Two days later, on a rarely used path within the Land of Water, Hibari and his group were gathered.
They had already discarded and burned the foul-smelling fish and rotten shrimp they'd bought from the Land of Waves after successfully infiltrating the Land of Water. They had also changed into unidentified black clothing, bearing no marks whatsoever.
Near their feet lay the corpses of several slain shinobi, a bloody scene indicating they had just finished a battle.
"Is anyone injured?" Hibari's figure, wearing a pale white mask, asked.
"Reporting, Captain, no casualties!" Kagami, also completely unrecognizable in his disguise, quickly replied.
"Hmph, as expected, the caliber and strength of these Land of Water shinobi can't compare to ours. It's truly boring. If you ask me, Tsuchikage-sama doesn't need to be so cautious; he can just start the war directly instead of bothering with assassinations..." Sakumo said with a feigned cold snort.
Just then, Hibari swiftly interrupted him, also pretending to be annoyed, "Shut up! This mission is extraordinary! If anyone dares to mention mission details again, I'll be the first to kill them! Also, the Second Tsuchikage-sama has his own plans. We're not qualified to discuss them; just do your part!"
Sakumo quickly replied, "Yes, Commander! I understand my mistake!"
"Should we clean up the battlefield?" Kagami asked.
Hibari feigned thought, then said, "No need. Anyway, we haven't exposed our identities. Time waits for no one; it's better to head to the Land of Water's capital as soon as possible... Don't delay things, move out!"
As his words fell, his figure rapidly vanished using the Body Flicker Technique. Then, Sakumo, Kagami, and the others also disappeared in quick succession.
Much later, among the piles of dead bodies, a corpse with a blade wound near its heart suddenly moved. Then, a man wearing a Kirigakure forehead protector gasped sharply, clutching the wound near his heart. He looked at his fallen comrades, his expression first filled with sadness, then turning dark.
"The Land of Earth... Iwagakure. I need to report this to the Second Mizukage-sama quickly!" he muttered weakly, then hastily bandaged his wound. Without even bothering to collect his comrades' bodies, he staggered away from the scene.
After his figure disappeared into the distance, deep within the dense forest to the left of the small path, Hitenn slowly deactivated his Byakugan, a smile playing on his lips. He softly murmured, "First phase of the plan... successful!"
After speaking, he followed the pre-planned route and chased after the direction Hibari's group had left in.
Meanwhile, Hibari and the others were hidden in the dense forest, chatting.
"I told you, Sakumo, the crucial part of that operation was in your hands. If your hand had slipped and you'd actually killed him, our whole act would've been for nothing..." Hibari said, drinking water.
Sakumo smiled confidently, "Don't worry, Commander. That slash of mine just now went 100% past that guy's heart. It would at most critically injure him; it definitely wouldn't kill him. Plus, it'd be hard to tell I did it on purpose. Under normal circumstances, they'd just think he was incredibly lucky to survive."
"If that guy had died, we'd have to kill another batch. What a sin..." Kagami said with a chuckle.
"Even if that guy didn't die, we still need to kill another batch... Not far ahead is the Kaguya clan's territory. If a few of them don't die, how will this matter be taken seriously?" Hibari said, a cruel smile forming on his lips.
The others seemed unsurprised; this was already a pre-arranged 'play.' Killing too many might expose them, but killing too few might not attract enough attention. Therefore, killing two waves of people was the best option. It would be even better if some high-ranking individuals were among them. The previous group was the first wave, and the Kaguya clan up ahead would be the second.
"I really don't understand why the Kaguya clan, who hold some standing in the Land of Water and Kirigakure, chooses to live in such a remote place," Sakumo asked, perplexed.
Kagami replied, "They say the Kaguya clan members have explosive tempers and are difficult to get along with, so that might be why."
Hibari's eyes flickered slightly, but he remained silent, lost in thought.
Speaking of the Kaguya clan, they indeed held some status in Kirigakure and the Land of Water, and their status would only grow higher in the future, moving from this remote area closer to Kirigakure.
However, during the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura's reign, Kirigakure became the 'Bloody Mist Village,' hunting kekkei genkai users everywhere. Coupled with the Kaguya clan's naturally violent nature, they launched an armed coup and were ultimately wiped out, with only Kimimaro Kaguya surviving, who was then manipulated by Orochimaru.
Furthermore, the Kaguya clan has a relatively long history, just like the Hyuga clan, the Uchiha clan, and his Senju clan. They are among the rare 'descendants of gods,' having inherited the bloodline of the Sage of Six Paths' family, capable of using the Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai.
'I felt some anomalies when I encountered the Uchiha's Sharingan and the Hyuga's Byakugan. I wonder if it's because we share the same 'bloodline' at our roots? Or perhaps it's simply because I have the power of the 'Human-Human Fruit' within me, and I can sense such anomalies in any special kekkei genkai within the 'human' category? The Kaguya clan... Shikotsumyaku. The Sharingan and Byakugan belong to Konoha; everyone is from the same village, so I have no reason to do anything 'bad' to them. I can only suppress it for now. But as for the Shikotsumyaku... you Kaguya clan members have absolutely no connection to me. Killing them is killing them. I can conduct some experiments to see what the situation is,' Hibari thought to himself.
But then again, the Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai might not react with Hibari like those two special eyes do. After all, Hibari hadn't had the chance to thoroughly research these matters before, so he could only gamble.
Their original plan was to kill a few members of the Kaguya clan anyway. If there's a reaction, it's a bonus; if not, there's no loss, right?
"Alright, alright, why are you guys bothering about why the Kaguya clan lives in this remote corner? Does it have much to do with us? Instead, it's perfect, it makes our work easier..." Hibari chuckled, ending the conversation about the Kaguya clan.
After chatting about some other topics, Kagami stroked his chin and said, "Why isn't Hitenn back yet? Did you go too hard on that guy, Sakumo?"
Sakumo had been so confident earlier, but this was still a task that highly tested his skill. Now, seeing that Hitenn, who was secretly observing the situation from behind, hadn't returned, he felt a bit uneasy. He said, "He shouldn't have. Could that guy have been sickly to begin with? Did I really finish him off with that slash? No, I even specifically chose the person who looked the strongest to hit..."
Hibari chuckled, then said, "Thanks to you, it looks like we might have to cause more innocent deaths in the Land of Water and Kirigakure..."
This is the essence of a shinobi: on the surface, it seems like a respectable profession, but for the sake of their village, country, and their friends, family, and clan members, which shinobi doesn't have innocent blood on their hands?
Just as Sakumo was getting restless, Hitenn's figure finally emerged from the dense forest, rushing towards them.
He had barely arrived at Hibari's group and hadn't even had a chance to sit down when Sakumo quickly asked, "Leader Hitenn, I didn't accidentally kill that guy, did I?"
Hitenn calmed his breathing slightly, then smiled and said, "Don't worry, your technique was excellent. This operation was a complete success. After you left, that person waited patiently for a while, then 'revived' and returned towards Kirigakure. I imagine it won't be long before the news of 'Iwagakure shinobi invading the Land of Water' reaches the Second Mizukage and his group."
Hearing this, Sakumo breathed a sigh of relief, the worry on his face instantly vanishing as he said with a smile, "I told you my slash was 100% accurate! Leader Kagami, and you doubted me..."
"Hahahaha, impressive, impressive! Even with my Sharingan, I probably couldn't be as precise as you. Your Hatake clan's kenjutsu are indeed as renowned as they say!" Kagami said, laughing loudly.
"Alright, alright, since the operation was successful, stop praising each other. Come, Hitenn, sit down, have some water, eat something, and rest. Although the battle just now wasn't too dangerous, it did cost some stamina and chakra. Let's quickly recover now. Once we're rested, we'll be going to kill some kekkei genkai users. I've long heard that the Kaguya clan's Shikotsumyaku ability is extremely powerful. When we go to witness it later, all of you pay attention and don't stumble in this ditch," Hibari said with a chuckle, extending a bottle of water to Hitenn.
"While it's true we're going to kill some Kaguya clan members, how should we plan it? We can't just storm into their Kaguya clan territory and slaughter everyone, can we? That would be too brutal, and it wouldn't match our 'secret Iwagakure operation' act..." Kagami asked.
Hitenn thought for a moment, then said, "How about I use my Byakugan to assist and see if any of them are isolated and appear in a secluded area? If so, I'll signal you, and then you can pretend to accidentally appear there and be discovered. Then, just take them out?"
"That's right, let's follow Hitenn's method. Since we already left a 'survivor' before, this time, we won't leave anything. After killing them cleanly, we'll clean up the scene as well," Hibari said ruthlessly.
Then, Hibari and his group, preparing for their 'murder and plunder' operation, quietly began to rest and recover their condition.
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