The unique Kekkei Genkai of the Iburi clan allowed them to transform their physical bodies into smoke. It was somewhat similar to the Hydrification Technique of the Hozuki clan, granting them near-total immunity to physical damage.
However, the Iburi bloodline possessed a fatal flaw: they could not freely control their bodies once atomized. If caught in a breeze, they would simply scatter into the air and cease to exist—total, permanent death. Because of this, the clan was forced to live in the windless depths of the underworld, enduring a bleak existence of darkness and scarcity.
Years ago, after "saving" them, Orochimaru had used his Cursed Marks to grant them a modicum of control over their smoke forms, artificially extending the clan's lifespan. But the price was steep. Orochimaru took the Iburi children, promising that by studying them, he would unlock the secrets of their bloodline and finally allow them to walk beneath the sun.
The reality? Every single one of those children had perished in Orochimaru's live human experiments.
"Who are you!" Gotta, the clan leader, stepped forward. His hulking frame shielded his kinsmen as he glared at the intruder.
Kinoe's voice remained low behind his mask. "He is the mysterious ninja who has recently risen to infamy across the nations. Code name: 'Shura.' His strength is unfathomable."
"I don't care how strong he is! I will not permit you to slander Lord Orochimaru!" Gotta roared, dissolving into a cloud of gray smoke and lunging forward.
Following their leader's example, the rest of the Iburi clan transformed. In an instant, the underground cavern was swallowed by a thick, swirling fog.
"Maiden," Menma called out softly.
A 'female' figure drifted out from the dark tunnel, positioning herself in front of Menma. She whipped her silken ribbons through the air like a cyclone, generating a violent gale that tore through the cavern. The sudden wind slammed into the Iburi smoke forms, threatening to tear them apart. Terrified, the clansmen frantically retreated and coalesced back into their physical shapes.
"You bastard!" Gotta, still in smoke form, attempted to swirl around the mysterious 'female' ninja to perform the Smoked-Out Technique.
This was the Iburi clan's signature assassination move: entering an enemy's body through the mouth or nose as smoke and scorching their internal organs from the inside out. Against a ninja ignorant of their traits, it was a death sentence. Even Kakashi, when he eventually tracked them here in the original timeline, would be subdued by this move, only to be saved by Kinoe.
But as Gotta swirled around the Jade Maiden, he was shocked to find no opening—no mouth, no nostrils, no way inside. The move that had never failed him was utterly useless.
"How is this possible!" Gotta's smoke form shuddered in disbelief.
Stripped of their greatest secret and lacking formal shinobi training, the combat effectiveness of the Iburi clan was pitifully low.
"Wind Style..." Menma's hands began to weave a sign.
At the mere mention of 'Wind Style,' Gotta panicked, drifting backward at top speed to put distance between them. However, as he landed near his clansmen, he realized the mysterious man hadn't launched a jutsu at all; his hands were merely held in a mocking gesture.
Realizing he had been bluffed, Gotta deactivated his smoke form, his pupils trembling. The man before him knew their weaknesses far too well.
"Wood Style: Silent Strangling Technique!" Kinoe finally made his move. After finishing his hand signs, a diamond-shaped pillar of wood erupted from the ground, extending infinitely toward the Jade Maiden who was still maintaining the wind.
Whish—
Slash! Slash!
Several blades of wind flew from behind Menma, slicing the snake-like wood into multiple segments. Kinoe felt the chakra from his jutsu being drained away and looked on in horror as a second masked figure—carrying a massive scythe—drifted into view from behind Menma.
He can absorb chakra?! Kinoe felt a cold sweat. The greatest strength of his Wood Style was its ability to sap an enemy's chakra to fuel its own growth—the very reason it could suppress Tailed Beasts. But now, he was facing a mysterious entity that could play the same game.
No... I'm not even sure if these things are human.
As Kinoe and Gotta stood paralyzed with caution, Menma raised his right hand. The Jade Maiden ceased the wind.
Menma turned his mask toward Kinoe. "Haven't you told them yet? What exactly Orochimaru did to earn himself a spot on Konoha's most-wanted list?"
Kinoe remained silent. As a survivor of those very vats, he knew exactly how many innocent lives—many of them young children—had been snuffed out in Orochimaru's pursuit of power. Even the Iburi children...
"Then allow me to tell you." Menma walked forward slowly, the Jade Maiden and the Death God hovering behind him like vengeful spirits. The sheer pressure of his aura forced Gotta and his people to take a half-step back.
"Orochimaru was born of the Leaf, yet he kidnapped his own kin for experiments. Many died. The Third Hokage personally led the squad to purge him, leaving him heavily wounded. Right now, he's likely on his way here to 'collect' the rest of you."
"Oh, and by the way... the Iburi children? They all died in his lab."
Gotta staggered back, his mouth opening to reflexively deny the claim, but Menma pointed toward Kinoe. "Why don't you ask him? He's a child who actually survived Orochimaru's vats."
"Tenzō..." Yukimi looked at Kinoe with wide, pleading eyes, searching for a denial.
Behind the lynx mask, Kinoe lapsed into a brief, haunting trance. He remembered floating in those glass containers, looking at the children in the neighboring vats—including a girl who looked remarkably like Yukimi, who had smiled at him through the glass. One by one, they had vanished.
Failed experiments. Disposed of. Just as he would have been if Danzo hadn't found him.
Kinoe's innate kindness urged him to tell the truth, but his Root conditioning made him hesitate. Yet, when he saw the desperation in Yukimi's eyes, his resolve finally cracked.
"Those children... they didn't survive."
"No... it can't be..." Gotta's world collapsed. As the leader who had agreed to cooperate and hand over their children, he couldn't accept such a cruel reality. Among those children was his own son.
"So, how about we make a bet?" Menma's penchant for mischief flared up again. "Let's use the lives of your entire clan as the stakes."
The voice behind the mask was light and cheerful, as if proposing a simple game.
"I'm quite looking forward to it. I've always wanted to add the Iburi Kekkei Genkai to my collection."
Under the flickering orange lamplight, the white three-eyed fox mask shone with an eerie, predatory luster.