Should we stir up some trouble?

Kirigakure located deep in the mountains, its territory often shrouded in thick fog, completely isolated from other countries.

Surrounded by the sea on all sides, with numerous nearby islands encircling it like stars around the moon, it is a truly magnificent sight.

Standing on the huge island where Kirigakure is located, the feeling of solid ground made Tōka feel much more at ease.

Fog is the most common weather phenomenon; to be precise, it's normal not to be covered by fog.

The visibility is limited, and only the people of Kirigakure) seem to have adapted to this dense fog.

Rustling...

The group walked quietly into the Yamanaka. The Forest on both sides grew taller and taller, with thorns and weeds reaching above their knees.

Despite his young age, Kimimaro was very determined and followed in Tōka's footsteps the whole way without ever complaining of being tired.

Tōka deliberately slowed down his pace, Kisame silently followed in the group, and the other two puppets were even less noticeable.

"Kimimaro, if you're tired, we can take a break," Tōka asked without turning his head, though he could actually see Kimimaro's expression even without turning around.

"Teacher, I'm not tired." Kimimaro secretly glanced at Tōka, and seeing that the other party did not turn around, he quickly rolled up his sleeves and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Heh... If you're not tired, let's continue..."

After a brief conversation, the forest fell into a deathly silence once again.

Rustling...

Just as the group of five Yamanaka, Tōka suddenly sensed a figure secretly following them.

At first, Tōka thought it was a reconnaissance team from Kirigakure, but then he didn't see them send any information back.

He didn't appear even when Yakura, Hozuki Mangetsu, Kisame, and the others were present...

A glint of light flashed in Tōka's eyes, as if he already knew who the newcomer was.

"You guys go first, wait for me at the tea shop up ahead." Tōka immediately stopped and pointed to the small tea shop not far away.

The crowd was puzzled, but dared not question Tōka's words.

Yakura walked in front, with Hozuki Mangetsu and Kisame following two steps behind him on either side.

Kimimaro walked at the back of the group, and the four of them slowly made their way towards the village not far away.

Tōka walked to the Tree Shadow of a Big Tree, glanced at the white figure following closely behind, and asked in a low voice with his back to the white figure, "Is there something you need?"

White Zetsu emerged from the earth and stood respectfully behind Tōka.

"New intelligence has arrived."

"Intelligence?"

Tōka reached out and took the intelligence Scroll handed to him by White Zetsu, quickly scanning it with a mocking expression on his face.

He waved his hand, indicating that White Zetsu could leave.

Upon receiving Tōka's order, White Zetsu immediately used the Mayfly Technique to sink into the earth.

Tōka tilted his head and looked into the shade of the trees, a sharp glint in his deep black eyes. Three groups of people... no, it should be four groups of people had Land of Water.

"It's a pity that no important figures from the Land of Lightning came; otherwise, given the Raikage's fiery temper, it might have actually caused a small-scale conflict!"

As Tōka put away the Scroll, his figure gradually became blurred, rippling like water, and disappeared into the Void in the blink of an eye.

In a remote town outside of Kirigakure, there is a simple tea shop at the crossroads.

A simple shed was set up by the roadside, with a few small benches around Square Table. The owner was a simple old man.

Upon seeing Tōka suddenly appear, he was only slightly taken aback before placing the brewed hot tea on the small table.

"Teacher, what were you doing just now?" The other three were curious, but wisely refrained from asking Tōka what she had been doing.

But Kimimaro was too young to understand these things.

Furthermore, because Tōka was both his ancestor and his teacher, he didn't have as many concerns.

"After we left Ringed Mountain Island, because of the Chakra Storm caused by the Three-Tails' rampage, Konoha, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure each sent an Elite Squad to investigate."

It wasn't a big deal, so Tōka didn't hide anything and took out the intelligence Scroll directly.

Of the five, Yakura is White Zetsu Object Transformation, a half-puppet, while Hozuki Mangetsu is a complete puppet after being hit by Tōka's technique.

Only Kisame and Kimimaro truly possessed their own independent thought.

"Should we..." Kisame made a throat-slitting gesture, a fierce glint appearing in his Sharks eyes.

He had already changed to a brand new Forehead Protector, because he was temporarily going to lie low in Kirigakure, so his identity as an Akatsuki member absolutely could not be known to outsiders.

Upon hearing this, Tōka shook his head, picked up his hot tea, took a sip, and gestured for Kisame to drink some as well, to relax.

"Your identity will not be exposed. From now on, Kirigakure will be in your care." Tōka's fingers tapped rhythmically on the table.

Kisame's Sharks eyes narrowed sharply as he was shocked by the Demonic Sound within the knocking.

Genjutsu?

But...

Why use Genjutsu?

Bang! Bang!

Suddenly, two muffled thuds sounded, and the two dark figures on the Big Tree outside the tea shop seemed to lose consciousness, their bodies sinking straight to the ground.

"The Kirigakure's Anbu?" Kisame stood up in shock as he looked at the two masked Kirigakure Ninja. He hadn't noticed anything at all!

"You know these two?" Tōka certainly knew that these two were Anbu of the Kirigakure Ninja, but he didn't understand why there would be Anbu monitoring the Mizukage!

Is Yakura's control over Kirigakure really that weak?

The Anbu are directly under the Kage, and even the elderly Third Hokage had absolute control over Anbu. Even Danzo's Root did not dare to monitor the Third Hokage.

But what the hell is going on in Kirigakure?

"This person is a ninja from Yuki. I recognize the other one though." Kisame flashed down beside the two and reached out to remove their masks.

"Who is it?" Tōka's interest was piqued when he realized that Kisame remembered someone.

"Noda Shingo, Elite Jonin confidant of Hozuki Jōgetsu and an elite Noda Shingo." Kisame grinned, revealing a set of chilling fangs.

"Hozuki Jōgetsu?" Tōka was slightly taken aback; he had no idea that Kirigakure had such a person.

Because of Yakura's series of iron-fisted and closed policies, Kirigakure is very mysterious, and Tōka only knows about a few important figures in it.

Regarding Kirigakure, very few names were revealed from the beginning to the end of the story.

"Yes, the three Advisor of Kirigakure, Hozuki Jōgetsu, Minazuki Gin, and..." Kisame paused, his gaze falling on Kimimaro.

"The head of the Kaguya Clan, Kaguya Shōtarō."

Tōka was slightly taken aback. No wonder Yakura launched a massacre of the bloodline families. It turned out that the Land of Water was now controlled by the three major families Yuki, Hōzuki, and Kaguya.

As the sole leader of the village, he naturally didn't want to hear any other opinions.

Tōka would not allow three Advisor to exist if they wanted to remain hidden behind the scenes and secretly manipulate the Land of Water!

This kind of existence is destined to be a hindrance; stumbling blocks must always be removed...

"How strong are the three of them?" Tōka didn't ignore Kaguya Shōtarō because of his special identity; Hui Tailang hadn't told him about the Advisor from Kirigakure before.

It seems that the seemingly honest-looking Hui Tailang is not as stupid as imagined.

Seeing this, Kisame knew that Tōka was concerned, so he immediately mustered his mental strength to recall the information he had previously gathered about the three of them.

"Hozuki Jōgetsu lives up to his name, a synonym for evil and ruthlessness. He is Hozuki Mangetsu's uncle, and his strength is above average even among Kage-level."

At this point, Kisame stopped, his gaze fixed on Tōka, waiting.

Water Transformation Technique... its ability to ignore physical attacks is quite troublesome for most ninjas.

Tōka raised his eyes, signaling Kisame to continue.

"Minazuki Gin is a very mysterious person. To this day, I still don't know if that person is male or female, let alone their age or strength."

Kisame blushed slightly, somewhat embarrassed. "I estimate that Minazuki Gin's strength is at least that of Elite Jonin, and most likely Kage-level."

The following sentence is Kisame's speculation: as a strong member of Yuki with Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, his strength should not be weak.

"What about Hui Tailang?" Tōka pressed.

"Hui Tailang?" Kisame was taken aback, then realized that Tōka was talking about Kaguya Shōtarō.

Kisame didn't speak directly, but instead glanced at Kimimaro beside him. This kid was a member of the Kaguya Clan, and he had revealed information about the Kaguya clan leader in front of him.

Is this really a good idea?

"It's alright, Kimimaro is my disciple." Although Tōka was a hands-off teacher, his true identity was something Kisame couldn't have imagined.

The meaning of "Tōka" is quite simple: Kimimaro is his disciple, meaning he's one of his own.

Seeing that Tōka had said this, Kisame didn't hesitate and directly said, "Kaguya Shōtarō, the head of the Kaguya Clan, a true Kage-level, and a battle maniac."

"Because Minazuki Gin rarely showed up, Kaguya Shōtarō and Hozuki Jōgetsu gradually became mortal enemies."

"Perhaps the Fourth Mizukage also played a part in this."

"Tsk tsk... The waters of Kirigakure are deeper than I imagined!" Tōka curled the corners of his mouth, a half-smile playing on his lips.

The smile that didn't reach his eyes sent a chill down Kisame and Kimimaro's spines, a chill running from their toes up their backs.

The two of them glanced at Tōka, then quickly looked away.

"Alright, let's go." Tōka finished his still-warm tea, clapped his hands, and stood up.

As the group of five left, the old man who owned the tea shop finally woke up and looked at the silver coins on the Square Table with a puzzled expression.

He seems to have just fallen asleep?

"When people get old, they become useless; they actually fell asleep so quickly." The old man at the tea shop patted his shoulder, put away the silver left by Tōka, and began to tidy up the teacups.

The two Kirigakure Ninja Anbu hiding in the Forest beside the path will never wake up again...

The Kirigakure is built against the mountains and beside the water, with domed buildings as the main feature. Many waterways run through the village, with water flowing through the entire village.

Yakura led the way, with Hozuki Mangetsu and Kisame flanking him on either side. Kimimaro, though young, was a member of the Kaguya Clan and thus considered a semi-ninja, walking at the rear of the group.

As for Tōka, he disguised himself as a wealthy young master who was issuing a mission and walked in the middle of the group.

Simple makeup easily altered Tōka's appearance, but her unique and noble temperament remained undeniable.

Led by Yakura, the group of five returned to the Mizukage Building without any hindrance. Along the way, there were quite a few ninjas secretly following them, but they all just followed quietly.

Until...

"Lord Mizukage? Lord Mangetsu is here too? Why isn't Lord Mizukage contacting the village?" Kirigakure Ninja Jonin Ao happened to be walking out of the Mizukage Building when he bumped into Tōka and his group.

A series of questions, delivered in a somewhat stiff tone.

Yakura opened his mouth, about to reprimand, but Hozuki Mangetsu stepped forward first.

All three knew that Hozuki Mangetsu was under Tōka's spell, and under normal circumstances, they would never say or do anything more. Once Hozuki Mangetsu opened his mouth, it was definitely Tōka was secretly manipulating things.

Yakura immediately swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

"Do I need to report to you about what I do? Does the Mizukage need to report to you about what he does?" Hozuki Mangetsu stared at Ao with a gloomy expression.

Ao instantly snapped out of it, cursing himself for being careless. Not only Yakura, but even Hozuki Mangetsu was not someone to be trifled with.

Just as he was sweating profusely and at a loss for what to do...

After receiving a signal from Tōka, Yakura slowly spoke, "Go down, and make sure there doesn't happen again."

Upon hearing this, Qing felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He quickly and respectfully bowed and retreated.

In the Mizukage's Office, it was unclear whether it was due to the thick fog outside the ship or Yakura's preference for a cool color scheme.

The room was unusually dark, with no other light source besides a dim oil lamp in front of the desk.

Kirigakure is so poor that even the Mizukage's office doesn't have a light? Tōka would never believe such a thing!

"Kisame, you're the one most familiar with Kirigakure here." Tōka sat in the Mizukage's seat, while the other four stood respectfully in front of the table.

Kisame stood up straight without saying a word; he knew Tōka had more to say.

After a moment of silence, Tōka spoke again.

"Who can be recruited, who are loyalists of Kirigakure, who can be eliminated, and who cannot be touched..."

You must have some thoughts on this, right?

Tōka leaned back in his chair, completely relaxed, and lazily looked at Kisame with his eyes half-open.

Although Tōka appeared quite relaxed and carefree, Kisame dared not be careless in the slightest, his frightening Sharks eyes revealing a sharp glint.

It was clear from Tōka's tone that he wouldn't stay in Kirigakure for long...

Of the remaining four people in the room, Yakura was merely a puppet whose face could not be shown much, Kimimaro was too young to be eliminated.

Aside from Hozuki Mangetsu, which Tōka can directly control...

Kisame's body trembled slightly, not from fear, but from excitement!

This was something he had never imagined, nor dared to imagine: secretly controlling the Land of Water, one of the Five Great Nations. Besides Tōka, Kirigakure was second only to Kisame in this regard...

"What? Have you made up your mind?" Tōka's voice rang out indifferently, a faint smile always playing on his lips.

A pair of deep black eyes seemed to be fixed on Kisame, yet not quite looking at him.

Kisame could never see through what Tōka was really thinking.

He's just a kid younger than him, yet he possesses such strength, skill, and cunning; it's truly frightening.

"Yes, I already have a list of some key personnel in mind," Kisame said immediately, his expression turning serious.

"This task is assigned to you. It's your first official mission since joining Xiao, even though I'm not the leader of Xiao..." Tōka said with a half-smile.

Before this, Tōka planned to let Kisame meet Nagato, Tōka was eager to know what Kisame would think after witnessing the power of the Rinnegan.

How would you choose...?

Upon hearing Tōka's words, Kisame was filled with doubt. Could it be that his previous battle with Hozuki Mangetsu had not satisfied Tōka?

"Don't worry, we'll send you help," Tōka with a slight smile.

Kisame's current strength is at most that of Jonin, but with Samehada, he can Elite Jonin.

As for who to send, Tōka already knew the answer in her mind.

"Brother, please don't laugh like that, it's scaring me!" Kisame's heart skipped a beat, but he forced himself to remain calm. 46