Kapitel 33: The Hidden Spy

(2nd year of the academy)

The sun was making its descent in the sky, painting the sky a beautiful vibrant orange and pink. Kushina and I were sat in our backyard playing tag, laughing and talking about all manner of different things.

"So, Kushina, are you excited to be going to the academy next year? You'll get to learn all about the different ninja arts and history of our beautiful land and how to protect it."

"Yeah, I'm more than ready! I'll be able to learn to do jutsu, and then we can spar together. Then later on, we can go on missions together, and we'll be an awesome duo."

I laughed and looked at my little sister, practically vibrating with excitement, sitting in front of me.

"You have to turn five and get into the academy first though, and with the density and power of your chakra, I have a feeling that it'll be no problem for you to make it," I said while patting her head and thinking about the future of when Kushina is going to be sent off to the leaf.

'Hopefully everything will be fine. I mean, I understand why it has to happen and that Kushina is basically the perfect person to carry the nine-tails, but it still makes me queasy to know that one of my family members is going to be shipped off as some political piece between the villages pretty soon.'

Lost in my thoughts, I felt like I was just dunked into a bath full of freezing cold water as my mind focused on a chakra disturbance happening on the outskirts of the village.

'Why does this chakra signature seem oddly familiar? And why is it so cold and filled with so much despair and hatred?' I shivered as the coolness of the chakra started to seep into my bones.

That's when pieces started to click in my mind. The coldness, the signature, the area where it was coming from, this is... this is Miki's chakra signature.

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In the dim light of dawn, Ryuugetsu, the Hidden Mist's most cunning spy, sat hunched over a sprawl of maps and scrolls in a secluded hut on the outskirts of Uzushiogakure. His eyes, sharp as a hawk's, scanned the detailed reports of the village's young prodigies, his mind calculating and cold.

Miki, the Yuki clan's brightest gem, was his primary target. She hadn't awakened the bloodline of the Yuki clan yet, but the word around the compound was that if anyone had the potential of awakening it, it was Miki. Ryuugetsu had watched her from the shadows, noting her routines, her strengths, and the rare moments that she was vulnerable.

'Tonight, she should be with her mom towards the outskirts of the village by the Koyo river, working on her water manipulation. This should be the perfect time to capture the kid and not make a huge scene,' Ryuugetsu thought to himself while nodding his head, thinking that the plan should go off without a hitch.

He had done similar detailing for a couple of other clan-born talents as well, two of which consisted of Shin Mori, who at six years old had already awakened his bloodline, and Shiran Uzumaki, who is said to have enough talent to rival any academy student or genin in any of the other five great hidden villages.

He traced a finger over the map, marking the path they took from her home to the river where she trained. "The river," he murmured to himself, "that's where I'll make my move. Fewer eyes, and the trees can mask our escape. The only problem with where they are right now is they're right by the rivers. I just have to make sure I'm faster than the sensing unit. If I cross that barrier they have set up and I'm not going full speed, then it's game over for me."

Ryuugetsu thought for another moment, then shook his head. "If only I could exit this damned place like how I entered it, through the river using my hydroification technique, then things would be a lot smoother but since I'll have another person with me, I can't."

He laid out a series of kunai, each laced with a sleeping poison strong enough to subdue a bear. He also spread some rope, a gag, and a blindfold all out in front of him to make sure he kept Miki from being able to see what was happening and to stop her from yelling out when she was captured.

"If all goes smoothly with Miki, I'll take the others as well." His eyes flashed with greed. The reward he would get from the Mizukage if he were to succeed would surely make everything worth it.

"Although Shiran would be harder to abduct because of the constant heavy surveillance on him being the Uzumaki heir it would 100% be worth it in the long run if it was possible. The Mori brat on the other hand, should be easier because he only has at most one guard on him at all times."

The spy folded the map with care, tucking it inside his cloak. He then extinguished the candle, plunging the room into darkness. Ryuugetsu stepped outside, blending into the morning mist that had begun to roll in from the sea and started to walk towards the Yoko River to grab himself a young Yuki clan member.

'The first thing I have to do is get rid of the mother,' Ryuugetsu thought to himself as he was going back over his plan for this mission.

'Although she was a formidable shinobi when she was active, Tomiko has been off duty for a while, so it shouldn't take too long to dispatch of her. Then it's just a situation about slashing Miki with the kunai and sleeping poison, grabbing her, and going. I can tie her up later when we are at a safer point.'

Slipping into the water and becoming liquified, he started to make his way over to Tomiko and Miki's regular riverside training spot.

'The only part where I'm slightly worried is the escape. Between the Anbu, the sensing unit, and the fuinjutsu traps set up in the forest, I need to be careful. Each unit provides its own challenges, and I wouldn't be able to escape if there was a whole unit on me.'

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Arriving in the area, he saw the two relaxing at the bank of the river with their feet in the water, Tomiko giving advice to her daughter about what to do and how to get better in controlling and understanding the nature of water.

"You want to feel the water flowing through your toes, around your feet, in between your toenails. The similarities between both the water and wind elements are incredibly similar, so once you manage to grasp the concept of one, you'll be able to carry it over to the next and speed up your comprehension of it." Tomiko was speaking to Miki as she sat with her eyes closed, focusing on the flowing water on her feet.

Suddenly, Tomiko jumped and pulled Miki out of the way of a kunai coming right for her left leg.

Miki's eyes jolted open at the sudden movement and the lack of ground beneath either her butt or feet.

"Wha-"

"Stay back, Miki, let your mom handle this," Tomiko spoke in a grave tone of voice, knowing that they were far from any of the sensing units, and flaring her SOS chakra signal wouldn't help the situation.