Naruto Shadow Mage

Who was the white figure lurking near Koshino, Guy, and the others? If Koshino had been able to use his Wind Perception technique with the precision of the Fourth Hokage, he would have been utterly shocked to realize the identity of that white figure.

It was none other than Madara's current lackey—White Zetsu.

Not only had White Zetsu come personally to investigate the situation around Koshino and his group, but the words he spoke while hidden nearby also carried significant implications. When White Zetsu mentioned returning the Executioner's Blade and Samehada to their original owners, what did he mean?

Was he implying that the members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Juzo Biwa, and Fuguki Suikazan, who had fought Koshino and the others, were not actually dead?

Here's what truly happened:

From behind the scenes, Madara saw potential in the supposedly "dead" Uchiha Obito. Due to some special circumstances, Madara planned to groom Obito as his successor. To ensure Obito's complete allegiance, Madara's strategy, as seen in the original storyline, was to use Rin Nohara, now the Jinchuriki of the Three-Tails, to push Obito into darkness. Furthermore, Kakashi, Koshino's comrade, was also a key part of Madara's plan to ensure Obito's hatred toward Konoha.

Unfortunately, the Blades Squad was becoming an obstacle to this plan.

To fulfill his objective, Madara, using his influence as the "Mizukage," issued a command that involved the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, such as Juzo Biwa and Fuguki Suikazan, to help him complete Obito's descent into darkness.

However, in the hierarchy of the Mist Village, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen held a significant status. Despite receiving direct orders from the Mizukage, would they really send two of their members to deal with a relatively unknown Blades Squad?

The answer, naturally, was no.

So, Madara used White Zetsu's special abilities and some of his own secret techniques to command Juzo Biwa and Fuguki Suikazan to create clones with 80% of their original power. These clones wielded the Executioner's Blade and Samehada and, along with several Jonin-level death soldiers, were sent to disrupt the Fourth Hokage's strategy and eliminate all the Blades Squad members except for Kakashi.

However, Madara's plan ultimately failed, with Koshino playing a crucial role in thwarting it.

Even though Koshino altered some aspects of the original timeline, slightly changing Kakashi's fate, it's important to remember that Uchiha Obito was someone Madara had chosen.

So, despite Koshino's interference, whether Kakashi will still follow the same path as in the original story remains a mystery within Madara's larger scheme. Furthermore, as the main force disrupting Madara's plan, Koshino's future is likely to become even more challenging, according to White Zetsu's observations.

Moreover, since Juzo Biwa and Fuguki Suikazan will gain the memories of their deceased clones, both members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen are now filled with hatred for Koshino. They plan to seek his out during the next conflict between the Mist and Konoha to settle the score, making Koshino's situation increasingly dangerous.

As for Koshino? he had fallen unconscious after meeting Guy, oblivious to the hidden threats and the dangers that lay ahead following the intense battle with the Mist ninja.

While unconscious, Koshino could only feel one thing—pain.

The soreness from his muscles after the fight with the Mist ninja, the mental agony from his damaged spirit energy, and the severe pain in his chakra pathways due to depleted reserves—all these pains intertwined, tormenting Koshino relentlessly.

The pain was so overwhelming that Guy, who was guarding Koshino and saw his pale face, immediately realized that his injuries were far worse than those of Shisui, Kakashi, or Mō. Despite being exhausted, Guy single-handedly carried Koshino and the other three Blades Squad members, along with the Leaf ninja Koshino had knocked out earlier, back to the nearby camp.

Thankfully, although Koshino was suffering physically and mentally, his injuries weren't too severe.

Especially under the care of a medical ninja at the Konoha camp, Koshino slowly regained consciousness after just a few hours, lying in a hospital bed and struggling to open his eyes.

"Ugh, it really hurts!"

"Huh? Why am I lying on a bed? This place... it looks like a medical camp?"

"Oh right! It must have been Guy!"

"I met Guy before passing out, so he must have brought me back!"

Recalling the events before he lost consciousness, Koshino quickly pieced together what had happened. Noticing the fresh bandages on his body, he couldn't help but smile wryly. he realized that he seemed to get injured every time he went on a mission, always ending up looking like a mummy when he returned—quite a pitiful sight.

As he lay there, Guy's familiar voice reached his ears.

"Koshino, you're awake?"

"Cough, cough! Guy, remember, I'm in the Anbu now, so please call me 'Shadow'!"

Despite not having seen Guy in a while, it was clear that his energetic and impulsive nature hadn't changed. Yet, because it was Guy, his old friend, Koshino didn't mind the small details. However, it was evident that Guy had matured and become more disciplined after spending so much time on the battlefield.

After Koshino's reminder, Guy quickly realized his mistake, his face flushing with embarrassment. He immediately corrected himself.

"Sorry, Koshi—I mean, Shadow!"

"I got too excited when I saw you here. But what happened earlier? Why did you attack Ebisu right away? Do you have a grudge against him?"

"Uh... no, definitely not!"

Hearing Guy's question, Koshino finally realized that the person he had knocked out earlier was indeed Ebisu, a character from the original storyline.

But since Koshino wasn't particularly familiar with Ebisu, he saw no need to explain too much to Guy. Besides, Koshino figured that Ebisu, being a fellow ninja, would understand that the earlier situation was just a misunderstanding. So, he didn't dwell on the topic and only inquired briefly about Ebisu's condition without going into detail.

Instead, Koshino was more concerned about the condition of his fellow Blades Squad members. After all, Shisui, Kakashi, and Mō were all seriously injured. Even though they had returned to the Konoha camp, Koshino wanted to ask Guy about their current status.

But before Koshino could ask, Guy, who had always been bad at keeping secrets, was already about to give his an update on the situation with Kakashi and the others.

However, in the quiet hospital room, just as Koshino learned from Guy that Kakashi's condition had stabilized, a familiar figure appeared, instantly silencing Guy. Koshino forced a smile when he recognized the person standing before him.

"Sh-Shikaku-uncle, what brings you here?"