*Wind Country*
The Wind Country was merciless. The desert stretched endlessly, dunes like shifting waves under a crimson sky. The air was dry enough to burn the lungs, the wind sharp with sand that stung like a thousand needles. To most, this land was unlivable. To Shisui Uchiha, cloaked in black with a crimson spiral mask, it was simply another battlefield.
Every step weighed heavier than it should have. His body betrayed him—aching joints, a burning fever beneath the skin, the dull poison still eating away at his system. He measured his breath, slowing it. He couldn't afford to waste strength.
*Thirty percent… maybe forty. That's all I can give.*
Yet his eyes—hidden behind the spiral mask—still glowed faintly red. His Sharingan whirled, sharp and precise. He would use it when he must, but carefully. Too much, and someone might see what lay beneath the mask. His disguise had to remain perfect. Not even gods could know Shisui Uchiha still walked the earth.
His target waited ahead: **Kurosei Iwamaru**, an S-rank rogue of the Stone. A murderer who carved names into stone coffins for every shinobi he killed, and one who had become infamous for gauntlets that drained chakra like a leech. Sixty million ryō was his price. An Elite ninja who once earned his name from the third great ninja war... now he's a rogue ninja...
For Shisui, the bounty was not just for money. This was training, sharpening, survival.
The sun sank. Shadows stretched. The hunt began.
---
### *The Outpost*
The base was a relic of the Third Shinobi War, half-buried under dunes. Rusted weapons lay scattered in the sand, and cracked walls leaned as if ready to collapse. Two guards patrolled outside, half-asleep, spears dragging.
Shisui crouched low, watching. His movements were like the wind itself—seen, then gone. One chokehold, one swift strike, and the guards dropped without a sound.
He slipped inside through a collapsed wall. The air reeked of oil, iron, and stale blood. The floor was stained dark. Old banners of the Stone still clung to the walls like tattered ghosts.
Deeper inside, he found him.
Kurosei Iwamaru sat amid piles of stolen scrolls, massive arms crossed. His body was a fortress, slabs of rock-like muscle covered in crude stone-forged armor. The chakra-draining gauntlets on his hands glowed sickly green, pulsing faintly.
"You took your time," Kurosei growled without turning. His voice was gravel and thunder. "Been hearing whispers of some masked freak on my tail. One-eyed demon, they call you. Cute name."
Shisui said nothing.
Kurosei smirked. "Doesn't matter. You're just another rat trying for my head. Let's get this over with."
He stomped once. The ground quaked—**Earth Style: Tremor Pulse!** A spike of stone shot up from where Shisui stood.
But the masked hunter was already gone, sliding across the rubble with inhuman grace.
The battle began.
Kurosei moved faster than his bulk suggested. Each punch he threw cracked stone, the gauntlets flaring green as they sucked the chakra from the air. A single clean hit would cripple Shisui.
Shisui weaved between the blows, his Sharingan whirring silently. He saw the tremor in Kurosei's legs before the stomp, the twitch of his shoulder before the strike. He danced just out of reach, cloak brushing against the gauntlets by inches.
Still, his body betrayed him. His breath came too quick. His chest burned. His limbs felt heavier than they should. Every dodge drained him.
*Focus. Every move counts. Thirty percent is enough.*
Kurosei smashed the ground—**Earth Style: Stone Uprising!** Spires of rock erupted in a line, chasing Shisui like jagged teeth. He vaulted back, flipped onto a half-broken pillar, and hurled shuriken.
The rogue batted them aside, laughing. "That all, One eyed demon?! You are nothing but an impudent fool"
Shisui landed silently, hands weaving seals—**Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire!** Small fireballs scattered wide, exploding against crates and scrolls. The room filled with smoke and ash.
Kurosei roared. "You think smoke can hide you?!" He clapped his hands to the ground—**Earth Style: Quaking Dome!** The walls shook, collapsing debris.
Through the haze, Shisui slipped low. A trap wire snapped—paper bombs detonated beneath Kurosei's feet. The blast tore at his armor, scorching his leg.
The giant staggered, then grinned, blood on his lips. "Good trick kid… i underestimated you, but you'll need more."
---
They clashed again—taijutsu against taijutsu. Shisui ducked, rolled, struck with senbon and kunai aimed for joints and nerves. Kurosei's fists slammed like hammers, missing by inches, shattering walls and floor.
The Sharingan read every movement. Shisui saw the slow telegraph of a left hook, the shift in stance before a stomp. But his body lagged behind his eyes. Each dodge came slower, closer. Sweat soaked his mask.
Kurosei noticed. "Hah. You're fast little brat, but you're fading. You are just weak?"
Shisui ignored the taunt, though his chest burned. A cough rumbled inside him, blood rising in his throat. He swallowed it down.
The rogue lunged, fists wide—Shisui slid aside, but not far enough. The gauntlet grazed his cloak, and he felt the tug as chakra leeched out. His body shuddered, weaker.
*Can't let him touch me. One clean grab, and it's over.*
Kurosei pressed harder, hammering blow after blow. "Fall already!"
Shisui's eyes spun faster. His body blurred—half a step, just enough. He guided Kurosei where he wanted, step by step into the corridor he had rigged earlier.
Another stomp—**Earth Style: Rock Encampment Coffin!** Stone spikes shot out, forcing Shisui into the narrow passage. Exactly where he wanted.
The trap sprung—tags lit across the walls. Explosions tore through the hallway, smoke and fire swallowing Kurosei.
The rogue staggered out, armor cracked, blood running down his face—but still laughing. "Good… GOOD! You are keep surprising me! i didn't had fun like this since the last war"...
Shisui's chest heaved. His body screamed to stop. But his eyes never wavered.
They circled in the ruined chamber. Dust and ash swirled in the air, lit by moonlight through a broken ceiling. Both were bloodied, breathing hard.
Kurosei grinned, teeth red. "No more tricks. Let's finish this."
He charged, fists raised. Shisui ducked low, slid under, kunai flashing. One struck Kurosei's neck, coated with a subtle paralytic. The brute ripped it out, laughing through the sting. "Needles won't stop me!"
Shisui said "we'll see about that"
They clashed again. Shisui parried a blow with kunai, twisted, slammed another kunai into Kurosei's thigh. The rogue howled, backhanding him into the wall. The mask cracked, but held.
Shisui stood slowly, wiping blood from his lips inside the mask. His chest burned, lungs ragged. But his eyes—his Sharingan—shone bright, unbroken.
Kurosei lunged, wide and reckless. Shisui stepped aside, calm, precise. His blade slid into the gap in armor at the neck. A clean thrust, deep and final.
Kurosei staggered, hands clawing at the wound. He looked into the spiral mask, saw only red eye glowing faintly.
"What… are you…?" he rasped.
Shisui leaned close. His voice was quiet, certain. "what is the point telling about me to someone that dying "
The rogue fell, stone armor cracking as he hit the ground. Silence followed.
Shisui stood over the corpse, chest heaving. His mask hid the cough of blood that followed. He wiped his blade clean, sealed the body, and left without a sound.
suddenly shisui jumped from the sea of Golden sand...
Rasa- You are good, hunter.... I had a job for you! care to make some extra money before you leave?
Shisui just stared at the fourth kazekage...
### *Waterfall Village*
At the quiet hideout, Sasuke Uchiha stood on the water's edge. Sweat clung to his face. Four leaves stuck to his body—forehead, chest, shoulder, and foot. A fifth slipped and fell.
"Tch… damn it."
He tried again. His chakra pulsed, unstable. The leaves wavered, one falling into the water. Sasuke clenched his fists, glaring at his reflection.
He wasn't a child anymore. Weakness disgusted him. His eyes narrowed, filled with silent fury.
---
**End of chapter 7**