Konoha’s Five-Element Ninja

Chapter 44: The Hidden Hand of the Mist

Suigetsu Ku and Kaguya Shoichi's seamless teamwork bridged their individual shortcomings, exemplifying the ninja principle that synergy often outpaces individual talent. As the frosty air grew thicker, every breath Hayama took stung his lungs with icy tendrils. He realized that, if this continued, defeat was inevitable. With a sudden move, he forced Kaguya Shoichi back, dismissing his Lightning Style technique in the process.

In the shinobi world, ordinary ninja are often at a natural disadvantage against those with kekkei genkai. This immutable law of the ninja world, frustratingly immune to debate or rebuttal, left Hayama feeling powerless. Yet there was no escaping the truth; he had to accept it as it was.

Taking a deep breath, Hayama began weaving hand signs. The cold air biting into his lungs made him increasingly uncomfortable. He wasn't the type to sit back and endure—he would rather counterattack.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

With a full release of his chakra, Hayama conjured a massive fire dragon that surged toward Suigetsu Ku's icy mirrors. The flames scorched the frozen ground, sending waves of searing heat into the air. Hayama's lungs rejoiced, greedily soaking up the warmth.

Suigetsu Ku merely sneered. He pressed his hands against the icy barrier in front of him, channeling his chakra into the ground. As the chakra reached a critical mass, he uttered the name of his technique.

"Ice Style: Ice Lance!"

A massive ice lance erupted from beneath Hayama, launching him skyward. With a subtle shift in hand signs, Suigetsu Ku altered the lance, causing countless sharp ice spikes to protrude from its surface, aiming to pin Hayama in place.

Hayama scowled as the icy protrusions closed in. Activating his Hardening Technique, he bent his knees and propelled himself forward, launching like a cannonball through the spikes. But Suigetsu Ku wasn't alone in this battle. As soon as Hayama cleared the spikes, Kaguya Shoichi leaped into the air, his arm encased in a bone-like drill that spun furiously, ready to pierce through Hayama.

The expected carnage never came. Instead, a shower of mud and a faint hissing sound of explosive tags filled the air. Before Kaguya Shoichi could react, a thick slab of ice appeared in front of him, summoned by the ever-alert Suigetsu Ku. Kaguya Shoichi planted his foot on the icy surface, his chakra erupting beneath his sole. The resulting force flung him to the side just as the tags detonated.

Hayama, ever calculating, was already several steps ahead. With Kaguya Shoichi momentarily out of the way, Hayama swiftly followed up. Lightning crackled as he formed another jutsu.

"Lightning Style: False Darkness!"

A lance of concentrated lightning burst from Hayama's mouth, aimed at the airborne Kaguya Shoichi. Not stopping there, he quickly transitioned to his next attack, his hands moving faster than the eye could follow. A fiery heat began to swell within his chest.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

Kaguya Shoichi only caught a flash of blue light before his ears were filled with the piercing roar of lightning. He instinctively raised his bone drill as a shield. The electric lance hit the drill and fizzled out. The fire attack met a countering water dragon that Suigetsu Ku sent out, resulting in a massive steam explosion that left the battlefield obscured.

After a brief pause, Hayama clapped a hand to his face. His error was glaringly obvious—bone doesn't conduct electricity. Frustration with his own oversight left a red imprint on his cheek. All those years of education in his previous life, and he'd still managed to forget such basic science.

Another round of exchanges left all three combatants at a stalemate. They stood still, catching their breath and regathering their chakra. What had once been a cacophony of clashing jutsu and shouts had settled into a heavy silence.

Hayama wasn't the reckless type. He knew the risks of pushing too hard for the sake of a stranger he'd never met—the daimyo. One slip could mean his life. These two Mist shinobi were seasoned fighters. Suigetsu Ku specialized in overwhelming opponents with wide-range ninjutsu, while Kaguya Shoichi capitalized on those openings with relentless close-range attacks. Together, they presented a formidable challenge, and Hayama was running out of ideas.

As Kaguya Shoichi retracted the bones encasing his arm, he turned to Suigetsu Ku. "So what now?"

The division of roles between them was clear. With Kaguya Shoichi's more straightforward approach, strategic decisions naturally fell to Suigetsu Ku. After all, a successful ninja team often depends on a sharp mind as much as sheer skill.

"If we can maintain the status quo, the big guy will make his move soon enough," Suigetsu Ku said evenly.

Their mission wasn't about racking up kills—it was about taking out the daimyo. There was no need to risk it all just to eliminate one strong Konoha ninja. As long as they held their ground, they could afford to wait.

For a moment, a strange calm returned to the battlefield as both sides awaited developments elsewhere. Hayama placed his hopes on Jiraiya. With one of the legendary Sannin holding the line, victory seemed assured—so long as the Mizukage didn't personally intervene. Jiraiya's reputation as one of the Leaf's strongest defenders made him seem almost invincible in Hayama's eyes.

But Hayama's confidence was shattered in an instant, like a bubble bursting.

A deep, guttural roar echoed across the forest, its reverberations so intense that Hayama's head spun. He nearly dropped to the ground from the sheer force of it.

"What the hell was that?" he muttered, clutching his ears.

Then he saw it: a white line slicing through the distance. As it drew closer, trees were uprooted as if swept away by a titanic wave. The roar had created a visible shockwave that tore through the forest with merciless force.

Panic set in. Hayama instantly raised several earth walls in a desperate attempt to shield himself. Hardening his body, he crouched low, arms protecting his head. His feet locked into the ground with chakra as he braced for the oncoming blast.

The gale hit with the force of a hurricane, tearing through his earthen barriers as though they were paper. It struck Hayama like a sledgehammer, the overwhelming stench of brine making him gag. He poured every ounce of chakra he had into staying anchored, but it was futile. The wind picked him up and hurled him backward without mercy.

As he flew through the air, Hayama managed to grab a kunai from his pouch. With a swift throw, he attached a wire and latched it onto a boulder. Using his momentum, he yanked the wire taut and swung himself toward the ground, landing in a crouch. The impact left a shallow crater in the earth beneath him.

Coughing up blood, Hayama clung to the rock for dear life. Even as debris battered his back, he kept his body low and stable, waiting out the storm.

When the gale finally subsided, Hayama stood shakily, surveying the devastation. What had once been a dense forest was now a barren wasteland. In the distance, a small, mist-shrouded ice mountain had formed, protecting the two Mist shinobi. The rest of the area was reduced to a massive crater, exposing deep layers of earth and stone. It was as if the very landscape had been rewritten in an instant. One more Water Style jutsu, Hayama thought wryly, and this would be a lake.

He couldn't imagine what kind of creature could unleash such destruction. But one thing was clear: it wasn't something Konoha had summoned. It had to be the Mist's trump card.

A chilling realization washed over Hayama. The Mist had brought out a wild card that could upend the entire mission.

Hoping for some clarity, Hayama turned to the Mist ninjas. "What the hell is that thing you've unleashed?"

Kaguya Shoichi sneered. "You'll find out soon enough."

Before Hayama could press further, an overwhelming, frigid chakra filled the air. Even at this distance, the sheer malice of it was tangible. Hayama turned toward its source, eyes widening in shock.

A massive, turtle-like creature with three tails loomed in the crater. As it emerged, it seemed to survey its surroundings with disdain. Opening its colossal maw, it expelled a vast torrent of water, flooding the area.

Hayama's jaw dropped as he recognized the creature. "A three-tailed beast… a Tailed Beast?"

His mind raced. The Mist had gambled everything by releasing a Tailed Beast on the Fire Nation's soil. Did they not fear Konoha capturing it? Tailed Beasts were ultimate weapons, rarely deployed unless a village had no other choice. They were double-edged swords—potentially devastating to enemies but equally dangerous to their wielders.

The Mist's trump card made Hayama pause. Suddenly, his confidence in Jiraiya faltered. Even for one of the Sannin, confronting a Tailed Beast wasn't something to be taken lightly. These creatures were the shinobi world's equivalent of a nuclear deterrent—a force so immense that their mere presence could reshape the course of a battle.