Chapter 22: Prepare to Face Death

Anbu Mission Room

"Let’s move!"

Yoru had barely arrived when Taka and Shirō appeared. Without delay, the team set out.

On the way, Tenkō briefed them:

"This mission is to eliminate a pirate stronghold near the Land of Water. Should be relatively simple."

Yoru thought to himself:

"Now this is more like it. Hunting rogue ninja was way above our paygrade."

While inland nations like the Land of Fire dealt with bandits, island nations like theirs faced pirates. And for a team like theirs, wiping out a few sea rats was child’s play.

By the time they returned to the village, they crossed paths with another returning squad—Ameyuri Ringo and her team.

"Yoru… brace yourself."

Ameyuri’s voice dripped with venom. "Soon, I’ll repay the humiliation you gave me—tenfold."

Behind her, Hōzuki Suigetsu and Shima Isshin glared with equal intensity, their eyes sharp enough to draw blood.

Yoru smirked.

"I’ll be waiting."

"Just make sure your blades are sharp enough—otherwise, you’ll only embarrass yourselves again."

His tone was casually dismissive, as if they weren’t even worth his concern.

Ameyuri’s eye twitched.

That damn arrogance—!

Their showdown quickly became the village’s latest gossip.

"Heh, who’ll come out on top? This’ll be good."

"Ah, youth. Always so fiery."

Yoru’s outward confidence was just a front.

"Ameyuri Ringo… she’s no joke. But I won’t let her surpass me."

He knew the old adage:

"Disdain your enemy in strategy, respect them in tactics."

Overconfidence bred failure—and Yoru wasn’t about to let that happen.

The next day, another summons came.

"Emergency deployment! We’re extracting intel operatives in the Land of Fire—move at full speed!"

No time for prep. No room for questions.

They were off—joined by several other Anbu squads. The sheer manpower hinted at the mission’s danger.

During a brief rest, Tenkō dropped a bombshell:

"Listen up. You three—Hikari, Taka, Shirō—better be ready to die."

"One of your targets is the infamous Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi."

"Kakashi?!" Yoru’s scalp prickled.

In the stories, Kakashi always fought to a standstill—but that was against elite jonin and higher.

For them?

He was a nightmare.

Even if Kakashi wasn’t quite at elite jonin level yet, he was damn close. And he wouldn’t be alone—the Leaf’s Anbu were all chunin-tier at minimum.

"Prepare for sacrifice" wasn’t an exaggeration.

Fifteen minutes later, they were on the move again.

By boat, they cut through the Lands of Waves and Tide before landing in Uzushiogakure’s ruins. From there, they raced toward the Land of Fire’s southern border—where their targets waited.

Deep in a Fire Country forest, two battered Kiri-nin cursed between gasps.

"Damn Leaf-nin… like hounds on a scent!"

"Did the village even get our signal? If not… we might have to take the ‘last resort.’"

The last resort—suicide. Better death than letting intel fall into enemy hands.

"SHING—!"

A kunai, trailing an explosive tag, sliced through the air.

"SCATTER!"

They dodged—only for shadows to flash past them in the chaos.

"SLASH! SLASH!"

Blood sprayed. The two Kiri-nin collapsed, their bodies crisscrossed with wounds.

A voice, cold as steel, cut through the trees:

"It’s over. Hand over the Leaf’s intel, and I’ll grant you a clean death."

This wasn’t the laid-back "Kakashi-sensei" from the stories.

This was Hatake Kakashi—the ruthless Anbu butcher.

The Kiri-nin grinned through bloodied teeth.

"Dream on, Hatake. This medical intel’s too vital to hand over."

"We’ve made our peace. Death’s just another day in the Bloody Mist."

Kakashi’s eye narrowed. "…Pity."

His blade lunged—

"SUITON: SUIRYŪDAN NO JUTSU!" (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!)

A roaring water dragon slammed between them, forcing the Leaf-nin back.

A new voice rang out:

"Sorry, Copy Ninja—but our men aren’t yours to execute."

As the water dispersed, a squad of Kiri Anbu stood guard over the wounded.

Kakashi’s gaze sharpened.

"Fast response. But taking what belongs to Konoha won’t be so easy."

He flicked a hand signal.

"Engage!"

In an instant, he clashed with the lead Kiri-nin—Tenkō.

"CLANG—!"

Blades locked. Tenkō bared his teeth.

"I might not beat you… but you won’t walk over me either."

They broke apart, then collided again in a blur of steel.

Tenkō barked orders mid-fight:

"Priority is extraction! Avoid prolonged combat—we’re outnumbered!"

Meanwhile, a Leaf Anbu had slipped behind a distracted Yoru—

"SLICE!"

The blade cleaved through Yoru’s neck.

The Leaf-nin scoffed.

"Pathetic. This is who Kiri sends on missions now?"

But as he turned away—

Taka and Shirō were staring at him like he’d lost his mind.

A chill ran down his spine.

Wait… something’s wrong—