For Madoka Hidemitsu, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, a typical morning should have begun refreshingly under the care of twelve serving maids. However, when he received a long-distance video communication, his face—already resembling that of a palace eunuch—took on an even more sinister, peculiar expression.
"What did you say? Say it again."
"Deepest apologies. The mission to assassinate the client as of early this morning has been confirmed a failure. Please punish us, my Lord."
On the other side of the screen, Ryuichi's kneeling figure was particularly striking, but even his subservience could not extinguish the Daimyo's overflowing rage.
"Failed... failed! I paid a massive price to get you all from Danzo, and it wasn't so I could hear those words! Useless! Scum! Sub-standard trash!"
After a brief silence, Hidemitsu's temper finally erupted. Foul insults poured from his mouth; rather than the ruler of a nation, he looked more like a common street thug.
"Deepest apologies. What are your next orders, my Lord?" Ryuichi asked calmly, not even flinching at the abuse.
Next orders... next, I'd like you useless trash to die a hundred deaths, you moron.
Despite wanting his subordinates dead, Hidemitsu gritted his teeth and said, "The next step is obviously to kill that squad! If you fail again, don't bother coming back. You and your brother can both rot on that island!"
"Yes, my Lord. Then I shall—"
"Wait."
Just as Ryuichi was about to take his leave, another voice—this one sounding quite aged—suddenly cut through the communication!
A second later, the screen split in two. The left side still showed Ryuichi kneeling, while the right side revealed an old man with bandages covering his forehead and right eye, a cross-shaped scar on his chin, and an aura that suggested he was not to be trifled with.
Danzo... this has indeed alerted him. This is going to be trouble. Seeing the old man, Hidemitsu took a deep breath, a clear look of dread appearing in his eyes.
As the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, Hidemitsu didn't have to fear most people in the world, including the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. However, the man named Danzo was one of the few individuals he genuinely feared.
"Lord Danzo, to what do I owe this honor?"
"To what do you owe it? Lord Daimyo, shouldn't you be explaining things to me? For instance, why the problem persists despite the ample intelligence I provided."
In the monitor, Danzo appeared to be sitting in a dark room. His single visible eye emitted a faint, gloomy light that seemed to lead into an abyss.
"That's why I was just ordering those wastes to immediately—"
"It's too late. Yuhi Kurenai is no fool. She will surely turn back toward Konoha and have the Third Lord send reinforcements to investigate. This island base can no longer be maintained."
"This... then what should we do?"
"Prepare for immediate evacuation. Take all research data and equipment. Everything else, including the base itself, is to be destroyed."
"Destroyed? The whole base? You're joking! Do you know how much money I spent on—"
"If you're unwilling, then wait for Hiruzen Sarutobi to invite you for tea tomorrow. You already exhausted the trust of the Third and the rest of Konoha during the 'Twelve Guardian Ninja' incident. Do you think Konoha will let this slide so easily this time? Think it over."
Beep... After Danzo finished, his side of the screen went black. The connection had been unilaterally severed.
Unlike the Daimyo, Danzo's decisions were swifter, and his words were laced with the arrogance of a true superior, as if many things were simply beneath his notice.
For Hidemitsu, destroying a research base that had been operational for a year specifically to develop "Beast Pills" was painful. But he knew Danzo was right.
Now that the enemy squad knew they were being targeted by powerful foes, they would surely be heading back to Konoha. Assassinating them before they reached the village was nearly impossible now. Therefore...
"Ryuichi, start the evacuation immediately! Have your men take all research data, equipment, and personnel. Then, destroy the entire base!"
"Yes, your Grace. And the villagers who were brought in for the 'Beast Pill' experiments...?"
"Don't be stupid! Bury them along with the base! Do it now! Immediately!"
Beep... Dropping his final command, Hidemitsu cut the feed.
The morning sun outside was as bright as ever, but the Daimyo had lost all appetite for breakfast.
Dammit... Hidemitsu took a deep breath and a sip of wine, trying to calm himself before heading out.
However, Hidemitsu didn't yet realize that this was only the beginning. His mood was about to get much, much worse.
Meanwhile, just as most residents of the coastal fishing village were waking up, a small fishing boat quietly left the shore amidst the salty sea breeze, rowing toward the island visible to the naked eye.
Splash! A slender figure emerged from the water. Shaking the seawater from her body, Yuhi Kurenai climbed onto the small boat carrying Team 8.
"The perimeter guards have been dealt with. Row toward the target at full speed."
Kurenai was stained with a bit of blood. It was clear her recent dive to the nearby rocky outcrops wasn't for sightseeing.
As one of the Akahane-shu's research bases, this isolated island appeared calm, but it was actually crawling with sentries. However, with a Byakugan user on the team, these guards—who thought they were well-hidden—died in genjutsu before they even knew what was happening, leaving the base exposed.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Kiba and Shino put their backs into rowing. Despite having almost no rest since last night, the Food Pills kept their energy and stamina at a decent level, ready for combat.
An island in the southern waters... if this really is connected to Danzo, there might be some remarkable things inside, Yuki thought.
Standing at the bow, Yuki kept his Byakugan active, scouting the surroundings while fiddling with a small glass vial. Inside was a pill that looked like dried cattle dung. It wasn't a standard Food Pill or Blood-Increasing Pill; even Kurenai didn't recognize its components. But judging by the enemy captain's actions, it was almost certainly a combat-enhancing drug.
After snatching it from the captain, Yuki had kept it. Though he disliked using such things, it might save his life in a crisis on the island.
After all, it was broad daylight. There was no moonlight to be found, which meant the power provided by "Kaguya" was extremely limited. He couldn't rely on it to defeat Jōnin-level experts like he had last time.
Since the distance wasn't great, it didn't take long for the four members of Team 8 to arrive at the pile of rubble Shinji had entered shortly before.
While these secret entrances were well-hidden, in Yuki's eyes, most of them were no more than children's toys.