C211

Thunder Country – Cloud Shinobi Village

"Father, I plan to attack Konoha. Cloud Shinobi Village shouldn't recognize that shameful treaty, even if the Second Raikage signed a peace agreement with them."

"Go ahead and do it, Ai."

The Third Raikage stopped the flickering Lightning Style chakra coursing over his body and spoke to the Fourth Raikage. 

After stepping down from his position, he had fully relinquished power. Even though Ai sought his opinion, the Third Raikage had no desire to interfere.

Even if Ai made the wrong decision, it would still be a valuable experience for him—a necessary step in his growth. That was the Third Raikage's philosophy.

"I'm not Raikage anymore. If Cloud Shinobi Village needs me to fight, then just give the order. But the decisions—those are yours to make!"

His voice was deep and resolute. In a way, he saw himself as a sinner of Cloud Shinobi Village. First, he had lost the Six Paths ninja. 

Then, he had suffered a crushing defeat that cost the village dearly. If not for his counterattack against the Rock Shinobi, which helped them regain some ground, Cloud Shinobi Village would have needed years to recover its military strength.

"I understand, Dad. If war begins, I will inform you."

The Fourth Raikage nodded. He had discussed the matter extensively with his advisors, and this was an opportunity Cloud Shinobi couldn't afford to miss.

The training of the new Two-Tails Jinchūriki was also progressing well. The newly selected host possessed great talent and had successfully completed training on Turtle Island, earning the Two-Tails' recognition. 

This was one of the key factors that gave the Fourth Raikage confidence in challenging Konoha.

They now had two fully combat-ready Jinchūriki, whereas Konoha had to keep a significant portion of its forces stationed within the village. Sending out the Nine-Tails was unlikely.

Thinking about it, the Fourth Raikage found Konoha's decision to allow a Jinchūriki to become pregnant utterly foolish. Not only did it render one of their greatest weapons useless, but it also drained their manpower.

If they didn't resist now, Cloud Shinobi Village would be bled dry by Konoha in the coming years. That was something the Fourth Raikage would never allow.

However, he also needed to reach out to potential allies. No matter how strong Cloud Shinobi was, unless they went all out, fighting Konoha would be no simple task.

Konoha

Shortly after Kain returned, Orochimaru and the others were informed of his arrival. The only person accompanying Kushina was Kain himself.

Orochimaru didn't approach him but instead sent word that Kain should meet him in the underground Hokage laboratory when he had time. 

Thanks to Kain's reminder, the explosive tags that Xuanweng had buried throughout Konoha had been removed, slightly bolstering the village's defenses.

Orochimaru seemed engrossed in some groundbreaking research. Although he had previously studied human evolution, his recent obsession appeared to be the synthesis of exotic creatures. 

Since Kain now had access to future technology, he rarely sought Orochimaru's help anymore.

Currently, Kain focused most of his attention on Kushina, while the rest was devoted to shaping the future of the ninja world.

With the abilities of the Thunder Fruit and Munch-Munch Fruit, Kain felt that unifying the ninja world was as easy as reaching into his pocket. Unless an Ōtsutsuki suddenly interfered, there was no reason he would fail.

Nearly a quarter of the nation's economy was now dependent on the Kain Chamber of Commerce, spanning industries like confectionery, dining, casinos, seafood, izakayas, and even newspaper publishing. 

The Kain Chamber of Commerce had grown into a colossal force. Even if Konoha severed ties with the Land of Fire, it could still sustain itself through Kain's enterprises.

But there was no need for such drastic measures. Kain already had the Daimyō in his sights.

The Daimyō had two sons. If neither could inherit the position, the successor would be chosen by the Daimyō himself. 

However, the Daimyō's death could serve one final purpose—to further Kain's ambitions. For that, he needed Orochimaru's assistance. 

Only Orochimaru could ensure the poison reached deep into the Daimyō's very roots.

After spending some time with Kushina, Kain used Apparition to teleport to the location where Rin Nohara was being held.

A manor stood on the outskirts of a remote town in the Land of Fire. Unless one deliberately detoured, it was nearly impossible to notice its existence. 

Guarding it were eight samurai and ten armed guards from the Kain Chamber of Commerce—a force more than sufficient to keep watch over Nohara Rin, who could no longer use chakra.

However, as Kain surveyed the area, he shook his head.

"The guards are still too weak. We should create a few biomechanical warriors—they would be much safer."

Among the people assigned by Yakushi Nono, the samurai who could use chakra were relatively strong, but they couldn't be fully trusted. The remaining guards carried firearms, yet they were prone to becoming lax.

Biomechanical warriors, on the other hand, never tired, never let their guard down, and their strength and speed were comparable to a Chūnin-level taijutsu specialist. More importantly, they had no fear of death.

Kain remained silent as he entered the manor. However, the moment he pushed open the door, he felt a sudden gust of wind rushing toward his head. 

Without hesitation, he extended a finger—his fingertip crackled with lightning, forming a razor-sharp edge.

Crack!

The wooden stick that had been swung at him was cleaved in half, its cut end instantly charred black, smoke rising from the scorched surface.

"My lord?"

The attack having failed, Nohara Rin quickly stepped back. But upon seeing who had entered, her face shifted from fear to joy. She rushed forward, grabbed Kain's hand, and asked eagerly,

"My lord, how did you get here? Are you here to rescue me?"

Kain raised an eyebrow, surprised by her reaction.

Why would she think that?

Then, he suddenly recalled something—it must be the effect of the curse mark he had placed on her. The mark likely clouded her judgment, making her subconsciously trust him.

Not that it mattered. Now that he had Three-Tails and Rin herself, it was time to move forward with his plan.

"Lord Minister, you… how did you come here?"

Rin hesitated. Kain's calm expression unsettled her. Her initial excitement faded as her rational mind reasserted itself. She took two steps back, her gaze turning wary.

"Rin, I heard from Nono that you lost part of your memory after being revived. Do you no longer remember how you were injured?"

Kain's tone was casual, but as he spoke, he activated Legilimency and Mind Network, carefully observing her reaction.

Rin's eyes flickered—an involuntary response.

"So that's how it is," Kain said smoothly. "To protect your identity, Nono arranged for someone else to question you. At the time, you were trying to escape, so you lied to them."

Rin's eyes widened in shock. She seemed to struggle to believe it as she murmured,

"Nono… You mean Teacher Nono?"

Kain gestured to his chest, his expression unchanging.

"Your heart was destroyed. Even with the best medicine, only a high-level medical ninja could repair that kind of damage."

He paused, then continued,

"In the entire ninja world, only Tsunade and Nono had the necessary skills. Without them, you would have been beyond saving."

Rin lowered her head, conflicted. After a moment, she hesitantly asked,

"Then… why did you save me? And why bring me here? Is it… because of the tailed beast inside me?"

A series of doubts surfaced in her mind. Could it be true? Could Teacher Nono, the one who had patiently taught her medical ninjutsu, have been deceiving her all along?

And Mr. Minister , the kind and approachable mentor, had he been lying as well?

"Teacher Nono… Mr. Minister … Have you been lying to us all this time?"

She shook her head, trying to convince herself otherwise.

After all, when Nono had started teaching her medical ninjutsu, she had only been a second-year student. At that time, she hadn't even become a Jinchūriki yet.

Then… why would they have targeted me?

Clinging to this thought, Rin suddenly lifted her gaze, her eyes filled with a desperate hope. She wanted Kain to deny everything—to tell her this was all a lie.

If it were all false, then she wouldn't have to accept it.

She could go back to seeing Nono as her teacher. She could return to Konoha.

How wonderful that would be.

If only the man before her was simply pretending, spinning lies to trick her—just another scheme to use the power inside her.

"Unfortunately, Nohara-san, it's all true."

Kain sensed Nohara Rin's thoughts, so he spoke bluntly, shattering the last shreds of hope in her heart.

"You have a natural talent for medical ninjutsu, which is why Nono wanted you to work for me. And because you house the Three-Tails, you've become even more valuable. I cannot allow you to return to the village—for now."

He paused before continuing, his tone calm yet firm.

"But you hold even greater value than that.

Uchiha Obito, the boy who has feelings for you, has awakened a powerful ability. His ambition is no longer to become Hokage—he now seeks to destroy the world.

You are the only one who can restrain him, his only true weakness.

So, for now, you must stay here. Aside from leaving, you can request almost anything you desire."

After finishing, Kain placed another seal on Rin's body.

Although Yakushi Nono knew some sealing techniques, her skills paled in comparison to Kain's—his techniques were taught to him by Kushina herself.

With this additional layer of sealing, Rin could no longer access her physical or mental energy.

As a final measure, Kain implanted a suggestion deep within her mind:

Suicide must never be an option.

With that, Kain left.

Rin sat weakly on the ground.

Too much information had hit her at once.

She couldn't process it—couldn't believe it.

She didn't know what to do or what to choose.

Kirigakure

After the Third Mizukage was overthrown, the Mist Shinobi believed the Blood Mist policy would come to an end.

But they were wrong.

The newly appointed Fourth Mizukage not only refused to abolish the policy but reinforced it, making it even more brutal.

Using the power of his title, the Fourth Mizukage removed Elder Genji and several other influential figures from their positions.

He expanded the Anbu, recruited the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and placed the bloodline clans under heavy surveillance—consolidating his control over Kirigakure in a remarkably short time.

Unlike the Third Mizukage, the Fourth had absolute command over Mist's military power. Those who opposed him met only one fate—death.

Inside the Mizukage's office, an Anbu ninja stood at attention.

"Lord Mizukage, we captured a Cloud Shinobi spy. However, he insists that he is here to deliver a message—a secret letter from the Fourth Raikage."

The Anbu ninja placed the letter on the table, then quickly exited the room.

It was an unspoken rule—move too slowly, and punishment would follow.

Not long after, a spiraling distortion of space appeared beside the Fourth Mizukage.

A masked figure stepped out from the Kamui dimension—Uchiha Obito.

He silently picked up the letter and read it.

Then, a deep, sinister laugh escaped him—a deliberate imitation of Uchiha Madara's voice.

"Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?"

…

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