Yes, the Hokage

"You mean, using the Flying Thunder God Technique to adjust position and then attacking the opponent from a distance is a more suitable fighting style for a commander like me?" Feng Lan was a smart person after all, and she understood immediately.

“That’s right.” Shisui lowered his head. “I don’t mean to offend you, but you seem to be imitating the Fourth Hokage’s fighting style. But… the Fourth Hokage had a surging chakra that ordinary ninjas could hardly match, a reaction speed that was beyond human capabilities, and instincts honed from mountains of corpses and seas of blood. As for you, sir… there is still room for improvement in these aspects.”

"The Fourth Hokage can often make the best judgment in battle based on instinct, while you fight with your mind. It would be best to keep your distance and give yourself enough space to think."

He glanced at Feng Lan, afraid that she would be angry, but Feng Lan nodded and said seriously, "I understand, thank you, Zhi Shui."

Shisui was right. He was indeed imitating Minato's fighting style. After all, the two had been fighting side by side for the longest time during the Third Shinobi World War. Fenglan had watched Minato's dominance countless times, so he would naturally learn from him subconsciously. Minato was the best role model he could find.

But after being enlightened by Shisui today, he realized that although the Flying Thunder God Technique and Rasengan are top-tier equipment for ordinary people, Minato's equipment is not that of an ordinary person. He is an undisputed genius. Jiraiya once said that compared to Minato Namikaze, everyone else is not good enough.

I'm just an ordinary person. What I should learn is not Minato's fighting style of moving freely across the battlefield, but Shisui's recommended hit-and-run tactics of kiting.

"No, it's nothing."

Seeing that Feng Lan was not angry at all, but instead sincerely thanked him, Zhi Shui couldn't help but feel a little shy: "I'm glad you're not angry, sir."

“Of course I’m not angry. In the battles to come…” A sharp glint flashed in Feng Lan’s eyes, “I’ll need your feedback.”

Chapter 60 The Ambition of the Ninja Village

Inside the cabin, Fenglan first made a fire to dry his clothes, and then began to eat. He did not directly participate in the interrogation because his perception ability was different from that of the all-rounders of the mountain clan and could not be used in the interrogation. Instead, it was closer to Karin's Kagura Mind's Eye, which only served the purpose of investigation.

Of course, in terms of perception range, he can't compare to Kagura's Mind's Eye, which spans tens of kilometers. In terms of versatility, he can't compare to the Yamanaka clan's ability to control other people's minds. But Fenglan's perception ability is mainly to pave the way for the Flying Thunder God Technique, so it's not a big deal if he's not as good as Kagura. It's enough for him.

Therefore, Fenglan, who was self-aware, directly handed over the interrogation to Zhishui. With his illusionary hypnosis, he was not afraid that these people would not tell the truth.

"grown ups!"

However, before he could finish his meal, Shisui rushed over in a panic: "That Hidden Mist ninja... bit off his own tongue to avoid revealing information!"

Wow, that's a real man!

Feng Lan frowned and looked at Tsunade beside her.

"I just finished treating the patients at Iwagakure and figured out that I'm not your subordinate, Fenglan," Tsunade complained as she stood up.

"A bottle of Dragon-Slaying Wine." Feng Lan naturally knew what she wanted.

"This is it." Tsunade stood up with a smile and waved her hand. "Rin, come with me."

“Yes!” Rin immediately stood up and followed Tsunade into the house.

This is not bad either.

Feng Lan nodded secretly. Because of her hemophobia, Tsunade had difficulty treating various wounds directly, but she could guide Rin from the side. Rin was already a very good medical ninja, and with her relationship with Obito, Tsunade wouldn't hold back. She believed that Rin's growth rate would be very fast.

"Oh right, let Kabuto go and help too!"

Since it's the same whether you herd one sheep or two, Feng Lan would never mind squeezing Tsunade out a little more.

"You little rascal..."

Tsunade's lips twitched, clearly showing some displeasure.

“When we pass through Tanzaku Street, we can rest there for a day.” Feng Lan snapped her fingers. “I’ll personally sponsor you with some funds; you can use them however you like.”

"Really!" Tsunade's eyes lit up immediately. "It doesn't matter if you gamble it all away?"

She at least had some self-awareness and knew that she was bound to lose everything.

"Damn it, I'm being so subtle because I don't want to set a bad example for the kids!" Feng Lan retorted angrily. "Go get treatment!"

"Okay, okay." Tsunade waved her hand dismissively and led the two children into the inner room.

"How's it going with Iwagakure?" Fenglan knew Kisame was a tough nut to crack, so he had Shisui interrogate Iwagakure first.

“They are indeed coming for you,” Shisui replied immediately. “The Tsuchikage heard the news and is trying to find out your true purpose for going to Amegakure. If possible, they will try to interfere, and if they find out your route, they may even attempt an assassination.”

"However, we encountered the Kirigakure squad on the way. Seeing their travel-worn and disheveled appearance, the Iwagakure captain felt that they must have obtained some crucial information, so he decisively took action to intercept them."

"However, to their surprise, just as they were killing some people and preparing to capture others alive, the Hidden Mist ninja suddenly attacked and killed all his companions, then fled all the way. They chased after him closely and unknowingly ended up here."

"Is that so...?"

Feng Lan narrowed his eyes slightly: "Go and tell Obito to return to Konoha tonight and hand these prisoners over to Minato."

Obito's Kamui dimension is not only a powerful tool for combat, but also excellent for storage and transportation, making things very convenient in many situations.

“But sir,” Shisui frowned, “we have been away from the village for three days. Even if Obito returns as quickly as possible, he can only rejoin the team on the day we rest in Tanzaku Town at the latest.”

"Are you worried about being assassinated during this time?" Feng Lan saw through his worries at a glance.

“Yes, based on the information from Iwagakure, it’s highly likely that other villages have done the same.” Shisui nodded. “I’m really worried about your safety.”

"It's alright." Feng Lan patted his shoulder. "At most a day and a night, we'll reach Tanabata Street. According to the reply Tsunade received, Jiraiya will be waiting there. The gathering of the two legendary Sannin will be enough to intimidate many people."

"Is that so?" Shisui nodded. "I'll go find Obito right away."

"By the way, sir." Before leaving, he took out another scroll. "This is what I found among the belongings of that Iwagakure Jonin. It seems to be a useful item he took from the dead Kirigakure. I've already checked it and there's no danger."

"Okay, go ahead."

Feng Lan took the scroll, unfolded it, and after reading its contents, she couldn't help but reveal a subtle expression: "Hmm... Takumi Ninja Village, huh."

The items on this are no ordinary things; they represent a secret collaboration between Kirigakure and Takumi. In exchange for a large sum of newly developed secret ninja tools from Takumi, Kirigakure is willing to lend them the Six-Tails Saiken to absorb chakra.

This Craftsman Village appears harmless, but it is actually very ambitious. The village is currently ruled by a group of high-ranking officials known as the Four Heavenly Elephants. Their explanation to Kirigakure is that they want to use the chakra of the Tailed Beasts to create more powerful ninja tools, but in reality, they are plotting to extract the power of the Tailed Beasts to revive the founder of the Craftsman Village, Seimei.

In the anime's original storyline, Takumi Village targeted Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast of Sunagakure. They successfully extracted Shukaku's chakra to revive Seimei. Then, as soon as the old guy was revived, he boasted that he would declare war on the Five Great Nations and be above them. In the end, he was directly killed by young Gaara, which was somewhat humorous.

Since Shukaku's chakra is fine, then Saiken's chakra must be fine too. It seems that these four Celestial Beings have been plotting to revive Seimei for a long time.

Feng Lan wasn't interested in the village's fighting strength—the ancestor who had gone to great lengths to revive, wielding four divine artifacts, was killed single-handedly by young Gaara. At that time, Gaara wasn't even a Kage-level ninja. To think that one could crush the five great villages and dominate the ninja world with that level of power was simply a sign of being a frog in a well.

However, he was very interested in the village's ninja tool manufacturing technology, because according to the setting, all five great nations had to have ninja tools made in this village—of course, Feng Lan had not come into contact with these things, obviously this power was controlled by the Third Hokage.

This is essentially an arms deal; you can imagine how much profit is involved.

Unfortunately, the scroll only contained the details of the transaction between the two parties and lacked the corresponding password. Otherwise, Fenglan could have easily sent someone to impersonate an envoy from Kirigakure. This password was clearly recorded in the minds of the Kirigakure ninja as the most crucial information, a secret that Kisame Hoshigaki was willing to kill to preserve.

At this moment, Tsunade walked out of the house looking slightly tired. With a slightly trembling hand, she snatched the Dragon Slayer Wine from Feng Lan's mouth and gulped it down before letting out a long breath: "That strange man's tongue has recovered, but his condition is not very stable. He could bite it off again at any time, so I dislocated his jaw."

"Um... no wonder he is the Sage of Medicine."

Feng Lan looked at Lin and Dou: "You two have worked hard too, get some rest."

As expected of children from the ninja world, Rin and Kabuto showed no discomfort whatsoever. After washing their hands, they sat down to continue eating.

Fenglan led Zhishui into the house. By this time, Kisame's body had been wiped clean and there were no traces of blood. His jaw had been dislocated and he could not exert any strength. He looked somewhat weak, but he still looked at them with that sharp and unyielding gaze.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to interrogate you for information, because your Kirigakure's goals are none of my concern." Feng Lan showed the scroll in his hand. "I'm only targeting the ninjas who came to Amegakure because of me. I won't make things difficult for you."

Kisame didn't make a sound, but his expression clearly showed disbelief.

“Secondly, I also know you don’t have this password in your head,” Feng Lan continued. “If I’m not mistaken, you should be the assassin, who usually escorts the intelligence personnel in the team, and kills those intelligence personnel when the situation becomes irreversible, in order to ensure that the intelligence does not fall into the hands of outsiders.”

Kisame's gaze sharpened, but he still didn't speak.

"Let me guess, your boss is... Suigetsu Fuguki?"

Feng Lan squatted down opposite Kisame with a smile. For some reason, seeing this scene, Shisui couldn't help but feel sorry for Kirigakure. Although he didn't say it out loud, he was obviously thinking—another promising young man was about to be fooled.

Chapter 61 Deceiving Kisame

Kisame Hoshigaki was a member of the Akatsuki organization in the original Naruto series. However, joining the Akatsuki did not mean he was a bad person. On the contrary, when everyone was using overpowered abilities later on, he was the only one who was still honestly performing hand seals, which clearly shows that he was an honest and kind person.

Furthermore, there were reasons for him to join Akatsuki. As Fenglan mentioned earlier, Kisame had been doing the cruel job of killing his comrades to prevent them from leaking information. His actions over a long period of time made him start to doubt the world. And the most ironic thing is that his superior, Suigetsu Hozuki, said that he would protect his comrades at all costs, but in reality, he was secretly selling Kirigakure's secret information for profit.

It can only be said that Kirigakure, the Village of the Blood Mist, is somewhat humorous. Things like the genin graduation exams being a blood feud, the persecution of bloodline limit ninjas, and the lack of a prisoner exchange mechanism (any ninja from another village is immediately executed). These bizarre practices have caused the village's high-level combatants to defect one after another. Compared to them, Konoha's Will of Fire is a breath of fresh air.

Kisame was one of these rogue ninjas. After discovering the actions of his superior, Suigetsu Hozuki, he found him disgusting, killed him, and stole Samehada. However, a man claiming to be Uchiha Madara appeared before him. Kisame longed for the Infinite Tsukuyomi, a world without any illusions, and thus joined the Akatsuki organization.

However, Obito, who claims to be Madara Uchiha, is still on Fenglan's side. Kisame is still young and full of passion, and he certainly can't be persuaded to surrender with just a few words. But Fenglan is prepared to plant a seed first.

Upon hearing the name Suigetsu Hozuki, Kisame tried his best not to react, but his shark-like eyes couldn't help but tremble slightly.

"Isn't it strange?" Feng Lan continued to smile and start to deceive, "He is clearly a high-ranking member of the Hidden Mist, yet I know of his existence, and not only that... I also know that you are his direct subordinate."

“That’s because…” The smile on his face quickly turned into a wicked grin, “That guy has always had business dealings with Konoha, selling us all sorts of information at high prices, thanks to him…”

Before he could finish speaking, Kisame let out an angry roar and began to writhe violently. Obito's wood-style restraints creaked and groaned, startling Shisui, who quickly stepped between the two.

"Don't you believe me?" Feng Lan knew that Kisame's anger wasn't directed at his superior, but at him. Right now, this kid undoubtedly still trusted Suigetsu Hobutsuki a lot, but it didn't matter. Sowing discord was something he was best at.

"Then why don't you think about why, during the Third Shinobi World War, your Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had only just arrived in the Land of Fire and surrounded a single ninja squad, while I had already arrived with my troops?"

Although Feng Lan's reason for arriving in time was that he was familiar with the plot and had paid attention to Kai's team in advance, it didn't stop him from using it to deceive people: "Your infiltration was obviously very professional and smooth, right? That's why you were able to surround our genin team as soon as you made a move... This proves that you have reached the vicinity of Konoha. This is an achievement that Kumogakure and Iwagakure have not achieved in many years. Do you really believe that there was no one working together from the inside?"

"And in the end, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were either killed or maimed, so how come Suigetsu Fuguki escaped unharmed?"

In reality, Feng Lan had no connection with Suigetsu Hobuki at all, but he described it vividly, adding a lot of embellishment. He said that he and Suigetsu Hobuki were working together from the inside out, that he used Suigetsu Hobuki's information to weaken the power of Kirigakure, and that Suigetsu Hobuki used him to kill the other Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist who might threaten his position.

Upon hearing this, Kisame's pupils suddenly froze, because it was after that operation that Suigetsu Hozuki was promoted by the Mizukage to a high-ranking position in Kirigakure!

This was actually a coincidence—the Mizukage had no choice. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were either dead or had defected, leaving only Suigetsu Hozuki alive. If he wasn't promoted, who would be?

But all of this just happens to match Feng Lan's description, and even perfectly matches it!

“So, you don’t need to worry.” Feng Lan even walked over and patted him on the shoulder. “Since you’re a subordinate of Suigetsu Hobuki, I definitely won’t hurt you. By the way, please pass on a message to him when you get back. Also, please take care of the follow-up information. The price is negotiable.”

With that, he ordered Shisui, "Restore his jaw, then release him."

“My lord, this…” Zhi Shui hesitated.

"Don't worry, I'll take responsibility for any consequences." Feng Lan snapped her fingers. "Release them."

"Yes……"

Despite his doubts, Shisui had no choice but to obey, as it was a ninja's duty.

Kisame watched in disbelief as the other party released him so easily, even returning his ninja tools, clothes, and scrolls. The seriousness and suspicion in his eyes deepened, and he finally couldn't help but ask, "If things are really as you say, why did you arrest and interrogate me in the first place?"

“Because I didn’t know you were one of us at first.” Feng Lan shrugged, her way of addressing him becoming increasingly awkward. “I only became sure after checking your things.”

"How can you be so sure?" Kisame was clearly not going to believe Fenglan easily, even if what the other party said sounded reasonable.

"Your sword (not Samehada, but the long sword used by the Kirigakure Anbu) has a unique mark on the weapons of Suigetsu Hozuki's subordinates, but only we allies know how to distinguish them."

Feng Lan smiled and said, "If he didn't tell you, it means he doesn't trust you that much. Of course, I won't tell you. If you want to know, go back and ask him yourself."

This is obviously another lie, but as I said before, the most shameless thing about Feng Lan is that when he lies, the other party cannot verify it. Given Kisame's personality, how could he possibly ask Suigetsu Hobutsuki?

He wouldn't even relay Feng Lan's words, but instead secretly investigated his superior. When he discovered that the superior was indeed selling the information he was willing to kill his comrades to protect, he personally killed Suigetsu Hobutsuki!

Everything unfolded exactly as the original story had planned. Feng Lan simply accelerated the process, helping Kisame avoid some detours.

"You really trust me to deliver this message?" Kisame remained mostly skeptical. "Aren't you afraid I'll tell the Mizukage about this directly?"

"Then tell them. Anyway, the guy who can pull off something like the Blood Mist Village can't be that smart." Feng Lan sneered. "When he and Suigetsu Hozuki start fighting amongst themselves, Konoha won't even need to lift a finger. They'll all die from their own internal strife. Do I need any more information then?"

These words, though harsh, make a lot of sense. Suigetsu Hobutsuki is clearly in a high position, otherwise he wouldn't dare to sell information so brazenly.

According to Kisame's memories in the original work, the person who chased him was Ibiki Morino from Konoha. This means that Suigetsu Hozuki definitely had information and financial dealings with people from Konoha. Since he wasn't with Fuujin's side, then it must have been with the Third Hokage's side.

By planting this seed himself, the worst outcome would be that Kisame would kill Suigetsu Hozuki, further weakening the Third Hokage's power. The best outcome, of course, would be that this would cause internal strife in Kirigakure.

"You..." Kisame's shark teeth clenched together with a grinding sound, "You bastard!"

"Ah, it seems like people have been saying that about me a lot lately." Feng Lan casually picked at his ear. "But I think compared to you Kirigakure people, I'm a pretty virtuous person. You don't think that the pufferfish who sold information about his own village and the Mizukage who messed with the Blood Mist Village aren't scoundrels, do you?"

Upon hearing this, Kisame's angry expression faltered, clearly indicating that Fenglan's words resonated with him.

No normal person would think that the Village of Blood Mist is an easy place to operate. Otherwise, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist wouldn't have run away like they were being chased by dogs. In this chaotic world, if a village gives people a way to survive, who the hell would want to be a rogue ninja!

(It's worth mentioning here that although many people believe Obito was behind the Bloody Mist Village incident, Kirigakure had actually begun manipulating things in the Bloody Mist Village before Obito turned to the dark side. Obito at most made things worse for them.)

Kisame undoubtedly felt that the Village of Blood Mist was no good, but his blood was still hot and he still held the idea that he could change the village. And right now, he placed his hopes on Suigetsu Hobutsuki.

If Kishimoto's manga were called "Mizukage," Kisame would most likely be the protagonist, and he might actually succeed in revitalizing Kirigakure. Unfortunately, he couldn't be drawn, so the character he entrusted with his last hope and dream, Suigetsu Hozuki, wasn't a mentor like Jiraiya or Kakashi, but rather an outright traitor.

Therefore, his descent into darkness was almost inevitable.

But now, Feng Lan, who has seen through his thoughts, is guiding the plot in a completely different direction.

Ignoring the risk of getting a black eye from a cannon punch (of course, Feng Lan had left a Flying Thunder God kunai outside), he walked straight over and whispered in the other's ear: "When you really find that no one around you can be trusted, what will you choose? Will you become a rogue ninja and leave the village like your predecessors? Or... become the Mizukage and start a complete revolution?"

Upon hearing this, Kisame was slightly taken aback. Becoming the Mizukage... This was something he never dared to dream of. Before Fenglan said these words, his biggest dream was to assist Lord Suigetsu Hozuki in becoming the Mizukage, and then, as his most trusted subordinate, to change the village together.

But if Suigetsu Hozuki has truly betrayed the village...

Seeing Kisame's expression, Fenglan knew that the boy was wavering. He let out a series of heartfelt laughs that sounded like those of a villain: "If one day you really have that kind of thought and feel isolated and helpless, then come find me."

He took out one of his own Flying Thunder God kunai: "Use this as a token. If one day you are determined to save the village even if it means making a deal with a bastard, have someone bring this to me and I will definitely help you. Of course... I will also definitely ask for a huge reward."