Izuna follows the back of the group.

He stares at the sealing artifact in the hands of the Elder Genji and mutters to himself. ​​

'That's an interesting artifact. It seems pretty old… maybe it is one of those artifacts from the era before Rikudou Sannin excavated from some old ruins.'

Izuna scrutinizes the artifact and recognizes the seal on the talisman.

'Hmm… those seals on the talisman are similar to the one I found in the book in possession of the toads of Mount Myoboku… Perhaps there might be some connection between them. I must pay a secret visit to Elder Genji. There is much to them… than it meets the eyes.'

The group continues through the forest as they approach Kiri.

'This is the perfect place for an ambush.'

Izuna ponders as he looks around with his Sharingan.

Hmm…

'There they are… I was waiting for them.'

He notices a group of fifty people dressed in Anbu clothes about a mile away from them.

'Oh!... they have laid quite the number of traps here.'

Izuna and the group continue to move towards the trap.

Hmm…

The eyes on Elder Genji's walking stick shines with a red hue. Elder Genji frowns and warns others.

"There is an enemy ambush ahead. Prepare to engage them in a fight."

Mei and the rest of the group nod their head. Ao walks near Elder Genji and acts as a shield to deter the enemies.

'Interesting… that stick of his… is quite unusual.'

Izuna's interest is piqued by the walking stick of Elder Genji.

The rest of the group takes out their kunais, and weapons as they get ready for the fight.

Swish… swish…

Multiple kunais are launched at them.

Clank… clank…

The group quickly deflects all of them and engages in combat with the anbu members.

The leader of the anbu signals to his teammates.

Around thirty members of the enemy group make some hand signs and slam their palms on the ground.

"Co-operation Ninjutsu: Demonic Illusion: Steaming Multilayered Sealing Technique"

They use a wide area genjutsu to sever the senses of the group.

A thick layer of mist surrounds the entire area and encloses a large area around it.

Fwoosh…

The mist slowly vanishes and casts a genjutsu on the group. Izuna looks at the group of enemy anbus with a deadpan expression.

'Seriously, a genjutsu? You all disappoint me.'

Stab… stab…

The remaining members of the group stab the members of the barrier corps and the sealing corps. The leader of the anbu group makes some hand signs and vanishes from the vision.

'Water Release: Hiding in the Mist Technique'

The eyes of the staff of elder Genji glows and dispels the genjutsu on him.

'Byakugan!'

Ao activates his Byakugan and dispels the genjutsu. He quickly looks around for an enemy attack as he protects Elder Genji.

'Release'

Izuna infuses some chakra and disrupts the flow of chakra of Mei to dispel the genjutsu.

"Thank you."

Mei thanks him. She turns towards the group of enemy anbu members and makes some hand signs.

"Lava Release: Exploding Rings"

She fires multiple rings of lava from her mouth towards the enemy.

The lava rings explode and create a pool of lava beneath them.

Clang… clang…

Zengetsu, Harusame, and Utakata also dispel the genjutsu and fight against the enemy.

"Water Release: Raging Water Dragon Jutsu"

Zengetsu makes some hand signs and spews out a water dragon from his mouth.

Roar…

The water dragon roars and sweeps out several enemies.

Stab…

One of the hidden enemies appears behind him and stabs through his back.

Splish…

Zengetsu's body turns into a puddle of water and splashes on the ground. Large hands made of water appear from the ground and strangles the enemy.

'Water Release: Hiding in the Water Technique'

Izuna gives thumbs up to Zengetsu, who flashes a smile and fights with another enemy.

Izuna turns towards the group of enemies and smiles.

"Let's dance."

He makes some hand signs and slams his palms on the ground.

"Ice Release: Certain Kill spear'

Many pointed ice spears emerge from the ground and pierce the body of many enemies. Their blood dyes the ice spears in red.

The group continues to whittle down the number of enemies.

The Leader of the enemy who is hiding in the mist warily stares at them as his subordinates die one after another.

'I have to just retrieve the six-tails and according to the intel… it is inside that sealing vase.'

He sneakily walks up to Elder Genji and takes out a kunai from his holster and aims for Elder Genji's throat.

Hmm…

Elder Genji frowns as he senses an icy stare at his back. The eyes of the staff turn red. He immediately rotates the staff and stabs it backward.

Puchi…

The staff pierces through the throat of the hidden leader of the group.

The eyes of the leader widen as his body slowly turns into a puddle of blood.

Elder Genji wipes his staff and focuses on the remaining enemies in front of him.

"Ao… quickly take care of the rest of them. We have to seal the Six-tails inside a jinchuruki. This vessel can only hold it temporarily."

"Yes… Genji-sama." Ao quickly locates the hidden enemies with his Byakugan and attacks them one after another.

Mei and the group also finish off enemies on their end. Elder Genji stares at the group as he scrutinizes them.

'There are not that many trustworthy people present in the Terumi clan. I can't blindly entrust the power of a jinchuruki to anyone.'

He looks towards Zengetsu and shakes his head.

'The body of the Hozuki clan members isn't suitable for hosting tailed beast inside them.'

He then turns towards Izuna.

'Hmm… this Yuki clan member joined our faction… just a month ago… and he has proved to be a valuable asset for us. I am not fostering some skill-less shinobis on my side… they are countless of them present in the village. What I am looking for is… an individual with an indomitable will… a person who can control his inner demons.'

He scrutinizes Izuna for a while.

'He fits the criteria… but he isn't trustworthy enough. We can't control him as freely as we thought. We have to turn towards someone else.'

He turns towards Utakata and ponders for a while.

"This kid… he isn't that smart, powerful… or skilled. But… his loyalty to the village is undeniable. I will consult with Fuji and allow him to decide."

Elder Genji completely ignores the dead bodies of his allies and foes around him. He continues to move towards the village.

"Weakness is a sin. Those who are born weak… can only act as fodder for the stronger people. I have learned this harsh reality through three Shinobi Wars.

To make Kiri rise to greatness… some sacrifices are necessary."

He moves on as the group follows him. Some members of the group stay behind the collect the bodies of their friends and allies.

--------------------

Inside Terumi Mansion…

Fuji nervously walks back and forth as he stares toward Mist Lake.

'I hope Mei is doing well. I can't allow anything to happen to her. Also… I want to successfully capture Six-tails and create a new jinchuruki.'

Sigh…

Fuji rubs his forehead and tries to ease some tension.

"With a jinchuruki on our side… the power balance between the noble clans and the middle faction will be balanced. They won't be able to suppress us as easily as they did before."

Swoosh… swoosh…

One Anbu members flicker in front of him and reports.

"Fuji-sama… Elder Genji has arrived with his group. They are near the south gate of the village."

"Good… we have to prepare some precautionary measures." Fuji immediately commands his personal Anbu squad.

Uncle Wakan and the rest of the anbu squad follow him as they flicker towards the South Gate.

-----------------------

Inside a large Mansion,

Bam…

One of the members of the Noble clan slams his hands on the table as he lashes out.

"Damn!... they were successful in their attempt. They now have Six-tail on their side. With this… the scales are balanced… we can't pressure them anymore."

The elder barks in anger. The expression of the rest of the Noble clan elders turns ugly as they hear this news.

"What should we do next?... At this rate… their power will grow day by day… and one day… they will grow equal to us."

Another member of the council clutches his fist in anger.

They frantically discuss possible countermeasures among themselves.

Akifumi silently stares at the group as he thinks to himself.

"What should I do? How should I handle this situation? Lord Madara help me."

Akifumi infuses some chakra in a ring on his index finger. Some incoherent whispers resound in his ears.

A smile appears on Akifumi's face as his eyes lit up. He turns towards the elder council.

Ahem…

Akifumi clears his throat to garner their attention.

"I have a plan. If we follow it… then Kiri will forever be under our control."