Chapter 32: Morning Checks and Distant Plots
In the muted, artificial twilight of Kagemi's Layered Space—their morning sanctuary—Shuichi Mayumi watched his two subordinates pass the time. Kagemi and Tenmu were engaged in a simple game of dice, a diversion Kagemi had initiated and Tenmu, with his usual apathy, hadn't refused.
A flicker of dissatisfaction crossed Shuichi's mind. These two, former shinobi turned demons, had yet to manifest their unique Ghost Qi traits. And here they were, gambling. He remembered Momiji's relentless morning drills over the past ten days. Still, he allowed this occasional frivolity. As long as they were quiet and discreet.
Safety dictated they stay within the Layered Space, despite the rented room's blackout curtains. It provided a buffer, a place to react if discovered, without the instant, fatal consequences of sunlight.
His morning routine included checking on his scattered assets. The roster was still manageable. He needed to monitor them, ensure none fell into the hands of a scientific opportunist like Orochimaru without his knowledge.
Momiji had been active near Konoha, targeting chunin on night missions. He'd only stopped when Konoha, alarmed by the disappearances, forbade night excursions and sent Anbu hunting parties. Now, under that pressure, Momiji was drifting toward neighboring countries, his trajectory pointing toward the Land of Grass. The Land of Rain, with its perpetual surveillance via Nagato's Rain Tiger Freedom Technique, was temporarily off-limits. The Rinnegan would be dealt with, but not yet.
Mushiji, the Insect Lord, had finally awoken his Blood Demon Art two days prior. It was different from Shuichi's initial 'swarm' expectation, but thematically aligned. "Blood Demon Art: Adaptive Carapace." Upon activation, his body was sheathed in a dense, black chitinous armor, with two razor-sharp mantis-like scythes extending from his back. Its strength wasn't raw defense, but adaptation. The more he was struck by a particular type of attack, the more resistant he became, eventually achieving near-immunity. The gains were permanent. As long as the first blow wasn't instantly fatal, he grew perpetually tougher. A perfect tool for attrition. (Sunlight, of course, remained the glaring exception. Immunity to that would be absurdly convenient.)
Shuichi viewed Mushiji less as a subordinate and more as livestock to be fattened—his adaptive power a future harvest.
Currently, Mushiji was 'farming' by deliberately taking hits from swordsmen and rogue ninjas, watering down his lethality to prolong fights and accumulate resistance.
The Akiwa siblings—Karyūka (Flowing Snow) and Kyōshun—were performing as expected. Though Kyōshun loathed Shuichi, he diligently lured travelers to his sister, enabling her hunts. With steady nourishment, Karyūka had also awakened her Blood Demon Art: "Zero." She'd developed two applications so far. First, a localized weather effect—snowfall imbued with her power. Contact with the flakes induced a bone-deep, mind-numbing cold that slowed movement and thought. Shuichi dubbed it an 'intelligence-reduction' attack. Second, through direct touch, she could flash-freeze targets. The first effect was also transmitted through the second. A potent control art, though her frail, non-combatant physique made close contact risky.
Both had their arts. Then there was Tenmu…
Shuichi sighed, glancing at the Hyuga demon still rolling dice. Tenmu lacked all initiative. He didn't hunt unless ordered. Most of their 'prey' ended up in Kagemi's stomach, leaving Tenmu's power stagnant, his Blood Demon Art a distant dream. His mindset was the problem.
His review shifted to Onigarasu. The feed was immediately more interesting.
He saw, through the crow's eyes, Orochimaru's fleeing form, then the descent into the caverns, the confrontation with the mysterious mist-people, and Kakashi's brutal subduing. The Iburi Clan. He'd almost forgotten them. Wiped out by Orochimaru in the end, save for one girl.
The crow's location was closest to Momiji, en route to the Land of Grass. But Momiji couldn't fly; he couldn't reach it overnight. Shuichi himself was even farther, moving in the opposite direction.
He recalled the original outcome: by daylight, Kakashi, Yamato (codenamed 'A'), and the lone Iburi girl would part ways at a crossroads.
An idea, cold and manipulative, crystallized.
What about using Kyōshun? If his sister ordered him, he'd comply, however reluctantly. The boy was fast, a seasoned thief. He was a living human, able to walk openly in the sun. The town was close.
He could send Kyōshun. Use his childish appearance and quick tongue to lure the Iburi girl—Yukimi—to the town where Karyūka waited. Karyūka's intelligence-sapping cold and freezing touch should be capable of trapping a girl who could atomize.
It would make Kyōshun hate him more. So be it. The boy already despised him. A little more hatred changed nothing.
Who cared?
He relayed the coordinates and instructions through his mental link to Karyūka. The order would pass to her brother.
Returning to the crow's perspective, he watched the scene unfold. Yamato (A) had bound the unconscious Kakashi with Wood Release, interrogated him roughly, then released him after the Iburi clan departed. This mercy was noted. The Iburi, seeing the two shinobi as threats to their patron Orochimaru, surrounded them, intent on elimination.
Their weakness was clear: poor control over their vaporization. Some couldn't reform. Others, if caught in a wind while misted, dissipated forever. Hence their windless cavern life. It was Orochimaru's cursed seal that stabilized them, reducing their mortality rate. In return, he'd taken many of their children for 'research.' The only child left in the clan now was the little girl, Yukimi—the last survivor.
(End of Chapter)
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