"This thing doesn't even come with a manual. How the hell am I supposed to use it?!"
In the nick of time, Qianyu abandoned all dignity as an Uchiha and decisively switched abilities.
"Dance of the Shikigami!"
Qianyu had no idea if the guards outside would notice the commotion, but things had gone this far. He had to gamble.
Rustle—
He was pressed close against Yamanaka Yofū.
The instant Yofū opened his mouth to cry out, Qianyu's skin burst into paper. It flooded the man's mouth and nose, wrapping tight around his limbs.
At the same time, Qianyu split his focus. A portion of the paper swarm continued manipulating the pendant in Yofū's hand, producing a steady, rhythmic sound.
Click. Clack. Click. Clack.
Against the pendant's sharp noise, the rustling of paper became insignificant.
"Sharingan. Sharingan. Sharingan!"
Simultaneously, Qianyu didn't stop assaulting Yofū's mind. He kept hammering the man's psyche with the Sharingan, disrupting his focus and preventing any conscious attempt to cry for help.
With this combination of moves and a sliver of luck, Qianyu actually succeeded. Yofū was silenced. The guards outside didn't burst in.
"Damn it. That scared the hell out of me."
Cold sweat had drenched Qianyu's back. It was still damp.
To hunt birds all day only to be pecked by a goose… I, Yamanaka Yofū, never thought… No, this brat is an Uchiha! Lord Danzō was right. The Uchiha clan is treacherous! To have a clan member pose as a civilian and infiltrate the Hokage's faction…!
Yamanaka Yofū stared at Qianyu with terror and bitter resentment, cursing the entire Uchiha clan in his heart. Somewhere, Fugaku Uchiha was suddenly struck by a hundred and eight sneezes.
Yet, under Qianyu's influence, Yofū couldn't even manage a loud grunt.
"Sharingan!"
Qianyu might not be a genjutsu master, but he knew one thing: a mind on the brink of suffocation, of death, is at its weakest.
…After all, when you're about to kick the bucket, it's hard to stay hard.
Qianyu kept Yofū in that suffocating state, relentlessly practicing with his Sharingan to control the man's crumbling consciousness. His eyes ached from the strain.
Aside from sneaking peeks at suggestive pictures, this was the first time Qianyu had stared at someone so intently. Finally, he felt a flicker of connection.
"Urk!"
A jolt shot through Qianyu as he seized that feeling. Across from him, the defiance in Yofū's eyes vanished. His gaze went blank.
"Success!"
Qianyu suppressed his elation and pushed into Yofū's will. He quickly broke through the mental barriers the man had erected against genjutsu and began sifting through recent memories.
"…That old dog Danzō Shimura. This wasn't some casual move against me. He set up this whole elaborate death trap specifically for me."
Qianyu's expression darkened.
Was Hiruzen Sarutobi unaware of Danzō's plot? Or did the Hokage see this as some kind of trial for him?
"This trip to Suna is far more dangerous than I thought. I need to find a way out, and fast."
Qianyu frowned. He made a few more… adjustments… to Yofū's consciousness. The man was now completely one of his own.
This way, through the pawn that was Yamanaka Yofū, the Root shinobi here would serve his purposes.
"Still not enough…"
Qianyu's brow remained furrowed. After a moment of thought, a cold laugh escaped him.
"Why not flip the script? If Danzō Shimura wants chaos in Suna, I'll give him chaos. Absolute chaos. So much chaos that nobody has time to spare a thought for me!"
And who would take the blame for this chaos?
Why, none other than our original Scapegoat Hokage—Danzō Shimura!
Not long after, Yamanaka Yofū left Qianyu's room in high spirits.
"Lord Yamanaka, you…"
The Root shinobi outside glanced at the quiet Qianyu inside the room, then huddled close to Yofū, their voices low. "Did you succeed?"
"Of course. When I handle something personally, failure is not an option."
Yamanaka Yofū smiled confidently. As far as he was concerned, Qianyu was now a puppet dancing on his strings.
Tsk. A pity he wasn't a pretty girl, or he could have had some fun.
"You lot, contact the Kazekage's people immediately," Yofū ordered. "Have them send over the list of all personnel with potential access to Suna's jinchūriki. I'll have that brat Qianyu do the screening for us."
"As you command, Lord Yamanaka!" the Root shinobi replied in low voices.
…
Early the next morning, Yamanaka Yofū strutted into Qianyu's room. He tossed a list at him and was about to swagger out.
"You son of a—!"
Qianyu immediately grabbed Yofū by the collar. Before the man's stunned eyes could register what was happening, Qianyu delivered two hard slaps across his face. Then he flashed the Sharingan, reinforcing the genjutsu's hold.
"Hah… much better. Ah, my lord, please take care on your way out!"
Qianyu thoughtfully healed Yofū's reddened face with a medical jutsu. Beaming, he saw the "lord" off, then finally looked down at the list in his hands.
It was impressively detailed. Not just names and portraits, but personality traits and preferences. Their potential roles in the jinchūriki's confinement were clearly listed: guards, spies, intel couriers, cooks, meal deliverers, and so on.
"If the Kazekage wanted to, he could probably seize the jinchūriki by force at any time."
"But he won't make a move until he's dealt with Chiyo and her faction. He's afraid of triggering a desperate battle where everyone loses."
Understanding the situation, Qianyu felt a surge of confidence. A plan instantly took shape in his mind.
"If I can incite the Third Kazekage to move against Chiyo's faction and the jinchūriki at the same time… and then find a way to release Shukaku and let it rampage through Suna… Heh."
A sharp, predatory grin spread across Qianyu's face.
The perfect answer sheet for the Nine-Tails Rampage was right there. All he had to do was copy it and stage a "One-Tail Rampage" in Suna.
Both sides would blame the other for releasing Shukaku. They'd fight to the death, and no one would spare a thought for a little nobody like him.
"If I play this right, I might even profit from the chaos," Qianyu mused, his eyes narrowing.
A tailed beast rampage… it wouldn't be unreasonable for a hundred or so Suna ninja to be grievously injured, right? If he then kindly offered to heal them… just think of the rewards…
"Qianyu, are you in there?"
Just as Qianyu's imagination was taking flight, Rasa's voice came from outside.
"I am. Come in, Brother Rasa."
Qianyu instantly hid the list, stood up to open the door, and asked with a smile, "What brings you here?"
"Qianyu… I…" Rasa seemed to struggle for words, starting and stopping several times. Even after Qianyu closed the door, Rasa wasn't satisfied. He quickly set up a sound-dampening barrier around them.
"What's all this, Brother Rasa?" Qianyu took two cautious steps back. In the world of shinobi, a guy had to protect his own ass, too. This smelled like some new kind of backdoor ambush.
"Qianyu, I came to tell you something important."
After a long hesitation, Rasa finally bit the bullet and spoke.
He knew it clearly: the Third Kazekage did not care if Qianyu lived or died. If Qianyu followed the Kazekage's orders, the only path led to a grave.
On one side was the Kazekage's grand scheme. On the other was a complete stranger with no real connection to him. Logically, Rasa should have chosen the former without a second thought.
But… but Qianyu was the only one who genuinely, from the bottom of his heart, believed Rasa was somebody!
Even the Kazekage only praised him when he was useful; he didn't truly value him.
But when Qianyu said Rasa could become the Fourth Kazekage… he meant it. Rasa could feel that sincerity.
"You must not try to escape using your unique jutsu, Qianyu," Rasa said seriously. "Suna has many concealed ballistae. You'd be riddled with bolts the moment you took to the air."
A chill went down Qianyu's spine. He had considered that plan.
"There is only one way for you to leave Suna safely. You must carry this special Magnet Release token, made by me and the Kazekage… Catch!"
As he spoke, Rasa pulled a small token from his robes and tossed it to Qianyu.
Snap.
Qianyu caught it. Looking down, he saw Rasa's name engraved on its surface.
"Activate it with your chakra before you ascend. For ten minutes, the ballistae along your path won't lock onto you," Rasa explained.
Qianyu toyed with the token. "Brother Rasa… something this valuable, you're just giving it to me? Aren't you afraid…?"
Rasa's lips twitched into a faint smile. "Because I believe you're destined for great things. It would be a waste for you to die here."
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