In an inn within the Valley of Clouds and Lightning—
"Today's the day we agreed to meet with those two big guys, Ai Tachibana and Taki Tachibana. I should be getting word from them by now." Ranzuki couldn't help but find their work efficiency lacking. Back in Satsuki's castle, there was never such a thing as discussing a single matter for several days.
"With Lady Satsuki's wisdom, her decisions are always correct. All we need to do is execute them." She was happily lost in this blind self-satisfaction when her Tenseigan suddenly flashed. Her gaze shifted to a large white eagle outside the window, radiating chakra with a distinctive Tachibana signature.
She walked over, opened the window, and let the great eagle inside. From its leg, she took a message tube and retrieved the sealed letter.
The signature belonged to Ai Tachibana—the goateed old man she'd kicked flying. The letter briefly mentioned the mission's danger and tactical distribution, but Ranzuki skimmed past it straight to the meeting place and time.
Destroying the letter with a flick, she threw on her haori and stretched. "Finally, my time to shine. Lady Satsuki, await my return with that 45 million ryō bounty!"
She wiped a bit of drool from the corner of her mouth and looked at the majestic white eagle. "Big bird, I can fly myself, so you go handle your business."
The eagle was originally meant to serve as her transport, but finding a ninja who could fly made it unnecessary. Whether or not the bird understood, Ranzuki took off into the sky, leaving it staring blankly.
...
At the Valley of Clouds and Lightning's harbor—
Two large men stood quietly at the water's edge, staring south. They were the Tachibana clan's top fighters, Taki and Ai Tachibana.
This mission had taken great effort to convince the clan elders and advisers to approve, and only under the conditions of bringing no guards or attendants, and not informing the rest of the clan.
If Ai and Taki hadn't sworn to Ranzuki's strength—and even given a demonstration—those elders would never have believed that this girl-like outsider could fight their clan leader to a standstill. Beating Ai with one hand? They would have dismissed it as Ai exaggerating to convince them.
Glancing up by chance, Taki said in surprise, "Big brother, I think I see someone flying up there."
Ai's mouth twitched, resisting the urge to smack him. "Careful, or I'll send you flying too!"
Whoosh…
Before he could finish, a roaring sound of air being split grew rapidly louder until it boomed like thunder. Both brothers looked up—and their faces froze in shock. Someone really was flying.
That golden hair and distinctive haori in the wind made it clear: the airborne figure was none other than the girl they had fought before, Ranzuki.
Moments later, she manipulated gravity to descend to the ground in front of them.
Seeing their odd expressions, she asked, "Hey, what's with those looks?"
Ai said awkwardly, "Nothing, nothing… it's just the first time I've seen someone fly."
"First time seeing someone fly?" Ranzuki made a small sound of acknowledgment and said casually, "Back home, flying is pretty normal."
Even Satsuki couldn't quite explain how the propulsion and transmission systems of her puppets worked. Other than samurai puppets without chakra pathways—and a certain white-haired exception—most puppets, or human puppets, seemed to fly naturally as long as they had a power source.
"Flying… normal??"
The two Tachibana leaders exchanged a glance, slipping into silent eye-contact conversation.
"Flying is normal?"
"Big brother, how should I know? Maybe this little girl's clan has some unique kekkei genkai or secret technique."
"A secret technique or kekkei genkai…"
"Brother, I advise you not to get any ideas. This could be a hidden shinobi clan no weaker than the Uchiha."
"No, no, I'm not that kind of man."
Somehow, their eye contact conveyed far more meaning than it should have—perhaps the bond between brothers explained it.
Ranzuki was already impatiently boarding a small boat. "Hey, what are you two dawdling for? Let's go."
"Coming, coming," they replied in unison.
With their own thoughts in mind, Ai and Taki followed her aboard, and they set sail.
...
Two days passed quickly.
After consuming a few military ration pills, Ranzuki and the others still drifted at sea, surrounded by thick fog. Visibility was nonexistent.
With a suspicious look at the two brothers, Ranzuki asked, "Since we entered this fog two nights ago, two days have passed. Do you even know where Suzuki Kaguya went?"
"The intel says it's around here. But…" Ai paused, frowning. "This fog seems different from a few days ago."
It hung low, thick, and unyielding. Even Ranzuki's Wind Release couldn't disperse it. Clearly, this wasn't a naturally formed mist, but some kind of defensive measure.
Taki's muscles were tense as he steered, keeping full attention on their surroundings. Seeing Ai and Ranzuki so relaxed, he couldn't help thinking, To think I'm one of the Tachibana's strongest, yet not even on par with a young girl… ridiculous.
Then came the sound—creak, creak—from beneath the boat.
Taki immediately stopped steering. Ai reacted faster, unleashing a Lightning Release technique into the water. But their attackers had planned for this—lightning had little effect.
"Move!"
The three split into a triangle formation. A moment later, the boat exploded in a blast equal to at least ten explosive tags.
"As a greeting, not bad," Ranzuki remarked, half-floating on the water. She activated her Tenseigan, raised one hand toward a point below the surface.
The sea beneath her seemed to be compressed inward by an immense force, forming a deep depression. The underwater attackers were trapped by crushing pressure, as though locked in a massive Water Prison.
"Can't decide if you're clever or just stupid."
She lifted her hand, and the sea roiled violently, as if some enormous beast was about to breach. Ai and Taki, still on guard for underwater attacks, tensed—thinking it the work of a powerful Water Release user.
Then, a colossal water sphere surfaced, holding dozens of shinobi clad in plastic suits with breathing gear.
The sight stunned the brothers.
"A Water Prison?"
"Do we have another water-style ally helping us?"
As a veteran Kage-level shinobi, Ai knew Water Release well, but never of such a massive Water Prison. The technique required the caster to continuously channel chakra into an area of water, increasing its gravity to immobilize targets. Even a jonin could normally trap only two opponents of similar strength.
Yet here, dozens of shinobi—skilled enough to evade his and Taki's senses—were floundering like fish.
The assassination plan was shattered instantly. Such power was terrifying.
From the fog came Ranzuki's voice: "Hey, what are you two daydreaming for?"
She walked over, hand raised, blue light blazing in her eyes. The brothers instantly recognized from her chakra output who had created the Water Prison.
Taki said with newfound respect, "I thought you only used taijutsu, but you can use Water Release of this scale at your age?"
"Water Release?" Ranzuki gave him a strange look. She had no desire to tell outsiders this was her Tenseigan's ability, so she changed the subject. "Save the small talk. Let's interrogate a few of them and find the Kaguya clan's hideout first."