"While, in principle, one should be responsible for their own proposals, I actually believe this matter should be handled by the Leader…"
On the road to the Land of Hot Water, Yūshin spoke to his companion with a calm and relatively cautious tone.
"Are you implying the target we aim to recruit is stronger than both of us?"
"Only stronger than me. I don't know your fighting style, so naturally, I can't gauge your exact strength."
The one traveling with Yūshin was Konan. Initially, he'd thought he'd be paired with Kakuzu, but upon reflection, Nagato's arrangement made more sense. A thoroughly trusted 'old hand' accompanying a newly joined member—it was a rational, reasonable setup.
It also demonstrated Nagato's confidence in Konan's ability to handle the mission, and showed they somewhat underestimated the strength of 'Gamabunta,' completely unconcerned about this newcomer turning traitor.
"Caution is warranted," Konan said, her voice cool. "But excessive caution leads to hesitation, to being shackled by your own fears. I didn't expect a veteran like you to be so… apprehensive."
Spending so much time around the Rinnegan, witnessing its power firsthand, warped one's perspective. Absurd ideas could start to feel like established facts. As everyone knew, Konan often 'floated' high above. Her vision seemed broad, but it was actually narrow. On one hand, they believed in accumulating power, avoiding excessive exposure. On the other, they held absolute faith in the Rinnegan's combat prowess.
The Rinnegan was strong enough. Calling it 'divine' wasn't an overstatement. So, could any power in this world surpass a god?
Well, the Rinnegan was indeed a top-tier dōjutsu. But even among Rinnegan, there were gaps.
Even in a disabled boxing match, Nagato couldn't beat Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. The very nature of their disabilities marked the hierarchy. Nagato was crippled by Hanzo. Isshiki was crippled by Kaguya. Was there any comparison?
But Yūshin was certain of one thing: Jigen, or rather, the Isshiki within him, would be interested in Nagato's plan.
Isshiki didn't care about visions of peace in the Shinobi World. But he cared about the Ten-Tails.
You don't just lose a Ten-Tails for nothing. That loss needed to be rectified.
Yūshin didn't argue with Konan. Right now, he had no intention of fighting Isshiki. With the right approach to negotiations, Isshiki had every reason to join this little game of make-believe.
He'd had a Ten-Tails before, so he'd ignored certain players in the Shinobi World. But times had changed.
The journey continued in silence. Upon reaching the Land of Hot Water, Yūshin quickly sensed Jigen's lingering presence. The reason for his stay was simple: sheer reluctance to admit his loss, stubbornly searching the area.
But Yūshin didn't reveal his sensory abilities. This was Konan's moment to shine.
It took another week before she pinpointed Jigen's location, wandering within the country's borders.
"Found him. I'll go ahead. Catch up quickly."
Paper wings unfurled from Konan's back. With a flutter, she took to the sky.
Yūshin always felt Konan's ability carried an inauspicious air. It was too easy to associate it with paper money, paper effigies—funerary customs. Watching her now, wasn't she practically courting death?
"Well… let's not have her actually die."
Despite his words, Yūshin maintained a leisurely pace toward Jigen's location. As long as she didn't die, a little suffering was instructive.
The sound of explosions reached Yūshin's ears, one after another.
When he arrived at the scene, the two were, predictably, already fighting. More accurately, the fight seemed to be over.
The edgy-looking youth had Konan's head clamped in one hand. Had Yūshin been a moment later, what followed would have been… a decisive cranial crush.
This was Yūshin's second encounter with him. He'd disguised his chakra signature beforehand, ensuring the other couldn't recognize his identity. There was no way he could know Yūshin was the thief who stole the Ten-Tails whelp.
His 'teammate' was in dire straits. Yūshin didn't hesitate. He clapped his hands together.
A twisted, surging forest erupted from the ground like an angry tide, lashing toward Jigen.
During the prior fight, black, barcode-like markings had spread across Jigen's face. The signature of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's power.
Faced with Yūshin's massive area attack, Jigen casually tossed Konan aside and focused on evasion. The will currently piloting this body was still Jigen's. Against Yūshin's assault, he had to be serious.
But Yūshin's 'Wood Release' was a feint. As the sea of trees spread, he instantly entered Sage Mode and unleashed the most convenient sealing technique.
Sage Art: Gate of the Great God.
The crimson torii gates descended from the heavens, slamming down and pinning Jigen in place instantly.
"A sealing technique…"
Jigen was forced to one knee, his shoulders locked tight by the crude wooden frame—two vertical pillars and one horizontal beam. No matter how he strained, he couldn't break free.
Of course. The effectiveness of most sealing techniques depended on the quality of the user's chakra. Simply put, Yūshin's Gate of the Great God far surpassed Hashirama's.
Jigen felt his chakra being siphoned away. Hesitation wasn't an option. He began to transform.
A horn sprouted from his forehead.
With a single horn now jutting from his skull, his chakra intensity skyrocketed, not by a small margin. His overall form grew strikingly similar to Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's true appearance. The only differences were the lingering barcode markings on his face, and the fact that Isshiki's true form resembled an albino.
The explosive force of his chakra in this state even gave Yūshin a moment of pause. This was the first time he'd seen anyone try to brute-force their way out of the Gate of the Great God.
Needless to say, Yūshin merely waved a hand. More crimson torii gates rained down, embedding themselves in the earth, swiftly forming an intricate wooden puzzle-lock around Jigen's form.
He was suppressed once more.
This proved one thing: while Jigen's power in this state was absurd, the problem he now faced was beyond his own ability to solve.
Jigen's eyes slid shut. When they reopened, his entire demeanor transformed into one of incomparable, arrogant superiority. This stark shift confirmed it—the will now in control belonged to the Ōtsutsuki.
Seeing that further delay would lead to a full transformation, Yūshin spoke up.
"No need for such excitement, Jigen. We merely wish to invite you to join an organization."
Jigen—or rather, it was Isshiki now—remained unmoved. He asked calmly, "How do you know of me?"
"All the monks of a certain temple here were wiped out in a single night. Such an event isn't hard to inquire about. And you were the sole survivor." Yūshin offered a plausible explanation.
Konan had by now staggered to Yūshin's side. She keenly felt the man's immense danger. Her instinct was to eliminate him while he was restrained, not recruit him.
But when both Yūshin and Isshiki's gazes turned toward her simultaneously, she felt her very consciousness begin to freeze. For reasons she couldn't fathom, she was forced to abandon that impractical notion.
Yūshin even gave her a face-saving out, making a slight gesture to hold her back.
"What organization?" Isshiki asked again.
Yūshin elaborated on the Akatsuki's founding ideals. Of course, most of it was fluff. The only truly important point was their goal to collect the Tailed Beasts.
Sure enough, those two words—Tailed Beasts—gave Isshiki a slight, perceptible pause.
To him, things like the Gedo Statue were meaningless. If he could acquire the nine Tailed Beasts, wouldn't that be equivalent to reclaiming the Ten-Tails? A Ten-Tails pieced together from components was still a Ten-Tails. At this point, one couldn't be picky about the merchandise's condition.
"Your plan has… feasibility. Peace in the Shinobi World… A noble goal. I will join you."
After a brief silence, Isshiki made his decision.
In his current state, directly opposing the Five Great Shinobi Villages—or the entire Shinobi World—was inadvisable. The Akatsuki was undoubtedly a perfect tool to exploit. Not using this organization would be illogical.
This was about getting back up from where he fell. It was precisely because of the Shinobi World's Ten-Tails that Ōtsutsuki Isshiki had stumbled a millennium ago. Reclaiming this Ten-Tails signified his full recovery. Let's not forget—half his body had been fed to this very beast.
In a sense, the nine Tailed Beasts of this world were essentially Isshiki's lower half. Reclaiming them was his "Isshiki Completion Project."
Once the Tailed Beasts were gathered, perhaps the phantom pains in his missing limbs would finally cease.
"Excellent. We've gained a formidable asset."
Yūshin offered praise and moved to dispel the sealing restraints on Isshiki.
"Unnecessary."
Isshiki wanted to demonstrate his power. He tensed the muscles in his single supporting leg. With a series of sharp cracks, he forcefully shattered the massive wooden beams pinning him down.
Jigen's form then reverted to normal. He brushed the dust from his trousers and said, "Take me to your leader."
Yūshin nodded, privately amused.
Ōtsutsuki Isshiki was, after all, only a crippled Ōtsutsuki. His conversation with Yūshin had been a stalling tactic—a chance to gather his strength for that explosive breakout. Without that 'gathering' process, instantly breaking the Gate of the Great God would have been far more difficult.
The reason was simple: if he could have done it immediately upon awakening, with Isshiki's prideful nature, would he have tolerated kneeling on the ground for even a second longer than necessary?
So, Isshiki's display of breaking the seal hadn't intimidated Yūshin. If anything, it had revealed a hint of his underlying weakness.
Setting aside combat experience and special abilities, could this guy's raw stats surpass a fully-realized Kaguya? Unlikely.
Year 65 of Konoha, Winter.
Uchiha Itachi turned fifteen.
In the original timeline, the Uchiha Clan should have been massacred two years prior. Uchiha Shisui would have been dead for four or five years.
But in the current Konoha, both Uchiha Shisui and the Uchiha Clan still existed… for now.
The Hokage's Office.
"Hokage-sama, the emotions of the Uchiha hardliners are nearing a breaking point. The slightest friction could ignite their fury… Perhaps it's time to use my genjutsu to… adjust their perspective."
Uchiha Shisui delivered his latest report to the Fourth Hokage, Uzumaki Minako.
It was inevitable. Contradictions only deepened over time. Even without Danzō Shimura, even without Shisui's death, the Uchiha problem remained.
But this time, Shisui of the Body Flicker was a classic beneficiary of the status quo, viewed as the standard-bearer for the Uchiha 'appeasement' faction. If he died now, it might not inflame tensions between the clan and the village. The hardliners might just applaud.
Minako shook her head. "Your genjutsu might change a few minds, Shisui. But can you change everyone's? Using genjutsu would signal the outbreak of civil war within the Uchiha. Are both sides willing to mediate? The village can provide a venue. I can personally serve as mediator."
Notice the problem? Konoha had neatly positioned itself as an outside party. When did the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha become an internal Uchiha conflict?
This wasn't the Hokage's office. It was a stage. Minako was putting on a performance.
Yet, her words were impeccable. She had treated the Uchiha well.
It wasn't that she discriminated. She treated all Uchiha equally. But some Uchiha refused the new policies, refused to become part of the so-called 'appeasement' faction. What could she do?
She wasn't targeting a segment of the Uchiha. That segment had voluntarily placed themselves in the line of fire. That was all.
At this stage, Konoha was even willing to mediate an internal Uchiha dispute. Could any Hokage be more 'benevolent'?
Think about it. What did the Uchiha lose by complying with Konoha's new policies? Nothing. They were simply pledging their loyalty to the village.
So, conversely, if a portion of the Uchiha were unwilling to be loyal to Konoha, wasn't their resulting hardship… deserved?
Someone like Shisui, receiving such favor, could easily be seen as a strong contender for the next Hokage, or a dominant force for the one after. Wasn't this the very symbol of fair treatment for the Uchiha?
So why were some people so stubborn? Ah, a lack of vision, trapped by personal grievances.
Shisui considered the Hokage's suggestion, his expression troubled. "From the hardliners' perspective, the village supports our faction. Any mediation we propose would lack impartiality."
"You must strive to bring them to the table. As long as Konoha's core principles aren't violated, negotiation is always preferable."
Minako's words sounded reasonable, even noble. But what did 'not violating Konoha's principles' mean? If those people were willing to accept the Sharingan registration system, the hardliner faction wouldn't exist in the first place.
So, 'room for talk' really meant 'no room for talk.'
"I understand, Hokage-sama. I will strive to facilitate a dialogue."
What else could Shisui say? He could only promise to try, to prevent the Uchiha from becoming a burden on the village, and to salvage the clan's deteriorating reputation.
"One more thing. Protect your clan head."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" Shisui's expression grew even graver.
Minako nodded, satisfied. The current Uchiha clan head was a man who liked to muddy the waters, hesitant, long on plans but short on action. To her, he was the perfect Uchiha clan head.
They absolutely had to keep this clan head alive and well.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
BOOK COMPLETED ON PATREON!
This story has reached its conclusion on my Patreon!
Full story available now
Exclusive bonus content & early access to new books
Join my Patreon community today!
✨patreon.com/GoldenLong
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━