Chapter 27: Respect the Dead
"No need to worry, Haku won't leak secrets."
Uehara Naraka waved his hand, glanced at the terrified, trembling Haku, and chuckled at Zabuza, "Zabuza, your observation skills are also terrible! Haku looks so cute, he's definitely a boy!"
No matter how you look at it, Haku is a man.
Zabuza Momochi glanced at the thin Haku and said gravely, "Hmph, you seem quite relaxed. This little fellow has the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai. He definitely won't be an ordinary person in the future; he'll become a ninja sooner or later!"
"You know Haku?"
"Although the Village of the Bloody Mist cannot tolerate the existence of Kekkei Genkai users, for ninjas like us, those with bloodline limits are incredibly valuable tools. Even if this kid only possesses the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, it's no exception."
Zabuza Momochi cursed his own Mizukage inwardly a few times, then continued gravely, "Back when this kid's Ice Release erupted and killed many people, after the village investigated, I was the one responsible for handling him. Naturally, I have all his information. With the Mizukage still around, Kirigakure (Village Hidden by Mist) couldn't shelter him. The village's upper ninjas could only turn a blind eye, letting him wander the Land of Water."
"Hahaha..."
Uehara Naraka chuckled a few times, looked at the refined youth beside him, and said softly, "Hmm, looking at it this way, my luck isn't bad."
"Hmph, hope your luck continues."
Zabuza Momochi turned to leave. Unsure what occurred to him, he added one more sentence, "One last reminder, don't underestimate the guy you're looking for. The previous owner of Samehada (Shark Skin) was completely helpless against him."
"You don't need to worry about that."
Uehara Naraka watched Zabuza's departing figure and shouted after him, "Hey, Zabuza! If what you plan to do doesn't succeed, you can look for me in the future! At least your life can be saved."
"Hmph, idiot!"
Zabuza Momochi cursed Uehara under his breath.
Based on Zabuza Momochi's perception of Uehara Naraka, he believed this boy definitely couldn't have any connection with Kisame Hoshigaki. Maybe Uehara would even end up getting killed.
The mission Kisame Hoshigaki was leading this time was to capture the invading Konoha ninja, Kakashi Hatake. To ensure success, Kisame Hoshigaki took several of the village's powerful Jonin with him.
For a period starting tomorrow, Kirigakure's defenses would be unprecedentedly weak. Only then would Zabuza Momochi dare to implement his plan to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage.
Northern Land of Water.
In search of Uchiha Obito's trail, Kakashi Hatake set foot in the Land of Water alone. He judged that Obito must be hiding in this closed country for the sake of revenge.
Unexpectedly, before Kakashi could find Obito, his tracks were discovered by the Kirigakure ninjas entrenched in the Land of Water. Facing Sharingan Kakashi, known as the Copy Ninja, the Kirigakure ninjas didn't dare be careless and quickly requested backup from their superiors.
This was truly starting off on the wrong foot.
While Kakashi Hatake was still having a headache over how to proceed next, the mysterious masked man also received news of Kakashi, giving him an even bigger headache.
The mysterious masked man wanted to target Uehara Naraka and had specifically used Kakashi as bait to lure out the Land of Keys' spy, Hanare. Unexpectedly, before his goal was achieved, the bait itself had jumped out.
Fortunately, the mysterious masked man had Hanare imprisoned. The female spy ninja didn't know about Kakashi yet. As long as things were handled properly, there shouldn't be any trouble.
It's just that the four parties had formed a perfect closed loop.
Uehara Naraka needed to find Kisame Hoshigaki and bring him back to Akatsuki; Kisame Hoshigaki wanted to find Kakashi Hatake and bring him back to Kirigakure to interrogate him for Konoha intelligence; Kakashi Hatake wanted to find Uchiha Obito and bring him back to Konoha village to uncover the truth; Uchiha Obito wanted to find Uehara Naraka and make him fall into darkness.
Among these people, most were just pawns.
Uchiha Obito believed everyone was a pawn he manipulated, including Uehara Naraka; Uehara Naraka also believed everyone was a pawn he guided, even including Uchiha Obito.
The struggle between these two would depend on who stood on the higher level.
The next day.
Following the travel route for Kisame Hoshigaki, Uehara Naraka planned to rush ahead to Kirigakure's northern outpost in the Land of Water and lie in ambush.
Uehara didn't bring Haku along, instead leaving him at the Land of Water Daimyō's residence. He planned for Haku to conveniently take Zabuza Momochi away when Zabuza failed his Mizukage assassination attempt and became wanted by Kirigakure.
Kirigakure's northern outpost was destined to be a bit lively.
Stationed year-round at the outpost was a Jonin leading four ninja squads, sixteen people in total, composed of one squad with the Jonin Captain + 3 Chunin, and three squads each with 1 Chunin Captain + 3 Genin.
With only one Jonin, trying to capture Kakashi Hatake was truly beyond their capabilities. Because this Mist Jonin captain had witnessed Kakashi Hatake's prowess before, he wouldn't proactively send his men to their deaths.
However, simply letting Kakashi escape didn't fit the Mist ninja temperament either. This Mist Jonin very seriously executed wartime strategy, leading his subordinates to entangle and surround Kakashi, waiting for reinforcements sent from the village.
This was Sharingan Kakashi.
Kakashi Hatake was Konoha's most sought-after ninja target in recent years. If they captured him, they could definitely gather massive amounts of Konoha intelligence, which would greatly benefit their dream of defeating Konoha.
"Squad 13, take the left flank!"
"Understood!"
"Squad 15, take the right flank!"
"Understood!"
"Squad 20, cover the rear, plug any gaps!"
"Understood!"
"Squad 11, everyone attack with me! Engage Kakashi with shuriken! Remember, absolutely do not look directly at his Sharingan!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Kirigakure's four squads were still entangling Kakashi Hatake in this area. Their actions delayed Kakashi's thoughts of escape, forcing him reluctantly to find a way to counterattack and deal with this group of Mist ninjas.
While Kakashi Hatake was hiding and formulating a plan, Uehara Naraka had already arrived in the area. Using the Flight Technique, he quickly discovered their tracks.
The young ninja floated down gracefully in front of the numerous Mist ninjas. Amidst their astonished and wary gazes, Uehara put on an innocent smile and asked, "Gentlemen, interested in playing a round of cards with me?"
"..."
After hesitating for a second, the Mist Jonin tightened his grip on his ninja sword and loudly ordered his subordinates present, "Proceed according to the original plan! Don't let this kid interfere with our business! Kill him!"
Decisive killing is the true nature of Mist ninjas!
Following the Jonin captain's command, the Mist ninjas didn't hesitate, cleanly throwing over a dozen shuriken towards Uehara Naraka!
"Wind Release: Wind Wall!"
A wind wall blocked all the incoming shuriken!
Uehara Naraka's smile didn't fade. He slowly brought his palms together and continued in a low voice, "Although you were rude to me first, I still choose to forgive you... because, one must respect the dead!"
(End of Chapter)
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