"Lord Aizen."
From the shadows, Kabuto Yakushi stepped into the center of the office and bowed, lowering his voice. "As you predicted, Root has begun to move."
Aizen Sōsuke sat at the desk, toying absently with the documents before him. His attention seemed elsewhere; he simply inclined his head and said, "Thank you, Kabuto-kun."
"Are the Hollow bait and Root's side both in place?"
"Yes. Please rest assured."
Kabuto lowered his head another fraction, emotions churning inside him.
Even after everything he'd experienced, Kabuto had thought he understood how effortlessly this man orchestrated events—yet after personally handling this operation, that impression had only deepened.
From beginning to end, the man seemed only to give the slightest nudge in whatever direction the Village was already moving.
But whether it was Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, or the Hidden Cloud's people, every one of them was held in his palm with no hope of escape.
Compared with sheer power, this manipulation of the darkest corners of the human heart left a far deeper mark on him.
More terrifying still, the puppets dancing on those strings never sensed the puppeteer's presence at all.
The taste of such conspiracy frightened Kabuto—and addicted him.
Thinking this, he lifted his forehead from the floor a fraction, stealing a glance at the figure before him.
He, too, wanted to become someone like that.
Aizen Sōsuke, as if unaware of the gaze, remained seated reviewing his research notes and casually said, "Then proceed exactly as planned."
"Yes, sir."
Kabuto acknowledged the order and quickly withdrew from the room.
Aizen Yūsuke, alone in the office, stared into space as he considered what came next.
This incident was only his opening gambit against Danzo Shimura, yet a single move should be enough to land the man in a cage.
The question now was how to make use of this clown.
Compared with keeping him inside Konoha, throwing him beyond its borders might produce far greater results.
Whether for spreading the concept of Hollows or guiding the Ninja's next evolutionary stage—Aizen Sōsuke mused, lifting a hand.
At his fingertip a bolt of light flickered like lightning, bright then dim.
It was Hado #4: White Lightning.
After he seeded the idea of Hollows into the Ninja World, the Soul Tree deep within Kamui's dimension had begun to absorb the souls devoured by Hollows, channeling that power back to him.
For now he stored that energy inside Kamui, digesting it drop by drop.
By now, his body should be able to sustain Kido in the low-twenties while in his normal state.
Yet the road ahead only grew harder.
He had to advance further.
Only then could he confront the sage hidden in the Pure Land here in the Human World.
With that thought, Aizen Sōsuke let his brush hover above the paper and added a final few lines.
"The cycle of the three realms converges upon one body."
"Soul King."
"Seireitei."
Deep in the forest, dappled shadows shifted among the trees.
The road ahead stretched endlessly.
The Hidden Cloud's special-envoy team traveled the main route from Konoha toward the Land of Fire's border, the march so far steady.
Yet whether it was chief envoy Kōyō, Darui, or Samui, every one of them stayed wound tight.
They knew their theft of Konoha's secrets could not stay hidden long; the slightest slip and Konoha's Ninja would strike.
If the entire delegation vanished somewhere in the Land of Fire, there would be no one to complain to.
Kōyō, leader of the envoy group, naturally bore the heaviest burden.
Now that they had left Konoha, he saw no need to keep up his noble pretense and walked with his comrades along the road.
Yet as he studied the path ahead, he noticed Samui looked even more tense than he, her brows knit tight.
"Still so young…"
Thinking this, Kōyō gave a gentle smile and stepped closer. "Relax, Samui."
"Inside the Land of Fire, nothing will happen to us."
"That old man Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't dare take such a risk."
"Once we reach the Land of Hot Springs, it won't be his call anymore."
"Hmm?"
Samui blinked, then nodded instinctively. "Y-yes, I understand, Lord Kōyō."
"It's just… the stretch through the Land of Hot Springs will be the most dangerous, won't it?"
Kōyō smiled cryptically and whispered, "After I got your intel, I sent a summoning message to the Fourth."
"Right now the Fourth Raikage should be leading men toward the Land of Hot Springs."
"…"
Darui leaned in, muttering, "Won't that cause a diplomatic incident?"
"Hmph."
Kōyō gave a dismissive snort. "The Land of Hot Springs? They wouldn't dare."
A world war is always a contest of survival.
Whoever keeps the most strength when the dust settles holds the loudest voice.
Though Konoha had won the Third Ninja World War, the price had been devastating.
Hidden Cloud, by contrast, had preserved far more fighting strength—thanks to the Third Raikage's rearguard sacrifice.
Thus the younger Cloud Ninja carried fierce, even arrogant, confidence in their Village.
With Konoha's decline, they were now the undisputed number-one power in the Ninja World.
Samui had once believed the same.
But now everything felt different.
The more she replayed last night's events, the deeper her unease grew.
If Aizen Sōsuke claimed he could topple the Hokage within two months, Konoha's internal strife had to be far worse than they could imagine.
Yet on the surface a certain calm still held.
In this affair, Konoha would almost certainly strike after the delegation crossed the border.
So which faction within Konoha had Aizen Sōsuke—giver of her intel and gift—actually sided with?
Just remembering the gaze that had burned itself into her heart last night made Samui's pulse race, as though a hand clenched her heart.
If possible, she never wanted to face that monster again.
Carrying that fierce, tangled emotion, the group slowly departed the Land of Fire.
Far behind them, black-cloaked, masked figures tailed them without pause.
At their center walked Danzo Shimura himself.
Danzo Shimura valued this mission far more than Hiruzen Sarutobi had imagined.
The reason was simple.
Kumogakure carried far too many unknowns for him.
If they obtained the Hollow-sealing technique and chose to wipe the creatures out entirely, it would deal a crippling blow to his plans.
Although these monsters had appeared only recently, they had already become the core of his scheme to claim the title of Hokage.
His philosophy was straightforward.
Let the Hollows run rampant, then force the daimyo to improve the treatment of Ninja.
With that as his banner he would rally every shinobi who sought profit, forging a bloc large enough to propel him into the Hokage's seat.
In short, nurture the threat to inflate his own importance.
Were Kumogakure to crush this scheme before it began, he would have nowhere to air his grievances.
For that very reason, he elected to act in person today.
With Wood Release in hand, he was confident he could gain the upper hand even against the Raikage himself.
"Lord Danzo."
As he stood waiting with eyes closed, a figure flashed into view up ahead and reported urgently: "The Fourth Raikage has led a unit to the border of the Lands of Lightning and Hot Springs, racing toward the envoy party."
"Three decoy squads have already entered the Land of Hot Springs to slow them down."
"But they won't buy us much time."
At those words Danzo Shimura finally opened his lone eye and said coldly,
"Where is the Cloud envoy now?"
"At the border of Fire and Hot Springs," the Root Ninja replied briskly.
Danzo paused only a moment, then declared decisively, "No more waiting."
"Order all units—move at once."
A vicious glint in his eye, he added, "Whatever the cost, they must not be allowed to link up."
"Yes, sir."
The instant the command fell, every Root Ninja tailing the Cloud envoy abandoned stealth and surged toward their targets.
Such a large commotion was soon detected by the envoy's sensor, who shouted, "Lord Kōyō!"
"Three—no, four squads—at least twenty shinobi—closing fast!"
The sensor's voice carried utter disbelief.
"What?!"
Kōyō stiffened, whipping his gaze toward the horizon, every muscle taut.
Hiruzen Sarutobi dares go this far?!
At the same moment, the entire envoy group erupted in agitation.
Though the delegation was numerous, only twelve were Cloud shinobi, most seasoned Chunin.
The original plan had called for Kōyō alone to die in Konoha; no battle preparations had been made.
Facing Konoha's elite, their numbers would not last long.
Despite the shock, Kōyō's contingency planning kicked in. Calmly he ordered, "Abandon all cargo, scatter the civilians, Cloud Ninja advance in formation!"
"Full speed—cross the border now!"
Speaking fast but steady, he declared, "The Raikage awaits on the far side!"
"Once we reach the escort, we're safe!"
In chaos, a clear voice of command prevents panic; veterans simply follow it.
These warriors were battle-hardened Ninja.
With a leader to anchor them, composure returned at once.
Once order was restored, Kōyō summoned Darui and Samui, pressed Aizen's gift into their hands, and whispered, "Konoha's gone mad, but whatever happens, you must deliver these."
"If things go south, I'll lead the rearguard."
"Samui, Darui,"
"then it falls to you youngsters."
1
Darui's usually languid face flickered with surprise; he opened his mouth to speak.
Samui, however, had already steadied herself. She nodded firmly. "Understood, Lord Kōyō."
"We will complete the mission."
"Good."
Seeing the resolve in the girl's eyes, Kōyō gave a satisfied nod.
He was old; if he could buy survival for Cloud's saplings with his life, so much the better.
At least he could die on a battlefield.
Orders given, the Cloud envoy surged into motion, the Ninja sprinting in perfect columns toward the Land of Hot Springs.
But the maneuver also confirmed the Root scouts' target.
Unruffled, the remote commander ordered the ambush parties to encircle them.
At last, the two forces collided within the forests of the Land of Hot Springs.
Kōyō halted, studying the dense shadows ahead, gaze settling on the one-eyed elder at their center. "Danzo Shimura," he called coldly.
"I never imagined a man of your stature would appear in person."
"Quite the surprise."
Danzo offered no banter; stepping forward he regarded the envoy with detached certainty. "You cannot escape."
"Hand over the items and I'll grant you a swift death."
Those words alone told Kōyō how determined Danzo was.
Whatever they had stolen must be momentous.
That knowledge only hardened his own resolve.
Kōyō looked at Danzo, cracked a fierce grin, and roared, "Do you know who I am?"
He thumped his chest. "In Kumogakure, we have Ninja who die in battle—"
"never cowards who surrender!"
At that shout every shinobi behind him set their jaws, weapons flashing toward the Konoha Root troops.
Danzo regarded them with icy indifference.
He raised a hand and swept it downward.
The next instant
the two sides surged like opposing waves, crashing together in the forest depths.