After leaving the wooden hut, Byakuya and Jūzō Biwa found a random place to sit and wait for Zabuza's answer.
Reflecting on the earlier conversation, Jūzō couldn't help but ask curiously, "Byakuya-sama, why did you invite Zabuza to hunt down the Mizukage with you? With your strength, you could do it alone, couldn't you?"
Byakuya looked at Jūzō and raised a finger.
"I do have the power to defeat the Mizukage. But as the leader of Akatsuki, if I were the one to personally take him down, it would undoubtedly spark conflict between Akatsuki and Kirigakure. I'd rather not get entangled in such trouble for now."
Jūzō instinctively nodded, then continued, "But I'm also a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Wouldn't it be simpler if I were the one to expose the Fourth Mizukage—"
Halfway through his sentence, Jūzō fell silent.
He had realized why Byakuya chose Zabuza instead of him. Unlike Zabuza, he lacked the resolve to raise his blade against the Mizukage.
Byakuya shook his head and walked up to Jūzō with a smile.
"You and Zabuza are different. You are already a part of Akatsuki, and as its leader, I can't stand by and watch my members walk into danger."
Jūzō's body tensed, his eyes widening in shock.
He had barely interacted with Byakuya before, yet the leader of Akatsuki genuinely regarded him as one of his own. The thought surprised him greatly.
Byakuya patted Jūzō's shoulder before standing up. "Don't just stand there. While we wait for Zabuza's answer, we should make use of our time. Let's go meet the other child he took in."
"Zabuza took in another child?" Jūzō was puzzled but followed behind Byakuya.
Without explaining further, Byakuya used his chakra-sensing abilities to track their way to a cave. Inside, there were only a few simple blankets and clothes. Sitting on a stone bed was a pale-skinned boy with equally white hair.
'Another pretty boy? Does Zabuza have a thing for collecting beautiful kids?' Byakuya mused to himself.
He then walked toward the white-haired boy. Just as he was about to get close, the boy's eyes suddenly snapped open.
In an instant, the boy vanished from his spot and lunged at Byakuya.
Jūzō reacted immediately, drawing his Executioner's Blade to block the attack, completely cutting off the boy's path to Byakuya.
Byakuya raised a hand, signaling Jūzō to stand down. He then turned to the white-haired boy and said, "You must be Kimimaro Kaguya, the last heir of the Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse)."
At those words, Kimimaro's expression became even more alert. His voice was cold as he asked, "I don't know you. How do you know my name and clan? And why are you here?"
"I came to find Zabuza."
Byakuya looked at Kimimaro and added with a smile, "I didn't expect that while searching for Zabuza, I'd run into both a Kaguya and a Yuki clan descendant. Quite the lucky day."
"Kimimaro is from the Kaguya clan, and Haku is from the Yuki clan?"
Jūzō was taken aback. He was no stranger to these bloodlines—he had once worked alongside shinobi from both the Shikotsumyaku and Ice Release clans.
But after the purges in Kirigakure, very few bloodline limit users remained.
Kimimaro narrowed his eyes upon hearing Byakuya's words. "You're looking for Zabuza… you must be from Kirigakure."
When his gaze fell on the headbands worn by Byakuya and Jūzō, his killing intent surged. No matter how naive he was, he knew that the shinobi of Kirigakure were his enemies. His entire clan had been slaughtered by them.
Most importantly, Zabuza's enemies were also from Kirigakure.
With that in mind, Kimimaro no longer held back. Activating his Shikotsumyaku, he launched an attack on Byakuya and Jūzō.
Seeing this, Jūzō immediately raised his Executioner's Blade.
Although he sympathized with bloodline users who had suffered the purges, he was still a shinobi. And as a shinobi, if anyone threatened Byakuya, he would retaliate without hesitation—that was his duty.
Jūzō moved quickly, but Byakuya was even faster.
Before Kimimaro could react, Byakuya had already appeared beside him. With a single punch, he struck Kimimaro's body.
Sensing the incoming force, Kimimaro instinctively used his Shikotsumyaku to form bone armor as a defense.
Yet despite the hardened bones emerging from his body, Byakuya showed no hesitation. His punch landed directly on the reinforced skeleton, and with a loud crack, the bones splintered under the impact.
Kimimaro gritted his teeth in pain and attempted to counterattack, but Byakuya swiftly restrained him with Wood Release.
The wooden tendrils wrapped around Kimimaro, sapping his chakra. His once-hard bones receded back into his body, leaving him immobilized. Kimimaro glared at Byakuya with unwavering defiance, refusing to yield.
Byakuya studied Kimimaro and sighed internally.
At this point in time, Kimimaro was supposed to be under Orochimaru's wing. Through intense training and experimentation, he had unlocked most of his Shikotsumyaku's potential, becoming Orochimaru's strongest enforcer.
In the original timeline, he had played a crucial role in the Konoha Crush plan, even killing the Fourth Kazekage and nearly taking Gaara's life.
If this were that version of Kimimaro, he would be at least Kage-level, or at the very least, an elite Jōnin.
But the Kimimaro standing before him now had barely mastered his abilities. At most, he was Chūnin level.
However, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Shikotsumyaku was one of the strongest Bloodline Limit in the shinobi world, and even basic mastery of it granted immense power.
But it was also a double-edged sword.
The stronger a Kaguya became, the shorter their lifespan. Right now, Kimimaro's abilities were still underdeveloped, but that meant his body was healthy. At least, he wouldn't suffer the same tragic fate as in the original timeline.
As Byakuya restrained Kimimaro, the commotion drew the attention of Zabuza and Haku. When they arrived and saw Kimimaro bound by Wood Release, their expressions changed. They didn't know whether Byakuya intended to kill Kimimaro, nor did they understand what had transpired.
Hearing footsteps behind him, Byakuya released Kimimaro and turned to Zabuza.
"Zabuza, have you made your decision? Will you accept my invitation?"
Zabuza looked at Kimimaro, then at Haku. After a moment of silence, he spoke.
"Fine. I accept your invitation. But please, spare Haku and Kimimaro. They are both innocent."
Kimimaro and Haku's expressions changed.
Clenching his fists, Kimimaro gritted his teeth. "Zabuza-sama, leave us and go! We are merely your tools. We have long prepared ourselves to sacrifice for you!"
Zabuza gritted his teeth and said resolutely, "I've long wanted to counterattack Kirigakure. Training you two was just to use you as tools. Now that I've found more powerful help, you two are no longer needed."
While Zabuza, Haku, and Kimimaro were performing an emotional scene, Byakuya felt a bit strange.
Hadn't he just been attacked by Kimimaro? Now it seemed like he was the one threatening Zabuza through Kimimaro. Was it because his strength was slightly stronger that he wasn't allowed to defend himself?
After pondering for a moment, Byakuya approached Zabuza, grinning. "Welcome to the hunting squad. This is the best choice you've made this year. Also, it was your subordinate who attacked me first. I am as innocent as a fine bird."
"Kimimaro attacked you first?" Zabuza's expression changed as he turned to Kimimaro. "Kimimaro, did you attack Byakuya-sama and Jūzō-senpai just now?"
Kimimaro stiffly nodded, making Zabuza's lips twitch.
Byakuya and Jūzō were no ordinary people—he himself had suppressed his devilish personality in their presence. Yet, Kimimaro was so brave enough to attack them.
When he first encountered the wandering Kimimaro by the roadside, he should never have offered help. Though he complained internally, Zabuza didn't openly reprimand Kimimaro. One reason was that he had already ordered Kimimaro to be cautious of all unfamiliar shinobi. The other reason was that he knew Byakuya and Jūzō wouldn't let this go easily.
Rather than dragging things out, it was better to agree to the proposal and head to Kirigakure sooner.
Only after returning to Kirigakure would the doubts in his heart be resolved—whether the Fourth Mizukage had been controlled, and whether there truly was a masked man behind the scenes.
Sighing lightly, Zabuza spoke, "Byakuya, Jūzō-senpai, when should we head to Kirigakure? Tomorrow or today?"
"The sooner, the better…" Byakuya replied.
Zabuza nodded and turned to Kimimaro and Haku. "I'm heading to Kirigakure now. You two are free to go wherever you like."
Haku and Kimimaro shook their heads. "We're not going anywhere."
At this point, Byakuya turned to Zabuza and the others, saying, "It's fine to bring them along this time. Anyway, you're no match for the Fourth Mizukage. In the future, whether it's you or them, they'll all be my subordinates."
Byakuya then beamed a proud smile, "I'm very lenient with my subordinates. I can treat bloodline diseases for free."
"Bloodline disease?" Zabuza frowned, then asked, "Are you saying Haku and Kimimaro have bloodline diseases?"
Byakuya nodded. "Long-term use of Shikotsumyaku definitely causes bloodline disease. Though Haku's Ice Release doesn't have a history of bloodline disease, prolonged use of Ice Release will certainly harm the body. In the end, your training methods are too crude."
Byakuya didn't want to explain what he remembers from the anime so he just decided to offer the help in order to avoid future problems.
"If they will stay in Akatsuki, they would receive better training than now. With their potential, becoming ninja swordsmen-level shinobi wouldn't be difficult."
Hearing this, Zabuza fell into thought, feeling somewhat tempted by Byakuya's proposal.
Although he claimed that Haku and Kimimaro were just tools, the two had been with him for a long time. If his second attempt to assassinate the Mizukage failed, he would have no choice but to entrust them to Byakuya.
But if he accepted Byakuya's help, even if the Fourth Mizukage were taken down, Kirigakure would still never be truly free. It would only be a change of one puppet master for another.
Shaking off the distractions in his mind, Zabuza stopped overthinking.
He hadn't even set foot on the Land of Water yet. Why worry so much? The more he thought, the more passive he would become, which could affect his plans.
---
A few hours later, Byakuya and Zabuza's group boarded a ship to the Land of Water.
After two days and nights at sea, they arrived in the Land of Water. The Land of Water was an archipelago nation, consisting of hundreds of small islands.
Kirigakure was located on the largest of these islands.
Once they departed from the port of the Land of Water and stepped onto its land, Byakuya was hit with a strong scent of the sea—fishy and salty, which made him feel a bit uncomfortable.
The others, however, seemed unaffected.
As ninjas of the Land of Water, they were used to the climate and environment. Coming back to the Land of Water felt like returning to familiar territory.
Continuing their journey on land, they reached the outskirts of Kirigakure in less than a day.
Compared to the other great shinobi villages, Kirigakure's buildings had a strong cement feel. Both the Mizukage Tower and the other buildings were made from steel-reinforced concrete, giving it a more modern vibe compared to other villages.
It made sense, though—being near the ocean, Kirigakure couldn't afford to lag behind.
After the Fourth Great Ninja War, although Kirigakure didn't develop super technologies like chakra cannons or airborne fortresses, it did have a chakra-powered naval fleet.
As they gazed at the distant Kirigakure, Zabuza and Jūzō became somewhat lost in thought.
It felt as though they had been away for a long time, but it also felt like they had only left for a few hours. The village was the same as they remembered, with little difference.
They had once left for various reasons, but now they were back.
However, this time, they weren't returning to Kirigakure. Instead, they were challenging the current Mizukage, aiming to overthrow him and the hidden forces controlling him.
Byakuya glanced at Zabuza and Jūzō, saying lightly, "Stop spacing out. Figure out a way to uncover the true face of the Mizukage. I'm giving you one week. After that, I'll handle the Fourth Mizukage and the masked man myself. If it affects Kirigakure, that's not my concern."
"During this time, I'll stay nearby to take care of Haku and Kimimaro."
Hearing this, Zabuza and Jūzō exchanged glances, then began walking toward the village boundary. They easily crossed the border and entered the heart of Kirigakure.
Watching Zabuza and Jūzō leave, Byakuya turned to Kimimaro and Haku.
"You two have sensitive identities, so don't cause trouble. Just stay here with me and watch the show of assassinating the Mizukage."
Kimimaro and Haku were more concerned about Zabuza's safety after hearing this.
But after spending some time with Byakuya, they had a better understanding of his personality. Although Byakuya was powerful, he wasn't a cold, stern person and could even joke around.
After a brief pause, Haku turned to Byakuya and asked, "Byakuya-sama, do you think Zabuza-sama can really succeed? Has the Fourth Mizukage really been controlled?"
Byakuya glanced at Haku before responding, "The Mizukage has indeed been controlled, but whether Zabuza can deal with the Fourth Mizukage, I'm not sure. Ultimately, it depends on whether the ninjas of Kirigakure want a new Mizukage."