I walked the city streets of Kirigakure as the sun began to set. Yin was fused with me to enhance my Disguise jutsu, allowing me a fair bit of freedom to move around. Civilians had returned to the Village not long ago, so I slipped between the many crowds returning to their homes as I made a map of the place, teleportation routes subtly hidden.
The security looked fairly tight with shinobi posted at every intersection, but it was more for appearance's sake since most were genin. I was not sure if Yagura missed my meaning when I left, or if his control over his people was still too weak, but it made my job much easier. Not only could I move around the city with ease, but clusters of strong chakra signatures stood out like a beacon in the night.
Much like Konoha, Kiri had clan compounds scattered around in key locations while civilian housing filled in the gaps around commerce. I did not bother venturing too close to most of them, as they should be defended by proper sensors, but the Kaguya clan's compound on the outskirts was the exception to the rules of common sense. I could not decide if I was more surprised that they had no guard posted or that they actually allowed them to live in the Village.
I left a few clones in hiding near their doorstep for one of the phases of my raid tonight before continuing my journey. My next stop was the docks which was mostly filled with fishing boats, though there was a guarded section that had around twenty warships. A trio of my clones burrowed underground and waited safely out of detection range until it was showtime.
Personally, I took on the more difficult task and targeted their barracks. While the majority of the residents were civilian-born genin, there were a few dozen chunin and even a pair of jonin that appeared to be on watch. It was a perfect target to emphasize my point as it left a clear message that I could reach them whenever I wanted.
I waited until midnight then summoned Earth, Explosion, Boil, and Scorch. Earth stepped forward without hesitation and activated Sage Mode as her hands flashed through hand signs. She slammed her hand down and five layers of stone walls erupted around the building, enclosing it before any Mist shinobi could react.
"Keep the explosions to a minimum. We did enough damage to their infrastructure already," I warned, making Explosion click her tongue with annoyance. "Don't reveal your specialty unless you are on the verge of collapse within the first ten minutes."
Scorch nodded, but I did not have the time to argue if she refused and teleported to the roof of the barracks where I had thrown a shuriken earlier. The moment my feet touched the tile, I summoned the rest of my clones, except for Space, who I left in reserve as my extraction strategy. I tossed Chrono a sleeve of real shuriken then pulled out a storage scroll and summoned a small mountain of dusty fuinjutsu tags.
"Enclosed spaces... my favorite," Tempest remarked.
"Just remember to keep the voltage low and not fry the rest of us. We're only knocking them out... and leaving behind presents," I chuckled the last part.
"I wonder what Kushina will say when you tell her how you used these," Lightning said with a smirk.
Before I could respond, the two Mist jonin landed on either side of the roof. They were brave or maybe they thought they had the advantage in the darkness of the sealed dome, but with seven clones around me, they were significantly outgunned. They did not bother with introductions or negotiations, so my clones returned the favor.
Yang and Fire both used a jutsu to light up the area as Chrono and I threw out a few shuriken towards the two Mist jonin. The moment they flinched from the sudden brightness, we each teleported forward and drove a Yang-enhanced punch into their chests, launching them straight toward the ground.
"Meh... they should survive," I remarked as I glanced over the side of the roof at the shallow craters created by their bodies.
Tempest led Lightning and Storm off the building and rushed into the main entrance. Yang, Fire, Wood, Chrono, and I broke into the third floor through the windows then started knocking out the genin who filled up the floor. It felt a bit wrong to attack children, but I told myself that a controlled strike or locking them in a genjutsu was better than Tempest frying their bodies to do the same.
Once most of the floor was cleared, Wood stood guard at the top of the stairs while the rest of my clones attached prank sealing tags all over the place. I was not a fan of wanton killing, so I used mostly harmless pranks that Kushina and I made when we were young instead of explosive tags. While they wasted hours removing all of them, they would be forced to think about the fact that things could have been a lot worse.
Tempest and her group cleared the first two floors while my clones finished boobytrapping the third floor. I tossed Fire a second storage scroll filled with more prank seals then headed down the stairs with my clones. They broke up on the second floor to plant more traps while I moved through those Tempest had incapacitated, placing a genjutsu over those in danger of waking up soon.
No one was badly injured, though I knew from personal experience that they would likely be twitching randomly for the next day. After I made my way through the first floor as well, I walked outside with Chrono beside me and checked the two jonin. They had passed out due to their injuries, but after a quick check, I confirmed that they would not die, so I nodded to Chrono. She placed a hand on my shoulder and teleported us out of the dome.
We appeared on a rooftop not too far from the enclosed barracks, which had taken multiple hits that even broke the outer layer in a few places. There was already a small crowd gathered around, but most were weaker chunin and being held back by Explosion, Boil, and Scorch fairly well, though it made me worry about my other clones. I fired off a lightning bolt jutsu into the crowd of chunin, drawing their attention and alerting my three clones that I was done inside. As ten of them broke off and charged towards the building I was standing on, Chrono teleported me away to the docks.
Although we appeared in a deserted alley, the chaos and destruction ahead could be seen with ease. The stonework for the military dock had been broken and mostly sunk into the sea while half a dozen ships had been sliced apart by Laser's jutsu. My three clones were standing on a small stone platform together, surrounded by a pool of lava, as they fought off the Mist jonin who had responded to their attack. Lava kept anyone from approaching too close with Magnet helping shift the molten rock, and Laser took potshots at anyone who stopped long enough to cast a jutsu towards them.
Since they had already completed their objective, I dismissed them with a smirk and watched the Mist forces look around with confusion and anger. Chrono teleported us away before anyone even knew we were here, and we reappeared not far from the Kaguya clan compound. Their courtyard and main gate were covered in a thick layer of ice, but it was the large monkey sculpture that looked just like Hana in the center that made me shake my head as I chuckled. I dismissed the Ice trio, who had hidden nearby when the Kaguya clan realized they were under attack.
I dismissed the rest of my clones and nodded to Chrono after quickly sorting through the sudden flood of memories. Most of the barracks was layered in prank seals that would do anything from tangling the unlucky victim in a net, dyeing their hair flaming red, or drenching them in water. Between defending the walls around the barracks and attacking the dock, my clones tried to minimize the casualties, but it was not as simple as inside the barracks, so I was sure that I had killed more. That was not exactly great for peace talks, but the restraint I had shown was already leagues beyond anything the Mist would have done.
When Chrono and I appeared back on the boat, there was much less of a reaction than the last time that I suddenly arrived. Fugaku and Inoichi were the only ones on the main deck as the rest of our group was below, where they should be sleeping. I dismissed Chrono and Yin as they walked over to me.
"Was it successful?" Inoichi asked.
"We'll see tomorrow, but I certainly gave Yagura a headache," I replied with a chuckle. "I kept the casualties to a minimum, but proved just how annoying I can be… I wonder who will be more pissed, Yagura or the Kaguya clan."
"What did you do, Akari?" Inoichi asked with a serious look.
"Just a small demonstration," I chuckled then yawned dramatically. "It's getting late, and I'm tired from the infiltration, so I'll head to bed."
Before he could question me further, I teleported below deck where a dim lantern was the only light, near Shisui. Unsurprisingly, he was awake and the first to react to my appearance, sitting up in his hammock. Kurenai was in another hammock on the other side of the ship, and she sat up when she realized it was me and looked me over for injury.
"You have that grin, sensei," Shisui said, his eyes glowing red in the darkness. "Do you always have to escape to me?"
"I've told you; it's training. You can sense the spatial disturbance before I arrive, don't you?" I retorted.
He sighed and laid back down in his hammock. I turned to Kurenai and smiled before I climbed into an empty hammock. While I would have enjoyed talking with her, there were others trying to sleep and we were still on a mission. Any alone time or private conversations needed to wait until this was over.
I stared up at the wooden planks above me, wondering if there was any way to ensure an end to this war faster. So many things were on hold while the fighting dragged on, and more people died every day. Even when it ended, though, I knew better than to think peace meant we were safe. The Village was already bound to be stronger without Danzo's schemes undermining it from within, but that did not mean Madara and Black Zetsu would simply ignore us. If anything, the changes I had already made might draw their attention even sooner.
I was about to shake the Shinobi World even more before this war was over, but compared to some of the monsters waiting in the future, I still had a long way to go. Once this was finished, I needed to refocus on my own training and see just how far I could push my abilities. Thankfully, I already knew the one person who might actually be able to keep up with me.
It took some time, but eventually, I fell asleep. When the morning came, we were on the far side of the island, so I had Kurenai fly Kagero to make a few more trails for me. Inoichi gave me a few questioning looks throughout the day, but I kept close to Shisui and Kurenai to ensure he could not pester me for details about my raid. As soon as night fell again, I teleported away to carry out the second phase of my plan.
There was no point in rushing to their Village, so I used my clones to scout around the countryside and found alternate routes. If they wanted to drag this on, I would have to start targeting things outside of their Village... like the Daimyo's holdings. It was a dirty move, but it would get my point across quicker if tonight was not enough.
Several large plantations, multiple shops, and even a beach house belonging to the ruler of the Water Country were added to my FTG network before I neared the Mist Village. The biggest cheat of cloning jutsu was that they could cover so much ground for me then, when I needed them, I could dismiss them wherever they were and resummon them to my side. I scattered my clones around the outside of the Village as I circled outside of the walls.
Last night was about demonstrating how dangerous I was to Yagura and the shinobi defending the Village, while tonight, I needed to make sure the civilians understood it too. I still had no intention of killing randomly, but details of my targets the night before could be suppressed and hidden from the general populace, so I needed to do something different this time. My clones would move across the Village individually, making as much noise as they possibly could so that everyone understood they were under attack, even if I was not slaughtering people in the streets.
After I dropped off the majority of my clones, I retreated to a tall tree two kilometers away from their walls and watched through binoculars. Almost immediately after settling in, the first explosion went off on the far side of the Village which was followed by a burst of fire and a bolt of lightning from the east and west sides. None of my clones were working in teams, and the Mist had learned from the night before, so it was not long before memories started to return.
They had positioned numerous ninjas along the walls, including jonin, so it was not surprising that they fell so quickly. Still, all it took was to resummon the clone and Chrono, who would take them to a new position within the walls before dispelling herself. For an hour, I kept my clones attacking random locations across the web of seals that I had left behind yesterday and drawing all of their forces out to the walls and outer streets.
I tucked my binoculars away and pulled out a special storage scroll. One at a time, I retrieved a unique shuriken that had a solid lodestone core and tucked each of them into a small pouch on my shoulders and thighs. The magnetic cores made it nearly as easy as breathing to control with my Magnetic Release and, with my Flying Thunder God seals inscribed on them, they were anchors under my perfect control within fifty meters of me.
With the four shuriken in place, I summoned Space and fused with her, raising my affinity to match Minato's level. I activated Sage Mode for a moment and teleported directly into the heart of the Village then dismissed it, ensuring that I would have plenty of that special energy to leave. In the shadow of the Mizukage's tower, I approached without difficulty as most of the defenders had been sent away. The few that remained were easy enough to bypass with my shuriken that could fly impossible paths.
I made my way through the building as I headed for the three strongest chakra signatures, which all happened to be in the same room. Although I was concealing my chakra, I was under no illusion that they had not sensed me the moment I stepped onto the floor, if not into the building, yet none of them had moved. I knocked only for my own amusement before I opened the door to Yagura, Genzo Shiranami, and a man I vaguely remembered from the Bingo Book, Ryoma.
Before I could say anything, Ryoma's chakra flared and he shot at me with a crack of thunder as he used some type of Lightning jutsu to enhance his speed. My shuriken flew out of their pockets in different directions with a single hand sign and I teleported to one before his fist could touch me. I swung to kick him in the temple, but his reactions were quick and he had tracked my shuriken. He blocked the kick and tried to grab my ankle, but I teleported to another that I sent curving around to his back.
I punched towards his back, but he was already spinning with his elbow aimed at striking my wrist. Teleporting again, my shuriken began to spin, but not around me. I had taken the idea from how Shisui used his Ghosts, but his were anchored around his body while I could focus the technique around a target. I teleported to another and swung then, when he reacted to that, I flashed to another and another.
Finally, I found an opening, and my fist collided with his chin with just enough Yang-infused strength to knock him out completely. Before he could slam into the wall, I teleported and caught him by the back of his collar. Instead of tossing him, I placed him down gently then backed away slowly as my shuriken orbited me.
"So, are you ready to talk like civilized people, or do I need to expand my targets to include the Daimyo's holdings?" I asked with a smirk.
Yagura stared at me for several seconds before his eyes shifted to Ryoma's unconscious form on the floor. His expression barely changed, but I could see the irritation in the slight tightening of his jaw.
"You could have simply asked to speak with me."
"I knocked."
"You spent the last hour attacking my Village."
"That happens when we're enemies," I replied with a shrug.
Genzo gave an annoyed snort, though he said nothing when Yagura glanced in his direction.
"Are you finished?" Yagura asked.
"That depends on you. It's not like we are after your Village or territory; you attacked us first. I'm tired of watching my subordinates get hurt and killed, and honestly, the beach is nice, but I want to be in my own bed again."
"And you believe destroying my docks and attacking my shinobi is the best way to ask for peace?"
"No. I think it was the fastest way to make sure you listened when I did."
His eyes narrowed.
"Besides, your predecessor placed a Tailed Beast inside a young kunoichi, who is the student of one of my friends. How 'peacefully' would that have ended if I had not been able to properly seal the beast?"
Yagura's expression hardened, but he did not argue.
"The Third Mizukage is dead," he said after a moment.
"Which is why I'm standing here talking instead of simply blowing up your Village like I did the mountaintop."
Genzo's eyes narrowed at that, but Yagura merely sighed.
"You are incredibly irritating."
"I've been told."
"Repeatedly, I imagine."
"Mostly by people who like me," I added with a grin.
That earned me the smallest twitch at the corner of his mouth before it disappeared. Yagura walked around the desk and lowered himself into the chair behind it. "I have no intention of continuing the Third's war as he fought it. Mist has lost too many shinobi for too little gain, and I have more immediate problems than trying to take a piece of the Land of Fire."
"But?" I asked, slightly surprised at how easily he admitted he wanted peace.
"But I became Mizukage two days ago."
"Ah," I said sagely with a nod.
Yagura continued. "The clans have only just agreed not to kill one another long enough to remove the Third. Half of the Village is waiting to see whether I can actually control the other half, and the Daimyō has yet to decide whether my ascension is something he should support or fear. If I recall our forces immediately after you attack Kirigakure for two nights, what do you imagine that will look like?"
"Like I scared the new Mizukage into surrendering."
"Precisely."
I hummed as I thought about it, tapping my chin, then remarked, "I don't need you to surrender."
"No?"
"No. I need your shinobi to stop attacking mine. If you recall your forces and agree to peace talks, I'll allow the withdrawal without pursuing them. I can't sign a treaty for my father, but I know what he wants. We aren't interested in tearing Mist apart for concessions if you're willing to end this."
Yagura studied me carefully. "And Sand?"
"I don't speak for Pakura."
"But?"
"But she joined this war because the Sand needed a way to pay us back with our alliance; not because she wanted the Mist's riches. Give me something real to take back, and I'll talk to her."
Silence settled over the room. Outside, another explosion echoed somewhere in the Village. Yagura's eye twitched, and I pretended not to notice.
"I can begin recalling our forces," he finally said. "And I will agree to formal negotiations. But not tonight. The clan leaders can be informed once I have spoken with them. The rest of the Village cannot believe I took the hat one day and bowed to Konoha the next."
"That seems fair," I replied.
His eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"What?"
"You agreed too quickly."
I chuckled. "Yagura, I don't care who gets credit for ending this. I care that it ends."
"And what do you suggest I tell the thousands of people currently listening to your clones attack their Village?"
I paused, then smiled.
Yagura's expression immediately soured. "I am beginning to dislike that expression."
"You need to look strong," I said, ignoring him. "I need an excuse to stop attacking."
Genzo seemed to understand before Yagura did. "You cannot be serious."
"Why not?"
Yagura looked between us. "What?"
"Tomorrow, the new Mizukage finally gets tired of Sarutobi Akari attacking his Village. You come out personally, we have a nice dramatic fight where everyone can see us, and then..." I spread my hands. "You drive me out of Kirigakure."
Yagura stared at me. "You want me to pretend to defeat you."
"I wouldn't say pretend. You're going to have to make it convincing."
"You would willingly allow Mist to tell the world that I defeated you?"
"Absolutely."
"Why?"
I blinked at him then chuckled. "Yagura, I've spent most of my life trying to convince people I'm less dangerous than I actually am. You'd be doing me a favor."
For the first time since I entered the room, Yagura looked genuinely caught off guard.
Genzo slowly shook his head. "You are a very strange woman."
"I've also been told that."
Yagura leaned back in his chair, studying me with a different expression than before. There was still plenty of irritation there, but some of the hostility had disappeared.
"And after I drive you from my Village?"
"My attacks stop. You start recalling your forces. Your clan leaders learn that you've agreed to negotiations when you're ready to tell them, and I return to Konoha with your offer."
"And the Daimyō's holdings?"
I smiled, and said, "The beach house has a lovely view."
His eyes closed. "Of course you've already prepared."
"I'll leave it exactly how I found it."
Another explosion sounded in the distance.
Yagura opened his eyes again and glared at me. "Call off your clones."
"Agree to the talks," I retorted.
His gaze remained locked with mine for several seconds before he nodded.
"Mist will begin withdrawing its forces from the Land of Fire. I will send representatives to formal peace negotiations once my position here is secure."
I raised my hand, and throughout Kirigakure, my clones disappeared.
The explosions stopped. The sudden silence outside was almost startling by comparison. Yagura glanced toward the window before looking back at me.
"Tomorrow?" he asked.
I recalled my shuriken one by one, slipping them back into their pouches. "Tomorrow," I agreed. "Make sure there are plenty of witnesses."
Yagura's expression became almost predatory. "You may regret telling me that."
I grinned. "Just make it look good."