"Lord Shigure, can your ninjutsu really locate someone across such a wide area?"
Haku's brows furrowed. Even the most skilled sensory-nin couldn't sweep such a vast range.
Shigure only smiled. "You'll know soon enough."
He raised his hands, weaving through a sequence of seals.
"Cloud Release!"
Mist-like smoke surged from his feet, spreading outward over the sea. It rolled like cotton pulled thin, unfurling in a widening fan until it spanned nearly a hundred meters.
Haku blinked, puzzled. To him, it didn't resemble ice or any technique he recognized.
"Cloud Release: Cloud Fish Mind Transmission Jutsu!"
Swish!
The mist rippled, then broke apart, condensing into countless white carp that leapt into the waves. Within moments, tens of thousands of tiny cloud-formed fish—each no larger than a palm—were darting across the sea.
Though conspicuous at first glance, they were harmless in appearance. Once submerged, or drifting deep below the surface, they all but vanished.
Each fish carried a sensing range of fifteen meters, and together they spread like a living net across the surrounding islands. Whenever an area was fully searched, the carp would leap high like "koi over the dragon's gate," marking their path as they skimmed onto the shore.
Light as mist, swift as thought—they even floated over land to continue their reconnaissance.
No matter where the Six-Tails' jinchūriki was hiding, they would root him out.
"Lord Shigure… what kind of technique is that? I've never seen anything like it," Haku murmured.
"Consider it a secret art," Shigure said calmly. Explaining Cloud Release would open more questions than answers.
Chōjūrō frowned as he watched the calm waves.
"Can those… fish really find him?"
"They can sense chakra," Shigure explained.
"Within fifteen meters, the moment they detect a jinchūriki's presence, the information flows straight back to me."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Relax. Within the hour, every island in this area will be under surveillance."
Elsewhere, pale carp leapt from the sea, gliding lazily through the air before drifting onto shorelines.
On one such island, Utakata—the Six-Tails' jinchūriki—sat on a seaside cliff, gazing at the horizon. His eyes narrowed as a white carp floated past him, staring with eerie stillness before slipping back into the sea.
"…A flying fish?" he muttered.
"No… a jutsu."
His expression hardened. Only a fool wouldn't recognize such a peculiar construct as ninjutsu.
At that moment, Shigure opened his eyes, a sharp gleam in them.
"Found him."
Haku and Chōjūrō immediately tensed.
"Where?" Chōjūrō demanded.
Shigure pointed toward an island to the northwest.
"There."
"Then let's go!"
With a flick of his wrist, Shigure summoned the Flying Nimbus, the billowing cloud materializing at his side.
Chōjūrō's jaw dropped.
"What… what is that?"
"Our ride," Shigure said simply.
"The target may already suspect something. We can't waste time running there on foot."
He leapt aboard the cloud with ease.
Chōjūrō hesitated only a moment before jumping on as well. His eyes lit up as his sandals sank slightly into the surface, soft and springy like cotton.
"This is… incredible!"
The pursuit of the Six-Tails had begun.
Haku quickly leapt onto the Flying Nimbus as well, and the cloud-like platform expanded on its own, giving the three of them enough room to stand without being cramped. With a sudden burst of speed, the Flying Nimbus shot straight toward the Six-Tails' location.
The acceleration was so great that Haku and Chōjūrō nearly lost their footing.
But as shinobi, their reflexes were sharp. They immediately channeled Chakra through their soles, adhering themselves to the cloud and stabilizing their stance.
Once the danger had passed, both Haku and Chōjūrō were filled with awe.
Haku's eyes widened softly, his voice calm yet tinged with wonder. "Incredible… it can even fly. What exactly is this, Lord Shigure? It feels like a cloud."
Chōjūrō blinked in disbelief. "We're really flying… on a cloud?"
Unlike Chōjūrō's blunt surprise, Haku's words carried quiet admiration. Despite his usual composure, there was a rare spark of childlike wonder in his gaze.
Shigure, however, only shook his head helplessly.
It's just the Flying Nimbus… and he's already this impressed. What's so special about it?
"Alright, we're here."
In barely ten seconds, the cloud streaked across the sea and reached the small island where the Six-Tails' jinchūriki was hiding.
Shigure immediately extended his senses, feeling out the Chakra ahead.
It was unmistakably the Six-Tails.
He picked a good place to hide, Shigure thought.
Remote, desolate, and close to the Land of Lightning. If things went south, he could escape there quickly. Clever… but unlucky to run into me.
"Cloud Release: Mist Cage!"
The Flying Nimbus beneath Shigure seemed to dissolve, releasing vast billows of mist that swept out across the island. The fog rolled and swirled, circling the shoreline before tightening into a massive, layered cage of vapor.
Only then did Chōjūrō realize what he was witnessing.
That's the same jutsu Lord Shigure used back in Konoha… when he trapped the First Hokage and Second Hokage, even after they were revived with Edo Tensei! If it can hold them… then even the Six-Tails' jinchūriki won't be able to escape!
For Haku, it was his first time seeing such a vast, controlled mist technique. Though he had mastery over ice, even he could sense the dense, suffocating power woven into the fog.
"Lord Shigure… this jutsu," Haku asked respectfully, "it's meant to seal the island completely, isn't it?"
Shigure nodded. "Exactly. With this mist, the Six-Tails' jinchūriki won't be able to run."
He guided the Flying Nimbus down, landing lightly on the sandy shore. His eyes narrowed, locking onto the dense forest ahead.
Rustling came from within.
A lone figure emerged from the trees, his expression cautious but composed.
"As expected… Hidden Mist shinobi." Utakata's voice was calm, though edged with wariness.
"That strange white fish earlier—that was your Ninjutsu, wasn't it?"
He sighed.
"You arrived faster than I thought. I didn't even have time to leave the island."
When his eyes fully settled on Shigure, Haku, and Chōjūrō, Utakata froze.
"…Kids?" His brows furrowed.
"The Hidden Mist sent children to capture me?"
He had braced himself for some overwhelming foe—but the sight before him was completely different from what he had imagined.
...
TN:
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