Chapter 323 — Change of Plan
Seeing that the three of them were in agreement, Fugaku nodded. "Alright, it's settled then. We will wage war on Iwagakure and destroy Iwagakure."
Seeing the slightly solemn expressions on their faces, Fugaku smiled and said, "Though I say destroy the Village, in reality, I alone am enough. We only need to arrange for the personnel to take over Iwagakure."
Seeing Hokage-sama's confidence, Nara Shikaku and the other two also smiled, saying in unison, "Hokage-sama is mighty."
"There's no time to lose. Let's set off the day after tomorrow. Nara Assistant, you select the personnel to take over Iwagakure. Also, as you said before, seal off the area where the gate is located in the Land of Hot Springs."
"Hmm, I'll send someone to the Land of Hot Springs to inform their royal family. If they're unwilling, we'll just replace them with a more obedient royal family."
As for the Land of Hot Springs, the handling method was much simpler and cruder. The Land of Hot Springs was originally a country primarily focused on tourism, with very ordinary combat power. The reason why the Land of Hot Springs made so much money yet no other Villages had designs on it was because it was backed by the Hidden Cloud Village. But now that the Hidden Cloud Village had been destroyed, they had lost their patron.
The reason it hadn't been targeted yet was because Iwagakure and the Hidden Mist Village were at odds during this period, and Konoha Village itself was recuperating, so for a time, no one paid attention to it.
It allowed it to survive in the cracks.
It's just that Kotoamatsukami, which permanently modifies will, is still on cooldown. Otherwise, I feel like there's no need to destroy Iwagakure; just controlling Ōnoki would be enough.
No, wait, am I overthinking this?
Fugaku thought that Kotoamatsukami could permanently modify will, but couldn't genjutsu also control Ōnoki? Just like Uchiha Obito controlled the Fourth Mizukage Yagura Karatachi with his Mangekyō.
And most importantly, Iwagakure doesn't have the Byakugan to see through genjutsu. In other words, as long as he controls Ōnoki and prevents him from making any outrageous moves, it won't attract attention. Of course, if it's control, then he'll also have to live in seclusion like the Fourth Mizukage Yagura Karatachi, avoiding contact with others and reducing the chance of suspicion.
Anyway, Ōnoki is quite old, so just finding an excuse that he needs to rest would suffice.
Fugaku tapped the table a few times to attract the attention of the other three and said, "The plan has changed."
"Hokage-sama, what do you mean?"
Uchiha Sihu asked in confusion. Their plan was almost finalized, only needing to dispatch personnel later.
Now Hokage-sama is saying the plan has changed?
However, he was already Fugaku's supporter; no matter how Fugaku changed the plan, he would firmly support him.
"Hokage-sama, please speak."
Nara Shikaku's expression remained unchanged.
"Have I told you that the Fourth Mizukage Yagura Karatachi was controlled for quite some time?"
"Ah?"
Uchiha Sihu looked utterly bewildered, and Hyuga Hizashi also showed an expression of disbelief.
A Village Kage being controlled by someone, and for quite some time?
Can these words even appear in the same sentence?
A Village Kage can be controlled by someone?
This was the first time they had heard of such a thing.
Nara Shikaku's eyes also flashed with a hint of surprise.
Seeing the change in their expressions, Fugaku knew he hadn't mentioned this before, so he said, "Do you remember that night during my coup, when I went to the small forest and dealt with someone?"
After Fugaku finished speaking, he felt as if this scene had happened before. He muttered, "Strange, why do I feel like I've told you about this?"
He confirmed again, "Are you really sure you don't remember?"
Uchiha Sihu and Hyuga Hizashi both shook their heads simultaneously.
Nara Shikaku thought back, but had no recollection at all, and also shook his head.
"Alright."
Fugaku nodded and continued, "In short, the guy I dealt with in the small forest was a traitor from our Uchiha Clan. He had a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan, and many years ago, he controlled the Fourth Mizukage of the Hidden Mist Village.
Not long after Yagura Karatachi was controlled, the Bloody Mist Village incident occurred. Many bloodline families were either wiped out or forced to flee by him. It can be said that he was the culprit behind the Hidden Mist Village's severe decline."
While Hyuga Hizashi was secretly clicking his tongue, he also felt a pang of envy for the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan.
Compared to that, their Byakugan seemed too low-tier.
He showed no envy in his expression, but listened intently to Hokage-sama's narration.
"He controlled Yagura Karatachi for nearly five to ten years, and during that time, he was never discovered. Although there were suspicions, who would believe that their own Mizukage was being controlled by someone else?"
Nara Shikaku's heart stirred. He knew the reason Hokage-sama was saying this.
"Are you saying you will also emulate him and control Ōnoki?"
As soon as Nara Shikaku spoke, Uchiha Sihu's eyes instantly lit up.
Hyuga Hizashi's heart also stirred.
If they controlled Ōnoki, perhaps the effect would be even better. Anyway, their goal was that other world, as long as the other Villages didn't cause trouble.
Wait, thinking about it this way, couldn't the Kage of the other Villages also be controlled by Hokage-sama?
"Exactly. By controlling Ōnoki, we can then slowly devour Iwagakure, and even gradually promote the spies we've planted into high positions."
"Not just spies," Nara Shikaku said, his eyes gleaming with wisdom. "The plan only needs a slight change: Ōnoki doesn't need to be killed, but controlled instead. If Ōnoki isn't dead, the remaining people in Iwagakure won't have any rebellious sentiments. This way, it will be even easier for us to control Iwagakure. We can still arrange for a group of people to go over and gradually replace some key positions in Iwagakure.
With Ōnoki issuing commands, everything will be much simpler."
Finally, Nara Shikaku concluded, "A living Ōnoki is more useful than a dead Ōnoki. If Ōnoki were killed, given the temperament of those in Iwagakure, it's highly likely they would indeed kill a large number of Iwagakure ninja loyal to Ōnoki."
"I think so too. A living Ōnoki is much more useful than a dead one."
Fugaku nodded. "Then it's settled. We'll still select a group of personnel. After I control Ōnoki, we'll slowly send them into Iwagakure to be given important positions. As for replacing key positions, I estimate it will take time, and it's impossible to replace everyone all at once."
"Yes, there's no need to rush. Slowly is fine. Our goal is to prevent Iwagakure from causing trouble. Our focus is still on that world. If that world is truly as Hokage-sama says, perhaps we can use its resources to accelerate our development."
"Alright, it's settled. The departure time is still the day after tomorrow. I just got back, so I'll rest tomorrow." Fugaku smiled. "I want to spend time with my family."
"Of course, Hokage-sama."
Nara Shikaku said with a smile.
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