The eldest of the remaining ones roared with fury and threw a dozen shurikens from his sleeve. Noah wove seals at an impossible speed.
—Water Shield!
The water shield absorbed the projectiles, slowing them down just enough to dodge them. Then he counterattacked with a curtain of kunai that forced the Kaguya to retreat.
The young man with Shikotsumyaku, meanwhile, had managed to circle around him. He leaped from behind with a bone sword in each hand, ready to pierce him.
Noah sensed him before seeing him. His Byakugan granted him enhanced peripheral awareness. He spun on his heels and, instead of dodging, charged forward.
—Water Dragon Projectile Technique!
A water dragon emerged from his hands, spiraling. The aquatic beast caught the young Kaguya and slammed him into a tree. The impact was brutal; the boy fell unconscious instantly.
Only the oldest one remained, the one who had retreated. Seeing his two comrades fallen, his ferocity did not diminish but seemed to increase. He charged with a roar, lunging with his spear.
Noah waited, motionless.
At the last second, he ducked. The spear whistled past over his head. Taking advantage of the imbalance, he channeled chakra into his hand and delivered a precise blow to the base of the Kaguya's spine.
The man fell like a sack.
Noah straightened up, adjusting his wrist guards. He examined the three bodies: two dead and one unconscious from the water dragon's impact. The one with Shikotsumyaku, the young man, was breathing weakly.
—A shame —Noah murmured—. But I can't leave you alive.
With a quick motion, he ended his life. The Kaguya neither forgot nor forgave. If he let him go, he would come back to bite him someday.
Then, from his 4D pocket, he extracted a sterilized syringe. He approached the body of the young man who possessed Shikotsumyaku and carefully drew a blood sample directly from the exposed bone marrow. The crimson liquid filled the small container.
He put away the syringe and walked back to the cart.
—Old man Yuki, you can come out now!
The old man poked his head out from under the cart, eyes wide. Seeing the bodies, he paled, but nodded gratefully.
—Well done, boy. Well done… —He struggled to his feet and looked at the fallen—. Kaguya… I knew they would come.
—Why are they after you? —Noah asked curiously.
Ichiro sighed deeply, leaning on the cart.
—A few months ago, the leader of one of their factions fell ill. They summoned me because my reputation as a doctor had reached their clan. I traveled to their lands, examined the old man… but I couldn't save him. —He shook his head—. His body composition was strange, different from any patient I had ever treated. I tried every technique I knew, every medicine. Nothing worked, and in the end he died in my arms.
Noah nodded, understanding.
—Shikotsumyaku —he said quietly—. That kekkei genkai affects not only the bones but the entire bodily system. Treating it must be like trying to cure someone with a disease that attacks their very genetic structure.
—You know about that? —Ichiro asked, surprised.
—I've read —Noah replied evasively—. Diseases related to kekkei genkai are difficult, sometimes impossible to cure. It wasn't your fault, old man.
The old man nodded, though guilt still weighed in his eyes.
They resumed their journey at dawn, leaving the bodies behind.
---
One day later, when they could already see the border of the Land of Rain, danger presented itself again.
Two figures leaped out from among the rocks, both with the unmistakable appearance of the Kaguya clan. These were younger than the previous ones, barely adolescents, but with the same wild look.
Noah wasted no time.
He drew Mugen.
The katana shone with its own light as it left the sheath. The first Kaguya charged with a shout. Noah moved like flowing water; a sidestep, a twist of the wrist. The blade cut through the air and, in passing, the attacker's neck.
The second hesitated for an instant, surprised by the speed. That instant was enough. Noah advanced, the katana traced a perfect arc, and the young man fell without a groan.
In a few seconds, both were dead.
Noah sheathed Mugen and returned to the cart.
—Done —he said simply.
Ichiro looked at him with a mixture of awe and respect.
—That sword… Is it a Kusanagi?
—Something like that —Noah replied, offering no further explanation as they continued on their way.
---
Hours later, they arrived at a wide river. The stone bridge that was supposed to cross it lay collapsed, its remains scattered downstream.
—Damn —Noah murmured—. We'll have to go around… and that will cost us days.
He observed the water, calculating the distance.
—Can we cross it some other way?
The old man was silent for a moment. Then, with a determined expression, he got down from the cart and approached the shore.
—Let me handle it.
He brought his hands together and began to perform a sequence of hand seals.
—Ice Style: Demonic Ice Mirror!
The river water began to freeze from the bottom up. A thick layer of ice spread from shore to shore, forming a solid, sturdy bridge.
Ichiro turned to Noah, slightly winded from the effort.
—That will suffice. The cart can cross.
Noah stared at him. His eyes, behind the contact lenses, gleamed slightly.
—Ice Style. Ice Release…
A kekkei genkai that combined the natures of wind and water. And this old man used it so openly, unconcerned about who might see him…
—It seems it hasn't happened yet —Noah thought—. That conflict that led the Yuki clan to destruction, and its remnants to hide their abilities. Here, in the Land of Rain, they still live in peace.
They crossed the ice bridge without trouble. On the other side, the road went into a region of constant rain, with a landscape covered in damp mist.
—What luck I've been having these days —Noah said to himself, walking beside the cart—. I go out on a mission out of boredom and I run into two kekkei genkai: Shikotsumyaku and Ice Style.
He looked at the old man with new eyes. He knew he couldn't let this opportunity pass.
At night, when they camped and Ichiro fell into a deep sleep, Noah waited an hour to make sure he was completely asleep. Then, with silent movements, he approached the sleeping old man and plucked a strand of white hair, placed it in a small container, and stored it in his 4D pocket. Then he returned to his position and closed his eyes, as if nothing had happened.
---
The next noon, the cart finally arrived at its destination.
The lands of the Yuki clan stretched out in a valley surrounded by mountains, where the rain was more of a constant drizzle than a downpour. Small stone houses clustered around a larger central building, decorated with ice and water motifs.
—We have arrived —Ichiro announced with a tired smile—. Nawaki-kun, I deeply thank you for the escort. Without you, those savages of the Kaguya clan would have torn me apart.
—It was an honor, old man —Noah replied with a bow.
—Would you like to stay the night? My grandchildren would be delighted to meet you, and my wife cooks a stew that…
—I'm sorry, but I must return —Noah interrupted politely—. I have matters to attend to in Konoha. Another time.
The old man nodded, understanding.
—As you wish. May the gods protect you on your way.
Noah said goodbye with a smile and began the return journey. He walked for a couple of hours, moving away from the valley.
Then he took out the magic door.
The door floated for an instant and opened, showing on the other side the familiar dim light of his secret laboratory. Noah crossed the threshold, and the door closed behind him.