Danzo's Conspiracy

"A little girl grew into a graceful young woman in just three months. Her beauty was like the moon on the horizon, and even the room she lived in seemed to shine. So the two old people named her Princess Kaguya."

"High-ranking officials and nobles came to ask for Princess Kaguya's hand, but she turned them all away. She set five tasks for the five most persistent suitors and told them they would have to meet her demands if they wanted to marry her."

But when Eiji reached the part where visitors from the heavens took Princess Kaguya back to the moon, ending the story, Kushina looked stunned.

"Wait, what? That's it? Shouldn't the story end with Kaguya living happily ever after with someone she truly loves?"

Eiji couldn't help it. The original story really did end that abruptly. Sayuri, though, had enjoyed it. She even said she would write it down when she returned to the Daimyo's Palace so others could read it.

What he hadn't expected was that the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo, had heard every word from the Pure Land.

At that moment, Hagoromo pinched the bridge of his nose, at a loss for words.

At first, he had simply been curious about the unusual boy who had appeared in the Shinobi World, so he had spent some time observing Eiji's life.

The boy was powerful, calm, and kindhearted. Hagoromo had been pleased with what he saw.

But the moment he heard the name Princess Kaguya, he couldn't sit still—especially when the story brought in the moon.

The tale had almost nothing to do with his mother's real history. And when he pictured his mother setting five difficult tasks for her suitors, his eye twitched.

Well, perhaps it's just a coincidence. What happened with Mother was so long ago. How could a child possibly know about it?

Still, it's an interesting story. Perhaps I'll tell Hamura about it sometime.

The next day, at Konoha's main gate, nobles preparing to leave for the Daimyo's Palace had filled the lavish carriage drawn by a sturdy water buffalo. As a courtesy, the Third Hokage and two Hokage Advisors had come to see the Daimyo off.

Kushina and Sayuri seemed to have endless things to talk about. They left Eiji to one side and whispered to each other, laughing as they spoke and occasionally looking back to make sure he wasn't eavesdropping.

Eiji didn't mind. It wasn't as though he had some peculiar urge to listen in. They were probably just sharing secrets between girls.

All right, he was a little curious. But he certainly wasn't going to eavesdrop.

The two chatted for a while. They stopped only when the Daimyo poked his head out of the carriage and urged Sayuri to get going.

Sayuri then hurried over to Eiji and bowed politely.

"Thank you so much for looking after me these past few days, Lord Eiji. I'll write to you even after I return to the Daimyo's Palace."

Sayuri gave Eiji a gentle smile.

"I'll look forward to your letter."

Sayuri climbed into the Daimyo's carriage. As it was about to leave, she leaned out and waved to them both.

"Thank you, truly, for everything! I'll remember the friendship we shared these past few days!"

Tears glimmered in the corners of her eyes. It seemed finding playmates her own age at the Daimyo's Palace was difficult.

Eiji and Kushina raised their hands and waved back.

She really is a wonderful girl. Whoever marries her someday will be a lucky man.

Raikage's Office, Kumogakure.

The atmosphere in the room was stifling. The Third Raikage held an intelligence scroll he had received from an Anbu Ninja and read the information on Ryuuzaki Eiji aloud, word by word.

He possessed some unknown defensive Ninjutsu. Neither ninja tools nor Chakra could touch his body.

His eyes could see a target's Chakra pathways and copy an enemy's Ninjutsu.

He possessed a flight technique similar to the Light-Weight Rock Technique and could maintain it for an extremely long time.

He was suspected of being able to generate attacks with immense gravitational force, powerful enough to tear apart a vast stretch of forest in an instant.

At the Arena, he had fought a hundred opponents single-handedly and still had strength to spare, winning the match decisively.

After reading it all, the Third Raikage passed the scroll to Dodai, the aide beside him. The young man had earned the Raikage's trust, but by the time he finished reading, even his usually composed face was filled with shock.

"Lord Raikage, this intelligence..."

"It came from our intelligence Ninja stationed in Konoha. The special Chakra mark on it can't be faked, so it's most likely reliable."

The Third Raikage pinched the bridge of his nose, looking deeply troubled.

"If this report is accurate, that boy named Ryuuzaki Eiji will soon become a terrifying force in the Shinobi World!"

"Yes. That's exactly what worries me."

The Third Raikage only looked hot-tempered. His disposition was good, and unlike his son, he didn't smash a desk whenever something upset him.

Even so, faced with intelligence this alarming, he felt an urge to rush to Konoha and kill that future threat himself.

Six Eyes. That was the name Ryuuzaki Eiji had given his eyes at the Arena. Before long, those eyes would surely be famous throughout the Shinobi World.

As long as the Third Hokage wasn't a fool, he would know exactly what to do next.

In a few years, he could arrange for Ryuuzaki Eiji to have children with a great many women, establishing a Ninja Family of the Ryūzaki clan.

Since Dojutsu Kekkei Genkai could be passed down reliably, those children could all possess the powerful Six Eyes.

Ryuuzaki Eiji had already developed numerous unique bloodline Ninjutsu based on his Kekkei Genkai. If he stayed in the village and taught those techniques to his descendants, he could build an immensely powerful Ninja clan within just a few generations!

The Third Raikage could almost see it: dark figures appearing before him in the black of night.

Then they opened their eyes together, and their azure gazes lit up the darkness.

You've got to be kidding me. The Sharingan and Byakugan aren't enough? Why do geniuses always appear in Konoha!?

Konoha already has more than enough geniuses in this generation. Has it secured the next generation too?

The Third Raikage thought of Kumogakure's current and younger generations, then shook his head angrily.

Aside from his own son, none of them measured up. How could he feel at ease leaving Kumogakure to them?

"If only there were a way to bring Ryuuzaki Eiji to Kumogakure...!"

The Third Raikage clenched his fists, desperately searching for a plan.

This matter was every bit as urgent as the war about to break out. The war might bring the village enormous gains, but mishandling the Six Eyes could put its entire future in jeopardy.

A truly powerful fighter might appear only once in several decades. Yet the reliable inheritance of the Sharingan and Byakugan allowed Konoha to produce large numbers of powerful Ninja year after year.

And now the Six Eyes had shown power that utterly eclipsed both. If Eiji really established a Ninja Family, the consequences were unthinkable!

"Dodai, if I went to Konoha myself and forced—"

"Absolutely not!" Dodai had been pondering a solution with his head lowered, but he quickly raised his voice to stop the Raikage. "Lord Raikage, you're Kumogakure's strongest fighter. Without you here to lead us in the coming war, how could we win? What would happen to the village's future?"

"But Ryuuzaki Eiji is a serious problem too!"

"Even so—"

Just then, a figure appeared in the doorway of the Raikage's Office. It was a Kumogakure Anbu.

"Lord Raikage, an envoy has arrived outside the village. He claims to be a Ninja from Konoha's Root, here to deliver a message from Shimura Danzō."

"Someone from Konoha? From Danzo?"

At the mention of Danzo, the Third Raikage's brow furrowed. According to their intelligence, the man was not easy to deal with.

"We should hear him out. He may have something that works in our favor."

A sharp glint flashed in Dodai's eyes.