Chapter 141: Planning

In a hidden mountain forest deep within the eastern Land of Fields, Ishikawa was directing a large group of able-bodied young men in their work.

They were divided into several teams: some felled trees, others constructed houses and warehouses, while another group focused on building perimeter walls. Beyond the immediate work zone, a temporary camp had already been established.

This was the site Pakura had chosen for their new hidden village.

Ishikawa served as the overall supervisor for the construction project.

Half a month prior, Ansei Hall had made a public announcement. Ishikawa, who had only recently been appointed captain of the Guard Corps, was dismissed from his position. The official reason given was that one of his subordinates, Oka Ku, had carelessly leaked sensitive information regarding Ansei Hall.

The news came abruptly and caused quite a stir within the Guard Corps. Some of Ishikawa's loyal men were so incensed they nearly quit on the spot. After all, Ishikawa's steadfastness and loyalty during the recent upheaval had been plain for all to see.

However, Ishikawa quickly intervened personally to quell the unrest.

Shortly thereafter, the "dismissed" Ishikawa vanished from Yamanashi Castle, his whereabouts unknown to the public.

Secretly, however, Pakura had dispatched him here to oversee the construction of the shinobi village.

Ansei Hall's preparations to establish a hidden village in the Land of Fields were still strictly confidential. Yoshida Jin's private meetings with the Land of Fields' Daimyo hadn't attracted any outside speculation either. It wasn't unusual for a top-tier merchant like Yoshida Jin to have private audiences with the Daimyo, so these interactions passed unnoticed.

Ishikawa's public dismissal served a dual purpose: it was a warning to the remaining members of Ansei Hall's Guard Corps about the importance of discretion, and it allowed Tatsuya and Pakura to place a reliable individual in charge of supervising the village's construction.

Rustle~

Suddenly, Tatsuya and Pakura appeared at the edge of the bustling construction site.

"Lord Tatsuya! Lady Pakura!"

Seeing them, Ishikawa hurried over.

By now, Tatsuya and Pakura no longer concealed their identities from Ishikawa. Once the hidden village was established, Ishikawa would be among its first shinobi. There was no longer any need to hide who they were from him. Furthermore, Tatsuya and Pakura were hardly unknown figures in the shinobi world; revealing themselves to Ishikawa served as both a subtle display of power and a demonstration of trust.

"Show us around," Tatsuya said calmly, glancing at Ishikawa.

"Yes, sir." Ishikawa bowed respectfully and led the way.

Tatsuya and Pakura followed him on a tour around the construction site.

"How long until the village is projected to be complete?" Tatsuya asked, his expression showing approval as he observed the well-organized site. He was quite satisfied with Ishikawa's organizational and supervisory skills.

"The village should be fully constructed in about half a year," Ishikawa replied respectfully.

"Mm, very good. That gives us ample time. Ensure there are no further mistakes," Tatsuya nodded.

"Rest assured, Lord Tatsuya. I guarantee there will be no more errors," Ishikawa affirmed, straightening up and speaking with conviction.

"Excellent! We have confidence in you. You may return to your duties," Tatsuya said, clapping Ishikawa encouragingly on the shoulder.

Once Ishikawa had departed, Tatsuya took a piece of paper from within his robes and handed it to Pakura. "Here's a list. After I leave, have Yoshida Jin dispatch people to search carefully for these individuals."

Pakura, who had remained silent until now, looked surprised. She took the paper and scanned it briefly, an odd expression immediately appearing in her eyes.

The paper listed several names along with their descriptions. Based on the information, all of them were children, several years younger than even Guren.

"These are the first candidates I've selected for the village. They all possess significant potential," Tatsuya explained calmly, meeting Pakura's questioning gaze.

"You accessed Konoha's intelligence?" Pakura frowned slightly.

Tatsuya simply shook his head, offering no answer. He couldn't exactly tell Pakura he had foreseen the futures of everyone on that list.

Pakura gave a soft scoff, twitching her lip slightly, but didn't press further. That man always enjoys being cryptic!

Still, she made a mental note of the names on the list.

After inspecting the village's construction progress, the two returned to Ansei Hall. Tatsuya habitually retreated to his underground laboratory to conduct experiments, while Pakura immediately went to relay Tatsuya's instructions to Yoshida Jin.

Tatsuya had specific plans for this yet-unnamed hidden village.

In the initial stages, he wouldn't blindly recruit established shinobi from outside. The village's future combat strength would primarily consist of shinobi they trained themselves. They would follow an elite path.

Given the constant warfare plaguing the shinobi world, displaced civilians were scattered everywhere, including numerous young children. There would certainly be no shortage of potential recruits. However, Tatsuya's targets were those among them with uncomplicated backgrounds and superior aptitude.

With himself and Pakura available as instructors, teaching staff wouldn't be an issue. As long as they had sufficient talent and financial resources, cultivating a relatively small group of elite shinobi shouldn't be a problem.

Since he was aiming for an elite force, Tatsuya immediately thought of the village founded by Orochimaru – Otogakure.

He planned to essentially poach Orochimaru's future core subordinates before the Sannin could recruit them himself.

When it came to spotting talent and nurturing shinobi, Orochimaru's abilities were top-tier. While some of his methods were crude, their effectiveness was undeniable.

Among Orochimaru's prominent subordinates, the foremost were undoubtedly Kimimaro, Jugo, Suigetsu Hozuki, and Karin. The potential of these four was unquestionably superb.

Kimimaro, needless to say, was the sole inheritor of the Kaguya Clan's Kekkei Genkai, Shikotsumyaku. If not for the debilitating illness associated with his bloodline, a fully developed Kimimaro would absolutely reach Kage-level, and he wouldn't be a weak one among them either.

Jugo, meanwhile, possessed the innate ability to absorb natural energy. He had a dual personality – typically docile, but prone to intense homicidal urges when enraged – and possessed strength exceeding that of a Jonin. Orochimaru's Cursed Seals were developed based on Jugo's unique physiology.

For these two, Tatsuya merely added them to the list. Although they ranked high, he didn't hold out much hope that Pakura would actually find and recruit them. Based on his memories of the previous timeline, both Kimimaro and Jugo should already be under Orochimaru's wing by this period. Given Orochimaru's methods for securing loyalty, snatching them away from him was practically impossible. Therefore, the note beside their names simply read: Monitor.

Ranked just below these two were Suigetsu Hozuki and Karin.

In the original story, Suigetsu's abilities weren't exactly peak-tier, but his clan's secret Hydrification Technique was remarkably effective, allowing him to liquefy his body and gain immunity to physical attacks. Combined with his skilled swordsmanship, he was easily Elite Jonin level.

As for Karin, Tatsuya valued her constitution. As a member of the Uzumaki clan, Karin possessed immense chakra reserves and outstanding sensory abilities. Furthermore, anyone who bit her skin could rapidly recover their chakra and heal injuries. Such a powerful support-type ninja would be an invaluable asset to any team. Moreover, if Karin could learn the Uzumaki clan's Sealing Jutsu, her combat potential would skyrocket.

Tatsuya intended to use Yoshida Jin's resources to search for and recruit these two with full effort, provided Orochimaru hadn't already found them.

Beyond those four, the original Otogakure roster included the Sound Five: Kidomaru, Sakon and Ukon, Tayuya, and Jirobo.

Tatsuya was interested in them as well. The development path for each of the five was already laid out; Tatsuya merely needed to copy it. Although he currently lacked the method to bestow Cursed Seals, he was confident he would acquire it in the future.