Clean up

I glance down at the shinobi, his form bound by my blood chains, struggling but no longer a threat. He's finished. There's no need to linger here.

My eyes shift to the battle ahead. Zabuza and Kakashi are clashing, steel ringing out as their blades meet. But something about Kakashi catches my eye—a red gleam from beneath his headband.

A Sharingan? That... wasn't something I expected.

But I push the surprise down. There's no time to dwell on it. Zabuza is fast, dangerous, but Kakashi's Sharingan is giving him the edge, forcing Zabuza into a defensive rhythm. Even so, Zabuza won't fall easily.

I flicker across the battlefield, my body charged with adrenaline and the rush of blood still dripping from the shallow wounds. Zabuza's back is turned as he engages Kakashi, but it doesn't take him long to sense me. Zabuza reacts quickly, parrying the first strike with his massive sword, his teeth clenched in a snarl. But I don't let up. The chains snap again, forcing him to retreat step by step. He's skilled, but I can see the cracks forming in his defense, the fatigue in his eyes.

"Persistent brat," Zabuza growls, gritting his teeth as he pushes back. 

The sound of steel clashing fills the air as Kakashi presses in from one side while I assault from the other, my blood chains snapping at Zabuza's blind spots. His enormous sword moves with surprising agility, cutting through my chains and keeping Kakashi at bay, but I can see the strain starting to build.

Without warning, Zabuza leaps backward, putting distance between us. He drops his sword into a defensive stance, and his fingers blur through hand seals faster than I anticipated.

{Hiding in the Mist Technique}

The thick mist swallows the battlefield, enveloping everything in an impenetrable fog. For an ordinary shinobi, this would be a problem. I hear Kakashi mutter something about Zabuza using this before.

But Zabuza can't hide from me. I don't need to see him—I can feel him. Every drop of blood running through his veins is like a beacon to me. The mist only dulls my other senses, but not this.

I close my eyes, focusing. His pulse is steady, moving through the fog with intent. He's trying to flank us.

I hear Kakashi's calm voice cut through the mist. "Stay sharp."

"He won't hide for long," I murmur, mostly to myself.

I move, my body flickering through the fog like a shadow. Zabuza's presence sharpens in my mind, and just as he closes in on Kakashi, I'm already there. He swings his massive sword toward Kakashi's blind spot, but my blood chains catch it mid-swing, stopping it dead.

"You're not the only one who can play tricks," I say, tightening my grip. Zabuza's eyes widen in surprise as he tries to pull back, but I've already closed the distance. A quick slash with a blood blade draws blood from his arm, and I feel the pulse of his heart quicken.

Zabuza grins, despite the pressure. He spins on his heel, forming another longer set of seals as he does. 

{Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet}

The sound of rushing water fills my ears as a massive dragon-shaped torrent erupts from the mist, surging toward me. I don't flinch. My blood boils in anticipation.

I leap back, channeling chakra into my blood, shaping it into a barrier that meets the water head-on. The impact sends a spray of water across the battlefield, but I remain standing, barely pushed back.

Kakashi takes advantage of the opening, appearing out of the mist like a blur. His Sharingan gleams as he predicts Zabuza's next move, driving a kunai straight toward his chest. But Zabuza reacts just in time, deflecting the blow with his forearm, though the effort costs him more blood.

I don't let up. My blood chains shoot forward again, wrapping around Zabuza's legs and pulling him off balance. He crashes to the ground with a growl, scrambling to break free, but I twist my hand, tightening the chains around him.

"You can't escape," I say, stepping closer as I prepare for the final blow. But Zabuza lets out a low chuckle, still defiant even now.

"Don't think... this is over," he spits, his voice rasping through the fog.

But Kakashi's already beside me, his Sharingan still spinning, tracking Zabuza's every move. The mist starts to thin as Zabuza struggles, his chakra nearly depleted. We've cornered him.

(Third Person)

Chihara stood over Zabuza, the blood chains binding the rogue shinobi tighter with each passing moment. His eyes narrowed, glimmering with crimson intensity as he considered his next move. There was something he needed from Zabuza—information. And there was only one way to get it.

Zabuza's breath was ragged, his resistance weakening, but his defiance still lingered in his eyes. Chihara focused, allowing the power in his bloodline to well up from within. His eyes locked onto Zabuza's, the red glow intensifying as the world around them seemed to fade into silence.

"Let's see what you're hiding," Chihara whispered. As he started, his thoughts drifted back to his early experiences with genjutsu, it had always felt strangely intuitive to him. But there was something more, something his eyes seemed do that went beyond the surface of typical genjutsu. It wasn't just about controlling what someone saw or felt. His eyes allowed him to dig deeper, into the recesses of their mind, pulling out memories, hidden fears, and thoughts they'd rather keep buried.

Zabuza's eyes widened, the sudden surge of foreign chakra invading his mind catching him off guard. He growled and tried to look away, but it was too late. Chihara's gaze pierced through the mental barriers Zabuza instinctively put up. Images began to flood Chihara's mind—a blur of memories, plans, and thoughts. He sifted through them, searching for anything important. The Mist village. Gato. Haku. Hidden plans for sabotage. It was all laid bare before him.

Zabuza's voice was strained, weak. "What... are you doing...?"

Chihara didn't respond. He focused deeper, forcing the memories to surface against Zabuza's will. He felt the resistance, but the rogue shinobi couldn't stop it. A rush of critical details emerged: alliances, secret meetings, strategies—valuable pieces of information that could be used against Zabuza's ex-associates.

It took only moments, though it felt like an eternity in the shared mental space. Chihara let go, his eyes releasing their grip as Zabuza slumped in exhaustion, his mind clearly taxed from the mental invasion. He said nothing more, his energy completely drained.

There was no hesitation as Chihara drew his blade. His hand moved with practiced precision, fluid and unflinching, as he raised the weapon above Zabuza's neck.

With a swift, decisive motion, Chihara brought the blade down, the sharp steel slicing effortlessly through flesh and bone. The sound was clean, almost quiet, as Zabuza's head separated from his body, rolling to the side with a dull thud on the bloodied ground.

Chihara stepped back and quickly retrieved a blank scroll from his pouch. Without a word, he began writing down everything he had just seen: every detail, every significant memory that could be of use. His hand moved swiftly, filling the scroll with detailed information before folding it neatly.

Once he finished, Chihara activated the storage seal on his wrist, and the scroll vanished in a puff of chakra smoke.

He knelt down beside Zabuza's lifeless body, his eyes calm and focused. Without hesitation, he unrolled a small storage scroll, one he kept for moments like this. The seal glowed bright for a moment before Zabuza's head was absorbed into the scroll, leaving nothing behind but the blood on the ground.

Kakashi's eye flickered with awareness. "You got something useful?"

Chihara simply nodded, not bothering to elaborate. "It's stored. We can deal with it later, I'll let you guys deal with the other."

---------

Chihara stood at the edge of the battlefield, his task with Zabuza completed. Kakashi and the others were still catching their breath after the fight, but Chihara's mind was already on the next objective. His orders were clear: assist Team 7, and then take out Gato.

The Hokage had given him this mission not just to help protect the bridge, but to eliminate Gato and gather critical intel on the tyrant's operations. It wasn't just about removing a threat; it was about destabilizing the power Gato held over the Land of Waves.

Before he left he noticed something happening to the massive sword Zabuza was using, it seemed to be regenerating the chips on the blade using the blood on the ground from Zabuza.

Without saying a word to the others, Chihara grabbed the sword strapped it to his back and vanished into the mist, using the cover of the dissipating fog from Zabuza's jutsu. His body flickered between the shadows, silent and undetectable, making his way toward Gato's base of operations near the docks.

The journey took little time with his speed. As he neared the compound, Chihara slowed his pace, blending into the environment as he scouted the area. A few guards patrolled the perimeter, but they were lax—likely too confident that Gato's reputation alone would deter any would-be attackers.

These men were nothing more than thugs, not shinobi.

Slipping into the shadows, he maneuvered his way closer to the central building. His eyes activated, the crimson glow of the Ketsuryūgan allowing him to sense the blood within every guard nearby. He could feel their heartbeats, slow and steady, unaware of the danger that was creeping toward them.

Chihara moved swiftly, taking down the guards silently, one by one, his kunai cutting through their throats with precision. Blood trickled into the dirt as their bodies dropped soundlessly. He didn't flinch, didn't hesitate.

Finally, he reached Gato's office at the top floor of the compound. The door was slightly ajar, light spilling out into the hallway. Chihara slipped inside, his eyes scanning the room. Gato was seated at a lavish desk, counting money with a smug grin plastered on his face, completely unaware of the shinobi standing mere feet from him.

Chihara stepped forward, his voice calm and emotionless as he spoke, "Gato."

The crime lord's head snapped up, his eyes wide with shock and fear as he saw Chihara standing in the shadowy corner of the room. "W-who are you?!" Gato stammered, scrambling to reach for the small dagger on his desk.

Chihara didn't respond. He was already upon him. In a blur of motion, Chihara had Gato pinned against the wall, his kunai pressed against the man's throat. Gato trembled, his voice shaking as he tried to bargain for his life. "W-wait! We can make a deal! I'll give you money! Power! Anything you want!"

Chihara's crimson eyes bored into Gato's, glowing with an eerie intensity. The crime lord stammered, shaking with fear as he tried to scramble for words. But before Gato could finish, Chihara's eyes flared, locking onto his.

There was a moment of resistance as Chihara reached into the depths of Gato's mind, feeling the man's panic and confusion. It was like peeling away layers of greed, corruption, and cruelty. Memories of business deals, smuggling operations, and bribes flickered in Chihara's vision. He saw Gato's web of connections, the countless people he had oppressed, manipulated, and destroyed in his lust for power and wealth. He even saw the mercenaries and thugs Gato had hired, their loyalties as shallow as the coins they were paid with.

Once he had seen enough, Chihara released the mental grip, leaving Gato gasping for air, his eyes wide with terror. He then repeated the process that he did for Zabuza.

With a swift motion, Chihara slit Gato's throat, the crime lord's pleas turning into a gurgled choke as blood poured from the wound. Chihara watched as Gato's body went limp, collapsing to the floor in a heap. There was no emotion in Chihara's gaze—just the cold, calculated efficiency of an assassin carrying out his mission.

Before leaving, Chihara quickly gathered any documents and files that could be useful for the village, sealing them into another storage scroll. With Gato dead, the Land of Waves would finally have a chance to rebuild without his oppressive rule.