Land of Water, Hidden Mist.
Thick, milky-white mist, so dense it couldn't be dispersed, always enveloped this Village. The morning mist, mixed with the smell of blood and Chakra, obscured the large cluster of buildings in the center of the island, making everything appear hazy—this mist was both the natural climate of this island and its most excellent reconnaissance barrier.
On the straight street with visibility less than twenty meters, the damp flagstones glowed with a moldy, greenish sheen, yet not a single person could be seen coming or going.
Ever since the Fourth Mizukage took office, or more accurately, from the late period of the Third Mizukage, this Village had gradually begun to close itself off, becoming increasingly mysterious in the eyes of outsiders. Few people, whether merchant caravans or visiting nobles, knew the internal situation of this Village.
Coupled with the cruel style of the Kirigakure Ninja who occasionally appeared in the outside world.
Over time, the moniker 'Bloody Mist' gradually began to replace the original name 'Hidden Mist'.
"Tap, tap."
The sound of light footsteps, whether from the rooftops or hidden alleyways, quickly traversed the empty streets, heading straight towards a certain room.
Upon opening the door and seeing the old man sitting inside, chanting scriptures, Mei Terumī finally let out a slight sigh of relief and spoke in a low voice:
"Master Genshi?"
"Oh, Mei-chan."
The bald, old man, who was not serious, stopped tapping his wooden fish with a smile and turned to look at her: "So hurried, has 'that side' already received news?"
"Yes."
Mei Terumī said seriously: "Ever since the Fourth Mizukage dispatched the guard team out of the Village, we have followed their tracks and noticed they should have landed on the coast near the Land of Waves."
"Just now, our people radioed back news of a large-scale hostile force discovered around Konoha."
"It should be 'that side'."
"Konoha, huh."
Genshi muttered the familiar name, seemingly with a sigh:
"What was the outcome?"
"Annihilated."
Mei Terumī pursed her lips, trying her best not to let her inner anger show on her face.
Genshi's brows furrowed slightly, as if regretting the deaths of these Kirigakure Ninja, or perhaps feeling helpless:
"They were all good children."
"Have you still not found any trace of the person behind it?"
"Yes."
Mei Terumī couldn't help but lower her head: "Their actions were very secretive, and we were a bit late when we caught up."
"On the subsequent journey, we couldn't distinguish the opponent's tracks, and they clearly split up."
"Evidently, the other party should be very concerned about the series of disturbances within Konoha recently, but we don't know their purpose."
Mei Terumī narrated with a calm tone.
Ever since the Third Great Ninja War, when Ao detected traces of genjutsu on the Fourth Mizukage through his Byakugan, their alliance, led by Genshi and composed of various Shinobi Clans and civilian Ninja who opposed the Bloody Mist policies, had secretly begun to gather.
However, although Master Genshi was nominally an elder of Hidden Mist, with a status equal to the Mizukage, and was even an old man from the First Mizukage's era.
But in terms of power alone, Elder Genshi was far inferior to the Mizukage, who had begun to centralize power highly since the Second Mizukage.
The size of their organization was also quite limited, completely unable to openly oppose the Mizukage, let alone publicly point out the fact that the Fourth Mizukage was hypnotized.
In order to find evidence that the Fourth Mizukage was hypnotized, and to find the mastermind behind his hypnosis, they had been secretly working tirelessly over the years, silently accumulating strength.
Upon hearing this, Genshi also fell silent.
It wasn't until a long time later that he spoke: "Let's wait a little longer."
He turned his head and looked through the mist-shrouded window towards the distant Mizukage's Office Building.
"Since someone dares to spread such a colossal lie, he must have a grand goal beyond ordinary imagination."
"Such a big move will definitely reveal flaws."
"Mei, please be patient."
The old man gently lowered his head, looking at the girl kneeling on the ground.
Mei Terumī sighed softly, but could only agree:
"Yes."
"Master Genshi."
"Hoo, hoo..."
Inside the Mizukage's Office.
Uchiha Obito, who had just emerged from underground through the brick wall, couldn't even care about his current appearance. He slumped against the corner of the wall, breathing heavily, his heart pounding like a drum in his chest, completely unable to calm down.
Throughout his escape from Konoha, he and Zetsu had taken turns sprinting, dragging each other along, not daring to stop for a moment, fearing that terrifying individual would suddenly appear before him again like a ghost, just as he had before.
That kind of terror, despair, and oppression, the feeling of having his mind and body manipulated, was something he had never experienced in his life.
In fact, even his true identity was exposed the very first time they met.
"Damn it!"
Uchiha Obito slammed his fist heavily on the floor, seemingly wanting to vent the gloom in his heart through physical pain, gnashing his teeth with hatred.
"What kind of monster is that guy...?" he murmured, subconsciously reaching out to take off the mask on his face, but found nothing.
Only then did he remember that the mask had already been removed by that bastard Aizen Sōsuke back in Konoha.
"Damn it!!!"
This time, his voice involuntarily carried a low growl.
"Rustle, rustle..."
Yagura, in the center of the office, seemed to completely ignore his disheveled appearance. He remained quietly seated at his desk, processing Village documents, looking as if time stood still, as if mocking Obito's current panic.
For a moment, Obito couldn't help but lose his composure and snapped:
"You! Get out!"
Upon hearing this, Yagura didn't say another word, quietly rose from his seat, gently pushed open the door, and left.
Faint, receding footsteps echoed in the corridor.
It wasn't until only he and Zetsu were left in the entire office that the inexplicable fear in Uchiha Obito's heart slightly lessened.
However, Aizen Sōsuke's calm and gentle smile still lingered in his mind, making him helpless.
More importantly... Uchiha Obito sat on the ground, involuntarily recalling the final scene.
That sharp blade, piercing his brain through his eyeball.
Afterward, inexplicably, nothing happened.
Uchiha Obito didn't believe that a monster like Aizen Sōsuke, hidden deep within Konoha, would make pointless small moves.
It's just...
What did he do to me?
Humanity's oldest and strongest fear is the unknown.
Uchiha Obito thought this, subconsciously touching his eye socket.
"Obito."
"Now is not the time for such things."
Just as his mind was somewhat chaotic, he heard Zetsu suddenly speak from beside him.
The two-faced individual, always with a mocking smile, seemed to have become uncharacteristically serious under this unprecedented crisis: "Now, our most important task is to thoroughly investigate Aizen Sōsuke's true identity and what he has done."
"Also, to ensure that your identity and our plan haven't been exposed."
"You seem to know him, right?"
Immediately, Uchiha Obito, who had just been in a state of disarray, seemed to have found his anchor and quickly said:
"Yes, that's right."
"It doesn't matter if my identity is exposed, what's important is that the eye of the moon plan hasn't been exposed..." If he couldn't complete the eye of the moon plan, couldn't create the world of his dreams where Rin, who deeply loved him, existed, then his life would truly be wasted.
As for his identity...
Uchiha Obito gritted his teeth.
If it's exposed, it's exposed.
Anyway, he had already completely cut ties with that Village on the night of the Nine-Tailed attack, hadn't he?
Zetsu quietly watched the changes in his expression, coaxing him:
"That's more like it."
"That Aizen Sōsuke, do you know anything about him?"
"Roughly, a little bit."
As if recalling past times, Uchiha Obito slowly lowered his head, his voice somewhat weak:
"Or maybe not much."
In his memory, his time at the Ninja Academy was already somewhat blurry.
His impression of Aizen was only that he was very smart, had good relationships with many classmates, and Rin always talked with him after class, which made Obito very jealous, and other such minor things.
Aside from theoretical courses, whether it was Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, total Chakra, or individual Bloodline Limit... everything was mediocre.
If not for that, a boy like him who could wield a kunai, in the context of the Third Great Ninja War, would probably have found it difficult to be selected as a medical Genin.
But now, it seemed all of that was his disguise.
Just recalling how the opponent instantly killed four Mizukage guards, and from the start of the battle, almost completely dominated him until the end, Uchiha Obito couldn't help but clench his fists.
Mediocre strength?
What kind of dark humor was that?!
Upon hearing this, Zetsu's brows couldn't help but furrow.
"Was he hiding his strength from such a young age?"
"Or did he have some kind of fortuitous encounter after graduating from the Ninja Academy?"
If it was the former, it could still be explained by deep cunning from childhood, possessing a special bloodline, and so on.
But if it was the latter, that would be very unsettling.
Black Zetsu mused inwardly.
He had been lurking in the Ninja World for a thousand years, having seen countless talented individuals pass by like carps crossing a river.
However, no matter which one was singled out, it would be difficult to create a monster like Aizen Sōsuke.
This could only mean that there might be a huge force behind him that he hadn't even noticed.
After a long period of thought, Black Zetsu spoke:
"No matter what, Obito."
"Our plan, I'm afraid, must accelerate."
"Only by possessing enough power can we have the means to deal with that guy."
Uchiha Obito also nodded slightly, his expression gloomy:
"That's right!"
Since he couldn't figure out what Aizen's final slash was for, there was no need to keep thinking about it.
Anyway, his brain had never been very good, and hadn't he still made it this far?
"The eye of the moon plan is the top priority."
"However, to ensure this plan can be completed, I must also become stronger..."
"Hmm?"
Hearing this, Zetsu subconsciously looked up at him.
He wondered if it was his imagination.
The moment Obito said that, there was a strange sense of piety in his voice.
"This kid, didn't he used to only see strength as a tool to complete the eye of the moon plan?"
"Is it because the blow Aizen dealt him was a bit too great?" Black Zetsu subconsciously thought.
This wasn't something he would say.
He just felt... something seemed off.
The intuition of a thousand-year-old schemer made him subconsciously feel wary.
"What's wrong?" Uchiha Obito seemed to notice his gaze and frowned in confusion, "Are you dissatisfied with something?"
"No, not at all."
Zetsu's yin-yang face once again showed its usual fake smile.
"Hmph."
Uchiha Obito snorted lightly, completely unaware of any abnormality.
The moment he made this decision, he wondered if it was an illusion, but even the deep shadow of Aizen Sōsuke seemed to recede by half at this moment.
Uchiha Obito did not know.
At this very moment, deep within his Kamui Dimension.
A pure white seed was deeply rooted in the chaotic space-time currents, drawing Chakra from the depths of his heart.
It grew by fueling his desires.
The Roots of the mistletoe always invaded others' worlds in a gentle way.
"Whoosh!"
Amidst fluttering leaves, Kakashi Hatake's figure appeared in front of the Hokage Building.
He first looked warily at the unchanging building in front of him, then scanned his surroundings, his nerves taut.
Almost immediately after the Village was attacked, various Anbu teams were dispatched rapidly in all directions to prevent other enemies from infiltrating deep into the Village.
The Hokage Building, as the place in the entire Village that stored the most secrets, was naturally the top priority for Anbu protection.
However, Kakashi Hatake's choice to scout the Hokage Building direction was slightly tinged with personal motives.
"I hope nothing happened," he thought, "Sōusuke is here every day in this godforsaken place." He quickened his steps towards the front of the building.
As soon as he rounded the corner, his nose caught a strong scent of blood.
Kakashi Hatake's pupils constricted, and his pace suddenly quickened.
Just as he reached the front of the building, he saw a tall figure in a white lab coat, holding a katana, standing quietly in front of the steps.
In front of him were several corpses that had already lost their life force.
"Sōusuke?!"
Kakashi Hatake exclaimed in astonishment.
He first looked at his refined appearance, then at the bodies on the ground, his eyes filled with clear disbelief.
"Oh my, Kakashi."
Aizen Sōsuke waved in his direction, still maintaining his usual carefree demeanor, scratching his cheek and sighing:
"I was just worried I didn't bring any signal flares, it's a good thing you've arrived."
"This guy suddenly rushed over and attacked; he seems to be an enemy."
"I didn't kill the wrong person, did I?"
"You... you..." Kakashi Hatake looked at the bodies on the ground, stammering for a long time, suddenly unsure what to say.
He had been worried about this guy's safety and had rushed over.
Isn't this guy quite capable?
He thought so.
When his gaze shifted to the bodies on the ground and he saw their gruesome deaths, his expression became even more subtle.
"When did your strength improve to this extent?"
Of the four bodies on the ground, three had been struck in vital points with a single blow, while the other was dismembered, dying a particularly tragic death.
Kakashi Hatake raised an eyebrow, and his gaze towards Sōusuke changed.
If these were just ordinary Hidden Mist Chunin, he believed he could achieve the same within this range.
However, as a close friend since childhood, didn't he know Sōusuke's abilities well?
"Hey, what kind of talk is that!"
Sōusuke retracted his katana, his tone quite displeased: "When you guys were on missions, I wasn't just sitting in the lab doing nothing."
"No matter what, I am one of the most outstanding Ninja of the younger generation."
"How do you think I got my Jonin title?"
"You really look down on me."
Looking at his familiar appearance, Kakashi inexplicably felt a sense of relief, whether it was an illusion or not.
However, when he spoke, he naturally adopted the unique disdain shared between close friends:
"Tonight, at least a group of Ninja infiltrated Konoha, and we still haven't figured out their objectives."
"You should have left one alive."
"Eh?"
Sōusuke's previously somewhat smug expression immediately froze.
Kakashi Hatake waved his hand casually: "Never mind, the bodies are all here anyway. We'll just have the Yamanaka Clan work overtime later."
"However..."
As he spoke, he squatted down, examining the bodies of these Kirigakure Ninja, his brows slightly furrowed: "These people's attire doesn't look like Kirigakure Anbu... It's really rare for them to just barge into Konoha so brazenly."
Just as he was examining them for clues, a series of subsequent personnel also arrived.
Perhaps due to concerns about the situation at the Hokage Building, even Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura personally arrived, fully armed.
"Third Hokage."
Seeing their arrival, Kakashi and Sōusuke immediately stood up.
"Kakashi."
"Mr. Aizen is here too?"
Being able to remember the names of most important Ninja in the Village was a special skill Hiruzen Sarutobi was quite proud of.
When he saw the bodies on the ground, he immediately understood the situation and naturally smiled as he looked in Kakashi's direction: "
It's hard work for you to be active so late."
Kakashi had been in the Anbu for so many years and could instantly understand Hiruzen Sarutobi's meaning, so he proactively said: "Third Hokage, before I arrived, Mr. Sōusuke had already dealt with them."
"Oh?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, turning his head in surprise to look at the young man in the white lab coat, completely without the air of a superior, and smiled warmly:
"It seems I underestimated you."
"Mr. Sōusuke, you've made rapid progress recently."
"Thank you, Third Hokage."
Aizen's smile was polite and humble, and he subtly praised: "Also, thanks to your timely allocation of funds to the Third Division, I've made new breakthroughs in Kekkei Genkai."
"Otherwise, tonight's situation would indeed have been quite dangerous."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes immediately lit up.
Not just him.
Even Danzo Shimura, who had been absent-minded since earlier, had his gaze return to the young man in front of him the moment he heard this sentence.
"Oh?"
Developing Bloodline Limits has always been a crucial experimental project for various Villages, and a primary research direction for significantly enhancing a Ninja's strength.
Countries spared no effort in investing in similar areas.
However, in recent years, very few people have truly achieved results.
This not only requires Ninja to possess sufficient theoretical foundations and creative intelligence but also requires the Ninja themselves to have a certain level of inherent strength.
Aizen Sōsuke, who stood before them, was one of them.
Kekkei Genkai was also the only completely new Bloodline Limit to emerge in the Ninja World within the last decade.
Danzo Shimura thought of this, and his gaze towards the young man in front of him became somewhat different.
Whether it was to counter the Shinobi Clans' alliance or to contend with Hiruzen Sarutobi for power, he urgently needed to replenish his talent pool.
What's more, Root had already lost Orochimaru, its main research producer, and its forbidden scientific research efforts were facing a predicament.
He thought this as he slowly scrutinized the bright and cheerful young man in front of him.
Good.
He had to bring this kid into Root.
He wondered if it was his imagination.
Almost the moment Danzo Shimura had this thought.
The young man opposite suddenly turned his gaze and met his.
As their eyes met, a gentle smile slowly appeared on Aizen's face.