A/N - Thank you, maxime gm, hachetnif, Stephen James, Monkey D. Murda and Louis Kasser for supporting Azure Awakening!

  The moment Maki sensed she was facing two opponents, her approach changed.

  She shot a glance at Mei, who was already ready to jump in. It was a silent signal telling her to stay out of the duel.

  Mei frowned as she was clearly dissatisfied with Maki’s decision. There was no need to risk her life unnecessarily. Still, she chose to obey and grumbled,

  ‘’

  Maki wasn’t telling her to stay back because she wanted to take on both alone. The presence she felt was different, it was even stronger than Mangetsu. Mei would be in danger if she joined and Maki had yet to use even half her chakra.

  Her chakra flared, the layer around her body thickening as surged.

  Mangetsu’s glare turned sharp as he sneered at his new ally.

  “Why did you come? This fight is one-on-one.”

  His companion, who had transformed into Mangetsu, didn’t even look at him.

  “I don’t care about your honor and pride. We are not losing Samehada. And you are clearly not her opponent. She hasn’t even used her full power yet.” His voice was cold and laced with mockery.

  Mangetsu’s expression darkened. If looks could kill, the other guy would be dead already.

  Their conversation was interrupted as Maki appeared in front of the real Mangetsu and swung Samehada straight for his head.

  Mangetsu already knew that by gradually lessening the impact with his blades, he could block her strikes. But the moment the two legendary weapons clashed, a shockwave tore through his body, sending him flying again.

  However, this time, Maki didn’t chase him. Instead, she turned to face her new opponent and the moment she did, she was met with a kick which was already closing in.

  Maki raised her arm to block to stop the attack and was going to counter with Samehada, but her opponent followed up immediately with a barrage of water bullets.

  Maki was forced to flip backward, dodging the attacks before landing smoothly.

  The moment her feet touched the ground, she saw her opponent forming hand seals.

  “Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave.”

  She didn’t recognize the technique, but the sheer amount of chakra building up told her it was dangerous.

  She was about to charge, but before she could even move, a figure wrapped in blue lightning appeared mid-air in front of her opponent.

  A swinging kick connected, sending the enemy flying.

  A landed on the ground, puffing his chest proudly. Lightning surged around him. At that moment, no one could argue that Raikage had a domineering aura.

  “This fight is over,” he declared. “The winner is Takimura.”

  Then, A turned his glare toward Mangetsu, who had already returned.

  “Is this how you behave in the presence of your Kage? Or do you not see us as worthy of your respect?”

  The spite in his tone was sharper than any blade.

  “Not only did you violate the rules of a one-on-one fight, but you also insulted the Kage acting as witnesses.”

  Mangetsu clenched his jaw, he was furious. But he was not angry because of A.

  ‘’

  He was enraged, but there was nothing he could do.

  He exhaled sharply and bowed his head slightly.

  “I apologize for my companion. I will report everything to Lord Mizukage when we return.”

  It was all he could do, accept defeat and hope the Mizukage would forgive him.

  A didn’t reply. He simply turned and strode back toward the Kumo delegation, his lightning armor fading with every step.

  As he passed Maki, he glanced at her, but his gaze was no longer sharp and commanding, instead it was warm and full of respect.

  “It was a great fight. If possible, I’d like to spar with you sometime,” he murmured before picking up his pace.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  Maki blinked in surprise.

  The gruff, impatient Raikage, the man who had grumbled and scoffed at almost everything, was showing her respect - a shinobi from a small, remote village.

  But she didn’t dwell on it. She simply nodded and returned a polite smile before turning toward the Takimura delegation.

  As she walked away, the mist that had once swallowed the battlefield slowly began to fade.

  In the Land of Water, in a remote village tucked away from prying eyes, one room was particularly crowded. Many people had gathered. People, who shared the same thing - anger and resentment toward the Kirigakure. They all had grim expressions, eyes filled with quite anger, but one man stood out the most among them - Zabuza Momochi.

  He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He exuded silent authority as his presence was further intensified by the massive Kubikiribocho resting on his back.

  Most of the people in the room were either small clan leaders, exiled shinobi, or family members of those who had been sacrificed under Yagura’s rule. They had all suffered and they had all come looking for a way to end it.

  A grizzled man, who was blind in his left eye, coughed loudly catching everyone’s attention. “We all know why we’re here. Kiri’s been rotting from the inside out for years, but taking down Yagura is not something we can just do on a whim.”

  Another voice cut in. “No one’s talking about just marching into the damn Mizukage’s office. We’ve seen what happens to those who try.”

  Zabuza also spoke. “We aren’t marching anywhere. We’re waiting.”

  A younger shinobi, who was barely twenty, frowned. “Waiting? For what? More of our people to get butchered?”

  Zabuza pushed off the wall. The whole room fell silent as he stepped forward. He scanned the room and answered calmly, however, there was a hint of annoyance in his voice. “For the right moment. And that moment’s coming.”

  There was a beat of silence before an older woman spoke. “You’re talking about the war with Takimura.”

  Zabuza nodded. “It’s inevitable. Takimura has been growing stronger and The Mizukage has already given an order to prepare the army. We’ve already seen what their shinobi can do. Kiri won’t let them keep rising and Takimura won’t back down. It won’t be long before they start killing each other.”

  A low murmur spread through the room.

  A man, who had been silent all this time, asked. “And we use that to make our move?”

  Zabuza’s lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “Exactly. When Kiri’s forces are focused on them and Yagura’s attention will be split. That’s when we strike.”

  One of the clan leaders grunted. “You think it’ll be that easy? We’re talking about a Jinchuriki. He’s not just some tyrant sitting on a throne, he’s a monster.”

  Zabuza tilted his head slightly. “I know what he is. But even he has limits. If we make the right moves, force the right openings, we can end this.”

  A woman from before narrowed her eyes. “And what if Takimura falls first? What if Yagura wipes them out before we even get a chance?”

  Zabuza didn’t blink. “Then we don’t wait. If Takimura starts losing, we accelerate the plan. The more chaos in Kiri, the better.”

  The room fell into another tense silence, some faces were set with determination, others with doubt.

  An older man, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. “We need more than just that the war will work in our favor. We need numbers, weapons, safe routes through the city. We need someone on the inside.”

  Zabuza exhaled through his nose. “We’re working on that. There are still people in Kiri who hate Yagura as much as we do. Some of them are willing to help.”

  The younger shinobi from before scoffed. “And what about the Seven Swordsmen? Even if you turn on Kiri, the others won’t. You think you can take them all?”

  Zabuza’s expression didn’t change. “If it comes to that, I will.”

  The murmurs picked up again, this time more divided.

  A man with a blind eye shook his head. “We’re running out of time. People are dying every day. We need to decide now.”

  The older woman from before shot him a sharp look. “Decide what? That we throw our lives away without a plan?”

  Zabuza let the conversation go on. He wasn’t going to force anyone to move before they were ready. But he had already made his decision.

  Yagura had to fall.

  And when the war between Takimura and Kiri began, the blood in the streets wouldn’t only belong to the shinobi on the battlefield.

  Akura flipped through reports in his new office. He had ordered Takimura to invest everything they could afford into supplies. They were preparing for a prolonged, grueling siege.

  ‘’

  The entire strategy hinged on one person - Suiren. If she failed to stop Yagura, Takimura would be doomed. There was no one else in the village capable of standing against a Jinchuriki.

  Just then, a figure flickered before him.

  “We’ve finally tracked him down,” Tenma reported as soon as he appeared. His voice was as flat and emotionless as ever. Tenma was a perfect shinobi, it was like he had no personal opinion when it came to missions. He would do anything he was ordered.

  Akura’s eyes narrowed. “Is he willing to visit us?”

  Tenma didn’t hesitate. “No. He told the Oinin who found him that he won’t be choosing sides. He doesn’t see a difference between Takimura and Kiri.”

  Akura exhaled slowly and leaned back in his chair. He had hoped for a different answer, but deep down, he had expected this.

  ‘’

  He nodded, pushing away his disappointment. “Alright. We can’t afford to send one of our elites to persuade him. Let’s be content that he won’t be siding with Kiri, at least.”

  Takimura had been trying to recruit Utakata, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, but it was clear now that their efforts were wasted.

  “Try contacting Zabuza instead,” Akura ordered. “If he’s willing to work with us, that alone would be a huge advantage.”

  They had obtained intelligence that Zabuza was plotting a rebellion. That in itself was good news, but the real concern was that if Takimura had discovered it, then so had Kiri.

  “Also, warn him that Yagura most likely already knows.”

  Tenma nodded in acknowledgment, then paused briefly before delivering his next report.

  “There’s news from Maki and Mei. They will return tomorrow. Mei’s report states that we’ve obtained one-fourth of the Dragon Vein Crystal share, but the most important detail…” He hesitated for a fraction of a second before continuing. “Maki faced both Kisame Hoshigaki and Mangetsu Hozuki… and won.”

  Akura’s eyes widened in surprise.

  “She also obtained Samehada,” Tenma added, gesturing toward the report he had placed on Akura’s desk.

  For the first time in a long while, Akura felt something other than exhaustion - excitement.

  His fingers tightened slightly around the edges of the report.

  He was from an older generation. He knew exactly what that blade meant for the Takime clan.

  ‘’

  A rare smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

  “You did well, Tenma,” he said with a warm smile.

  Then, rubbing his temples, he let out a tired sigh.

  “I’ll take a short nap to recover. Wake me if I’m needed.”

  He stood up, stretching the stiffness from his shoulders before heading toward the adjacent room.

  His bedroom was here now. There was no time to go home, no time to rest properly.

  Takimura’s future was hanging by a thread. And Akura couldn’t afford to waste a single moment.

  <<<>>>

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