Chapter 188: Ghost in the Mist (Part-10) [Prey That Bites Back]

Chapter 188 - Ghost in the Mist (Part-10) [Prey That Bites Back] {I made some mistakes with Zabuza so read the note at the end.} ~~~ Terumi Clan Compound Private Meeting Room Inside a shadowed meeting hall of the Terumi clan compound, five of the strongest bloodline clan heads sat in a circle, there was a pitter-patter of rain on the tiled roof above them. This room, with its dark wood and paper walls, felt more like a war bunker than a noble clan's chamber. At the head sat Shinjiro Terumi, broad-shouldered and scarred Terumi clan head and one of the few S-Rankers left to the bloodline side. To his right, perched like a wary hawk, was Dogen Kurogawa, the oldest and sharpest of them all. The old man came from a family of Ash release shinobi making their fire style jutsu extremely strong. Next sat Hisame Tsuyukusa, the Dew Release clan head, thin and sinewy, mist beads clinging perpetually to his long hair, he smiled a lot and some of his enemies called him smiling demon, who was crazy for battles. Across from him was Nozomi Kaiso, a lady with all grace and beauty with coral-pink hair flowing down her shoulders, her battles were known to end in the most beautiful ways even though the end was death. Beside her, draped in a sea-green cloak and tapping two fingers on the tatami mats, was Suzume Shiraha, the Sea Glass clan head all angles sharp like a glass made body. A sliding door rattled open, and Mei Terumi stepped inside. Beside her came an old man with blue hair tied back and a battered pirate-like eyepatch with talismans dangling from his ears, the kanji for 'to hear' etched into them like it meant something. Shinjiro gestured for them to sit. He rested his chin on his fist and exhaled. "Before we speak of strategy," he began, "Mei. Tell them exactly what happened." Mei did. She spoke of the swamp, the unexpected clash, the Leaf's manipulation of the Mizukage faction, and Ren's brazen use of the bodies as proof, all of it was laid bare to the clan heads. By the end, Hisame was grinning like a shark, knuckles drumming the table. "So they changed the entire story knowing we'd see through it?" he asked, eyes gleaming. "Are they really planning to push us to the wall? Or better yet, push us to fight." Dogen reached out with a dry thwap and rapped Hisame's head with his cane. "Idiot," the old man rasped. "Stop drooling at the idea of dying on someone else's game board." The others cracked small smiles despite the tension of the room but their amusement faded as Dogen leaned back and began his analysis. "Listen. If Yagura really wanted us gone, he would have ordered more than just surveillance and mission bans. He'd have spilled our blood in that council hall itself and made an example while he had the excuse." Nozomi's coral-pink lashes flickered. "So you think this is more... psychological?" she asked, voice soft but edged with suspicion. Suzume answered instead, her nails tapping like rain on glass. "It's leverage. The Terumi clan's barred from missions, no missions means no coin, no resources. No resources means the younger fighters get restless. They might split, defect, break formation entirely. The strongest bloodline clan divided from within? It'd be an easy kill after." She shook her head, sea-glass earrings tinkling. "It's an insidious trap with no bodies, no backlash. Just a slow starvation." Dogen's cane hit the floor with a soft tap. "Which is why we must be sharper than him. We need the Daimyo's official backing to counter Yagura but right now, the Daimyo's playing both sides. He's testing us." He turned to Shinjiro. "Has there been any progress?" Shinjiro's scarred hand flexed on the table. "The Daimyo is cautious, well that is an easy way of saying he is a little bitch. He says he believes in us, but he doesn't trust we can topple Yagura's regime yet. He'll hold out until he's certain we're not a wasted bet." Everyone fell quiet for a while as they thought of a solution for their current predicament. It was Nozomi who finally broke the silence and presented her idea. "Then why not do what the Mizukage fears most? Bring in the Leaf for real. Ren Takahashi and his people, they slipped right under Yagura's and our nose and killed the mist shinobi. They're dangerous but they're also useful." Mei refused the idea instantly. "No. And absolutely not the Blue Menace. As his name says, he's a menace. This is all just games and fun for him and we can't trust him with our plan." She looked ready to continue, but Dogen raised a hand, leaning on his cane as he fixed her with a calm stare. "Mei-chan, are you absolutely certain about that? Yes, he toyed with you all but wasn't that just to buy time for that jutsu?" He looked around the table, making sure none interrupted. "From what you've told us, that technique was monstrous, and something like that doesn't get cast in an instant. He saw the situation turning sour, baited both sides, and turned it around. In the end, not one Leaf shinobi died, but he caused real damage to the mist shinobi." Dogen tapped his cane on the floor once. "That's hateful indeed but it shows he has power, brains, and the sense to use both properly. All qualities we need." Mei looked half-convinced, lips pressed tight. The others stayed silent, watching her closely, after all, Mei was their hope, barely in her twenties and already S-rank, and their chosen candidate for the next Mizukage if they could topple Yagura. But then Dogen exhaled through his nose. "However, Mei-chan is also right. We can't take the Leaf's help. Not now." Hisame raised an eyebrow. "Old man, have you finally gone senile? You convince her, then you agree with her?" Dogen rapped Hisame's forehead with his cane. "Listen first, fool. We can't take their help yet. If we're discovered taking outsiders' aid before the war even begins, any trust the people have in us will vanish. They'll call us traitors playing under a foreign village's thumb." Shinjiro nodded. "He's right. If we take the Leaf's hand too soon, they'll have all the leverage. They'll twist the story their way, and it'll be nearly impossible to avoid becoming a puppet faction once Yagura's gone." He ran a scarred hand through his hair, letting out a frustrated sigh. "But if we wait and fight with our own strength first and only ask for help when we're desperate, then the Leaf can't push us around as easily. They'll still help, but they'll have less room to maneuver." Suzume crossed her arms. "So for now, we hold. But what do we do, then?" Shinjiro met each clan head's eyes in turn. "We prove to the Daimyo we're capable. We show him that we can stand against Yagura's faction on our own for at least long enough to earn his official backing." Silence fell into the room once again as everyone began to plan the next steps to make sure the Daimyo falls to their side. Then came a low, rasping laugh echoing from the shadows. The clan heads tensed. Ao's single visible eye flicked to the seals on the doors, checking for intrusion. A voice answered instead, casual and chilling all at once. "Maybe I can help you with that." There was a flicker and a tall figure stepped into the lantern light, the massive Executioner's Blade resting across his broad shoulders. His lower half of the face was covered in bandages which made his identity clear to everyone in the room. Shinjiro's eyes narrowed, breath escaping in a mutter. "...Zabuza Momochi." Zabuza's chuckle echoed through the room before he began, "Let me join the fun. My unit's ready to stand with the bloodline clans to fight the Mizukage and his lapdogs." Dogen's old eyes narrowed, but his voice stayed even. "Why, Zabuza? You never fight for free." Zabuza barked out another short laugh, the scent of blood leaking from him was almost palpable. "Victim of the Fourth Mizukage, old man. You think I'd sleep easy without paying him back? If I can't gut that tyrant, I'm no man at all." He swung the Executioner's Blade lightly to the side, the air humming with unrestrained killing intent that made even hardened clan heads tighten their fists secretly. "With me, you've got three of the Seven Swordsmen. That'll give you enough weight to get the Daimyo to listen and maybe push some of those on-the-fence island lords our way, too." The room fell into tense silence again until Shinjiro met Zabuza's eyes with a slow nod. "...Alright. I agree. Welcome aboard." ~~~ The whole Mist Village was tense these days, so tense it felt like the entire place was holding its breath underwater. Hunter-nin squads were sweeping through every street and rooftop, and not just in the main village but across the whole Land of Water. Nobody really knew why the hunter-nin were working so aggressively, people whispered about traitors, spies, a foreign threat, but no one dared to ask too many questions. In Yagura's Mist, asking the wrong question could get you killed before you even realized it was your last. Ren, meanwhile, was tearing across the dense fog and hidden paths of the main island. Behind him, squad after squad of hunter-nin ran in relentless pursuit. He could have lost them at any moment if he really wanted to as he was way faster than them, and if he used even a little chakra for speed, they'd be eating his dust. But that was the last thing he wanted. If he gave them the slip too soon, they'd just fan out and start searching for the other members of his team. Some would be fine, he trusted Itachi and Utakata to handle themselves, but he knew better than to assume everyone could dodge a squad of dedicated Mist hunter-nin forever. So he stayed where he was needed as a bait. Fortunately, most of the hunter-nin were focused on him due to his earlier stunt in the swamp. The other half were on Kakashi's trail, which was exactly what Ren had planned. Kakashi needed to slip off the main island and get to the island where the Water Capital was located. It was a huge risk as the capital was heavily guarded, and the Daimyo's people were everywhere but Ren couldn't afford to go himself. Right now, Ren was the biggest target in the Land of Water. His little swamp performance had seen to that. If he tried to sneak into the Water Capital, he'd drag a horde of hunter-nin with him and blow the entire plan. But if he stayed here, running these dogs in circles, he'd keep most of them occupied and buy Kakashi the opening he needed. The best part was, Kakashi having a tail wasn't even a bad thing. Dozens of hunter-nin operating openly in the Water Capital, which was supposed to be neutral from the Mizukage's influence, as it was the Daimyo's ground, it would definitely catch the Daimyo's attention. He was already wary of the Mizukage's expanding reach; this would only make him more suspicious. Kakashi could exploit that while he completed his mission of sowing chaos in the capital, making sure everything pointed back to Yagura's men, not the Leaf. If Kakashi did it right and Ren trusted that he would, the Daimyo wouldn't dare confront the Mizukage directly. He'd do the next best thing which was to reach out to the bloodline clans, who already had his ear. And once that connection formed, the rest of the plan would start to fall into place. Meanwhile, Ren's other squads would keep knocking off mid-level shinobi and elders from Yagura's side, disguised as rebel work. The Mizukage faction would lose its patience sooner or later and lash out which would force the bloodline clans to retaliate. And if the Daimyo felt cornered or insulted, he'd be more likely to back the bloodline clans outright. That was the goal, the spark to set off a real civil war, not just skirmishes in the swamp. Once the bloodline clans and Mizukage's men were fully at each other's throats, the Mist would be tied up for years. And the Leaf would be free to take care of their own matters while keeping one of the four enemies busy. Ren glanced over his shoulder again, spotting the cluster of hunter-nin flickering through the mist after him. He snorted a laugh behind his mask. He hadn't been using any chakra at all, this was just pure legwork, pure stamina, and it was honestly a pretty good workout. His muscles burned in a way he didn't mind at all. Then, because he couldn't help himself, he wiggled his hips just enough to make it clear he was taunting them. "If you want this baby," he called back, voice echoing through the trees and rooftops, "then you gotta try harder, you weaklings!" Then with a laugh, Ren pushed off the branch he was perched on and shot forward again, wind rushing past his face as he disappeared deeper into the mist. He'd keep them running. He'd keep them looking in the wrong places. And when the real storm hit, they'd all be too busy chasing shadows to stop it. With this Ren began the biggest game of hunter and prey which the hidden mist would ever see in their history. ~~~~~ {If you want to participate in the game of hunter and prey then drop your comments and begin running if you want to outrun a the blue menace.} {So, when I wrote this Chapter I absolutely forgot that Zabuza wasn't supposed to have the Executioners Blade at this time but later I was searching for some stuff and found about Juzo, who had the blade before him and made the mistake. However, although it doesn't really matter much since Zabuza won't be appearing anymore in this arc and neither would juzo, however if in the future either of them appear then Zabuza would have the Executioners blade and Juzo, who's a rouge at this point would have another one of the seven blades which was ownerless at this point.} {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} {STONES!!!!}