Carrying the strange weapon wrapped layer upon layer in bandages over his shoulder, Kisame Hoshigaki stepped into the daimyo's residence.
Every last resisting force within the residence had already been wiped out.
"Report: We've searched the entire daimyo's residence, but found no trace of the daimyo."
A masked Mist ninja respectfully reported to Kisame.
"Did he hide?" Kisame smiled without the slightest expression on his face, revealing shark-like teeth.
Though he was smiling, the gloomy aura radiating from him made the Mist ninja beside him shudder.
"Ao." Kisame turned and gave an order to the eyepatched man following behind him.
"Yes, sir..." Ao nodded, pulling aside the eyepatch covering his right eye to reveal the Byakugan in its socket.
During the Third Shinobi World War, he had taken a Byakugan from a careless member of the Hyuga clan's main family. It became his trophy, and under the Fourth Mizukage's approval, it had been transplanted into his right eye.
After that incident, no member of the Hyuga clan's main family ever appeared on the front lines again.
Because of this, he became known as 'Ao of the Byakugan.'
Ao had also been deployed for this operation as Kisame's support, demonstrating that Kirigakure had completely submitted to Konoha.
Although the Hokage had never asked about Kirigakure's affairs, Ao had recently been considering whether he should find a time to return this Byakugan to Konoha.
"Byakugan, activate!"
Ao held up two fingers with one hand. Veins bulged around his right eye and brow, making him look terrifying as the Byakugan immediately lit up.
The Byakugan had only been active for a moment when a sinister smile appeared on Ao's face.
He waved over several Mist ninja, then immediately stomped down hard on a section of the floor.
After a burst of collapsing sounds,