Chapter 119: A Head Worth 80 Million Ryō!
Waking from the dreamscape, Uchiha Kazuki extinguished the mystical candlestick.
Rubbing his throbbing temples, he exhaled softly. As he reopened his eyes, the frenzied spiritual energy gradually calmed and stabilized.
"As expected, after advancing to Dream Walker, my authority has risen another significant step." He gazed out the window pensively, muttering to himself: "Although it required considerable effort, the results were excellent. The experiment was successful. It seems I no longer need to worry about being unable to hold regular gatherings due to geographical distance limitations."
The two days spent with Ōnoki had resolved a major logistical issue that had been weighing heavily on his mind.
Due to the limited effective range of the Hermes Brass Candlestick, he couldn't pull targeted individuals into the dreamscape if they were positioned outside that operational radius. This had been the primary reason for interrupting previous gatherings.
If the delays dragged on too extensively, it would inevitably arouse suspicion—so this matter had troubled him for quite some time.
After all, he couldn't keep postponing indefinitely, could he?
But after advancing to Dream Walker and becoming thoroughly familiar with the sequence characteristics and extraordinary abilities, Uchiha Kazuki had developed a new solution.
He had inscribed three specific extraordinary abilities—hypnosis, psychological guidance, and mental suggestion—onto a physical object using mystical symbols, then transferred a portion of his spiritual essence into it. This modification allowed him to pull the object's owner into a dreamscape regardless of temporal or spatial distance.
Furthermore, by combining dream travel with this inscribed ability, he could instantly manifest beside the item's owner whenever necessary.
However, the unexpected appearance of the Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, had been entirely unplanned.
His original strategic plan was to remain in the Land of Waves for several days, intending only to intercept Iwagakure's diplomatic envoy along the sole route leading to the Land of Water.
Given Kirigakure's clear intention to wage war against Konohagakure, Iwagakure would certainly dispatch representatives.
But instead of catching some insignificant messenger, they'd hooked an enormous prize!
Adhering to the principle of never wasting golden opportunities, Uchiha Kazuki certainly wouldn't let this chance slip away. Using psychological invisibility, he secretly planted the prepared extraordinary item in Ōnoki's lodging.
The subsequent steps proved remarkably simple.
He subconsciously intensified Ōnoki's deep-seated fear and trauma regarding Uchiha Madara.
Then, utilizing carefully edited and deliberately incomplete 'future footage,' Kazuki successfully redirected Ōnoki's suspicions directly toward Konohagakure.
Furthermore, Uchiha Kazuki—concerned that Ōnoki's advanced age and declining mental acuity might cause him to miss the connection—specifically reminded him that Konoha's Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had developed numerous forbidden techniques, including rumored jutsu theoretically capable of 'resurrecting' the dead from the Pure Land itself.
"Konoha possesses the jutsu to resurrect the dead, and Uchiha Madara is resurrected in the future."
Uchiha Kazuki chuckled softly, a slight smile playing across his lips. "Therefore, Konoha must be the culprit responsible. Isn't that perfectly logical?"
After all, from a certain perspective, the individual who would eventually resurrect Uchiha Madara in the actual future was indeed technically a Konoha shinobi at present.
Therefore, Ōnoki's conclusion that Konohagakure bore responsibility wasn't only logically consistent but also demonstrated rigorous deductive reasoning.
Was there any flaw in this logic?
Absolutely none whatsoever—it was entirely reasonable!
It was readily foreseeable that the Third Great Shinobi War would arrive considerably earlier than its original timeline in the near future.
Uchiha Kazuki straightened his travel-worn clothing, a calculating gleam flickering in his eyes. "After staying away for so long, the esteemed Hokage should have calmed down sufficiently by now. It's time to return home."
Amidst gently falling snow, Konoha Year 45 quietly arrived.
After several days of steady travel, they finally reached the border of the Land of Fire.
While resting briefly in a dense forest, Uchiha Kazuki's ears twitched slightly as he noticed a ninja cat wearing a distinctive headband quietly approaching through the underbrush.
"So it's Denka."
He smiled warmly, gently patting its head before retrieving the sealed letter secured to the cat's back.
The correspondence was properly sealed with wax—it came from Hikari.
After breaking the seal and quickly scanning the contents, Uchiha Kazuki's brows furrowed noticeably. His lips pressed together tightly, his expression growing dark and uncertain.
The letter itself was relatively brief, primarily outlining her daily experiences traveling and training throughout the shinobi world alongside Tsunade.
If that had been all the letter contained, Uchiha Kazuki wouldn't have reacted so intensely. The real cause for alarm was that Hikari had been secretly investigating Jigen's whereabouts. He had explicitly warned her previously not to get involved with that matter, but she seemed to have completely disregarded his instructions.
Near the end of the letter, Hikari mentioned that she believed she'd discovered Jigen's trail and planned to investigate further, even attempting to control him directly using her Spectator pathway abilities.
After reading this section, Uchiha Kazuki grew so furious he nearly coughed up blood in sheer frustration.
Hikari actually planned to control 'Jigen' with her abilities?!
Even if she somehow succeeded initially, didn't she realize that individual still had Ōtsutsuki Isshiki parasitically hidden inside his body?!
"Absolute nonsense!"
Uchiha Kazuki's frown deepened considerably, his words carrying a distinct edge of cold anger.
Hikari's actions might stem from good intentions, but they were tantamount to alerting a supremely dangerous enemy prematurely—potentially triggering catastrophic unknown consequences that could completely disrupt his carefully laid plans!
"Meow~"
At that moment, Denka rubbed affectionately against his legs, snuggling closer while softly mewing. The cat then coughed up a blood-stained piece of fabric.
Upon seeing the deep blue, heavily blood-stained fragment of clothing, Uchiha Kazuki's eyes narrowed sharply into dangerous slits. His hand gripping the letter tightened involuntarily as chilling killing intent emanated from his Sharingan. "Is she still alive?"
"Meow~"
Denka nodded gently in confirmation. The ninja cat hadn't yet learned human speech, only capable of expressing itself through body language.
Understanding the affirmative response, Uchiha Kazuki released a slight sigh of relief as his furrowed brows relaxed marginally. "Next time... she won't be so fortunate."
After considerable deliberation, he composed a new letter—its tone deliberately sharp and uncompromising—explicitly instructing Hikari to cease all further investigation regarding 'Jigen.' He had separate plans already in motion for dealing with that particular threat.
After feeding Denka several nutritious soldier pills and giving the cat a few appreciative pats, Uchiha Kazuki said warmly: "Go now. Thank you for your dedicated service, Denka."
"Meow~"
Denka nodded obediently before transforming into a dissipating wisp of smoke.
"Jigen..."
Uchiha Kazuki's gaze grew profoundly cold, his expression becoming icy.
Although Hikari had acted independently and recklessly, her motivations ultimately stemmed from good intentions—attempting to shoulder his burdens—which was precisely why things had escalated to this dangerous point.
Sitting idly by and doing nothing simply wasn't in his nature.
However, with his current power level, confronting Jigen directly would constitute nothing less than suicide.
"Looks like I need to find him something else to occupy his attention," Uchiha Kazuki sneered coldly. Although he wasn't remotely Jigen's match in direct combat currently, that didn't prevent him from creating substantial problems for the Ōtsutsuki vessel.
Don't forget—the Spectator pathway's greatest strength lay in subtly manipulating the development of events and skillfully guiding the flow of people's thoughts and emotions.
Suddenly—
A distinct rustling sound emanated from deeper within the forest.
A shadowy figure concealed behind a large tree in the darkness stared at him with undisguised greed. A hoarse voice rasped out: "Heh, what exceptional luck today. I never expected to randomly encounter Uchiha Kazuki of Konohagakure out here. Someone on the underground black market has posted an eighty million ryō bounty for your head."
Uchiha Kazuki's eyes were bloodshot from stress and exhaustion. He stated with complete indifference: "I'm not in a particularly good mood right now. I'll give you exactly three seconds to disappear from my sight, and I won't bother ending your pathetic life."
"Heh! Konoha shinobi—still so insufferably arrogant!"
The individual hidden behind the tree, rather than retreating sensibly, released a cold, mocking sneer. "Looking at you reminds me of the very first Konoha ninja I ever fought decades ago—the one you people worship as the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama!"
[End of Chapter 119]
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