Naruto: Wood-Wood Fruit

Two days later.

In the Land of Tea, neighboring the Land of Fire.

In a deserted forest, within a dark cave.

"Zabuza, why did we come all the way out here?" asked a man with sharp teeth, green hair, and thick lips, who bore two swords on his back. His voice was cold, questioning.

He had a fierce look, with scars and bandages wrapped tightly around his upper body.

"Because this place is far from the reach of the Five Great Nations and remote enough to be a haven for rogue ninjas," Zabuza replied indifferently. 

He was a tall, muscular man, shirtless, with his face partially concealed by a mask as he wiped his giant blade, the Decapitating Carving Knife.

"I thought Raiga you would be able to offer me some useful help. But what did you do instead?" Zabuza's voice was icy, his tone scolding. 

"Killing a few Kohona ninjas is one thing, but going on a rampage through several villages? Are you trying to force Konoha to send their Anbu after us?"

"I owe you a debt, Zabuza, and I'll pay it back." Raiga's gaze was filled with malice and resentment. 

Clenching his fists, he said, "But no one will stand in the way of my revenge against Konoha. I'll kill every one of them if I have to, and they'll all fall to avenge Ranmaru."

"Fine, do as you like. If you want to leave, then go." Zabuza sighed with regret. 

Not long ago, he had found Raiga, badly wounded and unconscious, lying at the bottom of a cliff after a battle. 

Out of sympathy for a fellow rogue from Kirigakure and the hope that they might become allies, he had saved him.

But Raiga, seemingly blinded by hatred, had become nothing more than a vengeful madman, heedless of the consequences. 

His bloodthirsty spree through villages near the borders of the Land of Fire was now attracting Konoha's attention.

Zabuza knew that a man driven so entirely by revenge would eventually lead them both to ruin.

"Zabuza…" Raiga's expression was dark, his eyes seething with killing intent as he stared at Zabuza. 

Gritting his sharp teeth, he spat, "Don't forget you promised to help me take my revenge on Konoha village."

"Hold on a minute," interrupted a young boy around twelve, standing nearby with a stern expression. 

"Our agreement was that you would help Zabuza-sama establish a new ninja village.

Instead, you've drawn unnecessary attention from Konoha by slaughtering innocent civilians in the Land of Fire."

The boy's hand was already armed with a few senbon needles, and his gaze was wary and unyielding as he looked at Raiga.

"Humph..." Raiga let out a disdainful snort but ignored the boy's warning, though his face showed a flicker of hesitation.

"What exactly do you want me to do?" Raiga growled, but he knew that taking on Konoha alone would be near impossible. 

At most, he could ambush and kill a few Konoha shinobi who were weaker or isolated.

Although his revenge had granted him some satisfaction, it had also alerted Konoha. Splitting up with Zabuza at this time would be foolish.

"First, we need to gather some skilled rogue ninjas," Zabuza replied, "Then, we'll find a small country, one far from the Five Great Nations, and establish our own ninja village."

"I've already sent the Demon Brothers to scout the area," he added.

Meanwhile—

Several figures were stealthily approaching the edge of the forest.

"Woof, woof." 

Three large wolves halted, sniffing the air. At the head was the gray-furred Kuromaru, who turned and let out a soft bark toward his master, Hana.

"Kuromaru says the scent is getting stronger, they should be nearby," Hana informed her team, her expression serious as she addressed Kurenai and the others.

"It also seems there are five of them."

Even though Zabuza and Raiga had taken precautions to mask their scents, Konoha's Inuzuka clan possessed ninja dogs with exceptionally sharp noses. 

Kuromaru had managed to track them down by following faint scent traces.

This was something Zabuza hadn't anticipated.

"Thanks, Hana." Kurenai smiled, forming a hand seal and closing her eyes to concentrate. 

Since mastering her clan's Kekkei Genkai, the "Red Eye," her sensory abilities had become exceptionally sharp, though not as extreme as Karin's Mind's Eye of the Kagura.

"Yes, I can detect two strong chakra signatures and one slightly weaker one, all within a few miles. 

Additionally, two more weaker signatures are moving closer to them, likely allies," Kurenai said with a hint of gravity in her voice as she opened her eyes.

"The enemy numbers five in total. Based on their chakra, I'd estimate two Chunin, one elite Chunin, and… at least one Jonin and one elite Jonin. There may even be two elite Jonin among them."

This mission was proving more challenging than expected. 

What had initially been a pursuit of the S-rank rogue ninja Raiga Kurosuki from Kirigakure had quickly become more complex, with the enemy's numbers exceeding their original intel. 

"Besides Raiga, there must be another rogue ninja. Maybe even another elite Jonin?" Hana's face showed worry as she realized the scale of their opponent.

"Is the target not just Raiga?" Yugao's eyes widened slightly as she turned to Kurenai. "Should we report back to Hokage-sama and request reinforcements?"

"Anko?" Kurenai looked to Anko for her input.

"Let's go." Anko punched her fist into her palm, brimming with confidence. "I've been looking forward to this."

"Then it's decided. Let's move." Kurenai, skilled and confident, issued the command without hesitation.

Hana and Yugao exchanged glances, concerned but resolute. Kurenai was their captain, so they had no choice but to follow her lead.

"Alright, I'll guide the way. Everyone, stay vigilant," Kurenai instructed, raising her right hand and holding two fingers in front of her face.

Red chakra began to surge within her eyes, allowing her to see through the trees, underbrush, rocks, and even hidden traps as they advanced.

Nothing escaped her sight.

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