Reborn in the Mist

“At your service, Mizukage-sama.”

Ao wasn’t at all surprised to find me as Yondaime or maybe he was and is good at hiding it. “Good to have you, Ao, I have a lot in mind for you.” He looked up from where he knelt as I patted his shoulder, a glint of worry, hope and a healthy amount of fear flashed in his eyes.

I smiled, “For now let’s just visit our prisoner.”

Owl mask who’d been waiting for us at the end of a narrow, wet and dark corridor shifted her weight as she saw us coming. My eyes wandered about the place, long, thin and thick wires sprawled across the ceiling and cut under the walls, apparently it’s a security feature as well as a source of power.

Should any prisoner somehow manage to escape their cell, lethal volts of electricity will flood in through their body, it’s even been tested against particularly stubborn Hozuki and Lord Funato boasts it can paralyze and kill some if necessary.

Needless to say, there’s no getting out for any of Kiri’s shinobi prisoners.

The large door opened after two of Owl mask’s out of sequence knocks, unlocking the latches alone took a moment and the grunts and curses of the man beyond could be heard until the last bolt is set aside and the door swings open.

Greeting us on the other side is a tall, demon masked man wearing a heavily bloodstained leather apron and clinging onto a pliers with his armpit. I felt his eyes land on me and widen behind his mask, “Lord Mizukage! I wasn’t expecting you so soon.”

Owl mask pushed past him, letting Ao and I follow after into the square room. One side of the room was complete with a menagerie of tools, weapons, breathing masks for poisons and buckets of filthy and clean water.

On the other side were three Kaguya men, stripped naked and chained to the wall directly or strapped onto a metal slab of a bed. All had wounds pouring blood and two were missing most of their toes and fingers.

It was clear what was happening here and standing as my Jason persona I had trouble stomaching the stench of piss, shit and bile. The smart thing would be to tap into Yagura’s brutality, this is nothing to him, nothing he hasn’t done or couldn’t stand but I held back and bit my tongue and tried not to hold my breath.

The entire reason I came here was to prove Jason was needed just as much as I needed Yagura. I wanted to be needed even if I’m the only person I needed to prove it to. My mental health is too complicated.

“I hope none of them are dead yet.” I said, glancing around the rest of the room. Like outside the floor was soaked with water but the wires were better placed here so I figured the water was simply a product of the demon mask interrogator, “Actually, who are you?”

The man bristled at my cold response but provided an answer instantly, “No, I have followed your strict orders to keep them alive until Ao-san’s arrival. I am Eiko, Lord Funato picked me from the Intel and Comm’s division for this task.”

I nodded as he muttered off his qualifications and rank while I stepped closer to the poor fiends that attacked my village. Their disfigured features went beyond missing toes and fingers, one had his entire set of teeth clipped out and scattered on a tray beside the metal slab and another laid with his back out, literally missing his spine.

I frowned as I glanced at the one I caught personally. His arms were chained to the wall behind him such that his body leaned forward constantly. His head hung, a slop of hair messed up beyond recognition and a pool of vomit not far from him.

While tired and exhausted from whatever Eiko was putting him through, I couldn’t miss the fact that unlike his fellow Kaguya none his fingers, teeth or spine was missing.

“This one is different.” I stated the obvious and hearing my voice close to him the imprisoned Kaguya raised his head, revealing bloodshot eyes, a cracked nose and a part of his skin shaved off entirely to show off his bleached white skull.

“Yes, he is. I heard you personally caught this one, Lord Mizukage, given what I’ve found out about his…quirks, I’m not surprised it took you to do so.”

I shrugged, “Owl mask here weakened him. Now what makes him so different?” I squatted in front of the man, watching his weak grin grow as he glared at me.

Of course, I already knew what made him different, there’s no way I wouldn’t recognize the [Shikotsumyaku] that nearly killed Gaara and Rock Lee, not after facing a version of it myself. This was what Jason was here for.

Eiko began rambling on about the levels of the Kaguya’s bone manipulation ability, highlighting even their survival without a spine as a feat he’s yet to fully understand, hence his finger and toe snipping experiments.

I beckoned on Ao as I stared at my prisoner, he leaned beside my squatting form ready to receive orders, “How’s that Byakugan of yours?”

Again, Ao didn’t seem surprised that I’d asked, “It is well, sir, the transplant was successful even on the battlefield and all inflamed reactions from use have ceased.”

I nodded and stood at my full height, “Byakugan has the ability to see through genjutsu, even that cast by the Sharingan.”

“Yes, though I am not sure how versed I-”

“However it needs to happen, you will do it. In fact, do it now, check everyone in this room for effects of genjutsu.”

I sensed Owl mask shift in silence behind us but say nothing, clearly not comfortable with the use of the Dojutsu in her presence but steadily outranked. Ao doesn’t waste another second, chakra floods his eye as he activates the Byakugan.

Veins bulge as chakra floods through them to supply the legendary eye. He passes his gaze over each and every one of us until he releases the technique with a huff.

“There is no one under genjutsu here, Lord Mizukage.”

I folded my arms and sighed, “Worrying…Eiko, I want a detailed report on your findings here and not just about their ability, I want names, places, answers to pressing security matters. If it’s too sensitive for a written report, come yourself.”

Sick of the place I marched out with Ao and Owl mask following after me, “Ao, from now on, until I say so, you’re never to leave my side.”

This catches him off guard at least, “Yes sir, of course, it would be an honour.”

Again I sighed, I just hoped Obito wouldn’t kill him right off the bat.