Konoha Notes

Chapter 156 Emergency

"The Fourth Hokage has been controlled?!"

Yuan Shi had lived for a long time and had seen everything, but the fact that the shadow of a village had been controlled by someone for so long was beyond his expectations.

One of the reasons why shadows are shadows is the power they possess.

But Genji quickly forced himself to calm down. Now was not the time to delve into how and when Yagura was controlled.

The most urgent task is to seize this opportunity—Ao's Byakugan confirmed that only Yagura was in the Mizukage's office at this moment, and the manipulator's chakra reaction was not present.

We must take advantage of this time difference and immediately try to dispel the illusion on Yagura.

The master immediately summoned Terumi Mei and Zabuza.

"Yagura... Lady Mizukage is under the control of illusion magic?" Mei Terumi lost her composure and exclaimed in shock.

Zabuza couldn't believe it either: "What a joke... That's a Jinchuriki, how could that be..."

Master Yuan didn't explain further: "We'll explore the details later! Now, follow Qing immediately and head to the Water Shadow Building as fast as you can!"

"The Blue Society used its Byakugan to reconfirm the situation inside the building. Once it's confirmed that no manipulator is lurking, you must act without hesitation to dispel the genjutsu on the Fourth Hokage!"

A sharp glint flashed in the old elder's eyes: "As for that guy who's been manipulating the Fourth Hokage from behind the scenes... he'll definitely come back. We must seize the initiative before he can react!"
-
The Land of Waves, a temporary assembly point.

Obito watched from afar as the first batch of mercenary ninjas had gathered in the camp. Compared to the troops from Kirigakure, they could only be described as a rabble in terms of discipline.

The teams were clearly separated, wary of each other, and maintained a sense of distance.

However, Obito didn't care. What they needed to do wasn't a battlefield mission, but a harassment mission, so it didn't have much of an impact.

The target of the attack is the Land of Fire, one of the Five Great Nations, and the Hidden Leaf Village is also involved. Any ninja who dares to take on this mission will ask for a high price, and the first deposit as a recruitment fee has already been paid.

That's not all. After the mission officially begins, the payment is settled on a daily basis. The money is paid first, and then the work begins.

Therefore, the funds that Master Yuan entrusted to the Water Shadow's office had already been more than half spent before the project even began.

"Zetsu, you mean Orochimaru also accepted the job?" This was the reason Obito came over.

“Yes,” White Zetsu replied, “He slightly altered his appearance.”

Jue pointed to a corner of the camp. There, a thin, gloomy man stood quietly, followed by several equally taciturn subordinates.

Obito looked over, feeling a mixture of apprehension and other thoughts.

Konoha is currently very strong, but Nagato, who possesses the Rinnegan, is also very powerful, and Obito even has a way to make him even stronger.

However, Nagato's power was too great, which would affect his control over the organization. He did not intend to rely on anyone else to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan, not even Madara Uchiha himself.

The kind of perfect world you create will be up to you.

Therefore, Obito preferred to recruit elite ninjas who were outstanding in strength but would not threaten his plans, in order to balance the power within the organization and increase his leverage against Konoha.

Orochimaru, in particular, is one of the legendary Sannin and a former high-ranking member of Konoha. If he were brought into the Akatsuki organization, they could take more effective actions against Konoha.

However, Orochimaru is an unpredictable character, and even now he doesn't want to have too much contact with him, lest he expose his existence. Using this opportunity to test Orochimaru's attitude is a good idea.

"Let them launch their attack before dawn. Zetsu, and keep an eye on Orochimaru's movements."

Jue accepted the order, merged into the underground, and went to deliver the instructions.

Inside the makeshift camp, Orochimaru, disguised, assessed the diverse group of rogue ninja around him with great interest. Any ninja willing to accept a commission to attack Konoha must possess some skill; after this battle, his experimental library would gain a considerable amount of material.

The Root squads that followed Orochimaru to this base were also observing everything within the camp. They had memorized key information such as the number of people and the layout of the base.

Root was only there to eliminate destabilizing factors in the village; they hadn't betrayed Konoha. The unexpected discovery of this mercenary ninja gathering point targeting Konoha was a significant bonus for them.

When Jue appeared and delivered the order to begin the attack before dawn, a commotion broke out in the camp. Taking advantage of the chaos, a Root member, under the deliberate or unintentional cover of his three comrades, quietly slipped away from the group.

He needed to transmit this crucial intelligence back to the Land of Fire as soon as possible.

Orochimaru noticed his subordinate's departure, but he did not react.

Accepting the Hidden Mist Village's request was merely to facilitate his own goals; it did not mean he was actually planning to take action against Konoha.

Even as Zetsu finished conveying his instructions and was about to disappear back into the ground, Orochimaru deliberately walked in that direction to attract the other's attention.
-
After finishing his conversation with the Third Hokage, Shuji stepped out of the room and saw an Anbu member wearing a cat mask waiting in the shadows of the corridor.

Although the mask covered his face, the familiar figure and hairstyle made Shuuji recognize him at a glance.

"Lady Tsunade instructed that once your conversation with the Third Hokage is over, please return as soon as possible to deal with the backlog of documents."

"At least let me catch my breath, Itachi." Shuuji said with a hint of helplessness. He moved, but instead of heading to the Hokage's office, he lightly leaped onto the window of the corridor and arrived at the rooftop of the Hokage Building in a few bounds.

The weasel followed him closely, landing silently beside him.

How's it like working in the shadows?

“I originally thought it would be more complicated,” Itachi replied.

"Your roles are different."

"Yes, I understand."

Before Itachi joined the Anbu, Shuuji had mentioned the role of their Uchiha branch.

They weren't used for dangerous or clandestine missions, but rather as a symbol and conduit to perform patrol and guard duties, accumulating experience and merit. Afterward, the three members of Itachi's squad would be promoted, transferred out of the Anbu, and assigned to other departments.

Itachi himself will remain in the ANBU to select new Uchiha members. He will then decide whether the Uchiha who join the ANBU should be transferred to field operations, remain in the ANBU, or leave the ANBU to go to other departments.

"It will probably be a few more years before you can finally get rid of this outfit. Until then, you'll have to suffer."

"This is my own choice." Itachi's voice was calm. "Compared to this, you, senpai, are more..."

Before he could finish speaking, another member of the secret service swiftly leaped onto the rooftop.

"Urgent intelligence, Jonin Shuji, Lady Tsunade orders you to come over."

(End of this chapter)