Between the Land of Soup and the Land of Water was a vast sea.
Uchiha Raizen was impatient to cross by boat.
He could not yet transform into a dragon to fly, so he planned to find a flying animal.
In his beast form, he released a dragon's aura to tame the beasts in the forest.
Then, using Inori's sensing ability, they found a huge strange bird.
Uchiha Raizen forced a summoning contract with the giant bird and flew toward the Land of Water.
He and Inori stood on the bird's back, while Hidan hung from its claws.
Along the way, Inori saw Uchiha Raizen's furrowed brow and worried expression.
She thought for a moment and said,
"Raizen-kun, we must believe in Sister Hikari's strength. She was a genius Uchiha ninja of this generation and became a jonin at fifteen."
Uchiha Raizen knew Inori was trying to comfort him.
His frown eased.
There was no use worrying now.
"Sister's talent is indeed better than mine."
"Even for Raizen-kun, Sister Hikari would never die easily!" Inori said firmly.
Uchiha Raizen sighed and nodded.
He now deeply regretted leaving Konoha without successfully extracting the Phoenix Fruit power.
If he had the Phoenix curse mark now, Sister's danger would be greatly reduced.
He decided that after returning, no matter how sleepless, he would develop the Phoenix curse mark quickly.
Seeing Raizen-kun's mood improve a little, Inori said again,
"Did you carry the letter Sister Hikari sent to the Intelligence Department last time?"
"I'm here."
Uchiha Raizen took out the letter.
Inori used a summoning technique, and surprisingly, a fluffy white fox appeared.
"This is the white fox, my summoned beast. It can track by smell over long distances."
She let the white fox sniff the letter a few times.
The white fox squinted its eyes and twitched its nose, then made a few soft sounds.
Inori happily said, "Great! Little White has recognized Sister Hikari's scent!"
Uchiha Raizen was also very pleased.
He couldn't help but think how capable Inori was as a helper.
...
At the same time,
In a small town northwest of Kirigakure, inside the Land of Water,
There was a brutal scene of flashing swords and flying blades, blood raining everywhere.
Masked Kirigakure Anbu were moving between houses, killing indiscriminately—men, women, old, and young alike.
Screams echoed continuously.
"Why, why must the Yuki Clan be wiped out? We are also part of Kirigakure in the Land of Water!"
A middle-aged man knelt on the ground, crying in pain, tears streaming down his face.
He had just witnessed his wife and children die before his eyes.
"Blame yourselves for being a Kekkei Genkai clan. Under the Blood Mist policy, this is not allowed!" The Kirigakure ANBU spoke coldly and swung his blade at the man.
The middle-aged man's eyes turned red, veins bulging on his forehead, and he shouted with all his strength against fate:
"Blood Mist, that cursed Blood Mist policy! This policy that massacres our own people should never exist, shouldn't it?!"
The ANBU hesitated, his motion frozen instinctively.
Perhaps he had also doubted the Blood Mist policy before, but this was an order from the Fourth Mizukage.
As an ANBU ninja, he must carry it out strictly.
"If you want to ask, go ask the Fourth Mizukage himself." The ANBU no longer hesitated and swung his blade again.
But suddenly, an ice pillar pierced through his abdomen, blood staining its surface, looking eerily red.
The Kirigakure ANBU looked down at his wound in disbelief, then glanced at the middle-aged man with shock, before collapsing to the ground.
The middle-aged man released his hand seals, stood up, and let out a beast-like growl.
"It's all your fault! You forced me into this! Blood Mist? Hahaha, Fourth Mizukage, I'll ask him myself!"
He had just stepped out the door.
Suddenly, mist surrounded him.
A sharp blade silently appeared at his throat.
The middle-aged man's face changed drastically, full of terror.
"Kirin… Zabuza!"
"Oh, you know me," said the visitor — one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Momochi Zabuza.
Zabuza did not have the Executioner's Blade yet; it was still with Biwa Juzo.
But with his strange silent killing technique and excellent sword skills, he was still a candidate for the second generation Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kirigakure.
During the ninja academy graduation test, he killed all his classmates in one go, earning the infamous name "Demon."
The terrified middle-aged man instinctively stepped back.
Zabuza shook his head. "The Yuki clan has a strong Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, but unfortunately, you're useless to me."
With that, he killed the man expressionlessly.
In the mist, Zabuza's figure slowly disappeared, going to find his next target.
Meanwhile, on both the east and west sides of this Yuki clan town, two groups stood guard.
On the east side was Fuguki Suikazan, the Kiri Anbu leader in charge of eliminating the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai clan. He was the wielder of Samehada and also the first generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
During the Third Ninja World War, he and the Seven Swordsmen met Konoha's strongest Genin, Might Duy, and all the swordsmen except him, Biwa Juzo, and Raiga Kurosuki were killed.
But Juzo and Raiga both defected.
So, in the current Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Fuguki Suikazan was the most experienced leader.
Even Kisame Hoshigaki had to obediently follow him as a subordinate.
Next to Fuguki Suikazan stood Hozuki Mangetsu and Ameyuri Ringo from the second generation of the Seven Swordsmen.
Both looked unwell and did not join the massacre like Zabuza.
On the west side of the small town were only two figures, a man and a woman.
The woman was tall and slender with a perfect figure. Her long dress revealed her shoulders and pushed up a deep white cleavage.
She had deep green eyes, red-brown curly hair flowing down to her calves, soft pink lips, and her hands crossed over her stomach. She looked like a proud, mature, elegant woman.
Compared to her, the man looked plain, except for the eyepatch covering his right eye that drew attention.
"How is it inside, Ao?" the elegant woman asked.
Ao, a Kiri elite Jonin with a Byakugan, replied, "The mission seems to be going smoothly. The Yuki clan is almost wiped out. No one escaped."
The Byakugan is a Dojutsu that reveals everything within a one-kilometer radius once activated.
The woman was not pleased and sighed softly, "Another Kekkei Genkai clan will disappear from Kiri. Is this policy really right?"
"Shh, lower your voice, Terumi Mei. If the direct Anbu under the Mizukage hears, it will be bad!" Ao quickly warned, looking around.
Terumi Mei, who was only in her early twenties and far from worrying about marriage, curled her lips in annoyance.
But she also understood that under the current Blood Mist policy enforced in Kirigakure, many things couldn't be said carelessly.
Otherwise, the consequences could be fatal.
Especially since she herself was a Kekkei Genkai user — and not just of one Kekkei Genkai either — she was one of the people this policy directly targeted.
As screams of misery echoed throughout the town, Mei grew more and more agitated.
In the end, she couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Ao, you're older than me, so you must have known the Fourth Mizukage for a long time. Was he always like this? I heard some of the village elders say that the Fourth used to be really gentle."
Ao's expression turned complicated, as if he didn't know how to respond.
He had indeed known Lord Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, for quite some time.
And it was true — Yagura had once been a kind and gentle man.
But people change.
Once someone sits in the Mizukage's seat, they begin to develop thoughts and burdens that others can't easily understand.
Ao didn't dare speak too freely.
"Lord Yagura is Lord Yagura. We just need to follow orders."
Mei's expression clearly showed dissatisfaction, but she didn't press further.
The screams nearby grew louder, and the thick smell of blood filled the air.
For a moment, Mei felt like even the sky above had been dyed a hellish red.
Was this truly the Hidden Mist Village she had once loved so much?
**********
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