!"
In an instant, the earthen spikes—solid and imposing—were shattered apart under the force of his attack.
"…So he concentrates chakra into a single point, targeting the weakest part of the structure?"
Natsuhiko had noticed everything happening behind him, and a hint of surprise flickered through his mind.
It wasn't the technique itself that impressed him—he was capable of similar feats, condensing chakra and unleashing it explosively.
What surprised him was the precision.
The man had accurately identified the weakest point in his jutsu and struck it without hesitation.
If it had only been one spike, it might have been dismissed as luck.
But this… was something else.
What truly surprised Natsuhiko wasn't just the technique itself—but the consistency.
This man was repeatedly striking the weakest points of the earthen spikes with uncanny precision, dismantling them one after another. That level of accuracy was far from ordinary.
But that wasn't the only thing that made Natsuhiko raise an eyebrow.
The surrounding ANBU had clearly noticed the disturbance. They were already beginning to move in, advancing in groups toward the scene.
It wasn't the worst situation he could imagine—but it certainly wasn't good either.
From the beginning, Natsuhiko hadn't expected to remain completely low-profile in the Land of Water. Still, if he was going to make a scene, it should have been against Obito—not here, not now.
"Fortunately, we're on the outskirts where the population is sparse."
He assessed the situation quickly in his mind.
"Even if the ANBU spot the signal and move to reinforce, it won't be immediate."
Yet even as he thought this, his perception picked up something else—
The Kaguya clan had also noticed the commotion.
They weren't far away. If they couldn't sense something like this, then they would hardly deserve their reputation.
With a quiet exhale, Natsuhiko made his decision.
This wasn't how he had planned things to unfold, but there was little he could do about it. Against sensory-type ninja of this caliber, there was no perfect countermeasure.
Sensing the figures rapidly approaching from behind, the chakra within Natsuhiko stirred.
In an instant—
A faint golden glow enveloped his body.
Since he had already decided to avoid using the Flying Thunder God technique and instead maintain the identity of a mysterious figure, the best way to end things quickly was to enter the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
"…What is that?"
The moment the golden chakra flared to life, the male ANBU froze.
In his eyes, it was as if he had seen something utterly terrifying—so much so that his movements came to a complete halt.
"Nine—Nine-Tails? The Nine-Tails?! That's impossible… how could that be?!"
"…Hmm?"
This time, it was Natsuhiko who was surprised.
He turned his head, studying the man with a curious gaze.
"Have you seen the Nine-Tails before… or can you see it right now?"
"Right now! Move—get out of the way!"
Before Natsuhiko could press further, the female ANBU suddenly shouted from behind him.
At the same moment, he sensed something dangerous.
"Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique!"
A torrent of molten, lava-like fluid surged forward, radiating intense heat as it spread rapidly toward him.
The scorching temperature and corrosive acidity were enough to make even Natsuhiko's eyes narrow in alarm.
The earthen spikes he had summoned moments earlier were instantly eaten away, dissolving under the terrifying substance.
But Natsuhiko was no ordinary opponent.
Though momentarily taken aback, his reaction was flawless. With a swift movement, he retreated and landed safely outside the range of the attack.
Then, his gaze shifted toward the female ANBU.
A realization began to take shape in his mind.
"…Mei Terumi… and Ao?"
If it really was them, then everything made sense.
That lava-like technique was almost certainly Lava Release.
And the reason he had been detected so easily, despite his caution, was likely due to Ao.
After all, Ao possessed a Byakugan taken from a member of the Hyūga main family—a visual ability that functioned almost like a perfect radar.
Natsuhiko's sensory abilities were powerful, but they were still limited to perceiving chakra.
Even after gaining the Nine-Tails' power, which allowed him to sense attacks and even faint traces of intent, it was still fundamentally different from actually seeing.
The Byakugan… turned perception into vision.
And while it might not surpass pure sensory ability in every aspect, it was certainly no less formidable.
Because of that, everything Natsuhiko had done earlier had been completely exposed to Ao's eyes.
And the moment he released the Nine-Tails' chakra, Ao was likely able to clearly perceive the "beast" sealed within his body.
But surprise aside, an enemy was still an enemy.
By the time Natsuhiko had reached his current level, he no longer paid much attention to the original story—especially when the people in question stood on the opposite side.
His gaze gradually turned sharp, laced with danger.
At that moment, Mei Terumi had already circled around him and moved to Ao's side.
Her expression was filled with confusion. She didn't understand why Ao had suddenly stopped attacking.
Even she could admit that the mysterious man before them was strange—dangerously so, to the point where it felt almost suffocating to stand near him.
But that still didn't justify the reaction of a seasoned ANBU veteran like Ao, who now looked as if he had been struck by some unimaginable terror.
"What's going on?" Mei Terumi asked in a low voice, her tone tense as she quickly checked Ao's chakra flow.
To her disappointment, everything appeared completely normal. His chakra was stable—there was no sign of genjutsu or mental interference at all.
"It's… the Nine-Tails," Ao swallowed hard before forcing the words out. "It's the Nine-Tails! That guy… he has the Nine-Tails inside him!"
"The Nine-Tails?" Mei Terumi stared at him in disbelief, practically blurting it out. "That's impossible! The Nine-Tails is in Konoha, and even if someone is a jinchūriki, their chakra shouldn't look like this!"
She had seen jinchūriki before—seen what happened when they drew on the power of a tailed beast.
That overwhelming, distorted red chakra that seemed to burn away their very skin… the way they struggled against the consciousness of the beast inside them… she would never forget it.
But the man before them was different.
His chakra was eerily stable—so stable it was unnatural. It radiated danger, yes, but not the wild, uncontrollable frenzy of tailed beast chakra.
And yet—
Mei Terumi paused.
Because Ao possessed the Byakugan. He was not someone who easily misjudged what he saw.
—
Inside the Kaguya clan compound, a man sat on the clan head's seat, frowning deeply.
"What's going on outside?" Kaguya Shigemitsu asked.
The Kaguya clan was not well-regarded within the Hidden Mist, but their strength was still undeniable. Even in their decline, their ancestral foundation remained.
After all, they had once been a powerful clan.
And even now, the remnants of that legacy still granted them advantages.
One example was the barrier protecting their compound.
For a clan like theirs—whose mindset revolved almost entirely around charging forward and crushing enemies through sheer violence—setting up such a system would normally have been unthinkable.
They simply didn't think that way. Or more accurately, they were never expected to.
But their ancestors had anticipated this flaw. Worried that future generations might bring disaster upon themselves due to their reckless nature, they had obtained detection-type barriers from other clans and installed them in advance.
And now, those barriers were doing their job.
Even a group of people with almost no sensory ability could clearly tell that a battle had broken out just outside their home.
"We're not sure yet, Clan Head," a thin-looking clan member replied, head lowered. "But… it seems to be ANBU."
"Hmph. ANBU."
Kaguya Shigemitsu cast a disdainful glance at him before his expression turned cold and ruthless.
"Disgusting lot. Every single one of them."
The thin man said nothing. He could clearly hear that Shigemitsu's words included him as well.
The Kaguya clan worshipped strength. Someone like him—physically weak, lacking combat ability—was naturally looked down upon.
He was an anomaly within the clan.
Ever since childhood, his body had been frail, preventing him from training his chakra like the others. So instead, he had taken another path—studying everything he could, hoping to contribute to the clan in his own way.
But tragically, the clan had never cared about his efforts.
They never respected what he had learned.
Not even once.
Even so, he remained the most insignificant member of the clan. Even when the Fourth Mizukage's policies briefly gave him some measure of utility, he was still despised by everyone around him.
It was a suffocating, painful existence.
He could never understand why the people of his own clan had become this way.
And in such an inhuman environment—one that treated him as less than human—his personality had slowly begun to twist.
He made a vow. He would take revenge. He would prove his worth.
If he was not acknowledged within the clan—if no one recognized his ability or his usefulness—then why shouldn't he prove himself elsewhere, and show the entire clan what he was truly capable of?
He kept his head lowered, not daring to reveal even a hint of his thoughts. He couldn't afford to be exposed.
Not yet.
At least not now.
He still needed to wait. Wait for the right moment to arrive.
"Send someone to investigate."
Kaguya Shigemitsu had no idea what the weak man before him was thinking. After a brief moment of consideration, he made his decision.
"Whoever dares to intrude here—even if they are only observing us—will pay the price!"
"Yes, Clan Head!"
The Kaguya members present all roared in response, and even the thin man joined them, raising his voice with the rest.
But inside, his thoughts were cold as ice.
He watched Shigemitsu's arrogant expression and slowly closed his eyes.
He wondered—when that man ended up locked inside a cage like that child had been… would he still remain so proud?
—
"What's going on over there?"
On the opposite side of the surveillance perimeter around the Kaguya clan, a group of ANBU had gathered, exchanging puzzled looks.
They had been stationed here for some time already, their objective being the Kaguya clan.
All of them belonged to the Mizukage's faction, and many of them held little favorable opinion of the Kaguya clan to begin with. Because of that, none of them had objected to the assignment.
Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—the Kaguya had remained relatively quiet. That likely had something to do with their lack of proper sensory capabilities.
In addition, they had an informant inside the clan, which made the mission far easier than expected.
Under normal circumstances, a clan should be tightly unified, with betrayal being extremely rare.
But interestingly enough, the Kaguya clan had produced exactly such a traitor—someone who provided them with information in every possible aspect.
That alone had significantly reduced their operational burden, to the point where the ANBU were even willing to take assignments here.
But that very ease had made them careless.
None of them noticed that, elsewhere in the shadows, another group was also monitoring the Kaguya clan.
"Unclear. It doesn't seem to be coming from within the Kaguya clan," the squad leader said with a frown. After a moment of thought, he made his decision.
"First and Second squads, follow me to investigate. Third and Fourth squads, maintain surveillance here."
"Yes, Captain!"
The ANBU responded immediately. The selected members stood up and followed the captain without hesitation.
After all, they were elite ANBU—there was nothing wrong with their professionalism.
To them, this seemed like a sudden incident. For all they knew, the Kaguya might have triggered something accidentally themselves.
With that in mind—or perhaps out of confidence in their own abilities—they did not immediately send a signal flare to report to headquarters.
They moved quickly, but cautiously, maintaining silence as they advanced.
The earlier disturbance may have already alerted the Kaguya clan. They had to be careful to avoid unnecessary complications.
"Stop."
Suddenly, the captain raised his hand, signaling everyone to halt.
All the ANBU immediately froze in place.
The captain stared ahead for a moment, then shook his head slightly.
"It's the Kaguya. They're moving as well. Not many—about seven or eight."
"…Looks like this is becoming troublesome," one of the ANBU murmured. After a brief hesitation, he asked quietly, "Should we report back to headquarters?"
"If we send a signal now," the captain said after a moment of thought, "it might only make the Kaguya more alert."
He paused, then gave a final instruction.
"Stay quiet. We'll move in slowly."
"Yes, Captain."
The ANBU once again answered in unison before moving forward in silence.
But as they advanced, an increasingly intense surge of chakra began to press against their senses.
It was heavy with negative emotion—violent, unstable—and the sheer intensity of it made their instincts scream in alarm.
Just as the situation grew increasingly strange, a golden figure suddenly appeared before them like a ghost.
—
"So… this really is the Nine-Tails?"
Mei Terumi stared warily at the figure not far away, its entire body radiating golden chakra. Even her voice had turned slightly strained.
The power of the tailed beasts was something every village was taught from childhood to treat with absolute caution.
And among them all, the Nine-Tails was the most terrifying, the most dangerous existence of all.
How could she not feel wary?
But what she couldn't understand was why a Nine-Tails jinchūriki would appear here in the first place.
Had Konoha lost control of its own tailed beast?
Countless thoughts swirled in her mind, but one thing was certain—this information had to be reported back immediately.
—
"Are you done talking?"
Natsuhiko slowly walked toward Mei Terumi and Ao, his gaze moving lazily between them. There was an unmistakable arrogance and calm in his eyes, as if everything in front of him was already beneath consideration.
"If you're finished, then you can die peacefully."
"Are you a ninja from Konoha?"
Ao suddenly questioned him.
"The Nine-Tails jinchūriki is in Konoha. The intelligence clearly states the jinchūriki is a descendant of the Uzumaki clan, but—"
"Being ignorant can be fatal."
Natsuhiko gently shook his head, cutting him off without hesitation.
"After the Land Of Water was sealed off, you've completely lost access to information, haven't you?
Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchūriki is still an Uzumaki descendant. There were some complications, but the beast is still inside her body.
As for my Nine-Tails… who told you there are only nine tailed beasts in this world?"
"There are… more than nine tailed beasts?"
Mei Terumi's expression changed slightly. This was the first time she had ever heard such a claim.
"What you mean is… there were always more than those nine, and the reason we only know about them is because the others are in your possession… or your organization's?"
"You can understand it that way."
Seeing how quickly she grasped the implication, Natsuhiko couldn't help but smile faintly.
"You're ignorant, yes—but at least you have a functioning brain. That's something."
"Then why would you tell us something like this?"
"Do you really think adults care what children are thinking?" he replied casually. "And you were deliberately dragging out the conversation to wait for reinforcements, weren't you? It seems my evaluation of you was a bit premature."
The moment his voice faded, his figure vanished from where he stood.
A streak of golden chakra like flowing light instantly appeared in front of Mei Terumi and Ao.
His fist slammed directly into Mei Terumi's abdomen.
She didn't even have time to react before her body was sent flying backward.
At the same moment, Natsuhiko threw a kunai straight at Ao.
As expected of a veteran shinobi, Ao reacted instantly. He lowered his body just enough to narrowly evade the blade.
"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!"
Even while being sent flying, Mei Terumi endured the pain and formed hand seals in midair.
A strange mist—born from the fusion of heat and moisture—erupted from her mouth and rapidly spread across the battlefield.
Sensing the threat, Ao rolled backward without hesitation and began forming seals of his own.
"Water Release: Water Prison Technique!"
Massive amounts of chakra surged out of his body.
Fortunately, they were in the Land of Water. With its abundant moisture, he didn't need to search for a water source at all.
A massive water prison formed almost instantly and surged toward Natsuhiko, aiming to trap him in coordination with Mei Terumi's technique.
But his figure flickered once again, vanishing from the encirclement with a body flicker.
He reappeared safely at a distance.
"Oh? Two kekkei genkai… how interesting."
Natsuhiko looked at them as if he had just discovered something mildly interesting. His gaze swept over Mei Terumi once, and then he slowly shook his head.
"What a pity. If your strength were a little worse… or your technique execution a bit faster… or your coordination just slightly better, I might have actually felt a bit of pressure."
As he finished speaking, golden chakra suddenly flared along the kunai in his hand.
The next instant, he vanished again with a body flicker—his target was Ao.
After encountering these two, Natsuhiko had already realized something.
He was going to profit greatly from this encounter.
The Byakugan… that was something he had always been interested in, but had rarely had a proper opportunity to obtain.
Unlike the Sharingan, which he could occasionally target in the shadows, the Byakugan was far more troublesome to acquire.
If it was a Hyūga with the Caged Bird Seal, it was useless to him.
And if it wasn't bound by the seal, such individuals almost never left Konoha.
That awkward reality had nearly made him give up on the idea entirely.
But now, standing in front of him was Ao.
This was his opportunity.
No matter what, he would not let this man go. His target was the Byakugan in that eye.
As for Mei Terumi—whether she lived or died didn't matter much to him. In fact, keeping her alive might even be more useful, allowing her to spread misleading information later. From that perspective, her survival had more value than her death.
Natsuhiko's speed was terrifyingly fast.
And at that same moment, Ao demonstrated equally impressive combat skill.
He twisted his body sharply, raising a kunai at just the right angle to intercept Natsuhiko's strike in a flash of sparks.
At the same time, Mei Terumi acted.
She did not attack. Instead, she immediately reached for a signal flare.
At this point, she no longer cared whether this was Kaguya territory or what consequences the flare might bring. Reinforcements were the only thing that mattered.
But she never got the chance to act.
Ao was violently sent flying backward and crashed directly into her, the impact knocking both of them off balance.
In that brief moment when Ao had blocked Natsuhiko's kunai, he had already realized something—the opponent's strength was absurdly overwhelming.
Natsuhiko showed no surprise at his attack being blocked. He simply drew another kunai and resumed his assault without pause.
The sound of clashing metal never stopped.
In that high-speed exchange, Ao was completely overwhelmed.
"Clang!"
A sharp, piercing impact rang out.
Ao's kunai snapped cleanly in two.
In the next instant, Natsuhiko pivoted, gathering force into a single motion, and drove a devastating kick straight into Ao's chest.
A sickening crack echoed through the air.
Ao's body was sent flying once more, crashing into Mei Terumi and sending both of them tumbling to the ground together.
"It seems it's over."
Natsuhiko shook his head lightly, twirling his kunai as he slowly walked forward. His voice remained calm, arrogant, and unhurried.
"I have to say… you two are really quite insignificant."