Yes, the Hokage

“That depends on him.” Tobirama said coldly. “Theoretically, as long as the eye power is brought to its limit, all Mangekyou Sharingan users can use the complete Susanoo. But even with his older brother’s cells, his ordinary Mangekyou Sharingan may not be able to withstand such a huge consumption of eye power.”

"I see..." Feng Lan seemed a little disappointed, but in fact he already knew all this, and he was just putting on an act.

Obito listened with some excitement: "Second Hokage, how do we upgrade the Mangekyou Sharingan to the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan?"

Tobirama glanced at him, a mocking smile playing on his lips: "The principle is simple: steal someone else's Mangekyou Sharingan and transplant it into yourself, fusing it with your own eye power. If you're lucky, you can obtain the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. The success rate isn't 100%, but the closer the blood relationship between the two people, the higher the success rate. If you have parents or siblings who have awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, stealing them will give you a high probability of obtaining the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. This is the Uchiha's bloody and cruel method of power inheritance!"

"Tobirama." Hashirama gave his younger brother a reproachful look, then turned to Obito, "The Sharingan of the Uchiha clan is a symbol of love, and those who awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan have experienced intense emotional stimuli. No matter what you went through to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan, it's truly remarkable that you didn't develop hatred because of it..."

"In short," Tobirama understood his brother's meaning, so he chose to interrupt Hashirama and bring the topic back, "If your cells have such a strong influence on ordinary Mangekyou Sharingan, then the amplification on the stronger Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan might be even greater, and it's not impossible that they could even cause the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan to evolve further."

His mind raced, connecting the clues: Obito's discomfort had vanished, White Zetsu was carrying Hashirama's cells, Madara's motives back then... all the fragments pointed to the same conclusion.

"The Eternal Kaleidoscope has evolved again?" Hashirama was first taken aback, then his gaze sharpened, and he looked at Nagato almost simultaneously with Tobirama.

Nagato felt immense pressure from being stared at by these two legendary figures. Yahiko, though also very nervous, stepped in front of his companion, demanding, "Do you have any evidence to support your claim?!"

"Evidence?" Tobirama sneered. "Red hair, brat, you're from the Uzumaki clan, aren't you? I've never heard of the Uzumaki clan having any eye techniques or bloodline limits! It's obvious that Madara transplanted them into you when you were a child, using the Uzumaki clan's superior physique to nurture these eyes."

“Say it, maybe it was awakened later in life.” Yahiko was still arguing, but his tone had weakened considerably; he himself knew that this was unreliable.

"If you want further evidence, it's simple." Tobirama said, a murderous aura suddenly surging from his body. "I gouged out that brat's eyes to get some information material, and then used it to summon Madara using the Impure World Reincarnation. If he can call out his name, then he is Madara; if he can't, then he isn't."

"You!" Yahiko and Nagato were both shocked and furious upon hearing this, and involuntarily stood up.

"Lord Tobirama." At this moment, Fenglan stood silently in front of Yahiko and Nagato. "If we follow your reasoning, Madara Uchiha is probably not dead yet, and therefore cannot be resurrected by Edo Tensei, right?"

“That’s right,” Hashirama chimed in. “Tobirama, you’ve become a bit too radical when it comes to Madara.”

"Hmph." Tobirama snorted coldly, no longer fixing his gaze on Nagato.

"call--!"

Only then did Yahiko and Nagato breathe a sigh of relief. Tobirama Senju was a ruthless figure who had emerged from the Warring States period and killed countless people during the First Shinobi World War. His murderous aura was far beyond that of ordinary ninjas. His casual glance over just now, without needing to use any Sharingan genjutsu, made Yahiko and Nagato tremble. Although they weren't as unable to move their fingers as Sasuke did when he encountered Orochimaru during the Chunin Exams, they still felt their hair stand on end and had difficulty breathing.

And they naturally felt more favor and trust towards Feng Lan, who stood in front of them.

“If those Rinnegan evolved from Madara’s Mangekyou Sharingan, then it’s understandable that these creatures related to Big Brother’s cells would attack this place,” Tobirama concluded. “Because Amegakure is allied with Konoha, which is obviously something Madara doesn’t want to see, so he chose to take action. He will probably continue to harass and invade until he succeeds.”

"Damn it..." Yahiko clenched his fists. The Akatsuki had only just managed to gain the villagers' trust by building houses and barely controlled the village. He never expected to encounter such a dangerous enemy.

That's Uchiha Madara! Apart from Senju Hashirama, who in this world doesn't fear him?

Well done! You've done a great job with your teeth!

At this moment, Feng Lan almost burst out laughing. As expected of the Second Hokage who knew the Uchiha the most, he deduced everything with just a little guidance from Feng Lan. Old Madara is in for a tough time now.

He then asked, "What about Obito? If it really is Madara, why would he want to target Obito?"

“There are many reasons,” Tobirama said calmly. “For example, the simplest one is that Madara lost his eyes after transplanting his Rinnegan and wanted to find a new pair of eyes to use temporarily.”

“Of course, it’s more likely that… he values ​​this kid’s potential.” Tobirama narrowed his eyes as he stared at Obito. “A person who can awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan and control his older brother’s cells is practically a once-in-a-century genius. That guy is trying to cultivate a successor.”

"So that's how it is." Feng Lan feigned sudden realization. "That's why White Zetsu attacked Rin—they wanted to drag Obito completely into darkness!"

Obito: "!!!"

Rin is his absolute Achilles' heel. No matter who tries to hurt her, Obito will never forgive them. After what Fenglan said, it seems that no matter how hard Madara tries to persuade him, he won't be able to bring Obito into his camp.

He even felt a surge of gratitude towards Feng Lan, because when Bai Jue suddenly attacked in the afternoon, he and Lin were quite far apart and couldn't get there in time. It was Ri Cha and Dai who took the initiative to protect Lin.

When the two men thanked him, they explained that Feng Lan had specially arranged for them to protect Rin. Although Obito knew that they wanted to use Rin to further control him, he had to admit that he was susceptible to their charm.

Once Lin is dead, he becomes a mad dog that bites anyone he can get his hands on. But when Lin is alive, he listens to whoever protects her and attacks anyone who tries to hurt her.

Old Madara is undoubtedly Obito's target right now.

"Madara..." Hashirama became sad again, "For the sake of your so-called dream, are you still lingering in this world, unwilling to rest in peace in the Pure Land?"

"That's not the point." Tobirama, with his cold and ruthless demeanor, said, "The point is what we need to do now!"

“A barrier.” Feng Lan offered a solution. “The protective barrier of Konoha Village should be an insurmountable obstacle for these creatures. Even if they sneak in, it will definitely trigger an alarm.”

Throughout the entire Naruto series, only Obito with Kamui and Itachi who knew the pass password were able to cross the barrier silently. Everyone else, even Pain, had to force their way through. Therefore, Fenglan thought he should be able to stop White Zetsu.

Otherwise, if Madara and Obito in the original work had been sending White Zetsu to infiltrate and assassinate Obito and the villagers of Konoha every now and then, the entire village of Konoha would probably have become a White Zetsu breeding base in just a few years.

Upon hearing this, Yahiko and Nagato's eyes lit up immediately. This was exactly the solution to Amegakure's urgent crisis!

Fenglan looked at Tobirama: "If you don't mind, I would like to teach this advanced barrier technique to Amegakure."

Tobirama snorted coldly: "You're quite shrewd in other aspects, but why are you being so soft-hearted like your older brother at this moment? You can use a barrier technique to protect Amegakure, but you absolutely can't give it away for free. You can only buy it!"

Chapter 92 Look, he still has to thank us.

Hashirama originally wanted to plead for him, but after seeing his younger brother's stern and disappointed look, he sighed and remained silent.

He recalled that during the first Five Kage Summit, he foolishly wanted to give away the Tailed Beasts for free, but Tobirama stopped him with the same attitude and said that they could only be bought.

His younger brother didn't have the same power as him, yet he had always devoted himself to the village. The pressure on him was immense... Hashirama knew all this, but given his personality, he simply couldn't make the same absolutely cold and rational judgment as Tobirama.

But Fenglan was different. He had anticipated Tobirama's reaction, so he deliberately said that, letting the other party play the bad cop while he played the good cop, thus gaining more favor and trust from Yahiko and Nagato, and ensuring that he would not lose a single penny of the benefits he was entitled to.

"Hmm..." Feng Lan looked troubled and glanced at Yahiko and Nagato, meaning that he had tried his best and there was really no way to give it away for free.

“But…” Yahiko and Nagato were also helpless. “Hanzo has taken all of Amegakure’s wealth, and we now have to rely on Konoha for our food.”

“I think these eyes are just enough to settle the debt,” Tobirama said coldly.

"Second Hokage, easy, easy." Feng Lan jumped in again to act as peacemaker. "This is the Rinnegan! The Mangekyou Sharingan already has such a heavy burden. Even if we get the Rinnegan, no one in the village can control it."

"Aren't there any members of the Uzumaki clan in the village?" Tobirama raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, there is, but he's already the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki." Feng Lan spread his hands.

Tobirama fell silent. His sister-in-law, Mito Uzumaki, was also the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, so he was very aware of the danger of the Nine-Tails. Even when it was inside the body of the Uzumaki clan, it was extremely unstable (this is described in detail in the Minato Chronicles). If one had become the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, it would indeed be impossible to control the Rinnegan.

"So you don't need to worry about who owns the Rinnegan. After all, Amegakure is our ally, so we can't go too far, can we?" Feng Lan habitually switched into smiling tiger mode, only to be glared back to his original form by Tobirama.

He turned to Yahiko and Nagato: "How about this? Although the Rinnegan still belongs to Amegakure, Konoha's barrier techniques are indeed very precious. If we want to obtain it, Nagato can't just participate in the war to defend Konoha like before."

With Feng Lan's cooperation, Tobirama and Feng Lan ultimately persuaded Nagato to sign a completely unequal treaty: Konoha would call on him at any time, and he would have to come whenever needed, no matter what Konoha wanted him to do, and he couldn't even refuse Konoha's research on the Rinnegan.

This treaty undoubtedly made Yahiko feel a great threat, and he vehemently opposed it, but Nagato accepted it without hesitation, thinking that he could protect the village and his comrades.

[Damn it...] Yahiko clenched his fists. He was still too weak, the Akatsuki was too weak, and Amegakure was pitifully weak.

In fact, the conditions offered by Fenglan were already very generous. Being able to buy Konoha's protective barrier with money is something that many people wouldn't even dare to dream of. However, the Akatsuki organization couldn't afford to pay a single penny and had no choice but to betray Nagato.

"It's alright." Seeing his expression, Nagato smiled and comforted him, "These eyes weren't originally mine. It's enough that they can be used to help my comrades. Besides, Mr. Fenglan isn't a bad person... he wouldn't do such a thing."

Both of them knew that Konoha might take away the Rinnegan on a whim while researching it, but now their only hope was Fenglan's moral character.

"Zhi Shui." Feng Lan called out after getting the result she wanted.

"Lord Fenglan." Zhishui, who was guarding outside the door, immediately pushed the door open and entered.

"Tomorrow, go to Konoha and take my secret letter with you, and give it to Minato and the Third Hokage respectively." Feng Lan quickly wrote the letter, which specifically requested that Genma Shiranui, Raido Namiashi, and Iwashi Tadashi come with the barrier team.

Because these three people had once served as Minato's subordinates, they could combine their strength to perform the Flying Thunder Formation technique, and once teleported Mei Terumi to Madara's battlefield during the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Feng Lan specifically requested these people to come so that Konoha could teleport Nagato over whenever needed, allowing him to attack wherever he was directed.

As for whether they will learn it or not... they definitely already will, because Naruto is about to be born. In the original story, Minato will die on the day Naruto is born. If these three don't know the Flying Thunder Formation now, they will never learn it in their lifetime.

"You notified the monkey at a time like this?" Tobirama glanced at Fenglan.

“The barrier team won’t be able to be mobilized without the Third Hokage’s approval,” Feng Lan said with a smile.

“Interesting. Do you think the monkey would agree?” Tobirama raised an eyebrow.

“Now that a great battle is imminent, everything is for the sake of the village. The Third Hokage wouldn’t be so lacking in awareness,” Feng Lan said calmly. “The Rinnegan is Konoha’s main trump card against Kumogakure… although if my plan succeeds, this card won’t be so important.”

"What plan?" Tobirama couldn't help but ask. No matter how smart he was, he couldn't think as much as someone like Fenglan who knew the plot well.

"It can't be said, it can't be said~" Feng Lan put on that smug expression again.

"You brat, you're getting more and more outrageous." Tobirama's eyelids twitched, and he slightly raised a finger.

"I just remembered I have something to do, so I'm off." Feng Lan gave Yahiko and Nagato a wink. "Let's go!"

……

As the three of them walked out of Hanzo's cold and oppressive conference room, a light drizzle was falling from the sky.

Standing under the eaves, Yahiko gazed at the gloomy night sky, feeling as suffocated as the weather. He let out a long breath, trying to release all the pent-up frustration, but still felt extremely stifled.

"Yahiko, don't be like this." Nagato patted him on the shoulder. "Don't we already have a way to protect the village?"

“But that was on the condition of sacrificing you…” Yahiko, who had been holding on, finally choked up, “I always shouted so many slogans, but in the end, I couldn’t do anything…”

He had been playing the role of a leader who had to be strong, but after experiencing so many things in a row, his emotions were on the verge of collapse.

The immense pressure from one powerful enemy or ally after another—Hanzo, Danzo, Furan, Tobirama—is weighing heavily on this young man in his early twenties. It's remarkable that he's managed to hold on this long.

“It’s not a sacrifice, it’s cooperation,” Nagato said with a calm smile.

“But that treaty… it completely used you as a tool!” Yahiko clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm, leaving several deep crescent-shaped marks.

“Tools can also choose their own direction,” Nagato comforted her. “As long as I still know why I’m fighting, it doesn’t matter whose eyes are in my hands, since they weren’t necessarily my eyes to begin with.”

Yahiko opened his mouth, but no words came out. Anyone can say nice things, but when faced with harsh reality, those words are nothing but fleeting illusions.

"Wow, what a heavy rain!" At this moment, Feng Lan also came out of the house and stood under the eaves, looking up at the night sky.

“It’s always been like this in Amegakure; it rains frequently,” Nagato said with a friendly smile.

Although Yahiko felt aggrieved, he nodded and said, "Fenglan, thank you for what you just said."

Look, he should even thank us.

Feng Lan was secretly overjoyed, but said casually, "Hmm? What are you thanking me for?"

"Thanks to you for proposing the barrier, Amegakure was able to be safe, and you were the one mediating all along..." Yahiko said, bowing his head. "If it weren't for you, I really don't know what would have happened."

Clearly, he has entered the first stage of the Watergate period: he feels that Feng Lan is very reliable and unconsciously wants to rely on him.

The Minato period is a syndrome summarized by Tsunade and Jiraiya that occurs after staying by Maple's side for a long time. Its final form is like Minato in the later stages of the Third Shinobi World War, just like Shisui now. He can only attack wherever Maple points him, and he basically loses the ability to think for himself.

As for the specific evolution process, you can refer to Uchiha Shisui's mental journey from serving as a bodyguard to the present.

“Yes.” Nagato nodded with lingering fear. “The way the Second Hokage looked at me… made me feel like I might be disassembled and searched on the spot.”

“The Second Generation Lord wouldn’t do that.” Feng Lan smiled and instead began to comfort the two of them. “He is absolutely calm and ruthless. He will do anything that benefits the village and will never do anything that is detrimental to the village. It would be clearly not in the village’s interest to kill you, so he was just trying to scare you.”

“He’s too calm…” Yahiko sighed, “to the point of being cold-blooded.”

“From the perspective of someone from another village, that is indeed the case,” Feng Lan shrugged.

"And what about you?" Yahiko turned to look at Fenglan. "Are you the same kind of person as him?"

The second stage of the Water Gate period: He begins to be curious about Feng Lan, but he cannot define him. What image Feng Lan is in this person's eyes depends on the persona he presents to that person.

“I don’t have the same level of understanding as the Second Hokage.” Feng Lan stretched out a big yawn. “I can’t be absolutely ruthless either. Just like how you all hate Konoha but still love Jiraiya-sama, no matter how much I scheme, there are people I want to protect even if I have to put aside my own interests.”

"Is that so..." Yahiko's expression softened slightly. He didn't press for details about who the person was, because their relationship wasn't that good.

Just then, Jiraiya led his patrol team over, waving and smiling in their direction. Fenglan and the others waved back in response.

"Don't worry, with Jiraiya-sama's strength, the village will be fine." Feng Lan yawned again; he had been busy these past few days and was really tired.

“Fenglan.” Yahiko hesitated, looking like he had made a great decision. “Nagato… I’m entrusting him to you.”

The third stage of the Water Gate period: Entrusting people or things that you consider very important to Feng Lan, whether you genuinely believe it or are forced to do so.

"Why entrust it to me?" Feng Lan waved his hand dismissively. "Go find Jiraiya-sama. From now on, every time Nagato goes to Konoha, I will have Jiraiya-sama accompany him the whole way, even on the research table."

"Really?" Yahiko and Nagato's eyes lit up.

"Why would I lie to you? Just ask Nagato yourself every time he comes back." Feng Lan shrugged and turned to look at Nagato. "The first half of what you just said was very good, but I don't quite agree with the second half."

"Which sentence?" Nagato was slightly taken aback.

"As long as you still know what you're fighting for, it doesn't matter whose eyes are in your hands"—that's a good statement, but the rest is all bullshit. Those eyes are on you now, so how can they not be yours?

“Um…” Nagato hesitated, “But didn’t you say that they were transplanted to me by Madara Uchiha…”

"That's just a possibility, not necessarily the truth. And what if we put that possibility aside?" Feng Lan launched into his verbal sparring mode. He always spoke to people in a way that suited them, and naturally, he would talk about friendship and bonds with Jiraiya's disciples. "What do you want to do with these eyes? What can you do with these eyes? You are the one controlling them, not the other way around!"

Nagato remained silent for a long time, and for a moment only the sound of raindrops hitting the ground could be heard. After a while, he slowly spoke, his voice trembling slightly: "Actually... I have always been very afraid of these eyes. Every time I open them, I gain power that is not mine, and my personality becomes extremely cruel. Even though Jiraiya-sensei once taught me, I still have a strong resistance to them in my heart."

"Actually, when I heard that these eyes weren't mine, I believed it almost without hesitation, because when I opened these eyes, I really became... very unlike myself."

The fourth stage of the Water Gate period: She begins to open her heart to Feng Lan and is instilled with strange and dark ideas by him, but she doesn't realize there's anything wrong with it.

“How can you not be like you? Even if eyes can be transplanted, memories can’t. Every inch of the path you’ve walked is your own.” Feng Lan smiled. “Aren’t you Jiraiya’s disciple? At times like this, you need perseverance!”