Successor

Transporting three people across more than half the Shinobi World with a space-time ninjutsu had taken quite a toll on Mizuki as well.

Doing something like this occasionally was manageable, but using it frequently was more than even Mizuki could bear. This time, in order to make up for the butterfly effect caused by his own actions and give Gaara a chance to be saved, he had truly done everything he could.

The three dust-covered siblings from Sunagakure were sent to the Land of Iron. After a brief rest and washing away their bedraggled state, they were about to attend the Five Kage Summit.

After leaving behind his companions from Konoha and delivering the Fifth Kazekage and his guards safely, Mizuki finally let out a sigh of relief.

Standing atop the outer wall of the venue, which resembled a war fortress, Mizuki braved the heavy snowfall and idly watched squads of samurai patrol back and forth.

The Land of Iron's climate was truly strange. Everywhere else had already entered the warm days of March, with cherry blossoms fluttering through the air, yet this place remained a frozen wasteland. Even the more northerly Land of Earth and the higher-altitude Land of Lightning had better weather than the Land of Iron. Though still chilly, they had long since shed the bitter cold of deep winter.

Only here did Mizuki regret his decision to come out for a walk.

"Jōnin Mizuki, we meet again."

A samurai clad in heavy full-body armor approached at an unhurried pace. His steel boots struck the frozen-hard wall, and the crisp sound of metal reached Mizuki's ears.

"That voice... could it be Master Rikaku?"

"Indeed. We hit it off at once during our last meeting. Fortunately, fate has allowed us to meet again..."

The man was Rikaku, the