After flipping through a few pages, one particular mission caught Hyuga Kagami's attention.
"Eliminate the rogue ninja within the Land of Fire..."
All A-rank missions involved battles between shinobi, so Kagami had three main principles when choosing a mission:
First, the location had to be close. Missions too far from the village increased the risk of unexpected dangers, especially since the war had only just ended, and the world was still in chaos.
Second, the enemy's strength shouldn't be overwhelming.
Third, the enemy's background needed to be simple, to avoid unnecessary entanglements or grudges due to the mission.
This mission to eliminate rogue ninja in the Land of Fire perfectly fit all three of Kagami's criteria, instantly catching his interest.
He handed the mission scroll to Guy, pointing at the rogue ninja elimination request. "What do you think about this one?"
Guy replied, "No objections from me!"
After accepting the mission, the two set out without delay.
Along the way, Kagami and Guy discussed the intelligence they had gathered from the mission center. The mission had been commissioned by the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Recently, a group of rogue ninja had been attacking several villages near the border with the Land of Waves, causing significant casualties and property loss.
The intel indicated the group consisted of five to seven members, suspected to be defected ninja from Kirigakure. They were said to be highly skilled and brutally violent.
Due to the war, the number of defected ninja had increased across all the major villages, including Konoha. However, most rogue ninja preferred to hide in smaller nations without shinobi villages. It was rare for defected ninja to brazenly attack within the Land of Fire.
"If they're bold enough to pillage within the Land of Fire, they must be quite capable. Don't underestimate them," Kagami warned.
Guy nodded quickly.
Noticing Guy's unease, Kagami added, "But don't worry too much. These rogue ninja only prey on civilians. Their actual strength might not be that great. As long as we perform well, completing this mission shouldn't be a problem."
Clenching his fists, Guy declared, "I'm not afraid of them!"
A few days later...
Following their trail, Kagami and Guy arrived at a recently attacked village.
The village lay in ruins. Corpses were strewn everywhere, the air reeked of blood, and cries of grief echoed around them.
Kagami approached one of the survivors. "We're ninja sent by Konoha. Please, can you tell us who attacked your village?"
The survivor stared blankly at Kagami, his eyes hollow. After a long pause, he answered, "I don't know who they were. They killed everyone in sight and left."
Remaining composed despite the tragic scene, Kagami asked, "How many were there? When did they leave? Which direction did they go?"
The survivor pointed in a direction. "They went that way. I... I don't know how many there were or exactly when they left."
Kagami narrowed his eyes, gazing in the indicated direction. He said coldly, "Let's go. We're tracking them."
Guy, seething with rage, nodded fiercely. "Yeah!"
In the Hyuga clan, tracking was a basic skill. Every Hyuga who had been on the battlefield was a master tracker, and Kagami was no exception. He quickly discovered traces left behind by the enemy.
Moments later, they arrived at a muddy marsh.
Examining the footprints, Kagami said, "There are about five to seven people. Their steps are uneven, as if they were in a rush."
Guy urged, "Then let's not waste time. We have to catch up to them!"
Kagami shook his head and pointed toward a nearby tree. "Don't rush. Look at the moss on that tree."
Guy followed his gaze and saw a faint, partial footprint on the moss. "Why is there a footprint there? Could someone else be tracking these rogue ninja?"
The footprints on the tree were clearly from a different group than the ones in the mud. If the muddy tracks were from the rogue ninja, then the tree print must belong to another set of pursuers.
"Since we already accepted this mission, the village wouldn't have sent anyone else. I suspect this other group might be from Kirigakure."
Kagami's guess wasn't baseless. The intelligence had stated that the rogue ninja were likely defectors from Kirigakure, so it made sense if Kirigakure had dispatched assassins to eliminate them.
Faced with the involvement of another village, Guy was uncertain. "So, what do we do?"
Kagami thought for a moment, then firmly stated, "Anyone who stands in the way of our mission is an enemy."
"But..."
"No buts. Let's keep moving."
After tracking for a while longer, Kagami and Guy stopped when they stumbled upon two opposing groups of ninja locked in a tense standoff.
One group had four members, all dressed in the garb of Kirigakure's assassination squad. Only their leader had no mask, his face partially wrapped in bandages. From his build and appearance, Kagami recognized him as the infamous "Demon" Zabuza Momochi.
Opposite them stood two Konoha ANBU. One was small in stature with white hair and a fox mask. Despite the mask, Kagami instantly recognized him as the genius ninja from his class, Kakashi Hatake.
The air was thick with hostility. A fight could break out at any second.
Seeing more Konoha ninja arrive, Zabuza unsheathed his massive blade, ready for combat.
Perched on a tree branch above, Kagami rested a hand on his hip, glancing down at the Kirigakure nin with a cold, arrogant gaze. His tone was mocking: "Get lost."
Zabuza snapped, furious. "You looking to die, brat?!"
Ignoring Zabuza's outburst, Kagami casually said, "Guy, go teach him a lesson."
Guy, already used to following Kagami's lead and seeing their opponents were Kirigakure ninja, gave a loud affirmative shout and charged at Zabuza.
The Kirigakure assassins and the Konoha ANBU were both taken aback by Kagami's brashness. Still, neither side interfered. They simply cleared a space for the one-on-one battle.
As a taijutsu specialist, Guy instantly closed the gap, denying his opponent any chance to weave hand signs or use ninjutsu.
Zabuza, confident in his kenjutsu, welcomed the clash, his blade flashing as he engaged Guy in a ferocious duel.
Fists flew and steel shimmered under the dappled forest light.
Though not yet one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Zabuza was already well-known in Kirigakure. His techniques were vicious, radiating killing intent.
Guy, meanwhile, was in a rapid phase of growth. His strength and speed were increasing every day. He was no longer the underachiever from the academy.
The battle was intense from the start, expanding rapidly and forcing the observers from both sides to retreat even farther back.
Eventually, Guy landed a powerful kick on Zabuza's sword, and both combatants leapt away from each other, briefly disengaging...