"This eye... a Byakugan?"
Hagoromo said this as if sighing in marvel, but before his voice even faded, his figure abruptly vanished from his spot. By the time the visual perception of the people opposite him caught his figure again, he had already appeared right in front of Ao in that fleeting instant, and simultaneously, the thumb, index, and middle fingers of his right hand were already reaching for the opponent's eye.
The target was, naturally, that single Byakugan.
Because he hadn't fully adapted to his new special vision, Hagoromo's sudden disappearance and reappearance caused Ao to fail to make a timely, instantaneous reaction. He could only watch helplessly as Hagoromo's fingertips grew larger and larger.
Fortunately, Ao still had a few reliable teammates. A hand swiftly grabbed the back of his collar and yanked him backward with great force. Following that, a massive sword slammed down viciously, barricading the space between Hagoromo and Ao.
Furthermore, a hand had already clamped around Hagoromo's wrist, preventing him from advancing even an inch further.
"White Yaksha, if you don't want to be melted into a puddle, I advise you not to make any sudden movements."
Hagoromo smiled, then said, "My apologies. Upon seeing certain things, my body couldn't help but act on its own. This was purely a conditioned reflex; I bear no hostility."
"For example, the Byakugan of Konoha's Hyuga," he said, shifting his gaze slightly backward. "Or for another example, my sword."
He referred to that sword as his own, although it would be more accurate to say he had once possessed the ninja sword before him.
After Hagoromo arrived at the designated location at the scheduled time, he encountered several Hidden Mist ninjas who came for the handover, and then proceeded to actively initiate a conflict with them.
The opposing side was also a four-man squad, but this composition appeared somewhat more high-end than Yagura's previous squad. Although Hagoromo didn't recognize all of them, they were at least all ninjas with names and reputations.
They were led by the Hidden Mist Jonin, Mei Terumi, and the other three were Kisame Hoshigaki, Mangetsu Hozuki, and Ao.
The person who pulled Ao back was Kisame Hoshigaki, the one wielding the ninja sword to block the path was Mangetsu Hozuki, and the one who grabbed Hagoromo's wrist to halt his movement was undoubtedly Mei Terumi.
She was also the one who issued the threat of melting him.
And the one Ao possessed was the Byakugan stolen from Konoha quite some time ago.
Currently, Ao was still adapting to this eye. The protective sealing tags that would later appear on his face weren't there yet, leaving the Byakugan fully exposed. Hagoromo recognized it instantly... at the very least, it was impossible for this ninja to have cataracts. Hagoromo could still tell the difference between cataracts and a Byakugan.
Therefore, upon seeing the Byakugan in the opponent's eye socket, he immediately made a probing attack... He wasn't truly intending to snatch the Byakugan; he just wanted to test their attitude.
If he attacked and their reaction was to instantly start a full-blown fight without a word, it would highly suggest the Mist's intent for peace talks wasn't very serious. But now, they had merely stopped Hagoromo without taking further offensive action, meaning the situation might be the exact opposite.
This meant the likelihood of encountering danger upon entering the Hidden Mist Village was somewhat lower.
However, although Mei Terumi didn't counterattack, the grip she had on Hagoromo's wrist was not weak at all, almost as if she wanted to crush his wrist bones... Talk about a woman who is elegant in the parlor and fierce in the kitchen. Did she get this grip strength from aggressively tossing woks?
"Hagoromo, just call me Hagoromo. If we can reach a consensus on this occasion, then both sides will very soon usher in an era of peace."
He still spoke with a smile, but in the next instant, his arm was completely covered in a powerful Chidori Current.
His words and his actions were completely contradictory!
If Mei Terumi hadn't let go and retreated rapidly just now, she would have undoubtedly been burned by the Chidori Current to some degree.
And Hagoromo didn't pursue. He merely dispersed the Chidori Current and let his arm drop to his side, acting as if nothing had happened.
From what he could see, their basic attitude was fine. But what was the meaning behind sending a ninja possessing a Konoha Byakugan? To show that the Mist's attitude was open to both peace talks and continuing the war?
The actual reason wasn't that complex; on the contrary, it was quite simple—it was because the Hidden Mist was currently in the awkward predicament of having "no one to use."
It wasn't like Konoha's general shortage of regular ninjas, but rather a severe lack of high-end combat power.
Two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were previously confirmed dead. Subsequently, five had infiltrated the Land of Fire for a mission and were now long overdue to return. Opinions within the Mist were already beginning to consider that they had met with some collective misfortune.
Aside from the Seven Swordsmen, what else did the Hidden Mist have?
Not much.
Although Ao was a sensory ninja, there weren't many elite Jonin with strength surpassing his that the Mist could currently deploy.
Actually, just looking at the composition of this four-man squad revealed a certain problem. Although all of them were quite strong, without exception, they were all exceedingly young. Aside from Ao, who was over twenty, Mei Terumi was seventeen, Mangetsu Hozuki was sixteen, and Kisame Hoshigaki was fifteen... For the current mission, this composition felt a bit lacking in maturity.
The Hidden Mist wasn't just lacking in elite Jonin; they were equally lacking in Kage-level powerhouses above them. While the true situation hidden in the shadows was unclear, on the surface, the only Kage-level powerhouse the Mist currently possessed was the Third Mizukage.
As for Mei Terumi before him, although she had already mastered the nature transformations of Water, Fire, and Earth, and exceptionally possessed two Kekkei Genkai—Lava Style and Boil Style—considering her age and experience, her strength was still only at the Jonin level. At best, she could be considered quasi-Kage; calling her Kage-level would be a bit of a stretch.
Her situation was quite similar to Yagura's earlier.
This put the Hidden Mist in a rather embarrassing position. As one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, during such a Great Ninja War, they actually couldn't deploy a Kage-level powerhouse...
"Ao, are you alright?" Mei Terumi turned and asked.
"Lady Mei, I'm fine," Ao replied hastily, snapping back to his senses.
That was truly a close call. Hagoromo's fingertips had almost poked his eyeball—in the Byakugan's vision, the opponent's Lightning Style chakra erupted instantly. It turned out an instant-cast Lightning Style ninjutsu that truly required no hand signs could be that powerful.
...Lady Mei?
From their forms of address and mutual attitudes, Hagoromo deduced that this four-man group was led by Mei Terumi, and the other three should be her subordinates.
Pushing the deduction further, Mei Terumi had likely already secured a relatively high status in the Hidden Mist. Perhaps her personal attitude would exert a certain influence on the outcome of the peace talks...
Therefore, he had to pay extra attention to her.
"White Yaksha, this is your final warning. If you attack my people again, it means the complete breakdown of the peace talks between Konoha and the Hidden Mist. Do you understand?"
Mei Terumi spoke in a cold, stern tone. She didn't change how she addressed Hagoromo either; he couldn't realistically expect her to warmly call him by his first name.
She really is the one calling the shots... Hagoromo grew even more certain of his judgment.
He held up his two empty hands and said, "The peace talks are the most important." Hagoromo used this gesture to indicate he wouldn't do anything else, suggesting he could be classified as "harmless."
But clearly, he wasn't worthy of trust. Because as he said those words, he very obviously glanced first at Ao's Byakugan, and then at the Samehada in Mangetsu Hozuki's hands.
Currently, the Hidden Mist only had two of the seven ninja swords left. Although Mangetsu Hozuki was proficient in all of them, he practically had no choice in which sword to use.
"Did you encounter anything earlier?" Mei Terumi's sense of smell was very sharp. During their brief contact just now, she faintly detected an almost imperceptible scent of blood on Hagoromo.
"No. Please lead the way. My mission is to deliver the Hokage's handwritten letter into the Mizukage's hands; the mission takes priority over everything else."
Hagoromo absolutely wouldn't bring up the Yagura incident. Although he could basically determine that Mei Terumi belonged to the faction supporting the peace talks, he had no idea how she would react upon learning that Yagura had just been killed.
Even with opposing political stances, who was to say the two weren't childhood sweethearts?
Mei Terumi frowned but ultimately didn't say anything more. She directly signaled her teammates to bring Hagoromo and head toward the Hidden Mist.
She took the lead, Mangetsu Hozuki and Kisame Hoshigaki flanked the left and right, and Ao followed Hagoromo from a slightly further distance behind.
This formation served as both an escort and a surrounding watch over Hagoromo. The moment he showed any suspicious intent, it could likely transform into a killing array instantly.
Currently, the group was located on a deserted small island near the Land of Water. Once they left here, they would quickly reach the Land of Water, and the Hidden Mist Village would be right before their eyes.
------------------------------------------
Stones are appreciated if you can spare any.
Vol 1 of this fanfic is already completed on patreon.
P(a)treon.com/GoatMama