In the dimly lit inn, the flickering yellow light reflected off the cold gleam of the specially crafted Flying Thunder God kunai in Orochimaru's hand. His snake eyes shimred with contemplation as he studied the familiar seals on the kunai.
Beside him, the innkeeper stood motionless, his eyes hollow.
Just monts ago, Orochimaru had assud that nma intended to temporarily leave the child with the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai at the inn, planning to deal with the matter after their trip to Kirigakure.
However, to his surprise, after Orochimaru followed him, nma casually stuffed a Flying Thunder God kunai into his hand, then took the child and instantly teleported away using the Flying Thunder God Technique right before his eyes.
'Tch, what a convenient Ninjutsu. If it's from here to the Land of Bears...' Orochimaru's tongue flicked across his lips, his pupils contracting with excitent.
This was a distance spanning nearly half the Ninja World!
'Just how vast was Shura's Chakra reserves?'
Even Tobirama, the inventor of the Flying Thunder God Technique, and Minato, who had made the technique famous during the Third Great Ninja War, needed multiple successive teleportation to travel from Konoha to the frontlines of the battlefield!
It would take several relays of the Flying Thunder God Jutsu for these two to travel from Konoha to the battlefield at the border.
"Shura… just who are you?" Orochimaru murmured to himself, twirling the specially crafted Flying Thunder God kunai in his hand.
While Orochimaru waited at the inn in the Land of Water, nma had already taken Haku across half the Ninja World via the Flying Thunder God Technique, arriving at his base in the Land of Bears.
After appearing here, led Haku toward the residential compound.
In the snow-covered military district, two Hoshigakure's Ninjas imdiately knelt on one knee, "Shura-sama!"
"Go call Kanon over." nma ordered briefly.
"Yes, sir!" The two patrolling Hoshigakure's Ninjas bowed respectfully before hurrying off to carry out the command.
The residential compound was located east of the capital of the Land of Bears, situated between the military and administrative districts. It primarily housed core mbers of Hoshinin Base and their organization.
nma also has a residence here.
Before long, Kanon hurried over.
"Shura-sama!" Seeing nma bringing a little child, Kanon addressed him respectfully as Shura.
"This child's na is Haku. He is the last survivor of the Yuki Clan." nma introduced Haku to Kanon, "His mother was the last mber of the Yuki cClan. After marrying an ordinary man, his father and the villagers saw the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai manifesting in him as a curse. They killed his mother…"
Hearing such a similar tragedy, Kanon's eyes softened instantly beneath her red hair, her maternal instincts and sympathy surging. She crouched down and spoke gently to Haku: "Hello, my na is Uzumaki Kanon. You can call Aunt Kanon."
"Mm..." Haku shrank back timidly, hiding behind nma.
nma placed a hand on Haku's head and said to him, "From now on, this will be your ho. Aunt Kanon will take care of you. Be good and listen to her, understand?"
As if to dispel Haku's wariness, Kanon activated her Adamantine Sealing Chains: "Don't be afraid of your abilities. Look, Auntie has special powers too."
A golden Chakra Chain extended from her back, swaying in the air like a tail.
After seeing this Chakra Chain, Haku's eyes lit up, and his guard toward the red-haired woman in front of him lessened.
nma took advantage of the situation and gently nudged Haku forward, encouraging him.
Haku slowly stepped forward and was embraced by Kanon.
"I'll leave Haku in your care. There are still so matters I need to handle." nma said, entrusting Haku to Kanon without hesitation.
Then he added, "Prepare a few more rooms. So children with Kekkei Genkai might be arriving soon."
"Yes, sir!" Kanon stood up, holding Haku's hand, and respectfully watched as nma left.
After nma vanished using the Flying Thunder God Technique, Kanon looked down at the adorable, rabbit-like Haku, her maternal instincts overflowing. With a warm smile, she said, "Auntie will take you to take a bath. I still have so unused clothes I bought for Karin. You'll look absolutely adorable in them."
…
"You're back?" Orochimaru stood by the window in the Land of Water, gazing at the snowstorm outside. Hearing movent behind him, he slightly turned his head.
As he turned around, he saw nma storing the kunai back into his ninja tool pouch.
'Strange… I feel like I forgot sothing.' The mont nma landed after using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he felt an odd emptiness in his chest.
'What was it? I can't rember.'
As Orochimaru approached, nma pushed the thought aside for now, 'Well, it probably wasn't anything important.'
"Let's go and take a stroll through Kirigakure." nma stood up and walked out.
Orochimaru gave a light hum and followed alongside nma, smiling aningfully, "How enviable. Your Flying Thunder God Technique has already surpassed the [Yellow Flash], hasn't it?"
nma didn't respond, rely walking indifferently in the direction of Kirigakure.
The Land of Water was a nation composed of countless islands, with the largest one dominated by mountains, rivers, and forests. Combined with its unique mariti environnt, the entire island was often shrouded in thick mist.
Kirigakure was located deep in the western mountains of this island.
Soon, nma and Orochimaru arrived at the outskirts of Kirigakure, standing atop a high mountain and gazing down at the village blanketed in heavy snow.
'The terrain here has a bit of the charm of Guilin's landscapes.' nma noted that not only were the Land of Water's mountains distinctive, but Kirigakure's architecture also followed the cylindrical style of Hakka earthen buildings. (T/N: Guilin is a real place in China.)
Within Kirigakure, most of the structures were circular, fortress-like buildings resembling Fujian earthen buildings, so even towering over a dozen stories high. They lood like giant beasts amidst the mountains, faintly visible through the snow and mist.
At the very center of the village stood an exceptionally massive red-tiled fortress, its cyan brick walls emblazoned with a deep blue character for [Water].
"That's the Mizukage Building over there." Orochimaru crossed his arms over his chest and introduced, "Over the past few years, under the Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura's tyrannical rule, the village's Kekkei Genkai Clans have been pushed to the outskirts. Over there is the Hozuki Clan's territory, there's the Hoshigaki Clan's, and over there…"
"Speaking of which, that child earlier had the Yuki Clan's Ice Release, didn't he?" Orochimaru suddenly narrowed his eyes, "If I recall correctly, the Yuki Clan was slaughtered a few years ago for rebellion."
Orochimaru didn't understand why Yagura had imposed such oppressive rule, turning Kirigakure into what it was now… even the Yuki Clan had been exterminated.
But nma knew all too well.
It was all Obito's doing. To avenge Rin, he had used his Sharingan to control Yagura, enforcing the [Bloody Mist Policy].
Under this oppressive rule, the village's Kekkei Genkai Clans were suppressed, and tensions between Civilian Ninjas and Clan Ninjas were deliberately inflad.
The already strained relations between the two groups beca like a powder keg, ready to explode at the slightest spark.
When the ti was right, excuses were made to exterminate them.
First the Yuki Clan, then the Hozuki Clan and the Kaguya Clan.
These three clans can be said to be the strongest Ninja Clans in Kirigakure, especially the Kaguya Clan, which is known as battle-crazed maniacs, and is the village's elite fighters.
Their status in Kirigakure was comparable to the Uchiha Clan's in Konoha.
If Terumi i hadn't later noticed sothing off about Yagura and ordered Ao to inspect him with his Byakugan, breaking the Genjutsu controlling Yagura, the Bloody Mist Policy might have continued wreaking havoc.
This years-long Bloody Mist Rule ultimately led to a generational gap in Kirigakure's younger Ninjas. By the ti of the Fourth Great Ninja War, the only notable figures from the village were the Fifth Mizukage, Terumi i and her two guards, Chojuro and Ao.
Other famous Kirigakure's Ninjas were either Missing-nin like Zabuza Momochi, Hozuki Suigetsu, and Hoshigaki Kisa, or deceased prodigies like Ayuri Ringo and Hozuki Mangetsu, who were later revived via Impure World Reincarnation.
In fact, there is also the Six-Tails' Jinchuriki, Utakata,
Though he also defected.
By the ti Boruto rolled around two decades later, Kirigakure's so-called [New Seven Ninja Swordsn of the Mist] were nothing but a bunch of third-rate nobodies.
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