"Lastly, Lord Kakuzu accepted the eight-million-ryō bounty contract as you arranged. He'll attack the Kumogakure forces in the coming days, and every trace will point back to Konohagakure."
Uchiha Ren felt the soft, sleek fur of the Silver-spotted Cat beneath her fingers. Enjoying Daju's envious, jealous glances, she sorted through the intelligence she'd just received.
Mitokado Homura's actions were easy enough to guess. He was simply representing Konohagakure, heading to the Daimyo Palace to grovel and beg for war funds and supplies.
Even the ninja village with the strongest military force in a country had to consider whether the Daimyo and nobles were willing to open their purses.
This power structure and its webs of dependency were warped beyond belief.
There was no explanation for it except the Shinobi World's ancient, deformed system and the deeply rooted chains of thought that bound everyone.
The policy of keeping the people ignorant here was even more brainwashing than the Eight-Part Essays of the Manchu Qing.
The Land of Rain, trapped between three great nations and cursed with a miserable geopolitical position from the start, was far more interesting to Ren.
The Akatsuki, so prominently featured in Naruto and made up of S-rank missing-nin from all the major ninja villages, was currently little more than a handful of strays.
The only uncertainty was whether the Rinnegan belonging to Uchiha Madara had already been transplanted into Nagato's eye sockets, as the original script dictated, where they were being nourished by the Uzumaki Clan's uniquely robust constitution.
"Perhaps once that old bastard Uchiha Madara dies, I can consider heading to the Land of Rain and taking the Rinnegan ahead of time."
The temptation of getting her hands on the Rinnegan early was right in front of her, and Ren's heart raced.
Whether she kept it for herself, used it as a "power bank" to supply the Cyan-White Stone Gate, or used it to negotiate with Black Zetsu, it would be a good choice.
As for searching for the surviving members of the Uzumaki Clan, beyond their strategic value, it would also help make up for the lingering regret she'd felt in her previous life while following Naruto.
"I just don't know if Uzumaki Karin has been born yet. I hope she has no blood ties to those beasts in Kusagakure."
Having made up her mind, Ren curled her fingers and gently scratched the warm chin of the Silver-spotted Cat in her arms. She listened to its soft meows and gave her instructions in a pleased, quiet voice.
"Just keep an eye on when Mitokado Homura leaves the Daimyo Palace."
If the opportunity arose, Ren wouldn't mind ambushing Mitokado Homura on the way. Every last one of the Konoha High Command had to die.
She continued.
"Keep assigning Ninja Cats to the Land of Rain and closely monitor what's happening there, but be careful. If you're in danger, summon yourselves away."
"Once the frame-up of Kakuzu succeeds, give him a mission to go to Kusagakure and rescue the Uzumaki Clan members. Two million for each one brought back alive, and nothing for a corpse."
"Understood, young mistress!" Ayan meowed elegantly, her tail swishing happily.
"Oh, there's one more thing."
Thinking of the rescue mission, Ren suddenly recalled an assignment she'd given out long ago.
She turned to Ayan and asked,
"Back in the Warring States era, before Konohagakure was founded and even before Uchiha Madara was born, the Senju formed an alliance and sealed one of our clan members. Have there been any developments in the investigation?"
Ayan's ears twitched, and her whiskers quivered. Her eyes showed her unease.
"Young mistress, that history is simply too ancient. Many of the clues were lost in the fires of war."
Her voice was gentle. "The meows can only search methodically, based on the areas where the Uchiha Clan and Senju Clan fought back then."
But she raised her tail and reported some good news.
"Still, after several years, we've ruled out vast areas to the west and north of Naka Shrine."
"Only the east and south remain. If all goes well, we'll finish searching the entire area in another two and a half years."
Daju had just finished clearing away the meal boxes. At the mention of the task, his furry ears immediately perked up.
Since he was usually in charge of the housework, this was the first time he'd heard about it.
He couldn't help lifting his round head and asking curiously,
"Young mistress, what's there to find from the Warring States era? It's been so many years. Even if you find the person, wouldn't all that be left be a pile of bones?"
"Did he have some incredibly powerful divine weapon from the Uchiha Clan?"
Ayan blinked her emerald eyes but said nothing.
She'd actually asked the same question years ago, but the young mistress hadn't explained much at the time, brushing it off with just a few words.
Ren smiled and stroked the fur on Ayan's head. "You'll understand when we find that clan member."
The person she had in mind was Uchiha Hikari, who wouldn't appear until the era of Boruto.
She was a member of the Uchiha Clan from the Warring States era. After losing both parents in the war, her immense grief awakened her Mangekyō Sharingan.
She possessed a powerful dōjutsu called "Yachihoko." When her clan discovered her ability, they treated her as a weapon against the Senju Clan.
Her original name was Uchiha Hikari, but because her clan believed "weapons don't need names," they gave her the name Nameless. They also implanted other dōjutsu in her to enhance her power.
She was a woman who loved and hated fiercely, an Uchiha orphan who had lost her parents.
Her clan's brutality and the inhuman way they treated her turned her against shinobi and the Shinobi World. She wanted to destroy the entire twisted world.
Without a doubt, she was another typical Uchiha prodigy.
Her dōjutsu, Yachihoko—
As long as someone bore her mark, she could control their minds and absorb their Chakra through it, regardless of distance.
Ren considered that ability immensely valuable.
If Yachihoko could absorb and pool the power of the Sharingan as well, every Uchiha who awakened their eyes could become a rechargeable power bank for the Cyan-White Stone Gate.
That would greatly accelerate the Gate's development.
If the worlds beyond the Gate connected to dimensions like Jujutsu Kaisen, Chained Soldier, or KonoSuba—worlds whose unique power systems were still within the Uchiha Clan's ability to handle—
Then the Uchiha Clan's future would see development at a speed beyond imagination.
Competing for the Hokage Position in Konohagakure was, apart from being a transmigrator with something like the Hokage System or simply having one's turn come around and taking the position because why not, an utterly idiotic idea.
The eye-collecting saga of the Five Great Nations and the love-hate drama of the Otsutsuki Bloodline—
Those alternate names for Naruto weren't for nothing.
With all the effort it took to compete for the Hokage Position, a person could probably have gathered a whole body's worth of Six Paths bloodline. In Naruto, bloodline was everything!
And if you already had the strength or influence to steamroll Konohagakure, why bother playing political games with its leadership? You'd have to be out of your mind.
Once you were invincible beneath the heavens, a new ruling class would naturally emerge to argue on your behalf!
Everything from the old era would be nailed to the pillar of shame!
Before you continue