Chapter 29: The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist

[Shinji's POV]

After leaving that village, we moved toward the other settlements Akane had marked earlier. But no matter where we went, the reaction was the same. Fear. Distrust. Some villagers were too terrified to even speak to us, while others openly resented shinobi. Still, we managed to find a few who were willing to talk, and from them, we finally learned the truth.

A group of rogue ninjas from Kiri had been sweeping through these villages, slaughtering anyone connected to bloodline clans. But what disturbed me the most was what followed. Two masked figures, bearing the Kiri symbol, arrived at each village after the carnage. They interrogated the survivors, but their methods were terrifying. One of them would randomly kill a villager, then force the entire village to attend a funeral for the victim.

"He did this in every village," a man whispered, his voice shaking. "If anyone refused, they were executed on the spot."

Yamato's expression hardened. "We're going back to Konoha. Those masked men are likely Kiri Anbu. We've already gone beyond the mission's scope."

"Yeah, it's out of our hands now," Akira muttered, sounding uncharacteristically serious.

Even Akane agreed, but I barely heard them. My eyes were locked onto something in the distance. Thunder rumbled in the sky, bolts of lightning striking the ground near a burning village. Smoke rose in thick clouds, swirling unnaturally.

Then, suddenly, that smoke moved.

No—it wasn't smoke. It was mist.

Before I could react, the fog engulfed us, swallowing our surroundings. My vision blurred as the oppressive mist thickened. My instincts screamed danger. I formed the rabbit hand seal without thinking.

The ground beneath me trembled as my shadow expanded, and in an instant, white rabbits burst forth from the darkness, dispersing the mist momentarily.

"Retreat!" Yamato's voice cut through the confusion.

I had no time to respond before a massive figure emerged from the mist. A colossal blade swung down toward Akira, who barely managed to activate his Sharingan in time. Before he could react, I moved, intercepting the strike with my own sword. Sparks flew as steel clashed against steel.

Akira vanished with a body flicker, reappearing beside Yamato and Akane.

"You saw me?" The masked man cocked his head slightly, amusement in his voice.

I didn't need to see his face to know who he was.

Zabuza Momochi.

Not good.

His grip on Kubikiribōchō tightened. "Not many escape my silent killing technique. Who are you?"

I stayed silent, my mind already running through possible strategies.

Zabuza smirked. "A four-man squad, huh? Guess Konoha's running out of real shinobi if they're sending kids on missions like this."

Without another word, he hurled his sword toward me. The massive blade spun like a deadly buzzsaw. I didn't move.

A wall of wood shot up in front of me, halting the sword mid-flight. It embedded itself in the thick bark, the force sending cracks along the structure.

"Wood Release…" Zabuza muttered, his voice lower now, more calculating. "So Konoha still has someone who can use it."

Yamato stepped forward, standing beside me. Akane and Akira flanked him, all three ready for battle. But I barely paid attention to them. My focus was on the sky, on the distant lightning strikes still flashing in the distance.

Another presence was here.

And I had a very strong feeling who it was.

"Sensei," I said, keeping my voice level, "there was another man with him, according to the villagers."

Yamato nodded grimly. "Yes. They must members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. That blade isn't just given to anyone." He pulled Kubikiribōchō from the wooden wall, its weight almost comical in his hands.

"I'll hold him off," Yamato ordered. "You three, run. Get as far as you can. Shinji, set traps to cover our retreat."

Zabuza remained still, studying us, waiting for an opening.

I made my decision.

"There's another enemy here," I said. "You can't fight both alone. I'll handle the other one."

Before Yamato could protest, I summoned Nue, sending the beast soaring toward the storm. My destination was clear.

If the timeline I remember is correct, then this is when Raiga meets Ranmaru.

And if I can get Ranmaru on my side…

I ignored Yamato's shouts as I took off toward the burning village.

Akane sighed behind me. "He could've just taken us with him on the bird and retreated…"

But no one had time to argue. Zabuza finally moved, forming a series of hand seals.

"Water Release: Waterfall Jutsu."

A torrent of water crashed down onto the battlefield as all my rabbits got washed with the waves.

[Ranmaru's POV]

The village was silent now.

Everyone was dead.

Even the girl who had once offered me food, against her father's wishes, lay among the bodies. Raiga had killed them all without hesitation, carrying me in a bag slung over his shoulder as he walked towards the mist.

I had always known I was different.

When I first realized I could see things others couldn't, I made the mistake of telling the villagers. I thought they would be amazed. I thought they would call it a gift.

But all they saw was something unnatural.

Fear replaced the kindness in their eyes. The children who once played with me no longer came near. The families who once fed me stopped leaving food at my doorstep. And in the end, I was left alone, starving in a place that no longer wanted me.

I could see people for who they really were. Their happiness, their sorrow, their lies. And after that day, all I ever saw inside them was fear and disgust.

Had their kindness ever been real?

Was that how everyone truly felt about me?

I had been ready to die. I had accepted it. But then Raiga found me.

He didn't fear me. He didn't pity me. He simply didn't care.

He felt nothing.

And as I watched him slaughter the villagers, I realized something unsettling.

I felt my own emotions but I could not understand them.

I felt sorrow at losing them. I felt rage towards the villagers and Raiga. But most of all I felt was… relief.

And something else.

Satisfaction.

As Raiga stepped out of the village, my gaze was drawn to the sky.

A massive bird, cloaked in orange fur and crackling with lightning, descended from the clouds. And atop it, a boy stared down at me with unrestrained excitement in his eyes.

For the first time in a long time, I felt curiosity.

Perhaps the world still had more to show me, perhaps I was not the only one special.

-+-+-+-

Give me more stones...