Lightning flashed outside, and in that brief illumination, I made my choice. The blood in my veins hummed with anticipation, a song of power I'd suppressed for far too long. If they already suspected, if they'd truly found my parents, then perhaps it was time to show them why the Bloody Mist had feared our clan enough to try eliminating us.

  "Blood techniques?" I let my innocent mask slip, just slightly. "You're right, Hanzo-sama. They are fascinating."

  The temperature dropped further as the Frost twins shifted into defensive stances. Through my network, I felt their hearts speed up—they'd caught the change in my tone, the subtle threat beneath the words.

  "The human body contains approximately five liters of blood," I continued, taking a small step backward. "Did you know that? And each drop can be controlled, manipulated, transformed." I lifted my hand, watching their reactions. "Like your paper analogy, Hanzo-sama. Blood can tell stories too."

  "Careful, child." Hanzo's warning carried deadly promise. "Consider your next move very carefully."

  I smiled—not the innocent smile of a child, but the knowing smirk of someone who'd lived two lives and learned from both. "I always do. That's why I've spent the last year placing blood-infused seals throughout your entire compound."

  The shadowed figures finally moved, revealing themselves as members of Hanzo's elite guard. One drew a sword, its steel singing in the tense air. "My lord, should we—"

  "Wait," Hanzo commanded, his pulse quickening with what I sensed was... excitement? "Let's hear what else our little crane has been hiding."

  Through my network, I felt movement in the lower levels—medical equipment being prepared, yes, but also something else. A familiar chakra signature, weak but unmistakable. Mother's.

  They hadn't been bluffing.

  "You want to know about blood techniques?" I pushed chakra into my seals, feeling them activate throughout the building. "Let me show you why the rain in Amegakure runs red."

  The storm outside intensified, and within every drop of rain, I felt my power waiting to be unleashed. It was time to become what I'd been pretending not to be: a true heir of the Bloody Mist's most feared clan, and a child of Amegakure's endless rain.

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  The first move would be crucial. They'd expect me to attack—it's what any cornered shinobi would do. But Mother hadn't just taught me to fight.

  My first move wasn't to attack—it was to breathe. One deep, measured breath that sent my chakra flowing through every blood-infused seal in the compound. Through my network, I could feel everything: the guards rushing up the stairs, Mother's weak but steady heartbeat three floors below, and most importantly, the rain.

  Amegakure's endless downpour had always been more than just weather. It was a technique, maintained by powerful shinobi, infused with chakra. But tonight, each droplet would become something else: an extension of my will.

  "Fascinating choice," Hanzo mused, his own chakra flaring. "Using the rain itself as a medium for blood techniques. Your parents taught you well."

  The Frost twins moved in perfect synchronization, ice crystals forming complex patterns in the air. But I wasn't watching their techniques—I was counting heartbeats. Timing pulses. Measuring blood flow.

  "They taught me many things," I replied, letting my chakra rise visibly now, red mist curling around my small frame. "Like how to turn an enemy's strength against them." I smiled at the twins. "Did you know that ice is just frozen water? And water..." I raised my hand, and every drop of rain hitting the windows turned crimson. "Water can carry blood."

  The first guard lunged, sword flashing. I didn't dodge—instead, I let my paper defenses absorb the blow while simultaneously using his own momentum to drive him into my trap. The blood-infused seals on the floor activated, and suddenly his own blood was no longer under his control.

  "Impossible," Yuki breathed, watching her comrade collapse like a puppet with cut strings. "You're just a child."

  "I've lived two lives," I corrected her, already moving to the next phase of my plan. "And in both of them, I learned that age means nothing. Power, technique, strategy—these are what matter."

  Through my network, I felt Mother being moved. They were taking her deeper into the compound, away from the fight. Smart. But they didn't realize that every step they took carried them through more of my seals.

  Hanzo's laugh cut through the tension like a poisoned blade. "Magnificent. I knew there was more to you, little crane. But tell me—how do you plan to fight your way out? Even with your impressive abilities, you're surrounded."

  "Fight?" I channeled more chakra into the rain, feeling it respond to my call. "Hanzo-sama, you misunderstand. This isn't a fight."

  It was time. I activated every seal simultaneously, feeling the power surge through the entire compound. Blood techniques weren't just about control—they were about transformation. And right now, every drop of rain falling on Amegakure was becoming something entirely else.

  "This," I whispered, as the world turned red, "is a revolution."