Night fell as the Kirigakure squad, led by Kisame Hoshigaki, finished their day-long patrol along the coastal forest. They finally settled in an open clearing to camp and recover.
No campfire was lit. The ninjas huddled together in the dark, chewing on dry rations and chatting in low voices.
"Phew, I'm exhausted," a stout young ninja sighed, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Is this Furukawa's first time on a mission like this?" a bald ninja nearby asked, adjusting his Kirigakure forehead protector with a grin.
The ninja named Furukawa nodded. "Senior, I was just promoted to Chunin last week. This is my first time on a patrol rotation."
An older shinobi chimed in, "You'll get used to it after a few more rounds. Right now we're just patrolling the main island. Later, we'll have to do water-surface patrols. That's the real test of chakra reserves and control."
At the mention of treading water for miles, Furukawa gave a wry smile. "I'll have to ask for more guidance then, seniors."
They laughed and talked, creating a sharp contrast to Kisame Hoshigaki, who sat alone and apart from the group.
After a day of travel, they had grown accustomed to their captain's silence. This former ANBU operative was undeniably skilled, but he was cold as ice; unless it concerned the mission, he never uttered a word.
As the others joked, Terumi Rin approached Kisame again. Just as she was about to sit, Kisame's small eyes widened. He lunged upward, drawing the blade from his back in a single, fluid motion.
Under the moonlight, a mysterious figure in a black robe and a white, three-eyed fox mask appeared silently at the edge of the camp.
The other ninjas jolted in shock, scrambling to Kisame's side with kunai drawn, their bodies tensed in a defensive stance.
Kisame glanced at a kunai embedded in the ground nearby. It hadn't budged an inch. His heart sank.
That was one of his perimeter alarms—thin wires connected to kunai designed to snap or tug if anyone approached. Yet, this masked man had bypassed every single tripwire without triggering a single vibration.
"It's... Shura!" Kisame's eyes trembled as he recognized the fox mask glinting coldly in the lunar light.
'This guy... didn't the Mizukage say he was wounded and driven off by Juzo and Fuguki? He doesn't look like he has a single scratch on him!' For the first time, Kisame felt a seed of doubt regarding the intelligence provided by the Mizukage himself.
"Retreat!" Kisame ordered decisively. "You are no match for him! Get this information back to the village!"
The subordinates froze for a second, not even knowing who the intruder was. However, they obeyed instantly, leaping into the trees and fleeing toward Kirigakure at top speed.
Moments later, only Shura remained in the clearing.
'That girl next to Kisame... could she be...?' Menma had noted the genuine concern she showed for the shark-faced man while observing them from the shadows.
"Interesting," a soft chuckle echoed behind the mask. Menma leaped onto the branches, trailing the fleeing ninjas as they headed north.
The Kirigakure ninjas soon realized that the shadow was still behind them, leaping effortlessly through the canopy.
A suffocating pressure radiated from their pursuer, causing cold sweat to pour down their necks. Their instincts screamed at them: if they were caught alone, they were dead.
They pushed their bodies to the limit, trying to increase the distance.
Yet, no matter how hard they sprinted, the figure remained at a constant, leisurely distance—like a cat toys with a mouse, maintaining complete control over the pace.
"Damn it!" One ninja, his nerves frayed by the high-tension pursuit, whipped around and hurled several kunai rigged with paper bombs.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions lit up the forest behind them. The ninjas stole a quick glance at the fire and smoke but didn't dare stop for a second.
Suddenly—
The mysterious ninja pulled level with the man who had thrown the kunai. In his hands, a massive blade had appeared out of thin air.
Before the ninja could even scream, the Executioner's Blade tore through the air. With a sickening crunch, it sliced through the man's waist, severing him in two.
Blood and internal organs rained down into the dark forest below.
"That's... the Executioner's Blade!" Kisame looked back, his mind reeling from a second shock.
Why was Juzo Biwa's sword in Shura's hands?!
Had Juzo already...
'But the Mizukage said Juzo and Fuguki wounded him!' Kisame's thoughts were a chaotic mess. He didn't dare dwell on the implications and forced his team to accelerate.
Soon, the panicked ninjas found themselves cornered at the edge of a massive cliff.
Before them lay a chasm hundreds of meters wide, a bottomless abyss. Even for a ninja, a fall from this height meant certain death.
Whish—
As they hovered in indecision, Shura arrived.
His black robe snapped in the night wind under the pale moon. The three-eyed fox mask radiated a chilling light. He slammed the man-sized Executioner's Blade into the ground, its steel edge humming with a murderous aura as it began to absorb the fresh blood coating its surface.
The sheer pressure emanating from him drove the Kirigakure ninjas to the brink of despair. Though they faced only one man, it felt as though they were surrounded by an army. There was no way out.
Seeing their pursuer close in, Kisame suddenly swung his sword—not at the enemy, but at his own comrades!
"Agh!" "Captain?!"
The Kirigakure ninjas were slaughtered before they could even process the betrayal. They never expected their own leader to strike them down.
In an instant, four were dead.
Only Terumi Rin remained, slumped on the ground after being slashed across the shoulder. She stared at Kisame with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"Why..." she gasped.
Kisame's eyes were bloodshot, his voice a rasping chill. "To ensure the village's secrets don't fall into enemy hands... this is my special mission."
Rin did not look at him with hatred. Instead, she gazed at him with a profound, aching pity. "Captain Kisame... your life... must be so very painful."
Kisame's body gave an imperceptible shudder.
He had performed this "special mission"—silencing his own kin—countless times. He should have been numb to it.
So why, when Rin asked that question, did his frozen heart tremble? Was it because of the kindness she had shown him? Or was he finally doubting the "secrets" he was protecting?
Kisame dropped to one knee and raised his blade to finish her.
Zip—
A kunai whistled through the air, forcing Kisame to leap back.
He turned to face Shura, who was slowly approaching.
From behind the white, three-eyed fox mask, a low, haunting voice drifted through the night:
"Killing your own kin for the sake of a traitor... your life truly is a tragedy, Kisame Hoshigaki."