At that time.

After hearing the analysis from his advisory team, Raikage A folded his arms, a dismissive snort escaping his lips as he offered his critique:

"That Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, doesn't even seem like a real leader. Has Konoha Village fallen so low that it's all about favoritism now?"

"Or has Konoha declined to the point where even a Chūnin can hold such a prestigious position?"

In the shinobi world, strength is everything. Even for administrative roles that rarely require physical force, someone in the position of advisor or deputy headmaster of the ninja academy should at least be a Tokubetsu Jōnin.

No wonder Raikage A held such disdain.

"So, what's the plan?"

"The plan is this-" The chief advisor of Raikage's council flashed a cunning smile. "Samui's physical attributes make her one of our most promising spies."

"Her talent in ninjutsu is equally remarkable. Techniques that typically take years for others to master, like suppressing one's chakra signature, took her just a week."

"With this potential, we shouldn't treat her as just another pawn."

Pawn...

Even though Samui had mentally prepared herself for this, hearing herself referred to in such a way still stirred an uncomfortable feeling deep within.

"We plan to infiltrate the highest ranks of Konoha, with Samui becoming our most elite spy. She'll establish a covert network and, possibly, even set up our black ops division within Konoha."

The chief advisor slapped his hand down on a photograph of Gojo Kaigetsu: "Our target is Gojo Kaigetsu!"

"According to our intel, Gojo Kaigetsu is a shinobi of common birth, a war orphan. His family likely migrated to the Land of Fire from a neighboring country decades ago."

"With this background, we can create an identity for Samui that will allow her to approach him."

"Samui, once you infiltrate Konoha, your name will be Gojo Ai, a distant relative of Gojo Kaigetsu from a branch family that settled in another land decades ago."

"Approaching him too quickly could draw the attention of Konoha's Anbu. You must act as though you stumbled upon your connection to Gojo Kaigetsu by accident, gradually becoming acquainted with him."

"Although you are an outsider, you might face an intensive background check. However, with your mastery of chakra suppression techniques, you should pass without issue. From there, you can naturally assume the role of a member of the Gojo clan and embed yourself beside Gojo Kaigetsu, gathering intelligence for our village."

The chief advisor's smile grew more enigmatic: "Ultimately, you could even marry Gojo Kaigetsu, securing the highest level of trust. And who knows... perhaps you might even turn him into an ally for us."

"Do you understand now, Samui?"

"…" Samui remained silent, standing before Raikage A and his senior advisors, facing their expectant gazes. Beneath her bold exterior, her heart had already grown cold. But for her village, personal feelings could be sacrificed!

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

A shinobi is nothing more than a tool.

She nodded firmly: "I will flawlessly complete the infiltration mission."

....

Back to the Present.

The two gate-keeping shinobi exchanged glances: "Gojo… That's a rare surname. It sounds familiar. Do you remember anything, Hyūga?"

"Idiot, Gojo is the name of Kaigetsu!"

"Ah, of course, it's Teacher Kaigetsu!"

"You really forgot your own teacher's surname? Honestly… you're hopeless." The Hyūga shinobi sighed, shaking his head.

The gatekeeper who had forgotten seemed quite young; as it happened, he had been a student of Gojo Kaigetsu during his time as a regular instructor at the ninja academy.

Samui took note of every word they said.

Her eyes sparkled with realization; she hadn't expected to encounter such a perfect opportunity to connect with Gojo Kaigetsu.

To be fair, Konoha's shinobi were careless, not at all concerned with the confidentiality of their conversations. Or perhaps, after enjoying so many years of peace following the Third Shinobi War, Konoha had forgotten even the most basic principles of being a shinobi?

Samui's finely crafted, aloof face took on a puzzled expression, convincingly portraying the awkwardness of a civilian in the presence of shinobi: "Excuse me, shinobi-san, but what are you talking about? Are there others with the surname Gojo in Konoha?"

"Yes, there are."

The female shinobi nodded: "But they're part of our Konoha Gojo clan. You're from the Land of Flowers, so although the surname is uncommon, it should be…"

The Hyūga ninja rolled his eyes and tugged at the female shinobi's sleeve, whispering into her ear: "Did you forget? Back when Teacher Gojo introduced himself, he mentioned that he's a migrant from the Land of Flowers…"

"Eh?!"

....

Meanwhile, at the Printing Factory.

Gojo Kaigetsu reclined in his chair, sipping on a fizzy drink with a laid-back attitude.

He was in high spirits.

This batch of *Imai* was the final one. The previous prints had already been distributed to warehouses across the four great nations, and nearly all the influential nobles had been persuaded to support the venture.

When the time comes and Gojo Kaigetsu gives the word, these nobles will be seen at high-society events with copies of *Imai* in hand. Soon enough, the merchants will notice, and the demand will skyrocket.

Once the income of other hidden villages plummets, and they trace the source of the problem, it'll be too late.

"Hah, *Imai*, activate!"

Gojo Kaigetsu muttered to himself in his office, caught up in his excitement.

Even Danzo had been lying low these past few days, not stirring up any more trouble. The village's prosperity had only increased.

But then, his smile froze.

He jolted upright in his chair.

....

System Messages:

1. A mysterious spy from Kumogakure has infiltrated Konoha. Prosperity -11.

2. The mysterious spy from Kumogakure has completed a reconnaissance of Konoha. Prosperity -11.

3. The mysterious spy from Kumogakure has established initial trust with Konoha shinobi. Prosperity -11.

Gojo Kaigetsu: "?"

Wait a minute-what is this?

A Kumogakure spy?!

With his brain running at full speed, enhanced by chakra, Gojo Kaigetsu quickly started piecing things together from the original timeline.

"If I'm not mistaken… the only time Kumogakure ever infiltrated Konoha was during the alliance ceremony when a Kumogakure shinobi attempted to kidnap Hinata…" Gojo Kaigetsu frowned, certain that his memory was accurate.

In that case, there's only one explanation.

His presence had caused a butterfly effect, altering the timeline!

Kumogakure had sent a spy into Konoha earlier than expected, with an unknown objective.

Based on the system's three notifications-"infiltration," "reconnaissance," and "establishing trust"-could it be that the Kumogakure spy intended to remain in Konoha long-term?

Typically, if the goal were just to complete a mission, would there be a need to build trust with Konoha shinobi?

Gojo Kaigetsu wasn't sure, but it was possible the spy planned to use this trust to get close to high-profile figures for assassination.