For Konoha, both Sunagakure and Iwagakure had their own flaws, their strength far inferior to Konoha's own. But for ordinary small ninja villages… they were behemoths! The games played between great nations, even just the falling dust, could become an unbearably heavy mountain on small organizations and families. Yahiko's organization was just like that. Of course, without Madara pulling the strings and guiding from behind, with their abilities, they certainly wouldn't have gotten into trouble. But if the news of the Sage's eyes were to be exposed, then it would be a different story. Onoki would definitely not be able to sit still.
***
In the Anbu dungeon.
Kyohiko walked into the prison. He didn't immediately go to release A, but had someone seal and knock A unconscious first, and then directly teleported him out with the Flying Thunder God. In the prison here, a female ninja sat cross-legged.
Pakura.
She opened her eyes, looked at Kyohiko, and was slightly surprised. "Finished with your business? To actually remember that I'm still in this place."
"You missed me?" Kyohiko smiled.
Pakura smiled gracefully. "You little brat, where did you learn to be so glib?" She looked at the sky and said faintly, "I was wondering what you really wanted to do, but even now, I still don't understand why you went through so much trouble to lock me up here." Imprisonment required resources and manpower. And although she had lost her footing in Sunagakure, it was impossible for her to join Konoha because of it. Even if Orochimaru and Kyohiko used some kind of curse mark, it wouldn't matter to her. Because she was not afraid of death. Pakura put herself in their shoes and didn't think that locking her up was a good choice.
"Can't figure it out?"
"Mm." Pakura nodded.
Kyohiko said, "What if I told you it was for the peace of the entire shinobi world?"
"Peace? You?" Pakura burst out laughing, unable to hold it in. Then, she sat up straight and said, "Kyohiko-kun, I admire your strength, but I have to say, for now, the root of the chaos in the shinobi world is very likely you."
"No, the source of the chaos has already jumped out on its own," Kyohiko said.
Pakura couldn't help but laugh. "You're not going to say it's Sasori, are you? He doesn't have that kind of ability."
"What if I said it was Uchiha Madara?" Kyohiko said.
"Madara?" Pakura was stunned for a few seconds. She was a little bewildered, then couldn't help but laugh.
"Do you think I would believe that? Didn't Madara die at the Valley of the End? And he was killed by your First Hokage personally."
"He did die, but now, a person suspected to be Uchiha Madara has appeared."
"Huh?" Pakura's expression was blank. This was really… too convoluted. What died, and now there's a suspected one. Can people be resurrected?
Kyohiko smiled slightly. "It might be difficult for you to understand it this way, but now, we in Konoha have encountered a matter. The mastermind behind it knows the Uchiha clan very well, so he very likely has Madara's memories. I know you want to say what this has to do with you, but… what if I said that Kirigakure might be controlled by him?" Kyohiko looked at Pakura.
Pakura was completely stunned. After a few seconds, she rubbed her temples and slowly sorted out her thoughts.
"Let me think… you mean to say, a person who might have Madara's memories has controlled Kirigakure?"
"Is that possible?" She didn't quite believe it. But Kyohiko's expression seemed deadly serious.
Kyohiko tossed her a scroll. Pakura picked it up. On it was written… From Kirigakure sending two members of the "Seven Ninja Swordsmen" to Konoha to attack an old woman, to the final defection of Uchiha Obito, and the fact that Kyohiko happened to be out of the village during this time. Connecting all the points, it indeed proved—the current Kirigakure was already under control. Otherwise, no "Kage" would make such a foolish decision.
She put down the scroll, silent for a long time. This scroll indeed had nothing to do with Sunagakure, but she understood what Kyohiko hadn't said—if Madara could control the Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure, couldn't he control Rasa of Sunagakure? Was Rasa stronger than the Fourth Mizukage? Probably… very limited.
Pakura was silent for a good while.
"What can I do? I am just an ordinary Jonin. Even if you let me return to Sunagakure, I can't do anything." She looked at the sky and smiled.
"Everyone has a position that suits them. These days here, I've actually thought things through more clearly."
"What if I let you go?" Kyohiko said.
Pakura was surprised again, stunned for a few seconds before saying, "Impossible!"
"You also thought it was impossible for Madara to exist before. You thought what I said couldn't be true, that I was deceiving you. But in fact, everything I said was the truth," Kyohiko said with a faint smile.
Pakura frowned. "What do you want me to do?"
"We will place a curse mark on you. You can remain neutral, live in seclusion, we will not stop you. But we hope you can secretly help us eliminate some enemies that are common to us," Kyohiko said.
Pakura understood. "Madara's subordinates?"
"Perhaps he is not the real Madara, but he does have a group of subordinates who can sneak into places like Konoha and Kirigakure without being noticed." After Kyohiko finished speaking, he stood up.
"In dealing with Madara, our interests are aligned. The case of the Bloody Mist Village is right before our eyes. Madara's goal is definitely not just to destroy Konoha." He then stood up and patted his pants.
"Think about it. Sometimes, looking at your own village from a different perspective, you might have another kind of insight and thoughts. Perhaps in the future, you can also help Sunagakure."
"…" Pakura looked at the sky through the only small window. Madara… such a figure still exists in the world, and is even controlling the Kage of a ninja village. If it were before, she would never have believed it, but the intelligence in her hand—it was most likely true. Ryoho Kyohiko had no need to deceive her with such crude false intelligence.
She somewhat wanted to go out. After going out, not serving any organization, just living in seclusion, secretly observing Sunagakure. If Sunagakure encountered problems… she could also help out in such a situation. Pakura licked her lips, then let out a bitter smile and a soft sigh.
"What a terrifying guy!" He could always accurately hit her weaknesses and propose a plan she couldn't refuse.
Pakura opened her mouth. "One last question."
"Speak." Kyohiko stopped and turned to look at her.
Pakura said, "Did you know before that Madara was still alive? So you kept me, or do you have other purposes?"
"In the history of the past, I found some things that puzzled and alerted me. So I wanted to establish a completely neutral organization to deal with external enemies. But unfortunately, absolute neutrality cannot exist," Kyohiko replied.
Pakura was thoughtful. "You discovered traces of Madara before?"
"How could that be! I discovered that long ago, there was no such thing as chakra in the shinobi world. What we used was something called natural energy, and everyone's system was mostly created based on natural energy," Kyohiko replied.
"The Sage of Six Paths created ninjutsu and the ninja sect, which is why there is chakra. He shared ninjutsu with everyone to use," Pakura continued.
Kyohiko nodded. "Then what about the nine Tailed Beasts?"
"The Tailed Beasts?" Pakura was stunned for a moment, not understanding. "What about them?"
"As pure chakra creations, did they appear out of thin air? If they were created by someone, then the person who created them could only be the Sage of Six Paths. What was his purpose in creating them?" Kyohiko asked a series of questions.
Pakura was silent. She… had never thought about it. But now that he had brought up this question, she also became puzzled. The previous era belonged to the samurai, but there were indeed many special techniques passed down. There were records of similar things in some of Sunagakure's research. Unfortunately, they had been lost now. If what he said was true, the Tailed Beasts might also have been created by the Sage of Six Paths.
What did that sage create the Tailed Beasts for? At this moment, Pakura also discovered that the legendary Sage of Six Paths of the shinobi world seemed not as perfect as rumored.
Kyohiko sighed with regret. "You see, you never consider these questions. But in fact, although they can't make us stronger, they can help us discover some contradictions in history."
"The history we know might not be true?"
"There may be fallacies, beautification, or some things we don't know. The specific situation requires us to explore and dig into," Kyohiko said. He then turned around.
"The organization I want to establish is to explore the origin and all the mysteries of ninjas and chakra. It may be related to Madara's ultimate goal!"
"Explore the origin and mysteries of ninjas and chakra…" Pakura's eyes did not blink. Although the young man before her had extraordinary talent, his intelligence and body far surpassing his peers, one could still see the immaturity in his appearance. But his thinking, ideals, and pursuits all surpassed those of them who were many years older. Even… the word that came to her mind just now was "great." This guy… had a very great pursuit! Even if he was more on Konoha's side, that was understandable. Who would betray their own village? This actually made her believe more that what Kyohiko said was true.
She pursed her lips. "If that's the case, I hope the results of the exploration can be shared with Sunagakure."
"Of course. Because I have a faint feeling that the truth of the shinobi world may not be as beautiful as we imagine. The Sage of Six Paths, what role he played in it is still unknown," Kyohiko nodded. Then, he reminded her, "If you really have the intention of joining, I have a direction."
"What direction?"
"The Tailed Beasts." Kyohiko said, "No matter how the Tailed Beasts were born, they have indeed lived for a long time and definitely know more things than we do."
"Easier said than done…" Pakura shook her head. If the Tailed Beasts could be communicated with, they wouldn't have been sealed all this time.
"The Tailed Beasts can be communicated with. The Cloud Village may have already succeeded." Kyohiko threw out another piece of free intelligence.
Pakura licked her lips. "Aren't you afraid I'll reveal it to Sunagakure?"
"Perhaps that's exactly what I need you to do." Kyohiko said, "Since you've agreed to join me, I have a word of warning. If you dare to do anything that violates neutrality, I will retaliate against your Sunagakure!" His gaze was cold.
"You understand that I can do it."
"Yes…" Pakura lowered her head. As an enemy, she knew the young man before her very well. He had a desire for peace like Senju Hashirama, but also the thinking and ruthlessness of Senju Tobirama. The other party was by no means a gentle person. The price of betrayal would be far more terrifying than the death of a Third Kazekage. Besides, Uchiha Madara…
Pakura bit her lip. "As long as you don't use me to deal with Sunagakure, I will absolutely not violate the principle of neutrality. Otherwise, I may not necessarily kill Konoha ninjas, but I can leak some secrets."
"In a little while, you can go out."
***
In Konoha, A walked out of the room, feeling as if everything were a dream.
I'm out.
For the past few days, he had been in prison, dark and without seeing the sun. As it turned out, this time when he woke up, he found himself in a normal room.
"Congratulations, A-senpai. Your father will be here to pick you up soon. He has also paid a handsome ransom, so you are now a guest of Konoha. I apologize for my previous treatment of you." A voice came from outside.
A pulled open the curtains and saw a young man standing outside the window, his face beaming with a sunny smile. The other party even gave a slight bow of apology. But obviously, Kyohiko's apology was not sincere. Just as A himself understood, their apology was not very sincere either—if there was another chance to make the Cloud Village stronger next time, they would still try and do it without hesitation.
A glanced at the calendar.
"Today is…"
"I've been locked up for so long?!" He was in a trance for a moment.
Kyohiko nodded. "A few days, it's not that long actually. By the way, my house is next to yours, so I hope you won't do anything to make everyone unhappy."
"…" A turned his head and saw a rather beautiful house, surrounded by lush green plants. Besides, his own room seemed to be covered with vines. He nodded silently—was there even a need to consider? For Kyohiko, who mastered Wood Style, in such a place full of greenery, his every move could not escape the other's eyes. The fact that the other appeared immediately after he woke up proved it. So, he had essentially been moved from one prison to another that was more mobile and open… at least it was better than nothing.
A was not afraid of hardship or injury, but if he could have a better environment, he wouldn't deliberately torture himself. He immediately dismissed the guest and took a bath. After washing up, he opened the window to look out. He saw a corner of Konoha. Very prosperous! Compared to the Cloud Village, Konoha was surrounded by forests, plains, and rivers. These were all land resources that bred wealth, and things that their Cloud Village lacked. And the stone statues in the distance…
"Four Hokage." All were remarkable figures! A's gaze fell on the space after Tsunade. And in the future, there would inevitably be one more person's statue—Ryoho Kyohiko. "What a terrifying village!" he sighed inwardly.
Then, a thought moved in A's mind. "Kyohiko-kun, can I go and visit your school? The cooperation between us shouldn't have been broken, right?"