Hakusei Tōya didn't strike immediately.
Instead, he chose to quietly follow the so-called "Lord Morishita," observing him from the shadows.
Tōya wasn't from the Yamanaka clan, so he couldn't violently extract memories directly.
To avoid being exposed, he needed to watch his target for a while, learn his habits, how he interacted with others, whether he was cold or warm, calm or irritable.
Morishita Mokutsuki avoided the crowds and returned to his home discreetly.
After changing into a regular Kusagakure uniform, only then did he step back out.
ANBU were too conspicuous. Unless carrying out important missions, they usually didn't appear in front of common shinobi or villagers.
That's why Morishita always changed back into a standard outfit when off-duty.
"Lord Morishita."
"…Mm."
As he walked through the streets of Kusagakure, Mokutsuki gave only a faint nod to the greetings of fellow shinobi, his expression blank.
He was one of the few jōnin in the village, and a rather strong one at that, so none of this attention fazed him anymore.
"I heard Iwagakure and Konoha signed a peace treaty. That means Kusagakure might enjoy some peace for a while, huh," someone nearby remarked, speaking of the news that had spread rapidly across the ninja world.
Kusagakure was caught between Iwa and Konoha.
Whenever those two nations went to war, the Land of Grass inevitably became a battlefield.
Unless one side gained overwhelming dominance and invaded the other's homeland directly, the fighting would always take place on their land.
"Yeah, finally some peace. What a relief," another voice chimed in with a sigh.
Mokutsuki shot them a cold glance. Instantly, the two stopped talking and tactfully walked away.
In Kusagakure, everyone knew Morishita Mokutsuki was a hardline hawk, one who firmly believed that only through war could their small nation overtake the Five Great Nations.
"Short-sighted fools. All they see is peace in front of them and not the oppression waiting down the line.
Don't they realize? The pressure from the Five Great Nations is endless.
As long as those giants loom above us, war will never truly disappear, no matter how much we may want peace.
Only when they're all severely weakened will Kusagakure finally have a chance!"
Having said that, Mokutsuki lost interest in the two commoners and continued his walk.
Every time he returned from an ANBU mission, he liked to stroll through the entire village.
It helped clear his mind, and reminded him why he worked so hard for Kusagakure.
As he passed the ruined district on the eastern edge of the village, Mokutsuki let out a heavy sigh.
Everyone thought he loved war, but in truth, he hated it more than anyone else.
But if Kusagakure didn't grow stronger, didn't rise to equal or surpass the Five Great Nations, then war would forever hang over their heads.
And it wouldn't come in a form they could control, it would be forced upon them.
Under the crushing power of the major nations, they could only act like grass in the wind, bending whichever way the strongest force blew.
To overcome that, normal cultivation was pointless.
The Great Nations had more resources, better jutsu, stronger everything. What hope did they have in a fair contest?
No, war was the only way.
Only when the Great Nations tore into each other and were left battered could Kusagakure rise.
In Mokutsuki's eyes, this was the sole path to break the seal the Five Great Nations had placed on the smaller ones.
Suddenly, he felt a wave of intense danger.
Just as he prepared to use the Body Flicker Technique to escape, searing pain erupted through him.
His vision went dark. And then, he blacked out.
Watching Mokutsuki collapse, Hakusei Tōya chuckled to himself.
He had the strength of a half-powered old-man Whitebeard template now.
If he couldn't even take down a jōnin with a sneak attack, he might as well quit ninja life and go flip noodles at Ichiraku Ramen.
"…Now what should I do with this guy?" Tōya fell into thought.
He had deliberately held back and hadn't killed Mokutsuki.
After some consideration, he decided not to finish him off. Instead, he placed a sealing technique on him and quietly carried him back to his house.
Killing was always an option later. But if he died now, there'd be no way to bring him back.
Tōya had a feeling this guy might still be useful.
He casually tossed Mokutsuki into a small room and began ransacking the place for anything useful.
As one of Kusagakure's few elite jōnin, Mokutsuki lived in a rather large and well-furnished home.
Tōya turned the entire place upside-down. He found loads of documents, but most weren't of much interest.
Still, the materials did reveal one thing, Mokutsuki's specialties.
Many of the scrolls were on swordsmanship styles or Lightning Release techniques.
Clearly, Mokutsuki was a sword-wielding Lightning Release user. That would be useful for impersonation purposes.
Tōya slipped into Mokutsuki's ANBU uniform and headed in the direction of the Kusagakure ANBU base.
Meanwhile...
Kakashi, disguised as a regular Kusagakure shinobi, walked cautiously through the village streets.
Tōya had given him a mission: investigate the general attitude of Kusagakure's shinobi toward war.
That's why he didn't disguise himself as a civilian.
Instead, he became a young, nondescript Kusagakure ninja.
Based on his experience, the smaller the village, the more their ninja tended to look down on ordinary citizens.
If he wanted meaningful interaction, he needed to appear as a fellow shinobi.
After observing for a short while, Kakashi used the Transformation Technique to become a bland-looking young grass ninja.
He didn't rush to talk to anyone directly.
Instead, he headed to a tavern, a classic place to gather intel.
He ordered a bottle of sake and some light snacks, pretending to drink.
In truth, he poured it slowly onto the floor. He wasn't old enough to drink yet.
Inside the tavern, the sound of arguments and conversation filled the air, creating a lively atmosphere.
With alcohol loosening tongues, people tended to say more than they should.
One excited shinobi slammed the table, took a swig, and shouted,
"Finally! Those bastards from Iwa signed a peace treaty with those morons from Konoha. The war's finally over!"
Another nearby grass ninja nodded and sighed.
"Yeah, finally. Every time Iwa and Konoha fight, we get dragged into it. Total crap."
BAM!
A different shinobi across the room slammed his fist on the table and barked angrily,
"You people always place your hopes in those major villages!
I say let the damn war keep going! Let the Five Great Nations tear each other apart.
That's the only way we small villages will ever get ahead!"
Several others chimed in, voicing agreement.
Kakashi quietly watched the scene, a contemplative look in his eyes.
So Kusagakure wasn't united after all.
Some supported war, others longed for peace.
The only question was, where did the village's leader stand?
Still, judging by the fact that Kusagakure had sent ANBU to intercept intelligence,
Kakashi had a strong feeling it was the former.
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter