Whether it was the "I'm from Konoha, here to deliver a lunchbox" trope... Or the "Raiden Mei does not strike nameless nobodies" rule.
Jūzō Biwa had officially bitten the dust.
In combat, results are everything. If they fought a second time, Hagoromo couldn't guarantee it would go quite so smoothly. But the truth was, once an enemy falls within the paralyzing range of Chidori Nagashi, their fate is essentially sealed. Compared to a year ago, the effectiveness of his technique had undoubtedly grown stronger.
If there was a turning point in this battle, it was that Jūzō should not have pursued the "failing" Kakashi. He should have focused his primary attention on Hagoromo. If Jūzō had been a Sand ninja, he probably wouldn't have been so relaxed; unfortunately for him, the fame of the White Yaksha hadn't spread quite as far in the Mist.
Besides, being attacked from both front and back is something most ninja truly cannot handle. What was the Sand's strategy against the Uchiha? Wasn't it a two-on-one wrap-around?
As for the fallen Jūzō, what were his final thoughts?
"I can't believe I'm dying at the hands of twins like these..."
Well, can you blame him? They looked like twins! Both had white hair, both used Lightning Style, and both were masked. The only question left: who was the older brother and who was the younger? Even though he was dead, if he knew the truth, he'd be crying.
Damn it, such coordination—these two must have telepathy! This isn't fair!
It was a good thing he was dead; if Hagoromo knew what he was thinking, he would have found a way to kill him a second time.
Hagoromo handed the Executioner's Blade to Kakashi and began searching the body. He felt a bit uneasy—if the guy really had the Byakugan on him, would that "Swiss cheese" style iron sand attack have accidentally skewered the eyeball? Would the Hyuga Clan make him pay for it?
The priority was ensuring the Byakugan didn't fall into non-Hyuga hands. Whether it was brought back to Konoha or destroyed on the spot made little difference. They weren't like certain "relatives" of theirs who liked to obsessively collect eyes in a creepy fashion.
Setting aside the usual ninja gear, Hagoromo actually found something! A transparent glass container filled with a green liquid, and floating inside was a white object.
Was the mission really this easy? Hagoromo examined it closely for a moment, then clicked his tongue and tossed it to Kakashi.
Of course, it wasn't that simple.
"Byakugan?" Kakashi asked, not bothering to inspect it himself.
Hagoromo replied, "Byakugan? Keep it and play ping-pong with it."
It was a fake—so obvious that even Hagoromo could tell. It was a small wooden ball painted white. You couldn't even call it a disguise; it was pure malice. If they didn't want to play ping-pong, they could always string it onto a prayer bead bracelet.
The enemy carried very little else, and the intelligence gleaned was... approximately zero.
Leaving Jūzō's corpse behind, the two continued toward the Land of Whirlpools. Hagoromo didn't care about the dead enemy, and Kakashi cared even less. It was a shame—even though they had cleanly taken down a Jonin, their mission had to continue. The objective was the Byakugan; until they had it, everything else was technically a side-show in the world of result-oriented ninja missions. Even if they had killed the Third Mizukage, without the eye, the mission would remain incomplete.
According to Konoha's estimates, to get the Byakugan off the island, the Mist ninja would likely split up to break the encirclement. This would scatter Konoha's focus, as everyone except the actual eye-carrier was essentially a decoy.
Moving as a group would increase their combat power for a breakthrough, but it was risky; once spotted by Konoha's surveillance, they would be surrounded. In simple terms, the Mist would try to avoid being "wiped out in one go."
Judging by the fact that Hagoromo and Kakashi had only encountered Jūzō, Konoha's reasoning seemed correct. Even one of the Seven Swordsmen was just a decoy—hence the ping-pong ball.
Jūzō was clearly one of the faster movers. He had already left the island and reached the outer sea. A bit further, and he would have hit the outermost layer of Konoha's blockade. For a ninja of his caliber, unless he ran straight into a cluster of Hyuga, he might have actually broken through. Once outside, he could have caused enough chaos to disrupt Konoha's entire deployment, potentially leading to a total Mist evacuation.
The plan was perfect, but reality was harsh. Unfortunately, he tripped over the "twins."
Afterward, Hagoromo and Kakashi continued searching their assigned sector, but they didn't find any more enemies for the time being.
"The first phase of the mission is essentially complete. No more enemies on the water. Next, we need to head inland—to the ruins of the old Land of Whirlpools."
At the shoreline, Hagoromo crouched down, using a small stick to draw a rough diagram in the sand. Each squad was responsible for a fan-shaped sector; wide at the outer sea and narrowing as they moved inward. However, once they entered the complex terrain of the island, the squads would essentially begin "free searching and hunting."
"Our squad is among the fastest. Once we head inland, I'm not sure if the overall power balance favors Konoha or the Mist, so we need to be extra careful," Hagoromo warned.
The situation on the island was unknown. If Minato was there and had caught the enemy before they dispersed, he might have wiped them out single-handedly. In Hagoromo's memory, there was no specific plot related to this Byakugan incident, so he didn't know if Konoha's mission was destined to succeed or fail. His own presence was a variable—perhaps in the "original" timeline, even Kakashi hadn't participated in this specific operation.
Everything was uncertain. The island's terrain was complex—not just forests and mountains, but the abandoned city and ninja village as well. The structures left behind after the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed provided perfect cover for ninja. This could easily turn into a long-term operation.
While Minato was highly efficient, it was also possible he hadn't found anyone yet. Hagoromo's reminders were simple: watch out for the enemy, and be prepared for a long haul.
Any thoughts on our next move, or should we keep pushing toward the ruins?