1

The shinobi continued to escort the Daimyo to Kirigakure, finally arriving a little less than an hour later. By the time they entered the village, the Mizukage's office was flooded with citizens dressed in formal attire, while kiri shinobi were dressed in their standard grey flak jackets. Daisuke and his Anbu squad accompanied the Daimyo into the conference room, followed by the Kiri council.

"Members of the council, and Daimyo of this beautiful country, have been tasked with a crucial assignment essential to the future of this hidden village," Daisuke began speaking, presiding over the conference to substitute the fallen Mizukage. "The recent death of the Seventh Mizukage has sparked concern over the well-being of his constituents. We are gathered here today to appoint a successor."

All of a sudden, an elderly woman of the council interrupted the rhetoric. "I nominate Mototsune, head of the Sakane clan, as a candidate for office." Karatachi Tsumugi was the oldest member of the kiri council, serving for the Mizukage since the Third Shinobi World War. During that war, she advocated to make Nohara Rin of Konohagakure the jinchuriki of the Three-tails.

Despite her often cutthroat endorsements, Tsumugi detested the Fourth Mizukage's reign of the bloody mist, leading a mutiny that ultimately resulted in the Fourth Mizukage's death and eventual capture of the Three-tailed beast by the Akatsuki group.

Several members of the kiri council concurred. Mototsune aided the Seventh Mizukage on plenty occasions, making him the obvious choice. "I assent to her nomination," said the counselor to her left, Saito Kyosuke. Kyosuke was a veteran of the Fourth Shinobi World War, fighting alongside the Third Division of the Allied Shinobi Forces.

"I assent to her nomination." said the counselor to Tsumugi's right. Ikeda Hajime was a close friend and rival to the Seventh Mizukage. The chief's death disheartened many shinobi in Kirigakure, but none more than Hajime.

Selecting his friend's successor was important to Hajime, wishing to carry the Seventh Mizukage's legacy at all costs. He was very familiar with Mototsune and recognized the close connection they possessed.

"I assent to the council's nomination." the Daimyo declared, concluding the meeting rather quickly. After the council appointed the candidate, they scheduled the official inauguration for the following week. The Daimyo planned to stay at a hotel, bodyguarded by several Anbu, and attend the ceremony.

x--------------x

The chuunin of Team Yoshiro spent the evening of their escort mission contemplating the events that transpired that afternoon. The training grounds were virtually desolate. Most shinobi took a break from missions to prepare for the Mizukage inauguration, but Yoshiro's students were far too distressed.

"I have a really bad feeling," said Luciel. "It's been tearing at my insides since we returned to the village."

"Assassination attempts aren't that uncommon, y'know." Osame said.

"I agree with Luci. It's pretty convenient that the Mizukage was suddenly found dead, and then man supposed to choose a successor was targeted," Yuuki responded. "Plus, the route we took was kept under wraps by the Anbu."

"That means someone close to the Seventh Mizukage hired those mercenaries." Luciel said.

"I'll talk to sensei about this later," Osame asserted. "But until then, we should probably get some rest."

Needless to say, neither chuunin got any rest that night...

x--------------x

Yoshiro's injures from the mercenary were quite severe, forcing him into the hospital for the night. He used a substantial amount of chakra, and his eyeball was critically damaged, advertising a large vertical scar. Because of the latter, he wore a medical eye-patch to prevent traumatizing other patients.

The next morning, Yoshiro woke up to pee, but he completely missed the toilet because of his injured vision. He struggled to fall back asleep, watching the clock in anticipation for lunch. His three chuunin were instantly altered by his condition upon first glance.

"When the hell do I get to eat?" Yoshiro asked.

"You can't eat solid food until after the procedure." The nurse answered.

"How long until then?" Luciel was more worried about Yoshiro' physical health than his hunger.

"I'd say about a week, but I can't promise his eye will be in perfect condition." The nurse answered.

"I want chips." Yoshiro complained. Unlike his student, the jounin was more worried about his hunger than his physical health.

"Good work, Yoshiro." Daisuke entered the hospital room to acknowledge his friend, passing by the baffled nurse.

"How's your work at the Anbu been?"

"Pretty boring, honestly. Beside protecting the Daimyo from any bandits, I haven't had too much fun in a while."

"Y'know, I was protecting the Daimyo last night, and I assure you I had a lot of fun." Yoshiro's voice was completely sarcastic, given the circumstances.

"It seems Kirigakure's made a lot of enemies. Hell, this village is it's own enemy at this point."

"Don't worry about it, dude - The Daimyo's targeted by mercenaries, the threat of civil war is looming over the village, and I can't see for shit. What the hell is there to worry about?" Again, Yoshiro was sarcastic.

"Easy for you to say - you only have to deal with one of those three things."

"I still want chips, god dammit," Yoshiro's hunger still bothered him. "I'd kill for honey butter chips right now." He was anything but sarcastic at that moment.

"Is there anything we could possibly do?" Osame asked.

"Well, the Water Monastery reported signs of suspicious activity, but we're currently running low on active shinobi," Daisuke said. "This could possibly have A-Rank difficulty, but I trust you three with this mission."

"What about sensei?" Yuuki asked.

"You'll be fine without me," Yoshiro struggled to look his pupil in the eye. "Yuuki, I entrust you with the responsibilities of temporary team leader."

Luciel wasn't keen on following Yuuki's instructions, but he was happy to help nonetheless...

x--------------x

With the corpse of his fallen mentor on his shoulder, Jingetsu traveled across forests and rivers, determined to find shelter. He stumbled upon a small village, knocking door to door to convince any compassionate person for help; not one person was compassionate. Instead, they turned a blind eye and refused to open their doors.

Jingetsu left the village with a distaste in humanity before he was approached by his employer.

"Did you accomplish your task?" It was Shizuka Yuto, dressed in his ordinary clothing. Next to the banished shinobi was a mysterious figure in a black cloak, covering his face with a hood.

"No," Jingetsu said, unsheathing his sword. "I don't give a shit about meaningless conflict. Kirigakure will fall, no matter who claims the title of Mizukage."

Jingetsu charged at Yuto with killing intent, but the cloaked figure safeguarded with untraceable speed, breaking the steel blade with nothing but his forearm.

All Jingetsu could see was the figure's auburn hair...

2

Traveling to the Water Monastery reminded Osame of horrific memories...

Osame spent her childhood years far away from Kirigakure. The Hoshigaki clan didn't have a favorable reputation in the hidden villages following the Fourth Shinobi World War. They were notorious for being a nuisance during the peaceful time, so the family name no longer appeared on memorials.

Prior to her birth, Osame's parents fled from Kirigakure to a small village in a nearby island, hoping to give the young child a more comfortable life. Osame's mother died during childbirth, completely breaking her father's heart. Blamed for this loss, Osame was abandoned at a small monastery near Kirigakure.

Growing up in this monastery was very lonely. The monks despised her for the Hoshigaki clan's reputation, leading to daily beatings by the abbot during training. Osame's body was often covered in bruises, and she slept crying. The blistering pain was unbearable to the young child.

"You'll never amount to anything, Hoshigaki trash!" The abbot once said. "You're nothing but a future killer! Nothing more, nothing less! Not even human! If I killed you right now, your death wouldn't even matter!"

The abbot grabbed a staff from the display rack, beating Osame for several minutes until she could barely stand. The monks encouraged this abuse, cheering on the abbot as he bashed the helpless child's skull into the floor.

"You're nothing but a monster! You might as well kill me right now!"

The abbot took his last swing, cracking Osame's spine. The child tried to stand several times but failed. The monks laughed at her, hurling insults at the kid.

"Hoshigaki trash!"

Osame finally got to her feet, trembling violently. She could barely see her abuser, limping toward the abbot with a paralyzing laugh and piercing through his chest with her bare hands. The monks were terrified, wrestling to run away. Osame took a sword from the wall, slaughtering the temple's inhabitants before they could escape. By the time the shinobi arrived, Osame was evidently deranged from the blood she shed, sitting silently in a pool of blood.

"Are you okay, buddy?" A younger Yoshiro wiped the blood from Osame's cheek, noticing several wounds. "You don't have to be afraid anymore. I'm here to protect you." Osame was still shaking, but the feeling the shinobi gave her was alleviating.

Osame finally felt cared for...

"Aye, you good?" Yuuki said, interrupting the bittersweet reminiscence.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just daydreaming." Osame never told her teammates about her past, and she didn't plan on it so soon...

x--------------x

The Water Monastery was one of the oldest buildings in the Land of Water, built before Kirigakure was established. It was surrounded by iron walls, enchanted with impenetrable durability by the ancient monks. Numerous monks dressed in blue robes trained in the grand courtyard. Unlike the shinobi of the hidden villages, monks used ninjutsu to achieve understanding and peace rather than using it as a weapon.

The monastery's entrance was adorned with statues of the Sage of the Six Paths, whose appearance was unknown until the Seventh Hokage described it in full detail after the Fourth Shinobi World War. Because of this, the statues were later corrected by the temple's most trusted sculptors.

An elder monk, Mamoru, greeted the chuunin in the courtyard with a smile. "Are you from the hidden mist village?"

"Yes indeed." Yuuki answered, cherishing his temporary role as team leader.

"Welcome to the monastery, and thank you for coming. This way, please."

Mamoru accompanied the chuunin into the head monk's office, a wooden room in the temple with a green mat and several kanji reading spiritual proverbs. They stood before a beautiful young woman with long brown hair and green eyes, wearing a purple kimono.

"I assume you're the mist shinobi. It's a pleasure to meet you." The girl said.

"You're the head monk?" Yuuki asked, reasonably surprised by her age.

"No, that's my father. He's been pretty ill lately, so I'm just filling in for him. My name is Asami."

"What's the deal with the suspicious activity?" Yuuki asked for details.

"The monastery is a popular tourist attraction for foreigners," Asami explained. "We feature the largest collection of scrolls in recorded history, sealing away powerful jutsu since the Warring States Period."

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"They could be trying to sell them. I bet these scrolls could make a hell of a profit." Luciel said.

"Asami, you have our word, a shinobi always puts their mission first." Yuuki declared.

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear," she said. "Just don't screw up. Sightings of dangerous missing ninja were reported by monks all over the monastery. This could be a big problem for not only my temple, but your village as well."

x--------------x

The shinobi pursued the targets vigilantly, jumping from tree to tree in the surrounding forest and searching for any traces of them. Luciel activated his byakugan, allowing his vision to penetrate through trees and inspect the entire forest.

"I found something." Luciel asserted, leading his teammates to a bridge overhead an alluring river. Trees stood proud and tall on the side of the river, defending fragile creatures from the sunlight. The chuunin prepared for combat, confronting an obscure individual dressed in a black cloak, disguising his face in his hood.

"You've found me, after all..." He revealed a young face with black eyes and medium-long auburn hair. "You've got guts coming here alone."

"He must be the suspicious activity, but he doesn't look too scary," Osame pointed out. "What's your name?"

"Aizen, but I don't think that's any of your business."

"This guy has an affinity for Yin release," Luciel delineated with his Byakugan. Although he wasn't raised by strictly Hyuga clan parents, Luciel taught himself how to use his ocular abilities to a staggering extent. "It doesn't seem like he's great at ninjutsu, but I'd be wary of his genjutsu if I were you."

Luciel tried to land a swift punch to the face, already predicting his opponent to anticipate the strike and dodge. The shinobi threw a large fuma shuriken, attempting to catch his opponent off guard, but Aizen caught it with unexpected speed.

"You really interest me," Aizen said, biting his thumb as a cursed seal spread throughout the right side of his body, extending to his eye. Luciel's jaw dropped as his opponent's chakra pathway network was flooded with extraordinarily powerful chakra. "This tingle will be your downfall."

It seems Luciel underestimated his opponent...

3

After a long period of silence, Osame brandished her broadsword and charged in to close the distance between her and the opponent. Aizen simply stood still, creating several afterimages with genjutsu and moving between them with untraceable speed. The sword's blade harmlessly passed through the afterimage and Aizen returned to his original position.

"The hell?!" Osame was completely baffled at this technique. She swung her sword again, and Aizen's torso was bisected, but the blade simply phased through him. Over and over, the broadsword slashed through Aizen. No matter how Osame slashed and chopped, however, her opponent created several afterimages and passed through the blade.

"This is getting boring." Aizen said, kicking Osame in the stomach. The shinobi spit blood, but her considerable endurance allowed her to shrug off the pain.

"Is that all you got?" Osame said with a great smile. "Water Release: Five Feeding Sharks."

Placing her hand on the ground, Osame converted her chakra into five sharks composed of water that circled around Aizen with high speed. Aizen threw several kunai laced with explosives tags into the sharks' mouths, evaporating them into a cloud of steam, and water droplets precipitated from the aftermath.

The water droplets regenerated into a multitude of sharks, and Osame laughed with an arrogant grin. "You're pretty fast, but there's no way you can dodge all of these."

Osame tried to slice through Aizen's body with her sword, but the latter again used afterimages to become impalpable. "I stand corrected..."

Aizen withdrew a kunai, and the combatants traded strikes from their blades. Osame gathered water around her broadsword, unleashing a strong surge of water to assault his opponent. Aizen's body flickered and appeared behind Osame, much to the shinobi's surprise.

"He's combining genjutsu with the body flicker technique," Luciel tried to gain insight with his Byakugan, but the results worried him. "However, this chakra isn't normal. It seems pretty tainted."

"I guess the best strategy is to catch him off guard." Yuuki said, leaping toward his target. A storm of blows in rapid succession assaulted Aizen. Kick, thrust, palm strike, elbow, knee, fist- neither strike was able to cause injury, instead striking the afterimages. Yuuki struck, and struck, and struck, but it was no use.

The hell is he doing?! Luciel watched in disbelief, but everything was going according to plan.

Yuuki threw several kunai laced with explosive tags, but the projectiles passed through an afterimage before Aizen returned to his original position. The kunai pierced through his shadow, allowing Yuuki to wave a seal and paralyze him into place. "Shadow Possession Shuriken Jutsu!"

Yuuki's own shadows extended as tentacle-shaped tendrils, grabbing the explosive kunai and pulling them toward the immobilized Aizen. Electricity surged through the shadows as the explosive tags were ready to detonate. This technique was the pinnacle of Yuuki's abilities.

"Demonic Illusion: Phantom Chain Hegemony Jutsu."

Before he could be blown up alongside the explosive tags, Aizen established eye contact and altered the chakra flow in his opponent's body, casting a powerful mind-control genjutsu to counteract the effects of the shadow possession jutsu. Yuuki's hands involuntarily became separated, allowing Aizen to become impalpable and maneuver behind Yuuki before the massive explosion.

"You're pretty skilled, I have to admit. You've impressed me," Aizen applauded. "But this cursed seal of mine absorbs energy from nature, strengthening my physical abilities as well as my genjutsu. I doubt there's anything in your arsenal to counter that."

"Water Release: Water Shark Bomb Jutsu!" Osame attempted to surprise the opponent with an unforeseen ninjutsu, manipulating water chakra into the shape of a large shark, but Aizen jumped over the jutsu with impulsive reflexes.

Now was Luciel's time to strike. He caught Aizen in mid-air, delivering two consecutive strikes into the opponent's tenketsu. Then another two. Then another four, then another eight, making a total of sixteen strikes. Aizen was launched backward, allowing Luciel to shoot a high-pressured stream of water from his mouth and catch his foe.

Despite the intensity of the attack, Aizen managed to brush it off, though barely landing on his feet. "You three are full of surprises, huh?" He replenished his chakra pathway with natural energy, causing his curse mark to momentarily glow.

Effortlessly parrying the trio's attacks with his kunai, Aizen's body suddenly flickered, leaving behind several afterimages to distract the shinobi. He kicked the back of Osame's head, pushing her into Yuuki, and threw several shuriken to lacerate the shinobi's skin.

"Aren't you tired of fighting back?" Aizen asked, leaping onto the bridge's handrail.

"I could do this all day." Luciel responded. After kneading chakra in his stomach and converting it into water, Luciel expelled it in the shape of a dragon. Taking advantage of the highly conductive nature of water, Yuuki imbued it with lightning-natured chakra. The collaborative jutsu launched at Aizen with great speed, dealing significant damage and numbing his body to leave him susceptible to other attacks.

Osame silently emerged from behind her opponent, prepared to strike with her broadsword, but Aizen adjourned. "I'm not only disappointed in you, shark-face, but I'm also puzzled at the fact you're fighting for the village that hates your guts. Hell, the Hoshigaki family name doesn't even show up on memorials anymore. What a shame."

Osame was briefly frozen, attempting to gather her thoughts, but she remained unfazed. "Whether Kirigakure likes it or not, I'm a shinobi, and a shinobi's number one priority is her village!" She trapped Aizen in a prison of water, restricting his movements with the intent to drown him. Aizen struggled for a moment, wrestling to breathe, but simultaneously released natural energy-infused chakra from his tenketsu, therefore destroying the prison.

Aizen overpowered his opponents in close-quarter combat, tiring them out with ease. "What's your deal?!" Yuuki demanded an answer.

"I am Aizen, the right-hand-man to Shizuka Yuto," Aizen began explaining. "For many years, Kirigakure has sinned against it's own people, treating it's real heroes with contempt while cherishing cold-blooded killers with honor! Yuto was banished from the village by the Seventh Mizukage, his own mentor, for preaching wisdom through the village. How is that jurisdiction?!"

The chuunin were silent, too shaken to speak. Aizen continued, "Let me tell you a story about the takers, and the taken! One day, far west of here, there was a simple Sheppard. He was very normal. He did everything a normal Sheppard does. He guarded. He fed. He was a great leader to the sheep. Powerful, smart, strong willed. He knew order, and he knew responsibility, but most of all... He knew fairness..."

"And there were wolves. The wolves were cunning and easy to manipulate. Wealthy with power. Strengthened by greed. The Sheppard knew the greed of the wolves. He thought he knew all their tricks. One day, the wolves followed the Sheppard and his sheep. The Sheppard, obviously, was on the defensive. Everyday, he killed one wolf. Two wolves. Three wolves. The wolves never attacked a sheep..."

"... Finally, on the fourth day, the Sheppard had a change of heart. 'The wolves aren't trying to kill my sheep!! They're protecting!' The Sheppard trusted the wolves, and everyday the wolves would follow the sheep and protect them from danger..."

"... The Sheppard's wife was critical of the wolves. 'Don't trust them! Don't be manipulated by the greedy wolves' cunning!' But the Sheppard didn't listen, instead reprimanding his wife. 'How dare you accuse these wolves?!' He continued to trust them for several more days, and the wolves continued to protect the sheep from danger..."

"... Finally, on the tenth day, the wolves attacked. They killed one sheep. Two sheep. At the end of the day, all ten sheep were dead. Their bloody bodies laying on the countryside..."

"... The reign of the Mizukage, a wolf in paladin's clothing, is no more..."

4

"You, the one with the Byakugan," Aizen pointed to Luciel. "I feel something strange from you. What clan are you from?"

"My mother is from the Kuromiya family. It's descended from the Hyuuga clan of Konohagakure."

"And your father...?"

"I'm not sure. My father was an orphan."

"My cursed seal tingles around you. What's your name, again?"

"Luciel."

"This cursed seal was passed down the Igarashi family of the Arashi islands prior to it's massacre. Those who didn't inherit the cursed seal were banished from the Arashi islands. Through self-harm, this cursed seal activates, and absorbs energy from nature to mix with my chakra."

"Self-harm?"

"The last time I felt this euphoric tingle... I was surrounded by my family. And it was all taken away from me. I cut and cut and cut into my skin, and the cursed seal activated, so I slaughtered my family's killers."

"..."

"This tingle... It means I'm in the presence of someone who shares my same blood."

Aizen concentrated chakra into his hands, charging at the shinobi, but Yoshiro appeared and protected his pupils from the attack with a quick block.

"Yoshiro?!" Osame was shocked, alongside his teammates. Yoshiro was still wearing a medical eye-patch, still half-blind from his injuries at the hands of Kimura Daiki, but he was nevertheless still determined to protect his students.

"I figured you guys would have some trouble, so I made sure to keep an eye out for you." Yoshiro joked, referencing his injury.

Yoshiro stared at Aizen with a long silence. Leaves fell from the forests' trees into the river underneath the bridge. Aizen chanted, "This cursed seal is the pinnacle of my fallen clan. It won't lose to any low-life shinobi!"

The two combatants charged at each other, engaging in hand-to-hand combat. Yoshiro struggled against his opponent's enhanced speed, but he still held his own.

"Blue Flame Art: Dragon Flame Bomb!" Yoshiro exhaled blue flames in the shape of a dragon. Aizen created several afterimages to diverge his opponent, appearing behind the shinobi with his kunai in hand. Already aware of his opponent's strategy, Yoshiro unleashed a stream of violent electricity from all directions, causing Aizen to spring backward.

"Demonic Illusion: One Thousand Chirping Birds." Aizen caught the jounin in a genjutsu, forcing him to hallucinate. Yoshiro was incapacitated with chains as a thousand sparrows surrounded his body, chirping with a volume at deafening levels. Intense pain surged throughout Yoshiro's body, causing his muscles to tense, and he screamed in agony. He tried to lift his arms to block his eardrums, but the chains weighed them down.

Yoshiro was intelligent enough to realize he was put under a genjutsu. His three chuunin fed him chakra, allowing him to disrupt the genjutsu and break free from its influences.

"What the hell is taking so long?" Shizuka Yuto seemingly appeared from thin air. He wasn't as adept with the body flicker technique as his apprentice, but he was still skilled enough to travel across great distances at high speeds. Yuto and Aizen were on the opposite side of the bridge to the shinobi.

Although the banished ninja's appearance was complete legend to the chuunin, Yuto immediately recognized Yoshiro, and vice-versa. Before his banishment, Yuto was the Seventh Mizukage's assistant, alongside Mototsune, and would assign important missions to jounin and Anbu. Since then, Yuto established his own organization, the Shiryoku, composed of many missing-ninja from the Land of Water and surrounding villages. The Shiryoku were determined to end the Mizukage's rule, each member having their own reason for this motivation.

"I'm going to take care of Yuto right here and now." Yoshiro mumbled under his breath before charging at the adversary.

"How embarrassing," Yuto said, dodging Yoshiro's strike without difficulty. "Wind Release: Wind Scythe Jutsu." With a wave of his hand, Yuto caused a blade of wind with great cutting power to slice through the bridge's suspension cables. The bridge collapsed under the shinobi's feet, allowing Yuto and Aizen to escape.

All the shinobi could do was catch their breaths. "Our mission isn't over yet," Yoshiro said, still vigilant. "The Shiryoku hideout must be near."

"Sensei, the moon is starting to rise. We should take a moment to unwind for the night." Osame replied.

"I guess you're right. We'll stay the night at the monastery, then continue our reconnaissance in the morning."

x--------------x

The Shiryoku hideout was entirely underground, a few kilometers away from the bridge neighboring the Water Monastery. The hideout itself had many rooms inside of it, including six floors of barracks housing the organization's members and a major meeting room within the seventh floor. Several black-cloaked executives of the organization sat in black thrones, waiting for their leader to arrive at the meeting.

"Where the hell are they?" Gorou was incredibly large, having gigantic muscles and a hunchback. His skin was rock-like and nearly impenetrable. Several blades protruded from his elbows and shoulders, so he was shirtless. His brute appearance complimented his often volatile temper. "They're fifteen minutes late already."

"Just be patient, they'll arrive shortly." Saburou was skinny with an androgynous figure. He wore a white coat over his black cloak, and a butterfly-shaped gunbai war fan was detained on his back. His missing left arm was replaced with a green chakra limb.

Shizuka Yuto and his apprentice, Aizen, suddenly appeared in their thrones. "Sorry we're late," Yuto apologized. "We ran into some trouble near the Water Monastery."

"We haven't met like this in a while!" Ryouta was a former terrorist from the Land of Earth, renown for his explosive origami paper. He was radical with his political beliefs, considering himself the world's chaotic hero or the shinobi's robin hood.

The only female executive of the organization, Momiji was ironically a former hunter-ninja. She was blonde and wore black leggings with a white top. Her chokuto's blade was blessed and absorbed chakra from those it cut. "The last time we met like this... Was after Gorou's rampage in the mountains, am I right?"

Gorou was embarrassed.

"Oi, I remember that!" Ryouta recalled. "It took both me and Noe to deal with him!"

Noe was always absolutely silent. His face was hidden under an expressionless mask, possessing only holes for the eyes. He would rarely move during battle, instead manifesting tentacle-like chakra appendages from his back. His ability to abnormally regenerate wounded cellular tissue, as well as his very high pain tolerance, struck the hearts of the shinobi nations with fear. Most shinobi were ordered to flee on sight when encountering him.

"We only have a few more weeks before Mototsune's inauguration as Mizukage," Shizuka Yuto announced. "During the invasion, the shinobi will likely be on the defense. The Shiryoku will breach the front lines and assassinate the Kiri council."

"What about you?" Ryouta asked.

"Saburou and I will combat the Anbu and assassinate Mototsune. Without any leadership, the shinobi will be forced to surrender."

"Even after we take Kirigakure, the other villages will still be a giant obstacle. The clans in Konohagakure produce some of the smartest, strongest, and most skilled shinobi on this planet. Hell, I heard that Yakushi Kabuto is still wandering around Konohagakure, even after his involvement in the Fourth Shinobi World War." Momoji commented.

"He has an entire army of sharingan-wielding clones, too." Gorou added.

"Kumogakure dominates in terms of military strength and economy," Saburou argued. "If any village is gonna be a challenge, it'll be the cloud village."

Noe was still silent.

"The hidden villages have grown weak during this era of peace. The Shiryoku probably has enough supporters to emerge victorious during conflict, if we take it slow." Aizen said.

"After the Kirigakure shinobi are forced under our whim, we'll invade the smaller villages, then Sunagakure, then Iwagakure, and leave the other two for last," Shizuka Yuto concluded. "I guess that'll be all for today."

The executives body-flickered out of the hideout...