Chapter 21: The Demon of the MistCrossing the Water
The Land of Waves was a small island nation, surrounded entirely by sea.
Before the great bridge's construction, reaching it required crossing the water. Control the maritime routes, and you controlled everything—the wealth, the politics, the people, the very existence of the nation itself.
Thick fog blanketed the water as a small sailboat moved silently through the mist. Using the heavy fog as cover, the vessel crept toward the Land of Waves like a ghost.
Aboard the boat, Tazuna had finally confessed everything to Kurenai.
Learning that the Land of Waves was controlled by one of the world's wealthiest tycoons—a man named Gato—Kurenai felt genuine concern take root in her chest. A man with that much wealth could command countless desperate followers. He might even have contracted missing-nin, perhaps powerful ones.
They had already faced two chūnin on the road. The likelihood that Gato employed jōnin-level assets was distressingly high.
For a moment, Kurenai considered terminating the mission.
But Tazuna, just as in the original timeline, resorted to moral blackmail. His words left her speechless and trapped between duty and danger.
In the end, it was Ryuzen who persuaded her to continue.
Ryuzen himself had been in a state of barely contained excitement since boarding the ship.
He couldn't fully control it—could only close his eyes to hide his expression from Kurenai and the others.
Because—
[You have defeated the Demon Brothers. Experience gained: 0.12%]
[Your 'Hawk-Eye' Inheritance Template progress: 49.2%]
Six years since the system activated, and Ryuzen had finally discovered a second method of gaining experience beyond daily tasks.
Kill enemies.
Level up.
After eliminating the Demon Brothers, those two notification sounds had revealed the system's true nature to him.
A data stream.
The so-called data stream meant that the real world functioned like a game, with him as the sole player. Everyone else were NPCs—characters within the game world.
In games, players gained experience by defeating enemies or monsters.
Ryuzen's current situation mirrored that exactly.
The only difference was that he possessed no status screens, no inventory, no other game mechanics. He wasn't a collection of data points—he was flesh and blood, a living person.
The experience merely accelerated his inheritance progress.
Finding this second path to growth excited him beyond measure.
Daily tasks provided a pathetic [0.02%] experience. Three hundred and sixty-five days of effort yielded only [7.3%] per year.
Six years of constant training, and he hadn't even reached halfway through Mihawk's inheritance.
In another six years, the era's greatest conflicts would begin. The Fourth Great Ninja War. Infinite Tsukuyomi—a technique that even hiding underground couldn't protect against.
At his current pace, he would be nothing more than a supporting character, barely above the level of the Five Kage.
Ryuzen, who had cultivated an unshakeable will over years of training, refused to accept that fate.
And now—now he had found the answer.
Those worthless chūnin, the Demon Brothers, had provided [0.12%] experience—equivalent to six days of daily tasks.
So how much would an elite jōnin like Momochi Zabuza provide?
Drawing his sword earlier had been the correct choice. If he had hesitated, if he had shown mercy, he might have missed this revelation entirely.
Arrival
By the time Ryuzen had calmed himself, the small sailboat had already passed beneath the unfinished bridge and reached the Land of Waves' shore.
But they remained far from Tazuna's home.
Walking along an isolated forest path, the team's demeanor had shifted completely.
Knowing that the next enemy would likely be jōnin-level, Kurenai, Hinata, and Shino all wore expressions of extreme solemnity.
Hinata kept her Byakugan active continuously, scanning their surroundings without rest.
Suddenly, she spoke. "Kurenai-sensei. Someone approaches from ahead."
"Guard formation. Protect Tazuna-san." Kurenai trusted Hinata's Byakugan implicitly. Moreover, her own sensing techniques had detected the approaching chakra signature.
SHUN—
A blur shot from the forest, landing on a treetop directly before them.
The figure that materialized was a black-haired man carrying an enormous blade. A Kirigakure forehead protector sat askew on his head, its symbol crossed out to mark him as missing-nin. Bandages wrapped the lower half of his face and most of his neck.
One of the Second Generation Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Momochi Zabuza—known throughout the shinobi world as the "Demon of the Hidden Mist."
"Oh... a member of the famous Hyūga clan?" Zabuza's interest focused immediately on Hinata, his visible eye narrowing with curiosity. "So that's the legendary Byakugan. No wonder you detected me."
Kurenai moved instantly, kunai appearing in her hand as she positioned herself between Zabuza and her students. "A Kirigakure missing-nin... the 'Demon' Momochi Zabuza."
"You're unfamiliar." Zabuza studied her with casual disinterest. "Konoha's notable jōnin are all recorded in the bingo book I carry. I can say with certainty I've never seen your face before."
His gaze shifted to Tazuna, who trembled behind the shinobi.
"Would you hand over that old man to me?"
"Mag: Binding Grasp."
Kurenai didn't hesitate. She attacked first.
Her hand seals completed, and Zabuza frowned slightly as branches sprouted from the treetop beneath his feet, wrapping around his ankles.
"I see." His tone remained utterly calm. "A genjutsu specialist."
"Unfortunate for you—you're facing me."
BOOM—
The moment the words left his mouth, Zabuza completed his own hand seals. A massive wave of chakra erupted from his body, shattering Kurenai's genjutsu like glass. His lips barely moved as he spoke his next technique.
"Hidden Mist Jutsu."
Thick fog billowed outward from his position, spreading across the entire area in seconds. The sunny afternoon transformed into a world of white, visibility dropping to nothing.
"Sensei!" Hinata's voice cut through the mist, her Byakugan unaffected by the obstruction. "That man's chakra is moving rapidly—he's coming!"
"Protect Tazuna-san! Everyone stay close!" Kurenai's eyes darted everywhere and nowhere, her heart racing. "He specializes in Silent Killing. Ryuzen—protect Hinata and Shino!"
Ryuzen cast aside his paper umbrella. His palm settled on his sword's hilt.
"He's already here."
SWISH—
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