Naruto: Of bone and ice

A year has passed since I met a member of the Hyuga clan. Our mission was a success, but with heavy losses. The higher-ups didn't care because we were able to obtain the Byakugan. It was a huge achievement that did not go unnoticed by the Hidden Leaf Village.

Last year, I participated in three more major battles and completed a total of 38 missions. 0 D-rank, 15 C-rank, 13 B-rank, and 10 A-rank. I survived them all, and became a member of the elite tracking unit. This unit was equivalent to the Anbu Root unit, and I was currently its youngest member at the age of 10, making quite a name for myself.

The rumors of the 3rd Mizukage's death were just that, rumors. He survived, but suffered life-changing injuries. There were rumors about who would be the next Mizukage, but nothing was put into place, the third was very secretive and no one saw him, he was like a true shadow.

We were still fighting, and no village seemed to be giving in any time soon. Intelligence showed that Hidden Stone was gathering a massive invasion force to march on the Land of Fire, Hidden Grass was still under their control.

There were rumors that we were planning to use our secret weapon, but it was not confirmed and I had not been told anything yet.

Up until now, the mist had suffered great losses in the war, and after each battle, there were more of us. With my new title, I was allowed to return to my mother Kachina in Yuki Village, many of the clan members had died in the war, there were only a few left now. It wasn't like I had a strong connection to them or anything, but it was very noticeable. If I remember correctly, soon after this war, there would be a small civil war in the land of water, which would kill many clans and Kekki Genkai users.

The next few weeks were the most peaceful days in a long time. All our troops were ordered home and awaiting further orders. Something seemed wrong, but no one knew exactly what.

I was currently living in the quarters that were provided to all the elite ninja in the center of the Hidden Mist. The only missions that weren't postponed were the ones to hunt down rogue ninja. Of course, spies and information units were still sent out as well, but otherwise the village was closed.

Shortly after, news came that Konoha's Yellow Flash, who I knew as the 4th Hokage, had destroyed the Kannabi Bridge and wiped out 1,000 Hidden Stone ninja. It turns out that the Kannabi Bridge was key to the Hidden Stone troops' supply line, now that it was destroyed and 1,000 men wiped out by one man, there were rumors that the Hokage and Tsuchikage would sign a peace treaty. I was pretty sure that where we were in the current timeline, Kakashi had gotten his Sharingan and Obito was presumed dead.

Within an hour of hearing the news, my unit was summoned to the council chamber to be briefed on a top secret mission. There were over a hundred of us, and I had a bad feeling about this. The Mizukage himself was present behind his dark cloak, blocking all visibility, and his personal guards were with him as always.

The room was silent, everyone was wondering why we were called. Everyone in the room was at Jonin level, and everyone could tell that something big was about to happen.

The silence was broken when the Mizukage himself spoke. "You're probably wondering why I've gathered you all here, I'm sure you heard. The Hidden Leaf and the Hidden Stone are making a peace agreement. This is the perfect time to strike at the Leaf. We'll use the full might of our arsenal and unleash the tailed beast on them!" The room was silent, it helped that everyone here was a professional and knew not to react in any way. We were trained as soldiers, to follow orders and not ask questions.

The plan was laid out, we were to kidnap a girl from the Hidden Leaf Village, then our team was to seal the Three-Tailed Beast within her, allowing her to escape back to the Hidden Leaf, where the beast would be released and cause massive damage, striking at the very heart of the Hidden Leaf.

We had little time to prepare, and we were leaving that night. Things were starting to fall into place, if I remember correctly, Kakashi would kill that girl, E, Rin, and then Obito would kill everyone there. This was not looking good at all for me. My strength and skill had come a long way, but I didn't know yet if I was ready to fight Obito with his Mangekyou Sharingan.

I had to come up with a plan to survive, I went through a lot and survived all the hardships. If it weren't for my Kekki Genkai, I would have died many times. It was truly a gift that I received in this new life. Along with my Shikotsumyaku abilities, I also had an ice release that combined water and wind release. This put me well above the average ninja.

The combination of jutsu that I could now string together was extremely powerful. Some called me a prodigy, others feared me for my abilities, of course my intelligence had been tested and was far above average. But that was what I expected, after all I retained the knowledge of my former life and world, 25 years of knowledge and training along with the 10 years I had spent in this world so far. To them I was 10 years old, but mentally I was 35. Now that I had become a member of the Anbu I had no need to keep my abilities or intelligence a secret, because in the Blood Mist the only way to gain respect was through strength.

The key to my rapid promotion within the Blood Mist ranks was the war. With so many warriors lost, the need for strong shinobi was skyrocketing. Along with my abilities and proven combat record, I had passed many tests. Unlike the leaf, the Blood Mist did not think twice about using children as weapons. This led to officials and superiors recognizing my abilities and having no choice but to promote me, allowing me to take on more difficult missions. It was unheard of for someone my age to have such skill, and I think it scared a lot of people.

The time for the mission had come before I knew it, I had donned my Anbu uniform and placed the ranger mask on my face. I was given two swords which I had on my back, but I didn't need them. Our unit was divided into four sections of 25 people each. Each section had its own leader and its own mission. My mission was to kidnap the target and bring them to the sealing site.

It all seemed easy, it was all planned out, her location was tied to a T along with other information, it just seemed easy and I was pretty sure I knew why. I was sure it was all Madara Uchiha's doing.

My suspicions grew stronger when we captured the target without resistance. We quickly completed our mission of delivering her to the sealing masters' section, who had already prepared to seal the three-tails inside her. We were ordered to stand guard and no one was allowed to interfere with the sealing ritual. My section stood outside, another inside, and the last one at the border. A few hours later, the sealing was successful, and we were informed of the plan to allow her to be rescued and to chase after them, only pretending to pursue them to ensure the package was delivered to the hidden leaf.

Things went as expected, Kakashi showed up and saved Rin, we chased through the forest once we were inside the land of fire. This is where things could have gone horribly wrong, I knew for sure that things would not go well from here.

The entire squad arrived at a clearing on rocky terrain overlooking the ocean, it was raining, making the mood even worse. I watched from behind my mask as Kakashi pierced Rin with his lightning blade. She had ultimately decided to commit suicide, knowing what we were planning to do to release the three-tailed beast onto the Hidden Leaf. This was my chance, it had to be now, while everyone's attention was focused on Kakashi and Rin. With one hand behind my back, I created an ice mirror that was connected to another high in the air, its reflection hidden by the radiant glow of the full moon.

As I slipped into the ice mirror, leaving the ice clone in my place, I heard a scream. It was Obito, as I suspected, he had seen Kakashi kill Rin and it had driven him into a wild frenzy.