Chapter 26: Cloud village

**Chapter 25**

The mist hung motionless between us. Six people, three kunai still drawn, no one willing to be the first to blink.

I kept my blade light against the soft skin of Samui’s neck, close enough that she could feel the cold edge but not enough to draw blood. My own breathing stayed slow and measured. Somewhere behind me Sakura’s weight pressed down on Karui’s arm. Sasuke stood rigid under Omoi’s blade. The thick white fog swallowed sound, turning every small shift of cloth or soft scrape of boot into something louder than it should have been.

I studied their faces while the seconds stretched. The names sat just out of reach for a moment, then clicked into place one by one like puzzle pieces I had seen years ago on a screen.

The dark-skinned girl under Sakura’s knee was Karui. In the original timeline she had beaten Naruto black and blue while he refused to fight back. I still didn’t fully remember the reason—only the image of her fists and his stubborn, almost stupid refusal to hit a girl. The tall, anxious one holding the kunai to Sasuke’s neck was Omoi. Always thinking three steps ahead, always worrying about the worst outcome. And the blonde woman in front of me... Samui. When I first saw her in the anime I had thought she would get a much bigger role. She never did. That didn’t change the fact that she was strikingly attractive up close—calm grey eyes, long golden hair that the mist clung to in fine droplets, the quiet confidence of someone used to being in control.

I kept my voice even and nodded toward the girl under Sakura’s knee.

"Let’s start with you. What’s your name?"

Karui’s teeth were clenched so hard the muscles in her jaw stood out. Anger and fear mixed in her expression. "Karui."

I shifted my gaze to the young man behind Sasuke. "And you?"

"Omoi," he answered, kunai still pressed to Sasuke’s neck. His eyes flicked constantly between Samui and the rest of us, clearly running through every possible worst-case scenario in rapid succession. A bead of sweat slid down his temple despite the cool air.

Finally I looked at the blonde. She met my stare without flinching. The mist drifted past her face in slow ribbons.

"Samui."

"Kael—" I caught myself before the wrong name fully left my mouth. "Naruto. These two are Sasuke and Sakura. We’re from the Leaf Village. We were told not to give that information, but as a show of goodwill we are."

Samui’s eyes narrowed a fraction. The silence that followed felt heavier than the mist. Somewhere far off, water dripped from a leaf in a steady, lonely rhythm. I could feel Sakura’s breathing behind me—tight, controlled. Sasuke hadn’t moved a muscle. Omoi’s kunai trembled almost imperceptibly.

"Alright," Samui said at last. Her voice was low and steady, the kind of tone that didn’t need volume to carry authority. "How about we all back off?"

"Fine," I answered. "But your side first." I glanced pointedly at Omoi.

Omoi looked to Samui for confirmation. She gave a small, almost invisible nod. He exhaled through his nose, the sound sharp in the quiet, then stepped back and lowered the kunai. Only then did Sakura release Karui’s arm and rise in one smooth motion. I slid my own blade back into my belt in the same instant. The metallic whisper of steel against cloth sounded too loud.

The tension didn’t disappear—it simply changed shape. Everyone’s shoulders remained tight. Hands stayed close to weapons. Eyes still measured distances and angles.

Samui kept her hands visible and open at her sides. "We’re from the Cloud Village. If I’m right, you’re here about the same beast we are."

"Yes."

A fraction of the readiness left everyone’s posture, but no one fully relaxed. Samui turned her head slightly and raised her voice just enough to carry through the mist without echoing.

"Mabui. Stand down."

Leaves rustled high above us. A fourth figure dropped lightly from a thick branch, landing a few meters away with barely a sound. White hair, dark skin, calm professional expression, the same Cloud flak jacket. Mabui. She had been watching the entire time, poised and silent, ready to intervene the moment the standoff turned bloody.

I felt a thin smile tug at the corner of my mouth. They had been in control of the board from the start. We had walked straight into their surveillance net and only survived the first contact because both sides chose not to push the blades home.

They’re good, I thought.

The seven of us stood in the thick mist at the edge of the border, kunai finally sheathed, the unknown beast still somewhere out there in the trees. The real mission had just begun.

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Give me power!!!