Trap

The four of them ventured into the forest, heading toward the Miyama village. The forest was dense, and their path was filled with mist, making it hard for them to see their surroundings.

Just as they covered half the distance, Daichi suddenly raised a hand, signaling them to stop.

Ryou, Shisui, and Tenga became alert, forming a protective triangle around Daichi. Instead of responding as a Ninja, their movements and actions were those of mere guards, just as their disguises.

"As expected of a Konoha ninja. You're sharp," a deep voice remarked, cutting through the silence. 

From the shadows of a massive tree, a figure emerged. He was nearly 6 feet tall, clad entirely in black, with a mask concealing his face. His form blended perfectly with the forest.

Daichi's expression turned grim. "You are... AzureFog, the informer. Why did you backstab us?" His gaze shifted slightly to another direction, focusing on the tree to their west.

Another figure stepped out from the shadows, seeing him, Daichi's expression hardened further.

Not just Daichi, Ryou's eyes widened slightly because he recognized the figure. Juzo Biwa, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, who would later join the Akatsuki.

'What's he doing here?'

Juzo had a cruel smirk on his face while a massive broadsword rested on his shoulder. The sword is one of the mystical swords of Kirigakure, known as Kubikiribocho or the Executioner's Blade.

The sword possesses a unique power, an ability to reform itself using the iron harvested from the blood of its victims. It can be repaired back to its original condition, no matter how severe the damage is, from a simple chip or nick to a complete split of the blade.

Juzo sneered, showing his jagged teeth. "I was expecting a team of Konoha Anbu, not a Jonin babysitting three Genin. Ridiculous. But it doesn't matter, as long as the money is in place. I began to enjoy hunting Konoha ninjas, ever since we were almost wiped out by that man… Might Duy."

Daichi pulled a kunai from his ninja pouch, his expression tense. "Listen carefully, three of you. At my signal, scatter and run in different directions. The man in front of us is Juzo, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist from a previous generation. He's on a completely different level. Even I'm not confident about defeating him in a fight."

"Not a chance," Juzo said, lifting his broadsword, preparing to strike, but then paused suddenly. His sharp eyes looked toward the left as he barked. "Come out!"

A new group emerged from the mist. They were masked ninjas, similar to Anbu, exuding a murderous aura. Leading them was a man with shoulder-length white hair, shark-like teeth, and purple eyes.

Ryou's eyes narrowed as he recognized him. Mangetsu Hozuki…reputed as the Second Coming of the Demon. He should be one of the current Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

Mangetsu's strength was on an entirely different level, as he was skilled enough to wield all seven swords and was a master of the Hydrification Technique, allowing him to liquefy parts of his body at will. Even among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, his strength should be at the top.

Aside from this, the five masked ninjas behind him exuded a strong presence. Judging by their powerful chakra levels, all of them should be formidable Jonins.

"Trouble," Ryou muttered under his breath. 

Daichi leaned closer to the three and whispered, "Stay calm. These are hunter-nin from Kirigakure. They're not here for us, they're after Juzo. He's a missing-nin and currently a mercenary for hire. Let's use this chance to retreat." 

Meanwhile, AzureFog, the one who's responsible for all this trouble, slipped away silently without a trace.

Mangetsu stepped forward, his voice calm. "Juzo-san, please come back with us. Mizukage-sama has ordered your return."

Juzo scoffed, his fingers tightening around the hilt of the Executioner's Blade. "Mangetsu, you brat, acting all grown up and giving me orders now? Go back and tell Mizukage-sama I have no interest in returning to that hellhole you call a village."

Mangetsu's gaze narrowed slightly. "I didn't come here to negotiate. If you refuse, I'll have no choice but to kill you and reclaim the sword."

With those words, he unfurled a scroll and, in a burst of smoke, summoned Hiramekarei—a twin-bladed weapon and one of the Seven mystical Swords of the Mist.

"Kill me?" Juzo chuckled with a grin. "You've got guts saying that to my face. Let's see if you've actually improved, little brat."

One of Mangetsu's subordinates behind him gestured toward the Konoha team. "What about them?"

Mangetsu didn't hesitate. "Kill them. They're Konoha ninja. No need to leave them alive."

Daichi, Ryou, Shisui, and Tenga exchanged a quick glance. At Daichi's nod, their hands moved in unison to form a seal. In an instant, their bodies vanished in a puff of smoke. 

"Shadow Clones," one of the Mist Ninjas muttered, annoyed slightly.

"Haha...even I was fooled." Juzo laughed slightly, seeing this.

"Three of you, chase and eliminate them," Mangetsu ordered.

Without hesitation, three of the Hunter-nin split into pursuit teams, their figures vanishing into the dense forest in search of the Konoha squad. The remaining two stayed behind, their focus now on Juzo.

--

The real Ryou, Shisui, Tenga, and Daichi, still some distance away, tensed as the memories from their shadow clones surged into their minds. Their expressions turned serious.

"We need to move. Now," Daichi said, his voice urgent.

Without hesitation, the four sprinted toward the shore. Within a minute, they arrived at the sea, quickly boarding the boat they had used to get there before setting off without delay.

As the boat sailed away from Miyama Island, Tenga broke the silence with a curse. "That was scary. We almost died on our first B-rank mission. What kind of cursed luck is this? Running into two Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Those two looked strong.

Ryou, if you hadn't suggested we use shadow clones..." He trailed off, shuddering a little.

"You are happy too early, Tenga. We're not out of danger." Ryou chuckled.

"You... Ryou, how can you remain so relaxed at a time like this?" Tenga asked.

"The Mist Ninja won't let us escape that easily," Shisui muttered as he activated his Sharingan, his gaze on the distant island, scanning for any signs of pursuit.

"Sensei, who is AzureFog? How did the village trust intel from someone like him?" Shisui asked.

Daichi sighed. This mission was a trap from the start. That man—AzureFog—he set us all up. It's not the first time we've exchanged information with him. Only after repeated confirmations did the village decide he was reliable enough to trust his intel. But it seems we underestimated him."

He paused, his expression darkening. "It's clear now that he's working for other villages to create conflict between Konoha and Kirigakure. This was a three-way ambush. He lured us and Juzo here, and led the Kirigakure Hunter-nin straight to us."

"They're here!" Shisui suddenly shouted, as his Sharingan caught sight of three figures in the distance.

Everyone then noticed the three figures sprinting across the water, their chakra expertly concentrated beneath their feet, allowing them to run over the surface without sinking. And, they are closing in fast.

"This isn't good!" Daichi said, his tone grave. "We're in the middle of the ocean. Mist Ninjas are good at Water Release jutsu. If we fight them here, we'll be at a disadvantage."

"What do we do, Sensei?" Tenga asked, slightly anxious.

"I'll stay behind to hold them off. The three of you escape and report back to the village." Daichi said in a firm tone.

"No! We're a team. We fight together, Sensei!" Tenga didn't agree.

"This isn't the time to argue," Daichi snapped.

Ryou calmly stood up with a nonchalant demeanor, "There's no need for that, Sensei. They're just three Jonin-level ninja. Is there really any reason to fear them? I'll take care of them."

--

Patreon: FanficMortal(20+ Chapters)