The vast expanse of the night sky shimmered with countless stars, stretching endlessly across the heavens.
A hawk and falcon, their wings slicing through the darkness, soared at incredible speed toward the Land of Rain.
Lying casually on the back of one of the birds, Yamanaka Shinno rested with one leg crossed over the other. He let the fierce wind rush past him, his gaze drifting into the starry abyss above as he lost himself in thought.
That afternoon, Uchiha Hoshima had invited him to a tea house owned by the Uchiha clan.
The purpose of the meeting was simple.
Hoshima wanted Shinno to select a few Uchiha shinobi to join Root.
In return, the Uchiha clan would fully support any actions Shinno initiated within the organization.
"The old grow wise."
Shinno murmured to himself and closed his eyes.
Lately, Danzo had been making frequent trips to Konoha Hospital—so often, in fact, that many had begun speculating that the leader of Root was nearing the end of his life.
But afterward, when Danzo seemingly recovered, he became more aggressive in his attempts to recruit Shinno into Root.
He had even gone so far as to pay a considerable price to Sarutobi Hiruzen to make it happen.
Anyone with even a modicum of intelligence could guess what this meant—Danzo was preparing to groom a successor.
Orochimaru wouldn't stay in Root forever.
And from the current landscape, there was only one person qualified and capable enough to become the Fourth Hokage—that cold-blooded ruler.
Shinno was a known loyalist of the Hokage faction, had his strength acknowledged by Jiraiya, was valued by the Third Hokage, and now had even gained Danzo's favor.
If he joined Root early, familiarized himself with its operations, and developed a working relationship with Orochimaru…
Then the future leadership structure of Konoha seemed all but set in stone.
At present, the Uchiha clan had yet to be placed under direct surveillance by Konoha's leadership—unlike what would happen after the Nine-Tails incident. But many had already realized how far the clan had drifted from Konoha's core political circle.
The Uchiha Police Force, assigned to them by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, seemed to grant them great power on the surface.
But over time, more and more people had begun to see the inherent limitations of being confined solely to law enforcement.
While the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had allowed the Uchiha to join standard shinobi units, they were still absent from Anbu and other key positions of power.
In this situation, Uchiha Hoshima's decision to support Shinno's rise made perfect sense.
First, he hoped to establish an early alliance with a future high-ranking Konoha official.
Second, he was attempting to strengthen ties between the Uchiha and Konoha.
Third, he might have been testing the waters to see if Shinno could offer a way to break the current deadlock.
And perhaps most importantly—he was looking to separate certain members from the Uchiha clan itself.
Any shinobi who joined Root would be branded with the Curse Sealing Tongue and subjected to Danzo's emotion-suppressing training.
From that point on, they would serve Root with absolute loyalty and could no longer prioritize their clan.
At first glance, this seemed to harm the Uchiha's interests.
But in the long run, wasn't it actually a strategy for ensuring the clan's survival?
The old men who had lived through the Warring States period were anything but simple.
"Mikoto is sharp, perceptive, and strong enough… Shisui is still too young—he'll only be five after the new year… a little early for him."
As names of various Uchiha flashed through Shinno's mind, he pondered his next move.
Danzo had never allowed the Uchiha into Root before, just as Senju Tobirama had always harbored suspicion and wariness toward the clan.
Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't as extreme as Danzo, but as a ruler, how could he not keep the strongest shinobi clan at arm's length?
At the end of the day, their fear stemmed from a simple truth—they weren't strong enough.
But Shinno didn't have to worry about such things.
He had recently taken control of the Curse Sealing Tongue mark on Root's core personnel.
Next, he needed to alter the marks on the remaining members and combine them with memory modifications to deal with Danzo's most loyal followers.
And on top of all that, he had to handle the daily operations of Root.
There was far too much to do.
Since the Uchiha had come knocking on his door, why not pick out a few useful ones?
If they wanted to scheme under his watch, they'd better awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan first.
Otherwise, he might end up slapping them to death with a single blow.
"Screee—Screee—"
A sharp cry rang out from the hawk beneath him.
Shinno turned his head and looked forward.
Dark storm clouds stretched across the sky, swallowing the stars above.
Fine mist-like rain shrouded the Land of Rain, giving the entire country a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.
Casually, Shinno tossed a marked kunai inscribed with the Flying Thunder God formula into the dense, uninhabited forest below.
Raindrops pelted his face.
With a thought, he activated the Hydrification Technique, shifted into a more comfortable position, and continued lying down.
...\
Amegakure
In a steel building on the outskirts of the village, a woman in a long black robe stood on a balcony.
Konan extended her hand, watching the raindrops collect in her palm, her gaze distant as she stared at the gloomy sky.
Inside, a group of young recruits sat around a fire pit, chatting with Yahiko, the leader of the Akatsuki.
Nagato, always more reserved, remained quietly in a corner, observing the lively conversation between his comrades.
"Leader, I heard a lot more people want to join us lately!"
"Of course! We're walking the right path—people are bound to notice."
"Are we bringing them in?"
"We need to observe them first. But don't worry, our ranks will keep growing!"
"Hehe, yeah! I can't wait to meet Hanzo-sama! If we gain his support, our ideals will spread across the Land of Rain even faster!"
"As long as we keep working hard, we'll make it happen!"
Konan smiled softly at Yahiko's boundless enthusiasm.
Just as she was about to step back inside—
A figure emerged from a nearby stream, dressed in the attire of Kirigakure's Anbu.
Strapped to his back was a massive, unusual-looking sword.
Swoosh—
Konan leapt backward, hands forming seals in an instant.
Countless paper shreds swirled around her.
Inside, the Akatsuki members reacted immediately.
Yahiko and Nagato rushed to Konan's side, their expressions tense as they eyed the intruder standing at the balcony's edge.
A Kirigakure Anbu?
A member of the Hozuki clan, using the Hydrification Technique?
And that sword… wasn't it the legendary Samehada?!
"Kirigakure?" Yahiko spoke first, his hand subtly signaling to his comrades. "What do you want?"
"...Just here to take something."
Shinno's voice was indifferent as his sharp senses swept over each of them.
Strange.
None of them were infested by White Zetsu?
He had already tested his ability to detect Zetsu clones. They could disguise themselves well enough to evade his sensory skills—but not his system's detection.
Yet none of the people before him were disguised or parasitized.
That… didn't make sense.
"We don't have anything you need. Leave—now." Yahiko's hand tightened around his kunai pouch.
"Explaining is too much trouble."
"So…"
"I'll just take it by force."
Swoosh—!
In an instant, Shinno appeared at Nagato's side.
His body lowered, pressing against Samehada's hilt for leverage.
The massive blade swelled, its jagged edges flaring open as it swung down—straight for Nagato's head!
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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