**Chapter 247: Connected as One Line**
"Don't rush. First, find that person!"
Itsuki frowned deeply.
He had thought that when Mei Terumi was dealing with the rebel ninjas, Obito would definitely make a move.
He was already prepared for a big battle.
But!
Mei Terumi had already completed suppressing the rebellion, and that person hadn't made a move.
This doesn't make sense!
It feels very off!
What is Obito planning?
Has he turned over a new leaf?
Nonsense!
Obito is the type of person with more temper than skill!
You expect him to reform?
Moreover, he always believed that what he was doing was right.
This was something Itsuki found strange about the shinobi world.
Everyone thought they were doing the right thing.
In the end, it became, "It's not me who's wrong, it's the world."
So Itsuki also believed he wasn't wrong.
The world is wrong.
Anyway, if that's the case for everyone, why should it be any different for him?
If we all point out what's wrong with the world, then we're in the right!
"That guy..."
Mei Terumi furrowed her brow and said, "He knows space-time ninjutsu. If he's determined to hide, finding him won't be easy!"
"I know!"
Itsuki remained unfazed. "I'll investigate as well. I don't believe we can't find him. He has a purpose in Kirigakure. As long as he moves, he'll leave traces unless he's not planning to execute his plan here at all."
Is that possible?
No way!
The guy had been hiding in Kirigakure for so long, only to be taken out by Mei Terumi?
What a joke!
He definitely has a plan!
No matter how incompetent Obito is, he wouldn't fail this spectacularly.
Itsuki suppressed the unease in his heart.
"Alright."
Mei Terumi looked at Itsuki deeply.
Although she didn't know the exact reason, Uchiha Itsuki was very concerned about this mysterious person.
More concerned than she had ever seen him.
More than his concerns for Danzo Shimura and Hiruzen Sarutobi!
There must be something she didn't know.
However, if they kept investigating, they would surely find something off.
As the Mizukage, she had patience.
Mei Terumi began consolidating Kirigakure's forces. While doing so, she intensified the search.
The entire village was swarming with search teams.
Sensor ninjas were running everywhere, appearing randomly in different corners of the village every day.
Finally!
Even the old Master Genji was found.
This made Itsuki and Mei Terumi both amused and exasperated.
That old guy had so many hiding spots.
There was a clone near the Mizukage's office building.
A clone at the outskirts of Kirigakure.
But the most ridiculous part? His real body was at home.
Yes!
In his own house!
In the basement of his house.
It wouldn't have been a big deal, except that this guy had built a basement within the basement.
Three basements in total, side by side, with a partition in the middle. He hid inside the partition.
Unbelievable!
Itsuki was speechless after seeing this.
This guy had truly taken hiding to an art form.
He also knew a secret technique.
Over short distances, his clones and real body could swap places.
Of course, this technique took time to activate, which was why Itsuki had managed to block him last time.
Master Genji was expressionless after being found.
"So what if I've been found? What can you do?"
At his age, was he really supposed to care about losing face?
Not at all.
...
"We can't find him!"
Mei Terumi threw a stack of papers on the table, her voice low. "I've almost turned Kirigakure inside out, and there's nothing. Itsuki, that mysterious person has already left the village."
Itsuki squinted, standing silently by the window.
He could sense that the person had left.
Just like that?
Had he already accomplished his goal?
What did he do?
The lack of clues only made Itsuki more uneasy.
Suddenly, Itsuki turned sharply, his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan releasing immense visual power.
For a moment, Mei Terumi was frozen.
"W-what are you doing?" Mei Terumi asked with difficulty.
Shing!
Ao and Chojuro appeared, ready to attack, their eyes filled with caution.
"Don't...move..."
Mei Terumi struggled to speak. "No one is allowed to move."
"Yes!"
Though the two were confused, they followed her orders.
Itsuki quickly withdrew his gaze from Mei Terumi and turned it toward Ao.
Immediately!
Ao's body began to tremble slightly.
His single eye filled with terror.
This is Uchiha Itsuki?
So powerful!
Just a look, and it caused such overwhelming fear and pressure.
Is he even human?
Finally, Itsuki turned his gaze to Chojuro.
Surprisingly!
Chojuro seemed to handle it better than Ao.
Even though Ao was slightly stronger than Chojuro.
However!
Chojuro was still young and in his growth phase, while Ao was at his peak.
Itsuki was a bit surprised and then shifted his gaze to the large sword.
The peak weapon of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist: the Dual-Bladed Hiramekarei!
This sword possessed immense destructive power and allowed its wielder to become stronger in battle.
At that moment, it was releasing a unique aura that helped stabilize Chojuro's stance.
So that's it!
Itsuki nodded slightly and withdrew his visual power.
All three of them sighed in relief.
"What was that?"
Mei Terumi glared at Itsuki. "Do you suspect us?"
She wasn't dumb; she immediately guessed Itsuki's intentions.
"Both the Third and Fourth Mizukages were controlled by the enemy. If the Fifth was controlled, I wouldn't be surprised."
Itsuki's voice was calm. "But now, it seems I was overthinking."
"Hmph!"
Ao snorted, about to speak when suddenly two kunai flew from Itsuki's direction, grazing both him and Chojuro.
Both had light scratches on their bodies.
"You..."
Ao was furious.
"Shut up, Ao!"
Mei Terumi shouted sternly and turned to look at the kunai, her eyes filled with shock and suspicion.
Following her gaze, Ao and Chojuro saw two white substances pierced by the kunai.
They hadn't noticed them before, but once struck, they began to release chakra.
The spores of White Zetsu!
Itsuki had never seen White Zetsu's spores before, even though he had defeated White Zetsu himself.
But now, the spores had revealed themselves.
It seemed they had been hidden, only becoming noticeable after being struck.
Like popping a balloon!
Mei Terumi's voice was low. "Send them to the Intelligence Division. Call for the medical ninjas!"
"Yes!"
Ao and Chōjūrō immediately removed the kunai and rushed out quickly.
They really didn't have the face to stay any longer.
Itsuki, however, fell into silence.
Obito had left the Hidden Mist but had left behind a White Zetsu spore, placing it on Ao and Chōjūrō, the two people whom Mei Terumī trusted.
This indicated that the other side hadn't given up on Mei Terumī.
He was ready to act against her at any moment.
So, what was he up to now?
"Damn it!"
Itsuki muttered to himself.
Obito, now you're playing war games with me.
"What's wrong?"
A soft woman, as delicate as a snake, entwined herself around him.
Over time, their relationship had stabilized and even heated up quickly.
The worst part was, they hadn't been spending time at Mei Terumī's house but rather staying in the office for long periods.
In the Mizukage's office!
"I might need to leave," Itsuki said as he looked at the woman in front of him, kissed her gently, and smiled. "You'll be fine here for a while."
"For a while?"
"Yes!" Itsuki said. "That mysterious man should have gone somewhere else. Once I leave the Hidden Mist and go there, he'll come back."
Mei Terumī's eyes narrowed. "Is he avoiding you?"
"Yes!" Itsuki answered bluntly. "I'm too powerful, and he doesn't stand a chance against me, so he's off looking for an advantage."
What could enhance Obito power?
What would give him the courage to face Itsuki?
Kakashi's Sharingan!
That would strengthen Obito, and not just a little bit.
With that eye, Obito would have a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan, along with Hashirama's cells in his body, helping him to counter the side effects of using the Mangekyō.
Wood Release combined with the Mangekyō Sharingan!
But even that wouldn't be enough to deal with Itsuki!
So… Nagato!
Itsuki finally understood.
Perhaps, the Hidden Mist wasn't a trap, but rather a ploy.
Obito had intentionally set up a confusing situation to lure Itsuki in.
Since the entire village was in lockdown, Itsuki's perception of the outside world would weaken.
During that time, Obito could fully make his move against Nagato.
By controlling Nagato, he would gain the strength to challenge Itsuki.
Itsuki smiled widely.
Interesting!
Obito, is this your Empty Fort Strategy?
No, this is more like a counter-Empty Fort Strategy, drawing me into an empty village on purpose!
The Mangekyō Sharingan reappeared in Itsuki's eyes as he continued to release his ocular powers.
"Buzz!"
Soon enough, a strong force gathered in front of Itsuki, forming a human figure.
Another Uchiha Itsuki!
"This… What is this?" Mei Terumī was stunned.
"This is my clone!" Itsuki explained calmly. "It's a special clone. As long as it has chakra, it won't disappear. It will stay in the Hidden Mist to protect your safety."
"You're leaving?" Mei Terumī asked, displeased.
"I have no choice but to go!" Itsuki chuckled. "Don't worry, the Hidden Mist will soon lift its isolation. I'll send a delegation to discuss an alliance with you."
Mei Terumī placed her delicate hand on Itsuki and smiled. "Then you'll give me a good deal, right? The Hidden Mist is really in bad shape right now."
"No problem at all!" Itsuki responded directly. "Prepare a 5,000-strong ninja force in the Hidden Mist. You don't need to do much—just a show of force. As for money and resources, the Fire Village will give you a satisfying answer."
"That sounds good!" Mei Terumī's smile grew even brighter. "Would you like to stay a bit longer? I promise you'll be satisfied."
"No." Itsuki sighed.
Now that he knew Obito's plan, how could he afford to stay? Konan's situation was even more urgent.
He couldn't leave Konan for the sake of some momentary pleasure, could he?
"Alright, I'll be waiting for you," Mei Terumī blew him a kiss.
"Don't ignore me!" the clone Itsuki said with a playful smile.
"You…" Mei Terumī was taken aback.
The real Itsuki was already preparing to use the Flying Thunder God technique. He chuckled as he said, "It's just like a water clone."
Swoosh!
With the activation of the Flying Thunder God, Itsuki disappeared.
Mei Terumī, curious, began to study the clone Itsuki.
"Cut it out!" Clone Itsuki shrugged and used the Flying Thunder God to leave as well.
Though he was still Itsuki, he was just a clone.
Like all clone techniques, even if he did nothing, chakra would still be consumed.
The ocular power clone was no exception.
So, he had to find ways to minimize that consumption.
...
News of the Hidden Mist lifting its isolation quickly spread throughout the ninja world.
A superpower had reappeared before everyone's eyes.
It eased tensions across the ninja world considerably.
Even though the Hidden Mist had declined somewhat, it was still one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
Now it had become one of the Six Great Ninja Villages!
Such a major player emerging made everyone nervous.
Iwagakure and Kumogakure were particularly interested.
The Fire Village!
Things in Konoha were clearly tied to the Fire Village. They definitely didn't want the Fire Village developing quietly behind the scenes.
Now the Hidden Mist was back.
Good!
The Fire Village was now bordering three major ninja villages.
Konoha, Sunagakure, and the Hidden Mist.
Sunagakure's Pakura and Itsuki were practically a pair of lovers.
This time, when Kumogakure clashed with Konoha, Sunagakure was secretly eyeing Iwagakure.
They had already allied with the Fire Village.
So, the Hidden Mist was worth competing for.
But then, they were disappointed.
On the second day after the Hidden Mist reopened, the Fire Village sent a delegation and officially announced its alliance with the Hidden Mist.
They offered a billion ryō upfront!
When Ōnoki heard that, he couldn't believe it.
A billion ryō!
Forget the Hidden Mist, even Iwagakure would gladly ally with the Fire Village for that!
They'd be happy to call them 'big brother' every day!
Pride?
To hell with pride!
They cared more about practical benefits.
Besides money, the Fire Village also provided vast amounts of resources.
As they said, "We're full of sincerity in this alliance."
Sunagakure also sent people to join in the fun.
Now three major ninja villages were directly aligned.
Iwagakure and Kumogakure were still holding on, but Konoha was starting to feel the pressure.
Back in the day, Senju Hashirama had been too proud and chose to build his village at the very center of the ninja world.
So, while other villages faced two or three others, Konoha faced almost all of them, including these super-sized villages.
With Hashirama's strength, he wasn't worried—he could have taken on all four villages combined with one hand.
But now, Konoha's enemies were three villages surrounding them.
Konoha of the past wasn't afraid!
Konoha of the present had reason to fear!
Nowadays, they were hesitant even to challenge Sunagakure.
Never mind that they had just won a big victory.
That was against Kumogakure!
Every Konoha ninja had a grudge against Kumogakure.
Facing any other village, they might not have the same confidence!
What would they do about these three villages?
Kakashi immediately sent a letter to the Fire Village: "If we can't win, can we join?"