Yu's Ambition!

On a mountain outside the Hidden Leaf Village, Riu rested a hand against a tree trunk and looked down over the village.

Whoosh! A few minutes later, his hand passed through the tree.

He pondered. "So that's how it is. The limit of Phasing Mode is five minutes. If I deactivate it at the critical point, I'll need another five minutes before it resets..."

Rumble! Tobi emerged from the ground nearby.

"So you ran off to a place like this. Konoha seems to be in a bit of chaos. The Third Hokage, the Fourth Hokage, and a whole bunch of Jōnin have gathered. Was that your doing?" Tobi asked.

"Yeah. I went out for a meal and took the opportunity to give Danzo a warning..." Riu said.

Tobi walked up beside Riu and stood shoulder to shoulder with him, gazing at the Hidden Leaf Village. "Just a warning, without killing him outright... I suppose the circumstances didn't allow it."

Riu nodded. "That's right. If I could, I'd rather get rid of that cancer, Danzo, immediately... But after tonight, I doubt he'll dare make a move against the Nine-Tails anytime soon."

"Sounds like you're still not satisfied," Tobi said.

"It can't be helped. An organized force like Konoha, one that cooperates with great nations and has unified leadership, is difficult to oppose with individual strength alone. Unless one reaches the realm of the Six Paths..." Riu said.

"The realm of the Six Paths... Aren't you considering gathering the Tailed Beasts immediately and becoming a Jinchūriki?" Tobi turned to look at Riu.

Riu shook his head. "Madara turned Rin into the Three-Tails' Jinchūriki. Rin is dead now, and the Three-Tails won't revive for another ten years. Even if I capture every other Tailed Beast now, without the Three-Tails, I can't form the Ten-Tails. If I can't become the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki, then there's no point..."

Then he changed the subject. "So I've decided to establish a ninja village. Nagato's Akatsuki will operate in the shadows, while my ninja village will be active in the open..."

Riu's current idea was exactly the same as Orochimaru's. Back then, Orochimaru had established the Sound Ninja Village in order to destroy Konoha. Years later, he used the Chunin Ninja Exams as an opportunity to join forces with the Sand Ninja Alliance and deal Konoha a devastating blow, yet he still fell short in the end.

Orochimaru's failure wasn't simply because the Third Hokage had used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal at the cost of his life. The fundamental reason was... the Sound Ninja Village he had built was too weak to be of much use.

And the so-called Sand Ninja Alliance was not reliable either.

The ninja village Riu intended to build would not be some weak little village like the Sound Ninja Village. It would stand shoulder to shoulder with the Five Great Nations and the Five Great Ninja Villages—no, it would be a colossal force above them all!

"Ooh, not bad! When do we start?" For once, Tobi showed interest in something other than poop.

"Once I obtain the First Hokage Hashirama Senju's true power, I'll begin immediately..." Riu said ambitiously.

"So... in half a month?" Tobi said.

"Come on. Let's head back and make preparations. Before I wrap things up with Orochimaru, there's somewhere I need to go and something I need to do." Riu activated Kamui and left with Tobi.

Inside the underground base, Riu changed into a brand-new outfit—the armor Uchiha Madara had worn during the Warring States Period. With the Uchiha War Fan strapped to his back and his long hair flowing behind him, he looked just like Madara reborn.

It was not that he was deliberately imitating Madara. Rather, the place he was about to visit made this outfit more suitable.

"Don't you want me to wrap around you?" Tobi asked.

"No. I'd rather experience the joy of battle firsthand..." Riu said.

Having Tobi envelop his body would indeed improve his defense and the power of his Wood Release, but it always made Riu feel as though he were scratching an itch through a boot. More often than not, the battle ended before he had fully enjoyed himself.

As the power of his eyes continued to rise, he became increasingly battle-hungry. He longed to experience combat firsthand. That was the instinct of the Uchiha!

"Well, fine~" Tobi took a black robe and put it on, preparing to head out with Riu.

"Where are you going!" At that moment, Yūhi Uzuki walked over.

"What, you want to come along?" Riu stopped and turned to ask her.

"..." Yūhi Uzuki lowered her head, silently confirming it.

The killing intent Orochimaru had released the previous night had left a deep shadow in her heart. She would rather follow Riu than remain in the same lair as Orochimaru...

Besides, Yūhi Uzuki had not given up on the idea of killing Riu and escaping his control. Staying by his side would also allow her to learn more about his secrets and weaknesses...

After pondering for a moment, Riu said, "Sure~ But it's a long journey, so go make your preparations."

"Can't we just travel there directly through your eye technique?" Yūhi Uzuki asked tentatively.

"That's a place my eye technique hasn't marked," Riu said.

"Oh." Yūhi Uzuki seemed thoughtful as she turned and returned to her room to prepare.

"Are you sure it's alright to tell a woman who wants to kill you the details of your eye technique?" Tobi asked.

Riu had his own view. "A true powerhouse never fears having his secrets known. Even if others know everything, they still cannot defeat him. That is the kind of powerhouse I intend to become. Besides, I don't think this girl will be my enemy in the future..."

"I don't understand all the twists and turns in you humans' minds. Poop is still more to my liking." Tobi spread his hands, then turned serious. "But speaking of which, what are you planning to do?"

Riu's gaze deepened. "Bring back a pet."

"Oh? A summoning beast?"

"Not a summoning beast in the ordinary sense. Kushina is pregnant now, so the Nine-Tails is not an option for the time being. That makes the Eight-Tails, whose power is second only to the Nine-Tails, the best choice, doesn't it..."

Riu was planning to go to the Hidden Cloud Village in the Land of Lightning and capture the Eight-Tails!

"Oh, you're not planning to use it as a Jinchūriki, but as a summoning beast, like how Madara controlled the Nine-Tails back then? Since we're going to the Hidden Cloud Village anyway, wouldn't it be better to capture the Two-Tails while we're at it? With your ocular power, controlling two Tailed Beasts other than the Nine-Tails at once shouldn't be difficult." Tobi asked as though it were obvious.

"That would disrupt the balance among the Tailed Beasts, and war would break out," Riu said after careful consideration.

For a long time, the ninja villages of the Five Great Nations had maintained a balance of military power through the Tailed Beasts, preserving a temporary peace.

The Land of Lightning controlled two Tailed Beasts. Losing one would not count as upsetting the balance, but losing both at once would tip the scales of military power. If that happened, the Fourth Shinobi World War might erupt ahead of schedule.

"Oh my, are you the peace-loving type?" Tobi asked in surprise.

Riu denied it. "No. I'm only worried that if war breaks out, more Jinchūriki will die. When a Jinchūriki dies, the Tailed Beast dies too. And the greater a Tailed Beast's Chakra reserves, the longer it takes to revive. If something unexpected happens, who knows how long my plan will be delayed."

That was right. The Three-Tails had the lowest Chakra reserves among the Tailed Beasts, yet it still required ten years to revive. The other Tailed Beasts took anywhere from more than ten years to several decades, while the Nine-Tails, with the greatest Chakra reserves of all, took more than a century to revive.

Riu's eyes became profound. "This false peace must last at least until... the moment my, Uchiha Yu's, Rinnegan officially awakens!"

On the other side of the wall, Yūhi Uzuki had pressed her ear against the door. A cold sweat had already soaked her back from what she heard...

The three of them set out on their journey to the Land of Lightning.

The Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning did not share a border. Unless they took a detour, they had to pass through the Land of Water.

At this time, the Land of Water and the Hidden Mist Village were in the dark era of isolation under the rule of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura. It was the infamous Bloody Mist Village. Any foreign ninja who entered the Land of Water would face the Hidden Mist's terrifying pursuit, where survival was virtually impossible!

This journey was bound to be fraught with danger.

But that was exactly what Riu desired!

The next night, at the border where the Land of Fire met the Land of Water, Riu stared at the ominous mist shrouding everything ahead. Beneath the holes of his mask, his Sharingan glimmered with restless anticipation. His eyes hungered for the arrival of war!

"The legendary Bloody Mist Village... Don't disappoint me..."