The living room.
Hōzuki Gengetsu sat on the sofa, brow tightly furrowed.
Most people wouldn't understand what Reiji was talking about. They'd probably dismiss the idea, thinking language was useless—chakra was what mattered.
But not him.
He was the Second Mizukage. The second!
Among the Five Great Nations, every second Kage had been a prodigy in their own right.
The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had created countless forbidden techniques, leaving an impact on the shinobi world that was nearly impossible to measure.
Good or bad, that impact was undeniable.
The Second Tsuchikage, Mū, known as a master tactician and political mind, had created Dust Release—an ability that surpassed even Kekkei Genkai. He was also one of the rare few who could fly.
The Second Kazekage, Shamon, while less renowned, had pioneered both puppet techniques and sand manipulation—shaping the future of Sunagakure in profound ways.
Each of these second-generation Kage had invented or refined countless forbidden jutsu and ninjutsu. You could say they were the most creative generation of all, the ones who pushed the boundaries of power more than any others.
And Hōzuki Gengetsu stood proudly among them—no less brilliant than the rest.
"Language is power."
Truthfully, Gengetsu agreed with that philosophy.
And honestly? This guy—Obito... No, that's probably not even his real name. He was more cunning than frozen tofu.
The guy had a damn sharp read on human nature.
In Gengetsu's mind, the image of his "partner" was beginning to take shape:
Name: Obito (likely a fake name)
Strength: Roughly equal to his own, skilled in space-time ninjutsu and taijutsu.
Strategy: On par with himself—maybe a touch better.
Personality: Incredibly devious, a thousand times thicker-skinned than himself, ten thousand times more shameless.
Overall Assessment: Worth partnering with—but if you're going to screw him over, you'd better have a flawless plan.
...
Time flew by. Three months passed in a flash.
During that time, Reiji and Hōzuki Gengetsu threw themselves into mission after mission, racking up accomplishments.
At last, thanks to quiet help from Gengetsu and Genji, Reiji climbed his way from a regular ANBU to the Intelligence Division.
It was exactly what Reiji had asked for.
The Intelligence Division was the best place to learn Kirigakure's secrets—and the easiest way to get close to the Third Mizukage.
While Reiji worked behind the scenes, steadily advancing his position...
Far to the north, in the mountains of the Land of Iron, within the Graveyard of Peaks...
Madara Uchiha sat on a stone throne, listening as White Zetsu and Black Zetsu reported in.
By now, most of his once-dark hair had turned white, and his face was deeply lined with age.
Behind him loomed the massive Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, its twisted roots suspending countless pale bodies.
Each one a White Zetsu clone, cultivated through the statue.
"You found the Uzumaki?"
"Yes!" White Zetsu said eagerly. "Lord Madara, the missing Uzumaki were all transferred to Amegakure in the Land of Rain!"
At that, Madara's brows tightened.
Amegakure...
Hanzō of the Salamander...
That worthless insect dares to interfere in my affairs? He's courting death.
Madara pushed down the rising fury in his chest and asked coldly,
"What about Nagato? Is everything in place?"
Black Zetsu nodded calmly, taking control of his body.
"According to your instructions, he's been moved to the Land of Grass."
Then, he added,
"As for your order to investigate the Second Mizukage, Hōzuki Gengetsu—we've found a lead.
His body vanished from the Hōzuki Clan's grave.
And lately, his Impure World Reincarnation has been sticking close to a Mist ninja named Fuguki Suikazan.
Fuguki Suikazan is one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and wields the great sword Samehada."
"No closer observation?" Madara asked, voice icy.
Black Zetsu shook his head.
"Lord Madara, Gengetsu's reanimated form has extremely sharp sensory abilities. The moment we get close, he notices."
What they didn't know... was that the sensory power didn't come from Gengetsu—it came from Reiji, in Sage Mode.
After sensing the chakra of Black Zetsu and White Zetsu, Reiji had passed the intel to Gengetsu through the Impure World Reincarnation technique.
And at that moment, Madara finally spoke.
"Amegakure and that pufferfish—just keep them under surveillance.
Right now, the top priority is Nagato. He must be watched closely, at least until he can truly handle the power of the Rinnegan."
At that, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu nodded solemnly.
...
Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, more than two years had passed.
Konoha Year 32—among the Five Great Nations, only Kirigakure remained relatively quiet. The other four hidden villages had begun stirring with increasing frequency.
Kumogakure, with its overwhelming strength, was no longer content to stay tucked away in isolation.
Sunagakure, bolstered by the great river running through its desert, had seen an economic boom—along with it, a growing greed. A greed directed straight at the Land of Fire.
Iwagakure had been plagued with bad luck from the start. Years of setbacks had left it seething with resentment. If war broke out, they'd be the first to jump into the chaos.
And Konoha? Positioned at the center of it all, it still wasn't strong enough to face the combined might of the other three nations. All it could do was grit its teeth and build power, fast.
...
In Konohagakure, midday sun poured over the land, warming the earth and draping everything in vibrant green.
Beneath that sunlight, hidden in the shadows of Root, Danzō Shimura sat in silence, eyes shut, focusing intently.
The room around him buzzed with sterile energy—packed with precision instruments, white-coated researchers moving back and forth.
Inside towering glass tanks, nearly two meters tall, lay rows of children. Eyes shut, faces twisted in pain.
Suddenly, Danzō opened his eyes.
His right eye burned blood-red, three tomoe spinning in slow circles. Black lines crawled across the skin around it, pulsing, alive—grotesque and terrifying.
A different kind of vision. A power unlike anything before. Danzō's lips curled into a cold, dark smile.
The experiment had worked.
The power of the Uchiha—finally his.
And the truth? The heart wasn't the key to mastering the Sharingan. It was the mind.
Chakra from a transplanted heart couldn't properly sustain the Sharingan. Only the unique chakra generated in an Uchiha's brain could truly control it.
And all of this—this revelation—came from Danzō's relentless experimentation.
With practiced hands, he pulled out a roll of white bandages and wrapped them around his right eye once more.
There was a time when just having a three-tomoe Sharingan would've thrilled him for days.
But not anymore. His ambition had grown.
Now, he wanted Kagami's eyes.
And the timing couldn't be better.
Across the nations, covert moves were intensifying. Border clashes were growing more frequent.
The higher-ups had reached a conclusion: war was coming.
Because of that, Hiruzen Sarutobi had completely shifted gears—ditching his usual reserved stance and pushing Konoha's military development to the limit.
To put it in perspective, if Konoha's talent development during peacetime was like an old man riding a tricycle...
Now, it was like a blazing ghost child—fast, furious, unstoppable.
In the past, it took six years to graduate from the Ninja Academy. Now? Three or four years was the norm. Faster, harder, earlier—Konoha was preparing for war.