Hidden Mist Village.
The air was filled with the scent of the sea.
Inside the Mizukage Building, in the office.
The Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura, sat silently in the main seat. His purple pupils were unfocused, staring blankly at the documents in front of him.
He looked like a puppet whose soul had been drawn out.
In the corner of the office, shadows writhed as the wall softened like a pool of sludge.
A pure white figure with a swirling head slowly squeezed through.
His movements were comical, but his presence gave off an eerie chill.
It was Tobi, a special White Zetsu.
He peeked around the room, then bounced over to Yagura's desk, greeting him in an exaggerated tone.
"Yo, Mizukage-sama, still working hard? You're so diligent!"
Yagura didn't respond.
Tobi pouted in boredom, then twisted his body and phased directly through the thick back wall of the office.
Behind the wall was a hidden chamber.
Pitch black.
The room was sealed by a powerful barrier that completely cut off all outside perception.
"Obito, Obito! I found a huge secret!" Tobi shouted as soon as he arrived.
The space in front of him instantly distorted. A swirling black vortex spun open.
A tall figure stepped out, and with him came a cold, oppressive aura that filled the room.
Uchiha Obito.
He wasn't wearing a mask.
Half of his face was covered in horrific scars, twisted and grotesque. A crimson Sharingan spun silently within it.
The other half was replaced with pale, artificial tissue made of Hashirama cells. Lifeless, yet exuding terrifying pressure.
"Shut up, Tobi." Obito's voice was hoarse and cold, full of irritation.
He was in a foul mood.
Nagato had grown increasingly unmanageable, and the resistance from Hidden Mist was becoming a constant thorn in his side.
He had no patience left for Tobi's nonsense.
"Ah, don't be so cold, Obito." Tobi twisted his body in a goofy way.
"I'm Madara now."
"Ah, yes yes, Madara-sama, Madara-sama! I found a huge secret!"
"Speak."
Tobi leaned in, lowered his voice, and whispered, "I found where the Raikage's team is hiding."
Obito's expression turned even colder, and he snorted.
"A bunch of strays. Why would I care?"
To him, this so-called infiltration from Kumo was nothing more than suicide.
"No no no, this time it's different!" Tobi's voice lowered to a whisper. "The Fourth Raikage is with them! Guess what they're doing?"
"The Raikage?" Obito narrowed his eyes. "What are they doing?"
Tobi gestured exaggeratedly.
"They're setting up a super, super huge teleportation formation!"
Obito's Sharingan narrowed sharply and locked onto Tobi.
"Teleportation formation?"
"Yes, yes!" Tobi nodded furiously. "I saw it myself! Just now, swoosh, ten Kumo shinobi appeared out of nowhere!"
"And the formation is still glowing, constantly absorbing Chakra. Looks like it can send even more people!"
Obito's heart skipped a beat.
Ultra-long range.
Sustained activation.
Batch teleportation.
And the Raikage was personally overseeing it?
These pieces fit together in an instant.
So that's it.
This wasn't just infiltration or assassination.
Kumo wasn't just provoking Konoha.
They were planning full-scale annihilation, going all-in.
They were bypassing all of the Land of Fire's outer defenses, using a spatial technique to directly deploy their forces behind enemy lines.
Right in front of Konoha, while most of its forces were still stationed at the borders.
Obito's three-tomoe Sharingan began to spin, then quickly transformed into his Mangekyō.
Excitement and cruelty surged within him.
"Tobi."
"Here, here!"
"Have the other White Zetsu monitor them closely." Obito's voice was chilling. "I want a report every time someone is teleported. How many, and when."
"There must be no mistakes."
"Got it! Leave it to me!" Tobi responded with a salute, then vanished into the wall again.
The secret chamber fell into silence once more.
Obito stood still in the darkness.
A moment later, he spoke toward the shadows.
"Black Zetsu, did you hear that?"
The ground wriggled.
Black Zetsu's upper body slowly emerged, his sinister face carrying a twisted grin.
"I heard. This is indeed an opportunity."
"When Konoha and Kumo destroy each other, we'll—"
"No." Obito cut him off. "Now is not the time to take the Nine-Tails."
Black Zetsu paused, then chuckled.
He's grown.
Obito didn't look at him.
Memories shimmered in the depths of his crimson Mangekyō.
Minato-sensei. Kakashi. Rin.
This rotting world doesn't deserve any of them.
Let Kumo's lightning and Konoha's fire burn it all to ash.
…
At the same time, in the distant Fire Capital.
The sky had not yet brightened. A layer of morning mist lingered over the earth.
But the Daimyo Manor was already fully lit. Servants bustled about.
Last night, Arashi had not gone to Ragyō's room, but instead visited Mei, whom he hadn't seen in a while.
Inside her chambers, incense curled through the air.
Mei was carefully dressing him, smoothing his robes with elegant, practiced movements. Her demeanor was gentle, with a soft, obedient smile.
Clearly, she knew how to act in her current position.
Arashi glanced down at the elegant bun in her hair and the graceful curve of her neck, then suddenly said, "I know what you've been up to lately."
Mei's hand paused slightly but continued as if she hadn't heard.
"I'm glad you didn't run," Arashi said, his tone light. "So I allowed you some freedom to do as you pleased."
"But… when I return, I expect you to be here again."
Mei lowered her head, her voice quiet and submissive.
"Shizumi understands."
"It better be so," Arashi replied.
"Otherwise…"
The last two words were barely audible.
Mei's expression stiffened, but her smile quickly returned.
"Shizumi will wait obediently for Daimyo-sama's return."
Arashi gave a small smile and gently patted her cheek.
Then he turned and walked out of the hall.
His footsteps slowly faded into the distance.
(To be continued.)
It's a new week. Thanks for your support last week. Bonus is still for every 200 PS. Let's get it!
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)