Night in the Land of Hot Water carried the sulfurous scent unique to hot springs, mingling with damp mist that shrouded the border town.
Hyuga Xiao crouched behind a dead tree on the hillside outside town, his Byakugan remaining active. His vision pierced through layer upon layer of buildings before finally locking onto the underground level of a seemingly abandoned hot spring inn on the town's western side—there were chakra signatures there. Seven people, one of them so faint it was like a candle guttering in the wind.
"Found them." Xiao lowered his voice as his left shoulder wound sent needle-like numbness through him.
Kurenai Yuhi crouched beside him, her fingers forming hand seals as she maintained the bare minimum of an illusionary disguise. They currently looked like ordinary merchants, their faces smeared with ointment that altered their skin tone and their clothes changed into the cotton and linen commonly worn in the Land of Hot Water.
"How many?" Hong asked.
"Seven. Six have chakra levels around Special Jōnin rank, and the other..." Xiao's pupils narrowed slightly. "He's unusual. His chakra circulation isn't like that of a normal ninja. He's more like some kind of... container."
"A container?"
"Yes. Chakra cycles through fixed circuits inside his body without leaking out in the slightest. That degree of control is at least Shadow Level." Xiao paused. "And the positions of those six Special Elite Ninjas—two guard the underground entrance, two are disguised as guests on the inn's first floor, and another two are on the roof. Standard prisoner containment formation."
Hong's fingers tightened. "Can you see the prisoner clearly?"
Xiao focused his Byakugan once more.
The underground cell was damp and frigid, droplets condensed across the walls. A middle-aged man was chained to a stone pillar, dressed in torn Hyuga Clan clothing—the