Chapter 117
2-in-1-chapter
-----------------
Hearing Rēn's words, Shisui was silent.
The Flying Thunder God… he had to admit, he was very interested. As one who excelled in the Body Flicker, he had an immense fascination with space–time ninjutsu. Yet in the past, he never had the slightest chance of touching a technique like the Flying Thunder God.
In the old days, no matter how much merit an Uchiha earned, they would never be allowed to lay a finger on the Scroll of Seals.
From Rēn's perspective, though, this was not unreasonable. The Scroll of Seals was essentially a collection of forbidden techniques developed by the Second Hokage. It had nothing to do with the Uchiha. If he were in the Third's place, he too might have refused to let the Uchiha near it.
It was only human nature, nothing worth getting angry about.
"Although I wasn't able to obtain the Flying Thunder God Technique from Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind, Konoha today is no longer the Konoha of his era. This is a new age. With the merits you've earned over the years, Shisui, and with me working some channels, you should qualify to access the Scroll of Seals. At that time, there's still a chance for you to learn the Flying Thunder God."
Rēn continued speaking.
Uchiha Shisui, famed as Shisui of the Body Flicker + Flying Thunder God Technique = ?
Rēn was deeply interested in this peculiar equation. He was curious about what the result would be, about just how high Shisui could ascend. It was truly something worth anticipating.
Shisui grew ever more unsure of how to respond. He cleared his throat softly. "We can discuss the Flying Thunder God later. If my merits aren't enough, I'll just earn more. But you mentioned having me look for those so‑called Six Paths Tools—are you saying they might be in the Land of Water?"
"It's only a possibility. To be honest, I'm not certain whether the Six Paths Tools are really in the Land of Water. It's possible the Cloud shinobi already found them, but haven't located candidates capable of wielding them like the Gold and Silver Brothers, so they've kept them hidden all this time."
Even Rēn's memory was not omniscient.
Too much had been glossed over by history, and by now, many things had changed beyond recognition. The past could only be used as a reference, not as absolute fact.
"Of course, it's also possible they've never been found. The Land of Water is, after all, Mist territory. The Cloud shinobi can't exactly operate openly here. There are many possibilities. I don't know the exact situation myself. Shisui, just treat it as a trial run and see if you can find anything."
"If they're still there, I'll bring them back."
Shisui agreed readily.
Though Rēn's words didn't sound entirely reliable, the truth was that such a mission was far easier than overthrowing a Hokage. He didn't reject it at all, even if it seemed like it was only for Rēn's personal desires.
But that was fine.
No rule said a clan leader couldn't ask his clansmen to handle personal matters. In fact, for the Uchiha, being tasked with errands by their clan leader was considered perfectly normal and was even seen as an honour, as it showed that the clan head trusted them.
As long as it wasn't sending someone to their death, no one found it strange.
"To be honest, I'm quite interested in this myself. If not for my position, I'd want to investigate personally. Unfortunately… heaven rarely grants us what we wish. Nine times out of ten, life goes against our desires. Truly unfortunate."
Rēn sighed in regret.
The role of clan head brought power and honour, but also shackles of responsibility. His every move affected not only himself, but countless others. And besides, the Mist shinobi would never allow him to wander freely around the Land of Water.
"Rēn, I'll definitely bring them back."
Unsure what else to say, Shisui solemnly made the promise.
"Don't put it like that. I already said we can't be sure they're even there." Rēn waved a hand dismissively, then pulled out a scroll from his sleeve, already prepared, and handed it to Shisui. "This records all the places where the Six Paths Tools might exist. Run through the locations listed. If you find them, great. If not, it's no big deal. After all, this is just my personal request, not a command from the clan head. Shisui, if you'd rather not go, you can tell me so."
"Rēn, you really are something. You wait until you've said all this before asking if I want to go or not…" Shisui laughed. Rēn was still the same trickster as always, not someone who had changed after becoming clan head.
He took the scroll, not opening it right away, but carefully slipping it into his pocket.
Watching Shisui store it safely, Rēn continued, "Next, I'll find a pretext to arrange for you to move freely. But the Mist shinobi will definitely send people to tail and monitor you. Be cautious of them, and don't forget that hidden enemy lurking in the shadows."
"I'll be careful."
Shisui nodded seriously.
As for the Mist shinobi, he didn't truly take them to heart. Unless they came in a massive force, small groups were easy to wipe out or evade. The real threat was the one Rēn spoke of—the enemy claiming to be Uchiha Madara, along with his companion.
"That's good."
Rēn inclined his head lightly.
He wouldn't trust this task to anyone else. Only Shisui had the greatest chance of bringing back the Six Paths Tools.
Of course, that depended on whether they truly still existed—and not already taken by someone else.
................
......
.
Just as Rēn and Shisui stood at the camp's entrance, speaking in a calm and cordial manner, the atmosphere inside the newly erected command tent at the center of the Mist camp was cold as if they had fallen into an ice cave of the Land of Snow. Ordinary Mist shinobi, for various reasons, didn't particularly care about the war's outcome, but the Jōnin qualified to sit or stand in this tent were those who either cared deeply or had no choice but to care.
No matter what they truly felt inside, for the sake of the village's honor, they had to show expressions of deep shame.
"…That is the situation. This war with Konoha was not of my intent. To be precise, from the moment five years ago when I led the defense against attackers outside the village, I had already become a puppet without self‑control."
Yagura Karatachi spoke with calm composure.
Perhaps bowing his head earlier to admit defeat to Uchiha Rēn had already drained all of his will and emotion. His spirit now was numb, unfeeling. Even when he confessed that he had been under someone's control, there was no great fluctuation in his voice.
He seemed to be speaking about someone else, not himself.
He did not conceal the truth. Instead, he told it directly to these Jōnin—shinobi considered the backbone and future of the village. Hiding it was meaningless; he had to account for the actions "he" had carried out.
The tent was silent.
Even Momochi Zabuza, seething with dissatisfaction over Yagura's decision to surrender, said nothing. Of course, that was partly because his entire body was bandaged like a mummy.
Uchiha Rēn simply gave them a warning, so the "Uchiha Rebound" had spared Zabuza and his two companions.
Compared to the uninjured Mangetsu, and Kisame who had only suffered two broken bones, Zabuza's condition was far worse. Already wounded before the battle, he now had multiple fractures and severe blood loss. If not for medical‑nin being present at the time, he likely would not have survived.
"I didn't expect the rumor to be true."
Mangetsu sat near the front. It wasn't only because he was Kirigakure's "prodigy." Here, he represented the Hōzuki clan. In today's Mist, the Hōzuki held a status comparable to Konoha's Hyūga. Though not the acknowledged number‑one clan, they firmly stood in the top tier.
Moreover, their clan had produced a Mizukage before. Their position was therefore extremely prominent.
"Mizukage‑sama, forgive my bluntness, but… are you sure this isn't an excuse you fabricated to shirk responsibility?" Mangetsu voiced what many were silently thinking.
Could this really not be a story?
The great Mizukage, controlled for more than five years, with over ten thousand shinobi in Kirigakure failing to notice? What kind of joke was that? Not even third‑rate novels would dare write such a plot. To use an old saying—it was absurdity opening the door to absurdity. Absolutely outrageous.
And yes, as Mangetsu said, it was indeed a very rude question.
Yagura calmly swept his gaze across them, sighing softly. "I understand your doubts. Unfortunately, I have no solid proof. Even the corpse of the impostor who disguised himself as me is in Uchiha Rēn's hands. All I can say is this: whether you believe or not is up to you. Just don't dismiss my words as empty wind."
Tok, tok.
He tapped his finger against the table before him.
"The matter of the mysterious individual is not the most urgent. What matters now is handling our relations with Konoha—"
"Mizukage‑sama, according to your account, the one controlling you possessed the Sharingan. Are you certain this isn't Konoha's conspiracy?"
The speaker rudely interrupted Yagura. Yagura turned his gaze toward him. The man wore a gray shinobi cap and a brown robe, his features utterly unremarkable.
At the sight of this man, Yagura's brows instinctively furrowed.
"Bi, if this were Konoha's conspiracy, there would have been no need to manipulate me into launching this war. That would have been redundant. If they wanted something, couldn't they have used me as their puppet to achieve it?" Yagura countered.
"And what if what Konoha wanted all along was war?"
The man called "Bi" spoke in a low, steady voice, carrying an air of weight and authority.
"What do you mean?"
Yagura's frown deepened.
"If Konoha's goal is a war meant only to divert attention from its internal strife? According to the intelligence we received earlier, just before our war with Konoha broke out, there was a coup in the village. The Third Hokage stepped down, the Fifth Acting Hokage took power. And I've observed the composition of their forces—their Chūnin and Genin are either civilian shinobi or members of the Sarutobi, Shimura, and Mitokado clans. Without exception, they're all political losers from the internal struggle."
Bi spoke slowly, his words enunciated clearly enough for everyone in the tent to hear exactly what he was saying.
This made many of the Mist shinobi, who already harbored doubts, grow even more suspicious of what was really happening.
Even Yagura Karatachi listened in a daze. It all sounded… frighteningly reasonable. If he hadn't personally sensed, in the mental plane, the crushing defeat of that one‑eyed Uchiha at the hands of Uchiha Rēn, he would have suspected that Konoha had orchestrated this entire situation.
"…Perhaps it was precisely the victors of the coup in Konoha who, to quell the still‑unresolved internal conflict, chose to use you, Mizukage‑sama, to launch this war. By applying external pressure, they forced Konoha's factions to unite, thereby easing or suppressing their internal discord…"
Bi's analysis continued.
But Yagura Karatachi could not allow him to go on. If radicals like Momochi Zabuza were provoked into revolt, and tried to emulate the great deeds of the "Two Lights of Kumogakure" from years past… he could not permit such a thing.
The Two Lights of Kumogakure had the power to kill two Kage.
But here, even if all the Mist shinobi on the island joined forces, they might not be enough for that monster, Uchiha Rēn, to bother with.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can read 40 high quality advanced chapters as well as 2 daily chapters on!
P@tre0n/IDKjust