Chapter 347: The Masked Man’s Conspiracy

Byakuya and Genji-sama knew each other and even secretly collaborated?

Zabuza was briefly stunned upon hearing this, but after thinking it through, it made perfect sense. Byakuya might not have been the leader of Amegakure, but his strength was immense, easily ranking among the top three in the ninja world.

Moreover, Akatsuki operated across multiple nations, and its leader held a status on par with the Mizukage.

In Kirigakure, the only ninja qualified to discuss cooperation with Byakuya, aside from the Fourth Mizukage, was Elder Genji, who wielded Mizukage-level authority. It was entirely logical for them to communicate in secret.

Meanwhile, Mei Terumi recalled something Genji had said to them a few days ago and suddenly understood.

No wonder Genji-sama had instructed them to assist Zabuza. It turned out that the person supporting Zabuza from the shadows had reached an agreement with Genji to work together against the mastermind controlling the Fourth Mizukage.

Realizing this, Mei let out a breath of relief.

She had thought Kirigakure was just a bunch of fools being played, but in truth, everything had been under Genji's control all along. She had underestimated his foresight.

Genji smiled at Byakuya's mention of their cooperation and extended his hand.

"The matter of cooperation can be discussed anytime. But Byakuya-sama, do you truly intend to negotiate in the middle of nowhere? Why not return to Kirigakure with me? We will properly welcome you, and then we can discuss our cooperation in detail."

Byakuya nodded. He had no reason to refuse Genji's invitation.

Inside the Elder's Residence

A short while later, Byakuya followed Genji to his residence. Since the Mizukage building had been destroyed, this was the only suitable place for their discussion.

After some brief pleasantries, Genji dismissed everyone else.

Ao hesitated, wanting to speak up, but Genji shot him a sharp look, forcing him to stay silent.

With the Fourth Mizukage gravely injured and unconscious, Genji was now the sole authority in Kirigakure. If something happened to him, the village would be left leaderless. However, if Byakuya had truly harbored any ill intentions, he wouldn't have needed to arrange a private meeting, he could have acted at any time.

Once the room was cleared, Byakuya and Genji sat facing each other.

Seeing the questioning look on Genji's face, Byakuya spoke first.

"Helping your village defeat the masked man should be enough to prove my sincerity. Before we formally begin discussing cooperation, do you have any questions, Genji-sama?"

Genji raised his head and looked at Byakuya before asking:

"First question, are you a descendant of the Senju Clan? Second, was the masked man truly a successor of Uchiha Madara? Third, why did the masked man control the Mizukage and abduct the Jinchūriki? What exactly is his goal?"

"That's not one question," Byakuya said, giving him a glance.

But he still answered.

"I am a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan, but I do have Senju blood in my veins. I also inherited the Senju's teachings and awakened the Wood Release Bloodline Limit."

"The Uzumaki Clan…?"

Genji muttered to himself. He had assumed Byakuya was a direct descendant of either Hashirama or Tobirama Senju, but it turned out he was merely a branch descendant from the Uzumaki side, not a true Senju heir.

However, considering Byakuya had inherited the Senju legacy and awakened Wood Release, it wasn't inaccurate to call him a Senju successor. After all, among the many Senju, only Hashirama had ever naturally awakened Wood Release.

With that in mind, Genji moved on to the next question.

"Who exactly is the masked man? Could he really be Uchiha Madara?"

Byakuya shook his head.

"I don't know his true identity. I can't say whether he's a Konoha Uchiha or a remnant of Madara's bloodline. But he is definitely not Madara himself. Most likely, like me, he's just a successor to that legacy."

"I've studied the historical records of all the great ninja villages. I know what Madara's true power was like. If he were really Madara, he wouldn't be skulking around in the shadows, he would've openly declared war on the entire ninja world."

Hearing this, Genji nodded.

He and Byakuya shared the same belief, the masked man could not possibly be the real Uchiha Madara. But then why had he gone through the trouble of controlling both the Third and Fourth Mizukage?

This time, Byakuya answered before Genji could even ask.

"I've fought the masked man multiple times. His ambitions are far greater than just controlling Kirigakure. Most likely, he saw the village as a base for a much bigger plan."

Byakuya's casual remark about Kirigakure being 'small' made Genji twitch slightly, but he pressed on.

"Then what do you think his ultimate goal is?"

Byakuya thought for a moment before replying.

"His target is the entire ninja world. But since he lacks the power to take on the Five Great Nations directly, he's been working to weaken them through various schemes."

"You remember the Nine-Tails attack on Konoha, don't you? That was one of his moves against the Leaf Village."

Genji nodded and continued asking, "But even if he weakens the Five Great Nations, that alone wouldn't allow him to rule the ninja world. No matter how weakened they are, he's still just one man."

Byakuya took out a scroll he had been carrying and unrolled it.

"Of course, he couldn't do it alone. But what if he had the power of the Tailed Beasts? The Sharingan has the ability to control them."

"A single pair of Sharingan shouldn't be able to control all the Tailed Beasts," Genji pointed out. "Besides, the masked man has controlled Yagura for years, but he never used the Three-Tails for anything extreme. And this time, he only captured the Six-Tails."

Byakuya pointed at the scroll, which depicted all nine Tailed Beasts.

"I don't know exactly why he's collecting them, but I do know that the Two-Tails, Six-Tails, and Seven-Tails are already in his hands."

"He may have found a way to control multiple Tailed Beasts at once, or perhaps he has discovered a method to merge them together."

"A method to merge the Tailed Beasts?"

Genji's eyes widened in disbelief, his body trembling slightly.

"Even a single Tailed Beast can determine the outcome of a regional war. If he manages to collect all of them… wouldn't that mean he could annihilate entire villages with a single attack?"

Byakuya's face darkened, and he nodded.

"That is precisely why I've been hunting him down. If we let him succeed in gathering all the Tailed Beasts, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"I had hoped to take advantage of his presence in Kirigakure to eliminate him once and for all. But unfortunately, he saw through my ambush, left ahead of time to hunt the Six-Tails, and then used his intangibility to escape."

Hearing this, Genji sighed, feeling regret for Byakuya's failed attempt.

At that moment, Genji seemed to remember something and spoke up.

"Byakuya-sama, you just said the masked man's goal is the Tailed Beasts. Doesn't that mean he will return to Kirigakure to target Yagura Karatachi again?"

Byakuya nodded noncommittally.

"The masked man was injured in our recent battle, so he won't be a threat for the next few months. But beyond that, I can't say. That will be up to Kirigakure to handle."

Genji frowned, his expression turning anxious.

"Byakuya-sama, what do you mean by that? Didn't we agree to cooperate? Why is Kirigakure suddenly left to deal with the masked man alone?"

Byakuya sighed in slight frustration.

"It's not that I don't want to help Kirigakure, but I can't stay here indefinitely. If I leave my organization for too long, the masked man will likely target Akatsuki instead."

"Besides, I'm an outsider. I can't just remain in Kirigakure without a proper reason."

Genji picked up on Byakuya's unspoken intent and decided to make an offer.

"Byakuya-sama, would you be interested in becoming an honorary jōnin of Kirigakure? You would receive high-ranking privileges, and when encountering Kirigakure shinobi, you would have the authority to give them orders."

Byakuya shook his head.

"I have no real interest in becoming a Kirigakure ninja. What I need are allies capable of dealing with the masked man. Instead, why don't you and Kirigakure join Akatsuki? As a subordinate organization, Kirigakure would receive protection, and I would naturally assign people to safeguard the Fourth Mizukage."

"Having Kirigakure join Akatsuki…" Genji furrowed his brows.

Byakuya saw his hesitation and continued.

"As a subordinate group, Kirigakure would still function independently. Unlike other major organizations, we wouldn't interfere in your village's affairs. The only time we would exercise authority is when dealing with the masked man."

Genji's expression relaxed upon hearing this.

If it was merely a nominal affiliation with Akatsuki, then it wasn't entirely unacceptable. After all, Akatsuki wouldn't have the power to issue commands to Kirigakure, making their relationship similar to that between the village and the Land of Water.

After a moment of contemplation, Genji spoke.

"If we only need to follow Akatsuki's orders in matters concerning the Tailed Beasts, then both Kirigakure and I are willing to join Akatsuki to fight against the masked man."

As soon as Genji agreed, a crisp system notification rang in Byakuya's mind.

[Kirigakure has joined Akatsuki. You have obtained Mastery of Water Release…]

[Shadow-level warrior Genji has joined Akatsuki. You have obtained…]

Before the system could finish, Byakuya cut it off. Now was not the time to claim his rewards, there were still important matters to discuss with Genji.

However, this also revealed how deeply Genji had hidden his true strength. He appeared to be an elderly man struggling to walk, yet he possessed shadow-level power and could still fight for Kirigakure one last time.

Thinking about it, Byakuya wasn't surprised.

Genji looked to be over eighty years old, an elder who had survived the Warring States period and had fought for decades until the establishment of Kirigakure.

If he hadn't reached shadow-level strength, he would have perished long ago in the brutal ninja wars.

This also explained why, despite Obito controlling the Fourth Mizukage, Kirigakure had never fully fallen under Akatsuki's control, because the real leader of the village was standing right in front of Byakuya.

Obito's influence over Kirigakure had always been incomplete because he hadn't gained Genji's allegiance. Only by convincing Genji to willingly join Akatsuki could Kirigakure truly become a part of the organization and contribute to Byakuya's path to power.

Had Byakuya attempted to support Zabuza or Mei Terumi as Mizukage a few weeks ago, he would have only gained rewards related to them.

Even if the truth about the Fourth Mizukage being controlled had been exposed, neither Zabuza nor Mei had the true authority to rule Kirigakure. Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Byakuya extended his hand.

As he firmly shook hands with Genji, he smiled.

"Genji-sama, joining Akatsuki will be the best decision you've ever made."

Genji remained somewhat distracted, taking a deep breath before asking,

"Byakuya-sama, how does Akatsuki plan to deal with the masked man in the future? And how should we protect the Three-Tails Jinchūriki?"

"The masked man is elusive. Aside from when he hunts Tailed Beasts, he rarely reveals himself. But he will have to resurface eventually to complete his collection. We can set a trap by intentionally exposing a weakness and waiting for him to take the bait."

Pausing, Byakuya then addressed the matter of the Three-Tails.

"As for protecting the Jinchūriki… The Fourth Mizukage is already in poor condition. Soon, he and the Three-Tails will die together. No matter how powerful the masked man is, he can't do anything to a dead Tailed Beast."

Genji's mouth twitched. Byakuya's method of 'protection' was certainly unique.

After a moment of thought, Genji responded seriously.

"Kirigakure cannot afford to lose the Three-Tails. If the Fourth Mizukage truly cannot hold on, I will have to consider selecting a new Jinchūriki. I assume you understand the importance of a Jinchūriki, Byakuya-sama?"

Byakuya nodded, his expression solemn.

"I know exactly what a Jinchūriki represents. If Kirigakure were to lose its Tailed Beast, the other four great nations would see it as an opportunity to strike. It could even trigger another war."

"This is all the First Hokage's fault. If he hadn't distributed the Tailed Beasts, the great nations wouldn't rely on Jinchūriki so heavily."

Hearing Byakuya criticize the First Hokage, Genji coughed lightly.

"Hashirama-sama's decision to distribute the Tailed Beasts had its merits. If not for that, the ninja world wars would have happened far more than just three times."

Byakuya glanced at Genji and said, "Or perhaps Konoha simply wanted to gain the upper hand and slowly consume the entire ninja world?"

Genji was momentarily speechless. After all, if Hashirama and Madara had truly decided to conquer the entire ninja world together, there might have only been one village left standing today.

Seeing Genji's silence, Byakuya sighed softly. "What's done is done. I don't want to see Konoha's parasites ruling the ninja world either. But if there's one thing I'd propose, it would be to hold a Five Kage Summit so that every major village is aware of the masked man's threat. If the Five Great Nations worked together, even he wouldn't be able to get his hands on any more Tailed Beasts."

Genji imagined the scenario Byakuya described but then shook his head.

"Byakuya-sama, with all due respect, even if the other four great nations learned about the masked man's existence, they wouldn't take him seriously. To them, the greatest threat comes from each other, not from some mysterious figure in the shadows. Even in Kirigakure's case, if we hadn't personally experienced the manipulation of both the Third and Fourth Mizukage, we wouldn't have committed ourselves to fighting the masked man either."

Byakuya sighed again after hearing Genji's words.

"I know. That's precisely why I haven't openly warned the other villages about him. Who knows when the Five Great Nations will finally be able to sit down and have an honest discussion?"