Chapter 198: Ghosts in the Mist (Part-20) [Zetsu Is Just Here for the Drama and He’s Winning]

Chapter 198 - Ghosts in the Mist (Part-20) [Zetsu Is Just Here for the Drama and He’s Winning] The rendezvous point Ren had chosen was the Nanohai Shore, located at the southwestern edge of the Land of Water's main island. From there, if they moved quickly and without delays, they could head straight into open sea without having to pass by any other landmass or patrol-heavy routes. That was exactly why Ren had picked it, it was the most direct line out of the country, the cleanest exit path possible. But just because it sounded simple didn't mean it actually was. For shinobi, especially Mist shinobi, traveling across water wasn't much of a challenge. The problem wasn't getting into the ocean. The problem was staying alive once they were there. If they were caught mid-escape, surrounded at sea, the ocean wouldn't be their ally it'd become their grave and they all knew it. That was where Jiraiya came in. He wasn't just a heavy hitter, he was their ace for extraction. Without him, getting through the blockade or avoiding deep-sea ambushes would be near impossible. But because of how badly they'd been compromised, because their base was exposed and so many of them were already engaged or injured the original stealthy escape plan was useless now. What they had instead was a desperate fallback. Nearly everyone was being chased. Their people were scattered across the island, trying to fight their way south. Some of them were hurt. Some barely holding on and on top of that, they had too many agents with them which included some civilians, defectors, informants, to move quietly anymore. But there was no time to fix that. Their only option was to push forward, fight through, and regroup at Nanohai. It wasn't ideal. But it was all they had. ~~~ Out of all the teams trying to regroup, the one Ren was leading was moving the most comfortably. After dealing with the last wave of hunter-nin, Ren had rejoined Four, Yugao, and the others, and they were now making steady progress toward the rendezvous point. Along the way, they were ambushed more than once, but none of the attackers even slowed them down. Every single time, Ren stepped forward and eliminated the threat, clean and fast, and without letting a single enemy escape. It was efficient. Unsettlingly so. For the agents being escorted, the whole thing was a shock. These were elite hunter-nin from the Hidden Mist, supposedly the best trackers and killers the village had to offer. And yet this kid, this Leaf shinobi who couldn't have been older than fifteen was cutting them down like they were nothing. There was no panic in him, no hesitation, not even anger. Just a quiet ennui that made the whole thing feel even more unreal. A few of them even started to feel hopeful, watching him. If someone like him was on their side, maybe they really could escape this. But that illusion didn't last long. Because even if Ren made it look easy now, they hadn't forgotten how things were before he showed up. They all remembered the chaos, the blood, the sheer pressure of being hunted. The only reason they'd survived until now was because Four and the Cat-masked ANBU had stepped in to hold back the strongest attackers, and Handler M-1 had managed to cover the rest. Without those three holding the line, the agents wouldn't have made it out in one piece, if at all. And even that had been hanging by a thread. They were Leaf spies. People who had embedded themselves inside the Mist, learned its secrets, reported back to Konoha for years. That made them priority targets. If the Mist caught them, they wouldn't just be killed. They'd be made examples of. So now, walking alongside Ren, they didn't mistake their safety for strength. They understood exactly what it meant, that they were only alive because he was here. ~~~ The next team to catch a break was Utakata's. The mountain base Ren had chosen earlier hadn't been picked at random, it was chosen because it was close to the Nanohai shore, the same location he'd marked as their exit point. That proximity paid off now. Since they were already nearby, Utakata's group would be the first to reach the rendezvous. They didn't waste time either. Taking advantage of the fact that no hunter-nin had shown up yet, the group moved quickly and reached the Nanohai shore in record time. But once they arrived, it was clear they'd have to wait for the others. So Utakata gave the order to disappear. He had everyone go underground, literally. They concealed themselves below the surface, hidden beneath the sand and rock near the shoreline. It wasn't the most secure option, but it was the fastest and safest method given the circumstances. Once everyone was in position, Utakata layered the area with a spread of concealment seals, just enough to suppress chakra signatures and avoid basic detection techniques. It wasn't perfect. But it was good enough to buy time. When the last seal was in place, he slid underground as well, settling into the silence, waiting for the others to arrive. ~~~ Kakashi and Itachi, however, weren't as lucky. They were being chased by a large number of hunter-nin, and among them was one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, which made things much more difficult. For most people, this would've been a hopeless situation. But these two weren't just anyone. They were Itachi Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake, two of the greatest geniuses the Leaf had ever produced. And even though they were under constant pressure, this kind of situation was where they thrived. As they moved, Itachi flashed through a series of hand signs. In the space around him, several flame spears materialized, perfectly stable and sizzling with heat. With a single motion of his hand, they shot forward. At the same time, Kakashi released a spread of lightning strikes. But he didn't just blast them randomly, he layered them around Itachi's flame spears with precise timing, wrapping the fire in arcing, volatile energy. The result was simple, a barrage that hit harder and moved faster than either element alone. Raiga, leading the charge, saw the attack coming and didn't take it lightly. He immediately unwrapped the Kiba blades and raised them overhead. In the next second, he began launching compressed lightning orbs to intercept the incoming spears. He got a few, maybe most, but not all. A few of the lightning-wrapped fire spears slipped through and curved wide, aiming for the hunters behind him. The hunter-nin weren't amateurs either. The ones specialized in Earth Release reacted fast and raised several walls of stone in defense. But when the spears struck, the mix of flame and lightning exploded violently. The blast tore through the edges of the walls, and the lightning scattered on impact, arcing through the group. Several of the hunters weren't fast enough. Some collapsed where they stood, while others screamed before falling to the ground in smoking heaps. Kakashi and Itachi didn't wait to check the results. They hadn't launched that attack to wipe out the entire force as they weren't here to fight a full battle. They were close to the Nanohai shore now, and what they needed most was space, any distance they could put between themselves and the group chasing them. If even a handful of hunter-nin had been taken out, that was already a win. One less enemy meant one less threat to deal with once they reached the shore. Without slowing down for even a second, the two of them vanished again into the mist, their pace quickening as they raced for the rendezvous. ~~~ While the Leaf shinobi were making their moves in the Mist Village, inside the Mizukage's residence, tucked away near the village's edge, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, stood motionless in the far corner of the room. He wasn't giving orders, wasn't reacting, wasn't even blinking much. Just stood there, staring at the wall like a broken doll. A little ways behind him, hidden in the shadows, sat a man dressed in dark blue robes. His long hair fell over one shoulder, and an orange mask with swirling, sideways flame-like markings hid his face. From the ground nearby, the earth shifted. A bulbous plant pushed its way out, parting like a strange flower. Out of it emerged a figure split cleanly down the middle, half white, half black. The black half was the first to speak, voice low and curious. "They're almost past the Mist's borders. Are you sure you don't want to make a move, Obito?" The masked man tilted his head slowly, looking at the plant through the eyehole of the mask. His voice was calm, but was way too deep. "I've told you before. Call me Madara, Zetsu." Zetsu didn't reply right away, but his silence was laced with dry sarcasm. Still, he let the name drop and allowed Obito to continue. "As for those Leaf bastards... this isn't the time to confront them. Our focus should stay on the Mist for now. The Leaf will come into play on its own, sooner or later." Zetsu hummed faintly. "Even if Itachi Uchiha is among them?" Obito nodded. "Yes. I can afford to wait another year. By then, Itachi will come to me willingly. No reason to waste energy now. Besides, letting them leave has its benefits. I can use this opportunity to bring Kisame into the Akatsuki. The Mist will suffer more from losing him than they realize." Zetsu gave a slow nod, but his next words were laced with mischief. "I also saw your best friend running from Mist shinobi. Honestly, it reminded me of a certain scene a few years ago." For a moment, the pressure in the room shifted. Obito's killing intent rose sharply. His voice, when he spoke, was ice-cold. "Stop talking nonsense. If you've got so much time, go bury yourself again and keep brooding, like you've done for the past few decades." Zetsu chuckled or rather, made a sound like laughter but without any warmth in it. "Alright, alright; I'll do that. In the meantime, why don't you deal with Ren Takahashi? He's turning into a real problem for us and if we don't handle him soon, he might become more than just a thorn." Then, with a teasing tone, he added, "Or... are you worried you can't handle him anymore?" Zetsu wasn't wrong. Obito said nothing, but the truth stung underneath the mask. Back during their first encounter, he could've killed Ren if he'd wanted to, but that wasn't the goal. He'd needed to trigger Itachi's Sharingan awakening, and Ren was not the catalyst. So he'd let him live, it was as simple as that. But that gamble had cost him more than expected. In just a few years, Ren had grown rapidly. Not just in strength, but in awareness. Obito had learned after a long investigation, Ren didn't let anyone close unless he wanted them to. With Obito's abilities only a single touch was all he'd ever need to win, but against someone like Ren, getting that touch was far easier said than done. It wasn't just about being fast or skilled. It was the way Ren moved. Even during his first contact with him, Ren wasn't someone who just relied on his instincts to fight, he was someone who used instincts like a tool they are. He didn't fight with panic or emotion, he fought with overwhelming control and that made him dangerous. Of course, Ren could still be harmed. Obito had managed it once before. But after that, Ren had clearly adapted. If they clashed again, Obito knew better than to expect the same result. The problem was, they were too evenly matched. Both of them could force a stalemate, and if that happened, Obito had the uneasy feeling he'd be the one losing ground. Still, he wasn't about to admit that to Zetsu. Not when he didn't fully trust the plant creature's motives. So, with an indifferent shrug, he replied, "Kakuzu's already marked him ever since those bounty missions. I'm not going to interfere, let him chase his prey." The room went quiet again. Zetsu gave one last look before slipping back into the ground, the plant closing over him like he was never there. And Obito returned to the silence of the Mizukage's chamber, pretending to stare at Yagura like he didn't already know exactly what was coming. ~~~ As time passed, Ren's team from one side and Kakashi and Itachi from the other continued rushing toward the Nanohai shore, ready to leave the Mist Village. Their mission was done and there was no reason to linger. But what they didn't know was that the situation at the beach had already changed. The once-quiet shore was now littered with the bodies of Leaf shinobi. Whether they were alive or dead wasn't clear at a glance, but one thing was certain, there'd been a battle, and it hadn't gone well. Perched on a jagged rock formation near the water, a tall figure waited. His skin was blue and shark-like, and the massive sword wrapped in bandages on his back made his identity unmistakable. Kisame Hoshigaki. He sat casually, like he was relaxing between rounds in a game, waiting for the others to arrive so the real fun could begin. His mission wasn't over. Not yet atleast. A short distance away, hidden deep within the edge of the forest that bordered the shore, Tenzo was merged with a tree, his body fused seamlessly with the trunk through his Wood Release technique. He didn't move, didn't even dared to breath. Not a single trace of chakra leaked from him. He was just... there, becoming a part of the forest. His eyes, however, never stopped moving. They shifted between the fallen shinobi on the beach, scanning for signs of life, and occasionally glanced toward the path where reinforcements were supposed to come from. The only thought running through his mind, over and over, was simple. 'Please come soon, leader.' ~~~~~ {Hehehehe, we're reaching the climax of this arc in the next few Chapters so get ready and sit tight} {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!!!!}