Uchiha Makoto planted himself dead-center in the Raikage's office, eyes blazin' like a Fourth of July grill, sizin' up every soul in the room.
Sunlight poured through the window, hittin' him like a damn spotlight, givin' the kid a golden halo. He sucked in a lungful of air and let it rip; voice boomin' like a stadium announcer on steroids.
"I'm divin' headfirst into the lion's den, puttin' my neck on the line! On the surface, I'm goin' back to the Leaf; real play? I'm Cloud's ultimate sleeper agent buried balls-deep in Konoha's heart!"
His words bounced off the walls like cannon fire.
Fourth Raikage Ai's brows knotted into a unibrow of rage. Meat-slab arm SLAMMED the desk; BOOM! "Hell no! Too damn risky!"
Makoto didn't flinch. Took a step closer, starin' the big man down. "Raikage, this is all for Cloud's future; zero selfish bullshit. Hear me out!"
Before Ai could bark back, Makoto rapid-fired, every syllable crisp as a fresh dollar.
"Konoha's brass? Rotten to the core. Uchiha clan's gettin' squeezed like lemons; livin' paycheck-to-paycheck on pride. Clan's one bad day from splittin' at the seams. With my charm and raw talent? Flippin' 'em to our side's a layup."
He waved his hands like he was conductin' a symphony of world domination.
"Picture this: Cloud and Uchiha; inside-outside combo. We gut-punch Konoha, then airlift the whole damn Uchiha clan straight to Cloud Village!"
Ai's raised fist hovered, then dropped. Eyes flickered; hook set.
Makoto grinned inside but cranked the passion to eleven.
"And we ain't stoppin' there! Y'all been droolin' over the Hyuga's Byakugan forever; cough, I mean admiring their eyes, right?"
He paused for the dramatic gasp, then dropped the bomb.
"Funny story; I'm tight with the next Hyuga head, Hinata. Little elbow grease, and boom; whole Hyuga clan gets invited to the party. Shared glory, baby!"
Arms flung wide like he was huggin' the horizon, channelin' every firebrand preacher from last lifetime. Eyes sparklin' with "manifest destiny" vibes.
Office went quieter than a library at midnight.
"Think about it; Cloud rockin' Sharingan and Byakugan. Power couple of the century!"
"Who the hell's gonna stop us?!"
Voice hit crescendo: "Forge Cloud's legend; it's our damn duty! Sweep the four nations, unify the ninja world, make the Land of Lightning the only big dog. That's not a dream; that's Tuesday!"
He leaned over the desk, palms down, starin' Ai dead in the eye. "Vision, Raikage. We gotta think BIG."
Cloud brass traded stunned looks. Nobody breathed.
Makoto smirked internally
Him? Makoto Uchiha; master pie-painter. His pies were massive, perfectly round, so vivid you could smell the crust, taste the filling, and believe with every fiber that tomorrow's gonna be a buffet.
He kept slingin' pie like a street-corner prophet; next thing you know, Cloud's piloting Susanoo Gundams to steamroll the Hokage Tower. Day after? Carvin' Raikage faces into the mountain.
Whole room was high on hopium, hearts poundin'.
Ai steepled his fingers under his chin, brows locked. Logic screamed suicide mission, 0.1% shot; but damn… what if?
Uchiha + Hyuga in Cloud? That's dynasty shit. Even a 1% whisper was enough to make a Kage's palms sweat.
Cloud was broke compared to Konoha; bloodlines, land, clout; everything. No village outside the Leaf could say no to that jackpot.
Seein' Ai half-glazed on the pie high, Makoto switched gears; face went stone-cold serious. Time for the personal ask.
Mouth said "no selfish motives," but every word dripped self-interest. Sure, he'd deliver the clans; but only if Cloud was his sandbox.
Work his ass off just to hand the keys to someone else? Hard pass.
"Oh, one tiny thing, Raikage," he said, voice grave. "While I'm gone, Cloud brass keeps Samui and Azuki on lockdown; safe, happy, untouched."
His gaze slid to the two women; Samui flushed pink, Azuki hid a smirk behind her hair.
Volume low, tone lethal: "They're mine. Anything happens to 'em; scratch, bruise, bad hair day; I will lose my shit."
Air turned electric. Subtle, but everyone felt the threat.
Ai's temple throbbed; blood pressure redlined. Kid's already givin' orders before I sign off?
But flip side; Makoto this whipped over the girls? Perfect leash. Keep 'em safe, he's got skin in the game. Plus, dude's mastered Flying Thunder God; short of S-rank seals, he ghosts whenever he wants. Forcin' him? Recipe for disaster. Better play nice.
Kid's got Uchiha protection in Konoha, proved he'll come back. And if the spy op actually lands the clans? Fifth Raikage title's on the table.
One thought pinged again: "Seed Plan"; crank it up. Samui and Azuki were solid starters, but two ain't enough. Kid keeps eye-bangin' Yugito…
Two-Tails jinchuriki next on the menu?
After weighin' pros, cons, and exploding veins, Ai exhaled. "Fine. Deal." First time ever soundin' defeated. "But if it blows up, save your own ass first."
"Won't fail," Makoto cut in, grin back in full force. "Just wait for the W."
Main goals locked, player instincts kicked in; free loot is free loot.
He rubbed his hands, sidlin' up to Ai like a used-car salesman. "So, uh, Raikage; super dangerous spy gig; any chance the budget could;"
"NO MONEY!" Ai roared like a stepped-on tomcat.
"Been beggin' the Lightning Daimyo for funds; your stunt tanked it! Cloud's next year budget still up in the air 'cause of you! Now scram!"
Makoto shelved the grift; for now.
BAM!
Door flew open. Night Moon clan elder barreled in like a bandit raid. Spotted Makoto; face did a 180 from relief to my wallet's crying.
Makoto's eyes lit up. "Elder! Long time no see; missed ya, man."
Elder ignored the grease.
Makoto doubled down: "For Cloud's new Uchiha bloodline to boom, I gotta bulk up; y'know, stamina…"
Elder's face went green. "AGAIN?! You drained my secret stash dry this past year, you leech!"