"Captain, is the mission target confirmed?"
In the misty forests bordering the Land of Grass, a group of masked Kirigakure Anbu—silent, lethal, and clad in gray armor—moved swiftly through the shadows. One of them carried a girl bound and unconscious across his back.
Rin Nohara.
A young Konoha medic-nin. And the secret weapon of their mission.
Though the battle between Konoha's Team Minato and Iwa-nin had already erupted not far away, these Kirigakure operatives had no intention of joining it. Their orders were clear: plant the Three-Tails within this girl's body and allow her to return to Konoha. When the seal inevitably failed, the rampaging tailed beast would destroy the village from within.
"Yes, Captain. We've secured the host," said one Anbu quietly.
The leader nodded. "Good. Keep moving. We're not here to understand why the Mizukage chose this girl. Only to obey."
Another Mist ninja muttered under his breath, "Still… to use a child like this, even if it hurts Konoha…"
"Enough," the captain snapped. "Doubting the orders is above your paygrade. Finish the seal and withdraw."
Elsewhere, amidst the fading mists of battle...
"Hmph. Two kekkei genkai?"
Uchiha Kai stood over the collapsed form of Terumi Mei, her breathing shallow. She had fought fiercely, wielding both Boil and Lava Release, but ultimately succumbed to Kai's strange genjutsu, Arashiki.
Kai narrowed his eyes, studying her masked face. The chakra signature confirmed it—it was her. A prodigy of the Hidden Mist. Future Mizukage, if time unfolded as it should.
But what was she doing here, during the Third Shinobi War?
Could his presence—an anomaly in this era—have rippled out and changed events?
He exhaled slowly. "Doesn't matter."
Fate was cruel. If she died here, someone else would take her place. Just as Obito once had.
He pressed his blade gently to her neck, not to kill yet, but to question.
"Why did you come here, Terumi Mei? What's Kirigakure really planning?"
She remained silent, defiant even in defeat.
"I won't tell you anything," she rasped. "Do what you want."
Before Kai could respond, a voice echoed through the trees.
"Stop!"
From the mist, a one-eyed man emerged—Ao—his Byakugan visibly active. On his back was the wounded form of Hyūga Aya, barely conscious.
Ao halted twenty meters away, cautious.
"Release her," he said coldly, "or I kill your comrade."
Kai raised a brow, amused. "Are you bargaining the life of a Hyūga branch member for a Mist kunoichi with dual bloodlines? That's bold."
Ao's jaw clenched but didn't respond. He knew the stakes—Terumi Mei was more than a comrade. She was hope for Kirigakure's future.
"I propose a trade," Ao said carefully. "Let her go. I release this girl. Then we part ways."
Kai's blade nicked Mei's neck, drawing a thread of blood.
"You're assuming you'll live long enough to negotiate."
But he didn't move yet. Instead, he studied Ao. The man was serious. Calm. Dangerous.
And somewhere in the distance, chakra signatures shifted. One of them... felt warped. Familiar.
Obito.
Time was running out.