Of Bone And Ice - Chapter 11

Two whole months had gone by since my so-called training with Raiga. Learning to channel my chakra into lightning was proving a little challenging, so far I had been able to encase kunai and shuriken in lightning style chakra but that was it.

I had tried to combine my Shikotsumyaku abilities with the lightning style but to no avail. I just couldn’t get the concentration of chakra right and depending on the density of the bone the levels of chakra required became different, it was a tricky jutsu to figure out for sure. Plus with the number of missions I had been on lately I had not had much time to practice.

I was still working directly under Raiga and since our training session, I had managed to stop him from killing any more of my team. That’s why it came as a surprise when I was summoned by the Mizukage himself for a mission.

Of course, it was not unheard of but unlike the hidden leafs Hokage, the Mizukage did not waste his time overseeing all missions handed out. I arrived at the Mizukages office like all those years ago when I had first been brought to the hidden mist by the Yuki clan. I was pretty sure the two men who had brought me had also died in the war along with most of the others, even my grandfather had been killed and with his death, the Yuki clan had been left weak and eventually wiped out. I knew they weren’t all dead because I was still alive and I was pretty sure Zabuza would still find Haku.

I knocked before entering the large room and once inside I bowed as was the custom here in the bloody mist. The Mizukage Yagura was sitting in his chair and permitted me to stand.

“Fuyōna Yuki correct?” He said behind a cold gaze. “I nodded “Yes lord Mizukage, reporting for duty.” Yagura stood out of his chair and walked over to his large window. One that had not been there during the rule of the third Mizukage.

“Raiga speaks quite highly of you.” He said. Leaving a small pause in the air before speaking again. “I don’t believe our paths have ever crossed. Yet your record speaks for its self.”

He turned to face and was now standing over me. “I believe your abilities are best suited for this mission.” The sudden intense aura he was giving off was gone and he sat back into his seat pulling out a picture of a man.

“Do you know who that is?” He asked. I studied the picture and quickly recognized the man. He was Kinjo Masakazu one of the high-ranking nobles of the land of water and considered a very powerful man. When selected for the hunter ninja you were required to know who people like this were among other things.

“Yes, his name is Kinjo Masakazu.” I said looking back at the Mizukage. He nodded, “I shouldn’t have expected any less from you.” He said with a small grin.

“I have received word from our spies in the feudal lords ranks that he is planning a rebellion against me in a plot to overthrow the Mizukage with the help of the other nobles. Your mission is to ȧssassinate him before they meet and end his traitorous life.”

I was honestly pretty shocked. This was not someone that you wanted to mess with as he held a lot of power and influence in the land of water. “I would do it myself but tensions are already high between myself and the feudal lord. No one can know that the hidden mist is behind this. This is a covert S rank mission.”

Again he let the words sink in before speaking again. S rank missions were considered the most secret and only the most capable ninja were ever given them. “I have gone over countless other potential candidates for this mission and after seeing your exploits so far believe you are best suited to this task.”

I was pretty sure I didn’t have a choice in the matter now. Afterall the mission had just been explained to me and if i declined I was pretty sure my body would never be found again. I had no choice I had to accept this mission if I wanted to keep on living. Also, I was pretty sure I didn’t stand a chance against the Mizukage just yet.

Deciding to play this smart I bowed my head. “It would be an honour to carry out this mission lord Mizukage.” He nodded in approval and handed me an envelope full of details for the mission. I accepted it and quickly glanced over it.

“Forgive me lord Mizukage but it states here that I am to ȧssemble my own squad for this mission, is that correct?”

The Mizukage nodded, “That is correct. But remember no one is to know that we are involved. As far as the village is concerned if you are caught you are all rouge ninja acting alone. There can be no witnesses.”

I studied the documents and realized this mission could easily result in my death or even exile from the village. I would have to play this very safe, after all the life of a rouge ninja was not an easy one.

The information stated that Kinjo Masakazu was currently held up in his large manor house in the south of the land of water where he owned a very large estate. It also stated that he had gathered quite a large force and was believed to even have rouge ninja acting as mercenaries off the books. No information was given on their numbers or strength and it left a lot of guessing work to take place. A man of his stature was certainly capable of paying large amounts of money to hire the best. Meaning he could easily have A or S rank criminal shinobi working for him.

All that was left was to ȧssemble a team but that was also not going to be easy. It clearly stated here that I could not use any other Anbu ranking or above ninja. The team was also limited to a number of four including myself which only left room for three potential hires. It also meant if I choose wrong and they didn’t want to do it I would have to kill them as a precaution which only gave me one choice.

The time limit on the mission was two weeks as that was when the next meeting of all of the lords in the land of water was taking place and it was believed Kinjo Masakazu intended to rally as many of them to his side as possible.

Leaving the bench I was sat on I decided it was time to do some recruiting and the first person on my list was a man named Toyoda Kenzo. He was also one of my subordinates under Raiga and was currently at jounin level. He was currently 20 years of age and had proved to be very level headed obeying orders without question. He was about 5 feet ten inches and had black hair that he kept slicked back. Since I was his commander he pretty much had no choice but to accept.

I arrived at his address a large apartment complex and one of the nicer buildings in the hidden mist. I knocked on his door taking my hunter mask off as I did so he could see my face.

He didn’t take long to answer and was surprised to see me standing there. At my current age, I was still quite short only standing at 4 feet and 9 inches. “C-captain Yuki?” He said surprised.

I gave a small nod and a smile. ” Hey, Toyoda mind if I come in?” He took a moment but then invited me into his apartment before shutting the door. His surprise was understandable as it was his day off and team captains in the hidden mist hardly ever visited their squad members.

“To what do I owe the pŀėȧsurė of your visit Captian Yuki?” He said jesting to a chair for me to sit down. I took his offer and sat down placing my arms on the table. I still found it funny how ȧduŀts called me captain and took orders from me.

“I’m going, to be frank with you Toyoda. I am here because I need you for a top-secret mission.” Letting the seriousness of my words sink in. Toyoda took a moment but then nodded without asking a single question.

“I want you to know I cannot tell you of this mission before you chose to accept it and once you accept it you cannot back out.” Again Toyoda took a moment before answering but then ran his hand through his hair giving me his answer.

“I’m pretty sure if you’re already here then I don’t have a choice. So let’s hear it.” He said behind a smile of razor-sharp teeth like all blood mist ninja. I nodded and proceeded to tell him the details of the mission over some tea that he had made, once I had finished giving him all of the details I waited for his response.

He whistled and then took a sip of his tea before answering. “So lord Mizukage said that? Then I guess I don’t have a choice, when do we move out?” He asked.

“I still need to recruit two others, once I have completed that task I will send word. Until then gather your equipment and wait for my call.” Toyoda nodded and I stood to take my leave. “Thanks for the tea,” I said as I let myself out and shut the door.

That went a lot smoother than I had expected it to, but again here in the mist ninja were trained to obey orders without question from their superiors. That made things a lot easier.

The next person on my list was also another member of my squad. Her name was Sano Konami and she was one of the two chunin in my squad. She was current aged 17 and the only reason I had considered her was for her ability to use medical ninjutsu which was rare in the hidden mist. She was pretty and had long blond hair that she tied back leaving two long bangs to fall over her headband.

She currently lived with her father who was also a ninja which meant I couldn’t just show up on her doorstep as I had with Toyoda. Instead, I would have to take a more formal approach and decided to summon her as an order.

She showed her personalism by arriving at the co-ordinates early. I had asked her to meet me on the edge of the village by a large tree next to a small tea shop that sold sweets as well. Due to its being on the outskirts of the village, it was never usually that busy and I had decided it would be a safe

meeting location. Also, the sweets were a hidden gem and I had a pretty bad sugar tooth.

I gave her a small nod as I walked over to greet her and she bowed taking a knee as she spoke. “You summoned me, captain Yuki.” It wasn’t even a question more of an acceptance. I had forgotten that her being just a chunin and me being an Anbu squad captain under the seven swordsmen was quite a substantial difference in rank.

“you can relax Sano,” I said giving her permission to stand. Even she was taller than me and it almost made me giggle. “Is everything alright captain Yuki?” She asked.

“I nodded and pointed to the te shop, “Yes would you mind joining me?” I asked. she turned to the tea shop a little confused but quickly replied. “Of course not sir.”

We walked in and took a table in the back. It was the middle of the afternoon now and the shop was empty except for the sweet old lady who owned it.

“Would you like some tea or sweets? It’s on me.” I said passing her a menu. Again she appeared surprised and again I told her to relax. Once our tea had arrived and decided it was as good a time as any to tell her. “Sano you may be wondering the reason I have summoned you. Well, I have considered you to join my team for a top-secret mission. However, I can not tell you of the mission before you except and once you accept you can not back out. Know that the chance of survival of this mission is low and I understand if you do not wish to accept.”

“The ice devil of the hidden mist has considered me to be a member of his team for a top-secret mission.” She said quietly. I wished that people would stop calling me the ice devil of the hidden mist but nicknames tended to stick like gum to the bottom of your shoe.

I had forgotten just how much of a name I had made for myself here. To some, I was considered a freak of nature but to others, I was a prodigy and potential threat. Still, my skills had not gone unnoticed which proved evident by the Mizukage when he had chosen me for this mission.

“I accept.” She said gripping her teacup with both hands. I gave it a second as I looked into her eyes and then nodded. “Very well then.”

I proceeded to give her the details of the mission and also told her why I had chosen her to be a member of the squad. Here in the hidden mist medical ninja were rare and they didn’t provide them on anyway near as many teams that the hidden leaf did. I had seen her abilities first hand on other missions and was confident we would need her abilities in the coming task. She was also very good with poison and I was sure I could use that to my advantage.

Once I had filled her in on the info I gave her a second to let it sink in. Even though she seemed nicer than most blood mist ninja she was still a killer and brainwashed like the rest by the training of the academy. “I will not fail you or Lord Mizukage captain Yuki.” She said with fierce determination in her eyes.

I wished I could recruit Zabuza for this mission as he would have been perfect but he was an Anbu captain and as already stated by the Mizukage off-limits.

That only left me with a choice of the last three on my squad. After careful consideration, I decided to choose the final jounin in my squad. He was currently age 15 and a bit of a loudmouth. He seemed to lack stealth in favor of combat favoring kenjutsu which he was quite skilled at. His superior fighting abilities over the other two I had an option to choose made him a clear choice. At the very least if it came to a full-scale battle he would be useful.

His name was Tsuji Kunimatsu and for his age, he was very tall standing at 6 feet. His eyes were as black as his short spiky hair but with his slender body yet to fill out you could tell he was still young. I had once fought with him in a battle during the war not long ago before we meet again him becoming one of my subordinates. Both of his parents had been killed in the war and he lived by himself so I decided paying a visit to his home would be easier than summoning him.

Taking a stroll through the village en route to my destination I noticed just how much the village had changed in the years I had been here. More people filled the streets feeling it was safer to go about their business. Children played with one another and the general atmosphere seemed better. Still, there were those areas that kids were not safe to play and where it was generally less safe for civilians., Of course, that is where Tsuji Kunimatsu lived.

This area of the village reminded me of a bad council estate from my old world but more dangerous. I knocked on the door to his small house and waited for him to answer. After some time I decided to knock again a little louder.

“I heard you the first time! You impatient fuċker, just who the hell do you think…” He shouted as he slammed the door open, his sentence suddenly stopping when he saw me. “Ah what the hell do you want?” He said with no regard to my rank. If anything it almost made me laugh. I decided to give him a serious look and he quickly backed off.

“Whatever come in then, doesn’t look like a have a choice anyway.” He said walking inside leaving the door open for me. I entered the house and shut the door behind me. He was waiting for me in his living room leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. “So what do I owe the pŀėȧsurė of your visit captain?” Unlike the others, he did not like the fact that he had to follow my orders given our age difference.

His house was a mess with food pots and unwashed clothes littered all over the place. I was beginning to question my choice but it wasn’t like I had much of one. I decided not to sit down and that being ȧssertive with this one was a better approach.

“We have a mission Tsuji. And I have chosen you to part of my squad.” I said in as stern a voice an 11-year-old could muster. “Will I get to kill someone?” He said not even asking about the mission. I nodded. “I have to warn you if you chose to accept there is no backing out.”

He laughed and pulled away turning his back. “Count me in.” He said grabbing his large sword off of his wall giving it a good swing. It was like a mini executioners blade and looked pretty heavy, still, he was able to effortlessly swing it around and with great skill. I filled him in on all of the information which he seemed excited about, I then told him the same as the others that I would contact him soon and to be ready.

Once I arrived back at my own apartment it was a little past five. I had spent the entire day briefing and recruiting the members of my team for this top-secret S rank mission. I was honestly exhausted but could not afford to rest.

I placed the documents out on my kitchen table as I went over them again committing them to memory before burning them in my sink. There could be no evidence of this mission and I was pretty sure it had not even been sanctioned by the village and that it was coming directly from the Mizukage himself. Even our gear and equipment would not be allowed to tie us to the hidden mist. Meaning that we would have to buy new equipment from various locations from vendors who sold equipment from other lands.

I had never planned an ȧssassination mission before and had never realized just how much work had to go into the planning of it. Feeling a little stressed I decided to sit on my bed and meditate for a little while allowing me to reflect on my choices in this world so far.

Still, the question beckoned, what did I wish to accomplish here in this second chance at life. Did I want to make this world a better place? Was that even possible with the chain of events that would happen in the not to far future? After all, I couldn’t even save my own mother in this world. Even with my power and abilities, I was helpless to save her. As far as I was aware my presence in this world had yet to change anything.

So far everything I had done was just to stay alive and make my own way in this world of death. In the anime, the main characters always had a goal or vision in mind. They always became a hero and achieved their goals. But now that I was living in a world like that I had to ask if that was possible. I had seen so much death in my 11 years here and I had even killed people, too many to count.

For now, I thought it best to set my sight on a day at a time. The mission came first, if I could not even complete this mission then I would never be strong enough to help change this world.

The next day came swiftly and I decided it was time to summon the team. Just as ordered they all arrived in civilian clothing, no headband, no hidden mist uniform and no weapons that would link us to the village. Well except for Tsuji’s sword of course but he had refused not to bring it. Now we just looked like a scary bunch of misfits or bandits.

The others greeted me with respect well all apart from Tsuji of course and the time had come to set out. I took a final look at my team, Toyoda Kenzo. He was a calm and leveled head shinobi willing to carry out orders without question. He was skilled in Taijutsu and specialized in Genjutsu.

And last was Tsuji Kunimatsu, he is a taijutsu specialist and favors kenjutsu. He is a loud and mouth and impulsive but his strength and combat abilities make up for that.

“Alright,

time to move out!” I shouted as we started our journey out of the bloody mist village and into the wilderness.