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

      Moku has always been a calm person. He was rarely nervous... even the war slightly strained his nerves. Well, war, so what? We live in an era of wars. This is fine. Yes, this era is nearing its end, but we need to give the world a strong kick so that the ninjas living in it finally understand that war is not good. Personally, he himself could not have the power to crush the opinions of the entire world, but the guy he picked up a few years ago in the arena could do it. Moku believed in him. Moku's power increased to that of a strong jōnin after receiving the ice genome. Of course, even with all his desire, he would not have been able to master this element at the same level as their leader, but even so, Moku was a very strong fighter. This was probably why Ashina asked him to look after Mito. The entire Yuki clan fought on the front with lightning. Ice and fuinjutsu were excellent tools for battles on the surface of the water. The war has been going on for more than a month, but the first onslaught of enemies was repulsed on all fronts. Moku had been following Ashina’s orders all this time, but a week ago they decided to return him to his homeland, to the Land of Water. Byakuren needed his hands. Therefore, the gambling lover had already arrived in Kiri, where he immediately went to the Mizukage who were waiting for him.       - Byakuren-dono, you called me. – the man said, bowing his head and bowing respectfully.       - Moku, good to see you. There is a secret mission for you. - Byakuren said in a calm and authoritative voice, ordering all the ANBU guarding him to leave the office. The very next second, only two people remained in the room, and Hozuki himself put a seal on the window. This seal made it possible to create a sound barrier. Moku frowned at everything that was happening. He was a fairly perceptive person, so he understood perfectly well that the information he would receive now should not be known to anyone. This mission even went beyond ANBU duties, which was saying a lot.       - Sit down. – the head of the Fog politely asked, but demanding notes were heard in this tone. When the gambling enthusiast sat down in his place, the mizukage continued. - Moku, can you solve riddles? – Byakuren asked an unexpectedly strange question.       - Um, well, let’s say that yes... - Yuki answered, drawing out his words incomprehensibly.       - Okay, let me bring you up to date. Six people have died since the war began. These were not shinobi, but ordinary people who were part of the administrative apparatus of our village. - Hozuki began the story about the current situation, whose gaze darkened. He stopped, taking some papers from the table and handing them to Mok, who, having taken one look at them, already realized what he would have to do here.       - I think that you have already guessed that your mission will be to find the killer. I understand that this all looks very strange. However, I don't have any subordinates on hand to do this. Why is it important? Because someone wants to destroy our government system. The murders are very strange. There were no visible injuries, but all the insides of the victims were literally shredded, and this is putting it mildly... I would blame it all on sabotage committed by a ninja from another village, but getting into the village of the Mist is very difficult. We are separated from the mainland, and all ninjas who arrived on ships are carefully examined. The official version of death is a heart attack. Be careful Mok, this is the first time I've seen this. – Byakuren finished his brief explanation, looking at his interlocutor with a worried look.       - I'll take over the investigation. However, what are my deadlines and will I have assistants? – the gambling enthusiast decided to find out.       - You have a week. My son will arrive tomorrow, don't catch his eye. He's a bit of a battle freak, so I'll keep him to myself, but if you find out anything important, come see me. Your assistants are ANBU. I'll give you a squad. Through them you will convey oral reports on the work done. – finished the head of the village hidden in the Fog. Moku was about to clarify something, but the door to the office suddenly swung open. A young man with short gray hair ran into the room. He did not stand out in any way from ordinary civilians.       - Mizukage-dono, our secretary, Kasumi, she was found dead in her home. – the guy squealed, impressed by what he saw. -        Moku, go to the place of death. Kin will take you there. – the mizukage commanded.       - Follow me, Mr. Moku. – said the young man running out of the office. Yuki went after him. About ten minutes of running and now they are standing in front of a beautiful small well-kept house. Rising to the second floor, Moku discovered the corpse of a woman in one of the rooms. She was already an elderly female person. She looked about fifty years old. Wrinkles appeared on her face, and gray stripes were already visible among her hair, indicating her age. The deceased was lying on the floor. Her face was distorted with pain and horror. Death passed quickly and unexpectedly. She was wearing a dressing gown, and next to her lay a small watering can, with which the woman apparently watered the flowers that stood on the windowsill.       - You can be free. – said the gambling enthusiast, addressing the guy who entered the room.       - But I can be useful. – the young man tried to object. Moku turned his penetrating gaze on him, latching onto his eyes. Kasumi staggered back, and Yuki spoke:       - Free. ANBU cordon off the area. – Moku said coldly, after which he turned to the special detachment of the village, which had been following them all this time. The guy, sulking, nevertheless left the house. Well, to be more precise, he was escorted out by ANBU. And the detective sat down to write the papers that the Mizukage had provided him with. Ten minutes later, the man concentrated on the place, looking around everything, trying to find some little things.       - It’s strange, there is no chakra in the room and the house... literally none at all. – Moku muttered under his breath, trying to at least understand where to look. - So at least the technology wasn’t used here. Seven people, each of whom did not know each other. All of them had different interests. The first was a man who, even though he worked in the archives, loved nothing more than to drink. Such a person could actually have a heart attack. There was a family in the past, but everyone died due to a shipwreck. The second was a young girl. She worked in residence. She gave out ninja missions. A very demanding person. An orphan, she loved to spend time alone, reading books. I was able to earn money for an apartment by working at the residence. The third was a young and very hardworking guy. He simply adored his job, which involved the economic calculation of all provisions, that is, he calculated how much to buy so that the residents of Kiri would not starve. The guy literally lived for work. I spent sixteen hours at work, checking all the data several times. The fourth was an old man who guarded the archive with documents. This archive contained data only on village residents. There was nothing forbidden there. There was no point in killing him at all. The fifth was a girl who worked in the legal field. She helped the Mizukage introduce new laws so that they would only have a positive impact on society. The sixth was a professional blacksmith who arrived in the village of Mist from the Land of Iron. The man was very good at his job, performing work of almost any complexity. He was not the best in his homeland, but here, in the Fog, he could safely call himself a miracle worker. Well, the seventh victim... the secretary. Divorced with husband. The son went to the front, becoming some kind of miracle shinobi.       - Is the killer tied to the place of death? No, he most likely poisons his victims with a slow-acting poison. All people worked in the residence. Presumably, they were poisoned there. Well, where else? People with different interests working in different branches of the government apparatus. The latter is generally the only thing that connects them with each other. Does this mean that all these people visited the same place before they died? I'm not sure, but it would be logical. The killer is most likely one of the people from the residence. Perhaps he is pretending to be a simple worker. Can he pretend to be a ninja? Absolutely not. The transformation technique is removed from all ninjas upon entering the residence. People too, so I will assume that someone betrayed Kiri from within. One of his own deceives everyone, pretending to be a patriot, although in reality he is a corrupt bastard. - Moku thought, sitting down on the bed. – It will be more difficult than I can imagine.       - ANBU! – Yuki shouted. At the same moment, four ninjas wearing animal masks appeared in front of him. - Cat, go to the Mizukage. Tell him that most likely the traitor is among the employees of the residence. - Raccoon, go to the archives. Get me a complete list of people working in the residence. – Dog and owl, take three ordinary civilians who work in the residence, and then begin observing them. Give me a full report of their movements tomorrow. – the man commanded, getting ready to leave the room.       - Sir, what are you going to do? – asked the ANBU in a cat mask.       - I'll eat and go to bed. I was very tired after the journey, and even now I don’t have enough information to conduct an investigation. - Moku stated in a calm tone as he left the room. You might think how exhausted he was on the road? Yes, it's very simple. Byakuren wanted to see him as early as possible, so Yuki had to use the element of water to speed up the ship he was sailing on in order to arrive in the Land of Water two days earlier. Now it has become obvious that this was not in vain, because the killings have been going on for more than a month. Seven important personalities died. This greatly spoiled the mizukage’s colors, who was burdened with more and more cases because of this. The range of his responsibilities was already quite large, and in some matters he decided everything himself. It also took time to make a decision, so the head of the Fog was now simply up to his neck in business.