In the Land of Water, beside a quiet lake, a pale figure suddenly rose from the ground.
The White Zetsu clone glanced across the still surface of the lake before shifting its gaze toward a young shinobi resting nearby with his eyes closed.
"Fugaku, something has happened in Kirigakure."
"Oh." The man did not open his eyes. His voice remained calm. "Which clan is causing trouble this time?"
It had only been two years since Yagura became the Fourth Mizukage, and his authority had yet to match that of his predecessor.
As the war dragged on and conditions worsened, dissatisfaction in the Hidden Mist had begun to grow. While the surface remained calm, discontent spread quietly beneath it. Some shinobi had already begun forming small groups, planning to neglect their duties or act in secret.
Fugaku had dealt with several such groups already. To him, this kind of unrest was nothing new.
But the White Zetsu clone shook its head.
"It is not them. It is Konoha's Lightning Flash. He has appeared inside Kirigakure."
Fugaku's eyes snapped open.
"What?" His gaze sharpened as he looked at the White Zetsu. "Is he alone?"
"So far, yes. Only one has been detected."
Fugaku frowned.
That Hayashi would dare to infiltrate Kirigakure alone was unexpected, but that was not the main issue. The real problem was that Fugaku himself was not in the village.
Earlier, the Three-Tails jinchuriki had gone out of control, exhausting Hayashi's Sage Mode chakra in the process. Taking advantage of the chaos, Isobu had escaped. Only recently had White Zetsu located the Three-Tails again, hiding in this very lake.
Fugaku had come here to seal it.
At such a critical moment, this news arrived.
"Weren't you watching the Land of Waves? He left, and you did not notice?" Fugaku asked, his tone turning colder.
White Zetsu looked wronged.
Its clones were already spread across key locations. It was impossible to monitor every corner of the shinobi world. Besides, Hayashi had clearly taken precautions. The number of sensor-type ninja around him had increased, making it nearly impossible to approach.
When he appeared earlier that morning, it was likely only a shadow clone. The real body had already slipped away unnoticed.
He was far too cautious.
Fugaku exhaled slowly and suppressed his irritation. Blame would solve nothing now. What mattered was how to respond.
The situation was troublesome.
He did not possess space time ninjutsu. By the time he returned to Kirigakure, Hayashi would likely already be gone.
Even if he arrived in time, what could he do?
Yagura was still recovering and unable to fight at full strength. Fugaku himself could not openly act without exposing his own position. Until he fully understood Hayashi's abilities, he had no intention of revealing himself.
But ignoring the situation was not an option either.
Hayashi had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. Combined with Sage Mode, his strength was already at a dangerous level. Given Kirigakure's current defenses, it was uncertain whether anyone could truly stop him.
More importantly, there was the Six-Tails jinchuriki.
If Hayashi reached the jinchuriki and released the Six-Tails, the consequences would be catastrophic. With his sealing techniques and the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan, it was entirely possible.
Fugaku did not care if Kirigakure suffered damage, but not now.
If the village collapsed at this point, it would be forced to withdraw from the war. That outcome would benefit Konoha, not him.
That was unacceptable.
"Relocate the Six-Tails jinchuriki immediately," Fugaku ordered. "He must not be found. Also, mobilize the village forces. Stop him at all costs."
He did not mention the Byakugan. Compared to the Six-Tails, it was insignificant. If Hayashi left after retrieving it, Fugaku could tolerate that outcome.
At that moment, far away in Kirigakure, the "problem" Fugaku spoke of had already encountered trouble.
Hayashi had intended to infiltrate quietly, avoiding attention. However, the moment he emerged from the belly of a summoned snake, he came face to face with a Kirigakure shinobi.
For a brief second, both froze.
The reaction was immediate.
The Kirigakure ninja reached for a signal flare.
Hayashi's luck had clearly run out. He had been inside the village for only a moment before being discovered.
In truth, even without this encounter, he would not have remained hidden for long. A layer of chakra infused mist surrounded the village, acting as a detection field for intruders.
The instant the flare was raised, Hayashi moved.
Using the Body Flicker Technique, he appeared beside the enemy and delivered a powerful kick to his abdomen.
The shinobi barely managed to raise his arm in defense before being sent flying backward, his body crashing away like a launched projectile.
Despite being exposed, Hayashi did not rush. Instead, he calmly observed his surroundings.
This was his first time entering another hidden village.
Through the thin mist, he could make out tall, cylindrical buildings, reinforced with stone walls. The structure of the village immediately stood out to him.
"A heavily fortified layout," he murmured.
A shinobi village existed for war. Its design reflected that purpose. While each village differed, all emphasized defense. Among the Five Great Nations, only Konoha lacked natural barriers, built instead on open land.
In the past, Konoha had relied on overwhelming individual strength to compensate.
Kirigakure had taken a different approach.
Nestled among rugged terrain, the village was constructed along the base of surrounding mountains. Thick walls encircled key areas, and the main entrance was a massive culvert. Defensive barriers layered over one another formed the true protection, with barrier ninjutsu integrated throughout.
Within the village, the mist itself served as an additional layer of surveillance.
As it turned out, it worked well.
Sensing multiple shinobi converging in the distance, Hayashi stopped observing and began forming hand seals.
Five shadow clones appeared beside him.
He looked at them and gave his orders.
"Split into three groups. One will head to the hospital and retrieve Himeji's Byakugan. Another will locate the Six-Tails jinchuriki. The remaining three will create chaos and draw attention toward the Mizukage's office."
"Understood."
With several sharp bursts of movement, the clones dispersed.
Four of them would act as decoys, covering the one retrieving the Byakugan. At the same time, Hayashi himself would serve as the main distraction, heading straight for the Mizukage's office to apply pressure.
As the Kirigakure forces gathered, Hayashi felt a trace of amusement.
Before coming here, he had even considered wearing a black cloak with red clouds.
In the end, he gave up on the idea.
He simply was not interested in painting his nails.