-----
-----
Three days later, the Gold and Silver Brothers—Kinkaku and Ginkaku—quietly left the Hidden Cloud Village. They arrived at a nameless village on the border of the Land of Lightning.
At the meeting spot, they found a man in a black cloak already waiting for them. As the two brothers got within about ten meters of him, the cloaked man suddenly spoke up.
"That's far enough, gentlemen. After all, you're both legendary figures of the Hidden Cloud—I'd hate to fall victim to a surprise attack."
Kinkaku and Ginkaku stopped in their tracks, glancing at each other. Ginkaku asked, "So you're the boss of the guy who came to us the other day?"
The black-robed man smiled and said, "I'm just a nobody. No need for wild guesses. I came today because I wanted to discuss something big with you both. So please, don't concern yourselves with my identity."
Ginkaku chuckled. "We're not really seeing what major business we could possibly have with you."
Just then, the cloaked man waved his hand. Three large chests appeared out of thin air beside the brothers, as if a rift in space had opened. He said, "Just a little gift from me. Have a look before we talk any further."
Kinkaku immediately grabbed one chest and ripped it open. His eyes widened. "These are standard-issue ninja tools from the Land of Craftsmen—and top-grade ones too!"
Ginkaku popped open the other two chests. One was packed with scrolls and explosive tags, and the other also held high-quality ninja tools. Ginkaku turned to the man. "These are the real deal. Tools from the Land of Craftsmen are nearly impossible to buy, no matter how much money you throw at it. What exactly do you want from us?"
The cloaked man explained, "Honestly, I don't care for world peace. In a peaceful world, small-time merchants like me can't survive. So let me be blunt—if you two can destroy the alliance between Konoha and the Hidden Cloud, I've got even more impressive gifts waiting for you."
Kinkaku turned and looked at Ginkaku. Ginkaku gave him a slight nod, then looked at the cloaked man with disdain. "You're a weapons dealer. I didn't expect someone to be bold enough to try and spark a war between nations just to turn a profit."
The cloaked man didn't seem offended. "So what do you think, gentlemen?"
Kinkaku casually sorted the contents of the three chests, picked up an explosive tag, tossed it into the air, and performed a hand sign. "Explode!"
BOOM!A massive explosion tore through a giant tree as thick as five men holding hands, reducing it to splinters. Kinkaku turned back to the man and said, "If you can give us 5,000 more of those premium explosive tags, and four more crates of ninja gear like this, then sure—you can go home and wait for our good news. There's no way Cloud and Konoha are forming an alliance."
The cloaked man paused, then smiled. "Heh. Looks like I came to the right people after all. I'll go prepare the supplies right away and deliver them to you personally." With that, he vanished.
Ginkaku watched him disappear and frowned. "Brother, I think you acted too hastily. What if this is some trap set by the Second Raikage to eliminate us? And honestly, our plan is already foolproof. We don't need to stoop to working with a sleazy arms dealer."
Kinkaku waved him off. "The Second Raikage's hands are full dealing with those militant clans right now—he doesn't have time for us. That guy definitely isn't one of his pawns. Sure, the guy's a rat, but the stuff he brought us? It's all top-tier. What kind of idiot says no to free weapons?"
Ginkaku grinned. "Can't argue with that. If our Kinkaku Force gets equipped with this gear, we'll be even more confident we can take down the Second Hokage right here in the Land of Lightning."
The black-robed man reappeared inside a cave. Uchiha Mine quickly bowed when he saw him. "My lord, how did the meeting with Kinkaku and Ginkaku go?"
The man took off his hood, revealing his face—it was none other than Uchiha Aki, current head of the Uchiha clan.
Aki looked at Mine and said, "Five thousand explosive tags and four crates of elite gear… that's a bit less than we expected. But judging by their tone, they're already planning to sabotage the Cloud-Konoha alliance. Honestly, what we did might have been unnecessary."
Mine said, "My lord, your Flying Thunder God Jutsu really is the real deal—you've clearly inherited the Second Hokage's legacy. To teleport instantly between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning… it really is the ultimate space-time jutsu."
Aki shook his head. "I only managed to record the technique through my Mangekyō Sharingan. It's incomplete. My eyes boost space-time ninjutsu, which is the only reason I can pull it off. But it drains an insane amount of chakra. I have to open five chakra gates just to barely use it once, and after that, I need two full days to recover. Anyway, enough about that. Get everything packed. I'll send the supplies over to Kinkaku and Ginkaku. This time, I will kill the Second Raikage with my own hands—to avenge my father!"
Mine hesitated, then said, "My lord… what if the Second Hokage ends up caught in the crossfire and something happens to him…?"
Aki paused, then replied, "No matter what, the Second Raikage dies. I believe the Second Hokage can handle them, even if they team up. And if worst comes to worst, he can always escape. Don't overthink it. What's more urgent is sneaking our Uchiha forces into the Land of Lightning without Konoha's ANBU catching on. There used to be over fifty Sharingan users in our clan. After my purge, fewer than twenty remain."
Mine nodded. "Don't worry, my lord. The ones who remain are all our elite. Chise has been keeping Uchiha Kagami distracted. Kagami won't notice our movements for a while. And Ame has already led four Uchiha with three-tomoe Sharingan out of Konoha—they're en route to the Land of Lightning."
Aki nodded. "Once I deliver the goods to Kinkaku and Ginkaku, I'll return to Konoha to avoid suspicion. I'll leave things here in your hands. Keep a close eye on the Second Raikage. I want to know his every move."
In the Hokage's office, Tobirama looked at six men—Mitokado Homura, Akimichi Torifu, Shimura Danzō, Uchiha Kagami, and two others—and said, "For this mission to the Cloud Village to form an alliance, we shouldn't take too many people. The six of you will accompany me."
Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, "We're not taking Aki? I thought you always took him."
Tobirama ignored Hiruzen and looked at Kagami.
Uchiha Kagami understood and said, "Lord Aki has been busy handling clan affairs ever since becoming clan head. Apart from meeting with some local families, he hasn't left Uchiha territory. Right now, the clan can't function without him."
Tobirama nodded. "Alright then. If he can't come, we leave in three days. Go get ready."
The six men bowed and left. Tobirama stood and walked into the room next door, where a large scroll rested. He looked up at the photo of the First Hokage on the wall and murmured, "Big brother… I hope you made the right choice. That boy—everything he's done has been for Konoha. Even I haven't found any signs of betrayal. But still… I just can't shake this uneasy feeling."
He picked up the scroll and slowly made his way toward Uchiha territory.
In a pavilion inside Uchiha territory, Aki, dressed in traditional robes, prepared tea for the Second Hokage. Tobirama smiled approvingly.
"You've finally started carrying yourself like a true leader. I take it you've read the Uchiha Clan's stone tablet?"
Aki offered him the tea and respectfully said, "I've only understood half of it. I've learned some pretty powerful jutsu, but they all drain a ton of chakra. With my current reserves, I can't use them to their full potential."
Tobirama placed the giant scroll beside Aki, took a sip of tea, and said, "There are only three men in history who became powerful enough to create legendary artifacts using their own chakra. The Six Paths Sage left behind six items—Seven Star Sword, Banana Palm Fan, Red Gourd, Golden Rope, Amber Purification Jar—all of which are now in the Hidden Cloud. Your grandfather, Uchiha Madara, wielded the Uchiha War Fan, which was lost during his final battle with your teacher, the First Hokage."
He pointed to the scroll. "And this… this is your teacher's legacy—my older brother's artifact. A scroll of sealing."
Aki blinked. "That's an artifact?"
Tobirama nodded. "The Sage's six artifacts each had unique powers:
Seven Star Sword: Can cut through and curse the opponent's spoken words.
Red Gourd: Seals the target after a certain period.
Banana Palm Fan: Releases any chakra nature attack without using your own chakra.
Golden Rope: Forces anyone it touches to speak a word that can be used to seal them.
Amber Jar: Says your name, and if you respond—you're sealed.
Your grandfather's War Fan could even manipulate space.
All of these artifacts are powerful but have limitations. This scroll, though—it's different. It used to contain every jutsu your teacher ever knew, as well as all his ninja tools. After he passed, I removed anything below A-rank and all the gear. What's left are powerful barrier and sealing jutsu.
But what really makes it special is the content. This scroll contains almost all the forbidden jutsu in the ninja world. Over twenty A-rank, S-rank, and even Super-S-rank jutsu. I'll be heading to the Cloud Village in three days, so study this scroll carefully. You're not coming with us, but your training doesn't stop."
Aki bowed. "Thank you, sir, for entrusting me with something so important."
Suddenly, Tobirama gave Aki a serious look. "What are you hiding from me?"
Aki's heart skipped a beat, but he kept a calm face. "I haven't hidden anything from you, sir."
Tobirama stood up and said, "You can count me among the few people in this world you can trust. I know you're unhappy about the alliance with the Cloud, but I hope that unhappiness doesn't turn into something worse. Got it? And about the Nine-Tails—if you can't figure it out within a year, your teacher's wife is going to seal it permanently inside herself. So get to work."
He turned and left the pavilion.
"....."