Book One: The Rise of the Blue-Haired Devil.

      It was the third day I had been at sea. I had to leave, for I had received an important message from Ashina that the Water Country was gathering the heads of all the ninja clans to discuss an important matter. I had to leave at night, because otherwise I would not be able to be there in time. All I had time to do before I left was scribble a few words on a piece of paper I found in my pocket. There I explained everything briefly and to the point. I only had to trust that Yumi wouldn't kill me upon my return, though to be honest, it wasn't her I was afraid of, but Uzumaki. I just didn't know how Mito would react to this. That red-haired beast was simply unpredictable. Her unstable moods changed too quickly, so it was hard to expect anything concrete from her. But right now, that was the least of my worries. The Water Country Clan Meeting was held once every few years, so I had to be clear about what I wanted to get out of this important event. Such a chance might not come for a long time. Not only would the heads of the great clans gather in one place, but also the Water Country Daimyo himself, which spoke of the importance and significance of this event. I took it very seriously, planning my actions several steps ahead with various ramifications. The first and most important part of the plan was the goal of determining the character of the interlocutors. From this it was possible to build a dialogue in one direction or another. But for some reason I was sure that I would have to make a demonstration of my power, as well as my abilities. The experience of my past life told me that people recognise only strength. A small show of strength would immediately reduce to the most ordinary respect for my person.       I arrived at the place on time. Moku greeted me with a nod. I sat down in my seat, waiting for the head of the country to arrive. The daimyo didn't wait long, arriving five minutes later. The gathering took place in a spacious hall, with a huge oval table with eleven chairs in the centre. Only one chair was vacant. The others were already occupied when I arrived. The heads of the clans looked at me in different ways. Some with disdain and disgust, some with anticipation, and some with interest. A man with short, dark red hair and green eyes, who looked at me with contempt for me, was a prime example of the first category. I even thought at first that this man in a beautiful blue kimono decorated with a red-grey dragon cutout belonged to the Uzumaki clan, but when I met his gaze I realised that this person belonged to the Terumi clan. Only this clan had such an inflated self-esteem in comparison to everyone else. Two chairs to his left sat a man with small eyes and gills on his face. He was furiously grinning as he glared at me. Apparently he wanted to fully test his powers on me. You could easily tell from his face that he belonged to the Hoshigake clan. Only one ninja gave me an aura of calmness and even wisdom. He was a man with long, uncombed hair, a thick beard, and a moustache that covered half of his face. On the left side of his face was a scar that made him apparently blind in one eye. His teeth were sharp, and had a triangular shape. He was also wearing a light coloured kimono. That was the only shinobi I knew before I came here. It was Byakuren Hozuki. A very strong ninja. This man was respected and feared by all. He had been through dozens of battles and had survived. That was saying a lot, because the battles between the clans were brutal and inhumane.       It was with this man that I began to play peek-a-boo until the daimyo of the Water Country arrived. The experienced shinobi gazed into my eyes with discernment. He was trying to tell just by looking at me what kind of fruit I was, and in turn, I was amused. It was a shame we were interrupted. It was entertaining enough. When the head of an entire country walked into the hall, all the clan heads stood up and began to greet one of the richest and most powerful people in the world. They even complimented him to suck up to him. Byakuren's reaction amused me. He only took his gaze away from me for a moment to say hello to the daimyo with a brief nod, then returned to studying me.       - Yes, yes, I'm glad to see you all. - The daimyo said, sitting down in his seat. He glanced at me, apparently oblivious to the new ninja clan. - I'll ask you all to introduce yourselves, so we all know who we're talking to. - in a respectful manner asked the head of the country. Again the clan heads began to introduce themselves one by one. Each of them described their merits as if they were something incomprehensible to everyone, when in fact these outstanding deeds were commonplace for the head of an entire clan. Daimae kept a nonchalant, even slightly detached, expression on his face as he listened to their ballads about himself. Apparently he was used to this sort of thing by now. But Byakuren didn't react much to external stimuli in the form of pathos quotes and veiled phrases. He didn't care about any of those people. The ninja was seriously interested in one person, so he didn't immediately react when the turn came to him.       - Byakuren Hozuki. - Without even getting up from his seat, he introduced himself. No one said anything to him, nor did they need to. Everyone in the room knew exactly what this man was. He did not cease his observation of me, continuing his silent duel. I did not yield to him, only lifting the edges of my lips slightly in an approving smirk. After a couple of men, it was my turn. I wasn't interested in the goals of these people, as I had long since figured out how to dialogue with them.       - Michiko Yuki. - I introduced myself in a blank tone, already going to sit down in my seat. I didn't really want to communicate with these ninjas, and I didn't want to reveal my abilities.       - Young man, please tell us about your achievements. Why did you become the head of the clan? - The daimyo asked in a polite manner, trying to remain calm, though I could see a hint of irritation in his eyes.       - He's just some rich man's kid. What's the matter with him? He's just a weakling like you'd expect. - the man with the shark-like appearance made a sharp statement. He was clearly looking for a fight. His eyes were twinkling with anticipation.       - Hmm..." I said, starting to stretch into a sly grin. - My last achievement was a mission to force the Senju and Uchiha clans to make peace. - I muttered with a sort of chuckle.       - You can't be a blue-haired devil! - shrieked the head of the Terumi clan in anger. - There's no way I can believe that this monster could be a little brat like you! - He added insistently, giving in to some kind of unbridled rage. Though his voice and face were distorted in anger and hatred, and I saw in his eyes a glimpse of fear and horror, but it was more than enough to convince me of my surmise. The man in front of me was a real coward and a bully, who by some miracle had become the head of a great clan. To all these statements, I only grinned even more. It was scary to look at me now. I pulled the scroll out of my pocket and threw it into the hands of the arrogant ninja, and then sat back down, watching as Terumi's face began to change as he read the document, becoming more and more annoyed. When the ninja finished reading the document, he silently sat back down, casting a hateful look at me that had a hint of fear in it. This did not escape the other clan heads, who took turns studying the scroll. There was an awkward silence. Everyone who read it was staring at me, trying to make sense of the words. Obviously, they understood that such a contract could hardly be forged. The seal on it was too good, and no one knew what it was, which was saying a lot. When the last reader, Biakuren, came to read it, Hozuki stared lazily at the lines and then looked back at me, giving me a sly grin, his eyes narrowing slightly.       - And how did you do it, Yuki san? - The head of the Hozuki clan spoke, giving me a very penetrating look. I even squirmed in my chair from the scrutiny.       - Cruel and unceremonious. But this isn't about me right now. Let's get to the point. - I waved him away, realising that it was better not to tell them how I'd done it. I chose a very specific approach to fulfil the task at hand. Even the daimyo's face was surprised at my impudence, but the rich man remained silent.       - Let's begin the distribution of missions. According to our statistics... - the daimyo began to speak in his moderate tone, but the rest of the information was not that valuable. Next, something wild happened. The great clan heads began to erupt in indignation. The Daimae distributed all the missions in a percentage for each clan depending on the capabilities of the clan members and the influence of their leader. I was even slightly surprised that I was given a full fifteen per cent of the year's missions, which was pretty good. There were only three people who didn't participate in this buffoonery. Me, Byakuren, and the daimyo. But I quickly got bored of it and decided to intervene in a very unconventional way.       - Ice element, ice wasteland. - I whispered the name of the technique so that no one would hear, and then I stood up from my chair, making a very loud snap of my fingers. All the clan heads were greatly stunned. It made even Hozuki grimace. There was a ringing and unpleasant sound coming from my fingers. When everyone opened their eyes, we found ourselves on ice in the middle of the ocean....       "Ice Wasteland is an ice technique based on forming a mass illusion with a flick. The user infuses chakra in a single flick to suddenly enter the minds of several opponents at once, after which he forms the base of the illusion in the form of an ice wasteland, unifying the illusion for all opponents with his chakra. This is one illusion that is very difficult to dispel, but it is possible to avoid it. If a shinobi is prepared in advance, he can either drop the illusion at the initial stage or simply prevent the opponent from entering his mind by impregnating his ears with his chakra.