Chapter 137: Why Not Just Throw Explosive Tags into Kamui?
"Konoha is sending people to the Hidden Rain Village?"
"That's right. According to our intel, they're delivering an invitation for next year's joint Chūnin Exams."
In a dimly lit underground chamber beneath the steel structures of Amegakure, Nagato and Konan stared at Tobi and Black Zetsu. The news genuinely surprised Nagato.
But after some thought, it made sense. These joint Chūnin Exams were, at their core, a showcase of strength.
After the end of the Third Great Ninja War, the shinobi world had entered a temporary peace. However, displays of power and deterrence were still necessary.
More importantly, for ninja villages, aside from the financial support from their Daimyōs, much of their funding came from completing missions—missions assigned by clients from various regions.
These Chūnin Exams provided the perfect opportunity to highlight each village's talents and capabilities. A strong showing could attract more clients to send missions their way.
It wasn't just about prestige—it was about competition for real resources.
And of course, these events drew the attention of the Daimyōs themselves, who would use them to evaluate how much financial support each village deserved in the future.
While this kind of competition didn't matter as much to already powerful villages, it was still a battle of face and reputation.
But beyond all that...
…it was also about intimidation and influence over smaller nations.
Minor ninja villages rarely had any say in major decisions, and under the pressure of the Five Great Nations, they were often forced into compromise.
During peaceful times like these, what better way to gauge a village's power than through a high-profile event like the joint Chūnin Exams?
"Hmph, Konoha is as arrogant as ever," Nagato sneered after piecing everything together.
"But this could work to our advantage. We were planning to go to Konoha anyway—this is a perfect opportunity."
"True," Tobi said coolly. "But their visit to Amegakure likely has ulterior motives."
"They probably want to probe the state of our village... maybe even request a meeting with Hanzo the Salamander."
"Exactly. While we've been feeding them intel under Hanzo's name, the truth is—he's been dead for years."
Black Zetsu picked up the conversation, his tone grave. "Konoha won't be easy to fool."
"Hmph." Nagato scoffed again, then paused in thought before speaking. "Should I retrieve Hanzo's corpse and disguise it? And who exactly is coming from Konoha?"
Despite Hanzo's long-past death, Nagato still had ways to use his body.
But he was especially curious—who would Konoha send?
"I'd advise against that," Black Zetsu said, shaking his head. "It's highly likely Kitagawa Gen is among them. Let us handle the situation instead."
Nagato's expression darkened.
"Kitagawa Gen?"
"Yes. He's already caught wind of some of your secrets. If you try to impersonate Hanzo, there's a real risk you'll be exposed."
"He's not someone to underestimate…" Nagato's fists clenched. The painful memories of past defeat surged within him.
But that pain helped him calm down. After a long pause, he spoke again.
"Maybe... this time, I can do something."
"Huh?" Tobi frowned, confused by Nagato's shift. Even Konan looked puzzled.
"Nagato, what are you thinking?"
"We should begin preparing for the Chūnin Exams."
"You mean—?"
"That's right," Nagato said, turning to both Tobi and Black Zetsu. "You once said Danzō needs to lose the village's trust before he can be dealt with. And you also said you could handle the Hanzo situation."
He continued slowly, "So, let the welcoming party be your job. If necessary, hint to them that the Land of Rain is under constant surveillance."
"Suggest that someone in Konoha might be leaking information—just enough to make them wary."
"And once they leave the Land of Rain... I'll make my move!"
Nagato wasn't willing to let go of the grudge for what Kitagawa Gen did to Yahiko's body. And to deal with Danzō, he needed the man's credibility destroyed first.
Combining both objectives—this visit might be the perfect opportunity.
"Isn't this a bit too risky?" Black Zetsu asked, though he didn't object outright.
As a schemer himself, he knew that the best deceptions always mixed truth with lies. If this worked, they could sever all visible ties between Amegakure and the Akatsuki—and simultaneously plant suspicion around Danzō.
But if it failed... things would get messy.
And confronting Kitagawa Gen directly was something Black Zetsu still wasn't comfortable with.
"Don't forget," he added grimly, "Ōtsutsuki Genshiki is still lurking out there. We should tread carefully."
"I have my own plans," Nagato replied after a pause. "This is something I must do. Consider it reconnaissance, if you must."
He looked resolute. "I'll deploy all my clones. Whether I can kill him or not, I need to gauge his true power—personally."
He didn't expect to defeat Kitagawa Gen outright—not with that Flying Thunder God Technique in play.
But what he could do was test the waters. Assess, adapt, and prepare for a real confrontation in the future.
As for having Black Zetsu deliver the warning? That was just Nagato maintaining his pride as a "god."
There was no way he'd believe that with all his clones, he couldn't accomplish what he set out to do.
"That settles it. Go prepare."
"…Fine. I'll do what I can," Black Zetsu relented.
Tobi spoke up again. "Then for this operation, I'll bring our new recruit, Kurosuki Raiga. He's still a little reluctant about joining us."
"Even though his adoptive son's already been sent off, he seems emotionally unwilling to move on."
"Suit yourself," Nagato said simply, nodding in approval.
With the discussion complete, the rest of the meeting was just logistical chatter. Soon after, Tobi and Black Zetsu left the underground chamber.
Outside, Tobi couldn't help but ask, "So… what do you think? Will we run into him again?"
"You mean… Ōtsutsuki Genshiki?" Black Zetsu replied, his face darkening.
He was worried too.
After a moment of thought, he finally said, "Hard to say. But unless we involve the Tailed Beasts or something similar... I doubt he'll show up."
"…I hope you're right."
Uchiha Obito hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had been weighing on him.
"Are you sure... there's no curse mark or anything like that on me?"
He still hadn't forgotten that inexplicable instance of "justice from the heavens" falling on him. The memory was seared into his mind, and he had no desire to go through it again.
"Nothing's been detected—at least for now," Black Zetsu replied after a moment of silence. "Maybe you were just unlucky and happened to be in his line of sight. After all, you were near the Fire Temple."
He paused, then continued in a lower voice, "Still, it's been quite a while, and that guy hasn't made any moves. I think it's safe to say things are fine... for now."
But even as he said that, Black Zetsu fell silent again before speaking with more gravity.
"Besides, we can't just do nothing because of him. If we let one person hold us back like that, how can we ever achieve our goals?"
As he spoke, he unconsciously raised his head to look at the sky.
He wasn't just talking to Obito—he was reminding himself, too.
---
"Senpai, here are your flowers."
"Thanks, Ino."
In the early morning at the Yamanaka Flower Shop in Konoha, Kitagawa Gen accepted the bouquet from Yamanaka Ino. He carefully sealed it away with a sealing technique, prompting Ino to tilt her head in curiosity.
"Senpai, are you going on a mission again?"
"Oh? How did you know?"
Gen looked at her with interest. Ino pointed to the flowers in his hand.
"You took flowers with you the last time you went on a mission too. I'm guessing you're going to pay respects to someone while you're out."
"You're sharp."
Gen chuckled and nodded. "After so many years of war, there are resting places everywhere. It's good to be prepared in case I pass one."
He wasn't lying. Although this mission to Amegakure was just him and Kakashi—Jiraiya wasn't joining them—Jiraiya had still asked him to deliver a bouquet.
Even though Jiraiya knew that Nagato and the others had turned into enemies, Yahiko hadn't done anything wrong. He'd even been killed because of Konoha's actions. So, if the opportunity arose, Jiraiya hoped Gen would offer flowers in remembrance.
Also, this route to the Land of Rain allowed for a detour through the Land of Grass—the place where Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin were buried.
To Kakashi, that place was where the real Obito had died as a hero of Konoha.
"So, it's never a bad idea to be prepared. Although, buying flowers on behalf of Jiraiya does feel like a bit of a waste."
Given the nature of the mission, Gen figured trouble was likely—probably even involving the Akatsuki. But thankfully, he wasn't strapped for cash these days.
"Well then, thanks for your help. I'll be going."
"Take care, Senpai!"
After saying his goodbyes, Kitagawa Gen vanished in an instant—not toward the village gate, but straight to Konoha's cemetery.
There, standing before Nohara Rin's tombstone, was Kakashi. Beside her grave stood another tombstone—one with no name.
"Kakashi-sensei."
Gen approached with a smile. "I knew I'd find you here."
"It's a habit."
Kakashi's eyes remained fixed on Rin's tombstone, before drifting to the unnamed grave beside it.
"Every time I leave the village, I come here. You're here early today."
"I had to pick up a few things. Flowers, mainly."
Gen glanced at the nameless stone. "The Hokage still remembers his contributions, at least. Even if the name's been erased, the grave remains."
It was obvious the grave belonged to Uchiha Obito. Though he had become a rogue ninja, the grave had been preserved—most likely for Kakashi's sake.
"Yeah. Even if he's seen as a demon now, once, he was a hero."
Kakashi nodded. Then Gen suddenly offered:
"How about we take a detour through the Land of Grass—to pay respects?"
"The Land of Grass?"
Kakashi blinked in surprise before letting out a laugh.
"You don't mean… you actually prepared flowers? Just like when we went to the Land of Rain?"
"Guilty as charged. The mission doesn't restrict us much, so why not?"
Gen replied casually.
"I may not fully understand the sentiment, but it's worth doing what we can. What do you think, Kakashi-sensei?"
"Let's do it. After all, you're a jonin now."
Kakashi paused for a moment, then a crescent smile appeared in his visible eye.
"Maybe that place is where Obito truly passed away—and the place where I inherited his will. Yeah… we should visit."
As he spoke, his hand unconsciously moved to the eye concealed beneath his forehead protector.
"This eye holds Obito's will. It's the eye I'll use to witness the future with him."
He had experienced many painful things, but he now understood the path ahead. And he would continue walking forward.
After all, he had already welcomed a "new beginning."
---
"Oh, right. Kakashi-sensei… is it true that you once closed off Uchiha Obito's dimension with your Sharingan?"
"Uh… yeah, I did."
"Well, my shadow clone's been inside Obito's Kamui space before. Since our dimensions are linked, why don't you just throw a few explosive tags into it every day?"
"..."
"Who knows? You might get lucky and blow him up!"
"..."
Kakashi's crescent smile instantly flattened into a deadpan stare.
Why does this guy always come up with such morally bankrupt ideas?
Though… now that he thought about it… that might actually work...
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