Half an hour later—
Watching yet another captured ninja take poison and die, Ai Tachibana frowned and shook his head at Ranzuki. "They came prepared. It seems there's no way to extract information from them."
Ranzuki rolled her eyes. "Don't you guys use genjutsu when interrogating ninja?"
Taki Tachibana explained, "These shinobi disrupted their own chakra flow with a forbidden technique the moment they were captured, putting themselves in a chaotic state. Standard genjutsu won't work on them."
Genjutsu, in fact, was the Tachibana clan's weakness. Born tall and powerfully built, with naturally abundant chakra, they were almost made for taijutsu. But the trade-off was a lack of fine chakra control and only average aptitude for illusions—one reason they struggled against the Uchiha.
The Uchiha's Sharingan genjutsu was overwhelming, and some masters could cast illusions with a mere finger gesture—exactly the kind of opponent Ai and Taki found hard to counter.
"Let me handle it."
Ranzuki pulled one of the captives toward her with gravity, seizing his throat in one hand. A sharp crack—she dislocated his jaw to keep him from biting down on poison.
Then she conjured a sphere of chakra and pressed it to his head. This was the Tenseigan's Mind Sphere, able to control another's will and actions or access their thoughts.
While she delved into his memories, Ai and Taki instinctively stood guard around her.
A minute later, Ranzuki opened her eyes. "They already know we're here. There's a good chance the path ahead is trapped. Do you still want to go?"
"Kid, you're strong, but don't underestimate us," Ai said, irritated. As clan head, he wasn't used to being doubted.
"Fine." Ranzuki nodded. She clenched her raised hand inward, and the dozen ninja still trapped in the water prison went wide-eyed before their bodies twisted unnaturally—their bones shattered, reducing them to a red slurry.
The massive water sphere burst apart in a rain of blood.
"A terrifying technique…"
...
In a hidden outpost deep in the fog—
"Captain, the chakra signatures of the Fourth Assassination Squad have all vanished."
"Impossible." The speaker was a robed shinobi with features so fine they could be mistaken for a woman. His brow furrowed.
"The assassination squad was composed of elite members jointly chosen from the Yuki and Kaguya clans. Each one was at least elite chunin level, with several jonin among them. To be wiped out instantly?"
"Three minutes ago, the sensory unit still detected their chakra. At two minutes forty-two, two massive chakra signatures appeared in their patrol zone. At one minute thirty-five, a third massive signature appeared. Ten seconds ago, all squad chakra vanished. The sensory unit now detects the enemy advancing on this outpost at great speed—likely after extracting intel from the squad."
The bandage-headed ninja reported with precision; as the sensory unit's leader, his skill was beyond question.
"From the chakra readings, there are only three of them, but each is at least jonin level… no, it's impossible for mere jonin to annihilate an entire squad so easily and still interrogate them. That means they didn't kill them all at once—they left them alive but unable to fight."
Realizing the situation, the commander immediately ordered, "The intruders are likely Ai Tachibana and Taki Tachibana of the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, accompanied by a ninja skilled in large-scale genjutsu or ninjutsu. Gather all jonin proficient in Wind Release and genjutsu at once. Sensory Unit, tighten the detection range, increase the density of the mist barrier, and locate their position immediately."
"Yes, sir."
Under the commander's orders, Yuki clan shinobi and allied Kaguya clan ninja began to move at once.
"Suzuki, can your body still hold out?"
The Yuki commander looked toward a white-haired youth sitting in the shadows, silent until now.
"…I'm fine. And… thank you."
"This is just a transaction. You provided the Two-Tails' intel; we shelter your clan." Setsu Yuki turned his gaze toward the drifting fog outside. "Instead of politeness, it would be more useful if you could give me better intel. From what I know, Ai and Taki aren't adept at large-scale ninjutsu or genjutsu. So who is this third person with them?"
Suzuki Kaguya shook his head. In his mind, aside from the Uchiha, there were no other ninja clans with genjutsu or ninjutsu of this caliber. But the Uchiha had already been expelled from the Valley of Clouds and Lightning after a joint assault during the battle for the Eight-Tails. At the moment, he couldn't think of any other possible group.
"The shinobi world is vast. There will always be strong ones we haven't thought of."
At that moment, a ninja appeared instantly in the outpost. "Lord Setsu, all jonin skilled in Wind Release and genjutsu nearby have assembled."
"Good."
Setsu Yuki, along with Suzuki Kaguya, stepped outside the outpost. Five jonin stood neatly in formation—already a considerable force.
"Have we confirmed the enemy's location?"
"Reporting, Commander—they're here."
"What!?"
Before they could react, the ninja who spoke began emitting a hissss—the sound of explosive tags.
"Careful! That's the sound of—"
BOOM!
A massive explosion filled the canyon where the outpost stood. The terrain amplified the destructive power of the blast. The assembled jonin were strong, but in a trap sprung without warning, even the smallest delay was fatal. One jonin, just a fraction too slow, was killed instantly.
The remaining four scattered, hands flying through seals to unleash Wind Release techniques in an attempt to blow away the mist.
But before they could finish, two lightning-wreathed figures burst from the fog.
"Lariat!" x2
The two lightning-clad attackers moved with astonishing speed, and with the advantage of a surprise strike, the result was inevitable. Kaguya and Yuki clan ninja caught in their path were hurled away, their torsos and internal organs shattered.
In the blink of an eye, only two jonin remained standing.
Meanwhile, Setsu Yuki and Suzuki Kaguya had been shielded by a massive wall of ice. Though it appeared fragile, the ice withstood the full force of the blast without a single crack, blocking the explosion completely.