CHAPTER 95
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As the distance between the two ships gradually closed, Guy was finally able to make out the appearances of the three people standing on the opposing vessel.
At the front stood a tall man in his twenties.
He had short grayish-white hair, wore a Kirigakure forehead protector, and possessed a pair of sharp, vigilant eyes.
Leaning casually against the ship's railing, he quietly observed Team 9.
To his left stood a young boy.
He appeared to be only around ten years old.
His silver-white hair swayed lightly in the sea breeze.
Strapped across his back was a strangely shaped weapon.
The weapon's two blades were perfectly symmetrical.
Its outline resembled a giant flatfish.
The Twin Swords: Hiramekarei.
To the man's right stood an even younger girl.
She appeared to be around eleven or twelve years old.
She wore a sky-blue fitted combat outfit.
Her thick reddish-brown hair was tied neatly behind her head.
Her features were beautiful and delicate.
Yet despite her age, she carried an unusual calmness and composure.
She stood quietly at the edge of the deck, looking toward Team 9 through the sea mist.
The two ships crossed paths.
Although the distance between them was not close enough for immediate combat, the gazes of both parties met briefly through the drifting fog.
Through the Byakugan, Hyuga Yukian clearly observed the Chakra signatures of all three individuals.
The leader was powerful.
His Chakra reserves had undoubtedly reached the Jonin level.
As for the two youths beside him, their Chakra signatures were also unusual.
"Increase speed and leave this area."
Hyuga Yukian gave the order decisively.
His voice remained calm, though his speech was slightly quicker than before.
The mission had already been completed.
A commander like Hyuga Yukian, who placed mission completion above everything else, would never seek unnecessary conflict under such circumstances.
Guy immediately adjusted the rudder and increased the ship's speed.
Ebisu and Genma tightly gripped their Ninja tools while staring at the Kirigakure vessel that was gradually moving farther away.
The people on the opposing ship had clearly recognized their identities as Konoha shinobi.
Yet for some reason, they also made no attempt to engage.
Instead, they simply watched Team 9 in silence.
Hyuga Yukian maintained the Byakugan the entire time.
Only after the Kirigakure ship completely disappeared beyond the horizon did he slowly relax.
The veins around his eyes receded.
His pale eyes returned to normal.
Ebisu continued staring toward the distant sea.
Only after the enemy vessel was completely gone did he finally ask:
"Captain, who exactly were those three people from Kirigakure?"
"The leader's Chakra felt incredibly strong."
Hyuga Yukian turned around.
His white eyes calmly swept across the ocean.
After considering for a moment, he answered:
"That man is most likely Ao."
"Ao?"
Ebisu repeated the name.
Hyuga Yukian nodded.
"He is a newly promoted Jonin of Kirigakure."
"He specializes in Water Release and sensory reconnaissance."
"His combat style is cautious and meticulous."
"He's a troublesome opponent."
Guy quietly nodded.
So it really was Ao.
The Third Shinobi World War was indeed the period during which Ao began to establish his reputation.
Genma shifted the senbon from one side of his mouth to the other.
His gaze remained fixed on the horizon.
"Captain, what about that weapon carried by the boy?"
"It looked strange."
"Like two flatfish connected together."
"I've never seen a Ninja tool designed like that."
Hearing this, Hyuga Yukian glanced toward the empty sea.
It was as though he could still see the peculiar weapon on the boy's back.
"That weapon is Hiramekarei."
"The Twin Swords: Hiramekarei."
"The Twin Swords Hiramekarei?!"
Ebisu instantly pushed up his sunglasses.
His eyes widened behind the lenses.
"One of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist?"
"Could that kid actually be one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?"
"At that age?!"
Hyuga Yukian silently looked at him.
Although his expression remained unchanged, his gaze clearly conveyed the meaning of "you're thinking too much."
"No."
He paused before continuing.
"More accurately, it's a replica."
"The true Seven Ninja Swords are legendary weapons."
"Each one is passed down through strict inheritance and qualification trials."
"How could such a weapon be entrusted to a child who looks barely ten years old?"
"He's probably just someone obsessed with Ninja swords who commissioned a replica."
A thoughtful expression briefly appeared in his eyes.
"However, the Chakra inside that child is indeed unusual."
"It's extremely abundant."
"It carries a cold and fluid nature."
"The flow of Chakra throughout his body is remarkably smooth."
"He should be from Kirigakure's Hozuki Clan."
"The Hozuki Clan?"
Ebisu blinked.
Hyuga Yukian nodded.
"If he truly belongs to the Hozuki Clan, then combined with their clan's unique Hydrification Technique..."
"In an environment surrounded by water like this..."
"He would be extremely troublesome to fight."
His expression was unusually serious.
Ebisu processed the information regarding the replica sword and the Hozuki Clan.
Then he remembered the quiet girl standing on the deck.
"What about that girl?"
"Captain, do you know who she is?"
"She looks about the same age as us."
"Do we have any information on her?"
Hyuga Yukian shook his head.
A rare trace of confusion appeared in his pale eyes.
"I don't know."
"There is no intelligence regarding her."
"The quality of her Chakra differs from the other two."
"It feels more restrained."
"But beneath that restraint, I sensed an unusual heat."
"A very strange feeling."
He paused briefly.
"Still, the fact that she travels together with Ao and someone likely belonging to the Hozuki Clan means she is certainly not an ordinary person."
"If you encounter her in the future, be careful."
Throughout the conversation, Guy remained silent.
Hyuga Yukian didn't recognize the girl.
But Guy did.
The moment the two ships passed each other and he saw the reddish-brown-haired girl standing calmly on the deck, he had already recognized her identity.
Terumi Mei.
The future Fifth Mizukage.
"So she's already active on the battlefield during this period..."
Guy quietly became more vigilant.
Although Mei was much younger than Pakura and currently looked like nothing more than a harmless young girl, Guy knew perfectly well that her future status as Mizukage was built upon genuine strength.
She possessed not one but two Kekkei Genkai.
Lava Release.
And Boil Release.
Either one was powerful enough to make opponents despair.
If he encountered her in battle, he would need to be extremely careful.
Especially here in the Land of Waves, where water was abundant.
The combat capabilities of a future powerhouse like Mei could become even more troublesome.
However, just as Guy was organizing information regarding Terumi Mei and reminding himself to remain vigilant, a detail he had overlooked suddenly flashed through his mind like a bolt of lightning.
"Wait..."
Guy's thoughts abruptly shifted away from Mei.
Back to the first person.
Ao.
His pupils suddenly contracted.
"If that really is Ao..."
A strange expression appeared on Guy's face.
"Then why isn't he wearing an eyepatch?"
In his memories, Ao's most recognizable feature wasn't his Water Release.
Nor was it his sensory ability.
It was the Byakugan implanted in his right eye.
An eye obtained from a Hyuga shinobi during the Third Shinobi World War.
Yet the Ao he had just seen possessed both eyes intact.
There was no eyepatch.
No transplanted Byakugan.
Which could only mean one thing.
At this point in time...
Ao had not yet obtained the Byakugan.
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