"The Kaguya clan’s rebellious attitude is getting worse. We need to wipe them out soon."
"They’re all strong, aggressive types with no real allies in the village."
"If anything happens, no one’s going to step in for them. Just take the Anbu and go."
"Besides, that old guy Genjii has been getting suspicious of you lately. It’s a good chance to prove yourself."
Obito looked down at Karatachi Yagura, who was sitting in the chair below him.
The Fourth Mizukage, and host of the Three-Tails, was staring blankly ahead with empty eyes.
Something clearly wasn’t right.
Obito didn’t have a great impression of Genjii. Not long after Yagura had been put under control, that old man had split off part of Kirigakure’s forces for himself.
Of course, anyone trying to take on Yagura head-on would have to be out of their mind.
So they were just looking to protect themselves. Every now and then, they’d put up some small resistance that didn’t really matter.
Obito didn’t fully understand what those people were up to—those old guys were all crafty.
They rarely took the initiative.
Even when they suspected something about Yagura, they only hinted at it quietly, never confronting it directly.
But if they were playing it sneaky, then Obito would do the same.
Yagura’s power was pretty much all out in the open, so that old man wouldn’t dare make a move publicly.
He probably knew full well that he wasn’t strong enough to take on Yagura in a real fight.
Guys like that were like mosquitoes that just wouldn’t shut up in the fall.
Obito curled his lip in annoyance.
And if anything happens to Yagura, that old man’s people will probably rush in to take control.
They’ll want to quickly suppress the other factions, just in case more trouble shows up under a harsh rule.
"Any teachers who made it into the village alive recently?"
"You know what to do."
Once you enter, there’s no way out. Death is the only path left.
These strong ninjas they’ve lured in—kill as many as possible. There aren’t many who can even stand a chance against the Three-Tails’ Jinchuriki.
Obito casually waved his hand and disappeared in an instant.
Karatachi Yagura stayed completely still.
The window next to him was wide open, letting in the cool night breeze.
A crow, almost blending into the ceiling, tilted its head, revealing a glowing red eye before flying swiftly out the window.
Shisui blinked as the voice transmission with Obito ended.
The man in the mask had his face mostly covered, and from Shisui’s angle, he couldn’t get a clear look at Obito’s Sharingan.
But it was easy to tell—Karatachi Yagura was clearly under a Genjutsu.
"Someone’s been controlling the Mizukage from behind?!"
"All of this mess was caused by that guy?!"
Shisui looked stunned. This was someone using Genjutsu to control the leader of a whole nation!
Even though his own Kotoamatsukami had fooled many people before, he’d never used it to run a country.
"Well, most of the blame probably goes to him."
Hatake Satoru replied half-heartedly, sounding distracted.
"If you call that knowing him, then we’d be too close. I’ve only seen him a few times."
Hatake Satoru shrugged and didn’t bother mentioning how Obito was almost involved in wiping out Shisui’s clan.
Hatake Satoru knew all about Obito controlling the Mizukage.
But what really caught his attention was the name he heard from Obito’s mouth—Genjii.
In Konohagakure, he was only planning to train some promising kids.
But now that he was in the chaos of Kirigakure, there’s no way he’d leave after just raising a few people.
A sly smile slowly spread across Hatake Satoru’s face.
The Land of Fire and a few other big nations are surrounded by many small countries.
There’s always some kind of messy diplomacy or quiet back-and-forth poking.
But the Land of Water is surrounded by ocean on all sides, so it doesn’t have to deal with all that nonsense.
Its location is naturally easy to defend, and with the thick mist, tall mountains, and wet climate, it’s a perfect spot for a hidden base.
"The guy in the mask is backing Karatachi Yagura, but Genjii hasn’t made any moves, has he?"
"And I don’t think I’ve heard much about him at all."
"He’s supposed to be one of the top decision-makers, right?"
Hatake Satoru lifted his head, looking strangely excited, and Shisui couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy.
"What are you thinking..."
Shisui suddenly had a bad feeling.
He’d seen that look on Hatake Satoru’s face before—the kind he made when he was about to say something crazy.
"I’m going to push a new Mizukage into power, and I’ll start by working on Genji-sama."
"As for this armband, I’ve got another plan for it tomorrow."
Hatake Satoru wasn’t ready to show up in front of Karatachi Yagura yet—mostly because he didn’t want Obito to know he was here.
A top player like Hatake Satoru is best saved for a final boss moment, after all.
Getting involved in a coup is one thing, but this guy really thinks he can install a Mizukage all by himself?
Shisui instinctively touched his eye and hesitated.
"If I want to use Kotoamatsukami again, it’ll take over ten years before I can."
Now *that’s* dedication to the job.
He was already thinking about using his eye again.
Hatake Satoru couldn’t help but laugh when he saw that, and waved a hand at Shisui.
"Let’s not rule the country with genjutsu, alright? It’s fun, sure—but someone’s already done that!"
"We need something a little more interesting this time."
The next afternoon, there were still two hours left before Hatake Satoru and Shisui had to return the armband.
"You’re going straight to Genji? Where’d you even get his location?"
Shisui asked in surprise, walking beside Hatake Satoru.
Hatake Satoru held a small piece of paper written in childish handwriting. It had Genji’s location in the Mizukage building.
"A student gave it to me. It’s not like it’s some big secret."
"We might not know this stuff, but the local students definitely would."
"Genji might not be that strong, but most of the students actually like the old man."
"With the way Yagura’s been running things, people here would probably throw a party no matter who took his place. Even if it was a dog."
Well, except for that kid Hozuki Mangetsu.
He’s all about chasing strength. Someone like Karatachi Yagura, a Jinchuriki, is exactly the kind of person he admires.
"But right now, the one I admire most is Teacher Satoru!"
Hozuki Mangetsu’s bright, sparkling eyes flashed through his mind.
Hatake Satoru rubbed his temples. Being admired wasn’t such a bad thing, he guessed.
"You’re not wrong, but man, you’ve got a sharp tongue."
Shisui glanced at an Anbu member walking past quickly. Luckily, none of them seemed to care what the two of them were talking about.
With two hours left, these Anbu probably already saw them as dead men walking.
Hatake Satoru walked into the building without hesitation and kicked the door open.
Wearing a bright smile, he looked at the old man behind the desk, who stared back at him in shock.
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