At the peak of Thunder Drum Mountain, Mining Site No. 1.
Miners with yellow woven baskets on their backs adjusted their hard hats. Sturdy Cloud Hidden ninjas hefted cutting machines embedded with thunderstones, forming a winding line toward the deep, dark mine. Their formation resembled a giant python coiled on the mountainside.
Dressed in a mesh bodysuit, his yellow hair tied into a ponytail, Darui stood with his hands behind his back on the barren slope, gazing up at the sky.
Above, dark clouds churned, thunder roared, and pitch-black storm clouds blanketed the heavens. It was just past noon, when sunlight should have been at its peak, yet not a single ray pierced through.
Thunder Drum Mountain saw thunderstorms at least twenty days a month, but today's clouds were unusually dark, the air heavy with moisture. It made Darui's once-broken arm itch faintly.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
A shadowy figure leaped nimbly from the cliffside lookout below, landing before him in moments.
"Lord Darui!"
The ninja, clad in a tight combat suit with a long blade strapped to his back, reported:
"As per your orders, most of the guard ninjas from Site No. 1 have been reassigned to the other four mining sites. Now, only the ninjas tasked with mining and polishing thunderstones remain here."
Darui nodded slightly, hands still clasped behind him.
"Has the word spread?"
"Yes! After reports of people going missing at Sites Two, Three, Four, and Five, we announced that Site No. 1's guards were being sent to the others to ensure everyone's safety. The news has calmed the panic at the other sites significantly."
"But—" The long-blade ninja hesitated.
"Speak."
"Isn't this a bit too risky?" the ninja said, doubt flickering in his eyes. "Site No. 1 is the main mining area, with the deepest and most complex tunnels. With most of our forces reassigned—"
He didn't finish, but Darui understood his concern.
"I'll be entering the mine with everyone else. You head to Site No. 3 without worry."
"With Lord Darui protecting them, there's nothing to fear!"
Relieved by Darui's words, the ninja nodded, his doubts vanishing. Darui was one of Thunder Drum Mountain's two Jonin, the right-hand man of former Anbu captain Yagura, and a formidable fighter. With him guarding the mine, Site No. 1's safety was assured.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The long-blade ninja leaped away, vanishing among the cliffs in a few bounds.
From the mountaintop, Darui surveyed the long line of miners below, his blue eyes scanning as if searching for something.
Soon, he locked onto a burly man wearing a hard hat, his muscular frame towering over the others. The man carried a cutting machine, blending into the crowd, yet his sheer presence stood out.
Sensing Darui's gaze, the man looked up, his fierce tiger-like eyes meeting Darui's with a slight nod.
This was none other than Yagura, disguised as an ordinary miner.
This was their plan.
The culprit's methods were cunning, leaving no useful clues at the crime scenes. But this also revealed they weren't some mindless beast driven by hunger.
To catch a fish, you need bait.
The previous night, Darui and Yagura had strategized at length. Analyzing the abductions, they found no clear pattern: the victims shared no defining traits or connections.
This ruled out revenge or a specific motive. The only leads were the enemy's need for large numbers of people, thunderstone ore, and their recent increase in activity.
Based on these clues, they devised a trap. They reassigned Site No. 1's personnel to the other sites, creating the illusion of bolstering defenses to deter the culprit. In reality, they were funneling the enemy toward Site No. 1, which now appeared safer.
Darui and Yagura would then enter the mine with the miners. Darui would act as bait in the open, luring the enemy to attack, while Yagura, hidden among the crowd, would strike with a decisive blow the moment the enemy revealed themselves.
Confirming the plan was in motion, the two exchanged a glance—one in the open, one in the shadows—and followed the miners into the cave.
Meanwhile, unnoticed on the mine's rocky wall, a tiny, needle-sized insect, dark brown with a hard shell, clung upside down. As Darui and Yagura entered the cave, its shell split, revealing wings, and it buzzed swiftly outward.
Bzzz!
The insect's wings blurred as it soared, overlooking the stream of miners below. It circled to the mountain's far side, darting toward a secluded ravine.
Rounding a jagged, steep rock wall, it reached the shadowed ravine. There, two figures stood, their hearts pulsing with immense chakra—one tall, one short, both cloaked in hoods and masks, exuding an eerie harmony.
The insect carefully avoided the tall figure's unnatural purple chakra, landing on its master's fingertip. Pheromones formed a unique communication channel between bug and ninja.
What a hassle.
Watching Shino Aburame and his insect exchange information with agonizing slowness, Haku activated her Byakugan to its fullest, scanning the mountaintop.
After resting overnight, they'd raced from the Lightning Country's southwestern border forest to Thunder Drum Mountain without pause, arriving at the base by 10 a.m.
As planned, Kiba, Hinata, and others rested in a hidden spot at the mountain's base, awaiting Shino and Haku's reconnaissance before proceeding.
From the base to the peak, Shino's insects and Haku's Byakugan worked in tandem, flawlessly scouting Sites Two through Four without incident.
Sites Two to Four had roughly 200 ninjas combined—miners and guards. One Jonin, a dozen Special Jonin, and the rest were standard Chunin and Genin, whose combat strength was negligible.
If Site No. 1 lacked high-level forces, they'd move to crush it outright.
Haku's Byakugan enveloped the peak, piercing through Site No. 1 in an instant. She even saw through the mountain's surface, revealing the narrow mine tunnels and bustling miners. The workers, hauling thunderstones, moved like tireless ants shuttling food.
"Confirmed," Shino said, finally finishing his insect's report. "Site No. 1, including the mine's interior, has 60 ninjas with chakra signatures. Fifty-two are non-combat miners and polishers, six have Chunin-level chakra as guards, and one Jonin entered the mine with an elite Jonin hidden among the crowd. Site No. 1 has fewer people but two high-level threats."
"My intel matches yours," Haku said, peering through the earth at the elite Jonin in the mine.
She wondered who that ninja with the glaringly bright chakra was hiding from. Was there another faction at Thunder Drum Mountain? Or had their Root mission been exposed?
That shouldn't be possible. Root's Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal wasn't a joke. Unless someone else had infiltrated Root with a Shadow Clone, like she had, and maintained it long-term, it was unthinkable. Her deception worked only because of the Nine-Tails chakra's unique transferability—something no ordinary ninja could replicate.
If their mission was compromised, the enemy should know their team's composition. Yet Site No. 1's defenses were too weak for that.
Haku glanced at Shino's calm face. "Their strongest ninja disguised as a miner suggests they don't know we're here. There might be a third party involved."
"Don't worry about it," Shino said, his voice cold and emotionless. But Haku sensed he was hiding something. He knew about this third party—or perhaps it was his true objective.
"Can I know the real mission?" she pressed.
"Destroying the mine is the mission."
"I want to know the other part," Haku said, staring intently. This mission was shadier than she'd thought.
Feeling her burning gaze, Shino evaded. "The rest is my concern, not yours."
What a cryptic jerk! Haku clenched her fists. If they weren't in enemy territory, she'd have decked him.
Shino's insects sensed her hostility. Pointing to Site No. 1 above, he said, "The enemy's defenses are clear. Only Site No. 1 poses a threat. Head down, gather the team, and prepare for a full assault."
"You go," Haku replied.
Shino narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
Haku watched miners emerge from the cave, carrying baskets of polished, charged thunderstones to a massive central warehouse. Her Byakugan pierced the warehouse door, revealing a small mountain of shimmering thunderstones.
After half a day at Thunder Drum Mountain, she'd learned their purpose: enhancing machinery and aiding Lightning Armor training.
Lightning chakra mode required destroying one's cells with lightning chakra, selecting those resistant to electricity, and infusing them with chakra to evolve. This created the all-purpose Lightning Armor.
The process drained chakra heavily. Even with her Nine-Tails-enhanced recovery and Byakugan precision, Haku could only train four hours before exhaustion. Normal ninjas might manage one or two hours daily.
But the first half of the process—cell selection—could use external electricity, saving chakra for cell growth. She'd seen a Cloud Jonin at Site No. 2 use thunderstone currents for this, conserving energy.
Her main body constantly funneled chakra to her clone and supported her Ice Release, leaving her strapped. She couldn't pass up these stones. Luckily, she'd brought extra sealing scrolls, perfect for "borrowing" some thunderstones as a gift for her main body.
"I'll handle this. You take Kiba and the others to clear the other sites."
"Site No. 1 has fewer people, but an elite Jonin. Can you handle it alone?"
"More than enough," Haku said confidently.
Her Byakugan had already sized up the ninja in the mine—a typical Lightning Armor user like Yagura. But her strength had grown immensely. After absorbing Nine-Tails chakra and training under Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo, her Wind Release had skyrocketed. Lightning chakra mode offset her agility weakness, and her perfected Air Slash—good enough to grill meat—was ideal against Lightning Armor users.
"Attack in sync in thirty minutes. Be careful. Don't die," Shino said, turning to leave.
He trusted Haku's strength. She was Root's top frontline fighter, destined to face that elite Jonin sooner or later. An extra Jonin wouldn't change much.
As for the regular ninjas, neither he nor Haku considered them threats. Ninja ranks weren't rigid—Jonin to Special Jonin, or Special Jonin to Chunin, had small gaps. But Jonin to Chunin was a chasm, especially for elite Jonin like them. Chunin were disposable.
If Haku could pin down the two up top, Shino would handle the lone Jonin below. Kiba, Hinata, and Choji's Jonin-level strength could crush the other sites' ninjas. Then, they'd reinforce Haku, outnumbering the enemy for an easy win.
Drip!
As Shino's figure vanished, wet spots appeared on the ochre ground. A cool breeze brushed Haku's cheek, her silver hair fluttering as she looked skyward.
Crack!
Thunder roared, a silver dragon dancing across the sky. The inky clouds churned, turning the heavens into an ocean.
Drip! Drip!
The clouds could no longer hold the heavy rain. A few fat drops fell, then stopped, but the air brimmed with pent-up tension.
Not yet.
Suppressing her excited chakra, Haku eyed a tent in the camp marked with a "Thunder" symbol, her Byakugan locking onto a clock by the bedside. The second hand ticked steadily.
Outside Thunder Drum Mountain, in a massive yellow-green ravine, water pooled in the low terrain, fostering lush vegetation. Thick yellow-green plants carpeted the ground like lichen.
"Perfect weather, right, Samehada?"
"Growl! Growl!"
The bandaged greatsword Samehada wriggled excitedly on his back. Kisame Hoshigaki patted it, his golden pupils gazing skyward. His shark-like gills quivered, sensing the air's moisture.
The stormy sky flashed with lightning, striking Thunder Drum Mountain in the distance. Even from afar, he felt the dampness and rumble. Once the rain poured, this would be his domain.
"Looks like it's up to you," Itachi Uchiha said, feeling the wind and humidity.
Observing weather and terrain before battle was a mandatory lesson for Leaf ninjas. As a top academy graduate, Itachi had ingrained it into his instincts.
Kisame blinked, realizing his new partner, a pure Fire Release user, hated rainy days.
"No worries! I can handle it solo," Kisame said, patting his chest.
But he noticed Itachi's eyes, now crimson, staring at the peak. Following his gaze, Kisame looked up.
Unnoticed until now, thick fog had begun to spread across the mountaintop. Amid the thunder and lightning, the peak was nearly invisible. Beneath the black clouds, a hazy white mist enveloped Thunder Drum Mountain's summit like a sea of clouds.
"Itachi, something's off," Kisame said. As a Mist ninja, fighting in fog was second nature, stirring his memories.
"I see it," Itachi replied. His three-tomoe Sharingan spun, forming a unique shuriken pattern, fixed on the fog-shrouded peak.
The dense mist swirled around the mountain, blending with the black clouds. A mysterious purple chakra lurked within, writhing like a dragon ready to strike.
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