Chapter 184: Ghosts in the Mist (Part- 6) [Naoki’s Successor: The Operator Who Thought ‘Friendship’ Was Safe]

Chapter 184 - Ghosts in the Mist (Part- 6) [Naoki’s Successor: The Operator Who Thought ‘Friendship’ Was Safe] {You guys failed by 20 stones, LOL} ~~~ Ren spoke. "The extermination of the Yuki clan must have terrified and angered the bloodline clans enough to push them to band together against the Mizukage faction, didn't it." Four nodded, agreeing without hesitation. "Yes. For now, it's mostly covert struggles like backroom meetings, tense standoffs between some shinobi squads, but they just need one breaking point, and all hell will break loose." Ren fell quiet for a moment, eyes distant as his thoughts turned inward. 'Even if I don't do anything, it's basically guaranteed that the Mist will fall into civil war anyway, with the bloodline faction winning and Mei becoming Mizukage. All this was Obito's doing, all because he couldn't get over the Mist using Rin to seal the Three Tails. After everything, that chain of events killed her. The man's a true romantic, I'll give him that he nearly brought down the entire world for one dead girl. He'll never leave the Mist alone, not until he's pushed them over the edge anyway. All I can do is make sure it happens faster or it happens later, so that they stay busy and don't get in the Leaf's way.' He thought of the message Yoru had given him. It said the Leaf would face its own chaos soon enough and so, pushing the Mist over the cliff now would be one less enemy for the village to worry about when the time came. Ren's eyes drifted down to the old man still snoring on the ground. Without changing expression, he flicked a kunai across his neck, finishing him off in one clean motion. Blood pooled but Ren didn't even glance at it as he asked, "Is he one of the main elders under the Mizukage?" Four shook his head. "No. Just one of the many." Ren stayed silent for a beat, weighing it, then spoke, voice flat. "Keep him for now. Once we have all the agents gathered and I have a clear picture of the bloodline clan situation, he'll still be useful." With that, Ren gave a slight nod and his form dispersed in a puff of smoke as the clone was gone. Four calmly knelt by the dead old man, sealing the body away without any fuss, then stood and moved on to continue his work. ~~~ Kakashi and Tenzo were currently hidden away in a shallow swamp. They'd been waiting there for a few hours already, just as Ren had planned. If Kakashi's calculations were right, then some of the Leaf agents should be showing up any moment now. Tenzo shifted slightly, eyes sweeping their quiet surroundings before he finally spoke up, voice low. "Captain, why did you let the leader talk to you that way back before we set off?" He was talking about that tense stand-off between Ren and Kakashi just before they'd departed the Land of Fire. Kakashi didn't look over. His single visible eye stayed focused on the trees ahead as he answered, "Because we're on a mission, and he's the mission leader. And, because he was right." He added the last part so quietly that Tenzo almost missed it, but the younger ANBU still caught it and turned his head slightly toward Kakashi. When he saw Kakashi had no intention of saying anything more, Tenzo wisely let that topic drop and changed tack instead. "Oh, right, Captain! What was that thing he said about selling? I didn't quite get it. Was that some kind of secret code?" Kakashi's face darkened behind his mask, an old, unwelcome memory flashing in his mind. Something particularly painful, unpleasant, and deeply humiliating that he'd spent a long time trying to forget. He didn't let any of it show on his face as he replied flatly, "I didn't know what he meant either. This is our first mission together." Tenzo could tell something was off about that answer, but he was smart enough not to poke at it. He let it go, quietly returning his focus to the swamp around them. They stayed like that, crouched and still, for a while longer before they finally heard faint movement through the underbrush. Kakashi tensed slightly, hand resting on his kunai pouch, as the first of the hidden Leaf agents emerged from the shadows and stepped toward their position. The first agent stepped out from behind a gnarled mangrove trunk, hood pulled low and a simple cloth mask covering the lower half of his face. He looked cautious but not overly tense, he just looked like someone who's hidden in the enemy territory for too long. Kakashi watched him approach, not moving from where he crouched in the reeds. Tenzo stayed half-hidden beside him, ready to move if anything went wrong. The agent stopped a few paces away, glanced around once, then raised his right hand. His fingers moved quickly in a small, subtle hand signs, ones that looked like a normal shinobi signal but wasn't. It was a coded sign used by the Leaf's deep cover operatives to confirm they weren't being impersonated by enemy infiltration squads. Kakashi didn't mirror it immediately. He first reached into his vest and pulled out a small, battered silver coin with a scratch across one side, it was the other half of the authentication. He tossed it forward and the agent caught it, checked the scratch, then nodded. Kakashi made the same hand sign back, slow and deliberate. The agent lowered his hood just slightly so they could see each other in the swamp. "Agent M-2," he said, voice low but clear. "Good to see it's you." Kakashi gave a slight nod. "Same to you handler. You alone?" "Two operators behind me, spread out. They'll come once they see we're clear." Kakashi nodded as he spoke quietly, "This is just the initial link point. We need to wait until tomorrow and once more people have gathered we'll move to the meetup point." The agent glanced at Kakashi's silver hair and asked, "You should be Kakashi Hatake, right? You're not the mission lead?" Kakashi shook his head once in a calm 'no,' so the agent didn't press further. He knew the protocols and real information would only be exchanged after he'd met the mission leader directly. Without another word, he signaled his operators, and they all quietly spread out to hide in the swamps, blending back into the murk. A few more hours passed by just like that in silent waiting, the wet sounds of the swamp, the faintest rustle of movement when another figure slipped through. By sunrise, three more handlers had arrived, bringing with them seven more operators in total. Once the sun was high overhead and no new handlers appeared, Kakashi checked the area one last time before calling them all in. "That should be all for now," he said, voice low but clear enough for the small gathering. "I'll leave a shadow clone here, just in case, but we need to return to base. Let's go." With that, he flickered away into the trees, his movement quiet and precise. The handlers and their operators fell in behind him, keeping to the shadows, spread just enough to avoid drawing eyes but close enough to respond if anything went wrong. The trip back through the swamps and jungle was slower than before. Moving a larger group meant more chance of someone getting spotted, and sure enough, they ran into a few unlucky Mist shinobi patrolling too close for comfort. Kakashi made quick work of them and each takedown was silent and efficient, he then signaled for the bodies to be brought along. More captives meant more information to peel apart later, and no loose ends left behind. Soon enough, they reached the mountain base. Kakashi stepped up to the entrance, knelt, and pressed his palm to the concealed seal formula on the stone wall. A faint glow traced the lines before the hidden entrance cracked open. He slipped inside, the handlers and their operators following close. Inside, Utakata was already waiting in the meeting room, sitting back with his arms loosely folded as he watched the new arrivals step through. He didn't bother standing but asked, "How many?" "Four handlers," Kakashi answered, brushing off some stray swamp muck as he took the nearest empty seat. One by one, the handlers came into view, stepping around him and bowing politely to Utakata before settling into chairs. Their operators stayed standing behind them, scanning the cave walls as if expecting them to sprout more traps. Utakata was about to say something when he glanced at the entrance again. He caught Kakashi's eye and gave a small nod. Kakashi understood immediately, rose again, and went to the door just as Four's squad arrived. He motioned them in, stepping aside to let them file through. The cave's main chamber filled up quickly with so many people, so Kakashi pressed his hand to the rough wall and used a low-level earth style technique to push the rock back. The space expanded just enough for everyone to sit comfortably. He shaped a few more crude but sturdy stone seats along the edge, then sat back down without a word. Utakata turned to Four once everyone was settled and asked, "How was your coverage?" Four sat down opposite him and answered steadily, "Weasle and Cat worked fast. With Fly's support, they were able to cover nearly all the small shinobi settlements around this island, except for the main Kiri village, as the leader ordered." Utakata's gaze flicked to Itachi, Yugao, and Hitoshi where they stood near Four. He gave them a small approving nod. "Good work." One of the handlers spoke up, his voice cautious but steady. "I am Handler M-2. I want to ask, are you the lead for this mission?" Utakata turned his eyes toward the man and gave a simple shake of his head. But before he could say a word, the faint tremor of the gate seal shifting reached him. A heartbeat later, an oppressive wave of chakra pressure slammed down across the chamber, so thick it felt like the air itself had grown heavy and sharp. Every agent stiffened where they sat. Even the rest of the team made of hardened shinobi who'd seen their share of battles and war weren't exactly comfortable under the sudden weight. Utakata's eyes flicked to the front, and sure enough, Ren stood on the stone table, a lone figure staring them all down. Utakata didn't need to ask and could guess something had gone wrong. Ren's voice was quiet but carried clearly through the room. "Which of you leaked the news?" As soon as he spoke, tension crackled across the gathered agents. Shoulders tensed. A few shifted as if to speak, but Utakata moved first, flickering forward to stand in front of the handlers. Kakashi and Four were beside him in the same instant, eyes sweeping the rows. Itachi stepped up behind Ren, his Sharingan spinning into sharp focus, each tomoe swirling as he studied every flinch and twitch. The silence broke with a single glance. Everyone's eyes locked on one of the operators standing just behind a handler. But before anyone could speak up or the man could even defend himself, Ren appeared in front of him, hand clamped around the man's neck. There was a brief, sharp snap and the operator's head lolled lifelessly before Ren tossed the body like a piece of trash toward Four. Four caught it, pressing his palm to the man's temple and skimming through his memories. A few seconds passed and Four's brow twitched, and he exhaled grimly. "He informed one of the Mist shinobi he'd gotten close to. A, 'friend.'" His tone made it clear how he felt about that excuse. Ren clicked his tongue and turned, his eyes landing on Kakashi and Utakata. "Dog, take the combat unit and head to that location immediately. Sensei, please go with them." "Got it," Utakata said, even though Utakata was the healer, he wasn't afraid of combat. Kakashi just nodded and they vanished in the same instant, flickering out of the chamber with Yugao, Itachi, and Tenzo right on their heels. When the last of them was gone, Ren stepped closer to Four's side, dropping his voice low. "Danzo?" Four didn't say much, he just gave a short, stiff nod. Ren understood. He swore under his breath. 'Fucking Danzo.' Ren had been at the decoy location, cleaning up a few Mist scouts, when one of them had screamed something about knowing the Leaf's plans. It hadn't added up until he'd traced it back and found the leak here. At least it was only an operator, not a handler which was a small mercy. Ren sighed as he asked, "Coverage?" Four's eyes were steady but the set of his jaw was tight. "Almost every small shinobi settlements except the main Mist village. But with this, it's risky to keep everyone clustered there, if they get caught, the whole operation could unravel." Handler M-2 shifted forward slightly, voice still trembling. "There shouldn't be many agents left in the small villages, sir. After our last operation, a lot of us slipped into the Mist village itself to gather deeper intel. I've got word that those teams already moved out and are hiding near Mizushan Mountain. They left a marker at Three Sharks Lake. So, anyone who might still show up here should just be genin-level operators or low-level handlers who wouldn't know much." Ren nodded absently, weighing it out. 'If I send Ko to scout the mountain now, they should find them by the time the rest get back. But why do I feel so uneasy about leaving this to Sensei and other's alone?' His gut told him something could go sideways and the first lesson Juichi ever gave him was never to ignore that gut feeling so he wouldn't ignore it now. He'd see the real site himself, make sure it was clean, and pull them back if needed. He turned to Four and tapped his arm once. "You take care of this base and them." He flicked his eyes to the remaining handlers and operators, who all stiffened at the implied warning. Without waiting for a reply, Ren flickered away, leaving a soft swirl of dust behind. Four stood still for a moment, then let out a long breath and turned to face the tense room. He dropped onto one of the stone chairs, crossing his arms as he studied the remaining agents. His voice was flat, but his stare made the point clear. "Let's keep this civil, okay?" ~~~~~ {Please tell me if the pace is alright, I'm trying not to make the same mistakes as the previous land of iron arc and including too many boring or basic details. I don't think I've repeated any information multiple times either, which was one of the mistakes last time, so I tried to correct it. If you notice anything else do inform me please.} {If you want, you can support me on pat-reon} { h t t p s : / / w w w . p a t r e o n . c o m / Z e e n o n } {You know what else} {280 Stones = Extra Chapter} {There are 580 stones when I edit this Chapter so you guys need to reach 860 stones, for convenience let's make it 850 (this will serve as a proof for some people who don't believe me.)} {STONES!!!!}