Land of Water.
Northern border.
"That bastard Kiritori is seriously getting on my nerves..."
Hōzuki Gengetsu's little mustache twitched, his face full of anger. "He sure knows how to run! These White Zetsu have been lying underground waiting for so long, and they only just managed to find him!"
"If he were even a third as good at being Mizukage as he is at running away, Kirigakure never would've ended up like this!"
Mū shrugged and said dryly, "It's not that surprising. He was a renowned fighter back in the Warring States era, and as a former Mizukage, he knows the terrain. If you or I threw away our pride and went into hiding, we wouldn't be any easier to find..."
"Probably the same for the other Kage."
"But whether we're talking about a Kage or some leader from the Warring States era, there can't be more than a handful in five hundred years who'd blow up their own territory and then become a wandering shinobi..."
"Only the Kirigakure you once ruled could produce someone like that..."
Logically speaking, Gengetsu's current body shouldn't have been capable of feeling pain.
Yet somehow, his chest was starting to hurt...
What the hell was this bandaged bastard saying?!
"I'll kill you!"
"I already told you, you can't. You don't even know how to seal me. Who do you think you are, Uzumaki Ashina?"
Mū fired back so quickly that it was as though he'd been waiting for Gengetsu to say exactly that.
"Quit making a scene, you frog in a well from an isolated backwater. Your village has been around for almost fifty years and you still can't scrape together a decent sensor. I suppose expecting you to learn Fūinjutsu really would be asking too much..."
"Figuring out a genjutsu with your summon was probably the limit of what you're capable of. Do you even know what a Kekkei Tōta is?"
"Never mind, of course you don't. Kirigakure has had so many Kekkei Genkai, and generation after generation of Mizukage managed to squander them all. By the way, who was the Mizukage before the Third again? That's a tough one..."
Gengetsu's expression darkened, and his chest hurt even more.
This sarcastic asshole!
Gengetsu desperately wanted to fire back, but he simply wasn't good with words. All he could do was stew in frustration.
That was how things had always gone between him and Mū. Gengetsu could never win their arguments, so he'd usually lose his temper and start swinging first...
But that trick didn't work anymore.
They were both Impure World Reincarnation puppets now. Neither could do anything decisive to the other!
After thinking for a moment, Gengetsu finally found an angle of attack.
"Oh, Iwa's doing so much better, isn't it? You and that precious disciple of yours were both scared senseless by Uchiha Madara, so you've spent all this time obsessing over those red eyes. And what did that get you?"
"Now there's another Mangekyō running around, and Senju Tobirama has even picked some Uchiha brat to join the organization. I don't even want to imagine what kind of monster an Uchiha raised under him and the other Kage is going to become..."
"That brat stepped on one of Iwa's explosive tags, didn't he?"
"Ōnoki and Iwagakure sure have something to look forward to!"
This time, Mū fell silent.
Everyone knew that he and Ōnoki had once been humiliated by Uchiha Madara...
Mū's Dust Release itself had been born from his determination to grow stronger after witnessing Madara's Susanoo.
Through the White Zetsu network, Mū and Gengetsu had remained in the Land of Water, yet they had also seen what Hanzō—after coming into contact with Tobirama's arsenal of techniques on the Sunagakure front—was fighting like now...
An Uchiha boy with a grudge against Iwagakure, being personally trained by several Kage and Senju Tobirama on top of that...
Neither of them wanted to imagine what that combination might eventually produce.
"Senju Tobirama is trying to manufacture a miniature Uchiha Madara!"
Mū said with a dark expression.
"Nothing quite that straightforward..." Gengetsu chuckled.
"And don't start talking about Kirigakure. Sure, we took plenty of wrong turns, but from what I can see, our relationship with Konoha is excellent now! In theory, there's basically no chance of Konoha ever attacking Kirigakure again..."
"Meanwhile, some people have been carrying around a rock and preaching their 'Will of Stone' ever since Ishikawa's generation. I sincerely hope your beloved disciple stays true to that legacy and keeps fighting Senju Tobirama and Konoha forever!"
Mū took a deep breath and rubbed his brow.
Having a strong will was certainly a good thing. When faced with a powerful opponent, one absolutely needed the courage to fight...
But circumstances mattered!
Just look at Senju Tobirama now. He'd dug up the former Kage of several villages, then somehow combined Impure World Reincarnation with all sorts of bizarre Kinjutsu...
Even Dust Release wouldn't be enough against something like that!
"I'm starting to understand more and more why Senju Tobirama doesn't want to return to Konoha."
"If Ōnoki were this capable—if he could make Iwagakure flourish like this without constantly trying to start wars—I imagine I'd feel much the same way Tobirama does."
Mū turned and looked toward the towns of the Land of Water.
Over the past several months, he and Gengetsu had continuously searched the country for Kiritori, the Third Mizukage, while also watching the nation change little by little.
Ever since Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived, those changes had come rapidly.
The first and most important thing he brought to the Land of Water was stability.
With bureaucrats from the Land of Fire supporting it, the Land of Water's administrative system changed rapidly, drawing closer and closer to the model used by the Land of Fire.
Everything now came down to one thing: rules.
Once there were rules, the constant fear that had plagued the Land of Water under the Bloody Mist finally began to subside.
Stability meant there were clear lines between what was right and what was wrong.
Instability meant never knowing whether you'd survive another day. Under that kind of pressure, everyone remained constantly on edge, unable to settle down and commit themselves to anything long-term.
After watching the situation for a while, many rogue Kiri shinobi had voluntarily returned to work under Hiruzen, even without Nakamaro recruiting them.
In Kirigakure, simply having a steady job felt like a blessing!
Then came material conditions.
After Hiruzen became Shōgun of the Land of Water and the first shipments of surplus supplies arrived from the Land of Fire, the hunger problem was quickly alleviated.
The Land of Water had purchased those supplies on credit, but the prices were fair, with little markup.
Hiruzen then assigned work to most shinobi and laborers through work-relief programs. A visible hand intervened in the invisible market, giving them a clear point on the horizon when they could finally expect to get back on their feet.
All at once, there was hope in the eyes of the people of the Land of Water...
The impact this had on Gengetsu and Mū was enormous.
Hiruzen might not have been a native of the Land of Water, but once he'd turned it into a stable place to live, the overwhelming majority of shinobi and civilians simply stopped caring about that...
Some had even begun openly calling him the "First Mizukage"!
"You're right. Even if I really came back to life right now and Senju Tobirama no longer controlled me..."
"The Kiri shinobi wouldn't listen to me anymore. This place went from ruins to somewhere people can actually live in within just a few months. Hell, in some ways they're living better now than they did in my time..."
"Even the nobles of the Land of Water support Sarutobi Hiruzen."
Gengetsu shook his head.
"Truthfully, even with all these White Zetsu that can travel underground, if Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't painstakingly rebuilt the Land of Water's public order and security network piece by piece..."
"If he hadn't kept shrinking the number of places Kiritori could hide, you and I probably wouldn't have found him either."
Mū sighed.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen is far too methodical. He barely even seems like a shinobi. Everything he's done with the Land of Water and Kirigakure has been the most straightforward, almost stupidly simple approach possible, yet you can't find a single fault with it."
"Hard to believe Senju Tobirama was the one who trained him. Research-oriented shinobi like us have always tended toward more radical ideas. That bastard really lucked out with this disciple..."
Gengetsu looked contemplative.
"Lately I've been wondering something. The Land of Water lost the war and didn't seize any spoils, so why is it doing better than before? Were we doing things wrong all along?"
"We were always thinking about what we could take from a war, but we forgot how much we'd have to pay to get it. You and I killed each other over scraps like that, for example. Losing both of us was devastating for Kirigakure and Iwagakure..."
Mū went silent for a moment.
"I don't understand economics! When you see Sarutobi Hiruzen later, ask him yourself..."
Gengetsu fell into thought.
In Mū's elaborate interpretation of events, Uchiha Madara's habit of casually changing plans on a whim had somehow become a scheme to have "Hōzuki Gengetsu personally kill the Third Mizukage and hand Sarutobi Hiruzen the legal legitimacy he needed"...
A conspiracy of staggering proportions!
Yet Hiruzen's steady, unhurried approach had turned that supposed masterstroke into something far less critical. It would be icing on the cake, not salvation in a crisis...
Gengetsu no longer felt any resistance to the idea. If anything, he was starting to look forward to it.
After all, fighting powerful opponents had always been one of his favorite things.
And Kirigakure had a special rule of its own:
Whoever had the biggest fist got to be Mizukage.
Settling things with a fight fit the local customs perfectly...
"Gengetsu, Mū. The Hokage is already leading his people toward your position. You can move now..." Hi-kun's voice sounded inside their minds.
"He's brought some of Kirigakure's rising talents with him."
"Tobirama-sama's instructions are that Gengetsu isn't the only one who should attack. Mū, you should also look for an opportunity to hit Sarutobi Hiruzen with Dust Release. The two of you need to coordinate."
"Be careful. Mū, stay away from the main battlefield and remain ready to cover Gengetsu's retreat at all times..."
Thanks to the White Zetsu's advantages, Gengetsu and Mū had discovered Kiritori before the Land of Water's forces did.
But the two hadn't acted.
Instead, they'd first had the White Zetsu arrange for Kirigakure's shinobi to learn the information. Only then did they obediently report everything to Hi-kun and wait for further orders.
It wasn't that neither of them had ever considered resisting Tobirama.
There simply wasn't anything they could do...
He was both the referee and one of the players!
"Understood."
Gengetsu and Mū answered in unison.
...
Meanwhile, at the Mountains' Graveyard.
Hi-kun turned toward Madara with a broad grin.
"Madara-sama! Everything has been arranged exactly as you intended. In a little while, Hōzuki Gengetsu will kill the Third Mizukage first, right in front of the Kiri shinobi!"
"That'll carve the Third Mizukage's name straight onto the pillar of shame. People will still be cursing him ten thousand years from now..."
"And with Mū and Gengetsu attacking together, it'll be a genuine test for the Hokage. They won't be helping him through some childish little charade. They'll be evaluating him by a truly demanding standard."
"Your balance of reward and discipline is incredible. Once Sarutobi Hiruzen clears one hurdle, you fairly give him some support, but then immediately set the next bar for him to overcome..."
"As the elder responsible for everyone here, the way you judge exactly how much pressure and support to give is masterful!" Hi-kun said with heartfelt admiration.
Obito stared at him, dumbfounded, his mouth slowly forming an O.
So...
That was what was going on?
Madara was just as confused.
The truth was that he hadn't given Gengetsu and Mū any instructions because he'd forgotten about them...
Hiruzen had shattered Kirigakure's battle formation right from the start.
Under those circumstances, even if Gengetsu and Mū joined the battle, they would have had a hard time creating any meaningful obstacle for Hiruzen.
So Madara simply hadn't bothered with them. Whenever they came back, they'd just start bickering endlessly again. It could be amusing once in a while, but after long enough it became irritating...
Besides, with both the Rinnegan and Impure World Reincarnation keeping them under control, they couldn't cause any real trouble while wandering around outside...
That was the unique laid-back confidence of the Shura of the Shinobi World.
Forget letting Gengetsu and Mū wander around for nearly a year. Madara's original plan for his future proxy had been to leave the man completely unsupervised for twenty years...
Even Hiruzen would have trouble laying out detailed plans for Konoha's development twenty years into the future.
But Madara-sama could simply wave his hand and decide there was nothing wrong with that.
"Hmm..."
Madara pondered for a moment. "Hi-kun, not bad! You've improved again lately..."
"You're starting to grasp certain things without me having to explain them. You're still a little lacking, though. Don't get complacent."
At that moment, Madara remembered something Izuna had taught him long ago.
Whenever his clansmen praised him and acted like he was incredible, even if he had no idea what they were talking about, all he had to do was put on an aloof expression, nod, and give them a few words of praise in return...
That way, nobody would realize he didn't know!
"Understood, Madara-sama."
"Just staying by your side and learning from what I see and hear is enough to make even an idiot improve. You can practically get smarter just by watching you!" Hi-kun said with a grin, rubbing his hands together as he cast a subtle glance at Obito.
Obito froze for a moment before hurriedly chiming in.
"Right, right! Hi-kun is absolutely right! Great Clan Head is amazing!"
Today was one of Obito's precious days off, though he only had half a day...
"I'm nothing special. My mind was a little sharper when I was young."
Madara cleared his throat.
Perhaps he really had been thinking all of this subconsciously. Maybe he simply hadn't consciously worked through it because muscle memory had already taken care of the planning...
That made sense!
Hidden in the shadows, Black Zetsu silently watched the scene in shock.
'What the hell...'
'Where did this Hi-kun even come from?'
'Which one of us is Black Zetsu here, you or me?'
'How the hell are you better at buttering up Indra than I am, and I've been doing this forever?!'
'The Divine Tree really does keep producing new talent...'
'How did Hi-kun even turn into this?'
'Other than Uchiha Madara strengthening him with the Divine Tree, the only unusual thing he did was spend time in Konoha...'
Black Zetsu couldn't help analyzing the cause.
'The Divine Tree's enhancement can't be it. Tobi is practically a child of the Divine Tree, and he's still not very bright. So it has to have something to do with Konoha.'
'Is this Will of Fire stuff really that bizarre?'
'All he did was read that collection of quotes Hiruko copied down. Can that thing actually make you smarter?'
Black Zetsu made up its mind to find an opportunity to read it too.
Hi-kun's ability to manage upward was starting to look suspiciously better than its own...
Black Zetsu refused to believe it!
Could that stuff really be as compelling as the Infinite Tsukuyomi?
As for Hi-kun, he had discovered that, at least in his current environment, "half a book of Hiruzen was enough to bring peace to the Graveyard"...
Just as the collection of quotes taught: as long as he identified the central contradiction in Madara's heart—the conflict between the "Will of Fire" and the "Infinite Tsukuyomi"—and dealt with it patiently instead of rushing, everything would fall into place!
Distinguish the primary contradiction from the secondary ones, then push forward with confidence, and both thought and action would become clear and decisive.
'I also need to keep an eye on this Obito kid for Hokage-sama...'
'Madara is definitely going to use those Warring States methods to push him into awakening his eyes.'
'Awakening them is necessary. Without power, you can't accomplish anything. But I can't let negative emotions consume him and drag both his reasoning and emotions into an extreme spiral...'
'I need to prepare him in advance so he understands how complicated the shinobi world really is. And I'll also need to find some reasonable way to frame whatever brutal trials Madara-sama puts him through...'
Hi-kun thought very highly of Obito as well.
The Uchiha boy seemed a little foolish to him, but he undeniably had grit. No matter how punishing the training became, he never complained about the hardship or exhaustion.
And he was improving incredibly quickly!
The boy was like a sponge, rapidly absorbing all kinds of knowledge.
He also had a remarkably good temperament. Even when the ill-tempered Gold and Silver Brothers constantly mocked him, he never got angry.
Though that was partly because, compared with many of the strange-tempered old men around here, the brothers' crude mockery was child's play. Show them a little patience and they'd eventually become embarrassed themselves...
In a strange way, Obito had found his comfort zone.
Humoring old men was something he was genuinely good at.
'According to the records and what Madara-sama has said, the more innocent an Uchiha is, the more likely intense negative emotions are to take root in his heart when he's put through something traumatic, eventually driving him toward extremes...'
Hi-kun pondered.
'But that's really because they don't understand things deeply enough. At the most fundamental level, they keep seeing everything in black and white.'
'I need Obito to learn what Hokage-sama said during his sixth inspection of the Research Department—
"The shinobi world is made of countless shades of gray. That's simply human nature. We're all part of that gray, and the Will of Fire is the part of us that refuses to accept it—the desire to burn brightly enough to leave something different behind..."'
As long as he gave Obito that warning in advance, Hi-kun believed nothing would go wrong.
And with Obito's status as one of the Hokage's people, his Uchiha blood, the teachings of the Six Kage and Madara, and the reinforcement from the Divine Tree's finest materials—if he eventually awakened a decent pair of Mangekyō Sharingan on top of all that...
He was also Seisui's younger brother, Kakashi's brother, and had even taken a photo with the Hokage.
With that kind of background and strength, surely Obito wouldn't mind giving his bro Hi-kun a hand when the time came!
A few good words for him in front of Hokage-sama, and Hi-kun could make a glorious turnaround and finally shed his current identity.
Maybe with the capabilities of Konoha's Research Department, they could even help free him from the limitations of his White Zetsu body...
And allow him to become a real "human"!
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