[Lands of Water, Jenni Island]
Months passed, and Otogakure absorbed the six new clans of Otogakure. Following this massive shinobi growth, the rest of Otogakure shinobi mercenaries and even a couple of samurai clans started to join the hidden village of the sound.
Meanwhile, the Otogakure Assassination Corps, once led by Harumi, was comissioned by the Otokage himself for an S-rank mission. Danzo needed to spend time with his family, and the task was very long and time-consuming, time which he could better use. Having strong subordinates was not just useful for situations like these. Those strong subordinates could be used to secure resources found abroad.
The lands of water were all the way to the East. Travelling there alone would take weeks, even with shinobi stamina. Worse than that, the investigation would take months.
However, six months after the second shinobi world war ended, Toru Hebikaze, who was now patriarch of the Hebikaze patriarch and the Otogakure Assassination Corps Commander, finished the first phase of his mission.
Although the Otogakure Assassination Corps possessed countless genins, only the jonins joined this S-rank mission. Additionally, Itoru Shimura, the commander of the Shimura Wind Corps and Kaonashi Rin, commander of the Otogakure Sabotage corps, along with their most trusted jonins, joined the operation.
Since the start of the war, it had been the biggest operation.
Following the Otogakure's principles, however, it was a high-stake, low-risk mission. Two semi-kage level figures stood among this operation, and more than 30 jonins were mobilized.
Jenni Island was a small village of fishers, but it also happened to be the home of a clan called Suikazan. This clan held one of the seven legendary swordsmen of the mist called Fuguko.
From a distance, Itoru could see the huge man playing with an overweight, red-hair child.
"Fuguki! Go fetch that ball, would you?"
The heart-warming scene of a family head taking the time to play with his children failed to alleviate the ruthlessness of the Otogakure shinobi. Toru Hebikaze transformed into a small snake and sneaked into the compound, observing him. The meal his wife prepared, the dinner they ate together, the pipe he smoked under the moonlight of the full moon...
However, after seeing an opportune moment, Toru transformed back in his human form and displayed a small array formation of seals. Columns of purple chakra reached the sky, trapping Fuguko in walls of chakra, seemingly unpenetrable.
Otogakure Arena Seal Formation [S]
"Who are you? What do you want", he shouted as his sword, Hiramekarei repeatedly rebounded accross the chakra walls, each strike causing the Otogakure Assassination Corps jonins to groan in pain as their chakra pool was depleted at a rapid pace.
Hiramekarei was a bandaged double-handled sword that is capable of storing and emitting the user's chakra which can then take on various forms. Although it was often labeled as a weak sword, its potential was immense, especially for jinchuriki who needed an S-rank sword to support his strength
Despite Eiji's attempts at creating a custom kage-level sword, he always failed to even replicate the Shimure Heirloom Katana [A].
As such, Danzo cut the funds and instead sent an elite force to fetch the sword from Kirigakure in secret directly.
Itoru and Rin moved forward. The choice of this combination was not chosen by chance. Rin was an expert at disguise, but her ninjutsu skills were extremely strong, at A+ rank. Itoru possessed ninjutsu prowess of S- rank.
Together, despite their elite jonin chakra reserves, they could unleash Danzo's signature jutsu.
Futon: Molten Shimura Dragon Descent [S]
Unlike Danzo's one-hundred-meters wide monstrous blazing dragons, this looked like an infant dragon descending onto the kirigakure elite swordsman. However, the strike took him by surprise, charring his body.
In just one strike, the gap in strength became evident.
Barely alive, he muttered: "Why? Why would you attack us? We are part of Kirigakure! Did the mizukage send you?"
The walls were opaque, so the rest of the Suikazan clan could only watch as they heard the commotions from within the formation. When the walls disappeared, they could only watch in horror as they saw a Konohagakure Uchiha take a kunai and plunging it in the throat of their patriarch.
The rest of the jonins present wore the Konohagakure's headband, their eyes flickering with the unmistakable dojutsu, the sharingan.
Left in shock, the rest of the clan attempted to attack them, but all who wore weapons were killed by fire jutsu, kunai and shurikens, hidden arts of the Uchiha clan, they mistakenly thought.
Minutes later, the bloodbath stopped, the traces of the Konohagakure shinobi gone, any hint of Otogakure presence erased by fire.
This was a flawless operation. Six months of tracking and patient gathering of information, alongside with side spying missions, ended up a magnificent success. Hiramekarei had been successfully retrieved, its technology soon-to-be-reversed engineered to fit the Shimura Kenjutsu Wind Art, the legendary blade to be wielded by the Otokage himself.
Better still, seeds of discontent continued to be planted as the third mizukage heard the testimonies of the Suikazan clansmen. Uchiha dojutsu, fire arts and shurikenjutsu wielded with konohagakure's stolen goods. This all made sense. Konohagakure was preying on the weak to pay its debts from their loss in the Second World Shinobi War!