Using the power of the Cursed Seal to exchange for secret techniques and ninjutsu collections from Kirigakure's shinobi clans, then selecting some broadly applicable ninjutsu suited for popularization and placing them into the Ninja Academy's teaching materials and daily lessons to raise the average strength of Kirigakure's next generation of shinobi, had always been one of the goals Rei Kaguya wanted to complete as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, although Kirigakure's major clans had all expressed submission to him as the Fourth Mizukage, when it came to matters involving clan inheritance, their attitudes were always conservative and rigid.
Rei Kaguya had been in office for almost two years, but no shinobi clan had ever taken the initiative to come to him for any private transaction.
After thinking it over, Rei Kaguya finally decided to find a sufficiently heavyweight opponent and properly display the power of the Cursed Seal of Heaven to the village's major clans.
And because the Six-Tails had already been beaten into submission, the newly revived Three-Tails became the most suitable demonstration target.
Facts proved that the Cursed Seal of Heaven technology, which could allow people to obtain power comparable to the Five Kage, was still quite tempting for most shinobi clans.
Over the next few weeks, the clan heads and elders of many native Kirigakure shinobi clans, such as the Terumi, Hozuki, and Yuki clans, came to Rei Kaguya one after another to negotiate exchange conditions.
Although there was still no small gap between the psychological prices of both sides, as long as someone was willing to take the initiative and open negotiations, it was already much better than before.
The cultivation of the Byakugan was advancing step by step in an orderly manner.
The changes he had always wanted to guide Kirigakure's shinobi clans into making had also shown promising signs.
With two pleasant matters stacked together, what should have followed was a calm and relaxed sense of reassurance toward the future.
However, while Rei Kaguya waited quietly for Orochimaru's research to make a breakthrough and occasionally paid attention to Yagura Karatachi, who had just become the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, practicing various Jinchuriki-related abilities, Ao, who was responsible for the intelligence department, brought Rei Kaguya unpleasant intelligence on an ordinary sunny afternoon.
"Fourth Mizukage, our intelligence personnel found the corpses of Jonin Ai Momotani and every member of her squad in a desert in the Land of Wind. This is already the third incident recently where a jonin squad on an external mission has been killed."
Ao placed a scroll carefully written by intelligence personnel on Rei Kaguya's desk and spoke seriously to Rei, who had also frowned.
"The first incident happened on the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire. Jonin Daigo Umeno had just escorted a merchant caravan from the Land of Water to the Land of Wind. On his return journey, he was attacked and killed by unidentified wandering shinobi."
"The second incident happened on the border between the Land of Marsh and the Land of Demons. The deceased was Jonin Aoba Yuki, who had been escorting volcanic ore purchased by the village from the Land of Marsh. Intelligence personnel found only the cargo he was escorting and a large amount of blood at the scene, but they did not find the corpses of his squad members…"
"They all happened near the Land of Wind…"
Rei Kaguya quickly browsed through the intelligence scroll Ao had submitted. His expression carried slight doubt as his fingers gently tapped the surface of his office desk.
"Is there any evidence showing that these incidents are related to Sunagakure?"
"For Jonin Aoba Yuki, intelligence personnel found poisoned hidden weapons and some puppet wreckage at the scene. Daigo Umeno had his heart dug out. Ai Momotani died from massive blood loss caused by excessive bodily trauma. As for more battle traces, because too much time had passed before discovery, most of them had naturally faded. We cannot read any more information from them."
Listening to Ao's report, Rei Kaguya narrowed his eyes and began quickly analyzing the possibilities behind this series of incidents targeting Kirigakure.
The probability that Sunagakure was behind this series of incidents was not high.
That was because the relationship between Sunagakure and Kirigakure could be considered the best even among the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
After all, among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Kirigakure was the only shinobi village that had never fought a war or conflict against Sunagakure.
Limited by the vast physical distance between them, the two sides had almost no interactions.
If Rei Kaguya had not used the channels of the Priestess of the Land of Demons in recent years to promote the high-quality seafood from the Land of Water and Land of Waves as high-end dining to the neighboring countries of the Land of Demons, including the Land of Wind, opening a small channel of exchange between the two nations, then Kirigakure and Sunagakure would have had no interest conflicts at all.
Without any conflict of interest, and with no hatred between the two sides, Sunagakure had no reason to take the initiative and attack Kirigakure shinobi.
Unless that Kirigakure shinobi had accidentally discovered certain intelligence involving Sunagakure's secrets.
But whether it was Ai Momotani or Daigo Umeno, the areas where they carried out their missions were far away from Sunagakure's location.
There was no possibility of them spying on Sunagakure's secrets.
And if Sunagakure, which was the closest and had the ability to do this, was excluded…
Then, in the original timeline, those S-rank missing-nin belonging to Akatsuki?
"Ao, have you investigated the black market?"
"Ah? Fourth Mizukage, what do you mean?"
Rei Kaguya raised his head and spoke thoughtfully to Ao, who could not keep up with his train of thought.
"Were there ever bounties on Daigo Umeno and Ai Momotani in the black market? I once heard that there is an S-rank missing-nin from Takigakure who often hunts shinobi with high bounties on the black market. If the bounties on those two were high enough, they might have attracted that guy."
"I will have members of the intelligence team investigate as soon as possible."
Ao immediately understood Rei Kaguya's meaning and nodded decisively.
Then he continued asking, "Then, Fourth Mizukage, what do you think about Aoba Yuki's attack?"
"Aoba possessed the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai. If his corpse is missing, then it can basically be viewed as someone attacking him in order to obtain the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai… As for the direction of this investigation, I lean more toward that group of Root rebels who appeared in the Land of Rain back then."
Rei Kaguya pressed his ten fingers together and spoke solemnly.
"On that battlefield at the time, the presence of more than ten Root rebels suddenly disappeared. Afterward, they never appeared anywhere else. However, those people should know that aside from the Dead Bone Pulse, I have also grasped the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai. Considering the degree of hatred they have for me, they would definitely want to crack the power of Ice Release and use it to find a way to defeat me…"
"Root rebels? In that case, Fourth Mizukage, have you ruled out Sunagakure's suspicion?" Ao asked seriously.
"From common sense, Sunagakure, which has no interest conflict with Kirigakure and no new or old hatred with us, has no reason to repeatedly attack Kirigakure jonin. However, traces of Sunagakure's signature puppet techniques appeared at the place where Aoba disappeared. We also cannot rule out the possibility that the Fourth Kazekage suddenly lost his mind and wanted to seize the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai to strengthen Sunagakure's combat power…"
Rei Kaguya thought for a while, then opened his eyes and spoke in a deep voice.
"No matter which situation it is, this matter will not be easy to handle. I will have the members of the new Seven Ninja Swordsmen take over. Before they arrive, have the intelligence personnel stay put. They only need to protect the clues we already have."
Hearing that members of the new Seven Ninja Swordsmen would take over this incident, Ao's expression relaxed a great deal.
Immediately afterward, he asked with some curiosity, "May I ask which one of them you plan to have take charge of this incident?"
"Shisui Uchiha."
Rei Kaguya casually tapped the intelligence scroll at hand and spoke calmly.
"That kid has spent a little too long in the laboratory recently. Letting him go out for a walk and get some fresh air is also good… Besides, the batch of volcanic ore I had Aoba purchase from the Land of Marsh was originally meant to forge a suitable new ninja blade for him. Having him help Aoba take revenge can also be considered proper."
"Um… Fourth Mizukage?"
Ao raised his left hand and asked with a dumbfounded expression, "I think I may have just misheard something. I didn't quite hear what you said… The member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen you plan to send out is which one again? Could you say it again?"
"Shisui Uchiha."
Rei Kaguya leaned back in his chair and spoke meaningfully.
"I gave him so much time to ease his emotions. It is about time he obtained a status worthy of his talent and the Cursed Seal of Heaven…"
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