The air inside the cave was silent and still, broken only by the occasional drop of water falling from the rock walls with a crisp plink.
Black Zetsu emerged from the shadows without a sound, as if he had always been part of the darkness.
"Lord Madara, I found what you asked me to look into."
Lin Feng lounged against the stone chair without even opening his eyes. He merely gave a quiet hum through his nose, signaling for him to continue.
Black Zetsu's starkly divided face showed no emotion at this attitude. He simply reported his findings faithfully.
"Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura. They've both held positions of power since the Second Hokage's time. They're Konoha's most old-fashioned authorities." Black Zetsu's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against stone. "Their records are spotless. There's almost no evidence of direct corruption or treason."
"Oh?" Lin Feng finally opened his eyes. A hint of amusement flashed in his purple Rinnegan. "Spotless?"
In the world of shinobi, especially in the heart of a power struggle like Konoha, "spotless" was the biggest problem of all. A shinobi who stayed spotless wouldn't survive this long, much less become a Hokage Advisor.
"Indeed. Spotless," Black Zetsu confirmed. "But their 'spotlessness' rests on their absolute conservatism and their extreme devotion to the Will of Fire."
"Get to the point." Lin Feng impatiently tapped the armrest of his stone chair.
"During the Second Shinobi World War, Mitokado Homura was in charge of wartime logistics and coordinating with allies," Black Zetsu began. "In the thirty-fifth year of Konoha, at the border of the Land of Grass, a three-hundred-man allied force made up of Kusagakure shinobi and led by a Konoha Chunin was ambushed by Iwagakure."
"At the time, there was a Konoha main force led by an elite jonin less than ten kilometers away. The allied force sent out a distress signal with their dying strength, but Mitokado Homura... suppressed it."
Lin Feng's fingers stilled.
"His reason was that the main force was carrying out an S-rank mission. If they were exposed, the mission might fail, causing even greater losses," Black Zetsu continued. "In the end, all three hundred Kusagakure shinobi were wiped out, and the Konoha Chunin leading them died fighting. The Konoha main force never even knew that a desperate plea for help had gone out nearby."
"Afterward, Mitokado Homura called it 'a necessary sacrifice,' and the records were classified permanently."
When Lin Feng heard the story, the corners of his mouth curled up.
It wasn't betrayal. From a certain cold, strategic perspective, it might even have been the "right" decision.
But that kind of righteousness hurt the most.
Still, those Kusagakure scum were dead. So what?
"What about the other one? That old hag."
"Utatane Koharu has long been in charge of Konoha's budget and funding for the ninja tool development department." Black Zetsu's voice grew even colder. "In the early days of Konoha, a genius shinobi from a civilian family developed a new method for smelting Chakra Metal. It could greatly improve the sharpness and toughness of Kunai and Shuriken, but it threatened the traditional supply chain controlled by the families behind Konoha's ninja tool shops."
"Utatane Koharu used 'immature technology and excessive risk' as her excuse to reject the development budget for three years in a row. In the end, she transferred that civilian genius away from research and sent him on a high-risk mission, where he died."
"She then redirected the budget she'd cut to the pill factories run by those vested interests. In return, they gave her their full support at that year's jonin meeting, helping her join the advisory council of elders."
Lin Feng almost laughed.
What a classic story.
Stifling a genius, protecting the established interest groups, and using lofty excuses to cover the filthiest deals.
"Evidence for these two cases?"
"The original copy of the distress report Mitokado Homura suppressed is still locked away in the deepest part of the Hokage Tower's classified archives. As for the families and descendants of the three hundred Kusagakure shinobi who were sacrificed, they still live in the Land of Grass and deeply resent Konoha for 'letting them die without lifting a finger.'"
"As for Utatane Koharu, she thought she'd destroyed the budget approval documents from back then. But a subordinate who resented her secretly made a copy and hid it. She later found an excuse to drive him out of Konoha. He's now living under an assumed name in the capital of the Land of Fire."
Black Zetsu finished his report and waited silently for his orders.
He had thought "Madara" would use this information to turn Kusagakure against Konoha or stir up public opinion within the village.
But Lin Feng's next words sent a chill through him.
"Not enough." Lin Feng shook his head. "This might hurt them, but it's not enough to ruin their reputations."
"I don't need to force them out of their positions as advisors. I only need to apply pressure in the court of public opinion and deal the Hokage faction a major blow to its political standing—to the legitimacy of its claim to the Hokage Position."
Lin Feng rose from his throne and paced back and forth.
"Black Zetsu, I want you to do a few things."
"First, go to the Land of Grass and find the descendants of the three hundred victims. Don't reveal your identity. Give them some money and tell them Konoha is about to clear their ancestors' names. Have them come to Konoha to 'witness' it."
"Second, go to the capital of the Land of Fire and find the former Konoha shinobi who has the evidence. Again, give him some money and have him bring the evidence to Konoha. Tell him the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, will personally see that he gets justice."
Black Zetsu was confused. "Lord Madara, why use the Third Hokage's name? Wouldn't that..."
"Shut up and do as I say." Lin Feng cut him off. "They won't suspect anything. In their minds, only the Hokage has the right to judge the advisory elders."
"Third," Lin Feng narrowed his Rinnegan, its dangerous light glimmering, "make countless anonymous copies of the 'evidence' for both cases. On the day Minato takes over as Hokage, I want those things to... fall over all of Konoha like snowflakes."
Black Zetsu's body sank slightly.
Expose the dark pasts of two advisory elders at the Hokage succession ceremony?
This wasn't just stirring up trouble. It was like putting all of Konoha's leadership on a spit and roasting them!
"Not enough." Lin Feng seemed to think it still wasn't exciting enough, so he added, "I want the most critical pieces of evidence delivered straight to a few people, one hour before the succession ceremony begins."
"On the Daimyo of the Land of Fire's desk."
"Beside Sarutobi Hiruzen's pipe."
"And... beneath Fugaku Uchiha's teacup."
Black Zetsu understood completely.
This was an out-and-out scheme in plain sight!
First, let the most powerful people see the evidence and agonize over what to do. Let them act uneasy and distracted during the succession ceremony.
Then, in front of everyone, reveal it all!
At that point, everyone's reactions would become the best part of the show.
"Lord Madara... you really do have a twisted sense of humor," Black Zetsu "complimented" him sincerely.
"Get to it." Lin Feng waved a hand and sat back down in the stone chair. "Remember to cover your tracks. I want everyone to think this is an internal power struggle in Konoha—that someone... is trying to drag those two old fossils down."
"Even if it gets exposed, they'll only think it was Danzo's scheme."
Black Zetsu slowly sank into the ground and disappeared.
Silence returned to the cave.
Lin Feng manipulated the Rinnegan, and a mirror made of water vapor floated in midair. It showed a clear image of Konoha.
The sun shone brightly. Villagers came and went, their faces content with their peaceful lives.
"What a fake peace," Lin Feng murmured.
He raised his hand and made a grasping motion toward Kage Rock in the water mirror.
"Minato's succession ceremony... Heh. I wonder what your faces will look like when you receive my 'gift.'"
His gaze finally settled on an inconspicuous corner of the image.
Fugaku's residence.
"Fugaku, I've already set the pieces in place for you. Just don't... let me down."
Lin Feng snapped his fingers lightly. The water mirror shattered, dissolving into sparkling droplets.
"Time to stretch my legs. If I stay cooped up in this place, my bones will rust."
He stood and stretched as the space around him began to warp.
"Where should I go for my next target?"
His gaze seemed to pierce through the endless layers of rock, reaching toward a distant land.
"Never mind. I'll go check on those 'useless' juniors of mine first and see how their recruitment is going."
Before you continue