Welcome back to the Smoke and Mirrors AU.

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“Halt, and identify!” The voice came from one of the Samurai. Hattori halted, extending his hand out in front of Yuta to stop him as well. They waited, ten meters away from the Samurai, for several seconds before answering.

“We hail from the Yanmaru Clan, several days travel east of here.” Yuta identified their Clan, waiting for their response before offering any further information.

One of the Samurai left the guard post after receiving an order from the one who seemed to be in charge. Hattori vaguely heard something about validating whether or not the Clan was registered.

“Why have you stopped us? It was not more than two weeks prior that entry was not so convoluted.” Yuta spoke again.

“Matters best left in the hands of capable Samurai.” Was the simple reply. They stood for nearly half an hour before the Samurai that had left returned, with a scroll in hand. The leader took it, reading it over, before speaking.

“Do either of you bear the name of Yuta Yanmaru?”

Yuta gave Hattori a glance. He looked at the boy, then the Samurai, before whispering.

“If you give your name, be prepared. They would not ask without reason. Is your Bochigan’s time perception active?”

“Yes, Hattori-san. “ His voice raised to speak to the Samurai. “I am the one named Yuta Yanmaru. Why do you ask?”

Hattori’s eyes narrowed. Something was wrong with this picture. He squinted, looking into the eyes of the Samurai at the gate of Yamatari City.

Their swords were drawn in an instant, racing towards the pair of Yanmaru. It was then, when they were just barely closer, he saw it – in the eyes of each were three tomoe. It was lightly imprinted, a vague, ghastly red hue overlaid the base colour of their normal eyes.

Hattori flickered his Dojutsu. He could not see it without his Bochigan activated. By now, Hattori and Yuta had already jumped back, both weaving handsigns for –

“Katon: Endan no Jutsu!”

“Katon: Endan no Jutsu!”

– for the Endan no Jutsu. Bullets of flame spat from their mouths, both around the same size as Hattori’s torso. The Samurai didn’t even react, charging forward as if there wasn’t Ninjutsu hurling towards them.

The two Endan’s hit simultaneously, blasting five of the dozen backwards. Hattori heard Yuta curse from beside him as they sustained no real damage. The Bochigan screamed at him; his instincts roared louder than any beast to turn.

His tanto was within his grip in less than a sixth of a second, his arm flung up to block the blade of another who had appeared right beside him.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Immediately, the man jumped back. He wore the standard Samurai armour, though tinted light-red. On his forehead was a band marked by a paper-fan symbol. His eyes widened as he recognized it;

“Uchiha!” Both of the Yanmaru jumped back even further as the advancing Samurai continued on their mad dash towards the two. Now that he had the sense to look, Hattori’s eyes met with the Uchiha’s. Bright red, with three tomoe spinning lazily.

“He must have control over the Samurai somehow. If we kill them, we’ll be on the Daimyo’s shitlist.” Hattori spoke quickly as he engaged in Taijutsu against seven of the Samurai. His Bochigan guided his movements into absolute fluidity.

The Samurai couldn’t land a solid blow on him. Yuta fought against five, in much the same situation as himself. Hattori grunted as he smashed his fist upwards into the jaw of one. The man dropped like a boulder, collapsing.

He weaved through several attacks as he tried to escape the encirclement. The Samurai, for some reason, had yet to draw their blades.

His control over them must not be nuanced enough for swordplay. Or perhaps, he just isn’t skilled enough to– Hattori’s thoughts were interrupted as his arm shot up to grab a Kunai aimed directly at his forehead. The Uchiha had thrown it. –to make it worthwhile.

Hattori pocketed the Kunai and knocked a second Samurai out with an elbow to the temple of his head. He spared a glance towards Yuta. The boy had taken out two so far, as well. It was only a few seconds after the Kunai the Uchiha had thrown that Hattori heard a second weapon slice through the air. But it was different this time.

It was the sound of a sword, and one Hattori knew all too well.

“Yuta, no! We can’t kill them!” He spun, ploughing his elbow into the throat of a third guard. He wouldn’t be getting up from that one any time soon. He was allowed a brief moment of respite. His eyes flitted towards Yuta, who was soaked in blood.

The Samurai that once surrounded him were now bleeding out on the ground, the Sharingan that had once covered their eyes was gone, even to his Bochigan. “Ah, shit.” Hattori sighed and withdrew his own tanto, slaughtering the Samurai surrounding him as well. At best, he guessed, these guys were around Low-Chunin. The real issue was their armour and the fact he couldn’t kill them before.

It took only a single strike for each before their heads were separated from their bodies. He stabbed those he had already knocked down in the hearts, ensuring they would not get up again. With eyes cold as ice, he looked up at the Uchiha.

“Who are you?”

“Who am I?” The man smiled, as he leaned back against the redwood Torii gate that served as the entrance to the City.

“My name is Yuugito Uchiha.” Hattori sucked in a breath, seeing Yuta tense next to him, eyes narrowed as well. “And you, Yuta-san, are wanted by the Uchiha Clan for murdering one of our own.”

“Yuugito Uchiha,” Hattori spoke coldly. “Yuta Yanmaru is not at fault for the murder of any Uchiha. He acted in self defense, and in vengeance of Seigo Yanmaru. Your Uchiha clansmen slaughtered him.”

“As is the fate for all of those who are weak in this world.” Yuugito’s cold reply did not shock Hattori, but Yuta was enraged by it.

“Seigo Yanmaru was not weak, you demonic bastard!” Yuta almost managed to race towards the Uchiha before Hattori caught him by the scruff of his collar.

“Not now, Yuta. We need to leave. Standing above the corpses of dead Samurai is a good way to have a Samurai battalion sent to our Clan.”

Yuta looked hatefully at the Uchiha, spitting in his direction. The man merely smiled.

“And who allowed you to leave?” Yuugito’s voice sent chills down Hattori’s spine.

The man wanted them dead.

They wanted him dead.

The gates of Yamatari City would have to be their battlefield, and if anyone saw them, his entire Clan was screwed to the Impure Lands and back. Hattori cursed in his mind. A-Rank mission my ass. This shit… fuck.

“Yuta, how long do you think it will take for Samurai to notice this, and arrive here?” Yuta’s scowl turned to a small frown as he thought, and answered.

“At the speed of the average Samurai, at least an hour. Most of them are stationed in the north of the city, opposite of us, where the City Lord resides.” Hattori nodded before shifting his focus back to the Uchiha.

“Yuugito Uchiha, by the end of the hour, you will lay dead at our feet.”

The Uchiha scoffed, staring into their eyes, as the world turned on its head. They heard the man’s distorted voice, warbling demonically, from all directions. Neither Hattori or Yuta could see each other or the Uchiha.

“If you can see me dead at your feet, those eyes of yours must be more pitiful than I imagined.”

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“You bitch! A cliffhanger? Really?”

Womp womp, anyway, here’s our first real fight. No, the ‘Yuugito Hunting Arc’ is nowhere near done. A lot of shit is about to go down real fast, and all Hattori can do is pray none of it splatters near him. With that said, see you next chapter