"Little Hikari, seeing this letter is like seeing me.
It has only been a few days, yet I miss you dearly.
I already know the situation. There is no need to interfere; I have my own methods. Please wait and see.
How are your eyes? How much longer can you hold on? Tell me truthfully. I am working on a solution.
Also, investigate Jigen and the Kara organization, provided you can ensure your own safety.
Be extremely careful. If your identity is exposed, prioritize keeping yourself safe."
His brush paused slightly. Uchiha Sōgetsu folded the completed letter, sealed it with wax, then placed a sealing jutsu on it.
Once he had finished, he casually handed the letter to the ninja cat that had been waiting beneath the corner of the desk.
"Sorry to trouble you, Rikimaru." Uchiha Sōgetsu gently stroked the ninja cat and playfully teased it twice. "Be careful. Deliver this to that girl."
Meow~
The ninja cat gave a lazy cry, lowered its head to pick up the letter, and vanished on the spot.
"Things suddenly got quiet. It feels a little strange."
Uchiha Sōgetsu rubbed his fingers against his teacup and used this rare moment of leisure to consider his next plan.
Overall, his arrangements for the Third Great Ninja War were about fifty percent complete.
The forces he had amassed were now broadly capable of changing the course of a local war. They were still somewhat immature, but fortunately, there were another three or four years before the war began.
There was still plenty of time. No need to rush.
"Next are Danzo and the Uchiha."
Uchiha Sōgetsu pinched the bridge of his nose. Both factions were sensitive. If he rashly used suggestive hypnosis on too many people, it would easily draw attention.
At this point in time, it was best not to expose himself carelessly. Otherwise, it would affect his subsequent plans.
The last and most critical issue was... the ritual!
When Beyonders of the twenty-two Divine Pathways reached Sequence 4 from Sequence 5 and above, they would truly undergo a "transformation"!
A transformation in the literal sense—the point when mortals formally stepped onto the path to godhood.
Experts of Sequence 4 were also known as "Demigods" and belonged to the high-sequence Beyonders.
Their lives and spirits would undergo a qualitative change, while they would initially acquire "divinity." Whether in lifespan or every aspect of their abilities, they would completely surpass the bounds of humanity. They could also activate their Mythical Creature forms.
However, beginning from Sequence 5, every further advancement required a corresponding "ritual" in addition to consuming the potion!
Rituals were not mandatory. There was still a certain chance of advancing by drinking the potion directly, but it could easily lead to loss of control.
Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, Uchiha Sōgetsu, who did not consider himself particularly lucky, had discarded that idea from the start.
The ritual for the Spectator Pathway to advance to Sequence 4 was: consume the potion amid a massive emotional resonance among at least ten thousand people in a specific setting.
"There are not many times that meet the requirements."
His thoughts paused. A faint glimmer flickered in Uchiha Sōgetsu's eyes as he murmured, "So, there are currently only two times I can choose from that are most suitable for the Sequence 4 ritual."
He dipped his finger in tea and drew two points in time on the table.
It was a habit left over from his previous life. Whenever he encountered a problem, he would write down his thoughts one by one to better organize them.
Konoha Year 49 and Konoha Year 51!
Two major events occurred at these points in time.
First, Konoha Year 49.
The Third Great Ninja War officially erupted. Iwagakure secretly gathered ten thousand ninja to surround the Third Raikage. After fighting for three days and three nights, he finally died of exhaustion.
The benefits of choosing this point in time were obvious. It perfectly met the ritual's requirement for the number of people. But the problem was... how would he guide the emotional resonance of ten thousand Stone Ninja?
It was not exactly troublesome. He already had several rough ideas, such as using tailed beasts or steering a local war.
But the issue was that his arrangements over the next several years would all need to lean toward the Stone Ninja and the war.
There would be no losses in the short term, but in the long run, arranging matters in Iwagakure held little significance. It could well be a waste of resources.
Second was Konoha Year 51, which was the option he preferred.
Uchiha Obito rebelled and took advantage of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's weakened state during childbirth to unleash the Nine-Tails Rampage, leading to the deaths of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.
The Nine-Tails Rampage would erupt in Konoha, making it easy to meet the ritual's population requirement.
Moreover, creating emotional resonance would be simple. The only drawback was... it would be delayed by a full two years from the original plan.
Speed had its advantages; slowness naturally had its reasons.
As things stood, there was no difference between the two paths before him.
"Focus on arranging matters in Konoha, but prepare a backup plan as well."
In the end, Uchiha Sōgetsu made his decision.
He would proceed in both directions at once and devote part of his attention to arranging matters in Iwagakure.
Knock, knock!
Suddenly, a knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
Uchiha Sōgetsu frowned slightly, swept away the water marks on the table with a wave of his hand, and rose to greet the visitor.
"Uchiha Sōgetsu, someone is looking for you."
Outside stood an Uchiha clansman. His attitude was extremely unpleasant, and the disgust in his eyes was impossible to hide.
"Understood."
Uchiha Sōgetsu answered flatly.
"Tch. Traitor."
The man shot him a vicious glare, muttered a few words under his breath, and turned to leave.
Watching the man's departing back, Uchiha Sōgetsu remained calm and could not be bothered to argue. "No wonder Fugaku failed. The Uchiha were doomed from the start to never become Hokage."
In fact, his reputation within the Uchiha Clan was nearly comparable to Uzumaki Naruto's more than a decade later.
It was not quite to the point where everyone hated him, but it was close enough!
The reason was that, as one of the Uchiha's geniuses, he had rejected the Uchiha Police Force's invitation and instead joined the Hokage faction.
Originally, that alone would not have made him so unpopular. The key was that the Hokage had recently announced his intention to appoint him as one of the Chunin Exam's Chief Examiners.
That made him something of a "celebrity" within the Uchiha.
Don't ask. It was jealousy.
As everyone knew, the Uchiha had coveted the Hokage position for more than a day or two.
For decades, the clan had been shouting every day about securing second, fighting for third, pushing for fourth, and aiming for five, six, and seven.
And what happened?
Decades passed, and their swords were practically about to break from all that pointing.
Forget becoming Hokage—the Uchiha Clan had never even touched a door handle for any decent position remotely connected to the Hokage.
Later, reality proved that unless Uchiha Sasuke became a woman, the Uchiha would never get a chance in their lives.
"But that is all right."
The corner of Uchiha Sōgetsu's lips lifted as he adjusted his glasses. "I will fulfill your wish in my own way. As for the final result... I hope you will not blame me."
With steady steps, he passed through the uniformly disgusted gazes of the Uchiha clansmen along the way and arrived outside the residence.
"Shikaku?"
The person who had come for him was the Nara Clan's current heir and a deputy whom the Hokage greatly valued.
Shikaku Nara, his spiky ponytail standing upright, had a calm disposition. "Sōgetsu, I was ordered by Lord Hokage to discuss matters regarding this Chunin Exam with you. Do you have time now?"
A new week had begun. As usual, I'm asking all you spectator lords for your support—monthly votes, recommendation votes, follow-up reading, whatever you have~ Jian Dan has no way to repay you, so I'll stockpile more chapters during the new-book period and give everyone a huge update burst once it goes premium!
Before you continue