At this very moment, Suien—the man Shibuki was thinking about constantly and was desperate to capture—hadn't actually left the territory of the Hidden Waterfall Village. Instead, he was hiding in an extremely secluded valley on the eastern outskirts of the village.
This place was rarely visited by anyone. Between the towering mountains, rugged terrain, and the ferocious beasts roaming the area, ordinary people didn't dare get close. Even Waterfall ninja wouldn't come here easily without specific orders or urgent business.
The reason was simple.
This was the exclusive training ground for the village's Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, Fu.
A massive sensory barrier was set up around the perimeter. Although it was somewhat subpar compared to the barriers of the Five Great Ninja Villages, it still functioned. Not to mention, Fu lived here year-round; how could anyone slip past her senses?
Suien was no exception.
However, he wasn't hiding here after sneaking in.
He had walked in right through the front door.
That's right.
Suien was staying here with Fu's permission.
And Fu was the only one who knew about it.
After returning from the village, Fu went straight to the central area of her training grounds. She used an excuse to send away the two Waterfall ninja who usually shadowed her.
She walked straight to her living quarters.
At that moment, Suien stepped out from the inner room.
"It looks like you've verified the answer in your heart, haven't you, Fu?"
Suien looked at Fu, who had returned with a face full of anger and sorrow, and spoke with a "gentle" expression.
"Yeah, it's confirmed. Big Brother Shi... that guy is lying to me, just like you said, Uncle Suien. Is something really wrong with Grandpa Satoru?"
Fu spoke with a look of deep disappointment and worry.
That final question she had asked Shibuki wasn't random.
It was calculated.
And it was clearly done under Suien's "special guidance."
It was a test for Shibuki.
But Shibuki didn't know that.
And Fu had no idea this was a scheme by Suien, designed to drive a wedge deep between her and Shibuki.
Suien knew exactly what he wanted to do.
There were two people he couldn't bypass: Mizuno Satoru, the highly respected and only Elder of the Hidden Waterfall, and Fu, the representative of the village's ultimate combat power. The former was already bedridden; as a former high-ranking official, Suien knew better than anyone that the Elder was no longer a threat to him.
The only person he needed to worry about was Fu.
How to solve this problem?
Suien decided to exploit Elder Satoru's health condition.
It was definitely a gamble.
After all, Suien could only guide the conversation between Fu and Shibuki; he couldn't directly intervene. But looking at it now, the results were outstanding.
"I'm not sure exactly what happened to Elder Satoru either, and that's precisely why I chose to do this. Fu, you know very well that the Elder's health hasn't been good since the year before last. He was critically ill last year. Recently, so many things have happened in the village. I wanted to report to Elder Satoru, but Shibuki blocked me from seeing him, claiming we couldn't disturb his rest. Normally, that would be fine. As the leader, Shibuki has that authority."
Suien paused for a moment, using a serious tone laced with heavy manipulation, before continuing.
"But a few months ago, when those people from the Land of Fire came to issue a mission... it involved the Hidden Leaf Village. I didn't think our village could handle a mission like that. I argued with Shibuki based on reason, but he insisted on having his own way and once again refused my request to see Elder Satoru. That was the moment I felt something was seriously wrong. Shibuki may have already betrayed the Hidden Waterfall!"
"What? Betrayed the village!?"
Fu looked at Suien with an expression of disbelief.
"Yes. Or perhaps 'betrayal' isn't the most accurate word. I believe he thinks Elder Satoru and I are standing in the way of his control over the village. He thinks we're obstacles, so he wants to get rid of us to consolidate all the power for himself."
He was lying through his teeth.
His words were full of holes.
But they were enough to deceive the innocent Fu.
Including the part about the mission previously issued by Menma (disguised as a subordinate of a Fire Nation official)—that was absolute nonsense.
But that didn't stop Suien from using it to hoodwink Fu.
In Suien's eyes, a teenage girl who had rarely left the Hidden Waterfall was the easiest target to manipulate.
And she just happened to be the village's top weapon.
"Power? Status? Just for things like that!? He'd try to kill Grandpa Satoru and you, Uncle Suien? Has Shibuki really turned into someone like that?"
Fu spoke with a pained expression, looking incredibly heartbroken.
For Fu, whether it was Grandpa Satoru, Big Brother Shibuki, or Uncle Suien, they were her closest family. These three had accompanied her through her childhood and held a special place in her heart.
Now that she had "confirmed" that Shibuki was willing to kill Suien for power and was deliberately hiding news about Satoru, it would be strange if she could accept it.
"That is why we must correct this mistake, Fu. Perhaps Shibuki is just momentarily confused, or maybe he's been bewitched by outsiders. We need to make Shibuki realize his mistake."
Suien spoke with a face full of righteousness, as if everything he did was truly for the village, for the greater good.
And Fu actually believed him.
"Okay. Tell me what we should do, Uncle Suien. I'll listen to you."
Fu nodded fiercely, looking at Suien with a serious expression as she agreed loudly.
"First, we need to..."
Seeing that Fu had taken the bait completely, the corners of Suien's mouth lifted in a slight arc. Suppressing the urge to laugh maniacally, he laid out his "entire" plan to Fu, bit by bit.
Suien believed that with the assistance of the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, his plan would proceed smoothly.
As for the problems that might arise later?
Hmph, once everything was under his control, would he still need to worry about those things?
Looking at Fu, who was now obedient to his every word, Suien thought to himself with immense satisfaction.
In this moment, he could almost see the future where he sat on the throne of the Hidden Waterfall Leader, leading the village to dominate the entire ninja world!