"Something is seriously off."
Fukai, carrying his ninja blade behind him, stared at his own student in the distance. The more he watched, the more mysterious the boy seemed. Getting his hands on the corpses of Kinkaku and Ginkaku, along with so many other abnormal actions—this clearly wasn't something mere wealth could accomplish.
"Some secrets can't be spoken,"
the Ay beside him shook his head.
The matter of firearms absolutely could not be mentioned—every additional person who knew increased the risk of exposure.
And then there was the earlier proposal of a split-tailed-beast Jinchūriki plan. Although the junior disciple had only provided a rough idea and there were still many technical obstacles to overcome, the hardest part of many things lay precisely in that moment of inspiration.
Just like a line from those infamous "yellow tomes" his junior brother wrote:
"True genius is ninety-nine percent inspiration and one percent perspiration."
It perfectly illustrated the importance of ideas.
In such a short time, the boy had already brought enormous benefits to the village—and there would surely be more in the future.
They cherished this kind of talent.
In fact, the reason Ay and his cousin Fukai were personally accompanying the mission this time was essentially to serve as the boy's bodyguards.
Seeing his cousin say this much, Fukai didn't press further. As a ninja, excessive curiosity wasn't appropriate anyway—he only needed to carry out his mission properly.
After a silent but rapid voyage, they arrived the next day at a suitable landing coast of the Land of Whirlpools. More than a thousand Cloud ninjas disembarked with supplies, set up camp in a suitable area, and waited for the coming war.
Tutai and Tian CunZairo, along with three yellow-skinned jōnin, changed into Konoha ANBU disguises, then detoured toward UzUzushiogakure.
Because a formal letter had already been delivered to the Uzumaki clan's elder in advance, someone was waiting at the village entrance and escorted Tutai directly to the elder.
This elder—Uzumaki Rōkai—was the most anti-Konoha figure within the Uzumaki clan and, after Uzumaki Ashina's death, the highest-ranking elder still alive. His authority within the clan even surpassed that of the current clan head.
As for Tian CunZairo and the three ANBU jōnin, they were left at the village entrance.
It was a sensitive time. UzUzushiogakure had refused entry to all outsiders—especially ninja.
Tian CunZairo didn't find this strange. He stood calmly with the three jōnin, observing the surroundings.
Before long, however, an awkward situation arose.
Three figures were escorted out of the village by an Uzumaki ninja.
Their clothing and appearance were identical to Tian CunZairo's group—Konoha ANBU attire.
But these were clearly the real thing, not the temporary impostors they themselves were.
The atmosphere instantly became awkward—and heavy.
Both sides stood at the village entrance, facing each other. The Uzumaki guards glanced back and forth, already sensing something wrong.
Tian CunZairo's gaze lingered most on the youth completely wrapped in clothing, with only his mouth exposed.
This outfit felt familiar.
Judging by their builds, all three appeared quite young—two males and one female—a typical Konoha configuration. Two wore masks, while the other was wrapped so tightly that only his mouth was visible.
They were probably here to take Uzumaki Kushina away.
But why send three youths for something so important?
Unless their identities were special.
Tian CunZairo silently speculated. He had a rough idea who the fully wrapped youth was—and precisely because of that, he dared to conclude they were people from Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō's faction. The other two, however, were harder to identify.
Still, from their formation, it was clear that the Aburame clan member stood slightly behind, while the youth at the front held higher status.
Recalling intelligence on Konoha's major clans, Tian CunZairo formed a preliminary conclusion.
Seeing the tension about to erupt, he stepped forward and spoke coldly, with an air of lofty disdain, as if looking down on the three opposite him:
"Go back and tell Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō—don't harbor any improper thoughts. The ninja war is about to begin. We don't want unpleasant incidents within the village, and you'd better not do anything that displeases us either. Otherwise, the consequences won't be something you can bear."
Please call me Senju Zairo from now on.
The three opposite him exchanged glances. In the end, they dispersed the chakra they had begun to gather.
From his words, they deduced that these must be people sent by the Senju clan. After all, ANBU was proposed by the Second Hokage, and its earliest core members were Senju. Even now, many Senju served within ANBU.
The presence of these four wasn't surprising.
Those people really didn't trust Father, did they?
What a pity—the ending was already decided.
Tian CunZairo pretended to examine them closely, then sneered as if recognizing the leader:
"So it's you. He actually sent you to the Land of Whirlpools—doesn't he fear you'll die here and make him a white-haired man sending off his black-haired son?"
Although he couldn't be completely certain of the other's identity, the figure clearly belonged to a youth. That alone suggested high status; otherwise, he wouldn't qualify to represent Konoha in UzUzushiogakure. That made this a perfect opportunity to bluff.
The leader—Sarutobi Shinnosuke—let out a sigh once his identity was exposed.
"You Senju misunderstand my father far too deeply. The Second Hokage passed the position to Father for his own reasons. You shouldn't go against the Second Hokage's will."
"If it were truly just a misunderstanding," Tian CunZairo sneered, fully committing to the role of a Senju member,
"why would our clan's elites be dispatched to the Land of Earth front at a time like this? That battlefield is far too distant from the Land of Whirlpools—they can't possibly arrive in time to provide support."
Internally, Tian CunZairo confirmed his guess.
That line had been a test—a verbal trap meant to force the other side to reveal information. And as expected, the opponent really was the Hokage's son.
That identity was indeed sufficient to serve as Konoha's representative in UzUzushiogakure.
Behind him, the three Cloud ANBU were utterly confused, but they still coordinated instinctively—eyes fierce, weapons appearing in their hands, clearly ready to fight.
"You misunderstand the Hokage far too deeply," Shinnosuke replied.
"No matter what Father does, you interpret it wrongly."
The girl beside him couldn't help speaking up, clearly displeased by Tian CunZairo's words.
"You're the ones who misunderstand Sarutobi Hiruzen," Tian CunZairo replied coldly.
"The Sarutobi Hiruzen of twenty years ago is not the Sarutobi Hiruzen of today. Power is the most terrifying poison in the world—it corrodes anyone's will.
"His Will of Fire has already deteriorated. Under his leadership, Konoha will only continue to weaken and eventually lose its dominant position over the other villages."
His sneer never faded. Tian CunZairo was now fully immersed in the act.
At the same time, he was guessing the girl's identity. She had repeatedly looked at Shinnosuke earlier—her gaze wasn't ordinary. They were likely close. Lovers?
Or perhaps… the future mother of Sarutobi Konohamaru?
Who was Konohamaru's mother again?
He searched his memories of Naruto but found nothing concrete. There was only a vague setting—someone who served as Sarutobi Hiruzen's right-hand aide and an ANBU high-ranking officer. Beyond that, nothing.
Even the name Sarutobi Shinnosuke was something he had learned from Tutai, who had briefed him on key figures from the five great villages. The Hokage's son, naturally, was top priority.
"The one being corrupted is you!"
Shinnosuke retorted firmly.
He was deeply displeased by the man openly addressing his father by name and silently speculated about the other's identity.
Without question, this was a member of the Senju clan—and a high-ranking one at that. Yet none of the Senju figures he knew matched this person.
Was this a hidden Senju operative?
The girl was equally unhappy, but restrained herself and explained seriously:
"The Senju clan has already produced two Hokage. If a third followed consecutively, it would inevitably provoke dissatisfaction among the other clans. A single mistake could cause Konoha to fracture.
"That was precisely why the Second Hokage passed the position to the Third.
"And the Third Hokage has already taken Lady Tsunade as his disciple. With the Senju clan's prestige in the village, the Fourth Hokage will certainly be Lady Tsunade. Why are you in such a hurry?"
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