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The intermittent chirping of frogs and calls of nightbirds accompanied the sounds of squelching leaves and snapping sticks echoing ominously in the dark, mist-filled forest. A group of five teenagers trekked cautiously through the gloomy wood, flashlights glinting off the slick trees and foliage, heads on a collective swivel as they scanned the area since they weren’t able to see too far ahead of them.
Suddenly, the dark-haired girl of the group sighed heavily as she stopped walking. “This is so stupid!” she exclaimed, huffing. “What are we even doing here?”
A blonde boy stopped as well, wheeling around to glare at the girl. “What kind of question is that?” he demanded, waving his arms, the beam from the flashlight moving sporadically around as a result. “We’re looking out for the Monster of the Mist as we go to the lake, y’know!”
“That’s my point,” the girl countered, matching the blonde boy’s sharp glare beneath her red glasses. “We’re out here in the woods, in the middle of the night, trying to avoid a fairytale! That was just some silly old legend!” She redirected her angry gaze to a taller boy with gray hair and rose-colored eyes. “Right?”
By this point, the entire group halted, standing in a loose circle with the arguers. The boy jolted, throwing his hands up in surrender, chuckling nervously. “Well…” he hedged.
“We don’t know that it’s a fairytale,” a blue-haired boy chimed in, shrugging. “Isn’t it better to be safe than sorry?”
The teens fell silent, considering the question. The last member of the group, a plumper girl with light brown hair, sighed. “Maybe we should just head back?” she suggested hopefully, glancing in the direction they had come from. “We can always go to the lake in the morning?”
“No way!” the blonde cried. “Do you know how hard it was to hide the fact that I lost my old man’s necklace from him? If I go back to that cabin without it, he’s gonna kill me, y’know!”
“No he won’t,” shot the dark-haired girl.
“You don’t know that!” the blonde countered.
“It really isn’t that much further, if that helps,” the gray-haired boy supplied, tone hopeful.
That information perked the blonde up considerably. “See? Let’s just keep going, get the necklace, and sneak back into our rooms. Easy-peasy, y’know?”
The group proceeded forward, energy somewhat renewed, yet still wary of any trouble they may find in the spooky forest.
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Almost one week ago, an entourage from Konoha landed at the modest airport in Kiri. The mayor of Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto, had come to finalize the details of a trade agreement between the two countries with Kiri’s mayor, Chojuro. The boisterous blonde hadn’t come alone, however. Accompanying him was his fifteen-year-old son, Boruto, a child his mirror image. Boruto begged to bring a friend, so acquiescing, the mayor allowed his son’s best friend, Mitsuki, to tag along as well.
In addition to the males, Naruto’s longtime friend, Haruno Sakura, came on this ambassador trip as well. Yet, Sakura’s motives for visiting Kiri were, admittedly, more selfish than her friend’s: Her boyfriend of three years resided in the misty city, and she jumped at the opportunity to see him. Joining her was her also-fifteen-year-old daughter, Uchiha Sarada, and her best friend, Akimichi Chouchou. The primary itinerary consisted of Naruto’s meeting with Chojuro, however, once that was accomplished, the squad had plans to engage in an impromptu vacation. With the help of her partner, a kind, behemoth of a man named Kisame, Sakura had booked a short stay at a cabin located near the most expansive lake the city had.
The cabin was massive, easily able to accommodate all seven people comfortably. It was surrounded by woods on all sides, towering trees with full, thick branches and leaves of bright green, and two, clearly marked footpaths: One leading to the lake; and the other leading to where the cars were parked. To the right of the cabin was a large fire pit, complete with long, log benches for sitting.
The group arrived, the children choosing their rooms first, followed by the three adults. Everyone was milling about inside except for Kisame, Sarada, and Boruto, who were outside investigating the grounds. Boruto was drifting closer to the path leading further into the forest, Sarada trailing behind.
“Don’t go into those woods at night,” Kisame suddenly warned, piling small logs next to the fire pit.
“Why not?” Sarada queried, glancing between him and the trees.
The large man paused, turning toward his younger companions, face uncharacteristically solemn. “Because you might run into…” He stopped, searching left and right conspiratorially, allowing the silence to linger. Sarada and Boruto exchanged worried looks, staring at Kisame with wide eyes. Unexpectedly, he grinned, all teeth, throwing his hands up and wiggling his fingers. “The Monster of the Miiiissst!”
The blonde boy took a hesitant step back. “The what?”
“The Monster of the Mist!” Kisame laughed, resuming his previous task. “It’s a local legend!”
“So it’s fake,” Sarada declared, crossing her arms with an unimpressed look.
The blue-haired man hummed, still grinning. “Is it?”
The playful question hung in the air with a strange charge, a tension the teens felt but couldn’t understand. Obviously unbothered, Kisame finished stacking the logs, swiping his hands against one another to remove the dirt and dust. Checking the time on his watch, he announced it was close to lunch time, and corralled the kids back inside, a mysteriously powerful wind shaking the trees as the door shut behind them.
Two days later, it was the penultimate night before the Konoha residents were due to return home. Boruto had asked his father if one of his friends that also resided in Kiri, Karatachi Kagura, could join them for dinner and stay the night, a request that was easily granted. So, later that night, the kids gathered around the campfire Kisame had started for them, roasting marshmallows for s’mores. The adults elected to stay inside the cabin, permitting the young ones to have their fun without the supervision.
How much trouble could they get into in the middle of the woods, after all?
Conversation had been flowing easily, some groups breaking off into smaller chats. Boruto sat between Kagura and Mitsuki on one log bench, closest to the inky trees. On the bench to their left sat Sarada and Chouchou. The girls were in the midst of the fangirling over Jimin’s latest single when the topic of a potential night swim at the lake was broached on the boys’ side. Sarada halted mid-sentence to Chouchou, chiming in. “Kisame told us not to go into the woods at night,” she asserted, staring at Boruto.
“Oh, because of the Monster,” Kagura confirmed. He turned his gaze to the sky, investigating briefly before nodding. “It’s good advice; there’s a full moon tomorrow. That’s when he comes out.”
“You know about this thing, too, Kagura?” Mitsuki asked, head tilting, blue hair falling slightly over his yellow eyes.
The gray-haired boy laughed. “Of course. Everyone in Kiri knows the story of the Monster of the Mist.”
“Tell it to us, Kagura!” Chouchou demanded, excitedly leaning toward him.
Kagura immediately appeared uncomfortable, squirming a bit in place. “Oh. I don’t know…”
“Come on!” Boruto cried, patting his friend on the back. “We’re at a campfire; it’s the perfect time, y’know!”
The older teen hesitated a moment, then sighed. “Okay, okay,” he acquiesced, placing his hands on his knees, ensuring to meet the gaze of everyone present before beginning. “This is the legend of the Monster of the Mist…” Chouchou giggled at his ominous tone, while Boruto snickered, but Kagura paid them no mind, commencing his tale. “Long ago, a master swordsmith struck a deal with a witch and created seven enchanted blades. However, he quickly realized that the swords were too powerful for him to contain, so he left them at the Blood Mist Lake, the largest lake in Kiri. The lake is surrounded by a forest that becomes so misty at sundown, it’s nearly impossible to traverse, so you have to wait until the sun comes up and the mist dissipates. Fearing what the swords would do without masters, he dared everyone in the village to come and see if the blades would choose them, but warned them that they could have…Unintended consequences if the swords felt they were not the right fit. Men and women alike navigated the forest to the lake, trying their hand at handling the weapons. Some lost body parts, some vanished without a trace…And some simply fell over dead .” There were some faint gasps, the group enthralled in the retelling.
Kagura continued. “Over time, the swords finally found their masters, people they felt were worthy; all except one: Samehada. No matter who came for it, Samehada would find them lacking and simply devour them whole. Then, one day, a man approached Samehada in the dead of night, seizing the sword by the handle, and declaring that he would be the one to tame it. Samehada, mysteriously, complied, but it would be at a price the man hadn’t anticipated…”
“What kind of price?” Boruto interrupted warily.
The gray-haired boy smiled, dipping his head slightly. “Instead of devouring him like it had so many others, Samehada melded with the man, transforming him into half-man, half-shark: The Monster of the Mist.” The group shifted in their spots, glancing around at the darkened forest.
The glow of the campfire lit up Kagura’s face eerily, his pink eyes almost glowing from the flames. “They say the Monster is as tall as that cabin over there, and his skin is tinted blue. He has a shark’s head and tail, with a giant fin on his back, but the rest of his body is human. His glowing eyes are beady and gold, and his teeth are so sharp and white, they can rip you to shreds . He’s said to still live in the Blood Mist Lake, collecting items he finds in a small cove toward the far side. He hides by blending into water, and on misty, full moon nights, the Monster of the Mist will roam these woods, searching for wayward wanderers to steal what’s most important to them.”
Chouchou visibly gulped. “How does he steal it?” she quested, shrinking back.
“He eats them!” The four younger teens jumped. Undeterred, Kagura continued, leaning forward, his tone grave. “And take care to not get injured on one of these nights, for the Monster of the Mist can track you by the scent of your blood .”
“Gross,” Chouchou muttered with a disgusted sneer. “Like a vampire.”
“A shark,” Sarada corrected, pushing her glasses up her nose. “That’s how sharks find prey in the ocean.”
“Really?” Boruto inquired, turning toward the young Uchiha. “What else do you know about sharks?”
Story time over, the teens moved on to new topics of conversation, Kagura’s supernatural tale forgotten for the moment.
Distracted, they failed to notice the way the trees shook in silent warning, hidden eyes watching them from within.
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The next day, the group ventured to the lake. It was too chilly for a swim, but they enjoyed a scenic picnic with some attempts at fishing under Kisame’s expert guidance. Boruto had somehow smuggled in a few water guns, the males sprinting around in an all-out war. When Naruto accidentally sprayed Sakura, she enacted revenge by filling a bucket they had brought along and tossing its contents at the other party. Remaining on the sidelines, Sarada and Chouchou merely observed the revelry, laughing and cheering the elder woman on to victory.
As evening fell, they made their way back to the cabin to clean up and prepare for dinner. It was at that moment, the young Uzumaki made a horrible discovery: The heirloom necklace his father gifted him when he turned thirteen was missing. In all the fun, it must’ve flown off his neck at the lake. Imploring the other minors on what to do, they agreed to wait until the adults went to sleep to sneak out and make their way back to the hidden waterway with Kagura leading the charge.
So, around midnight, the five teenagers slipped out the window located in the boys’ room, approaching the gloomy, misty woods lit up by faint moonbeams. Being in the forest reminded the squad of the old legend they heard the night prior, bringing a hesitancy to their steps. However, Boruto persevered, desperate to get the jewelry back to avoid trouble, or worse disappointment, with his father. Moved by the plea, they proceeded with the plan, flashlights clutched tightly and footfalls wary.
Hidden eyes still watching.
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They had been hiking for over ten minutes, the imposing fauna disorienting. Trusting Kagura’s confidence, the Konoha natives trailed along behind him, shining lights upon the ground and bushes. The older teen warned them they’d need to maneuver through a couple of low branches, urging them to be cautious. He pulled them back, ushering them through one-by-one, being the last to come out on the other side.
As he released the branch, he flinched suddenly, clutching his right hand with his left. “Ow!” he hissed, using the flashlight to investigate. “Damn.”
“What’s wrong, Kagura?” Sarada asked, coming closer to see as well.
“That branch scratched my palm, but I’m okay,” he assured, smiling lightly. “Just a little blood.”
“Blood?” Chouchou parroted, panicked. “Didn’t you say the Monster of the Mist… Smells blood?”
The dark-haired girl sighed in exasperation. “That was a story, Chouchou. There’s no monster.”
“But there could be, Sarada,” she argued, eyeing her friend suspiciously. “You have to admit that this forest is weird.”
Sarada paused, considering. “...Well…”
“Relax, guys,” Kagura interrupted, waving his injured hand. “I’m fine, okay? The lake is just up this path, so let’s keep going.”
The group nodded, waiting for the Kiri native to pass, collectively anticipating the end of this unwanted venture. They walked in silence, the noise of the woods filling the space, the strange atmosphere heightening their senses. Without warning, Kagura halted mid-step, using his flashlight to examine the area. “Wait a second…” he muttered to himself, brow furrowed. “We might’ve made a wrong turn…”
“Wait, so we’re lost?” Boruto pressed, clasping his own flashlight to his chest. Mitsuki patted his shoulder in a bid to comfort his friend.
“No, not necessarily,” Kagura assured, grasping the blonde’s other shoulder. “Hold on; I’m going to go check that path out real quick. Stay here.”
The gray-haired boy strode away toward a different path, leaving the others to wait. They tried chatting to pass the time, to ease the tension, but conversation died off quickly. Growing impatient, Sarada huffed, crossing her arms. “This is ridiculous.” Scanning the nearby path with her flashlight, peering into the darkness, she made an alarming discovery. “Hey, hold on; where…Did Kagura go?”
Mitsuki hummed, brow furrowed. “He was just right over there…”
Boruto gaped, face pale. “Oh my Gods,” he breathed haltingly. “The Monster snatched Kagura and is probably eating him right now!”
“There is no monster,” Sarada quipped, throwing a glare at the blonde over her shoulder.
“Tell Kagura’s decapitated body that, Sarada!” Boruto squawked, eyes blown wide in fear. “We gotta get out of here!”
“Oh, no,” Chouchou gasped, panicked. “Kagura was the only one that knew how to get out of these stupid woods! The Monster’s gonna get us next!”
“There is no monster!” the dark-haired girl asserted, but it fell on deaf ears.
“We’re gonna die, y’know!” Boruto and Chouchou began frantically exchanging terrified theories of how the remaining teens would meet their impending end. Even the normally-calm Mitsuki appeared uncomfortable with their guide abruptly going missing.
Sarada groaned loudly. “Oh my Gods ! Stop freaking out!”
At that moment, the cracking of a stick coupled with a rustle of the brush brought pause to the antics. Four heads collectively snapped to the direction of the sound, followed by four beams of light. The silence was deafening, tension thick, the kids waiting for what was to come next, anticipation thrumming uncomfortably beneath their skin.
Boruto swallowed, his voice hoarse. “What was that?” he whispered.
“Probably a raccoon or something,” Sarada murmured, though she didn’t sound convinced.
The rustling grew louder, closer , and the teens huddled closer together, Chouchou and Boruto beginning to shake. Mitsuki put a hand on each of their shoulders, trying and failing to calm them. The flashlight beams became unsteady, illuminating the damp foliage.
“What do we do?” Chouchou muttered. “Should we run?”
“Run to where?” Boruto queried lowly. “We don’t know where we are!”
“Maybe we can scare it off?” Mitsuki suggested. “Safety in numbers?”
“That could work,” Sarada agreed, contemplating.
As the group debated, their lights caught on a looming figure emerging in the misty veil covering the forest. They stood frozen, unbelieving.
“What the hell is that?!” Boruto cried, stepping back.
“It’s the Monster!” Chouchou shrieked, tripping over her own feet and falling backward. She flailed, catching hold of Mitsuki’s shirt as she did, dragging him to the damp earth with her.
Sarada squeaked, panting, heart practically beating out of her chest. As the figure drew closer, her flashlight dropped. “He is real!” she howled, stepping back as well, almost landing atop her friends on the ground.
The figure finally emerged into the clearing of the path, and the teens screamed in abject terror, clutching one another, flashlights discarded in their fear. The sound echoed in the otherwise silent woods, bouncing erratically off the trees.
“Whoa!” the figure exclaimed, its own beam of light flooding their forms. “What are you all yelling about?”
Blinded momentarily, Sarada was the first to come to her senses. “Kisame!?” she shouted in disbelief, squinting against the light. “Is that you?”
The man laughed. “Yeah,” he confirmed, approaching the group. “Your mom was worried when she and Naruto found out you guys were gone, so I came to get you. And look who I found along the way.”
“Hey.”
“Kagura!?” several of the kids exclaimed, frantically converging on the missing member of their party.
“Kagura, what the hell happened?” Chouchou demanded. “Where did you go?”
“Well, I got a little…Turned around,” the gray-haired boy admitted sheepishly, wincing. “Thankfully, I ran into Kisame.”
“What are all of you doing out here anyway?” Kisame queried, eying the children skeptically.
“We were going to the lake,” Mitsuki explained, pointing in the general direction of where the lake may have been.
The man’s brow furrowed. “What? Why?”
The blue-haired boy grimaced. “Well…”
“Yeah, Boruto,” Sarada stressed, glowering in his direction. “Tell him why.”
“I…May have, accidentally!” he emphasized, pausing briefly before resuming. “...Lost my dad’s necklace, y’know?”
Kisame hummed, reaching into his pocket briefly, presenting the object from within in his large hand. “This necklace?”
Sure enough, the cerulean crystal strung on a black cord laid in his palm. Bortuo rushed forward, snatching the jewelry from the older man. Using Kisame’s flashlight, he inspected it carefully, gasping as his face broke out into a huge grin. “The necklace! I thought I left it at the lake! Where did you find it?”
“It was at the entrance to the forest. Right off the path.”
Sarada squawked, inky eyes burning with indignation, all directed at the young Uzumaki. “So you’re telling me we were out here in these stupid woods...For nothing?”
He chuckled nervously. “I mean…At least we had one last adventure while we were here?” He lifted his arms in casual surrender.
The girl growled, lunging at the blonde who shrunk back in response, but was caught at the last moment by Kisame wrapping a thick forearm around her waist. “Alright, alright,” he chided, chortling. “You guys can beat Boruto up in the morning. Let’s get out of here.”
The kids clambered around the large man, sticking closely to him as he navigated the winding paths with ease. When the cabin was finally in-sight, there was a collective sigh of relief.
“I told you the Monster was just a story,” Sarada gloated, head held high as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“Whatever, Sarada,” Boruto dismissed, rolling his eyes. “He could still be real.”
“Doubt it,” she scoffed.
“With all that screaming you guys were doing, the Monster probably ran away!”
“Ugh, shut up, Kisame,” the dark-haired girl groused, smacking his arm. “I want to forget this ever happened.”
Pacing impatiently in front of the cabin, door wide open, was Sakura. Spotting the towering figure of her partner surrounded by multiple smaller ones, she darted over. “Kids!” she cried, easily finding her own, grabbing her shoulders to look her over in the dim lighting. “Oh my Gods! Are you all okay?”
“We’re fine, Mom,” Sarada answered peevishly. “This was all Boruto’s fault.”
Sakura’s jade eyes narrowed in a dangerous glare that swept over all of them. “Oh, don’t worry; Naruto and I are looking forward to hearing all about this little excursion in the morning,” she warned. The teens groaned in unison, already dreading the upcoming lecture. Boruto attempted to argue, but was swiftly shut down by the pink-haired woman. “I don’t want to hear it! You’re lucky it’s so late; all of you get to bed.”
The children trudged off, bickering in heated whispers, disappearing into the bright light of the fluorescents. Sakura watched them go, shaking her head ruefully, fighting her own grin. She turned back to the blue-haired savior, approaching him. “Thank you for bringing them back, Kisame,” she gushed, her arms wrapped tightly around the large man’s middle, resting her chin on his chest to meet his gaze. “Naruto and I would’ve been hopeless out there.”
Kisame shrugged, smiling wryly, his own arms snaking around her. “Well, it helps to grow up in the woods, I guess.”
Sakura smiled affectionately in return, reaching up to cup one of her boyfriend’s cheeks and rising on her tiptoes to lay a sweet kiss on the other. Pulling back, she frowned, stroking the cheekbone with her thumb. “We need to get you inside, though; your face is freezing!” She paused as she squinted, staring intently at his face. “Gods, you even look a little blue.”
Kisame chuckled, seizing her hand and enfolding it within his own. “Lead the way.” Sakura turned, making her way back to the cabin, their joined hands swaying slightly as they walked. Trailing behind her, he glanced at the hazy moon over his shoulder, his normally-citrine eyes gleaming a burnished gold. He grinned, his sharp, white teeth glinting like knives in the sparse moonlight, the gills on his neck flexing before fading back into his skin.
…And on misty, full moon nights, the Monster of the Mist will roam these woods, searching for wayward wanderers to steal what’s most important to them…
( Legends don’t always get all the details correct. )