Hiruzen Sarutobi raised one hand and formed the sign of the shuriken, fingers blurring through rapid seals.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
A single spinning shuriken split into dozens, then hundreds, until a storm of steel screamed through the air. The weapons sliced toward the Hidden Mist ANBU and his watery doppelgänger from every direction.
"Fire Release: Great Flame Technique!"
Without a pause, Hiruzen flashed through another sequence of seals and exhaled a torrent of searing flame. The inferno roared across the deck, engulfing the enemy and the water clone in a wall of heat.
Ssshhhhh—!
Seawater hissed and boiled, white vapor billowing upward. From the swirling mist, liquid condensed into human shape again—the water clone re-forming almost instantly.
The Hidden Mist ANBU gave a low, mocking laugh. "Impressive Fire Release. But this is the open sea. Water is endless here. This is my battlefield."
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes. The real body isn't among them… yet. He slipped a kunai from his pouch and cast a brief glance at his three students. They were still locked in combat with the remaining pirates, handling themselves well enough that he did not interfere.
---
Lightning Strikes
Orochimaru, meanwhile, observed every movement of his teacher with rapt attention. Shuriken Shadow Clone… Great Flame Technique… He memorized each seal and subtle motion. When this mission ends, I'll master them myself.
Forming his own seals, he whispered, "Lightning Release: Earth Run!"
Electric chakra wrapped around his hands. He slammed a palm into a pirate's chest, sending a jagged current racing through the man's body. Orochimaru crouched, pressed one hand to the wet deck, and the lightning arced across a thin sheet of seawater to another pirate. Both men spasmed violently, hair bristling, smoke curling from their clothes before they crumpled.
As I suspected… Earth Run has limits, he mused, eyes glittering. But it taught me the nature transformation of Lightning Chakra. I can compress the current around my palm without letting it escape.
A cold smile curved his lips. Two swift kunai followed, striking the first pirate's heart with clinical precision. Better they die by my hand than leave revenge to the fishermen of the Land of Tea.
His shadow clone mirrored his icy focus, blade flashing as more pirates fell. Blood mingled with seawater and spread like dark ink across the waves.
Seizing a katana from a fallen foe, Orochimaru channeled lightning through the blade. Sparks hissed as he sheared enemy weapons in half, then hurled the sword like a spear. It impaled a fleeing pirate, pinning him to a mast.
---
Tsunade's Counter
Nearby, Tsunade dropped an opponent with a single hammering punch, the deck splintering beneath the pirate's skull. A glint of steel in the corner of her eye made her pivot; she caught the incoming kunai on her own blade with a ringing clash.
She stared at the enemy's mask and the distinctive insignia. "You're Hidden Mist ANBU. What's your goal?"
"I don't waste words on the dead."
The masked ninja spun and kicked, but Tsunade was already moving, vanishing from his strike zone.
The sea itself seemed to roar in response. Once-calm water churned into towering waves that swallowed fishing boats and dragged them toward open ocean.
---
Genjutsu Revealed
A sound-based Genjutsu?
Hiruzen's pulse sharpened as realization struck. He bit his thumb and forced chakra through his network, shattering the illusion. In the same instant, he slashed his kunai across the enemy's chest. Water—not blood—spilled from the wound.
He sensed danger behind him and whirled, another kunai flashing. His movements blurred into afterimages as he cut through a ring of water clones. Beneath his feet the sea shimmered strangely, and comprehension sparked. So that's it.
Across the deck Jiraiya stiffened, recognizing the trap. He clasped his hands, disrupted his chakra flow, and broke the Genjutsu. Around him, fishermen gasped and clutched at their throats, still trapped in the illusion's chokehold. Jiraiya moved swiftly from man to man, dispelling the technique for each of them.
Though never gifted in Genjutsu, his skill in unraveling it was impressive. Hiruzen caught the motion, pride warming his stern gaze. Good. He's growing.
Orochimaru and Tsunade, a moment slower, freed themselves as well.
---
Summoning Showdown
"So the Genjutsu is broken," the ANBU sneered. "Then witness my Summoning Technique!"
He bit his thumb, smeared blood across his palm, and slammed his hand onto the water. In a burst of chakra, several massive sharks erupted from the sea, their teeth gleaming like cold daggers as they lunged toward the fishermen and Team Sarutobi.
The fishermen's screams sliced through the air.
"Summoning, huh?" Jiraiya grinned, adrenaline sparking. "Let me show you Lord Jiraiya's own technique!"
He bit his thumb, blood bright against his skin, and raced through hand signs faster than ever. "Watch closely!"
With a resounding puff of smoke, a giant red toad appeared, a scar etched over his left eye.
"Wha—this is the ocean?!" Gamabunta croaked, scratching furiously at his damp skin.
"Gamabunta, fight with me!" Jiraiya leapt to the toad's back and shot Tsunade and Orochimaru a cocky look.
Before he could boast further, Gamabunta's tongue whipped around Jiraiya's waist and flung him skyward.
"Jiraiya! I'm a freshwater creature. You summoned me into salt water!"
Jiraiya crashed headfirst into the sea, legs flailing. Spluttering, he resurfaced and forced a sheepish grin. "Come on, don't say that! We're brothers in the face of death!"
The ANBU laughed coldly. "The new generation of Konoha can't even control their own summons?"
"Enough," Gamabunta rumbled, narrowing his eyes. "I'll show you the might of Mount Myōboku!"
The giant toad sprang into action, kicking two sharks into the air and clapping his massive hands to blast away two more. His long tongue lashed out, wrapping around another shark and smashing it into its brethren.
"Jiraiya, Toad Oil Flame Bullet. Now!" he commanded.
"Got it!"
Jiraiya landed back on Gamabunta's head as the toad crouched, gathered power, and leapt high. Gamabunta spat a torrent of slick oil while Jiraiya exhaled a roaring flame.
"Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"
The searing mixture ignited the very sea, vaporizing water and clinging to the sharks' slick hides. Even submerged, the burning oil refused to die. The ANBU's eyes widened in horror as the flaming tide surged toward him. He screamed as the inferno swallowed him whole.
---
Thunder and Revelation
"Lightning Release: Thunder Strike!"
Hiruzen's hands flashed through another sequence. He pressed both palms to the water and released a surge of lightning. Two brilliant bolts split the waves, racing outward in opposite directions. In an instant, the entire sea blazed with electric light.
The ANBU convulsed as the current hit, his body flickering like a candle flame before vaporizing into mist.
Gamabunta surfaced near the fishing boat and exhaled in relief. "Glad I stayed above water. That Lightning Release would've fried even me."
Orochimaru watched Hiruzen lower his still-sparking hand, awe shining in his yellow eyes. Mastering every jutsu he knows… it will be a long journey, but I will do it.
Hiruzen approached the fallen enemy's remains and tugged away the scorched mask—only to find another uniform beneath, one belonging to the Hidden Sand Village.
"The Second Mizukage sealed his village off from the world," Hiruzen murmured. "The Mist wouldn't risk such a mission, let alone this deception."
A sudden crackling sound snapped his attention downward. Beneath the robes he spotted burning explosive tags.
"Not good!"
He leapt back, weaving seals. "Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
A column of seawater surged upward, encasing the body just as the tags detonated. The explosion thundered inside the watery barrier, the damage greatly diminished.
Another technique to add to Orochimaru's growing mental list. His heart raced with excitement. Tsunade caught the gleam in his eyes and frowned slightly. Does he love jutsu more than life itself?
---
Quiet After the Storm
As the team regrouped, Hiruzen's thoughts turned grim. Even in death, he tried to hide his secrets. If it hadn't been us on this mission, another squad might have fallen. Hard-won peace never lasts… how long before the great villages clash again?
He exhaled slowly, wishing, just for a moment, that peace could endure a little longer.
---
Evening in Konoha
By the time Team Sarutobi returned to the village that night, the streets were alive with lantern light. Near the gate, members of the Konoha Military Police were arresting a drunken man who thrashed and shouted.
"Let go of me! Do you know who I am? I'm from the Shimura clan!" he bellowed.
The Uchiha police wore the fan crest on their shoulders and handled him with practiced detachment. One officer gave the team a curt nod. "Please move along and allow us to work."
Hiruzen frowned slightly at the man's slurred boasts. The Shimura were among Konoha's founding families alongside the Sarutobi… yet so few remain of note, aside from Danzo.
The officer ignored the drunk's lineage entirely. His only thought seemed to be getting the disruptive man off the street—a silent reminder that power and heritage meant little without discipline.
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