Fugaku closed the mission scroll sent by his son, a rare smile gracing his features as he nodded in satisfaction. "The Land of Grass operation went without a single hitch. Itachi has nothing but praise for Sena. Hirotaka, you have raised quite an impressive kunoichi."
Hirotaka bowed, a genuine smile warming his serene features. "Thank you, Lord Hokage. It is an honor to receive such high praise, especially from a shinobi as exceptionally talented as your son."
Standing nearby, Shikaku clicked his tongue and stifled a heavy sigh. He couldn't help but lament his own rotten luck. His son, Shikamaru, was growing more like him every day, wanting nothing more than to watch clouds and avoid effort. Yet here Shikaku was, tethered to the Hokage's office, burdened by the endless work required to keep a superpower functioning.
"Troublesome," Shikaku muttered, his usual complaint, before shifting his sharp gaze back to the massive map spread across Fugaku's desk. "While we still have ongoing operations in the Grass to manage the western border, I believe it is time we initiate the next phase on the eastern front."
Hirotaka nodded in agreement as Shikaku tapped a finger firmly on an island nation off the coast, the Land of Waves.
"Currently, we have no physical land connection to the Land of Waves, and establishing one will be a monumental task," Hirotaka noted, his tone shifting to pure business. "There are whispers of a local project to build a bridge to the mainland. However, the small island nation and its ports are currently under the heavy thumb of local syndicates. Because they lack a standing military, the smaller villages there occasionally rely on us for missions when those criminals go overboard. But if we want to secure that land, and by extension their largest port city as our primary naval deployment point against the Land of Mist, we need to escalate the situation. We must drive the locals to be desperate enough to ask for our permanent protection."
Fugaku folded his hands under his chin, his eyes narrowing at the map. "Agreed. But we cannot simply march an army in for a small skirmish with a few gang members. We need an airtight justification to station a major military force there that won't raise the suspicions of Kumo or Iwa and trigger a global incident."
Shikaku scratched his stubble, his voice calm and methodical as he laid out the trap. "Gato holds the overall monopoly over the Land of Waves. He takes his cut off the top and rules the economy with an iron fist. However, beneath him, the local gangs in the port city are constantly at each other's throats for the rest of the pie. They only behave and maintain a fragile peace because they fear Gato's influence."
After a few more taps on the desk that broke the short silence, the Jonin Commander continued. "Therefore, we should not attack Gato directly. Our job is simply to shake the hornet's nest. We assign a covert ANBU operative to surgically eliminate the three biggest gang leaders in the port city. During the assassinations, our operative will plant explicit evidence using signature weapons and calling cards to frame the rival gangs for the hits. Those gangs are vain enough to leave signatures for their actions and each of them is so paranoid that they would believe their enemies did it without looking too deep into it."
A slow, calculating grin spread across Fugaku's face as he saw the pieces fall into place. "That friction will instantly ignite a full blown gang war in the streets. Gato's men will be forced to intervene, and his strength will wither as he loses resources trying to whip those berserk gangs back into shape. By the time we arrive, he will be too exhausted to put up any meaningful resistance."
"Exactly," Shikaku confirmed. "The violence will spiral completely out of control. With their homes turning into warzones and their ports paralyzed, the civilians will be terrified. Naturally, they will flock to the strongest, closest village with whom they already have a positive history, which is Konoha."
"And they will practically beg us to intervene," Hirotaka finished, leaning forward. "That gives us the perfect humanitarian pretext. We send a massive military force under the pretense of stabilizing a land neighboring the Land of Fire. In doing so, we secure the bridge's construction site, the supply roads, and the port city itself without any major international backlash."
"Once the dust settles," Hirotaka added smoothly, "I will personally ensure that the local leaders who take power are Konoha loyalists. Ridding the good people of the Land of Waves of their mafia oppressors will earn us unshakeable goodwill. They will want our garrison to stay and ensure the peace. And in doing so, we completely mask our fleet's buildup against the Land of Mist until the exact moment we decide to strike."
Fugaku leaned back in his chair. He reviewed the plan piece by piece in his mind before a small, satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"Hirotaka," Fugaku began, "get to the Daimyo. Make sure he is fully aligned with this move. It should be an easy task given the massive profits that will flow into his coffers once we install loyalists to control that busy trade hub."
Hirotaka stood up and bowed respectfully. "As you wish, Lord Hokage. I will depart immediately and ensure there are no political objections to our strategy."
Fugaku nodded his approval as Hirotaka hurried out of the office. He then turned his attention to his Jonin Commander.
"Send the ANBU, Shikaku. It is time to do some shadow work."
Shikaku bowed slightly. "I will see to it at once. The teams will be on standby, ready to move the moment we receive the signal from Hirotaka."
Fugaku spoke with an authoritative voice. "Good. Have them utilize the old intelligence files Root gathered on those mafia bosses, but ensure our field agents cross-reference everything. The underworld shifts constantly, so things may have changed. Let the ANBU team captain on the ground decide the final targets based on the current landscape. Just make sure they follow the core strategy."
"Understood," Shikaku replied, turning sharply and heading straight for the ANBU headquarters.
---
Two weeks later, in a damp rot of an abandoned warehouse in the Land of Waves. Rain drummed softly against the corrugated metal roof, drowning out the ambient noise of the port city.
Kaen knelt in the shadows alongside two other figures. To his left crouched a tall man with a heavily grizzled jawline, dark, unreadable grey eyes, and a wild mane of hair. To his right stood their team captain. She was a lethal kunoichi with bright brown hair and a devious smile. Her eyes somehow always seemed to be swallowed by the darkness of the room.
"The final approval for our operation just came through," she whispered, her voice barely carrying over the rain. "Luckily, we had enough time to scout the territory and confirm our targets beforehand. Each of you has one assassination to carry out tonight."
Her smile faded into absolute professionalism. "There is one condition for the mission. Absolutely no ninjutsu. The kills must look exactly like internal gang violence. These syndicates occasionally employ mercenaries who can use chakra, but they are incredibly rare and highly monitored. They are used primarily as deterrents. Therefore, a blast of fire or a wall of earth will immediately expose ninja involvement and ruin the entire operation."
She looked between her two subordinates. "With your assigned targets, it is highly likely you will encounter a guard or two at the genin level. If you are unlucky, you might face a chunin. You must take them down alongside their bosses using only conventional weaponry and physical combat. Once the targets are dead, plant the specific gang insignia you were assigned; it matches the syndicate that currently holds the deepest animosity toward your victim."
Her gaze then shifted directly to Kaen, the devious smile returning. "Since I did not have enough time to play with you, my newest toy, I am giving you the hardest target so I can know that you can handle it."
Although her eyes were hidden in shadows, Kaen felt her winking at him as she continued, a mischievous tone now clear in her voice. "We know for a fact that your target has a chunin bodyguard who is always attached to him. Their enemy gangs usually rely on swords, so make sure to use that as your weapon of choice. Good luck neutralizing the target without a single jutsu. It should be a fitting initiation for a three-tomoe Sharingan user, given the record set by the previous silver-haired one I worked with."
Kaen wanted to grumble in annoyance. He knew exactly how cruel and testing his new captain could be. However, he kept his discipline absolute and simply nodded. "Yes, Captain. I will ensure the mission is accomplished exactly as instructed."
The captain placed a hand against her cheek, feigning a dramatic swoon. "I just love the burning fire in your heart."
Kaen, having learned from his grizzled teammate to ignore their captain's provocative remarks, remained silent. He reached out and accepted the small scroll containing his target's information and security details. He read through the contents, committing every vulnerability to memory with perfect focus to ensure the mission was completed without any complications. Beside him, his teammate did the same.
Once the information was locked in his mind, Kaen handed the scroll back to his captain. In one fluid, practiced motion, he reached behind his uniform and pulled his assigned porcelain mask over his face. The painted red markings of a fierce bull completely obscured his features. Kaen the Uchiha vanished into the mask, leaving only the cold, emotionless operative behind.