1

Luciel was an experienced chuunin notorious for his prowess in combat. Born to a family distantly related to the Hyuga clan, Luciel managed to inherit a single Byakugan in his left eye socket. His mastery of Water Release techniques allowed him to create vast quantities of the substance without a present water source, which was by all accounts no easy feat. He often dressed in oversized black clothing, imitating the Kuratenshi fashion statement popular in Kirigakure. His versatile abilities, in addition to his unique dark personality, earned him respect among the Shinobi ranks.

But respect was something Luciel had to earn. In the Academy, he struggled to rapidly produce hand signs, limiting his potential in ninjutsu. After graduating, he was assigned to Team Yoshiro, partnered with his childhood friends Roku Yuuki and Hoshigaki Osame. Luciel improved his ninjutsu skills as a Genin, eventually mastering Water Release ninjutsu and activating his Byakugan, a feat his entire family couldn't accomplish.

Roku Yuuki was always a prodigy in the Academy, plausible because of his clan's abilities. He inherited shadow manipulation techniques from his father, an immigrant Nara clan member from Konohagakure, and developed a strong affinity for Lightning Release ninjutsu. His genius intelligence astonished his teachers, though his laziness caused him to fail a year in the Academy. He was scrawnier than his classmates, and typically shorter, but his body type advertised his superior speed. His dark hair complimented his slightly darker skin tone, a trait indicative of the Roku clan, which flattered his black pants and white vest.

Hoshigaki Osame was exceptionally tall with a distinctive shark-like appearance, complete with pale skin and sharp teeth. Despite her threatening exterior, Osame was very calm and cheerful. She often wore standard shinobi attire, a slate grey flak jacket and a waistband to hold her broadsword.

Typically, when not partaking in missions, the chuunin would train in the Ninth Training Ground, adjacent to the glorious mountains surrounded by mist, but the recent death of the Seventh Mizukage diminished their ambition, substituting it with unease.

Kurogane Yoshiro was the team's sensei, responsible for commanding the chuunin on missions. He thought anxiety would slow his pupil's performance during their big assignment the following morning, so he decided to lift the team's mood by buying a dinner they could all enjoy.

From the outside, the pizzeria was peaceful and welcoming. Clay bricks and huge, stone pillars made up most of the building's walls. It was almost impossible to see through the stained glass windows, but the sounds of happy families conversing could clearly be heard.

It was as enchanting inside as it was on the outside. Stone beams supported the upper floor and the chandeliers attached to them. The walls were littered with so many different memorabilia, the chuunin were not sure if they tried going for a specific style at one time or just put up anything they liked. The pizzeria itself was packed. Even most of the stools at the bar were occupied, though nobody seemed to mind more company.

"Now that I'm in a better mood, I feel even more hungry!" Luciel was instantly excited. The teenagers loved pizza, especially with as much different meats as possible.

"Right! I'm really gonna stuff myself today!" Despite his skinny physique, Yuuki could probably eat an entire pizza by himself without problems. Maybe even two boxes if he was hungry enough.

"Hey, can I take your order?" The waitress was tall with cream skin and knowing green eyes. Her pale, unkept hair stuck out of the black cap she was forced to wear as a uniform, along with a white shirt and black skirt. Her beauty caught Yoshiro off guard, and the jounin could barely hear her speak.

"We'll take two large three meat pizzas, please." Osame ordered for her teammates. Her sharp teeth were already prepared to sink into the overpriced meal.

"Alright. I'll be right back with your order." The waitress said. Yoshiro was still stunned by the time she turned around and walked into the kitchen.

"Sensei, you're paying the bill right?" Luciel asked, snapping his sensei out of his trance.

"Of course, consider this my treat," Yoshiro smiled, standing up from his seat. "But if you'll excuse me, I have to use the restroom."

The chuunin didn't have to wait that long. Before their sensei even exited the bathroom, the waitress came to the table with their food. "Did the older guy just leave?"

"No, he's just in the bathroom," Luciel said. "We'll make sure to save him a few slices."

He lied. The chuunin ate both boxes of pizza within seconds, still having room in their stomachs for more. Yuuki sneakily took the jounin's wallet which he left on the table with a mischievous face. "Can we have a few more boxes?!"

Needless to say, Yoshiro was pissed when he returned to the table. "You didn't even save any pizza for me?!"

"Sorry. You took too long." Yuuki, who definitely ate most of the pizza, licked tomato sauce and cheese from his fingers. He handed Yoshiro the dinner's receipt, and the jounin's jaw absolutely dropped.

"Fifty dollars?! What, do you think I'm made out of money?! How much pizza did you eat?!"

"Only like -- four or five boxes." Osame burped. The sensei just signed as Yuuki handed him the wallet, veins popping from his head as if he were to explode. His skin was bright red, possibly more red than the tomato sauce on the chuunin's pizza, and he was so angry that steam erupted from his ears.

"You bastards!"

The four left the pizzeria with full stomaches, all except for Yoshiro who was still a bit pissed off. They walked through the busy streets of Kirigakure, passing by villagers who would normally be filled with glee, but the recent tragedy littered the village with uncertainty about the citizen's futures. Excluding shinobi, workers were off duty to relieve stress and spend time with their families until the inauguration of a new Mizukage.

There was still enough time to train before nightfall...

x--------------x

"Kirigakure was always a weak pile of trash, even before the fourth shinobi world war." Two mercenaries walked through a snowy pathway, far away from said village. "Doubtlessly the second weakest village in the entire world."

The other mercenary was shorter and evidently younger. "How sad... The mist is even cowardly, bowing down to the federal government for extra funding on their bullshit modernization project. A tyrannical jinchūriki ruled the village just a few decades ago, now all of the sudden they're the biggest tourist spot in the five great shinobi countries."

"I bet you a hundred bucks there's gonna be a coup d'etat by next month and it won't inconvenience us at all. Just think of how much money we'll make for assassination attempts. So many people want the office of Mizukage, meaning so many people are wanted dead by their competitors."

"Y'know... I grew a lot since I left that village. I was probably the most powerless shinobi in the academy, and now even jounin fear me in combat. This mission is a monumental honor for mercenaries. Not only are we gonna be famous, but think of the payroll for killing a Daimyo!"

"Just remember, if any shinobi pursue us, leave no survivors." Neither mercenaries were doubtful of their own abilities. Hell, they never failed to execute a single assignment. Any shinobi encountering them should have amazing luck if they want to survive a confrontation...

2

As soon as the distant sun levitated into the orange horizon, the bothersome alarm clock woke the members of Yoshiro's team. Despite the importance of the Daimyo in selecting the next Mizukage, they were barely prepared for the assignment they were tasked given.

"What a pain in my ass," said Yuuki. "I should be at home playing Shinobi Bout. If I wanted to escort a random old man, I'd become a prostitute already."

"You idiot! He's not some random old man; he's the political leader of this country!" Luciel scolded him.

"I'm an idiot? Well you're nothing but my second fiddle, so what does that make you?" Yuuki snickered, his insult triggering his teammate's volatile temper. Luciel tried to punch Yuuki, but the latter caught his forearm. "Exactly what I said. Second fiddle."

"That's enough!" Yoshiro reprimanded his students. "Shinobi who don't value their comrades are scum. The two of you have been working together for years, fighting flawlessly on the field, but I can never get you to stop bickering!"

Luciel was agitated, but even more than that, he was embarrassed. Reading in-between the lines of the situation, Yoshiro slowed his pace. "We need to talk."

"Look, I'm sorry for bickering with him all the time," Luciel apologized. "I'm just tired of being his shadow. That kid's been lazy since the academy, failing almost every class he took while I worked my ass off to get excellent grades. Even though he lacks a work ethic, he's always been considered the prodigy."

"You sound like me when I was your age." Yoshiro understood his student's point of view.

"What?"

"You've met my former teammate, Yamada Daisuke. I was always jealous of him, especially since he became Anbu commander. We got into a lot of fights back in the day, until I realized that every shinobi has their strengths and weaknesses. Daisuke was never promoted to jounin-status because he can only perform one nature transformation. He's still a tokubetsu jounin."

"Sensei, I've never met your third teammate. Is she still in the mist village?"

This silenced Yoshiro, filling the atmosphere with an unpleasant mood. His uplifting grin morphed into grief-stricken gloom. "Luciel, I need you to always remember something: Never take your comrades for granted. You never know how much you love something until it's gone..."

"... I can promise you that."

x--------------x

Surrounded by camellia, the Daimyo's palace was aesthetically beautiful. The large cylindrical building imitated the architecture of Kirigakure prior to it's modernization, despite being so far away from the city, out of sheer respect for the Third Mizukage.

The Daimyo, considerably younger than his past several predecessors, wore his traditional Daimyo headgear when approached by Yoshiro and his students. The shinobi bowed to their political leader, though the Daimyo showed a less formal attitude, inviting his escorts inside for tea and walking them through the carpet hallways into the golden dining hall.

"It's unbelievably dismal that the Seventh Mizukage died. I've always favored him among the leaders other villages," the Daimyo spoke, sipping his tea while the shinobi listened. "He always cut the ass-kissing bullshit when we talked. I was heartbroken to hear that a dear friend of mine had died at such a young age."

"I couldn't imagine the feeling of losing a close friend," Yoshiro responded. "Plenty of comrades have died since I became a shinobi, but never someone too close to me." He finished his cup of tea and refused a refill from the Daimyo's maid. Unlike his teammates, Luciel preferred sweetened tea, and asked for sugar.

"I'd love to continue talking," the Daimyo said, drinking his last drop. "But we should be heading out soon." The shinobi followed orders, escorting him to the hidden village. The Daimyo continued to converse with Yoshiro, discussing his opinions on the mist village's development, while they trek toward the hidden village.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

"My predecessor was often weary of Kirigakure's strength, fearing the threat it's military could impose. Civil wars in this country are often forsaken by bloodshed, with dozens of clans massacred to resolve trivial political disputes." the Daimyo said.

"Civil war is a genuine concern for the citizens of Kirigakure. Conflicts regarding the Mizukage's successor are inevitable." Yoshiro commented, reasonably worried of the recent confrontation between popular candidate Sakane Mototsune and the missing-ninja Shizuka Yuto, adverse contenders for the Mizukage office.

"My predecessor differs from me in many aspects, but we both assent on several things. I believe the shinobi are incredibly powerful, even in this time of peace. The Mizukage that I appoint will certainly quell any disturbances or conflicts in the village." The Daimyo said, reassuring his confidence in triumphant peace.

After trekking across the nation's elegant lakes and rivers, the shinobi soon reached the Valley of Yotsuga Pass, marked by it's tall mountains with alluring trees and wintry peaks. The valley's breeze was frigid, numbing the shinobi's skin with relentless shivers.

The mountains were typically surrounded by a haze of mist at night, concealing the hidden village; but in the daytime, Kirigakure was illuminated by bright sunlight, informing nearby travelers or tourists of it's beautiful buildings. The shinobi were close to their destination.

"I haven't seen the mist village in a while," the Daimyo said. "Last time I visited, video games were still a new invention. The Mizukage would normally be escorted to my office instead of vice-versa."

"You were elected shortly after the Forth Shinobi World War, right? It must've been a pain in your ass trying to fund the modernization era." Yoshiro commented.

"I became the Water Daimyo during the Sixth Mizukage's reign, so it was mostly my predecessor that dealt with that stuff. With the village's leaders kissing my boot every twenty minutes, my job has been more irritating than difficult."

Abruptly, Luciel's left eye twitched. He activated his byakugan and observed his surroundings. "What's wrong?" Yoshiro inquired his student. Suddenly, numerous needles of ice shot toward the Daimyo, but Luciel immediately exhaled a massive barrier of water to repel the needles. The shinobi were instantly on guard as two mercenaries emerged from the mist.

On the left was Kimura Daiki, a well-known ice release user with emerald hair and paper tag earrings, wearing a sleeve-less black top and navy pants. Confided in his brown camo belt were lightweight pouches carrying the blood of his massacred clan.

On the left was Hozuki Jingetsu, a well-known kenjutsu user with spiky black hair, wearing a battered cloak complimenting a bandaged mask. Yoshiro commanded his students, so the shinobi sprung to action. "I'll take the one on the left. You guys take the other one."

3

Yuuki quickly thought of a strategy, nodding to his teammates who already understood the plan. Luciel released a high pressure stream of water toward Jingetsu, prompting him to leap backward. Osame followed up with a quick sword strike, but Jingetsu liquefied his body, causing the blade to move through him.

Jingetsu responded with a swift kick, launching Osame backward. The shinobi landed on her feet and wiped blood from her nose with a smile. "Water Release: Water Shark Bomb Jutsu". With only a few hand seals, Osame propelled water in the shape of a large shark at the mercenary, causing Jingetsu to liquefy his arm and contain the technique.

Luciel watched the opponent closely, unraveling his every move with the byakugan. With a quick stroke of his blade, Jingetsu reflected a shuriken from Yuuki with ease. "You're effort is pitiful."

"Damn it," Yuuki cursed. "I wanna get a hit in somehow."

"You shouldn't. If you get too close, he'll cut your head off." Osame warned her comrade.

"I'm more adept than you think." Yuuki conjured several shadows clones to sprint toward the swordsman.

Jingetsu disregarded the figures running toward him, instead aiming for the most important body. "You're too incompetent to face someone like me!" All of a sudden, the doppelganger evaporated into a cloud of smoke, shocking the mercenary. That was only a clone, modeling as the original Yuuki while the real shinobi maneuvered behind his opponent.

"Ninja Art: Shadow Strangle Jutsu!" Yuuki's shadow manifested arms and hands, extending to Jingetsu's neck with a tight grasp. Jingetsu liquefied his body to pass through the shadows and solidified behind Yuuki.

"You're not that bad, honestly." Jingetsu said.

"I think you forget," Yuuki responded. "Water is vulnerable to lightning."

Yuuki created several shadow clones infused with lighting chakra. Jingetsu dodged the clones' strikes and threw kunai at their heads, forcing them to disperse into a lightning state, and proceeded toward his opponent. The two brawled with acrobatic punches and kicks deadlier than car crashes.

Luciel jumped next to his teammates after analyzing the mercenary's attack patterns. Osame joked, "Took you long enough."

"I know. I apologize."

Yuuki explained the circumstances of the battle. "This guy's reaction time is extremely fast, but he struggles when his guard is down. Hopefully we can use that to our advantage."

"I was already aware," Luciel said. "Trust me, you're not the only intelligent shinobi on the team."

Yuuki tried to punch Jingetsu but was effortlessly blocked. The mercenary followed up with a swift kick to the ankles. Yuuki almost tripped but managed to recover, striking Jingetsu several times in the stomach and launching him backward.

Luciel swiftly leaped behind Jingetsu, attempting to kick him into the ground, but Jingetsu caught his footing and threw Luciel into the air. Osame rushed toward Jingetsu with her sword, but Jingetsu's blade was swift enough to block the strike. "You're more proficient with the blade that I expected." Jingetsu applauded. He pressed his knee into Osame's back, cracking her spine, and kicked her into the air toward Luciel.

Yuuki threw an explosive tag at Jingetsu's feet, causing him to jump out of the explosion's radius. While in mid-air, Luciel threw Osame at the mercenary like a missile. Jingetsu blocked a punch from Osame with his forearms, not expecting Luciel to strike a tenketsu from behind.

"You were right," Yuuki said. You're actually stronger than I thought, Luciel..."

The chuunin reassembled, looking for a new strategy. Jingetsu attempted to slash through his opponents, causing Luciel to spit a barrier of water and buy time. "Shadow Stitching Jutsu!" Yuuki said, his shadows manifesting as several sharp needles that pierced through skin and tissue, throwing Jingetsu to the ground.

The three chuunin attempted to strike Jingetsu but were effortlessly outmaneuvered by his intangibility. Even in taijutsu, Jingetsu dominated the battle. "This is pretty fun! I could do this all day," Jingetsu said, mockingly. "But unfortunately, I don't have all day." His sword slashed through Yuuki's cheek and Luciel's back. Osame attempted to parry the opponent but was overwhelmed.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu!" Luciel shouted, performing a single hand seal and spitting water from his mouth. The water embodied the form of a dragon and crashed into the mercenary, dealing significant damage, as the chuunin caught their breaths.

Using the technique's fallout as a water source, the impaired Jingetsu created several clones that charged at Luciel. Using his Byakugan to detect the clones, Luciel threw a large fuma shuriken at the original Jingetsu, causing him to become intangible again. The shuriken unexpectedly changed direction, catching Jingetsu off guard and luring him to evade.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu!" Yuuki shouted. He created several shadow clones, using their shadows as extensions of his own. The shadow under his feet penetrated through the distracted Jingetsu's shadow, restraining the mercenary and surging electricity throughout his body.

Even in a liquefied state, Jingetsu was still vulnerable to the lightning chakra. Too damaged to move, all he could do was call out to Daiki... Then, he remembered those beautiful words from many years ago. "People that turn their backs on comrades are scum..."

When Jingetsu was younger, he was deemed physically unfit to be a shinobi. He failed the academy several times, developing a feeling of worthlessness.

"I'll show you, and everyone here, that I'm not weak!" Jingetsu shouted at his instructor.

"You'll never be a shinobi. Not in a million years!" The instructor made Jingetsu's heart sink, skipping a thousand beats and plummeting to the depths of a dark abyss where no fruit grows. Jingetsu ran away from the village, bawling his eyes out. All he ever wanted to be was a powerful shinobi...

"Why're you running?"

Jingetsu found himself unable to move; his legs refused to work, and all he could do was tremble in the presence of the mercenary. After all, Kimura Daiki had a reputation for murder.

"People that turn their backs on comrades are scum," Daiki said. "And I treat scum with a thirst for blood." Ever since then, Jingetsu and Daiki formed a brotherly bond. Under Daiki's tutelage, Jingetsu developed brutal abilities and was feared by the same village that doubted him; but his greatest catalyst was also his greatest weakness:

Doubting the mist shinobi...

4

Desperate to assassinate the Daimyo, an honorable commission for a mercenary, Kimura Daiki formed the ram seal with his hands, releasing the blood of his massacred clan from the pouches on his waistband and converting it into ice needles. Yoshiro eluded the needles with great swiftness, performing several hand seals of his own, and expelled a blue scorching flame from his mouth. "Blue Flame Art: Flame Bomb!"

Daiki quickly froze the wind around him, enclosing himself in a solid dome to protect himself from Yoshiro's jutsu. The blue flames slowly melted through the glacial barrier, allowing Daiki time to recuperate. The two shinobi fought to a stalemate in hand-to-hand combat with no clear advantage to either combatant, surprising Yoshiro of the assailant's pure skill. Daiki parried several strikes from his opponent, springing backward and shouting, "Ice Release: Ice Dragon Jutsu!" Suddenly, his family's blood froze, taking the shape of a dragon and advancing toward Yoshiro's direction.

"Your kekkei genkai is impressive," Yoshiro said, catching his breath. "Blue Flame Art: Dragon Flame Bomb!" The shinobi exhaled blue flames mimicking the dragon-esque shape. The two techniques clashed, causing the frozen blood to eventually melt. "You're starting to annoy me," Daiki said.

His family's blood took the shape of a sword, held in the hands of it's last survivor. "With this crimson spirit blade of the Kimura clan, I shall slay any enemy that stands before me."

They got ready for another go when they listened to the sounds coming from the mist, making Daiki smirk at what he was hearing. Yoshiro threw several shuriken, infusing them with lightning release chakra to increase their destructive capabilities. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" Daiki said, blowing the shuriken away with a powerful gust of wind.

"That blue fire of yours," Daiki interrupted the fight. "It's a kekkei genkai, isn't it? Possibly a combination of fire and lightning release chakra?" He was intrigued at the technique's unique color. Throughout his entire career as a mercenary, Daiki never saw a fire release technique with a blue appearance, capable of melting through his ice barriers.

"It's the kekkei genkai of the Kurogane clan." Yoshiro commented. He charged at Daiki, causing the mercenary to surround his fist with his family's frozen blood and counter with a swift punch to the gut. Yoshiro coughed, dodging a kick from Daiki and stabbing him in the leg with a kunai.

Daiki removed the kunai from his leg, encasing it with his family's frozen blood, and threw it at the shinobi. Yoshiro dodged, but the kunai unexpectedly rotated around him, lacerating his left eye. This eyeball gushed blood like a waterfall, clouding his already impaired vision.

Yoshiro clutched the wound, gritting his teeth, and placed a summoning contract in front of him. Dripping blood onto the paper, Yoshiro slammed his hand down with marvelous gallantry.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Yoshiro shouted. The legendary white tiger summoning of the Kurogane clan, Byakko, appeared out of thin air, leaving behind a trail of smoke. The tiger was gigantic, large enough to dwarf a susanoo, with a long tail and black patterns covering his body.

With an intimidating roar, Byakko created a large eruption of wind that pushed the mercenary back. Yoshiro mounted his summoning, finally turning the tables in battle.

"Ice Release: World of Eternal Winter," said Daiki. The ecosystem around the combatants froze at a rapid pace, creating a vast glacial forest cold enough to instantly turn water into ice.

"With this technique, I'll kill you within seconds." Frosted roots encompassed Yoshiro and his summoning, ensnaring Byakko with a tight grip capable of crushing mountains.

The pinnacle of ice release ninjutsu...

Yoshiro's summoning released an electrical discharge from every direction, slicing through the frosted roots with ease. As Byakko disappeared, Daiki was dumbfounded at the shinobi's technique, briefly trembling in place until his resolve encouraged him to continue fighting.

Yoshiro was acrobatic, dodging frozen roots with incredible flexibility. He was nauseated, feeling his heartbreak slow from hypothermia, but his adrenaline rush pushed him to persevere with all his might.

Daiki performed several hand signs with fascinating dexterity and slammed the floor with the palm of his hand. The ice beneathe Yoshiro's feet bared it's teeth into his legs, immobilizing him.

"Lightning Release: Thunder Genesis." Yoshiro unleashed a stream of violent electricity. The ice and lightning brutally collided, severing the icicles around the combatants.

Punch against punch, kick against kick, the battle between Yoshiro and Daiki was faster than the average human could witness.

Daiki braced the frozen blood sword, determined to finish the fight early. "I'll have no remorse when I run this blade through your neck."

Yoshiro produced a seal with his left hand and prepared to perform ninjutsu. "Blue Flame Art," he said, watching his opponent sprint with tremendous velocity. Barely avoiding the strike from the mercenary's blade, Yoshiro retaliated with a powerful counter-attack. "Big Flame Bomb!" He expelled a stream of blue fire from his mouth, critically wounding Daiki in the process.

Daiki collapsed with insufferable anguish but managed to salvage his diminishing vigor. His skin was blistering and visibly disfigured from the burns he suffered.

Initially struggling to stand, Daiki leered at his adversary with deep enmity. He dashed toward Yoshiro, gripping the hilt of his blade tightly, and circumvented several of the shinobi's kunai.

"That boy over there," Yoshiro noticed the young Hozuki. "I'll make sure he's safe."

The jounin pierced Daiki's heart with a small dagger, causing the mercenary to abruptly halt and cough blood. Jingetsu, injured from his encounter with the chuunin, hastily crawled toward his mentor, weeping as Daiki's consciousness slowly began to fade.

"It's okay," Daiki said, refusing to implore survival. "I've been confronting death for a while now, so I guess it's finally time to see my family again..." Daiki gathered the blood of his clan into his pouch, adding in a bit of his own blood, and touched his pupil's cheek with cold hands.

"Promise me you won't let me die in vain. Avenge my fallen clan, Jingetsu. I believe in your strength, and I assure you that I'll always remain beside you throughout this dark, scary road. Please reach toward the light at the end of the tunnel..."

"... People that turn their backs on comrades are scum."

Daiki succumbed to his wounds, leaving Jingetsu in desolation. He glanced at his mentor's killer, infuriated with bloodthirsty desire. The cold weather froze the somber tears flooding from his eyes and running down his face.

"You shinobi are all scum!" Jingetsu cried. "So kill me, torment me, turn your back on me! You're all sick, twisted bastards! Every last one of you!"

"Who sent you?" Yoshiro demanded an answer, but Jingetsu neglected to respond, instead fleeing with Daiki's corpse on his shoulders. The chuunin braced to pursue the mercenary, but Yoshiro silently turned down their proposal with the elevation of his hand.

Sometimes, it's better to let people grieve...