The wind and snow atop the altar grew increasingly biting.
A thin layer of snow covered the bluish-gray stone slabs, crunching softly beneath their feet. Mifune knelt beside the stone table and lifted the copper kettle from the small red-clay stove. Scalding water poured into the teacups, and the rich aroma of tea instantly dispersed the bitter scent of cedar in the air.
Hyuga Xiao stood at the edge of the altar without turning around.
His gaze pierced through the sweeping snowstorm. His azure Tenseigan glowed dazzlingly in the dim morning light. At the edge of his vision, the Star-Track Maze's energy network resembled a massive blue spiderweb, completely covering the snowy forest within a five-mile radius.
Within that web, more than two hundred frenzied Lightning Release chakra signatures crashed about like headless flies.
Behind those signatures, several wisps of gray-black chakra crawled close to the ground like winding venomous snakes.
"Aburame Clan Nano Venom Insects, mixed with Root's unique Curse Mark tracking." Xiao's lips curved into a cold, sharp smile, and his voice rang particularly clear through the wind and snow. "That old dog Danzo really was willing to pay the price. A tracking technique of this level requires sacrificing half the caster's lifespan to anchor the target's chakra frequency."
Mifune's hand holding the teacup paused slightly. He was not a sensory ninja, but merely hearing Xiao's description was enough for him to sense the malice behind it.
"Do you need me to send someone to eliminate them?" Mifune asked gravely.
"Eliminate them?" Xiao turned around, walked to the stone table, and sat down, picking up the hot tea. The warmth against his fingertips slightly thawed the coldness in his eyes. "That would be letting them off too easily."
He lowered his head to look at the clear tea