The Third Raikage held a small banquet to welcome Hatake Sakumo. Not many people attended, but they were all high-ranking figures in Kumogakure.
"Congratulations on escaping your cage and starting a new life, Senior Sakumo."
Tamura Hiroshi, seated beside Hatake Sakumo, raised a glass of juice to him. He had been plotting to recruit Sakumo for some time, but he hadn't expected Sakumo's wife and son to defect before he had a chance to make his move.
He no longer cared about the bond between Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Obito, either. After learning that the emergence of Uchiha Obito's Kamui dojutsu was no coincidence, he understood that Hatake Kakashi wasn't essential to Obito's path.
Even without Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito would still awaken Kamui and become a key player in defeating Ōtsutsuki Kaguya during the Fourth Shinobi World War.
"You've been plotting to recruit me for a long time?"
Hatake Sakumo gloomily downed his sake, realizing he'd been manipulated from the start.
"Lord Dodai makes detailed plans for everyone who can be recruited. The original plan was to wait until after this war, when Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others turned against you, and then invite you to join us.
"The sword we gave you after you asked us about swordsmanship, and the Yin Seal we gave you in the Land of Soup, were both part of the plan. They would make you stronger and cause Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others to grow increasingly wary of you."
"Getting you to avoid killing our Kumogakure shinobi on the battlefield was part of the plan, too. That way, the villagers wouldn't hate you after you joined us.
"We just didn't expect things to take this turn. It saved us quite a bit of trouble."
Tamura Hiroshi didn't deny it. Instead, he promptly shifted