I have a bunch of relatives who want to become Hokage.

After carefully examining the scroll, Uchiha Shingen put it back on the shelf and went to look through the others.

Indra's figure appeared intermittently in the early history of the Uchiha clan; the previous scroll only recorded a relatively concentrated portion of it.

Soon, Uchiha Shingen took out another scroll. This time, he found a seat, spread the scroll out on the table, and slowly searched for it.

As time went by, he accumulated more scrolls on his desk, but most of them were read and then put back.

Finally, Uchiha Shingen compared the remaining items in detail and confirmed a certain conjecture in his mind.

He carefully collected all the scrolls, put them back on the bookshelf, and left the library.

To outsiders, he had returned to his routine of going back to work, home, and school.

Meanwhile, somewhere far from Konoha, an unwelcome guest is visiting.

"Is that the place?" Obito Uchiha asked, staring at the flat-roofed building in the distance.

“That’s right, Lord Madara, that’s where the Mizukage is located.” As always, half of Zetsu’s body was stuck in the mud.

The climate in the Land of Water is far too humid. Although it doesn't affect it, it still doesn't like it.

"Speaking of which, since you're recruiting members, why not bring those two brats along?"

Obito Uchiha ignored him and simply gazed at the city in front of him.

Of all the countries, perhaps none embodies the concept of "isolation" quite like the Land of Water.

As an island nation surrounded by the sea, the Land of Water's territory is not limited to a single large island; it also includes the islands surrounding the main island, making it, strictly speaking, an archipelago nation.

Leaving aside the surrounding islands, the main island's terrain is mostly mountains with little plains. Even on the main island, the connections between different regions are not very close, and instead, there is a strong sense of regional isolation, resulting in each region having its own unique culture despite being one country.

This situation is unique to countries on the continent.

Even in the Land of Thunder, which is filled with towering mountains, although the cultures of different regions differ in details, they generally belong to the same cultural sphere.

Only in the land of water, if you go far away or change places, you can feel like you've arrived in another country.

Kirigakure, one of the five great ninja villages, is located deep in the mountains, shrouded in peaks and thick fog.

The buildings in this ninja village have no trace of human life. All the buildings are made of brick and stone, and the buildings are mostly columnar. The fortresses are connected by city walls, making it a super-large military fortress.

The Water Shadow was located in the largest of the fortresses.

“Someone’s coming,” Jue suddenly said.

Obito Uchiha remained silent, then used Kamui to disappear into thin air, while Zetsu sank into the ground at the same time.

Before long, a squad of Mist Ninja appeared here.

“Strange…” a female ninja said, seemingly puzzled, “I did sense chakra.”

The Mist Ninja searched everywhere, but found nothing.

“Perhaps it really is a mistake,” another Mist Ninja said. “Besides, this place is right under the Fourth Hokage’s nose. Who would be so bold as to do this?”

His words were accepted by his companions.

Then they left.

Unbeknownst to them, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, whom they considered omnipotent, was cursing under his breath.

It's not that he likes to curse people in his mind, but that he simply can't bring himself to say it.

Because he was in his own mental world, with the Three-Tails at his feet, but unfortunately the Three-Tails was already lying down.

He didn't really have a right to say that the Three-Tails was bad, since he was knocked down by the opponent's illusion earlier, otherwise he wouldn't be here.

Yagura's spiritual world is a vast ocean, with the Three-Tails floating on its surface. However, a pair of Sharingan eyes are visible in its pupils, indicating that it is controlled by the Sharingan's genjutsu.

"Do the people of Konoha want to start a war?" Yagura Karatachi looked at the enemy's Sharingan; he knew that thing all too well.

“I’m not from Konoha,” Obito Uchiha sneered.

His confidence, which had been shattered by Uchiha Shingen, returned, and he felt capable again.

Sure enough, that bastard is too strong. How can he be so strong?

"That's the Sharingan, isn't it?" Yagura Karatachi, though frustrated, didn't mind taking a verbal advantage. "Are you the one who uses Water Release?"

"Enough with the nonsense, Fourth Mizukage." Obito Uchiha was immediately annoyed, pinning him to the Three-Tails' head so he couldn't move. "Don't mention that person in front of me."

Yagura, completely disregarding his image, lay sprawled on the head of the Three-Tails, filled with horror.

It wasn't that guy?

Where did the Uchiha clan get so many demons?

Unfortunately, he can no longer even speak in the spiritual realm.

Before losing consciousness, Yagura heard the other person say one more sentence.

"From today onwards, you are also a pawn."

Chapter 41 Acting for a Purpose

"Lord Mizukage, I am not questioning your policies, but this may cause irreparable damage to the village."

In the Mizukage's office, an elderly man is trying to persuade Yagura Karatachi.

"Besides, wasn't it you who spearheaded the reform of this policy? In that case, wouldn't that child's sacrifice have been in vain?"

The old man's name is Genshi. He is an elder who has lived from the era of the first Mizukage to the present day and is a living fossil of Kirigakure.

The current state of Kirigakure is hardly good.

The water kingdom, isolated by the ocean, originally did not have a close relationship with the mainland. The people of this country were used to living on their own small plot of land. Although the water kingdom was isolated, it was not lacking in resources, so there were no problems.

At the beginning, Kirigakure was in a better situation than most ninja villages.

Because the ninjas within the original territory of the Land of Water rarely intervene in wars on the mainland, the intensity of warfare is controlled, and the number of small and medium-sized ninja clans is higher than in other regions.

When Kirigakure was established, it was famous for its numerous secret techniques and bloodline limits, and its ninja army was also among the largest.

But starting with the second Mizukage, the situation changed.

This warlike leader was quite good in the early stages, establishing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and bringing prosperity to Kirigakure for a time, until news of Hashirama Senju's death reached the Land of Water.

The Second Mizukage died on the battlefield of the First Shinobi World War. The Third Mizukage who succeeded him was far worse than his predecessor. The most criticized aspect was his "Bloody Mist Village" policy.

Yuan Shi couldn't understand how the man who seemed perfectly normal before becoming the Mizukage could become so abnormal afterward.

In the Third Shinobi World War, the Third Hokage suffered a major defeat in his two-pronged strategy that severely hampered Konoha's operations, and his ruling team and the elite forces of Kirigakure suffered unprecedented and devastating blows.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, who were responsible for drawing fire, were almost completely wiped out. The plan to release the Tailed Beasts to destroy Konoha also failed due to the self-sacrifice of the target. Kirigakure was utterly defeated, and its strength dropped to its lowest point in history, making it the weakest of the Five Great Villages.

The Third Hokage also swallowed the bitter fruit of his own actions. The "Village of Blood Mist" policy filled Kirigakure with radical terrorists, and the Third Hokage quickly stepped down to avoid punishment.

If he doesn't yield the position, he will become the first leader in Kirigakure's history to be killed by his own people.

Under these circumstances, Yagura Karatachi, who was deeply supported by the new generation of Kirigakure, took the opportunity to rise to power. As soon as he took power, he carried out active reforms to make up for the losses that the Third Hokage had caused to Kirigakure as soon as possible. He signed a ceasefire agreement with Konoha, revitalized Kirigakure's economic development, and sealed the Three-Tails into his own body, becoming the new Three-Tails Jinchuriki.

Under his rule, the terrible environment of Fog Village was alleviated.

To Yuan Shi's utter surprise, Yagura Karatachi actually wanted to stop reforming the "Bloody Mist Village" policy, or rather, to implement the "Bloody Mist Village" policy even more thoroughly.

However, things were not beyond repair, because Yagura Karatachi did not announce the policy directly, but first consulted with him, an elder. He and Yagura Karatachi had been discussing this matter for more than a month.

We absolutely must not restart it again.

Kirigakure was badly damaged by the Third Hokage, but thankfully it hasn't suffered any structural damage yet. However, it really can't be rebuilt.

Unfortunately, he didn't know that the person in front of him was no longer the Yagura Karatachi he knew; only a shell remained.

"I understand, I'll consider it again," Yagura Karatachi said expressionlessly.

"Please consider this carefully." Yuan Shi knew he had to leave. He left the office with a worried expression, just as he always had.

After he left, Yagura continued working on the documents on his desk. Once he had finished, he left the office and returned to his residence.

There will be ANBU ninja in the office, but not in the residence.

Because everyone believed that no one in the world could attack a Shadow in their Shadow's residence and escape unscathed.

Unfortunately, it's true, and there's more than one.

Back at his residence, Yagura Karatachi sat down in a chair, and for a moment, he seemed to have lost all his energy.

Obito Uchiha appeared from behind him, walked up to him, and their eyes met.

Yagura's memories of today's work were all received by Obito Uchiha.

"This old thing is really stubborn." Obito Uchiha withdrew his eye technique.

"Why don't we take him under control too?" Jue poked his head out from inside the wall. "That kind of old man is easy to deal with."

“Controlling one Mizukage is enough. This old man is just a representative. We need to make these Mist Ninjas accept him willingly,” Obito Uchiha said.

How could he possibly have time to control a bunch of people?

Although he secretly wished that everyone in the village would die, Obito Uchiha did not forget his original intention.

His goal was to utilize the resources of the Misty Concealment to quickly develop useful chess pieces.

He wasn't there simply to vent his anger, even though he hated Wuyin to the core and hoped that its kingdom would crumble and collapse.

Furthermore, the upper echelons of Kirigakure, represented by Master Genji, resisted the Third Hokage's original "Village of Blood Mist" policy not out of compassion, but because they could not see any benefits.

“Since that’s the case, Yagura already had plans for the next Seven Ninja Swordsmen, so let him proceed according to his original intentions for now,” Zetsu suggested. “Only one of the previous Seven Ninja Swordsmen is left. What do you plan to do with this person? Re-employ him?”

“No, that guy has been carrying out secret missions for this village for years. He’s very cunning, and if it goes on for too long, he might ruin my plans.” Obito Uchiha had a good idea. “I’ve got a great idea. Let him go to Konoha.”

It's not easy to make Master Yuan and others see the benefits of restarting the original policy, and there's no time for that either. But it's easy to make them see the disadvantages of not restarting it.

All they need to do is provoke Konoha. Kirigakure, having just been brutally beaten by Konoha, is now extremely averse to Konoha.

Once the fait accompli is established, Kirigakure, whose ninja army is already insufficient in size, will have no choice but to continue its bloody elite policy, even if it is unwilling, in order to rely on an elite ninja force to resist external invasions.

In this way, Obito Uchiha achieved his goal.

In a place where people's hearts are divided and fragmented, the talents painstakingly cultivated will inevitably be filled with world-weariness and will be at the mercy of others.

"Go to Konoha? Should we inform Uchiha Shingen first?"

“There’s no need. He must have already spoken to the higher-ups in the clan about me. In the end, he can’t possibly become one of us. This guy is quite content with his life in Konoha,” Obito Uchiha said. “I’ll take Suigetsu Hozuki and cause some trouble. I’ll also go and say hello to Danzo and give him a push.”