Thanks to the Nimbus Cloud, Uchiha Hikari made it to the Land of Water in just one day.
Finding Kimimaro, though? That took a few days.
The Land of Water's climate is kind of like the British Isles—super humid, with most areas constantly shrouded in thick fog. Looking down from high above, all you can see is a sea of white mist, making it impossible to spot anything below.
No choice, really.
Hikari had to pick a slightly larger city at random, track down the lord's mansion, and interrogate someone there to get directions to the Kaguya clan's stronghold. From there, it was a slow, careful journey to find the place.
Here's something worth noting…
The Kaguya clan's base isn't actually in the Hidden Mist Village.
It's pretty far from it, in fact.
Apparently, ever since the Second Mizukage's time, bad blood with the Mizukage's faction led the Kaguya to pack up and leave the village. For years, they've maintained a "we'll listen, but we don't obey" attitude. The Daimyo's influence is the only reason they begrudgingly follow the Mizukage's orders at all, but there's been plenty of bad blood and friction behind the scenes.
This rebellion? It's been a long time coming.
Too bad their strength wasn't enough. The uprising lasted one night before it was completely crushed. They're like the Uchiha clan from Konoha—brothers in misery.
"…This should be the place."
Hikari, holding Erii's hand, stopped at the top of a hill, looking down at a valley below.
There, nestled in the valley, was a cluster of stone houses that looked like a small tribal settlement. It was the middle of the night, so aside from a few patrolling figures, the place was quiet—no signs of activity.
"Erii, stay here and don't move. I'll be right back."
Hikari activated her Blood Jade Barrier and handed the Blood Jade Coral to Erii.
The red-haired girl nodded blankly, then gave an "OK" hand gesture.
"…Did you learn that from a manga too?"
Hikari's lips twitched as she slipped on her mini-bracelet. Using the Flying Thunder God technique, she silently took off, gliding into the valley. After a quick scan, her eyes locked onto a row of dark caves at the far end of the settlement.
That was the only area with guards.
But with the cover of night and her body shrunken to just a centimeter or two by the bracelet, even the skilled Kaguya ninjas didn't notice her. She easily marked them with a seal, and they collapsed into a deep sleep.
With that done, Hikari looked at the three or four cave entrances in front of her. After a moment's hesitation, she picked one and flew inside.
…
Deep inside the pitch-black cave was a square, sealed chamber.
Inside, candles flickered.
A few square-faced men in kimonos, their hair tied into buns on both sides of their heads, sat around a long table. They spoke in low, serious tones, their faces grim. The candlelight cast long, eerie shadows behind them.
"…So, that's the situation."
"With the defection of Juzo Biwa and his Decapitating Carving Knife, plus Raiga Kurosuki and his Thunder Blades, the Anbu are spread thin chasing them down. The Hidden Mist Village is at its most vulnerable right now. Clan leader, our people are ready. It's time to show Yagura Karatachi what we're capable of!"
…
The room buzzed with heated excitement.
The square-faced man at the head of the table coughed, turning to the only person dressed differently in the room. "What do you think, Zabuza?"
All eyes shifted to a figure in the corner.
He was tall, wearing the Hidden Mist's Anbu uniform, his face half-wrapped in bandages, leaving only his browless eyes visible. His gaze was fierce and predatory.
"I've said it before—I don't care about your goals. I'm only working with you to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage. If you can keep Yagura's personal Anbu and the other clans' forces busy, my team will slip into the Mizukage's tower and take him out with my Silent Killing technique. Whether you can take his place afterward… that's on you."
"Hmph. The Kaguya clan isn't just talk. Once Yagura's dead, the Fifth Mizukage title will belong to me, Kaguya Hiromitsu!"
"…Heh."
Zabuza let out a barely audible sneer, his cold eyes sweeping over the Kaguya clansmen. "Our endgame might differ, but we're after the same target. So… let's make this work—huh?!"
Suddenly—
A thunderous rumble shook the room!
BOOM!
The candle flames flickered wildly, and everyone, including Zabuza and the Kaguya clan leader, stumbled slightly, stunned. "What's going on? An earthquake?"
"No, that vibration… someone's broken the seal on Kimimaro's prison?!"
…
In another cave, separated by dozens of meters of solid rock, dust filled the air.
A dungeon, layered with countless seals, had been half-smashed by a dark red greatsword.
Inside the dungeon, a frail boy in a thin blue outfit, with two red dots on his forehead and white hair, sat with his knees hugged to his chest. He stared, wide-eyed and dumbstruck, at the faint outline of a crimson giant emerging from the smoke. "A… a god? Are you a god here to save me?"
"…"
Hikari didn't answer. Her fiery red eyes scanned the wreckage, and she rubbed her temple.
Honestly, the moment she stepped into this cave, a powerful sense of déjà vu hit her—
A sunless cave…
A dungeon full of seals…
And another "human weapon" used by their own clan…
All these eerie similarities made her feel like she'd been transported back to the Warring States era, the memories flooding her mind almost too much to suppress.
"Why do I suddenly feel like I'm living in this kid's shadow…?"
It was a weird feeling.
But Hikari knew this wasn't the place to linger. Taking a deep breath to push aside her thoughts, she darted forward, knocking out the instinctively resisting Kimimaro with a swift move. Grabbing his unconscious body, she flew toward the cave's exit.
As she did, the sound of rushing footsteps echoed from outside.
With Kimimaro in one hand, Hikari formed a seal with the other, using the Transformation Technique to change her clothes into a black robe with red clouds. She pulled out the orange swirl mask she'd bought a few days ago and slapped it on her face. In an instant, her entire presence shifted.
"…Stop! Who are you?!"
Several Kaguya clansmen appeared at the cave's entrance.
"My name is Madara… Uchiha Madara!"
"?!"
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