Kill!

Also, the entire Konoha patrol unit in the Land of Rivers had been wiped out.

No one knew who the killer was. Anyway, Byakuya had heard from Hiroya that Mū had survived. The village had sent new ninja to the Land of Rivers to take over the patrol.

If he had to guess who the killer was, it was undoubtedly those vicious Sunagakure Ninja.

"Shadow Clone Technique."

The real body stayed hidden while a clone went to scout.

"Going on a mission alone makes everything twice as hard. If only I had Team Taka's lineup, like Sasuke Uchiha. Even a bargain-bin version would do."

Karin was a mobile blood pack and radar, Suigetsu was a heavy hitter who added a margin for error, and Jugo was a human tank with wide-area firepower. Sasuke only needed to make the decisions and provide the ultimate damage output.

The Shadow Clone glanced back at the real body.

"Sorry for the trouble."

The clone nodded, leaped into the forest, and vanished in an instant.

Byakuya's real body picked a suitable spot and left a Flying Thunder God Formula behind.

Besides the Shadow Clone Technique, Storm Release: Body Flicker Technique, Storm Release: Torrential Lightning Flash, the new jutsu he had named Storm Release: Thousand Blades, and Water Release: Water Formation Wall, his most important trump card was the S-Rank Space-Time Ninjutsu, the Flying Thunder God Technique.

This jutsu would keep Byakuya safe when he met Pakura.

As for the Earth Release jutsu he had been longing to learn, too much had happened lately. He could only refine a little Earth-nature chakra, and he was still a long way from mastering Earth Release.

The wind in the Land of Rivers was colder than in the Land of Fire.

The leaves gradually turned yellow.

Byakuya sat quietly, staying alert to every rustle in the grass around him as he frowned at the map.

There was one more black circle.

That was the Azure-Black Serpent's territory.

He had obtained the Summoning Technique from the two Anteater Bounty Group ninja. He had learned it and was now fairly skilled at using it, but he still lacked the most crucial part: a Summoning Beast.

The Azure-Black Serpent fit the bill.

"Maybe I should try again?"

He considered it silently.

He was definitely stronger now than last time. Even if he couldn't win, he could escape with the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Once he subdued the Azure-Black Serpent and signed a contract with it, having such a powerful Summoning Beast would give him the confidence to face even Kage Level opponents.

If it really came from Ryūchi Cave, Byakuya would also have a way to learn Senjutsu.

Two hours later.

The Shadow Clone Technique was released.

According to the intel Root had provided, this was supposed to be a temporary Sunagakure camp. Now it was deserted, with only a few traces left behind.

He moved on to the next location.

Once again, he sent a Shadow Clone to scout.

This time, it ran into five Sunagakure Ninja.

The Shadow Clone hid in the shadows, holding its breath as it watched them for a while. It judged that all five were Chunin-level.

Then it used Storm Release: Body Flicker Technique to close the distance.

Hand Seals.

"Storm Release: Torrential Lightning Flash."

The perfected Torrential Lightning Flash consumed far less chakra, but its power remained unchanged.

He opened his mouth and spewed a sheet of lightning. It flowed like a river, and its brilliant blue-white light made all five Sunagakure Ninja squeeze their eyes shut.

In the blink of an eye, the Torrential Lightning Flash split into four currents and pierced their vital points.

The Shadow Clone immediately rushed in with a Kunai to deal with the last Sunagakure Ninja.

It acted as if it had miscalculated and only slashed the man's neck.

Watching the Sunagakure Ninja flee, the clone waited a little longer before putting on a show of pursuing him. Only when the lucky survivor rushed toward the forests in the direction of the Land of Wind did the clone stop.

As the jutsu was released, Byakuya's real body had just finished leaving a Flying Thunder God Formula on the trunk of a concealed tree.

"It's too much trouble searching everywhere. I might as well make Pakura come to me."

To make sure Pakura knew that the Konoha Ninja who had killed the Sunagakure Ninja was him, Byakuya hurried to the next location and left behind more clues.

This place wasn't far from the Azure-Black Serpent's territory, less than a hundred miles in a straight line.

The same old plan.

The real body stayed hidden, finding suitable places to leave Flying Thunder God Formulae, while Shadow Clones served as expendable scouts.

The Flying Thunder God Technique still had quite a few drawbacks.

The first requirement was to place the formulae beforehand. Without a mark, he couldn't use the technique in an unmarked area. If he ran into an enemy unexpectedly, he would be missing a major jutsu.

Planning and marking locations in advance also limited the technique's flexibility. The user needed exceptional combat intelligence and skill.

Senju Tobirama and Namikaze Minato were both that kind of person.

And if an enemy found the Flying Thunder God Formula, then set an ambush nearby or slapped an Explosive Tag on it, the outcome would be bad. One mistake could be fatal.

But in an area as rugged as the Land of Rivers, placing Flying Thunder God Formulae in advance made this Space-Time Ninjutsu invincible.

This time, the Shadow Clone ran into a tough opponent.

It was spotted before it even got close to the target area.

"Wind Release: Kamaitachi."

"Wind Release: Wind Cutter."

Byakuya's clone immediately used Storm Release: Body Flicker Technique to dodge the two jutsu.

The moment the Body Flicker Technique ended, the clone formed Hand Seals.

"Water Release: Water Formation Wall."

A waterfall of water swirled around him, crackling with piercing lightning as it formed a protective barrier.

The Kunai, shuriken, and Explosive Tags thrown by the Sunagakure Ninja were all blocked by the Water Formation Wall.

Amid the thunderous explosions of the Explosive Tags,

the clone used Storm Release: Body Flicker Technique to speed away from its original position. It had already sensed where the Sunagakure Ninja were.

He threw out several shuriken.

His hands flashed through a dizzying series of Hand Seals.

"Storm Release: Torrential Lightning Flash."

The jutsu was already extremely fast, and its blinding lightning made two of the Sunagakure Ninja get hit instantly. One was pierced through the chest, while the other had a huge hole torn through his abdomen.

The captain of the group endured the blinding lightning and forced his eyes wide, straining to spot his enemy. But he saw the river of lightning suddenly right in front of him.

Too fast. It was far too fast.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall."

A wall of earth abruptly rose in front of the captain, blocking the Torrential Lightning Flash.

The vice-captain squinted. Seeing that he was the target of the enemy's jutsu, the vice-captain had acted first to shield him with a jutsu.

But that wasn't the end of it.

The lightning curved around the wall and continued toward him.

Still, the delay gave the captain time to react. The Shadow Clone was nowhere near as strong as the real body. Even as the lightning made his eyes water, the Sunagakure captain retreated and formed Hand Seals.

"Wind Release: Great Kamaitachi."

A violent gust and a barrage of wind blades rushed to meet the Torrential Lightning Flash.

The two forces collided and exploded.

The other Sunagakure Ninja were already closing in on the Shadow Clone.

Seeing this,

the Shadow Clone knew there was no point continuing the fight. It used Storm Release: Body Flicker Technique to dodge the attacks one after another, put some distance between itself and the Sunagakure Ninja, and released the Shadow Clone Technique behind a tree.

That was the advantage of Storm Release: Body Flicker Technique. After accelerating, Storm Release chakra helped stabilize the body, allowing it to keep exerting force without stopping.

The memories and battle footage returned to the real body.

Byakuya looked in the direction where the Sunagakure squad had appeared and murmured, "That should be enough. Those Sunagakure Ninja will report my jutsu to Pakura. She'll know I've returned to the Land of Rivers."

"All I need to do is meet Pakura and let her know Konoha is willing to form an alliance. There's no need to attack the Sunagakure Ninja. But whether I'm looking at the situation with the benefit of hindsight or considering the current state of the Shinobi World, Sunagakure will definitely attack Konoha sooner or later. Weakening Sunagakure's fighting forces as much as possible is simply part of my duty as a Konoha Ninja."

That was the confidence he had in this mission.

The Flying Thunder God Technique kept him safe.

With the benefit of hindsight, he could understand the current state of the Shinobi World and even Pakura's future fate, then make the choice that benefited him most.

Danzo would never imagine that Byakuya was carrying out this mission in a way far beyond anything he could have imagined.