Chapter – 397 An intruder?

As night fell, the temperature dropped, and the mist that blanketed the settlement increased.

The village was unusually quiet at the time, with every shop closed, lights turned out, windows carefully sealed, and not a single pedestrian, beggar, or animal visible... Over time, it appeared that every soul in this community had vanished, leaving nothing but an empty town and the insects behind.

However, this seclusion and silence appear to be the calm before the storm.

Whoosh…

Suddenly a shadow appeared to pass through the top of one of the many dwellings.

Whoosh Whoosh

Two more shadows passed through after the one in the foreground.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh

Many shadows could be seen going through one after the other.

These shadows are traveling at breakneck speed, and some of them appear to be cutting through the dense mist without making a peep, indicating that they are well-versed in Silent Killing.

Their aim, based on their movement, is clearly the village's center, the Mizukage Building.

"Damn it... they really went for it. Kill them all, not a single one of them should live!" – These words shattered the peaceful night and seemed to indicate the start of a full-scale battle.

Several iron symphonies of metal collision, water crashing noise, screaming ninjutsu noises, the sound of explosions, walls crumbling, and houses collapsing, as well as people's heartbreaking screams, could be heard amidst the combat zones all around Kirigakure over the next few seconds.

'Has it truly come to this?' This was the only thought on the minds of some Kirigakure shinobi who still owed their village devotion and were willing to die for it.

"Hmm, Block 4, Block 7, chew-chew, Block A in the east, Block J in the south, gulp..." Tsukihi mumbled, "Block 9 on the western end... these are the primary spots where the fighting has started."

Tsukihi is sitting on the top of a home, dangling her legs from side to side and eating Dango dumplings carelessly. Despite her casual demeanor, her body is difficult to discern in the dark due to her chakra converging to the bare minimum, as well as her current clothes.

She is dressed in a black Kunoichi battle outfit beneath a short black cloak, rather than her Homusubi disguise. A black crow-beaked mask and a pair of twin double-edged blades named Oto and Kogarashi were fastened on each side of her waist. Overall, the present her may be described as Woman in Black.

Despite her easygoing demeanor, she is paying close attention to everything going on in Kirigakure; the mist didn't obstruct her eyesight because, like Itachi, she has eyes that can see through the mist.

"Have you discovered Momochi Zabuza's location?" — Tsukihi inquired of the crow on her side, to which the crow replied, "Yes, Tsukihi-san, but he doesn't appear to have any intention of presenting himself too soon."

"That's understandable; if he reveals himself too soon, this coup may fail." Tsukihi said, then added after a pause, "And did you manage to track the other one I requested you to? Terumi Clan's Kunoichi named Mei."

"Yes, she is directing subordinates to resist Momochi Zabuza's followers, while a few other shinobi under her leadership are assisting in the evacuation of village people," Itachi acknowledged.

"Alright, keep an eye on both Momochi Zabuza and Terumi Mei," Tsukihi stated after a moment's thought. "There's no need to reveal yourself to any of them, and there's no need to intervene in any of their battles or whatever they're doing. I'm curious to see what the two of them can do. Which of the two candidates is more suited to be the next Mizukage?"

…

"..." - Itachi nodded, "Okay," after a little pause.

"Also, did you manage to track Hoshigaki Kisame?" Tsukihi inquired.

"No, he hasn't made himself known until now, and no one appears to know where he is. Is it possible that he isn't in Kirigakure?" Itachi stated.

"... Is that correct? Okay, there's no need to pay special attention to him; if you do find him, keep an eye on him for a while; if you don't, there's no problem; it doesn't matter." - Tsukihi said, then pondered, 'I hoped to bring Hoshigaki Kisame into Amatsukami since he is a trustworthy person, but it seemed unlikely today.' Perhaps Obito has already recruited him into Akatsuki? And if he has, I don't think anything less than Kotoamatsukami will be able to change his mind. Forget it'. – Tsukihi abandoned her strategy and returned her attention to the different battles taking place across Kirigakure.

Munch Munch Chew, chew, chew

Apart from shinobi battling and citizens being evacuated, there are signs of robberies in abandoned houses, closed shops, and kidnappings of young children and women. Tsukihi didn't need to know who was responsible for the kidnapping of infants and women because they were the same individuals who had tried their luck on her but to be absolutely honest, Tsukihi couldn't care less.

Her gaze was drawn to the Mizukage Building in the distance, where she was waiting for the uproar to grow large enough for her to use it for the purpose she had devised.

The perfect moment presented itself when she had finished eating the final Dango: "It's time." – Tsukihi mumbled as she stuffed the pointed needles containing the Dango inside her shinobi bag, wore the crow-beaked mask over her face, and vanished from her position in an instant.

Itachi on the roof also extended his crow wings and flew away once Tsukihi had gone.

…

Tsukihi, on the other hand, avoided all of the battlefields after disappearing from that roof, and quietly crept inside the Mizukage Building without being noticed.

"Damn it, someone's already gotten to-...? Plop… One of the Kiri ninjas protecting this area suddenly detected a shadow in front of him and decided to act, but before he could do anything, a dagger entered his chest, causing his cries to come to an abrupt halt, and he fell lifeless to the ground.

Withdrawing the dagger and wiping the blood from the blade, Tsukihi wondered aloud, 'How come the perimeter defense is so weak? What is Obito's true intention?"

Tsukihi proceeded deeper inside the Mizukage Structure, towards her goal, and soon she had examined the entire building, but there was no evidence of Mizukage or Obito, leaving Tsukihi to question, "Is it possible that Obito has already left Kirigakure and taken Karatachi Yagura with him? Or has he not left but has something else planned?"

'Hmm, there's still the underground floor...' Tsukihi reasoned and went to the Mizukage Building's lowest level to look for indications of the two on the basement floor.

There are a few underground floors of the Mizukage Building, according to the information taken from the Anbu that Tsukihi dealt with a few days ago. Even the Anbu Kunoichi had no idea what was held there, but perhaps the Mizukage and Obito were there?

'However, where is the entry to the underground floor?'

"It appears that the entrance is hidden... not that it matters..." - Tsukihi mumbled and activated her Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, and she found the underground floor's secret door almost instantly.

Tsukihi entered the underground floor after opening the secret entrance. She searched the basement corridors for any sign of Mizukage or Obito.

She examined the first two floors of the basement level and found nothing save a few disposable Anbu there, then she moved to the third floor and searched and discovered almost nothing until she got to a passageway on the deepest section of this level.

A group of shinobi stood at the end of the corridor, guarding a solitary room.

"What are the numbers one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and eight...?" A solitary room guarded by eight shinobi? And all of this while a civil war is happening outside? Are Obito and Mizukage on the premises? He couldn't be there, after all, there are so many shinobi on watch here that I don't imagine he'd risk exposing himself to individuals he doesn't trust. "There has to be something else inside," Tsukihi concluded as she stared at the eight shinobi, Tsukihi's eyes gleamed with a ferocious brightness. 'Since I couldn't find the Mizukage, I figured I'd take advantage of the situation.'

'Genjutsu: Kokuangyo no Jutsu!' 'Genjutsu: Kokuangyo no Jutsu!' (Genjutsu: Jutsu of Infinite Darkness!)

The eight shinobi's eyesight was instantly filled with hallucinogenic blackness, and they could only see black.

Tsukihi raced out and began reaping their lives as soon as everyone's eyes were darkened.

"W-what is this…?"

Puff… Plop…

"It went dark all of a sudden."

Puff… Plop…

"What's going on? Hey, someone, answer me! What's going on?!"

Puff… Plop…

Plop… Plop… Plop… Plop… Plop…

Tsukihi slashed the throats of the eight shinobi one by one, causing them to fall motionless to the ground.

Tsukihi's gaze focused on the gate in front of her after solving eight genin level guardians.

Some form of Fuinjutsu was carved on the gate. The structure of the seal was rather intricate, and Tsukihi didn't expect Kirigakure to be able to deploy it. 'It appears that even if the other great shinobi villages do not have the Uzumaki Clan's legacy, they have left no stone unturned in their exploration of Fuinjutsu.' - Tsukihi reflected as she began researching the seal's construction to breach it.

It took her less than 30 seconds to figure out the solution and break the seal.

Click…

The gate opened with a loud click, and Tsukihi eagerly walked in.

She's hoping for something spectacular, perhaps all of Kirigakure Ninjutsu? Or even a large sum of money, gold, silver, or other valuables must be present... or maybe something better? Kirigakure's treasure house should, after all, hold a significant amount of money as one of the five famous shinobi villages... Tsukihi, on the other hand, has little hope, considering the plight of the town and the fact that Obito is actually exploiting it...

Tsukihi entered the room with this optimism in her heart, but it appears that she hoped too much. "Is this just a storage facility for weapons? Sigh, what more can I expect from a Shinobi Village whose Kage has been reduced to a puppet in the hands of a mercenary organization's leader?" mumbled Tsukihi, disappointed.

'Perhaps Obito stole all the money and other resources? Isn't this the only possibility? 'That jerk, I'm going to murder him when I find him!' - Tsukihi cursed quietly someone who was startled by the unexpected sneeze and couldn't help but wonder, 'Is Kakashi still at my grave?' 'It's not like that'll make a difference!'

Anyway, let's return to Tsukihi.

"But now that I've come here, certainly I won't go without taking something from here, right?" - Tsukihi made the decision and entered the collection library, inspecting the items held there.

A big collection of swords may be seen in this room. Rows and rows of swords are placed on the racks, but Tsukihi can tell from a single glance that, except for a handful that is decent, the rest are of considerably inferior quality than her Kusanagi Sword, the two pairs of dagger Oto and Kogarashi, or her Katana Shodai Kitetsu.

So, without paying any interest on these lesser things, Tsukihi continued to scrutinize, hoping to find anything useful, until she reached the farthest reaches of the room, where her gaze fell on the rack... "Is that one of the mist's seven swordsmen's swords?"

…

Tsukihi killed the eight guards outside the collection library's gate.

A whirling vortex developed, and Obito, disguised as Tobi, emerged from it.

Tsukihi didn't aware one of the eight genins was a parasite Zetsu Clone who utilized Narikawari no Jutsu when she slaughtered them (Substitution Jutsu).

And when Tsukihi murdered it, the information about an intruder inside the Mizukage Building was passed on to the original Zetsu, who informed Obito, who was prepared to carry out his Kirigakure annihilation plan.

Normally, Obito would be unconcerned with a couple of invaders, but because the seal on this gate was personally put by him, and because there is still time before the plan begins, Obito decided to investigate the matter. 'Who knows, maybe I'll uncover something interesting?' – Obito arrived here with this thought.

When Obito noticed that there was an intruder inside the Collection Library, he quietly walked inside the wall and quietly observed the invader.

'Who is she, exactly?' – And what he saw was a woman dressed in black with a crow mask on her face putting out her hand to take the remaining two swords left.

'Is she after that sword?' he wondered as he sank under the dirt, only to emerge the next instant and extend out his hand to the woman's back.

.

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