[To my dearest friend Asuma]

[Be wary of the clan-based, aristocratic control of the village's defenses… As far as I know, both the Konoha Military Police Force and the Konoha Guard Force, their external and internal authority, have fallen into the hands of the Hokage advisor, Gojo Kaigetsu…]

[He has also established his own personal guard. The entire village's defense is practically monopolized by Gojo Kaigetsu, placing the safety of the village in the hands of a single individual. This is extremely dangerous…]

Chiriku stopped writing, seething with anger. After a moment of thought, he added two more lines:

[Today, I bid farewell to the village to journey to the Daimyo's estate to participate in the selection process for the Twelve Guardian Ninja. The dark forces at play within the village bring tears to my eyes, and I scarcely know what to say.]

[I only hope that the village will prosper in the future and that its systems will be further improved.]

Chiriku set down his pen and placed the letter in an envelope.

He had prepared two letters for this journey. One was intended for Elder Danzo, and the other for his close friend, Asuma.

Today's selection process had thoroughly disheartened him.

He had believed the Uchiha clan genuinely desired change, but it turned out they were merely consolidating power within their own clan.

Out of over two hundred Konoha ninja applicants, only ten were accepted

Chiriku saw through the Uchiha's scheme.

He had heard that after he stormed out, one of the Sharingan-wielding ninja summoned a ninken to register for the position…

The esteemed Uchiha clan, the esteemed Hokage advisor, were openly engaging in nepotism and corruption… The village had fallen into the clutches of dark forces.

Commoners like him, without background or Kekkei Genkai, had no chance of advancement and could only leave the village to participate in the selection process for the Daimyo's personal guard.

As for the village's future, it could only be left to people like Elder Danzo and Asuma, those with influential connections, to change it.

"Sigh…"

With a heavy sigh, Chiriku packed his belongings.

Gazing through the window at the myriad lights of the village, he fell into deep thought.

'Does such a village even need to exist? Why do we need a Hokage? Why not have the Daimyo establish a specialized organization to govern the village? The Hokage is unnecessary; the true power of the ninja should reside with the Fire Daimyo…'

…

…

"Extra! Extra! 'Konoha's War Shinobi' is now playing!"

"Watch now and get a chance to win a temporary Konoha Green Card!"

The winds of "Konoha's War Shinobi" finally reached the shinobi world. Paved by the Land of Fire's cash, nations big and small opened their arms (or legs, as the original text suggests), allowing the Will of Fire to infiltrate their minds.

"Konoha's War Shinobi" premiered in Konoha and would be simultaneously released across the Four Great Nations in the following days.

Of course, there were places untouched by Konoha's influence.

Such as… Amegakure.

...

Amegakure

perpetually shrouded in rain, with rainwater converging into the inland lake surrounding the village.

In terms of governance, Amegakure, and the Land of Rain, were perhaps the most progressive and brave.

the normal people and ninja living in the Land of Rain were more inclined to believe in the miracle of "no rain on Sundays."

In Amegakure, and the Land of Rain, there was only one voice-

"God!" (Kami)

Since the end of the Third Shinobi World War, Amegakure had seemingly detached itself from the rest of the shinobi world, implementing a harsh policy of isolation. Its level of seclusion was even more extreme than that of the Land of Water.

Intelligence agents sent by other villages would invariably lose contact shortly after entering.

Most assumed that the old geezer Hanzo was still exerting his influence.

Furthermore, the war-torn Land of Rain lacked resources like "chakra metal ore" that could incite conflict.

Therefore, other villages tacitly withdrew, excluding Amegakure from their intelligence operations.

Among the Five Great Nations' intelligence agencies, perhaps only Root, led by Danzo, possessed the most up-to-date information.

However… that was also from many years ago. Danzo, leading Root, had collaborated with Hanzo to eliminate Yahiko, the leader of the peace organization "Akatsuki," and had slaughtered numerous Amegakure ninja who followed Akatsuki.

Since then, Amegakure had retreated from the world stage.

Some villages had attempted to establish trade or alliances with Amegakure for mutual economic development, but the envoys they sent disappeared without a trace after entering the Land of Rain.

It was common knowledge that the shinobi world was in a period of rapid development.

It was difficult for a village to prosper in isolation.

Scholars studying village economics couldn't understand Hanzo's thinking. Without trade or cooperation, how could Amegakure develop its economy?

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

It was Sunday.

As promised by "God," Amegakure enjoyed a bright, sunny day.

A ninja known as "Tobi," wearing an orange, spiral-patterned mask and a black cloak embroidered with red clouds, lay leisurely on the ground, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth.

No one knew the expression hidden beneath his mask.

"Isobu hasn't been reborn. That damn Kisame Hoshigaki did inflict serious injuries on Yagura Karatachi during his sneak attack."

"But since Isobu hasn't been reborn, Yagura must still be alive."

"Where could he be hiding?"

Tailed Beasts were masses of chakra and didn't experience death in the human sense.

Perhaps they could "die," but their lifespan was so vast that it was beyond human comprehension. Every time they "died," their memories might be wiped clean, but their chakra would likely persist.

Tailed Beasts killed by ninja would respawn like wild monsters, appearing in certain areas, waiting to be captured and sealed.

Tailed Beasts couldn't be truly killed; they could only be sealed and used as chakra batteries.

Tobi narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.

He had developed his influence in Kirigakure for many years and had placed several pawns within the village. However, their access was too limited to uncover Yagura's whereabouts.

Oh, that Yagura who occasionally appeared before the villagers? Having manipulated Yagura's body and mind for so long, Tobi knew that was merely an imposter.

"Speaking of which, I never expected that old geezer, the Mizukage, to ally with Konoha."

"I thought he would retaliate like a mad dog."

"So, could it be…"

Tobi seemed to have stumbled upon a crucial point.

Something unusual was afoot. Could there be a connection between the "Mizukage's disappearance" and the "Konoha-Kiri alliance"?

"Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade… Tsunade, could he be with her?"

If Yagura was seriously injured and Kirigakure's medical ninjas were unable to heal him, there seemed to be only one place left in the vast shinobi world-

Tsunade, the foremost expert in medical ninjutsu!

"Tobi, there you are~"

Black Zetsu, his body wrapped in two large leaves, slowly approached Tobi. He casually tossed a sealed scroll towards him:

"Take a look. It might contain something you'll find interesting~" With that, Black Zetsu crossed his arms and stepped back, assuming a spectator's stance.

"Something interesting? What could possibly pique my interest these days?"

Tobi spoke casually as he unsealed the scroll.

It seemed to contain some sort of recorded image. By injecting chakra into it, one's five senses would be stimulated, recreating the recorded content.

Unlike normal movies, this was a sophisticated application of genjutsu.

Unsuspecting, Tobi slowly injected his chakra.

The next moment, his body froze. His pupils constricted as he watched the content unfold.

Tobi keenly registered the key words in the recording-

"Kakashi," "retirement," "Kirigakure," "help"…

"My, my~" Black Zetsu spread his hands. "You said you wouldn't be interested, but look at you now, as if you've been caught in a genjutsu."

Black Zetsu stood there, not uttering another word to provoke Tobi. This recording was enough to stir the darkness within him, ensuring his unwavering commitment to the plan.

Pawns… all pawns…

Nagato was Tobi's pawn~ Tobi was Madara's pawn~ Madara was his, Black Zetsu's, pawn~

Apart from Konoha's recent, rather peculiar, development, everything in the shinobi world was under his control.

However, regardless of how the villages developed, it was all meaningless to those standing at the pinnacle of power.

No matter how grand and magnificent Konoha's buildings became, they were nothing compared to the power of the Rinnegan~ Those foolish Konoha ninja, still immersed in their childish games.

Once Mother was revived, the entire shinobi world would shatter like a reflection in water~

The sky over Amegakure had cleared up, a rare occurrence, but Tobi felt no warmth, only an icy chill that pierced his very being.

Two full hours passed.

The two figures remained motionless, neither making a sound to break the eerie silence.

Finally…

Tobi's body began to tremble violently, his grip on the scroll tightening to the point of near-crushing.

Tobi… no, he could no longer maintain the Tobi persona.

Now, he should be called Obito.

Beneath his mask, Obito's face was contorted in a grimace, consumed by a growing rage.

His voice was low and strained:

"Kakashi!!!!"

"How could he? How dare he!"

Obito's fury was unrestrained, his hatred twisting his features.

He had controlled Yagura with genjutsu, implementing the Bloody Mist policies without hesitation. Until every last person in Kirigakure was dead, his hatred wouldn't subside.

The village that killed Rin, he wouldn't spare a single one of them. Killing everyone in Kirigakure would satisfy his resentment, but sparing even one would risk leaving a survivor.

Regardless of Kirigakure's actions, it was Kakashi who had personally killed Rin. Obito had initially intended to save his revenge on Kakashi for last.

Perhaps it was also to reserve the space of his left eye for the Rinnegan. With that in mind, he had delayed killing Kakashi.

But… what was Kakashi doing?!

Had he forgotten the blood feud with Kirigakure? Was Rin's death so easily dismissed in his heart?

It was laughable!

"Hahahahaha-!!!"

Obito's laughter was heart-wrenching. In his remaining right eye, fueled by his ocular power, the tomoe spun rapidly, forming the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Even activating Kamui couldn't conceal the tears streaming down his face!

Kakashi had forgotten, Minato had forgotten! But he, Obito, would never forget the blood feud with Kirigakure…

Black Zetsu observed Obito's reaction, a sense of unease creeping into his heart.

'Damn, did I overstimulate him?'

They couldn't afford a direct confrontation with Konoha at this stage. They had to accumulate power in secret. Premature exposure would alert the Five Great Shinobi Villages, which would be disastrous.

While they were all weaklings compared to the power of the Rinnegan… united, they would become a formidable obstacle.

Nagato, after all, didn't possess the original Rinnegan and couldn't single-handedly defeat the entire shinobi world.

Exposure now could lead to the worst possible outcome-

They would be unable to gather the Tailed Beasts, and the plan to revive Mother would fail.

Black Zetsu quickly issued a warning: "Obito, don't forget the mission you bear."

"We cannot engage in a direct conflict with Konoha at this stage."

After his frantic laughter subsided, Obito seemed to regain his composure, his voice now icy. "The plan… I haven't forgotten. But killing a couple of people won't attract the village's attention."

Obito covered his right eye with his hand. "With my abilities, killing two people without leaving a trace is child's play."

"…Killing is fine. But who do you intend to kill? Kakashi?"

Black Zetsu breathed a sigh of relief. With Kamui's power, no one in the shinobi world could stop Obito. Until his abilities were exposed and he became a target, Obito's Mangekyo Sharingan was invincible!

"No… that guy, I'll save him for last."

Obito's right eye burned with deep-seated hatred. "The director and producer of 'Konoha's War Shinobi,' how dare they create such filth…"

"I will kill them."

The director and producer?

Information about the two individuals surfaced in Black Zetsu's mind. "The director is just a civilian from the Land of Snow. Do as you please with him. But the producer…"

"Gojo Kaigetsu, the Fourth Hokage's advisor. Killing him would cause a major incident."

"The resulting chaos would be far greater than...." Black Zetsu warned. "Konoha would definitely investigate thoroughly. They might even come to Amegakure to investigate."

"Moreover… based on my observations, Gojo Kaigetsu is not your average Chunin. He's deliberately concealing his true strength. His chakra reserves surpass those of a Jonin."

"I don't care." Obito stood up, half his body already phasing into Kamui's dimension.

"If they entered Amegakure, Nagato will eliminate them, as always."

"As for Gojo Kaigetsu hiding his strength?" Obito's tone dripped with disdain. "To me, there's no difference between a Jonin and a Chunin."

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