"Lastly," Ayan continued, "Kakuzu-sama has accepted the eight-million-ryō bounty contract according to your instructions. In the coming days, he will ambush a Kumogakure unit. All evidence will point toward Konoha."
As her report ended, Uchiha Anlan gently stroked the silky fur of the silver-striped cat resting in his arms.
At the same time, he could feel Big Orange watching from the side—its gaze filled with envy and jealousy.
Anlan calmly sorted through the intelligence he had just received.
The actions of Mito Monen were easy to predict.
He was simply traveling to the Daimyō's capital on behalf of Konoha, wagging his tail for war funds and supplies.
A ninja village that possessed the greatest military power of a nation…
Yet it still depended on whether the Daimyō and nobles were willing to open their purses.
Such an extremely twisted political structure and dependency.
Aside from the deeply rooted feudal systems of the ninja world—and the ideological chains passed down through generations—
There was no other explanation.
Compared to this world's indoctrination policies…
Even the rigid imperial examinations of ancient dynasties seemed mild.
But the situation in the Land of Rain, wedged between three great powers and cursed with terrible geopolitical fate, interested Anlan far more.
The Akatsuki organization, which would later gather S-rank rogue ninja from every major village and become legendary in the ninja world—
Was currently nothing more than a handful of scattered cats and dogs.
The only uncertainty was whether the pair of Rinnegan belonging to Uchiha Madara had already been implanted into Nagato's eyes as originally planned.
And whether the Uzumaki bloodline was nourishing them.
Perhaps…
Once that old fossil Madara finally dies…
I can travel to the Land of Rain and seize the Rinnegan ahead of time.
The temptation of controlling the Rinnegan early was enormous.
Even Anlan felt his heart stir.
Whether for personal use…
Or as a "battery" to supply energy to the pale blue stone gate…
Or even as leverage when dealing with Black Zetsu…
All were excellent options.
As for searching for the surviving Uzumaki clan members, that was not only a strategic move.
It was also Anlan's way of resolving a lingering regret from his previous life when he had watched Naruto.
I just wonder if, at this point in time, Uzumaki Karin has already been born…
Hopefully she had no blood ties with those beasts in Kusagakure.
With his thoughts settled, Anlan curled his finger slightly and scratched under Ayan's warm chin.
The cat let out soft purring meows.
Clearly pleased.
Anlan spoke calmly.
"Mito Monen doesn't need special attention."
"Just monitor when he leaves the Daimyō's capital."
If the opportunity arose—
Anlan wouldn't mind ambushing him halfway.
After all, as far as he was concerned…
Every single member of Konoha's upper leadership deserved to die.
He continued giving instructions.
"Continue deploying ninja cats inside the Land of Rain. Monitor all developments carefully."
"But prioritize safety. If danger appears, retreat immediately through summoning."
"Once Kakuzu completes the framing operation, assign him a new mission."
"Send him to Kusagakure to rescue the Uzumaki survivors."
"Two million ryō for each living one."
"If they're dead…"
"Not a single coin."
"Understood, Young Master!" Ayan meowed elegantly, her tail swaying happily.
Then Anlan suddenly remembered something.
"There's one more matter."
While thinking about rescuing the Uzumaki, he recalled a task he had assigned long ago.
He looked down at Ayan.
"At the beginning of Konoha's founding—during the Warring States Era, even earlier than Madara's birth—the Senju clan formed an alliance and sealed one of our Uchiha clan members."
"Has there been any progress in investigating that?"
Ayan's ears twitched slightly.
Her whiskers trembled, and a troubled look appeared in her emerald eyes.
"Young Master… that history is simply too ancient."
"Many clues were destroyed in the wars."
"The ninja cats can only conduct a carpet search based on the areas where the Uchiha and Senju fought back then."
But soon she raised her tail again.
"There is some good news."
"After several years of searching, we have already eliminated large areas west and north of Naka Shrine."
"Only the east and south directions remain."
"If everything proceeds smoothly…"
"We can complete the search within two and a half years."
Big Orange had just finished packing up the lunch boxes.
When it heard the conversation, its fluffy ears shot upright.
Normally responsible for household chores, this was the first time it had heard about such a mission.
It raised its round head curiously.
"Young Master… why are we searching for a clan member from the Warring States Era?"
"That was hundreds of years ago!"
"Even if we find them… wouldn't there only be bones left?"
"Did that person carry some kind of legendary Uchiha weapon?"
Ayan blinked her green eyes but said nothing.
In truth, she had once asked the same question years ago.
But at that time, the Young Master had only brushed it aside with a vague explanation.
Anlan simply smiled and gently stroked the fur on Ayan's head.
"When we truly find that clan member…"
"You'll understand."
What Anlan had in mind…
Was Uchiha Hikari.
A character who would only appear much later in the Boruto era.
She had been an Uchiha child during the Warring States Era.
Her parents died in the chaos of war.
The overwhelming grief awakened her Mangekyō Sharingan.
Her eyes possessed a powerful ability known as Yachihoko.
When her clan discovered her ability, they treated her as a weapon to fight against the Senju.
Her original name was Uchiha Hikari.
But because weapons were considered unworthy of names—
Her clan eventually stripped her identity away.
They even implanted additional ocular powers into her body to strengthen her.
She was a classic Uchiha prodigy.
A girl who dared to love and hate.
An orphan who had lost her parents in war.
And because of the cruel, inhuman treatment from her own clan—
She came to hate the ninja world.
She wanted to destroy the twisted system entirely.
Her Mangekyō ability—
Yachihoko—
Allowed her to control others' minds and absorb chakra through special markings, regardless of distance.
This ability fascinated Anlan greatly.
If Sharingan ocular power could also be absorbed and gathered through Yachihoko—
Then every awakened Uchiha could become a rechargeable energy source for the pale blue stone gate.
The development of that mysterious gate would accelerate dramatically.
If the gate truly connected to other worlds—
Worlds like Jujutsu Kaisen, Slave of the Magic Capital's Elite Troops, or KonoSuba—
Dimensions containing unique power systems yet still within the Uchiha clan's ability to handle—
Then the future of the Uchiha clan would advance at unimaginable speed.
As for competing for the title of Hokage?
Unless you were some transmigrator with a "Hokage System"…
Or the position simply fell into your lap…
Only a fool would fight for it.
The ninja world's legends—
The conflicts of the Five Great Villages.
The endless grudges surrounding the Ōtsutsuki bloodline.
Those titles for Naruto weren't exaggerations.
In this world—
Bloodline was everything.
Instead of wasting time competing for Hokage…
One could gather enough Six Paths bloodline power to reshape the world.
And once you possessed the strength to crush Konoha outright—
Why bother playing political games with the village leadership?
When one stood invincible beneath the heavens…
A new ruling class would naturally arise to justify your rule.
And everything from the old era—
Would be nailed forever to the pillar of shame.