Chapter 485: Haku's Sense of Belonging
After sending the message back to Kirigakure, Kurosuki Raiga planned to leave the area, find a place to hide, and wait for the main Kiri force to arrive.
But not long after he left, a white head popped out of the ground where he had just been standing.
The White Zetsu clone looked in the direction Raiga had gone, then back toward the village where Obito and the children were.
It muttered to itself, "From that far away, they shouldn't be able to see, right? And there are so many obstacles in the way."
After a moment's thought, the Zetsu clone sank back into the ground. Whether that person had discovered something or not, it was best to report the situation to Obito Uchiha first and let him decide.
In the village, Obito, who was in the middle of trying to brainwash the children, immediately became vigilant upon hearing the report.
That far away, and with the ability to see through things... could it be the Byakugan?
Obito immediately assumed he had been exposed. He had been tormented by this fear for too long.
Better safe than sorry. He couldn't be careless. Better to mistakenly kill a thousand than to let a single one go.
Following the White Zetsu clone's directions, Obito immediately gave chase in the direction Raiga had fled.
Soon, Raiga, who was walking like an ordinary person, heard Ranmaru's young but urgent voice. "Lord Raiga, we've been discovered! Someone is chasing us!"
Raiga's heart sank. Damn it. He used a Body Flicker and shot off, fleeing at top speed. He had no way to deal with space-time ninjutsu, and his opponent was the Uchiha who had once controlled the Fourth Mizukage.
Behind him, Obito sensed Raiga's sudden acceleration and let out a cold sneer. So someone who doesn't know life from death really did find this place.
Obito also accelerated in pursuit. Space-time ninjutsu was very convenient for travel, and he soon caught up.
The moment he saw him, Obito immediately recognized Kurosuki Raiga.
Seeing Obito had caught up, Raiga immediately drew his Lightning Swords, Kiba, and unleashed his ultimate technique: "Ninja Art: Thunder Dragon Tornado!"
Obito watched calmly as the tornado of lightning struck him. He didn't dodge, didn't evade, just walked step by step toward Raiga, the picture of an untouchable master.
Raiga's face filled with despair. It really is space-time ninjutsu. If even the Thunder Dragon Tornado was useless, then he had absolutely no way to deal with Obito.
Desperately, he launched one Lightning Release attack after another, but the result was the same. He couldn't even graze the corner of Obito's clothes.
Finally, his chakra and stamina exhausted, Raiga could only lean on his swords like crutches to remain standing.
He took off his outer robe, placed Ranmaru on the ground, and said to Obito, "Can you let Ranmaru go? He's just a child."
"You're capturing children from bloodline clans, aren't you? Ranmaru has the Red Eye. He should be of use to you. His age also fits your requirements."
Hearing this, Ranmaru cried out, "Lord Raiga!"
He had always thought Raiga saw him as a tool, but he never expected that, at the very end, Raiga would still be trying to find a way for him to live.
Obito glanced at Ranmaru. "So it's the Red Eye. No wonder you could find me from so far away."
"This should be the only pair of Red Eyes left in the world. I promise you, Kurosuki Raiga."
Looking at Raiga, who was about to die at his hands, Obito felt a hint of emotion. Back then, Raiga and the other Seven Ninja Swordsmen had been his greatest assets when he was controlling Kirigakure through Yagura. Now, he was about to kill him with his own hands.
Hearing Obito's answer, Raiga seemed to relax.
He said nothing to Ranmaru. Instead, he raised the swords he had been leaning on and began to gather strength for one final attack. But he was spent. With all his might, he could only muster a sliver of lightning on the blades.
He charged at Obito, but his speed was now far less than it had been at the start.
This time, Obito didn't use Kamui to dodge. An attack of this speed was no threat to him at all.
With a slight turn of his body, he easily dodged Raiga's final strike. Then, he moved behind him and plunged a kunai directly into his heart.
Raiga froze. A slight smile appeared on his face, hidden from Obito.
The next moment, a bolt of lightning descended from the sky, striking both Obito and Raiga.
He's solid. This was Raiga's final thought.
He didn't know how much damage this self-destructing blow would cause, but at least he had managed to hit him.
Raiga had learned from Kisame long ago that Obito was the mastermind who had manipulated the Fourth Mizukage. It was because of him that he and the others had been sent to ambush Konoha, where they had the misfortune of running into the monster, Might Duy.
Because of Obito, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had fallen from their peak, some even to their deaths.
So, Raiga was determined to land a final blow, even if it meant dying.
He had known that Obito had to be tangible when attacking. But he also knew that when Obito attacked, it would be with the certainty of a one-hit kill. By then, he would be dead. But Raiga hadn't hesitated.
His repeated, reckless charges had all been to make Obito lower his guard at the very end.
He had succeeded, even if that success was just one attack bought with his life.
But Raiga felt it was worth it.
Perhaps I should have died back then, against Might Duy.
Raiga's final attack was a self-destructing technique that drew down lightning from the sky. The power was so great that his body was completely disintegrated by it.
Obito, caught in the blast, was also severely injured. The paralyzing effect of the lightning had slowed his Kamui activation by a fraction of a second.
In that fraction of a second, he had sustained extremely serious damage.
"Damn it! He deliberately gave his last words to make me let my guard down!" Obito's body was covered in severe electrical burns. His injuries were not just on the surface; he had also suffered heavy internal damage.
In fact, if he hadn't had a White Zetsu clone attached to him, constantly supplying him with life force, he might have been forced to use Izanagi.
He had never imagined that Kurosuki Raiga, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, could actually injure him.
This made him look at Ranmaru with eyes full of malice.
Ranmaru, being very sensitive, trembled under his gaze.
At that moment, another White Zetsu clone emerged from the ground. "I've confirmed it. There's no one else around. Kurosuki Raiga shouldn't have been able to send a message."
Obito nodded. "Take this child with the Red Eye."
With that, he vanished. He needed to go back and recuperate.
Far away, in Kirigakure, Kisame had already received the intelligence Raiga had sent back.
After reading it, he immediately summoned Elder Genshi and the other high-ranking officials to discuss their next move.
This intelligence was time-sensitive. Kiri had to act immediately, because there was no guarantee Obito wouldn't move again.
As before, a major decision like this was left to the strategic mind of Elder Genshi.
"Inform the Tsuchikage that we've found the target. Then, issue an S-rank mission to Iwagakure and ask him to send people to act with us."
Kisame asked curiously, "Elder Genshi, why ask the Tsuchikage to send people? That Uchiha's space-time ninjutsu is nearly unbeatable. Even if the Tsuchikage sends men, it will be useless. More people will just make it easier to be discovered. Besides, our goal is just to rescue the children. Does it matter if he sends anyone?"
The others were also confused and looked at the Elder.
Genshi replied, "Bringing Iwa along is not for the purpose of killing that Uchiha."
"He doesn't just have us as an enemy; he is a common enemy of almost all the great villages. Among the Six Great Villages, there are more than a few stronger than us. We are not the strongest. The ones most eager to deal with him are Iwa and Konoha, not us."
"Similarly, in his mind, we are not the most threatening enemy. We must not actively draw his attention."
"If we bring Iwa along, then in his eyes, we will just be sidekicks. Compared to the might of Iwagakure, we are too weak to be taken seriously."
"And, from all indications, that Uchiha has suffered at the Tsuchikage's hands before. If we bring the Tsuchikage along, he should have better ways of dealing with his space-time ninjutsu."
The others nodded, understanding his meaning: let Iwa draw the fire.
Genshi's proposal was quickly approved. Kisame immediately sent a messenger to inform Ishiro, while he himself set out for the Land of Iron.
Ishiro was in his office handling documents when he received Kisame's message.
He was surprised. Kiri is actively sharing intelligence with us and even issuing a mission to invite us to deal with Obito together?
"Fine by me. Even if you hadn't asked, I was going to go anyway." Ishiro didn't bother to guess their motives.
He informed the advisory council, then took the three members of Squad 7 and flew out of Iwagakure.
Sitting on Ishiro's porcelain platform, the three students were filled with amazement. Haku had heard Riori and Sōkai talk about Ishiro's flight jutsu many times, but this was his first time experiencing it, and he was excited.
Fujii Kaoru and Kamizuru Tsuruhime were chattering nonstop, thrilled to be flying and seeing the world from a new perspective.
"Look, look! The village is getting smaller!" Kaoru said, pointing to the receding village.
"Yeah, we're so high! Haku, how high do you think we are?" Tsuruhime asked.
Haku shook his head. "I'm not sure. A few hundred meters, maybe."
Kaoru turned to Ishiro. "Teacher Ishiro, where are we going? Is this a mission outside the village?"
Tsuruhime and Haku also turned to him, their faces full of anticipation.
Ishiro just glanced at them. He was currently absorbing natural energy and didn't move. He said calmly, "It's not a mission. Kirigakure has found that Uchiha's trail and has invited me to help."
Hearing this, Haku was both excited and nervous. "Teacher Ishiro, are we going to the Land of Iron? Will I be able to see my little sister?"
Ishiro gave a barely perceptible nod. "We are going to the Land of Iron, but first we'll rendezvous with the Mizukage. As for whether you'll see your sister, I can't say for sure."
Ishiro had his intelligence ninja in Kiri look into it. Haku's parents had indeed had another child, a girl named Yi Mizunashi. She was the same age as Sakura and had also been abducted by Obito. With Iwa ninja still holding important positions in Kiri's Anbu, investigating this was a simple matter.
The possibility of seeing his sister made Haku both excited and apprehensive.
Half a day later, Ishiro brought the three of them to the sea outside the Land of Iron. He had already entered Sage Mode.
Seeing the sage markings on his face, the three disciples began to whisper among themselves again. As Iwa ninja, they were familiar with the concept of senjutsu and had heard about the markings. They also knew that the fewer the markings, the more proficient the user.
"Teacher Ishiro's sage markings seem to be even fewer than the rumors say," Tsuruhime whispered.
Kaoru nodded, also whispering, "Yes, Teacher Ishiro must have gotten even stronger in senjutsu."
Ishiro landed on a small island, the meeting point Kisame had designated.
He was fast. He waited for about half a day before Kisame, who had left Kiri earlier, appeared with a group of people.
Ishiro glanced at them. Mangetsu Hōzuki was there, but not Mei Terumī; she must have stayed behind to guard the village. In addition, Ning Mizunashi and Terumī Chiaki were also present. He didn't recognize the others.
"Mizukage, it's been a while," Ishiro said to Kisame.
Kisame also smiled. "Tsuchikage. I didn't expect you to come in person."
Ishiro smiled. "There is a matter I wish to discuss with you."
He patted Haku's head beside him. "Mizukage, for this mission, Iwagakure will waive the fee. I only hope that after this battle, Kirigakure will recognize that this child belongs to Iwagakure."
Although he was speaking to Kisame, his eyes were on Ning Mizunashi.
Ning's expression changed. He asked tentatively, "This... could this be Haku?" He remembered that Ishiro had once infiltrated Kiri and stolen an infant from the Mizunashi clan. That infant was his cousin's son.
Seeing Ishiro nod, Haku stepped forward, bowed to Ning, and said, "Greetings, Uncle Ning. I am Haku."
Ishiro continued, "By a twist of fate, Haku joined our village. But this child cannot sever his connection to his family. So, I am acting on his behalf to help your village retrieve some of the children from the bloodline clans."
"After this is over, Haku will officially join Iwagakure. How about it?"
Kisame didn't know that another member of the Mizunashi clan was in Iwa. He looked curiously at Ning and gestured that he could make the decision.
Ning Mizunashi gritted his teeth in anger at Ishiro's "twist of fate." You shamelessly snuck into our village and stole him, and you have the nerve to put it so nicely.
Normally, the outflow of one's bloodline was intolerable for any clan, let alone a famous one like the Mizunashi. If it were anyone else, in any other situation, he would have already tried to take him back by force.
But they were cooperating now, and he couldn't do anything to jeopardize the alliance. And the person in front of him was not someone he could handle.
After a moment, he finally said, "Fine. But this time, the Tsuchikage must rescue at least ten of our children."
He had no choice. One Haku Mizunashi was important, but not as important as all the other children.
Ishiro smiled. "Excellent. Rest assured, Senior Ning, I will do my best."
He looked at the sky. "It's getting dark. If we set out now, we can use the cover of night to approach the village."
Kisame asked, "How do we avoid their reconnaissance?"
Ishiro said, "We fly. Their patrols are mainly focused on the ground. If we approach from the air at night, it will be very difficult for them to spot us."
Kisame nodded in agreement.
Ishiro created two porcelain platforms, one large and one small. He and his three disciples got on the small one, while Kisame and his group stood on the larger one.
As the two platforms flew toward their target, Ishiro asked Kisame, "Mizukage, when did you confirm the Uchiha's location? Did you alert him?"
Kisame replied, "It was confirmed not long before I sent the message to you. The scout used a summoning jutsu to transmit the intel, so it's fresh. As for whether he was discovered, I'm not sure. Our ninja only had one chance to contact us. We don't know if he was exposed or encountered a battle after that. However, our scout has the Red Eye, which is no less powerful than the Byakugan. The chances of being discovered should be low."
Ishiro nodded, guessing it was the Kurosuki Raiga and Ranmaru pair.
They flew in silence. Under Ishiro's lead, they rapidly approached the village mentioned in the intel.
An hour later, Ishiro said to Kisame on the other platform, "Mizukage, I have a lock on them. Twenty kilometers out. Good news: the children have not been put into his other dimension."
Kisame was first overjoyed, then shocked.
Everyone from Kiri, including Kisame, couldn't help but swallow.
Twenty-kilometer perception range, and he can clearly count the number of targets? That's too terrifying.
Many of them felt a chill run down their spines. If this Tsuchikage wasn't lying, then he was too frightening.
Ishiro had said it deliberately, and he had even held back on his maximum range.
After flying a bit further, Ishiro suddenly let out a soft "huh." "I'm afraid your scout was discovered."
"I've found a child with special eyes among them. Hmm, he's spotted us too. With that kind of insight, it must be the Red Eye."
Hearing this, Kisame's heart sank. Ranmaru was captured. Then Raiga is likely dead.
The faces of Mangetsu and the others also turned ugly. Raiga was a valuable asset. To die so ambiguously was a considerable loss for Kirigakure.
Ishiro continued, "Hm? That Uchiha is injured?" He had sensed Obito's aura. Obito hadn't been in his perception range before; he must have been phased or in his dimension. Now he had appeared, but his aura was fluctuating abnormally.
Everyone's eyes lit up. Kisame asked, "Is he badly injured?"
Ishiro shook his head. "Not critically. But his recovery ability is very strong. For his injuries to still be so obvious after all this time, he must have been very seriously wounded initially."
"Your people are very capable. Would you mind telling me his name?"
This was a genuine question. Ishiro had never expected that a mere Kurosuki Raiga could accomplish this. He had thought that Obito dealing with a traditional ninja like Raiga would be a piece of cake. Did Genius mess up again?
Still, Obito being injured was a good thing.
"I'd love to hit him with a Light Release right now," Ishiro said. "A pity his space-time ninjutsu is too unbeatable. He'd probably phase before my jutsu even hit him."
Light Release? So that's the name of the Tsuchikage's Kekkei Tōta?
Hearing this, all the Kiri ninja tensed up again. They were thinking, what if Ishiro were to use this against them? Approaching stealthily from the night sky, pinpointing their location from dozens of kilometers away without their knowledge, and then, once in range, firing a Light Release...
Thinking of this, even a Kage-level expert like Mangetsu Hōzuki couldn't help but shiver. He felt he probably couldn't dodge it. With his Hydrification Technique, the Hōzuki clan was not known for speed. And the technique would be useless against a Kekkei Tōta that atomized matter. Turning to water would be pointless.
A threat. This was a threat from Ishiro. The thought rose in everyone's mind.
Ishiro glanced at them. That's right. I'm saying this for you to hear. Remember this, the day you think about betraying Iwagakure, consider the consequences.
Kisame spoke up. "Tsuchikage, how do we proceed? Do you have a plan?"
Ishiro smiled. "In this operation, Kirigakure is the main force. I am just providing support. I won't be giving you orders."
Kisame nodded, didn't stand on ceremony, and began to arrange his subordinates according to his plan.
Then, he glanced at Ishiro. Seeing him nod, he waved his hand, and the operation began.
Ishiro scanned the ground with his Mind's Eye, chose a spot with no White Zetsu clones, and quietly lowered Kisame and his team to the ground.
The next moment, Kisame and all the Kiri ninja began to form hand seals simultaneously.
Ishiro and his three disciples remained in the air. Ishiro observed Obito's reaction with his Mind's Eye.
Sure enough, the moment Kisame and the others began their seals, Obito sensed something was wrong.
"Damn it! Discovered again!" Obito gritted his teeth.
When had it become so easy to find him?
In Ishiro's perception, Obito didn't cast a counter-jutsu. He quickly phased and disappeared. When Ishiro sensed him again, he had appeared in a room. It was the room where Ranmaru and the other dozen children were.
Obito moved quickly, transferring the children one by one into his other dimension.
Just as he finished, Kisame and the others' ninjutsu arrived.
Leading the charge was Kisame's unreasonably powerful Water Release. But this was a rescue mission, so his Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave wasn't at full power. He tried his best to destroy the houses in the village without causing major harm to the people inside.
Then, the water flowed on, washing away all the villagers and children together.
Kisame's plan was simple: I'm not fighting you, I'm competing with you to grab the kids. We have more people. Even with your space-time ninjutsu, we can still rescue most of them.
Seeing this, Ishiro's mind moved, and he cast his Porcelain Release.
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