Additionally, the Leaf surveillance unit stationed in the Land of Rivers had been completely wiped out.
Byakuya didn't know who the killer was, but according to Hiroya, there were no survivors. The village had already dispatched a new squad to take over the surveillance duties.
If he had to guess, the culprits were undoubtedly the ruthless Sand ninja.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu."
His main body hid while the clone went forward to scout.
"Executing a mission alone doubles the difficulty. If only I had Sasuke Uchiha's Taka squad configuration. Even a budget version would be enough."
Karin was a mobile health pack and radar. Suigetsu was a tank-buster and provided error tolerance. Jugo was a berserker tank with AoE damage. All Sasuke had to do was make decisions and deal the finishing blow.
The Shadow Clone looked back at the main body.
"Sorry for the trouble."
The clone nodded, leaped into the forest, and vanished instantly.
Byakuya's main body selected suitable locations to leave Flying Thunder God markers.
Aside from Shadow Clone Jutsu, Storm Style Body Flicker, Storm Style: Torrential Lightning, a new jutsu he named Storm Style: Thousand Blades, and Water Style: Water Formation Wall, his most important trump card was the S-Rank Space-Time Ninjutsu: Flying Thunder God.
This jutsu ensured that when he made contact with Pakura, his own safety wouldn't be an issue.
As for the Earth Style jutsu he had been longing for... too much had happened recently. He had only managed to refine some Earth nature chakra, but mastering actual Earth Style jutsu was still a long way off.
The wind in the Land of Rivers was even colder than in the Land of Fire.
The leaves were turning yellow and withering.
Byakuya sat quietly, keeping an eye on the rustling grass around him while frowning at the map.
There was one more black circle.
That was the territory of the giant blue-black snake.
He had learned the Summoning Jutsu looted from the two bounty hunters and was now quite proficient at it, but he lacked the most crucial component: a summoning beast.
The blue-black snake fit the requirements perfectly.
"Should I try again?"
He pondered silently.
His current strength was definitely greater than last time. Even if he couldn't beat it, he could use the Flying Thunder God to escape.
Once he conquered the blue-black snake and signed a contract, having such a powerful summoning beast would give him confidence even when facing Kage-level powerhouses.
If it really came from Ryuchi Cave, Byakuya would also have a path to learning Senjutsu.
Two hours later.
The Shadow Clone dispelled.
According to Root's intel, this location should have been a temporary Sand campsite. But now it was empty, with only residual traces remaining.
He moved to the next location.
Again, he sent a Shadow Clone to scout.
This time, he ran into five Sand ninja.
The clone hid in the shadows, observing for a while. He deduced that they were all Chunin level.
Immediately, he used Storm Style Body Flicker to close the distance.
He formed the seals.
"Storm Style: Torrential Lightning."
The refined version of Torrential Lightning consumed significantly less chakra but packed the same punch.
He opened his mouth and spat a beam of lightning. The dazzling blue-white light forced the five Sand ninja to squeeze their eyes shut.
In the blink of an eye, the lightning split into four streams, instantly piercing their vitals.
The Shadow Clone immediately pressed forward with a kunai to deal with the last Sand ninja.
Feigning a miss, he only grazed the man's neck.
Watching the Sand ninja flee in panic, the clone waited half a minute before pretending to chase him. Only when the survivor had run toward the mountains in the direction of the Land of Wind did the clone stop.
As the clone dispelled, Byakuya's main body marked a hidden tree trunk with the Flying Thunder God seal.
"Searching for her is too troublesome. Better to let Pakura come find me."
To ensure Pakura knew he was the Leaf ninja killing her men, Byakuya headed to the next location to leave more "breadcrumbs."
This spot wasn't far from the giant snake's territory—maybe less than thirty miles in a straight line.
Same old method.
Main body lays low and marks a spot with the Flying Thunder God seal. Shadow Clone acts as expendable bait.
The Flying Thunder God Jutsu had its drawbacks.
The prerequisite was placing the formula. Without a marked location, you couldn't teleport. In a sudden encounter, you were basically down one ultimate move.
This requirement for pre-planning also limited the jutsu's flexibility, demanding high combat intelligence and tactical awareness from the user.
Tobirama Senju and Minato Namikaze were exactly that kind of people.
Also, if the enemy discovered the formula and set an ambush or slapped explosive tags around it, the result would be disastrous. A mistake meant death.
But in a complex terrain like the Land of Rivers, with pre-placed markers, this space-time ninjutsu was invincible.
This time, the Shadow Clone hit a snag.
Before he even got close to the target area, he was discovered.
"Wind Style: Blade of Wind!"
"Wind Style: Wind Cutter!"
Byakuya's clone immediately used Storm Style Body Flicker to dodge both jutsu.
The moment the flicker ended, the clone formed seals.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall."
A waterfall-like torrent laced with ear-piercing electricity spun around him for protection.
The kunai, shuriken, and explosive tags thrown by the Sand squad were all blocked by the water wall.
Amidst the roar of exploding tags.
The clone used Storm Style Body Flicker to speed away from his original position. He had already sensed where the Sand ninja were.
He threw a few shuriken.
Hand seals blurred.
"Storm Style: Torrential Lightning."
The speed of this jutsu was already extreme, and the blinding light caught two Sand ninja off guard instantly—one took a hit through the chest, the other had a large hole blown through his abdomen.
The leader of the Sand squad endured the blinding light, straining his eyes to spot the enemy. But suddenly, the river of lightning was right in front of his face.
Too fast. It was just too fast.
"Earth Style: Mud Wall."
A wall of earth rose abruptly in front of the captain, blocking the lightning.
The vice-captain, squinting through the glare, had seen his leader was the target and cast the defensive jutsu just in time.
But it wasn't over.
The lightning actually curved around the mud wall and continued toward him.
However, having gained that split second of reaction time, and with the Shadow Clone being far weaker than the main body, the Sand captain ignored his tearing eyes, retreated, and formed seals.
"Wind Style: Great Sickle Weasel!"
Ferocious winds and wind blades collided head-on with the Torrential Lightning.
The two forces clashed and exploded.
The remaining Sand ninja were already closing in on the Shadow Clone.
Seeing this situation.
The clone knew there was no point in continuing the fight. He used Storm Style Body Flicker repeatedly to dodge attacks and put distance between himself and the Sand ninja. Once behind a large tree, he dispelled.
This was the advantage of the Storm Style Body Flicker. After the burst of speed, the Storm chakra stabilized the body's balance, allowing for immediate follow-up actions without pause.
Memories and combat footage flowed back to the main body.
Byakuya looked in the direction the Sand squad had appeared and murmured, "That should be enough. Once these Sand ninja report my jutsu characteristics to Pakura, she'll know I've returned to the Land of Rivers."
"If my only goal was to contact Pakura and reveal the Leaf's willingness to ally, there would be no need to attack Sand ninja. But whether it's my 'god's eye view' or the current geopolitical situation, the Sand will definitely attack the Leaf. It's just a matter of sooner or later. Weakening the Sand's manpower as much as possible is just part of my duty as a Leaf ninja."
This was his confidence in this mission.
The Flying Thunder God ensured his safety.
Using his knowledge of the plot and the current situation—even Pakura's future fate—he would make the choices most beneficial to himself.
Danzo would never guess that Byakuya was executing this mission in a way far beyond his imagination.