After a brief pause, Ao spoke again.
"If Hidden Sand and Hidden Rain become entangled in open conflict, the remaining villages won't be able to sit idle."
Rasa's expression hardened. "What are you implying?"
"Hidden Mist can publicly support Hidden Sand," Ao replied evenly. "An official alliance, for example. That alone would deter the other three Great Villages from acting rashly."
Rasa cursed inwardly.
They were far sharper than he'd hoped.
Every calculation he'd made—every layer of intent—had already been stripped bare by Ao… by Mei.
"Twenty percent," Rasa said decisively. "That's the maximum. If it's unacceptable, you're free to walk away."
Ao frowned.
Twenty percent.
Exactly Hidden Mist's bottom line.
After all, they were contributing little more than manpower—Water Release ninja to facilitate transport. Any real fighting against Hidden Rain would inevitably fall to Hidden Sand.
Hidden Mist's role was deterrence, nothing more.
After a moment, Ao nodded. "Very well. A pleasant cooperation, then."
"I've already pinpointed Biwa Jūzō's location. We can move at dawn."
Rasa exhaled quietly, then added, "Once Jūzō is dealt with, we'll issue a public notice to the shinobi world."
No matter the era, a righteous banner mattered.
Hidden Sand and Hidden Mist were merely eliminating a rogue ninja—Biwa Jūzō.
Even if Hanzō protested, he'd have no moral footing.
"Agreed," Ao said. "But the pact is signed today."
"No problem," Rasa replied without hesitation.
He had never intended to wage a full war against Hidden Rain—only to force them out of the water trade.
Monopolize the supply.
Stabilize profits.
Strengthen Hidden Sand.
The next day.
Under Rasa's command, a group of jōnin streaked across the sky toward a Hidden Rain outpost deep within the Land of Wind.
The outpost sat at the heart of the transport network, tasked with two responsibilities:
Protecting the pipelines.
And dispatching Summoning Beasts to sell potable water.
Only one Akatsuki member guarded it—Biwa Jūzō.
Normally, Akatsuki operated in pairs.
But stretched thin by logistics and manpower shortages, only one member had been stationed there. The rest were ordinary Hidden Rain ninja proficient in Water Release.
White Zetsu detected the incoming force—but too late.
After all, who expects an attack from above?
The battle was fierce and brief.
Biwa Jūzō fought like a cornered beast.
Ao had no desire to kill him—but Jūzō gave no choice.
In the end, the executioner fell.
Kubikiribōchō was reclaimed.
Once every Hidden Rain ninja at the outpost lay dead, Rasa ordered the pipelines destroyed.
Half a day later.
Hidden Rain Village, Land of Rain.
Tendo pain received word of Biwa Jūzō's death from White Zetsu.
He felt nothing.
Akatsuki members were expendable—Kakuzu had sold his teammates' heads more than once.
But the water trade…
That mattered.
Its profits were accelerating the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Now that Hidden Sand and Hidden Mist had crippled it, only the silver jewelry trade remained.
Progress would slow.
"Summon Konan," Tendo pain said flatly.
He could annihilate Rasa and Ao without effort.
But doing so would expose Akatsuki entirely—painting a target on the organization's back and jeopardizing the Eye of the Moon Plan.
After weighing the options, he chose restraint.
Both the water and silver trades were under Konan's management.
Without her initiative, Akatsuki would never have entered commerce at all.
There was no need to convene the others.
Among Akatsuki, camaraderie was a myth.
With Biwa Jūzō dead, the rest would mock his weakness—not avenge him.
Two days later, Konan stood before Tendo pain.
"White Zetsu told you?" he asked.
"Yes," Konan replied with a nod.
"What's your judgment?" he asked. "I won't allow this to hinder the Eye of the Moon Plan."
"We abandon the pipelines," Konan said calmly. "Rely primarily on Summoning Beasts for transport—and simultaneously sabotage Hidden Sand's pipelines."
Pain paused. "Why?"
"The water trade is too profitable to abandon," Konan explained. "But we can't openly clash with two Great Villages while pursuing our larger goal."
"A prolonged tug-of-war is the optimal solution."
"Too inefficient," Pain said. "Extended conflict will slash profits."
"Turbulence creates opportunity," Konan countered evenly. "Risk inflates value. We raise prices."
She met his gaze.
"By exerting control over Hidden Sand ninja, we can coordinate supply disruptions—and push prices even higher."
"..."
For the first time in a long while, Nagato felt genuinely confused.
At the same time, he realized something unsettling.
Konan had changed.
She no longer resembled the woman who once followed him without question.
"What about casualties among the Hidden Rain ninja?"
Tendo pain asked.
"Use White Zetsu and puppets as cover," Konan replied evenly. "Leave the handling to Sasori."
Though Sasori was the grandson of Hidden Sand's Third Kazekage, he had personally killed the man and could never return home. Nor did he wish to. Within Akatsuki, he was free to pursue human puppetry—and his vision of eternity.
"Very well," Pain said, giving a single nod. "See that it's done."
The following day, Kitazawa received the intelligence report at Konoha's ANBU Base.
Its contents were concise to the point of bluntness:
Hidden Sand and Hidden Mist have jointly eliminated the rogue ninja Biwa Jūzō.
The same notice reached Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
Both villages found the matter odd—but hardly alarming.
From their perspective, Hanzō would simply have to swallow the loss. Only a madman would pit Hidden Rain against two great villages at once.
Only Kitazawa knew the truth.
Hidden Rain was no longer acting alone—it was backed by Akatsuki, an organization powerful enough to annihilate Hidden Sand and Hidden Mist if it chose to.
But would Akatsuki really move over the death of Biwa Jūzō?
Kitazawa doubted it.
Akatsuki existed for one purpose alone: the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Individual members were expendable. If one died, another could always replace them.
Launching a war that wiped out two Great Villages would only unite the remaining three against them—and potentially ignite the Fourth Great Ninja War.
The Five Great Nations would never tolerate an organization that dangerous.
Still, it was all speculation.
Fortunately, Kitazawa had an informant on the inside—Konan.
Once she returned, he'd know for certain.
Privately, he hoped to delay the Fourth Great Ninja War by at least two or three years.
He wasn't invincible yet.
After a moment's thought, Kitazawa headed to the Hokage Office.
"What's your take on the Hidden Sand–Hidden Mist incident?" Tsunade asked directly.
"It shouldn't escalate into a full-scale war," Kitazawa replied after a brief pause.
"I agree," Tsunade nodded. "It's a perfect opportunity to observe that mysterious Akatsuki."
Kitazawa had already informed her that Hanzō was dead—and that Hidden Rain was now under Akatsuki's control.
"Send ANBU to monitor the situation. Report anything unusual."
She wasn't overly concerned.
Konoha, as it stood now, was strong.
"Understood," Kitazawa replied.
Two days later, Konan returned to the Hidden Leaf.
"I heard what Hidden Sand and Hidden Mist did," Kitazawa said without preamble. "How is Akatsuki responding?"
Konan concealed nothing, calmly outlining the organization's countermeasures.
She simply avoided mentioning Sasori by name.
"You've learned quickly," Kitazawa said after listening, genuine praise in his tone.
Her remark about turbulent times creating new ways to profit already sounded like the mindset of a seasoned war profiteer.
At the same time, his suspicions were confirmed.
Akatsuki had no intention of starting the Fourth Great Ninja War.
The timing was still too early.
Though, thanks to his interference, events were clearly accelerating compared to the original timeline.
"Still, dragging this out won't work forever," Kitazawa said, eyes narrowing slightly. "Once Rasa realizes what's happening, he'll push for escalation."
"We'll stall," Konan replied after a brief hesitation—speaking a half-truth. "Once we have enough funds, we can hire another village."
"And how long do you plan to stall?" Kitazawa asked quietly.
"I don't know," Konan admitted. "Ideally… one or two years."
Hearing that, Kitazawa felt a faint sense of relief.
A year or two was short—but it was enough.
He could no longer afford a relaxed pace. System missions would need to be cleared faster, and he'd have to trigger more key objectives—Sage Mode among them.
"If you ever find yourself in danger," Kitazawa said, gently brushing her cheek, "come to me."
Konan's heart trembled.
She was moved—and burdened by guilt.
For Akatsuki's sake, she had told him a necessary lie.
"You came back early," Kitazawa observed.
"The other Akatsuki members will handle the rest," Konan replied.
"That's good," Kitazawa said with a small smile. "It's safer for you to stay in Konoha."
She paused, slightly startled, but didn't argue.
As Kitazawa looked at her, a thought surfaced.
Once the Eye of the Moon Plan began, Akatsuki would hunt Jinchūriki and extract their Tailed Beasts.
Normally, that meant death.
But the teacher of Hidden Mist's Six-Tails Jinchūriki—Utakata—had once researched a method to extract a Tailed Beast without killing its host.
Kitazawa's gaze sharpened.
Could he obtain that method?
From what he remembered, it was likely held by Hidden Mist.
Asking outright would fail.
And even if it succeeded, the price would be steep.
Then… why not start with Utakata himself?
Kitazawa roughly knew Utakata's whereabouts—connected to the Tsuchigumo Clan.
A clan infamous for the forbidden technique Gohōkai.
A jutsu that consumed the user's life, absorbed vast natural energy, and turned the caster into a living super-weapon—capable of erasing everything within hundreds, even thousands, of kilometers.
Because of it, the Tsuchigumo Clan had nearly gone extinct.
Only four people remained.
And that, Kitazawa realized, might be the key.
—
The Tsuchigumo Clan now consisted of only four people:
the clan head Yūkimaru, his granddaughter Hotaru, a loyal servant named Tonbee, and a traitor called Katsura.
Long ago, Konoha had struck a deal with the Tsuchigumo Clan.
The terms were simple—so long as the clan never used the forbidden jutsu Gohōkai, Konoha would extend its protection to them.
In the original course of events, Hotaru sought greater control over the forbidden technique sealed within her and attempted to become Utakata's disciple. Katsura, a textbook traitor, abducted her and murdered Yūkimaru in his bid to inherit the clan's Secret Technique.
In the end, with the help of Naruto and Utakata, Hotaru defeated Katsura.
Afterward, Utakata accepted Hotaru as his student. The two bid farewell to Naruto and the others and set out together—only for the Six Paths of Pain to appear shortly after and capture Utakata.
Hotaru survived.
But her story ended there.
Kitazawa narrowed his eyes.
He could capture Utakata himself and negotiate directly with Mei.
If Hotaru proved talented enough, he could bring her into the Genius Class—which just happened to be one student short.
More importantly, Gohōkai fascinated him.
A forbidden technique capable of absorbing natural energy…
That alone made it a potential trigger for a Sage Mode–related system mission.
As for taking the Six-Tails to Konoha? There was no urgency.
He could wait until he was truly invincible—and then reclaim the Tailed Beasts from Akatsuki with absolute legitimacy.
"Go get some rest," Kitazawa said softly, resting a hand on Konan's head.
"Mm."
She nodded and departed.
Once her figure disappeared from view, Kitazawa turned toward the Hokage Building.
But not to see Tsunade.
He was looking for Uchiha Itachi.
Hokage Secretariat
Kitazawa knocked once and stepped inside.
"Lord Kitazawa."
Itachi rose immediately.
"Itachi, I have a task for you," Kitazawa said with a faint smile.
"Please give the order."
"There's a rogue ninja named Utakata—formerly of Hidden Mist," Kitazawa said bluntly. "ANBU intelligence places him near the Tsuchigumo Clan."
"The Tsuchigumo Clan… the one that possesses the forbidden jutsu?" Itachi asked after a moment's thought.
"Exactly," Kitazawa nodded. "While you're there, investigate a Tsuchigumo ninja named Katsura."
"Understood."
Itachi accepted without the slightest hesitation.
[Current Mission: Defeat the Six-Tails Jinchūriki Utakata]
[Mission Reward: 20% Tenseigan Purity]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa's eyes lit up.
He already possessed 80% Tenseigan purity. Adding another twenty percent would push it to 100%.
Because of that purity alone, he had already gained Tenseigan: Puppet Control and Tenseigan: Pressure.
What would happen at full purity?
Would it awaken the Tenseigan outright—or unlock an entirely new tier of abilities?
The latter seemed far more likely.
In recorded history, there were only two known paths to the Tenseigan.
One involved gathering an enormous number of Tenseigan into a single colossal eye—like the one on the Moon, far too large to be used as anything other than a tool.
The other required fusing Ōtsutsuki chakra with a Hyūga Byakugan.
In the original timeline, Ōtsutsuki Toneri implanted Hyūga Hanabi's Byakugan and awakened the Tenseigan instantly.
Kitazawa's own Ōtsutsuki bloodline was only ten percent.
Yet his Tenseigan-related abilities already far surpassed those of the Hyūga.
After settling his affairs, Kitazawa returned to the Ninja Academy.
Though conflict had erupted between Hidden Rain and Hidden Sand, it had no impact on Konoha—least of all the Academy.
The Genius Class continued training as usual.
Finding a quiet spot, Kitazawa resumed practicing the Flying Thunder God.
Though the Eye of the Moon Plan was still some distance away, an unfamiliar urgency gnawed at him.
Once he mastered Flying Thunder God, his margin for error would shrink dramatically.
Time slipped into October.
ANBU Base – Office
Kitazawa finished reading the report and leaned back, deep in thought.
The document detailed the war between Hidden Rain and Hidden Sand.
Overall, it was… underwhelming.
The commander on Hidden Rain's side was Sasori.
Naturally, neither Hidden Sand nor Konoha knew this—Sasori concealed himself within the Hiruko puppet, his true identity completely hidden.
Despite fierce clashes, neither side achieved meaningful results.
Combined with Konan's earlier explanation, the truth became clear:
Sasori was manipulating events through Mind Puppet Switch, using Yura to keep Hidden Sand locked in a controlled conflict.
Setting the report aside, Kitazawa turned his attention back to the Genius Class.
For this semester's final exams, he decided to cancel team battles in favor of individual matches.
It had been far too long since they'd tested personal combat ability—and it would give Shion and Chino a fair chance to compete for ranking.
The Finals were still two months away.
The immediate concern was the mid-term mission.
Kitazawa planned to target Katsura this time.
As for who to bring…
Last time it had been Hinata, Ino, and Haku.
This time, he would change things up.
A thought struck him.
This mission would almost certainly involve Utakata again.
Why not bring Tsunade?
She rarely left the village now that she was Hokage—and the Six-Tails Jinchūriki was worth her attention.
With that settled, Kitazawa finalized the team:
Uzumaki Naruto.
Uchiha Sasuke.
Karin Uzumaki.
Especially Naruto.
He, too, was a Jinchūriki.
Watching Utakata wield his Tailed Beast power firsthand would make Naruto's training far smoother.
After all—
Naruto still carried a system mission of his own:
Become a perfect Jinchūriki.
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