In the Konoha camp station in the Land of Rain.
Inside the main command tent, the atmosphere was thick with tension.
Tsunade slammed her fist onto the wooden table, splintering the edge and sending scrolls and documents flying across the tent.
"Damn it! Still nothing on Team 7's whereabouts!?"
The Jonin standing before her flinched, his posture stiff with unease. Though he held the rank of Jonin, standing before an angry Tsunade was like facing a thunderstorm with nothing but an umbrella.
"L-Lady Tsunade… We tried retracing their trail," he stammered. "But the enemy presence in that region has suddenly tripled. Our squads can't move freely without risking-"
"Can you even call yourself a Jonin right now?" Tsunade snapped, eyes blazing. "Because this is the first time I've seen teams of Jonin fail to track a group of Genin this many goddamn times!"
The man shrank further into himself, practically folding in half like a turtle retreating into its shell.
What can I do? I'm just a pitiful and helpless little jonin who has no say in front of the big boss…
Before Tsunade could hurl another verbal grenade, a new voice slithered into the tent like smoke.
"Now, now… let's all calm down, shall we?"
Orochimaru stepped inside, unbothered by the tension. His serpent-like eyes gleamed with amusement as he held out a scroll.
Tsunade whirled on him, her fury instantly redirected. "Calm down? Orochimaru, if you hadn't insisted that Team 7 run your damn 'quick recon,' they wouldn't have vanished in the middle of a warzone for months!"
She stalked toward him, fists clenched. "And explain this, how is it that not a single Konoha unit has stumbled upon them in all this time!?"
"They're still alive," Orochimaru said simply, brushing past her anger like it was a passing breeze. "Kadoya already sent word via Katsuyu and Shirohebi. They're safe and still operating."
Tsunade's eyes twitched, wanting to punch her teammate in the face.
Ignoring her angry expression, Orochimaru casually handed her the scroll he'd been holding. "And… you might want to read this. It just came in."
Tsunade snatched the scroll from his hand and unfurled it.
Her eyes scanned the contents, and narrowed immediately.
According to this report, in the Amegakure battlefield, there has been some information about a small Konoha team running around. Normally, intel like this won't have much use since, well, this war is currently happening in the Land of Rain.
So seeing a small ninja team from a different village operating in their land won't be anything surprising.
No, what really caught everyone's attention was that this team is very deadly.
The weakest among them, apparently, was a brownish-blonde-haired boy, described as a fool who lured a squad of Iwa-nin straight into a trap, stepping on an explosive tag and triggering it himself.
The entire enemy team went up in flames.
Tsunade blinked, squinted, and reread that line before sighing.
"This idiot brother of mine..." She murmurs, somewhat speechless upon reading the part where he steps on explosive tags to kill his enemy.
Her fingers tightened around the report.
It brought back memories, of the times she pranked Nawaki with harmless explosive tags that gave more sting than boom. Just a little shock.
Was I too hard on him?
Now here he was, apparently famous for weaponizing those same tags. According to the intel, nearly every enemy that engaged him died from explosive tags.
Was it because of her that her brother developed an attraction toward explosive tags?
Shaking her head, she shoved the thought aside and kept reading.
The next profile belonged to the Hyuga girl.
A prodigy, they said. Able to spot incoming threats from over 300 meters, making surprise attacks nearly impossible. A solid recon asset.
But what followed was… less heartening.
This girl, a Hyuga, was also described as a "sadistic, evil medical-nin" who enjoyed making her victims die slowly.
Tsunade's eyes twitched.
"This is definitely Saiguu." she murmured.
There was even a hint of pride in her tone, at least they got her listed as a medical ninja, but that pride evaporated the moment she continued reading.
According to the report, Saiguu routinely experimented on still-living enemy shinobi. She'd heal their wounds, only to slice them open again. Then repeat. Over and over. Until they die.
"That's… that's not how a medical ninja should operate!" Tsunade roared, nearly crumpling the scroll in her hands.
Her fingers trembled with frustration. The purpose of medical ninjutsu was to save lives, not to toy with them like a cat with mice.
"She's learning it all wrong! Kadoya, why didn't you fix this simple mistake!?"
Then she remembered.
Kadoya never learned medical ninjutsu from her. He just reverse-engineered it, picked it up himself.
With no principles whatsoever. He learn medical ninjutsu for its pure function.
"She's quite impressive, don't you think?" Orochimaru said with a dry chuckle from the side, clearly enjoying himself.
"Impressive, my ass! When this war ends, I'm setting her straight myself!"
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, amused. "And if you fail, I'll gladly take her in as my assistant. She's got real potential."
"Tch! I should be beating the shit out of you right now." Tsunade clicked her tongue before narrowing her gaze back toward the report.
Then came the last profile.
The leader.
A black-haired Uchiha, estimated to be Kage-level. He is said to be cold, efficient, and lethal.
Any Jonin-level opponent who crossed paths with him… didn't walk away. He used mental attacks to paralyze their will, hijack their body. Leaving them helpless before cutting their throats.
Tsunade felt her breath catch.
"…Kadoya," she whispered. "But why… why did he change so much?" She murmured, scratching her head in confusion.
Was this cold-hearted killer really the innocent young boy she trained years ago?
She remembers Grandma Mito saying he was very kind and bright, but what could have darkened him so much?
Thinking further back, she recalled that his changes started after Grandma Mito's passing. Was it because of her that his personality changed? Or was this the true him?
Tsunade didn't know, and honestly, she didn't want to find out and somehow ruin the good image of her beloved disciple that she had come to know and love.
"At least… at least he doesn't hesitate to kill," she muttered, trying to convince herself.
Orochimaru chuckled. "If that impressed you… you'll love what comes next."
"Tch. Shut it!" Tsunade growled, narrowing her eyes as she scanned the rest of the report.
Over a hundred shinobi have fallen under Kadoya's blade. Those who look at his eyes suddenly have their body functions disabled, and they become sitting ducks waiting to be slaughtered.
And then… silence.
The report stated they only got this intel because one Iwa shinobi escaped, thanks to the brownish-blonde boy's distraction.
Tsunade's face darkened, and she almost spat out blood from shock, before bringing her hand toward her chest and clenching it hard, feeling like she was about to have a heart attack.
There's only one person in Team 7 with brownish-blonde hair…
And it was none other than her own brother.
"…Nawaki…"
So, in short, the only reason Team 7's faces and identity leaked was because of Nawaki.
Orochimaru chuckled again, clearly savoring her misery. "When Nawaki returns, I'll reteach him some survival techniques."
Tsunade didn't answer.
She just let out a long, tired sigh.
She began to miss the wine her student bought, and she feel like she aged a few years upon reading this report.
Because of Nawaki's blunder, Team 7's secrets were out. And now, both Iwa and Ame were classifying Kadoya as a Kage-level threat.
He had earned a name.
A title, a reputation soaked in blood, and whispered in fear of how he usually ends his enemy's life.
The Blade.
...
Looking at the rain-soaked forest before him, Kadoya turned his head. "Nawaki, are you afraid?"
Nawaki shook his head, then raised his right hand, revealing a scar on his palm.
"This is what I carved with a kunai. It's to remind myself never to abandon my comrades and run away again."
He continued expressionlessly, "Ever since that day, the feeling of fear… has completely left me."
"Oh?" Kadoya raised an eyebrow before asking. "Then why are your legs shaking?"
"…Just excited."
Kadoya turned his head back. Not impressed with Nawaki trying to act cool, but happy to see that he is actually improving.
At this moment, they had been here for a few months already. Kadoya gazed at the rain-soaked landscape and took a deep breath.
The rain carried with it the scent of the distant sky, mixed with the blood that clung to his hands and clothes. The rhythmic pattering of countless raindrops and the ripples spreading across the puddles felt like a mysterious whisper from the water itself.
This kind of weather is perfect for killing, he knew this from experience.
Their target was in the forest ahead. Kadoya, Saiguu, and Nawaki were hidden in the upper branches of a tall tree, waiting for information from the scouting snakes.
Soon, the snakes returned, bringing back intel that matched what Orochimaru-sensei had provided.
The scouting team, led by Hon, who possessed Explosion Release, was indeed stationed inside. Aside from him, the team consisted of only five Chunin.
It seemed the enemy had suffered heavy losses recently. The lack of reinforcements indicated that Iwagakure was short on manpower, with most of their forces tied down on the main battlefield.
Kadoya didn't say anything, he quietly handed over the scroll to his teammate to read.
"Saiguu, Nawaki, I'll handle Hon. The two of you will take care of the Chunin. Be careful, and don't be reckless."
They nodded. "Of course, we still have to go back to the village together."
Hearing those words, Kadoya suddenly had a bad feeling.
Nawaki, if you want to be sentimental, just be sentimental. Why say something so unlucky?
The ones who say, "I'm going home to get married after this mission," or "Let's go together; there's only one opponent," always end up six feet under.
Kadoya was now seriously thinking of tying Nawaki up and shipping him back to Konoha.
Because of Nawaki's blunder not too long ago, their info was leaked, so Kadoya has even stopped going all out to kill all his opponent as soon as possible, and now letting his team train and fight weaker opponents.
If they can't survive facing some small fries, then there really is no reason for Kadoya to care about them. He has been fighting and killing Chunin and Jonin-level shinobi for some time now, so his teammate must at least be able to hold their own against Chunin and Genin-level opponents.
When he reported to Orochimaru, the Snake Uncle just give him a thumb up, before tossing another mission toward him and his team, and said "While you're at it, do this too."
It's like an uncle telling his nephew to pick up some cigarettes while he is at the store.
Kadoya checked the time, then waved his hand, signaling them to prepare for battle.
He exhaled, and the moment Wind Chakra surged around his body, his speed skyrocketed. He shot forward like a gust of wind, with Saiguu and Nawaki following behind.
The scouting snakes had already mapped out the enemy's positions, so Kadoya had no need to search, only to strike.
"Enemy attack!"
His direct approach naturally drew attention, but it didn't matter. Cyclone Effect worked similarly to Kumo's Lightning Cloak, covering the user's body with a lair of Wind Chakra.
The main difference between these two ninjutsu was that the Lightning Cloak increases the user's speed dramatically, while Cyclone Effect only lightly increases the user's speed while giving them the ability to fly.
With a Blink, he closed the distance in an instant.
The moment their eyes met, Hon widened his eyes, he just saw the enemy was a good distance away from him, only for him to suddenly reappear in front of his eyes.
Kadoya's Sharingan activated, and Hon's body began to lose control.
Water gathered around his palm as a water blade formed.
The Iwa-nin's shout was cut off mid-sentence. A second later, Kadoya descended from above, his water blade slicing cleanly across the man's throat. A burst of warm blood mixed with the cold rain.
"It's The BLADE!!"
Alarmed, the remaining Iwa-nin immediately retaliated with a barrage of shuriken.
Kadoya smirked.
He stomped his foot into the ground, raising a massive stone slab as a shield.
The sheer brutality of the move left Nawaki momentarily stunned.
This… this fighting style… He almost blurted out, Sister, is that you?
But before he could comment, an Iwa-nin lunged at him, and the battle erupted into chaos.
Two Chunin exchanged glances before closing in on Kadoya.
"Let's go together! There's only one opponent!"
Kadoya: "?"
Kadoya froze for a brief second, then focused his Sharingan on the speaker.
Did you really just announce your death?
"Idiots! That's The Blade!"
Another Iwa-in shouted at them, but it was too late as the water blade in Kadoya's hand turned into a large water shuriken that flew through the air at breakneck speed, and their head was sent flying off their body so fast they didn't have the chance to react.
Saiguu quickly rushed forward, her gentle fists mixed judo fighting style easily knocking down two Chunin opponents.
A loud explosion rang out, and Kadoya turn back seeing Nawaki crawl out from a hole created by an explosive tag, pieces of flesh and bone of the enemy shinobi painted the ground next to the hole.
For some reason, Nawaki has developed and unique method of killing enemy shinobi... by stepping on hidden explosive tags.
At least he didn't die when stepping on explosive tags now.
Kadoya turned back toward Saiguu, seeing her slamming the two Iwa-nin on the ground, before pulling out some kunai and stabbing them into the enemy's hands and legs, pinning them to the dirty, wet ground.
Their eyes glare at her, only to realize she is the psycho medical ninja that they heard about, and their eyes quickly turn into fear.
To the Iwa and Ame shinobi, this psycho medic was even more terrifying than The Blade.