"Whoever brings Akari Sarutobi down will receive an immediate five million ryo bounty and, if you capture her alive, you will be promoted to my personal guard," Yagura said, pointing his hand casually at me.
I smirked and crossed my arms as my clones activated their Sage Mode. Multiple ninjas prepared jutsus while others threw shuriken and kunai. With a single hand sign, Wind created a wind barrier that turned into a cyclone around us with the infusion of Sage energy and blocked the thrown weapons.
Tempest was the first to move and jumped straight towards the largest group as she activated her Ion Shear Field jutsu, which was dangerous to friend and foe alike. The fusion of Wind and Lightning created ionized air that was nearly impossible to control with precision, so it was not something I could practice casually. Still, its power was perfect for dealing with a crowd of people, and it was my first time using it against real opponents.
She was still in the air when she completed the hand signs, and a haze surrounded her body in a ten-meter radius. Those unlucky enough to already be within the range of the attack immediately felt the effects, and the first visible effect was how their hair began to rise, sticking out straight. By the time that she landed, the few chunin in the group were violently twitching while the jonin had the occasional muscle spasm, but the true danger of the technique came from prolonged exposure as the electrical damage would compound, attacking their nervous system and chakra pathways.
Only my clones with Lightning affinity could safely enter the zone around her, so Lightning and Laser followed right behind Tempest. With Sage Mode activated, Lightning's electricity had turned a vibrant purple color, but she was not launching long-range attacks, conserving her Sage energy, as she focused on nin-taijutsu. Laser's attacks had also changed color with Sage Mode, turning a green color, and she focused on ranged attacks since using the element at close range required something to act as a medium.
Tempest had to make room, but that did not mean my other clones simply stood around. Water used the Great Waterfall jutsu to dump a flood of water onto the road in the opposite direction of Tempest's group. Before Water's attack made contact or the Mist ninjas could turn the water back on us, Wind released a giant Vacuum Great Sphere jutsu, which struck the wave and aerosolized a lot of it. That was when Ice stepped forward and turned that heavy mist into hundreds of senbon needles, which rained down on the Mist ninjas.
The Yuki clan members took it upon themselves to create ice walls, blocking a lot of the needles, but there were still some unlucky enough to get hit. Other shinobi prepared jutsu and threw weapons at me and my clones. Yagura, though, only watched from the top of the Mizukage's Tower, holding his trademark staff in his hands.
Earth leapt off the roof after Ice's attack, flashing through a few hand signs, before she landed on the ground and slammed her hands down. Since she had positioned her back to Tempest's group, the wave of earth rippled away from them, across a hundred meters, damaging over a dozen buildings and throwing many ninjas backwards. Fire released a volley of blue fireballs at unlucky individuals who had been thrown in the air while Boil fired a super-heated stream of corrosive water down an intact road where some of the Mist had retreated to; both left many screaming in pain as the attacks landed.
Yagura's eyes narrowed, glancing at the damage Earth caused, but the area around the square had been evacuated long before I arrived in their Village, so I did not feel too bad. Damaging their infrastructure and killing some of their jonin and chunin was well within my purview, especially after their last attack on the front. Simply showing off would not be enough for the Mist to make peace as they were too well known for slinking back to their island without a proper treaty, avoiding concessions and any consequences when they decided to raid a merchant ship. Even if Yagura wanted to end the war, he would not be able to negotiate unless I demonstrated exactly how dangerous I could be.
My clones had taken down nearly twenty in their initial moves, but the Mist were not complete fools. The haze from Tempest's technique made the range obvious, so they realized that they just needed to stay out of the zone. They tried to bombard her with long-range jutsu, but Laser disrupted those attacks while Lightning rushed those who were close by at high speed, delivering lightning-infused punches and kicks. The few Kaguya ninjas were the only ones crazy enough to charge towards the trio, but their bone techniques seemed to provide more insulation than the average person, allowing them to last longer within Tempest's field.
Over fifteen jonin belonging to the Yuki and Hozuki clan had joined together and were holding back Ice's Sage Mode group. Earth, Fire, and Boil were targeting the stragglers, though those who could began clustering to resist their individual attacks, which made them perfect targets for Tempest's group. They were supporting each other and tearing through the Mist forces, but they were quickly running out of Sage energy, so I knew that I could not let them drag this out.
I glanced around the land surrounding the Hidden Village and spotted a mountain that could work for my last demonstration. "Yagura... is that mountain empty?" I asked, summoning Space and Explosion.
"Do you think Kirigakure is a place that you can move around freely?" he said coldly.
"Only while we're enemies, but, as I said before, I'm looking to end this war," I retorted with a smirk as Space teleported Explosion away towards the mountain. "I'll see you again soon."
I waited until Space dismissed herself, so that I knew Explosion was in place, then dismissed my clones that were fighting. Explosion erupted atop the mountain with enough force that the flash seemed to illuminate the entire horizon. A mushroom cloud of smoke, dust, and debris shot into the air as the top of the mountain was blown off in a single move. Before the shockwave reached the Village, I raised two fingers in a peace sign as Chrono placed a hand on my shoulder and teleported us away.
Since Chrono had not used her Sage energy, she was able to easily carry me back to the boat with only two jumps. The moment we appeared on the boat, everyone drew their weapons, ready to attack before they realized it was me. I dismissed Chrono as Fugaku, Inoichi, Shisui, and Kurenai approached me. They were all looking me over for injuries, but I just chuckled and tucked my mask away into one of my pouches.
"My clones did the real work while I just stood around and looked threatening; it helps with the intimidation factor," I joked.
Before they could ask any questions, the sound of the explosion reached us, though it was just an echo of what the Mist had likely heard. Renji was already staring towards the broken mountain while the sound drew everyone else's attention. Even I glanced over my shoulder and smirked as I saw the full mushroom cloud start to disperse slowly.
"That isn't..." Inoichi started to say.
"The Mist Village? Nah, I sent a pair of clones to a deserted mountain nearby," I finished for him.
"How many explosive tags did you use?" Shisui asked, still staring out in the distance.
"None... I overclocked one of my clones as it used Explosion Release."
"Explosion Release? When did you develop Explosion Release?" he asked, shocked, as he turned back to face me.
I shrugged and replied, "About a year or so ago, along with my others dual elements. That's why I always spend my time training."
"Other dual elements?" Inoichi questioned, also looking back at me along with the others.
"Let's just say that my Lava Release wasn't a fluke," I chuckled. "The Mist got a taste of my Ice, Boil, Laser, and Tempest Releases, and I learned that I need to work more on the synergy between my clones."
"What?!?" Inoichi exclaimed.
"Good to know that Shikaku really does keep secrets."
"You have developed six Kekkei Genkai?" he confirmed.
"At least," I retorted with a smirk.
"How is that possible?" Renji could not help but ask.
I shrugged. "Those Kekkei Genkai are ultimately a fusion of two elements, so anyone should be capable of recreating them, or maybe it's something unique to me... but how about we save the questions for when we aren't anchored off the Mist's coast right after I attacked their Village?"
"Sorry, Commander," Shinpei said, then rushed over to the anchor and began to pull it up.
Fugaku nodded his head then walked away to his usual position as Renji turned and faced his own side.
"Forgive my surprise," Inoichi remarked with a slight bow of his head.
"I would be more offended if you weren't surprised. Shikaku only knows because he's right above my training ground for the last year and he's too damn smart."
Inoichi chuckled. "That he is. I'll leave you to rest and recover.
He walked to the front of the boat while I headed to the back with Shisui and Kurenai following behind me. I sat down on one of the cushions and leaned back against the side of the boat. They sat down on either side of me, and both were looking curious, though I could see a hint of concern in Kurenai's expression.
"Go ahead and ask, Shisui," I chuckled as I pulled a water bottle out of my jacket pocket and took a drink.
"Have you been teaching me all five elements so that I could learn your Kekkei Genkai?" he asked, barely containing his excitement.
"That's a hope of mine since you are a better test subject than Asuma, but that doesn't mean you'll be successful and that wouldn't be your fault if you couldn't. The Senju clan is a perfect example. Tsunade and Nawaki are the grandchildren of the First Hokage, and they even have Earth and Water affinities, yet neither of them can use Wood Release. I'm still not completely sure how I have been able to develop my Kekkei Genkai, so you are my guinea pig to see if it's something I can teach," I answered with a smirk.
"I don't like it when you call me that, Sensei," Shisui complained.
"How about 'highly valued experimental Uchiha'?" I retorted with a chuckle.
He gave me a deadpan stare while Kurenai chuckled softly.
"Do you have any real complaints about my training?"
"No, Sensei," he replied quickly.
"Then enough with the face," I ordered, poking him in the forehead with two fingers.
He rubbed his forehead with an annoyed expression, but it did not last long, and he asked, "Which one are you going to teach me first?"
I smirked, "It will depend on which of your secondary element you favor, but even your Water Release still needs some work before you're ready to start learning. Using a weak fireball jutsu and a water gun jutsu uses less chakra than a simple Boil Release jutsu, so you'll need better mastery and larger chakra reserves."
"I'll work harder, Sensei," he said with a serious expression.
"You're still ten, kiddo; you just need more time to grow."
"Are you really okay, Akari?" Kurenai asked after a few moments.
"Yes," I replied, smiling softly. "I didn't do any direct fighting since the coup was wrapping up. I just let my clones cause havoc and left after I made my point."
"Do you think it will work?" she questioned, and Shisui also looked at me expectantly.
"Perhaps, but the Mist Village is the most chaotic of the Great Villages and possibly more unstable than most of the smaller Hidden Villages. Yagura has claimed control of the Mizukage position for now, but even if he wanted peace, it will be difficult for him to convince the other clans to accept negotiations. That's why we are continuing to circle the island. I'll attack the Mist Village a few more times, subtly, and destroy their supplies in ways that ensure they know it was me. My Kekkei Genkai are memorable, but the Flying Thunder God technique is far more dangerous. Shikaku and I hope that a few of these random attacks will make them understand that they can't slink away from this war and will force them to the negotiating table."
"Are you going alone again?" Shisui asked before she could.
"Yes, but that doesn't mean you'll be off the hook. The Mist will be on high alert and will tighten their defenses with each of my attacks. Eventually, finding our boat will become a question of 'when', not 'if'," I replied.
He nodded seriously and, when I felt that neither had any more pressing questions, I pulled out a scroll and brush. It would be difficult to send a message back to the main camp across the sea with my FTG network, but I still had Hana and Saru, who could carry reports directly back to Konoha.
"Coup active when we reached the Mist Village. Third Mizukage was killed by Yagura, who claimed the position. I was discovered during my infiltration, so I demonstrated Ice, Boil, Tempest, and Laser Release directly against their forces, followed by a large-scale attack with my Explosion Release on a deserted mountaintop. Team is uninjured, and we will be conducting raids to destroy military targets over the next two days as our second objective," I wrote then summoned Hana.
The silver-furred monkey appeared in a poof of smoke and looked up at me with a smile on her face before asking, "Do you have a letter for me to deliver, Akari-sama?"
"Yes; thank you, Hana. I'm not expecting a reply," I replied, handing her the scroll.
"I will deliver this right away," she said as she tucked it into her green scarf with a determined nod, then smiled at the other two around me before disappearing with a poof of smoke.
There was not much for me to do for now, so I rested while I could. I summoned my clones later in the afternoon so that they could recover their chakra and rebuild their Sage energy, which took nearly an hour without being inside Shikkotsu Forest. Things were quiet aboard the ship, but the tension was unmistakable. We were in dangerous waters, and everyone was prepared for the moment the Mist came looking for us.