Lure the Enemy into the Trap

Over in the Land of Lightning, the two who had decided to make a move against the Gold and Silver Brothers had finished their preparations.

"You must keep me safe. Once my soul leaves my body, my body will be extremely fragile. One touch and I'll be done for."

Inside a secluded Mountain Cave, Shin'yu stared at Uchiha Hikari and gave her a solemn warning.

"First, I'm not deaf. Second, I'm not stupid. Third, this is the fourth time you've said that." Hikari looked impatient.

The cave was dimly lit. The Cloud Ninja stood beside them with a blank expression.

"The one I'm actually worried about isn't anyone else..."

"Are you doing it or not?!"

"Fine, fine, I'm doing it." Shin'yu raised his hands in surrender.

Their plan was simple. Since they were going after the Gold and Silver Brothers, they certainly could not do it openly. Hidden Cloud Village was vast and powerful; attacking those two high-level figures directly inside their village would be the act of a brute.

The safest approach was to set an ambush in advance, then lure them into the trap.

That would also avoid the risk of being discovered while infiltrating Hidden Cloud Village.

As for how to draw them out...

"Spiritualization Technique!"

Shin'yu took a deep breath and formed the Rabbit hand seal. As his eyes closed, an ethereal, pristine humanoid spirit body leaped out from the crown of his head.

He looked at his translucent hands. After transforming into a spirit body, his field of vision became extraordinarily broad, and his soul felt utterly light, radiating comfort from within.

Every time he used the Spiritualization Technique, an urge rose in his heart—to roam freely between heaven and earth and look down upon all mountains.

His physical body remained obediently standing at the Original Spot, breathing evenly with a peaceful expression, as though it had fallen into a deep sleep.

Without hesitation, his spirit body dove down and instantly entered the Cloud Ninja's glabella.

He arrived in a space like a Colorful Ocean, filled with fantastical hues. This was the Cloud Ninja's Mental World.

Or rather... his state of mind.

At a glance, he saw that the Mental Body representing the Cloud Ninja was sleeping with its eyes closed at the center of the space, evidently still trapped in Shin'yu's Illusion Technique.

Though he was the master of this place, he was now like a lamb awaiting slaughter, stretching out his neck for the blade.

He approached the Cloud Ninja's Mental Body, gathered distorted Clear Light in his palm, and gently pressed it against the other man's forehead.

It was worth mentioning that after Shin'yu's soul left his body, his spirit body unexpectedly retained the properties of his Mangekyo Sharingan. Thus, he could freely cast Illusion Techniques powered by Mental Energy.

This meant that as long as he entered an enemy's Mental World, his Illusion Techniques would hit with absolute certainty. The enemy's state of mind would instead become his domain.

Moreover, as long as he lightly touched the other party's Mental Body, he could obtain all the intelligence he wished to know. This method, comparable to the "Soul Searching Technique," even eliminated the need for interrogation.

The marvelous interaction between the Uchiha and the Spiritualization Technique had produced an effect where one plus one was far greater than two.

Of course, all of this depended on the enemy's soul being weaker than his, or already being in a dormant state.

Otherwise, even the Spiritualization Technique carried the risk of backlash.

Soon, Shin'yu finished searching through the information, and a smile curled at the corner of his lips.

Outside the Mental World, under Uchiha Hikari's vigilant gaze, the Cloud Ninja's fingers twitched slightly before his eyes slowly opened.

"Long live Lord Madara," the Cloud Ninja said in a lively tone.

Only then did Uchiha Hikari relax. This was the code phrase they had agreed on beforehand. If Shin'yu's Body Seizing failed, she could respond immediately.

Though... the possibility of that happening was minuscule.

Shin'yu moved his body a few times. "As far as I know, Kinkaku is obsessed with protecting his younger brother. If anything happens to Ginkaku, he'll fly into a rage. So I'll ambush Ginkaku, and then you'll use your ocular technique to control Kinkaku. That should settle it..."

The two went over the plan one last time.

"Make sure you remember my signal. Those brothers aren't fools either. If we fail, we won't get another chance," Shin'yu warned.

"I know. You need to be careful too..."

"Oh? Careful about what?" Shin'yu blinked.

"Be careful not to get discovered. Don't ruin Lord Madara's plan." Hikari lightly turned her head away, refusing to look at him.

The person before her had clearly changed even his appearance and voice, yet those playful, slightly frivolous eyes were still just as punchable!

Shin'yu pointed at his head. "Don't worry. I've memorized this guy's usual way of speaking, his little habits, and all that stuff. I shouldn't be discovered. Also..."

Seeing Hikari hesitate as though she wanted to say something, he smiled slightly. "I'll be careful."

"I wasn't worried about you!" Hikari's pretty face flushed faintly. Just as she was about to flare up, Shin'yu activated the Body Flicker Technique and vanished in a flash.

Hidden Cloud Village belonged to the Land of Lightning. Founded by the First Raikage, it was a martial shinobi village that ranked among the very best even within the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

The village had been built amid towering mountain peaks that reached into the clouds. Mist shrouded the area, while deafening thunder echoed day and night.

What outsiders praised most, however, was Hidden Cloud Village's exceptionally strong internal unity. From top to bottom, they were a Solid Bloc, which also destined them to be extremely exclusionary toward outsiders.

In the Original Timeline, Hidden Cloud Village was the only one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages that had never produced a rogue ninja from the Akatsuki Organization.

Using the body of this Cloud Ninja named Omoi, Shin'yu blended in without any difficulty.

Following the intelligence in his mind, he wound through the village in circles. He appeared to be wandering aimlessly, but he was actually closing in on a particular place.

The residence of the Gold and Silver Brothers.

After repeatedly confirming that no one was watching him, Shin'yu stepped through the gates.

The moment he entered the residence, he put on a panicked expression and stumbled toward the inner courtyard.

"Masters! This subordinate has an urgent matter to report!"

"Where are Lord Kinkaku and Lord Ginkaku? This subordinate has an urgent matter to report!"

With a bang, the main doors were roughly shoved open, and a burly figure slowly walked out.

"It's the middle of the day. You're making a racket!" Ginkaku yawned sleepily. Once he recognized Shin'yu's face, his expression immediately turned impatient.

"Omoi? So it's you, kid. If you woke me up over something unimportant, be careful or I'll kill you!"

He shook his head. Beneath the vertical horns resembling a yak's, his silver hair shimmered faintly under the sunlight.

Shin'yu quickly examined him. Seeing three symmetrical whisker-like marks on Ginkaku's cheeks, he secretly frowned.

It seemed the rumors were true. These brothers really had obtained the Nine-Tails' Chakra.

"Lord Ginkaku, we... discovered traces of the Nine-Tails!"

"What?!" Ginkaku's eyes widened as he sprang before Shin'yu in a single step. "Say that again?"

"W-We encountered the Nine-Tails while carrying out a mission. It seemed to be seeking revenge against Hidden Cloud and attacked us directly!" Shin'yu revealed a terrified expression, his voice trembling. "Everyone else died except me!"

Ginkaku grabbed Shin'yu by the collar, lifted him like a chick, and carried him straight through the doors of another room.

"Kinkaku, wake up! That beast actually came back for revenge!"

However, Kinkaku had not been taking a nap. He seemed to have been cultivating Chakra. When he saw Ginkaku burst in, he immediately opened his eyes, and the violent Chakra around him gradually subsided.

He slowly rose to his feet. Shin'yu was surprised to find that this man was even more powerfully built than Ginkaku. His dark golden long hair hung loose, and beneath his knotted muscles surged vigorous life force. Combined with his two savage vertical horns, he looked like a humanoid beast!

"Can you believe it? That beast actually came back to take revenge on us!" Ginkaku laughed excitedly.

At that moment, Kinkaku's imposing gaze turned toward him.

"Omoi, are you certain it was the Nine-Tails?"

Shin'yu nodded rapidly, his tone that of a survivor of disaster. "It was the Nine-Tails! It only swung its claw once, and all my comrades died. I already went to Lord Raikage earlier, but he apparently doesn't want to invest any more manpower or resources into this matter. He only ordered us to comfort the families of our fallen comrades, saying it was for the village's long-term development..."

"Hmph! That guy really is dull!" Ginkaku spat.

"Ginkaku, no matter what, he is our Raikage. Sometimes, he is right," Kinkaku reminded him.

"But... Yotsuki Sora, Bumo, and Sarui are all dead!" Shin'yu said despairingly. "Masters, are even you unwilling to avenge them?"

His expression was convincingly dramatic, but his heart was utterly calm. According to Omoi's intelligence, Kinkaku and Ginkaku had some discord with the First Raikage. It had not reached the point of open hostility, but their attitudes toward certain issues were always divided.

If the First Raikage was a dove with a broad view of the bigger picture, advocating peaceful development, then the brothers were hawks who worshiped strength and favored aggressive action.

Moreover, among the names of the fallen he had just listed, the Yotsuki Clan ninja was one of Kinkaku and Ginkaku's trusted subordinates.

At that moment, Ginkaku patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll definitely avenge our brothers."

"Kinkaku, let's go now. Just a small amount of flesh and blood gave us such great power. If..." He revealed a slightly sly smile. "Aren't you curious about the Nine-Tails' power?"

"But the Raikage..." Kinkaku fell silent for a moment. Looking at Ginkaku's eager gaze, he finally nodded. "Fine. With the two of us, we'll be more than capable of capturing the Nine-Tails alive this time. Once it's done, the Raikage won't have anything to say!"

"Omoi, lead the way!"