They were like shadows in the night, impossible to spot and incredibly deadly. Their resolve was as sharp as their blades, and their hearts were as cold as steel. These men had been trained and hardened from a young age and had been prepared to take on the worst that the world had to offer, and they did so on a daily basis. They were the shadows of The Village Hidden in the Leaves, the greatest hunters that the shinobi knew. They were Konohagakure no Kato’s ANBU Black Ops, and their leader made his way towards his destiny with a smile on his face that was hidden behind the mask that he wore to protect his identity. His partner had no way of knowing it, but this would be the last ANBU mission that either of them would ever do. He was only smiling because he knew that he was getting one step closer to his goals, the part that came next would truly kill him inside. He loved his village and all of its people and he knew that what he was doing, he did for them, but it didn’t make the action any harder to think of.

It hurt him to think that he was leaving his village, his beloved home, and a place that he held dearer to his heart than anything else. He would never let it show but his entire body was trembling from the realisation of what it was he had to do. He had to leave his village, his people, his home. He would have to kill one of his friends and then he could never truly go home ever again. The Sword Saint of Konoha knew that this was not going to be an easy path to follow, but he would follow it to the end anyway, his resolve being as steel. He rested his hand on the hilt of his Katana, the Seijin no Ken, or Sword of the Saint, as he often did and it reassured him as he made his way towards the place where they assumed that the camp they were looking for was located. He could see the sleek form of the cheetah running at his side and he smiled once more, remembering he would never have to go through these tough times alone and that no matter what he would always have Chisoku at his side.

The Sword Saint had remembered that the last time he came to Sunagakure no Sato, it was nearly impossible to find the missing nin Synn Karisuma, but that Chisoku had also been pivotal in his search. He had instructed the cheetah to look for much of the same thing, seek out a scent that doesn’t belong, look for the smell of home; the smell of trees and grass. When last they had come here, Chisoku had led him directly to the Karisuma compound, where Synn was inside attempting to murder his entire clan. Mitsuo would later learn that the elders of the Karisuma clan were selling their beautiful younger members into the sex trade or as slaves, and Mitsuo was absolutely disgusted by hearing this. One thing he had not told anybody at the end of his mission, though, was that he had personally ended the lives of all of the elders of the Karisuma clan. He wasn’t sure if Synn was even still conscious at that point, but he had hoped that the conclusion of his mission would allow the poor young Karisuma boy to rest easily, as Mitsuo plunged a blade through his heart to complete his mission, and plucked the eyes out of his face.

He almost stopped for a second to think that this was the first time he was seeing Sunagakure no Sato through new eyes, the Karusima eye having been implanted in him shortly after his mission to kill Synn. One of the side effects to the surgery that Mitsuo had gone through (or the butchery really, as the medic had used a kunai to rip the eye out of his face) was that he had been given his full sight back, and he could see better than he ever could. He wished he would have a change to go back to Kirigakure no Sato and visit the handsome young nin that had saved his life and thank him once again in person, but he wasn’t sure if he would ever get that chance. He gazed out over the sand dunes and could see the small details that he wasn’t able to before, though in the desert there really wasn’t much to look at. He could honestly say that this was probably his least favorite place that he had ever visited. He had no issues with the people who lived here, but the scenery was boring, and the heat unbearable.

The three of them searched for about an hour before Chisoku’s tail began to flick towards the east and Mitsuo saw what he was referring to. He could see that there was smoke and the glow from a fire, and was able to make out the sound of voices. If he was lucky these were the people he had been searching for, and if not he would not really care at this point, as all he needed to do was leave some bodies behind and fake his own death, one of those bodies being that of Kitsune. He motioned for Kitsune to circle from the right as he took the left and Chisoku disappeared from view, Mitsuo imagined he would be going somewhere so that he would be able to flag the young Sword Saint if any trouble was arriving. Mitsuo had always loved the connection that he and Chisoku saved, as it had saved his life on more occasions than he cared to remember. The white fluff of the tail tip was still in a place where Mitsuo would be able to see it at all times and he would be able to see if Chisoku sensed any danger from this. As soon as Mitsuo got into his position, he found who he was looking for…

(1023/2500)

The short white hair on the impressive man who was walking out of the largest tent in the lot made him easy to spot, but that was not the main thing that Mitsuo noticed first when he saw Okakura Hatake. The older missing nin was renowned for his use of a shield and sword, which was surprisingly rare in the shinobi world. The infamous shield that he carried, titled Anvil, was placed on his back and his broadsword hung by his side. This sword was known as “Reaper” and it was the one that the Hokage wished to have in his possession or at least the former Hokage wanted it back. That sword had spilled much Konohan blood, and Okakura Hatake was a man who truly made Mitsuo sick. He walked around the fire and everything about him got Mitsuo’s blood boiling, until he began to speak. The vile man’s words, Mitsuo Hiruzen Sarutobi was sure, would be like venom burning into the soul of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, but much to his surprise that wasn’t the case at all.

“My brothers and sisters,” the despicable ex jounin of the Leaf started out, Mitsuo was already wanting to jump on him but his training had taught him better. Even for the Sword Saint of Konoha, this would not be an easy fight and he had to be careful. “We are here because we all have something in common. We are here because we have all been wronged.” Typical missing nin thought process, and of course the assembled guards loved every second of it, agreeing and nodding though not being too loud as their leader continued his speech. “And the cause of these wrongs is the deep rooted corruption that runs through the veins of the village that we all love. We have all been wronged by corrupt politicians and officials, friends who have betrayed us and family members who cast us out for our beliefs.” He spat on the ground and Mitsuo’s eyes went wide in shock. These men knew of what he had become privy to only recently, they knew of the corruption in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and they were a lot more like him than he had realised. He shook his head, his mission was still the same, no matter how noble the goals of the man who was in charge.

Mitsuo had failed to hear the sound behind him and didn’t realise that one of the guards had spotted the glint of his great sword. He wasn’t expecting it to happen and was so focused on listening to the story that the leader of the group was telling that he hadn’t heard the footsteps behind him. It was a rookie mistake and Mitsuo knew it. He felt a fist slam into his ribs and he felt a telltale crack as the wind expelled from his lungs out of his mouth. He turned around quickly and noticed a heavily muscled man in front of him who looked like a mountain. He couldn’t believe the size of this man, or the odd sound that was emanating from his mouth. Mitsuo’s ears were ringing after the hit and he didn’t quite realise that the man was warning the others of the intruders, but it didn’t take him long to figure it out. He quickly grabbed the bastard sword on his back in his left hand and began to swing it down, having the blade completely vertical and then slightly forward before putting his right hand up near the hilt and adding extra speed and force into the swing, which would cleave right into the mountain of a man’s right shoulder, splitting him from the neck down into his abdomen.

Mitsuo didn’t flinch for a second, quickly realising that the man was instinctively swinging his fist at him. He couldn’t pull the sword free quickly enough to use it to block and wasn’t entirely sure what to do so he instead let go with his left hand and in one fluid motion he drew Seijin no Ken from his holder and sliced the man’s arm clean off, avoiding and damage that would have befallen him. He then put the sword away once more and placed his foot on the man’s chest, using both hands to pull his bastard sword free once more. He could hear the telltale sound of battle happening in the camp, realising now that Kitsune had caused a distraction for him by running in and attacking his enemies, something that Mitsuo would have normally considered to be foolish, but in this circumstance he wasn’t complaining. He saw two more of the guards running towards him and he clenched his teeth, bringing his arms up to bare and his great sword back in its place on his back, and began to form hand signs after quickly removing his mask.

He formed the three hand signs required for the jutsu he was about to perform, horse, monkey and bird, and then moved his hands up to his list, expelling a haze from his mouth that quickly grew into a large mass of moving grey dust particles. The speed of the jutsu was astounding and Mitsuo almost felt sorry for the man who was about to get hit by it, but not quite. He could see the man still coming forward at him, his friend being wise and going to try to flank Mitsuo. As the cloud collided with his body, Mitsuo watched and smiled amusedly as the man’s entire body disintegrated and all that was left of the man and the technique was a cloud of red mist. He had never had the chance to use that technique on another human before and had always wondered what it would be like. He watched as the second guard came around, katana brought to bear and swinging down at Mitsuo’s neck and reacted with lightning speed, pulling the tanto from its dormant position and bringing it up quickly to block the blade. He then kicked the man in the abdomen, causing him to bend forward, and then drew Seijin no Ken once more, the quick fluid motion cleaving clear through the man’s neck in one quick swish and thud as the separated head hit the ground.

Mitsuo, putting the mask in his pouch, made his way towards the center of the camp, where Kitsune had dispatched of one of the guards and was currently engaged with the other, which Mitsuo saw as a perfect opportunity. He formed a horse hand sign and moved it in front of his mouth, moulding the fire chakra deep in his throat and expelling it all as black heavy gunpowder laced ash which made its way over to where the fight was taking place. He waited until the moment when it was completely surrounding both the guard and Kitsune, and then he bit down on the flint that he kept lodged in his teeth.

K-TCH!

The fire incinerated everything caught inside of it, including both of the combatants who fell into piles of ash on the ground. The leader of the group of dead ninja stared at the man in front of him, his shield “Anvil” in one hand and his sword “Reaper” clutched tightly in the other. Mitsuo smiled a twisted smile and pulled his bastard sword back out, holding it with the tip towards the ground in a fools guard as he waited for his opponent to advance. His opponent held his shield and sword in a gunslinger stance, his sword behind his head and his shield in front of his body, which was a good stance to choose against an opponent like Mitsuo, though it wouldn’t really help him.

“I must admit, you are quite impressive,” The Hatake said, the look on his face fiery and determined. “I should have expected it though, you are the Sword Saint of Konoha.” Mitsuo was a little surprised that the man knew this, and then realised how. He had removed his mask earlier and had completely forgotten about it. The man continued to speak, “You know, Mitsuo, I know who really killed your family. I know what really happened to them. They were killed by Konohagakure no Kato’s corruption, and that is the reason you stand before me today without a family, and the reason you have been sent to hunt me, one who knows the truth, as were all the others who died.” Mitsuo’s smile didn’t leave his face as he waited for the shieldman to advance at him.

“Okakura Hatake,” Mitsuo’s voice was cold and collected, and he spoke as clearly as he could. “I am sorry that it has had to come to this. You are the only thing that currently stands in my way of saving The Village Hidden in the Leaves.” Okakura cocked his head behind his shield, listening to Mitsuo’s words carefully. “I have left my village, like you, because I love it and wish to see the corruption driven out. I do not believe that it can be done from within the village however and that it needs to be taken care of from outside, from a shadow hero, from someone like me.” Okakura smirked as well before gritting his teeth and stepping towards mitsuo, his weapon ready to strike.

“Well, if you are telling the truth, young Sarutobi, then the man who wins our duel will have the honour of saving our village.” With those words he stepped in and charged at Mitsuo, shield out as Mitsuo brought the tip of his weapon up quickly, not waiting to see if Okakura reacted in the way that he wanted, but hoping that he did. The jab was meant to bring the shield up over the opponent’s eyes, and it had achieved exactly what Mitsuo had hoped as he took two steps to the right of his opponent, completely hiding his body behind the shield as his opponent’s sword came out from his right hand side and struck the air, Mitsuo’s sword coming up into the Ox guard and over the shield before cleaving through the man’s skull. He could hear the lout wet thwak as he struck true and then the man fell to the ground dead.

Smiling in his victory, Mitsuo began stringing hand signs together before laying his hands on his opponent, his entire body disintegrating. He destroyed the weapons as well so there would be no trace left of the missing nin, and did the same with Kitsune, ensuring that neither of them could ever be found. He cut himself with his blade and allowed himself to bleed on the area before coating his hand in fire chakra and searing the wound shut, ripping off his ANBU travel cloak and burning most of it, leaving it where the blood was. His armour would make it so that, no matter where he chose to go he would be untrackable and Mitsuo smiled softly. As far as the shinobi world was concerned, Mitsuo Sarutobi was dead, and he was free to begin his mission to save Konoha, and to free it from its shackles. He grabbed the rest of his gear and made his way towards Iwagakure no Sato to meet with the Tsuchikage…

(2903/2500 Mission/Defection Complete)