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My God turns my darkness into light.
Psalm 18:28
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"Since this is urgent, I really don't have a choice. I command that none of you reveal what you've seen."
To the eyes of his allies, Saruto was perceived as a man of astuteness and rational thinking. Naturally, these were traits befitting a leader, and Genma had quickly come to the realisation of why Lord Third had nominated this random nobody to be a leader.
With that said, as refined as this nobody may seem, he was a man of mystery. He held secrets that they knew nothing about. Furthermore, he had never heard of an Uzumaki other than Kushina, so he was left baffled by the presence of another redhead claiming to belong to the very same lineage.
Genma only knew Kushina through Lord Fourth, and at the time, he was elected as a member of the guard platoon of the esteemed Hokage.
But that didn't matter. He was curious as to this man's identity. Why was he hidden? Where was such a capable shinobi this entire time? But he made a mental conjecture that the adept ninja was dispatched abroad on a secret mission, hence, had not been in Konoha for a long time. That would explain why he's never seen him.
That was the train of thought Genma had concluded on, until a morph took place, and his eyes peeled agape in dismay. His cocktail stick dropped to the ground, falling with an inaudible thud.
Saruto's back reflected before his eyes, but what caught him off guard was the cascading length of blood that was attached to his scalp decolourised into a bright yellow.
There was only 2 men he knew who had bright yellow hair...
Well, 3, if we're including Naruto.
One was the deceased Namikaze Minato, and the other was the forgotten brother, the Golden Bolt!
...
From the start of his journey, a feeling of familiarity dawned on Shisui when he was met with the man's placidity.
His calmness resembled another man he knew, and if not for the red hair, he would've made that judgement. The way they spoke, their mannerism, it was familiar. Only those close to him could pick up those little tidbits of mannerisms.
It was miniscule.
Through the journey, Shisui would often spare glimpses of the man; the uncanny resemblance just weirded him out.
This red-haired man closely resembled the only other man he cherished dearly.
Not in any way of affection of course, because he's not gay. Rather, it was a sense of reverence.
After all, to be a mentor of the notorious Shisui, then the mentor must be some well-known bigshot.
The transformation that unfolded before his very eyes confirmed everything. The cascade of blood was replaced by a bright yellow, starting from the scalp, before making its way down.
In an inaudible whisper, he muttered, "Sensei."
...
Aoba only ever harboured respect for the fourth Hokage. As such, he was aware of his brother, who showed equally as frightening potential that earned him the name of the Golden Bolt.
Initially, he perceived the man in front of him, who had long yellow hair, to be Lord Fourth, but that man was long dead.
Aoba subconsciously whispered in a tone of shock and reverence, "Lord... Fourth!"
The broad back of the man in front of him mirrored the reassurance he encountered him during the Kyuubi attack, and a tailed beast bomb came rushing in his direction, but Lord Fourth stood unperturbed in the face of peril, and that bomb just...
Vanished!
The image of Lord Fourth's back, his coat billowing to the vicious winds caused by the Kyuubi's swinging tails, and the steadfast resolve he showed...
He saw all of that in the stranger in front of him.
With that image etched into his head, he subconsciously murmured, "Lord Fourth."
"Sigh!" The formerly red-haired man sighed at Aoba's utterance, causing his shoulders to droop.
"Even after death, you're still globally recognised nii-san." He whispered, and his lips curled in delight.
Aoba heard his remark, and before he could voice, Kaede intercepted, "Are you sure you can deal with all of it?"
Hayato slowly removed his backpack, and remarked, "In a flash."
The backpack fell to the ground, ever so slowly.
...
*WHOOSH*
Hayato vanished from sight, somersaulting from tree to tree, and scouring the vast expanse.
He mentally chanted, 'Chakura Shōkyo no Maku!'
[Veil Of Chakra Erasure]
A technique shrouded in mystery, accessible only to him. He first unlocked it during his dispute against Moryo in Iwagakure, and since then, had improved exponentially, and is now much more efficient with the technique.
His control has also improved, enabling him to keep the seal on his wrist that allows him to change his appearance. Back then, due to his lack on control, not only would seals implanted in his own body vanish, but it may affect the seals he may have placed across the globe.
The more of the technique Hayato wishes to propagate, the wider the output.
It's a powerful technique, but it has its restraints even on the user. Only through perfectly utilised control can it truly be harnessed.
And so, Hayato scoured the landscape, and to the eyes of his allies, he was a blur. It was a speed only Shisui was accustomed to, and before everyone knew it, he travelled at a speed that formed multiple golden threads, like afterimages.
Only Shisui knew the nature behind the deployed technique, and he mentally noted in less than a second, 'The Zanso Bunshin.'
However, it wasn't as good as Shisui's technique, as Shisui would incorporate his genjutsu prowess into his afterimages, making it much more difficult to distinguish.
*THUD*
The yellow-haired man landed gracefully in front of his allies.
*THUD*
The backpack had finally reached the ground.
Genma and Aoba remained utterly shocked, while Shisui smiled, and raised his hand, "Sensei."
Hayato smiled back, and returned with, "It's been a while Shisui."
"You're... the Golden Bolt aren't you?" Aoba intervened, his pitch-black glasses covering his widened eyes.
He came to this deduction upon hearing Hayato mumble to himself, and addressing the fourth Hokage as nii-san.
The Golden Bolt at the time was also widely known, but his name had slowly withered after the Fourth Hokage's death, and the populace had deemed the notorious figure as a dead man.
Little did they know that he had been operating from the shadows to dispel anything that remotely projected malice toward Konoha.
"Yes, I am," Hayato admitted.
"It's an honour," Genma interjected.
"Genma-san, it's been long, hasn't it?" Hayato quipped.
"Really long. We all thought you were dead," Genma replied.
"I see," Hayato seemed to understand, before raising his left sleeve in which there revealed incomprehensible seals. He added, "I have my reasons, so I ask that none of you speak of my presence."
As he inserted his right index finger into the seal, his appearance changed to the former; crimson hair, crimson eyes, and perhaps even a little more fairness in skin tone.
The rest saluted, promising not to speak a word of his presence.
Feeling rather drowsy from the overbearing seriousness, Hayato forced a smile to alleviate the mood, and spoke, "There's no need to worry guys. Just address me as Saruto.
Hayato turned to the front, and reproached, "We have no time to waste. Kaede, lead the way. We need to get going, now!"
"Hai," Kaede affirmed, before taking the lead, with everyone else following in tow.
...
At this point, the mist had reduced alarmingly. 5 minutes had elapsed, and the absence of a rekindling indicated that the genjutsu tags around the terrain had been swiftly dealt with.
Nobody but Hayato and Kaede knew of the technique deployed, but nobody dared to question it. If Hayato wasn't the first to broach the topic, then they shouldn't ponder on it.
Whatever the reason, thankfully the genjutsu had been dealt with, and the region became a lot more discernible.
Soon enough, everyone came to a halt and simultaneously descended the tree. They were ushered into an open expanse, and presented before their eyes was a cave.
Most notable around the region were the signs of conflict, testified by several pieces of debris that were scattered and mini fissures in the ground that seemed to be caused by paper bombs. A lot more shurikens were scattered around the terrain, but there were no signs of dead bodies, and no stench of blood.
"That's odd. There was no mention of a clean-up from the squads..." Genma inquired.
Aoba propped his chin with his finger, and addressed in a tone of dread; "Unless... Their bodies were stolen!"
As an expert, Kaede didn't need to be issued a command on her next course of action. Taking a knee, she caressed the crevices in the ground, and her crimson eyes squinted. She planted her palm on the earth and closed her eyes, seemingly in deep cogitation.
The world around her immediately lost its lustre, engulfed by darkness. Weirdly enough, her surroundings became vivid. A minimal amount of chakra infused into the earth, and with her heightened control, they efficiently gushed and branched through the earth, encompassing an entire kilometre range.
With this encampment, even a small ant which seemed to be lodging its fangs into a dead squirrel could be noted. She could even take note of the life forms like centipedes and worms slithering through the earth, but they were hindrances right now.
She excluded the unnecessary noise and continued her examination as the chakra she imbued flowed like invisible ripples through the earth. Her assessment is a noteworthy achievement, as this is something even experts will find themselves struggling with.
Only those with a high proficiency for sensory ability could pull off the stunt she did.
She continued to analyse the terrain, mapping it in her head, until eventually, her analysis was complete.
She remarked, "Yeah, this is the place. The reports were accurate about the structural layout, and it seems nothing has been tampered with."
"Alright then," she whispered, before extracting a kunai from her pouch and scribbling on the ground, and gracefully drew a map of the internal structure.
The structure was composed of 3 floors, and Kaede deliberated;
"First of all, there's a lot of divisions. It's divided into a lot of partitions, but the most important note is that the cave is composed of 3 floors."
Everyone surrounded her, while she stated her thesis.
Directing the kunai to the first layer, she continued, "From my analysis, the top floor is used for surveillance and monitoring. It offers a plausible vantage point with an unobstructed view of the mountain paths and valleys below."
Directing her kunai to the middle segment, she continued, "This seems to house the inhabitants. It pretty much served as the living quarters with minimal, and necessary furnishings, and that's about it. I also noticed something else, which may be some sort of armoury, which I believe is worth looking into."
Genma muttered, "I see. So the search squad that was assigned didn't even tamper with the evidence."
"Correct," Kaede acknowledged.
Finally, directing her kunai to the final and last segment, she continued, "And now this floor is the most mysterious. Even channelling chakra, I can't actually discern what resides there, and most importantly..."
Kaede stuck the kunai into the earth, and asserted, "It's right below us. If there's anything I managed to extract, it's that it's quite spacious compared to the other 2 floors. Also, the fact that my detection is being obstructed..."
She paused, and as expected, everyone seemed to align with her thought process...
"There's something down there that obstructs visual infiltration." Shisui completed the sentence.
"Most likely relating to Fuinjutsu," Kaede added.
Saruto, bearing a contemplative visage, muttered inaudibly, "What's with all these Fuinjutsu tags? To think there was an expert of Fuinjutsu in their midst..."
"It's not affirmative," Kaede clarified.
Turning to Kaede, Saruto said, "But I'm sure that is most likely the case, and with that in mind... this guy might be as good as you."
Kaede nodded, "Yeah, maybe even better. He could be on Kushina Nee-san's level."
Hayato frowned, "You know, that's quite unsettling."
"Well, with you around, getting through it should be a breeze." Kaede objected.
"You're right. Since I'm around, I can easily eliminate the threat," Hayato conceded. He mentally rebutted, 'I can use the Veil Of Chakra Erasure which is reassuring, but still... Without it, infiltration would prove to be a daunting task.'
With his focus on the rest of the members, he instructed, "Alright then, we'll split into 2 teams. I'll investigate the bottom floor with Kaede, and you 3 check on the other 2. Try to uncover as much as you can..."
Checking his wristwatch, he finalised, "We'll meet again in one hour."
Saruto nodded indiscernibly, and inferred, "Me and Kaede will explore the underground structure..."
He turned to Genma, and professed, "I want the three of you to explore the other two floors. Genma-san, I want you to monitor them, and deal with how you see fit."
"Hai," Genma saluted.
Hayato proclaimed in a tone of finality, "Tread with caution."
And so, everyone briskly dashed toward their respective locations.