"These are the Kumogakure spies I had Torifū apprehend. To ensure that no one slipped through, I would like to ask the Yamanaka clan head to interrogate them."
Yamanaka Tamaki said with a chuckle, "Kumotsuru Clan Head's skill is truly extraordinary; he alone was able to apprehend these seven spies without causing a stir. He truly lives up to his reputation as the youngest Elite Jōnin."
Kumotsuru Torifū smiled faintly, showing no particular emotion despite Yamanaka Tamaki's praise. "Clan Head Yamanaka, you flatter me. I have some minor tricks for capturing people, but when it comes to interrogating intelligence, I'm at a loss. I'll have to rely on you."
Although Kumotsuru Torifū's title as clan head might have been somewhat nominal, he was a clan head nonetheless, and his strength was undeniable. It was natural for the two of them to exchange pleasantries. After a round of compliments, Yamanaka Tamaki prepared to act.
The spies, kneeling in the office, were starting to feel numb. And every time they thought Yamanaka Tamaki was about to make a move, he would utter a new compliment, which destabilized their mental state. Yamanaka Tamaki seized this momentary lapse and quickly performed hand signs: "Mind Body Switch Technique!"
With a hum, the spy in the middle of the kneeling row suddenly froze, and then Tamaki's body swayed. Torifū, seeing this, immediately steadied Tamaki and had a Shadow Clone find a small stool for him to sit on.
The Mind Body Switch Technique and the Spirit Transformation Technique shared a similar principle: one involved sending consciousness into another's body, and the other involved an out-of-body experience for the soul. However, both had a fatal flaw: if the user's main body was injured or died, their consciousness would also dissipate. But unlike the Spirit Transformation Technique, when using the Mind Body Switch Technique to enter a target's body, if the target was harmed, the user's main body would also be affected. In severe cases, it could even lead to death. It was a ninjutsu where risk and reward coexisted.
However, as a clan head, Tamaki should have no trouble dealing with a small spy. Indeed, it wasn't long before Tamaki gradually regained consciousness, a smile on his face. He seemed to have acquired the information quite easily. But to ensure accuracy, he used the Mind Body Switch Technique on the other spies as well. This consumed a lot more energy; the Mind Body Switch Technique primarily consumed mental energy rather than chakra.
An ordinary Yamanaka clan member would be quite impressive if they could enter a single ninja's consciousness to extract information. The fact that Tamaki could continuously enter the consciousnesses of seven ninjas demonstrated the immense power of his mental energy. As Tamaki's thoughts returned to his main body, all seven spies had been thoroughly examined. He was breathing heavily, but after adjusting himself for a bit, he felt much better.
"How was it?" Tobirama asked as soon as Yamanaka Tamaki recovered.
Tamaki cupped his hands towards Tobirama and smiled faintly. "Hokage-sama, there's no need to worry. All the Kumogakure spies within the village are here. However, I cannot guarantee whether there are spies from other villages."
Tobirama nodded. That was indeed good news. For the current situation, they only needed to capture all the Kumogakure spies. After all, the plan Tobirama was about to implement was specifically aimed at Kumogakure. The current situation in the ninja world was very delicate. On the surface, everyone kept to themselves and hadn't formed alliances; no one wanted to provoke Konoha over this. But behind the scenes, it was unclear, but at least Kumogakure had no allies. This way, even if other villages did obtain intelligence, they wouldn't share it with Kumogakure. Of course, they wouldn't get any intelligence either; capturing these spies was just to be absolutely foolproof, and it was also part of the plan.
Very few ninjas knew about this matter; not even several clan heads of the major families were aware. If not for the need for Tamaki's ability, Tobirama wouldn't have let him know. And sure enough, as soon as he was done using him, Tobirama sent him away, not telling him anything about the remaining specific plans. Yamanaka Tamaki was also tactful, knowing that this was not something he should know, so he bowed and turned to leave.
"Torifū, do you know what my plan is?" Tobirama asked mysteriously.
"Hokage-sama, I'm not quite sure."
Tobirama didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Kumogakure believes that my elder brother is nearing his end, which is why he had to abdicate and hand over the position of Hokage to me. But my elder brother is still in robust health, and yet Kumogakure has already begun secretly plotting. So, I plan to beat them at their own game."
Kumotsuru Torifū asked in confusion, "How do you plan to beat them at their own game?" But as soon as he said it, connecting it with today's capture of spies, he understood.
Seeing Kumotsuru Torifū's expression change from bewildered to clear, Tobirama smiled: "Exactly, it's just as you thought. Kumogakure doesn't know we've captured their spies. We can use this to transmit false information."
Although Kumotsuru Torifū had thought of this plan, he didn't understand why they would do it. Tobirama's intention was to continuously transmit false intelligence through the spies, making Kumogakure believe that the Shodaime Hokage was gravely ill and on the verge of death. Without any deterrent, Kumogakure would naturally reveal their true nature and begin to wage war against Konoha. But wouldn't many people in Konoha die in such a war? What was the meaning of doing this?
"The result of doing this would be an eventual war, which doesn't seem like a favorable outcome for Konoha."
To his surprise, Tobirama shook his head after hearing this: "War will indeed break out, but no one from Konoha will participate."
Just as Kumotsuru Torifū was still bewildered as to why Konoha wouldn't need to participate, Tobirama softly uttered two words: "Six-Tails."
At this, Kumotsuru Torifū suddenly understood. When capturing the Six-Tails, Tobirama had used the forbidden jutsu, Impure World Reincarnation, a ninjutsu that could control the dead. However, even with Impure World Reincarnation combined with Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, while it could completely obliterate someone, wouldn't it be relatively ineffective against an army?
"Then, Hokage-sama, how many corpses can you currently control?"
Tobirama extended his left hand, showing five fingers. "Fifty. But these are just the ones I've made recently. There are many criminals in the underworld; they make excellent materials."
[T/N: The underworld here refers to the criminal syndicates or something, couldn't find the correct word.]
Tobirama's words sent a shiver down Torifū's spine. It proved that Tobirama was completely different from Hashirama. Hashirama could even forgive those who tried to assassinate him, but Tobirama wouldn't even spare criminals from the underworld who had no direct connection to him. However, what they had in common was their willingness to sacrifice everything for Konoha. Tobirama's actions were also meant to teach Kumogakure a painful lesson.
Moreover, the war wouldn't break out anytime soon. The false intelligence would need to be continuously transmitted for another one or two years. It wouldn't do for Hashirama to be perfectly fine one day and then suddenly drop dead the next; anyone would see a problem with that, and it would tip off the enemy.