Aftermath 15

It wasn't until two months later that a breakthrough finally occurred. The mental walls around Kaito's mind, built from years of battle-hardened resolve, began to show the first signs of cracking. Through tireless efforts, the Uchiha clan played a pivotal role, their genjutsu specialists working day in and day out to wear down his mental defenses. It took a relentless and coordinated effort, using multiple Uchiha simultaneously, but slowly, the layers of Kaito's consciousness began to unravel.

The turning point came when a single fragment of information slipped through Kaito's tightly sealed mind. With that small crack, everything began to fall into place. What they uncovered sent shockwaves through the village.

The missing Anbu squads, which had been the focus of so much worry and speculation, had not disappeared due to random skirmishes or rogue factions. They had been targeted, deliberately. The orchestrators behind the disappearances were far more insidious than anyone had initially suspected. Kaito, it turned out, had been part of a much larger, coordinated effort involving the four major Hidden Villages, their secretive alliances with minor villages, and even the notorious black market.

These rogue forces had come together to weaken Konoha's influence and undermine the legendary might of the God of Shinobi. They knew full well how crucial the Anbu was to maintaining the village's strength, and by eliminating or neutralizing its elite operatives, they could destabilize the foundation of Konoha's security. But their true target was far more sinister—Hashirama Senju himself.

The rumors surrounding Hashirama's mysterious bloodline disease, whispers that had been circulating in the darker corners of the shinobi world for years, were not just idle gossip. There were those who saw his condition as a vulnerability, one that could be exploited. The fear of Konoha's eventual weakness in the face of his illness, combined with the belief that Tobirama might one day fall, was the catalyst behind this conspiracy.

Kaito's role, though significant, was that of a pawn. His team, and others like it, had been strategically placed to carry out this coordinated assault on Konoha. The missing Anbu operatives had been lured out and captured in order to weaken the village's defenses, under the belief that without its elite, Konoha would falter.

The revelation hit Hashirama hard. Not only had he been targeted because of his rumored health, but also because his enemies saw him as the last true obstacle to their plans. The God of Shinobi was not just a symbol of power—he was the shield protecting Konoha from an increasingly hostile world. The realization that these covert forces were actively conspiring against him, all in an effort to take down Konoha's leadership, left him with a bitter sense of urgency.

The village's leaders, including the clan heads, immediately understood the severity of the situation. Konoha's enemies were not only seeking to weaken the village's influence but were also actively trying to destabilize it from within. The war on the borders, the missing Anbu squads, and even Kaito's capture were all pieces in a much larger puzzle—a puzzle that now had to be solved before it could cause irreparable damage.

For Tetsuma, the young but capable Anbu Captain, the truth was as sobering as it was daunting. His village, the one he had sworn to protect, was under threat from forces more cunning and ruthless than he had imagined. The pieces of this conspiracy were far-reaching, and it was clear that the fight for Konoha's survival was far from over.

Tetsuma, armed with the knowledge from his past life, understood the role White Zetsu played in the larger web of shinobi conflicts. He was aware that White Zetsu was not just a passive informant, but a key player working behind the scenes. While the others in Konoha believed the black market to be a chaotic and unstructured entity, Tetsuma knew that White Zetsu had a far more strategic influence in this underground network.

From his previous life, Tetsuma recognized that White Zetsu had long been connected to the Akatsuki, gathering intelligence and manipulating events to further their goals. What made him particularly dangerous was his ability to move unnoticed, gathering and sharing information with various factions, all while remaining hidden from the public eye.

Tetsuma knew that White Zetsu's connection to the black market made him an invaluable asset to those who sought to disrupt Konoha's influence. But, for now, Tetsuma kept this information to himself. He understood that exposing White Zetsu's role too soon could escalate tensions and potentially lead to more conflict than the village could handle.