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The Third Mizukage stepped down for two reasons.

First, because he was a fool—his excessive enforcement of the Blood Mist policy made him an easy target.

Second, because Uchiha Madara had placed him under genjutsu.

However, after teaching Obito how to use the Sharingan, forbidden techniques, and other skills, Madara passed away.

Yet before his death, Madara identified two individuals as threats to his plan—Uzumaki Kushina and Nawaki.

A Nine-Tails Jinchūriki similar to the previous one, Kushina wielded the power of the Tailed Beast with immense skill. Even with Obito's Kamui ability, he might not be able to handle her.

And then there was Nawaki.

He could already use Wood Golem Jutsu at his current age. As much as Madara hated to admit it, Nawaki's Wood Style ninjutsu was nearly on par with Senju Hashirama's at the same stage of life.

The only thing Nawaki lacked was Senjutsu.

If these two weren't dealt with, the likelihood of Project Tsuki no Me succeeding would be slim.

Kamui was powerful, but not invincible.

Unless Obito was willing to reclaim the other eye from Kakashi, he would struggle to handle both Nawaki's cautionand Kushina's control over the Tailed Beast's power.

"The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki's childbirth is an opportunity," Obito thought. "But relying solely on Cloud Shinobi and Mist Shinobi may not be enough."

Obito was still contemplating Madara's grand plan, and in executing it, he would ensure Mist Shinobi suffered for revenge. Their military power would also play a key role in ensuring Project Tsuki no Me's success.

With that in mind, Obito placed another genjutsu on the Fourth Mizukage, then used Kamui to enter Kirigakure and summon White Zetsu.

"Obito, what do you need this time?"

White Zetsu always found it hard to keep a straight face around Obito—after all, when he disguised himself as Obito's grandmother, he had scammed 10 million taels from Nohara Rin.

Only Black Zetsu's control kept him from bursting into laughter—otherwise, Obito would immediately sense something was off.

Obito's voice was flat.

"Did you find out Danzo's whereabouts?"

White Zetsu immediately perked up.

"Of course! That guy actually built his Root base in one of the most dangerous places imaginable!"

Before Zetsu could continue rambling, Obito cut him off.

"Leak information about the Rinnegan to Danzo. When Root sends ninjas to the Land of Rain to investigate, lead them into a confrontation with Hanzo."

Obito's plan was simple—Nagato still had his two companions, which made controlling him difficult. If Konoha's Rootand Hanzo eliminated them first, then Nagato could be slowly manipulated.

"Understood," White Zetsu nodded. "But wow, Obito, you really don't resemble your old self at all anymore."

"Shut up, White Zetsu!"

Black Zetsu quickly intervened—White Zetsu's big mouth had nearly exposed too much.

Obito ignored them and moved on.

"If I sent Hobby to deal with Nawaki..."

"Forget it. It's impossible."

White Zetsu shook his head without hesitation.

"Master Madara created us using Hashirama's cells, but Nawaki's strength is already on par with young Senju Hashirama. It's not that Madara didn't try to eliminate him—he failed. Twice."

Black Zetsu added, "The Rinnegan might work, but Nagato hasn't fully mastered it yet. Perhaps we should wait until he revives Lord Madara."

White Zetsu chimed in again.

"Or, we could have zetsu possess the Third Raikage. That would definitely boost the Raikage's strength. Maybe that would be enough.

But first—you'd have to convince the Third Raikage."

Black Zetsu continued:

"If you collect a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan, there are also other possibilities."

Obito cut him off.

"I'll handle this. For now, go and ensure Root and Hanzo meet in the Land of Rain."

With that, Uchiha Obito disappeared using Kamui.

Once he was gone, White Zetsu burst into laughter.

"He still hasn't completely let go of that guy Kakashi. Clearly, a complete pair of Sharingan would be far stronger."

Black Zetsu remained indifferent.

"Let him be. As long as he helps realize Lord Madara's plan, it doesn't matter."

With that, White Zetsu sank underground, concealing himself once again.

Their first priority was eliminating Nagato's two companions—if they remained by his side, their influence would inevitably turn Nagato into a warrior of peace instead of a tool for destruction.

Land of Fire – Capital

The Daimyo was wasting away—growing thinner by the day.

Despite the best efforts of doctors and medical-nin, their diagnosis remained unchanged:

Lack of sleep. Poor health.

Most of the Daimyo's attendants believed this explanation, particularly his Guardian Ninja.

As his protectors, they knew better than anyone how much the Daimyo's lifestyle had deteriorated.

That day, inside the Tenshou Pavilion, Hatake Sakumo and five Konoha Jōnin formally resigned from their posts as Guardian Ninja.

It was time for them to return to Konoha, and soon, the Fourth Hokage would send a new batch of shinobi to replace them.

Among the five leaving, three were Jōnin from the Sarutobi clan.

They were the least eager to return.

After all, the moment they got back, the Fourth Hokage would likely assign them new missions. However, unless the Daimyo himself requested their continued service, they couldn't refuse an order from Hokage.

But there was one exception—the only person the Daimyo might ask to stay:

Hatake Sakumo.

The Daimyo coughed, then folded his fan over his face and spoke.

"Sakumo-san... I truly don't want you to leave. Perhaps I should ask the Fourth Hokage to let your son come live in the capital as well?"

Sakumo smiled faintly.

"My lord, that will be Kakashi's decision. He's grown up now. As his father, I'd rather not make that choice for him."

Truthfully, Sakumo had considered bringing Kakashi to the capital.

Especially after hearing that his son had lost another teammate—an event that had pushed him into a depression.

However, Sakumo believed that Kakashi needed to find his own way forward.

That's why he had decided to return to Konoha—not to take Kakashi away, but to help him heal.

"I'm only returning to Konoha for a short visit. I'll be back in the capital in a month."

The Daimyo smiled, visibly relieved.

"In that case, I'll be waiting for your return, Sakumo-kun."

The other Konoha Jōnin exchanged glances, jealousy creeping into their expressions.

They were all elite shinobi, yet why did Hatake Sakumo receive so much of the Daimyo's favor?

Hadn't their performances been equally impressive?

But none of them voiced their thoughts.

"Yes, Your majesty," Sakumo said respectfully, then turned and left with the other five ninjas.

The Daimyo's Mansion remained well-protected even after their departure.

Currently, fourteen Guardian Ninja served under the Daimyo's command, and given that this was the capital of the Land of Fire, no assassin would dare target the ruler of one of the Five Great Nations.

From a political standpoint, the departure of Hatake Sakumo and his team was a minor event—this kind of transition had happened many times before.

Yet, the Daimyo had always seen Sakumo as a man of great potential, even once hoping he would become Hokage.

Unfortunately, that had never come to pass.

One day, out of nowhere, the Daimyo summoned his heirs and many high-ranking nobles to a grand banquet at the Daimyo's Mansion.

He had an important announcement to make.

Normally, important matters were only discussed after the banquet, so the Daimyo's son and the gathered nobles enjoyed themselves without worry.

But then—chaos struck.

Suddenly, the heirs of the Daimyo and several high-ranking nobles collapsed to the ground, their bodies convulsing violently. Blood gushed from their mouths.

Within seconds, they were dead.

The speed of their deaths left the remaining guests frozen in shock, unable to react.

Only after over a dozen bodies had fallen did the Daimyo scream in horror—

"Guards!"

But before he could even finish his call, six Guardian Ninja appeared beside him in an instant.

One of them, a master of medical ninjutsu, immediately checked the Daimyo's condition.

After a tense moment, he sighed in relief—the Daimyo had not been poisoned.

However, relief quickly turned into rage.

Someone had dared to strike within the Daimyo's palace.

One of the strongest Guardian Ninja, Kazuma, stepped forward to examine the bodies.

His expression darkened.

He had seen this before. Others might not recognize it, but to Kazuma, this poison was unmistakable.

"Lord Daimyo, this poison is commonly used by Konoha's Root."

A chill ran through the room.

"There are very few poisons in the ninja world like this one," Kazuma continued. "If we have our medical-nin confirm it, we can be certain."

Upon hearing this, the Daimyo's face turned purple with rage.

He coughed violently, spitting a mouthful of blood.

His already frail body was further weakened by the dark energy that had been slowly eating away at him.

And then, something shifted within him.

His mind, burdened by his declining health and the shock of the moment, was suddenly seized by another force.

With a cold, unnatural tone, he issued an order.

"Kazuma, summon Orochimaru. I want an explanation."

A heavy silence fell over the hall.

The nobles and retainers stared in shock at the Daimyo's demand—but with so many corpses scattered across the banquet hall, no one could afford to hesitate.

If they didn't act swiftly, the entire Land of Fire could descend into chaos.

Kazuma and the Guardian Ninja exchanged uneasy glances.

They had long wished for the Daimyo to consolidate his power, but now was not the time.

Konoha was too strong.

Even Cloud Village, despite its militaristic tendencies, wouldn't dare challenge Konoha alone.

And yet—if Root was truly behind this...

"Sakumo Jōnin! Lord Hokage has summoned you immediately!"

It was midnight.

Hatake Sakumo had just been preparing to rest when an Anbu operative arrived at his home.

Standing at the top of the staircase, his son Kakashi gave him a questioning look.

Sakumo waved him off.

"Go back to bed," he said before turning back to the Anbu.

"Did the Hokage say what this is about?" he asked while getting dressed.

The Anbu shook his head.

"I don't know."

Sakumo frowned.

Through the window, he saw five additional Anbu waiting outside.

Something felt off.

But after a moment of contemplation, he dismissed the thought.

He had done nothing wrong—there was no reason for concern.

Without another word, he followed the Anbu to the Hokage's office.

As soon as Sakumo arrived, he realized this was no ordinary summons.

Orochimaru was present—but he wasn't alone.

Also gathered in the room were:

Third Hokage – Sarutobi Hiruzen Guardian Ninja Deputy Captain – Uchiha Yatsushiro Hokage's Advisor – Hyuga Hiashi Former Advisors – Utatane Koharu & Mitokado Homura (though they had retired, their presence was unusual) Tsunade – One of the Sannin

A meeting of this magnitude at this hour meant only one thing—

Something major had happened.

Sakumo immediately tensed.

This wasn't just about him—all five Guardian Ninja who had recently left the Daimyo's service had also been summoned.

If it weren't for a serious crisis, the Fourth Hokage wouldn't have called them all together in the middle of the night.

"Sakumo-san, you're here."

Orochimaru greeted him with a gentle tone—too gentle.

Under normal circumstances, such politeness from Orochimaru might have seemed reassuring.

But not now.

Not in this situation.

Sakumo exchanged glances with the other Guardian Ninja.

The tension in the room was palpable.

Orochimaru's expression remained unreadable as he finally spoke.

"I called you all here because a grave incident has occurred at the Daimyo's Mansion."

Sakumo's eyes narrowed.

"Three days after you left, someone poisoned the Daimyo's banquet."

A heavy silence followed.

Orochimaru continued.

"Seventeen people died—including the Daimyo's heirs and several high-ranking ministers of the Fire Nation."

The room froze.

"The real culprit has not yet been identified," Orochimaru went on.

"However... given the nature of the poison, we strongly suspect that it originated from Konoha's Root."

A sharp, unsettling tension filled the room.

"The poisons used by Root are not easily obtained," he said darkly.

"Which means... the evidence points to an inside job."

…

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