Village of the Bloody Mist

"I think we should let someone with scouting abilities infiltrate."

At night, Liumu and the others gathered to discuss their next course of action.

Orochimaru could turn his body into snakes, an excellent means of infiltration.

Tsunade's abilities were immense strength and healing, making her unsuited to this kind of work.

Yuhi Shinku probably could not do it either. After all, according to Tsunade, he was more skilled in ninjutsu such as Fire Release.

"Isobu's whereabouts are still unknown, and Kirigakure is a closed-off village to begin with. Everyone there has more or less seen everyone else's face. Infiltrating Kirigakure in disguise would be practically impossible."

Tsunade looked at Liumu in shock as he offered his opinion, quietly waiting for the rest of his analysis.

"Our first priority now is to locate Isobu. As for capturing him afterward, we'll need to devise a flawless plan. After all, even the Three-Tails is still a tailed beast, right?"

Minato took a Tri-pronged Kunai from his Ninja Tools pouch and placed it in the middle of the group. "Whoever goes can take this along. If anything unexpected happens, I can provide support or get you out at any time."

"Then I'll go."

Orochimaru fixed his slit pupils on Liumu and said slowly, "You're much calmer than that lazy toad."

"No, what Jiraiya-sensei has is boldness. What I have is... caution." With a smile that did not reach his eyes, Liumu changed the subject. "I can go too. After all, one more person scouting means one less concern."

Liumu was already seventy or eighty percent certain that the black-robed ninja was Madara. If he wanted to capture Isobu before Madara got his hands on him, he had to make every second count.

Of course, running into Madara himself would work too.

By now, he had already given his eyes to Nagato. Against an old man in his twilight years, Liumu could kill him outright even with the Kizaru template.

"You?" Tsunade turned her head in confusion. "You know how to scout too?"

At her words, Liumu smiled without answering and slowly opened his hand before the group. Then, before their eyes, his palm turned into specks of light.

"This is..." Shock immediately appeared on Minato's face at the sight.

"That's right. As you can see, I actually have a kekkei genkai too." After speaking, Liumu gathered the specks of light back together, forming his right hand again before the others.

"That ability!" Minato said delightedly to Liumu. "Why didn't Jiraiya-sensei tell me you had a kekkei genkai?"

"Well..."

Liumu chuckled, the lie coming readily to his lips.

"Actually, it hasn't been long since I awakened my kekkei genkai. Jiraiya-sensei had already gone to Mount Myōboku by then, so I haven't had a chance to tell him yet."

The time at which a kekkei genkai awakened was directly related to a ninja's individual talent.

Although awakening one could be somewhat difficult aside from the mandatory requirements of certain kekkei genkai, there did not seem to be any holes in Liumu's explanation.

"Where did Jiraiya pick up these students? Minato was impressive enough, but he even managed to find a genius like you."

A subtle smile appeared on Orochimaru's pale face. His scarlet tongue brushed over his thin lips, and even his eyes seemed to grow a little more animated.

Their impromptu operation began.

Tsunade led Minato and Yuhi Shinku in keeping watch outside the village.

Meanwhile, Liumu and Orochimaru entered the village to search for traces of Isobu.

As Liumu was Minato's student, Minato handed him his shuriken and said, "Be careful. Don't push yourself."

Liumu nodded at his words. He and Orochimaru stooped as they left the snowbank and approached a corner of Kirigakure's walls.

"Whether we find anything or not, we'll meet here in two hours!"

After speaking, Orochimaru's body suddenly softened, turning straight into countless tiny white snakes that slipped into Kirigakure through the gaps in the railing.

"It's not my first time seeing it, but I still think that ninjutsu is disgusting!"

Liumu muttered with a curl of his lips, then turned his entire body into specks of light and flew into the village.

Back in the time of the Second Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu, Kirigakure had modeled its administration on Konoha's, establishing the ANBU and a Ninja Academy.

Among them, the most famous ANBU organization was the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist of the old era.

The name of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist was something of a talking point in the Shinobi World, but the selection of the ninja who would wield those seven ninja blades was steeped in darkness.

And this was ultimately why Kirigakure was called "Snow Mist Village."

After slipping into the village, Liumu first investigated the sparsely populated areas.

As Isobu the Three-Tails, if he did not want to be captured by ninja, he had to conceal his chakra as much as possible. Moreover, there were strict limitations on where the Three-Tails could live. As an aquatic animal, hiding in water was his ideal option.

The Land of Water, where Kirigakure was located, was surrounded by the sea, but within Kirigakure itself, there were few bodies of water large enough to accommodate someone of Isobu's size.

Liumu figured his first task was to mark the bodies of water that could serve as possible destinations, then investigate them one by one in the days to come.

"Stop! Let go of my child! Give me back my child!"

"Waa! Waa!"

Just then, by the lake in northern Kirigakure, there was an earthen house built on a mound less than three hundred meters from Liumu.

In front of the door, a middle-aged woman knelt on the ground, sobbing. Her eyes blurred with tears, she clung tightly with both hands to a Mist Shadow ninja holding a baby before her.

"Let go!"

The Mist Shadow ninja snapped harshly and kicked out, immediately knocking the woman to the ground.

"Without death, how can there be life?" The Kirigakure ninja stood alone, looking down at the woman from above. "His bloodline will become a powerful source of strength for Kirigakure in the future. You should be happy for this child."

"No! No!" The woman sobbed without stopping, tears streaming down her slightly flushed cheeks.

"The child's father is already dead. This child is all I have left. If you take him away, how is that any different from killing me?"

A mother being torn from her child?

Liumu perched on a dead tree, taking in everything on the mound.

Seeing the woman's reluctance to part with her child, the Kirigakure ninja suddenly smiled and said cryptically, "Perhaps... you're right. Your existence is this child's only weakness!"

The woman: ???

Before the woman could react, the Mist Shadow ninja immediately trapped her with Water Release: Water Prison Technique.

In such bitter winter cold, the water prison froze solid in barely ten minutes.

Looking at the child sobbing incessantly in his arms, the Kirigakure ninja said to the woman before him, "This child may lead Kirigakure into a new era. As his mother, you can rest in peace."

A sharp gleam flashed, and the ice prison instantly turned to dust, scattering in the gusts of cold wind.