Arriving at the battlefield where Kakashi and the others had "fallen," Minato saw the Flying Thunder God Kunai he had given Kakashi stuck quietly in the ground. He remained silent for a long time.
After pulling it out, he noticed the scraps of iron on the open ground nearby.
There were still traces of a design on them, and the longer he looked, the more familiar it seemed.
"That's Konoha's emblem!"
Seeing it, Minato suddenly remembered something.
There was indeed someone in Konoha who would destroy a forehead protector, the proof of a ninja's identity, like this-a genius who had left the village several years ago.
"Was it you, Yuzuru?"
At that moment, Minato was ninety percent certain that Kakashi and Rin were not dead.
Although his Flying Thunder God Kunai was here, it looked more as though it had been deliberately discarded.
Remembering what Kakashi had once told him, Minato gave a bitter chuckle.
As a civilian-born ninja, he understood the meaning behind Kakashi's words better than anyone. But many things were not his to decide. He only wanted to live his current life well, with someone he loved waiting at home for his return. He was content with that.
"I hope you succeed!"
Minato looked up at the sky and sighed quietly, then disappeared.
Not long afterward, the war reached a fever pitch, and Konoha's defensive lines retreated again and again.
Danzo sent men to join forces with Hanzō and help him eliminate the Akatsuki. They also drove Yahiko to his death, causing Nagato to fully awaken and begin mastering the Rinnegan's power.
Naturally, Madara and White Zetsu were involved as well.
Because of this, however, the Amegakure front fell completely silent. Hanzō was killed by Nagato, and Amegakure began closing itself off.
Despite having one less front to contend with, Konoha's situation did not improve. The four great ninja villages pressured it simultaneously, and the Battle of Kikyo Pass followed.
But at this critical moment, Sunagakure, short on troops yet unwilling to suffer a complete defeat, turned its attention to Kirigakure.
And so it turned around and bit Kirigakure instead. Naturally, Kirigakure would not stand for it. The four nations' alliance immediately collapsed, and Sunagakure and Kirigakure went to war. The Stone Ninja and Cloud Ninja, meanwhile, were wary of each other, so they chose a temporary ceasefire.
The Battle of Kikyo Pass thus came to an end.
When Yuzuru heard the news, he knew his chance had come.
None of them had been idle over the past year.
Yuzuru had taught the others the Summoning Contract of Ten Thousand Fathom Peak.
When Kakashi learned that Yuzuru had found this place by crossing the sea and leaving the Shinobi World, his eyes filled with shock.
Even Uchiha Hikari was startled. After all, the choice to cross the boundless ocean and leave the Shinobi World was far too frightening.
Fortunately, he had succeeded.
Because of this, Uchiha Hikari admired Yuzuru greatly. She could feel his unshakable will.
Purple Eagle thought very highly of Kakashi. After all, they both used lightning.
As a result, Kakashi began training with natural energy. There were no side effects or dangers; it simply required time.
After a year, Kakashi could already absorb natural energy, though he still could not use it freely. He estimated that he would need another year.
As for Uchiha Hikari, the Gen'a clan had taken a direct interest in her.
Gen'a was incredibly curious about the Sharingan, which originated from the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Now that someone of the Ōtsutsuki Clan's bloodline stood on their side, Gen'a was naturally delighted to see it. Thus, Uchiha Hikari also began learning Sage Mode, and her talent was much greater than Kakashi's.
Uchiha Hikari, who already possessed the strongest Sharingan, grew stronger still.
Yuzuru also took the opportunity to bring out Obito's Mangekyō to see whether Hikari could copy Kamui as well.
It went smoothly. Hikari was already very familiar with this sort of thing.
As for that pair of Sharingan, Yuzuru still decided to save them for Kakashi.
He would transplant them into Kakashi once he found a way to deactivate the Sharingan freely.
Of course, there was another solution: a tailed beast.
A tailed beast's chakra could sustain even the Mangekyō Sharingan.
As for Rin, her only task during this time was to become a perfect jinchuriki.
At first, Isobu was very unwilling. Unfortunately for him, Uchiha Hikari was too powerful, and the three on Ten Thousand Fathom Peak were no pushovers either.
A tailed beast was merely part of the Ten-Tails, while those three had fought Ōtsutsuki before. Isobu was beaten in all sorts of ways, until even his shell cracked. Only then was he persuaded by "morality" and began communicating with Rin as an equal.
Over the year, Rin had become able to borrow Isobu's chakra at will. Isobu was also very obedient, and Rin occasionally let him out to play in the sea. Perhaps moved by Rin's kindness, Isobu sincerely helped her as well.
Upon learning that the war between Kirigakure and the Sand Ninja was about to end, Yuzuru and the others ended their respective training.
"Hikari, come with me to deal with the nobles and daimyo in the Land of Water's capital. Erase their wills and control them with genjutsu for now. Don't kill them, or everything will fall straight into chaos. During this time, you'll be the Land of Water's daimyo."
"Understood."
Hikari nodded.
"Kakashi, you and Rin head to Kirigakure first. The village is at its weakest right now. Wait for me there. Once Hikari and I finish things here, I'll head over immediately."
"Got it."
"Then let's get started."
A few hours later, Yuzuru and Hikari arrived at the Land of Water's capital. After killing the daimyo, Hikari transformed directly into his likeness and summoned the nobles in his name.
Within a day, every noble in the capital had been brought under control, and they began gradually reducing the various taxes and the number of slaves.
Meanwhile, Kakashi and Rin successfully infiltrated Kirigakure.
Mei Terumi and the Kirigakure ninja who had stolen a Byakugan were both on the battlefield. There were not many people in the village.
Kakashi and Rin began investigating the locations of Kirigakure's higher-ups.
A day later, Yuzuru arrived alone at Kakashi's side, while Hikari stayed in the capital. With the Flying Thunder God Technique, keeping in touch was not difficult.
"Have you figured everything out?"
"Yes. We've confirmed the locations of Kirigakure's bloodline clans and the situation with its higher-ups. Most of the ninja are still away, though. This is when the village is at its weakest."
Kakashi explained the situation to Yuzuru.
"Then we'll act tonight. Let's give the Kirigakure ninja who'll be coming back a surprise. Spare no one ranked chunin or above, and none of those higher-ups!"
"Tsk. This really will be a massacre."
Kakashi could not help saying it.
"Gentleness won't save the Shinobi World."
"True."
That night, the three of them began their operation.
Rin and Kakashi had only recently left the battlefield, after all. Killing was hardly unfamiliar to them; their hands were still warm from it.
That night, quite a few people in Kirigakure died in their sleep.
The village's few jonin were all killed instantly by Yuzuru, without any chance to react.
The original Three-Tails jinchūriki, Yagura, was among them.
As for the higher-ups, not a single one was spared, regardless of strength or age.
The next day, no one noticed the changes in the village, since Kirigakure had always been steeped in bloodshed. They only noticed that some of the higher-ups were missing.
Most chunin, genin, and ordinary people had no contact with the upper ranks.
Over a month later, the war on the front lines ended, and Kirigakure's ninja finally returned.
At first, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
But a moment later, the entire village was sealed off by the Four Violet Flames Formation, and Yuzuru and Kakashi appeared before them.
"Who's there?!"
"That's the Konoha Blue Fang!"
Someone recognized Kakashi. Of course, some recognized Yuzuru as well.
"It's you!"
Mei Terumi looked at Yuzuru and gritted her teeth.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Minazuki Yuzuru. From this day forward, I am Kirigakure's Mizukage. Now, who's in favor? Who's against?"