The Hagoromo clan was a true anomaly within the Hidden Cloud. Their surnames and traditions stood in stark contrast to the standard Cloud ninja lineage.
As a "lost scion" of the Hagoromo, the young Hagoromo Mato was immediately treated with the utmost reverence by the surviving remnants of the clan.
The presence of the Staff of the Six Paths and his pure Hagoromo bloodline signaled more than just strength; it suggested he could inherit the legendary functional tools left behind by Kinkaku and Ginkaku.
To the dwindling clan, Mato wasn't just a survivor—he was the herald of their restoration.
As for the boy's origins, the northern Hagoromo remnants had no reason to be suspicious. No matter how much they racked their brains, they would never imagine that this youth was actually a split consciousness of the Fifth Kazekage.
To them, his appearance was a divine sign that history had not yet discarded the Hagoromo.
"Young Master, for the time being, we must ask you to endure a slight indignity—you will be known as my son."
The clan elders had already devised a cover story. The Hidden Cloud still maintained a level of wariness toward the Hagoromo bloodline, so Mato needed a foolproof identity.
The current clan head, a middle-aged Jonin, decided to claim Mato as his illegitimate son.
Despite the "illegitimate" label, the clan head's two biological sons showed no resentment. They understood perfectly that Mato's value represented the survival of their entire race.
Mato accepted the arrangement with calm indifference. "It's fine."
The plan would be fully set in motion once they reached the Hidden Cloud.
With the protection of these loyal clansmen, Mato was confident he could infiltrate the village—often regarded as the most impenetrable of the Five Great Nations.
The Cloud was frequently seen as a den of "northern barbarians" by the other villages, led by Raikages known for their brutal close-quarters combat and reckless aggression.
To maintain his low profile, Mato retracted the Sage's Staff and followed the returning Cloud shinobi as a seemingly unremarkable youth.
The Research of the Sages
Back in the White Snake Abode, Shiraishi was surrounded by a swirling vortex of Inorganic Reincarnation energy. He concentrated his power into his palm, and with a sudden strike, his dragon-clawed fist slammed into the ground, leaving a deep, charred trench.
"Simple, but the destructive power scales perfectly with your Sage Mode," Shirohebi-hime observed. "It's as if these 'Otherworldly Arts' of yours were tailor-made for the Ryuchi Cave style."
She had begun to refer to Shiraishi's skill cards as "Otherworldly Arts." Having lived since the era when the Otsutsuki Princess first planted the God Tree, she was quite open-minded about bizarre powers.
"My Sage Mode still isn't perfect," Shiraishi muttered.
In his mind, Senju Hashirama was the gold standard: instantaneous wound healing, boundless Yang energy, and a chakra pool that dwarfed even the Tailed Beasts.
While Shiraishi was currently one of the most chakra-rich individuals in the world, matching the "God of Shinobi"—whose chakra could suppress the Full Nine-Tails—remained a distant goal.
Shirohebi-hime, now dressed in a flowing teal robe, walked over. "Why are you collecting Haku-o's discarded scales? Have you spent too much time with Orochimaru? You're starting to enjoy these strange experiments."
She had noticed Shiraishi surreptitiously gathering cellular samples and data after Pakura had thrashed Haku-o.
While she publically feigned distaste for Orochimaru, she secretly respected his scientific prowess. Shiraishi, however, seemed even more obsessed with research than the Sannin.
"His constitution is fascinating," Shiraishi explained, his eyes still in their golden-ringed Sage state. "It's incredibly active. Though he is primarily Earth-based, he manages to balance two other chakra natures simultaneously."
"Have you ever heard of Kekkei Tota?" Shirohebi-hime asked.
"Lord Onoki's Kekkei Tota... a combination of Earth, Wind, and Fire. It allows him to use Particle Style, which can reduce an opponent to their atomic state.
It's capable of massive destructive force." Shiraishi paused, looking at her in surprise. "Are you saying Haku-o possesses a Kekkei Tota constitution?"
"His predecessor was the very source of the Stone's Kekkei Tota lineage," she revealed.
Predecessor? Shiraishi realized then that the different "heads" or consciousnesses of the White Snake Sage might have been absorbed over time.
"I am different," she continued. "I master Yang Release. My consciousness awakened only slightly after the 'Old Snake', who masters Yin Release. The other five attributes were consumed and integrated later."
She sighed, perhaps recalling an unpleasant memory. "If you truly want to understand the complete White Snake Sage, the only way is to become a part of us."
The Thought Network Council
In the vast mental space of Shiraishi's consciousness, the four figures sat at the cardinal points: Hagoromo Mato, Uchiha Kaede, Hozuki Haigetsu, and the original Shiraishi.
"The Third Hokage has already uncovered all the details of Danzo's assassination plot," Shiraishi noted. "The outcome of that struggle seems decided."
Killing Hiruzen Sarutobi was no easy feat; only someone of Shiraishi's caliber would have a high probability of success. For Danzo to rely on Root operatives for a direct hit seemed like a lapse in judgment.
"If the original were to step in, what would the success rate be?" Haigetsu asked suddenly.
"You want Danzo to succeed?"
"Yes," Haigetsu replied coldly. "A 'sane' Hokage who plays the long game is a threat. A Hokage who has lost his mind and started a civil war is an opportunity.
Look at how much trouble Konoha has caused us from the shadows lately."
The Bloody Mist era was the perfect example. A "mad" Fourth Mizukage had destroyed decades of the Mist's accumulation, slaughtered bloodline clans, and gutted the village's elite.
It had reduced the Mist from a world power to a village that could barely scrape together two thousand ninja.
Haigetsu, more than anyone, knew what a "mad Kage" could do to a village's foundation.
"Danzo... he is actually quite 'excellent' for our purposes," Shiraishi mused. "I'm sure he would do a much better job of ruining Konoha than Yagura did to the Mist."
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