A steady, soft rain fell on the Land of Fire.
The rain came down in sheets from the gray sky.
On the edge of the land, a group of people appeared silently.
Leading them was an old man with long, gray hair that shone almost white.
His eyes were closed tightly, and lines of age were deeply etched in his face.
Around him, dozens of Anbu ninja stood watch, alert and careful.
"Mizukage-sama, the way ahead is clear..."
The Anbu Captain walked up to the Third Mizukage and gave his report.
He didn't know what the Mizukage-sama was planning. All he knew was that the Mizukage had suddenly called up the Anbu, preparing to go to a specific place in Kusagakure, the Grass Country.
Was something there?
The Anbu Captain didn't understand, but he would never question the Third Mizukage's plans.
Those who disobeyed ended up dead.
Even though the Third Mizukage was old, the power he held, as someone who had lived since the Warring States period, was too great for anyone to challenge.
"Mm..."
The Third Mizukage nodded slowly.
Yagura, leading the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and a large army, had broken through the Land of Fire's border along the coast.
They had paved the way for his actions.
Kusagakure... Uchiha Madara...
A flash of red light sparked deep within the Third Mizukage's eyes.
It was the light of the Sharingan's genjutsu, the Illusionary Technique.
Madara was getting older and weaker, no longer able to act on his own.
Therefore, to keep the weakening genjutsu strong, the Third Mizukage had to go to Kusagakure himself and be placed under Madara's genjutsu again.
"Let's go."
The Third Mizukage turned and began to walk.
The group headed for Kusagakure...
---
Swish!
The team sped through the forest.
Might Duy moved faster.
It showed that he was growing more and more anxious.
Injured allies kept running away from the front lines.
The news he got from them showed that the situation was getting worse.
Guy...
He hadn't seen his son, Guy.
People told him that the last time they saw Guy, he was with his two teammates... Ebisu and Shiranui Genma.
Three young kids, separated from the main group.
It was bound to happen, with the Third Mizukage's student, Yagura, leading the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and the Blood Mist army.
Their invasion had caused Konoha to suffer a terrible defeat.
They attacked fiercely, without caring about their own losses, making people wonder if they wanted to take over the Land of Fire completely and use it as a forward base.
Soon, Yamanaka Hui and the Unno couple couldn't keep up with the team.
Only Sarutobi Ryo was still following him closely.
Ruri hadn't joined the mission, supposedly because she was sick.
After the Hyuga incident, she needed time to recover and rest.
The team moved on.
They had left at night, and by dawn, they had reached the heart of the Land of Fire.
They kept gathering information along the way.
Finally, all the scattered words of his allies came together, showing one thing.
Guy and the others were in serious danger.
It was hard to find three young kids in the huge Land of Fire.
But with the bond between father and son, Might Duy had somehow figured out Guy's location based on the information he had.
When Sarutobi Ryo and Might Duy rushed into a forest, Yamanaka Hui and the others had been left far behind.
Swish!
The two stopped on a large tree.
By chance, they found a wounded ninja.
The ninja was from the Yamanaka clan; he was holding his stomach, badly hurt.
"Young Master Ryo, Guy and the other two are that way, cough, cough, cough..."
He pointed in a specific direction.
Startled birds flew up into the blue sky.
Even from far away, they could tell something was happening. They couldn't hear the fighting, but the movement of birds and animals showed that a lot of power was gathered there.
Who was it?
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?
Or... a Jinchuriki?
Sarutobi Ryo thought quickly, deciding that they had to go and see what was happening.
So, Sarutobi Ryo created a Shadow Clone and had the Shadow Clone take the injured ninja away.
He prepared to continue with Might Duy.
"Young Master Ryo." Might Duy hesitated, getting ready to use that technique.
"We don't know what's happening yet, Senior Duy, don't be reckless..." Sarutobi Ryo knew that Might Duy was going to use the Eight Gates Formation.
"..."
Might Duy shook his head and smiled.
The movement of the birds and animals said it all.
The Blood Mist ninja were usually bloodthirsty.
They openly showed their cruelty.
It was how they survived in the Blood Mist.
So... the stronger the ninja, the stronger the killing intent they gave off.
The activity suggested that several members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were working together.
If it was a secret mission, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist would hide their killing intent and be careful.
But now that Konoha was losing, they were invading with force, so they didn't need to hide it at all.
So... You understand, Young Master Ryo.
Might Duy looked at Sarutobi Ryo in this way.
"The First Hokage-sama once said..."
Might Duy remembered seeing the First Hokage when he was a child.
Might Duy was about the same age as Hatake Sakumo. This made him older than Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.
When Tsunade was a child, she was spoiled by the First Hokage.
At Might Duy's age, he had seen the First Hokage.
"I still remember the First Hokage-sama's teachings..."
A look of longing appeared in Might Duy's eyes.
He was remembering the past, and... expecting death.
When a person was about to die, there were signs, and Might Duy felt them too.
Sarutobi Ryo's heart skipped a beat, but he waited for Might Duy to finish speaking so he could try to stop him.
"The First Hokage-sama said... each generation has things that it can do, you can't rush things... What I can do is today's job. Tomorrow's problems, leave them to the people of tomorrow..."
Sarutobi Ryo: "!"
Might Duy's words reminded Sarutobi Ryo of Senju Nawaki.
He looked at the man in front of him, smiling with his eyes narrowed like a crescent moon, ready to die bravely...
Sarutobi Ryo still wanted to try to persuade him: "That's true, but... Konoha needs someone with Senior Duy's goals to live, so the village can change for the better..."
"..."
Might Duy was silent.
Then, his eyes shone brightly.
"Young Master Ryo, the Will of Fire is about protecting important people or things. To truly save all the children, you need to lead by example, giving your life to light their way..."
Konoha was created to protect the children.
Later, the children had to die for Konoha.
Might Duy wasn't stupid, he understood this.
Having been there during Konoha's early days, he understood the twisted meaning of the Will of Fire.
So, Might Duy was ready to sacrifice himself so that Guy and the others could understand the true meaning of the Will of Fire.
Then, Might Duy smiled freely, and his aura began to grow.
Eighth Gates Release Formation...
"Young Master Ryo, our village has many problems. But... after seeing you and everyone's efforts, I believe... the village will become better and better, until it goes back to its original purpose... and, I believe, you will become a great Hokage!"
...Open!
The violent aura surged, then pulled back in.
Might Duy controlled his powerful strength.
The ground cracked beneath his feet, and he shot forward like a bolt of lightning...
*
**
***
[T/N:
Final Total Power Stone Collection : 139 PS
Goal : Reach +50 Total PS = +2 Bonus Chapters next day! 🚀
Want to support my work and get early access to chapters? Check out my Patreon! 👇
➡️ patreon.com/Boundless_Beacon
]