"Captain, the target location has been confirmed. Following reconnaissance, this rogue ninja group has been identified as the target of this 'cleanup' operation."
An Anbu ninja wearing an animal mask unfolded a simple yet thoroughly annotated terrain sketch, his fingertip pointing at the core area of the structural diagram.
"The group's leader, codenamed 'Rust,' is Kakuzo. He was formerly affiliated with Kirigakure's Torture Department and held the rank of Jonin. He does not come from a Kekkei Genkai family. His signature combat style involves controlling specially made, high-strength Chakra threads. He excels at binding, cutting, and... 'delicate operations' while torturing targets."
"Oh?"
A peculiar voice took over. Kisame Hoshigaki wore a black robe, with a grotesque massive object wrapped in bandages strapped to his back. A hint of amused curiosity appeared on his fish-like face.
"From Kirigakure? And a Jonin from the Torture Department... now that's interesting. Since he wasn't one of those troublesome Kekkei Genkai family types,"
"he should have had a fairly stable life in the village. How did he end up defecting?"
The Anbu ninja immediately replied, "The target defected during the period of unrest following the Fourth Mizukage's removal from office and the village's transfer of power."
"The direct trigger was that the new management discovered his abnormal behavior within the Torture Department—on multiple occasions, he had subjected prisoners with no remaining intelligence value to torture and execution far beyond what was necessary, with obvious signs that he enjoyed it. Further investigation revealed that even during the Fourth Mizukage's administration, he had repeatedly exploited his position to arrest ninjas and even civilians who posed no real threat on fabricated charges, solely to satisfy his twisted desire to inflict pain."
A trace of cold contempt seeped into the Anbu's tone. "After comprehensive evaluation, the target, Rust Kakuzo,