Inside the second-floor attic of Kaguya Washiro's estate.
Almost the exact moment Hyuga Yu—acting as the assassin—departed, a figure with long black hair, beaded ornaments, and a deep blue combat suit crashed through the window.
The intruder was none other than the Third Mizukage of Kirigakure.
Habitually keeping his eyes closed, he tilted his nose and caught several scents in the air, his brow furrowing instantly. Slowly, he opened his eyes just a sliver, casting a cold gaze toward the corpses of Kaguya Washiro and his guards on the floor.
"They didn't leave a single trace..." He murmured. "Interesting."
"To manage something of this caliber, it was either that old geezer Genji acting personally, or... some formidable players sent by another village."
"However... you might have been better off acting alone."
The Third Mizukage turned his icy stare toward a corner outside the estate. In his unique sensory range, the residual heat from where the ninjas had been crouching—and a lingering, discordant scent—stood out. The spectrum of temperature differences left in the environment was abnormally clear to him.
There had been four assassins in total. While the actual killer had left no trace, the other three who had met up with him had left behind scents and thermal signatures that the primary assassin had tried to erase. Despite their efforts, a small amount of information remained.
The Third Mizukage looked up indifferently, staring through the walls toward the eastern side of the Kaguya clan grounds.
In the next instant, his body blurred. A pair of massive, crimson blood-wings erupted from his back. He surged upward, smashing through the attic roof and flying at high speed toward a cluster of white, tower-like buildings to the east.
However, just then—BOOM!
A brilliant burst of fire rose from one side of the Kaguya district. Immediately after, ninjas wearing Hidden Mist headbands poured out from hidden corners. After destroying a warehouse filled with war supplies, they accelerated toward the Hōzuki clan district on the opposite side.
The Third Mizukage halted his flight, his brow furrowing as he weighed his options.
Very soon, a wave of Parasitic Insects (Kikaichū) rose from the distance, surging toward his position in mid-air. His gaze sharpened instantly. "I see... an infiltration expert from Root. That man from the Aburame clan."
"That old ghost Genji really is in contact with Konoha!"
Cold light flashed in the Mizukage's narrowed eyes as he beat his wings and dove.
"Since you've come, you can all stay here forever!"
Back on the ground, Hyuga Yu listened to Aburame Ryōma's instructions. Before he could even voice a refusal, he saw the winged figure—moving so fast it was hard to track with the naked eye—diving toward the exposed Root ninjas.
A rain of crimson blood-senbon poured from the wings on the Mizukage's back. Over a dozen Root ninjas whirled around, drawing their kunai to parry the attack. But in the blink of an eye, without any warning or even being struck by the senbon, their expressions twisted. They gasped in agony, and blood began to erupt violently from their mouths. The blood formed a small river, flying through the air toward the Third Mizukage.
The dozen-plus ninjas were drained dry in seconds, their lifeblood fueling the wings on the Mizukage's back. He turned his head toward Yu's group, his hands already forming the 'Dragon' seal.
A roaring river of blood surged from the pile of corpses at his feet, shooting into the sky and drowning the massive swarm of insects controlled by Aburame Ryōma.
In less than twenty seconds, Ryōma's offensive was dismantled, and the exposed Root unit was nearly annihilated.
The Third Mizukage then turned his sights directly toward Yu and the others, flying straight for them.
At this point, Aburame Ryōma didn't have time for code names. His face was grim as he spoke in a low, heavy voice:
"Hyuga Yu, listen. That man is the Third Mizukage. Information regarding his abilities is Kirigakure's highest-level secret. I can only help you test him this once. How much intel we get depends on how much you can observe!"
"As of now, the only thing we know is this..."
"After he took power, he created the 'Bloody Mist' environment. By pairing that with his bizarre abilities, he has suppressed countless rebellions within the Mist!"
"Inside Kirigakure, he is virtually invincible!"
"If we can't find a way to break his jutsu, Genji won't cooperate with us, and it will be impossible to incite an internal coup!"
As his voice fell, Aburame Ryōma stared coldly at the diving Mizukage. With his hands behind his back, he moved with sharp, decisive steps to intercept him.
As he charged, Ryōma swung his hand forward. "Secret Technique: Insect Bog!"
The ground beneath his feet instantly transformed into a pitch-black swamp. Countless surging Kikaichū swirled around Ryōma like a tide as he clashed with the Third Mizukage.
The two forces collided. The rain of blood-senbon relentlessly slaughtered the insects attempting to swarm the Mizukage. As the battle progressed, the blood swirling around the Mizukage grew in volume. Although Ryōma's insects initially held their own, their numbers were visibly dwindling.
Watching this, Hyuga Yu's eyes narrowed. After the initial shock, he quickly processed the situation and gave an immediate order to the three beside him. "Let's go!"
Terai hesitated. "But... Lord Ryōma..."
"Don't worry about him. He's better at staying alive than you are."
Hyuga Yu turned calmly, deciding without hesitation to "sell" Aburame Ryōma to cover their retreat.
In this era, the Third Shadows of each village were all "monster-tier" anomalies. They were the second tier of power right behind an elderly Madara Uchiha. The Third Raikage could fight ten thousand men alone; the Third Tsuchikage had atomic-level molecular deconstruction; the Third Kazekage possessed the strongest Magnet Style; and the Third Hokage was hailed as the "Professor" and a "God of Shinobi."
As a peer to those men, the Third Mizukage couldn't be far behind.
Though Hyuga Yu had recently acquired Hashirama's cells and compensated for his lack of chakra, his overall combat system hadn't had time to evolve. His Wind Style was too dependent on the surrounding environment. After watching for just a moment, Yu judged that his current abilities weren't enough to crack the Mizukage's technique.
Through the vision of his Byakugan, the principles of the Mizukage's jutsu weren't overly complex—he relied on the "Blood Mist" permeating the village and the blood from enemy corpses, constantly converting it into "Blood" that he could manipulate. He then applied shape and nature transformation to that blood.
The problem was the environment. In the pervasive Blood Mist of Kirigakure, he could perform these conversions almost infinitely. As the battle dragged on, the enemy's power would only continue to scale upward.
As Yu ran, he kept his Byakugan active, observing the situation behind him and analyzing the Mizukage's capabilities.
At that moment, the Third Mizukage noticed Yu's team of four. He narrowed his eyes. "What's the deal with those four brats? Trying to run?"
A cold light flashed in his eyes. While maintaining the blood river to suppress Aburame Ryōma, he gave his wings a powerful beat. He transformed into a crimson streak of light, shooting toward Hyuga Yu with explosive force.
Whoosh!
A violent gale swept toward Yu's squad!
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