Fugaku has gone mad; he's going to create a new Uchiha clan in Kirigakure.

Mizukage Village, Mizukage's Office.

Obito leaned back in his wide chair, casually toying with a Kirigakure-style kunai in his hand. The sharp blade twirled between his fingertips, occasionally reflecting the flickering light of an oil lamp.

"so."

He spoke, his voice coming through the mask with a hollow echo.

"What exactly is going on?"

In the shadows of the office corner, Black Zetsu slowly rose like melting asphalt, half of its body embedded in the wall.

"The incident was caused by Ringo Ameyuri, who made a series of remarks at the bar, which sparked a large-scale brawl."

"What remarks?"

"The core idea is very simple: to call on all those who do not want to participate in the civil war, regardless of whether they are bloodline faction or not, to stick together for warmth. She said that everyone should just quietly hide aside and wait to see who makes the most trouble, and that person will be the bad guy."

"Is this person really that awful?"

Obito Uchiha scratched his messy short hair.

"If she succeeds, how will Kirigakure be able to descend into chaos? How will I complete the mission the leader gave me? Have I captured her yet?"

"We caught them."

Black Zetsu answered.

"But she didn't run away at all. When the security team went to her house, she was sleeping. She has now been apprehended and is on her way to the 'water dungeon' prison."

"Then kill him."

"It can't be done."

Black Zetsu's answer was crisp and decisive.

Why?

"Those guys from the security team."

Black Zetsu's two-toned face seemed to reveal an extremely human-like expression, similar to "helplessness," as he sighed.

"They're used to running rampant in the village, but this time they've met their match—a lightning-attribute ninja who's just downed three pounds of strong liquor and is in a rage. Those idiots just kicked open Ringo Ameyuri's bedroom door, and she was only wearing her underwear. Can you imagine what that scene was like?"

"..."

"The one who kicked the door had his leg broken, and the others were also seriously injured. Of course, that's not the point. If she had simply 'disappeared' without a trace, that would have been fine. It's normal for ninjas to disappear for a month or two while on a mission. They might not even remember her by the time our plan is over. But..."

"She first made those remarks at the tavern, then had a fierce conflict with the security team, injuring an entire squad, before being subdued by a regular ninja squad that arrived on the scene and taken to prison. There were many witnesses to the whole process."

"Right now, everyone in Kirigakure, except those who are particularly isolated, knows that 'Ringo Ameyuri was arrested for her anti-civil war remarks.' If we let her 'die an accident' in prison now, everyone will know that the problem lies with us."

A brief silence fell over the office.

"Tsk."

Obito smacked his lips.

"That little dwarf... I vaguely remember him. His lightning release talent is truly outrageous. Why didn't we kill this 'genius' sooner?"

"According to the intelligence sent back by the White Zetsu who infiltrated the medical department, Ringo Ameyuri has potential signs of 'bloodline disease' in her body, similar to Hozuki Mangetsu's case, and she won't live long."

"Oh right, I forgot about that."

Obito Uchiha leaned back in his chair, crossed his hands over his abdomen, and unconsciously tapped his fingers together.

"We can't kill them, but we can't let them go either. It's a bit of a dilemma."

"They are very difficult to deal with."

"Black Zetsu said."

"It's already frustrating that Fugaku Uchiha isn't attacking us first. After the non-bloodline faction gained the support of the Mizukage and received tangible benefits, they've become complacent and satisfied with the status quo, lacking the motivation to continue suppressing the bloodline faction."

"Originally, Kirigakure was a closed boiler. We kept putting pressure on it, spreading rumors, creating disappearances, and intensifying conflicts. By taking advantage of the information gap between Kirigakure and the outside world and the long-standing antagonism within the village, we may eventually be able to provoke a complete civil war."

"Ringo Ameyuri's words have opened a hole in this sealed boiler. If we continue to increase the pressure, these ninjas will actually escape through this hole. They may not actually defect, but they might 'go through the motions' or even turn against us halfway through."

"So, we need to try a different approach."

"What?"

"The leader's 'gift,' besides the 'thing' itself, also included a batch of ninja from the 'wandering ninja clan,' do you remember?"

"I remember, but what use are they?"

"They're using their 'techniques.' What do you think would happen if they were used on the Hidden Mist Army?"

"How could that be..."

"It's impossible for others, but there is one person who can."

"Who?"

"Jade, that is... the scorpion of red sand."

---Divider line

Hidden Mist Village, the "Water Prison".

A fortress built inside a huge underground cavern.

Ringo Ameyuri, dressed in a rough, gray-white prison uniform, walked barefoot on the slippery rocky ground. On her wrists were specially made metal handcuffs engraved with sealing runes, which were said to suppress the flow of chakra.

The person leading the way was a female ninja wearing a Chunin vest from Kirigakure. She looked a little nervous.

It's not her fault.

After all, this "beast" had just wiped out an entire tyrannical security squad before it came in, and had also fought a head-on battle with the guard legion that came to suppress it.

Along the long corridor of the "Water Prison" were rows of cells sealed off with thick iron bars. At this moment, it seemed that the prisoners had received news of the new inmates' arrival, and the prisoners in the cells crowded in front of the bars, staring wide-eyed at this rare spectacle.

Whistling, the clanging of iron railings, and lewd laughter instantly filled the passageway.

All sorts of unpleasant sounds came in like a tidal wave.

The female ninja who was leading the way was practically dying inside...

"Peace of mind, peace of mind."

Ringo Ameyuri's voice rang out behind her.

"I won't cause you any trouble, but..."

Ringo Yuri tilted her head, a seemingly harmless smile appearing on her apple-shaped face.

"You shouldn't be punished for simply telling them to shut up, right?"

The female ninja paused for a moment, then quickly shook her head.

"As long as no one dies, you're free to do as you please!"

Ringo Yuri nodded.

"Sizzle...crack!"

The next moment, countless bolts of lightning, carried by the dampness, spread in all directions. After a few breaths, the entire corridor fell silent. Clearly, the handcuffs were useless to her; her imprisonment was merely a formality, a way of showing she didn't want to be a rogue ninja...

...

At the deepest part of the prison was an exceptionally heavy iron door. After struggling to push the door open, the female ninja looked at Ringo Ameyuri beside her.

"Lady Ringo, this is your room. If you need anything, you can call the patrolling guards or ring the doorbell."

"Just don't bother me unless it's absolutely necessary."

"Yes, sir!"

The female ninja nodded hurriedly, then quickly left, forgetting even to close the door.

"bump!"

Ringo Yuri casually closed the heavy iron door, threw herself onto the bed with a thud, and after resting for a few seconds, she turned to her side and looked at the empty cell.

"Come out."

The cell was silent except for the sound of her own breathing.

"I said."

She raised her voice, her tone tinged with impatience.

"Come out, I know you're here."

"Gurgle...gurgle..."

A strange sound, like the movement of silt or the bursting of bubbles, suddenly rang out in the cell.

On the rocky floor of the cell, a pool of silt suddenly appeared. The silt quickly expanded and increased, spreading to the corners of the walls and climbing up the rock walls, soon enveloping the entire interior of the cell.

Then, a man slowly emerged from underground; it was none other than Uchiha Fugaku.

"When did you guess that?"

"I started to have doubts after I met the tavern owner."

Ringo Yuri sat up, the collar of her loose prison uniform slipping down to reveal her well-defined, powerful collarbone and a small patch of skin on her shoulder.

"That little boy had a faint but unique smell of mud on him, the boss had it on him, the Jonin I kicked away had it on him, the young bloodline ninja who jumped out to help had it on him, and finally, the security team idiot who kicked open my door had it on him too."

"Sludge, clones, and you've managed to carry out such a large-scale operation at Kirigakure's headquarters without being detected. You're the only one I can think of. So, you deliberately released that sludge scent?"

"I suppose so. After all, I need to screen for a suitable collaborator: intelligent, perceptive, well-known within the Hidden Mist Village, and preferably a woman."

"Oh."

Ringo Yuri let out a short, mocking laugh.

"The entire ninja world says that Fugaku Uchiha is a lecher, but I never imagined you'd be this lecherous. Even when you're looking for collaborators, you only choose women?"

"I admit I'm a womanizer, but there's a deeper reason behind it, and I can explain it to you if you want to hear it."

"For example?"

"I will only explain these reasons to her if she becomes my woman."

"Then it seems I'm destined to be apart from you."

Ringo Amuri stretched.

"I'm a rather possessive person, and I don't really like using things that other people have used."

"I can save your life."

"What do you mean?"

"Literally, the next plan may involve some dangers, and more fundamentally, you have an underlying bloodline disease, just like Hozuki Mangetsu, only your symptoms are milder and the onset is later."

"Do I also have a bloodline disease?"

Ringo Yuri raised an eyebrow.

"Most of the 'geniuses' in Kirigakure are like this. A high concentration of bloodline limits is not always a good thing. If there is not enough life force to feed them, they will devour your life. This is true for you, Hozuki Mangetsu, and it is said that there was a genius in the Kaguya clan who was also like this."

"Of course, it will probably be another five or six years before you develop obvious symptoms and your vitality begins to decline rapidly."

"But I heard that Hozuki Mangetsu's condition has not improved."

"Unfortunately, my current ability is only to save women."

"Huh?"

Ringo Ameyuri paused for a moment, then looked at Uchiha Fugaku's face and couldn't help but giggle.

"I see, then... hahaha... so it really can only save women..."

"You guessed it?"

"call...."

Taking a deep breath, Ringo Amery calmed herself down.

"It's not hard to guess. Your information has long been thoroughly studied by the major forces in the ninja world, including the situation of those around you. For example, Uchiha Mikoto doesn't look like a woman in her thirties at all; she's more like a girl in her early twenties. This piece of information alone wouldn't be a big deal under normal circumstances. However, if we add what you just said, the conclusion is very simple: you possess powerful, life-giving chakra. But the way this power is transmitted... hehe..."

"So, what's your choice?"

"I'll say it again."

Ringo Yuri shrugged.

"I don't like to share with others. Once I've taken something, I won't let go of it. If I ever let go, it means I'm dead."

"That's a pity. This will put you in a very dangerous situation if my plan continues..."

"It doesn't matter, it's just five or six years less to live."

She stared at Uchiha Fugaku.

"So, what's your purpose in contacting me?"

"Bridging the North and South."

"call..."

Ringo Ameyuri took a deep breath, and in a flash, she transformed into a bolt of lightning and darted in front of Uchiha Fugaku. She suddenly reached out and grabbed his collar. The two were so close that they could feel each other's breath, but there was no ambiguity between them, only crackling sparks of electricity.

"Is this how you 'bridge' the gap? Just sit idly by and watch people disappear or die every single day?"

"This is a necessary sacrifice, and it is also a debt that you, the Hidden Mist Village, have incurred."

"The Hidden Mist Village has been divided for too long. The hatred between the bloodline faction and the non-bloodline faction has penetrated to the bone marrow. Forcibly bridging the gap will only temporarily suppress the hatred, which will then erupt more violently at a more vulnerable moment in the future, tearing the entire Hidden Mist Village apart. To truly untie this knot, we need an enemy, and... a war."

Ringo Yuri was stunned for a moment, and after a long while, she slowly released her grip, took a step back, and landed back on the stone bed.

"The power of all those who don't want a civil war, united together, is the true core strength of Kirigakure in the future, right? So... tell me what you need me to do."

"You trust me that much?"

"It's not that I believe you, it's that I believe what you said."

"Stand on the foundation of Kirigakure's interests and unite all those who can be united."

After she finished reading, she looked at Uchiha Fugaku.

"When I first heard this sentence, just like what Suigetsu Hozuki said, I felt completely enlightened. In front of this sentence, even the Sage of Six Paths would pale in comparison, because the Sage of Six Paths was too idealistic, which is why he failed."

Upon hearing this, Fugaku Uchiha didn't offer any explanation, after all, that person deserved that assessment.

"Gurgle...gurgle..."

Then, the mud in the cell receded rapidly like a receding tide, and after an unknown amount of time, a sound came from outside the heavy iron door of the cell.

"Creak..."

The windows of the main door were opened.

Outside the door stood a prison guard from the water dungeon. He slipped a pen and a diary through the crack in the door.

"Lady Ringo, here is the pen and diary you requested."

Ringo Yuri took the two items with a strange expression, then looked down at a line of text written on the cover of the diary.

The Struggle Hidden in the Fog