As it just so happened, after a few days in Ame, just before we went back out again, I got some interesting news.
"Mother," Zetsu greeted me, "Orochimaru is about to return, and he has been making secret moves. He is planning something big. I suspect he plans to leave the Akatsuki."
I leaned back in my seat as I listened.
"Oh? Why would he do that? I thought we had reached an understanding with him?" I asked, not entirely surprised, but I hadn't expected it to happen this fast.
"He doesn't trust us. He never has. His ambition is great, and he sees us as a threat, or more so, he sees the Akatsuki as more of a threat than a tool," Zetsu explained. "But he is also a pragmatist. He knows that he can't defeat us, not alone. So he is looking for a new power, one that will allow him to challenge us."
I had a good idea of what that might be. "The Sharingan," I said, a cold certainty in my voice.
Zetsu nodded. "Indeed, he has always wanted to get Nagato's Rinnegan, but it seems he has given up and wants the next best thing. Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan."
That made sense. The Mangekyō was a powerful dōjutsu, and Orochimaru, with his research, still only knew the basic information. He had no idea of the drawbacks, the blindness, the costs; he had his eyes only on the benefits.
So, it was easy to understand why he had his eye on them, but still, I couldn't understand why he was making his move now... I had assumed that my addition to the Akatsuki and my information about a monk who possessed immortality would keep him here.
Had he already learned something? Something that meant he no longer felt the need to stay with the Akatsuki? And instead thought that he was ready to act on his own?
There were only a few months until the Chūnin Exam, so had he already made plans for that?
Or would he first do that later?
The timeline wasn't clear, and it seemed a lot of things were happening all at once.
Indeed, the next few years would be... interesting to say the least. Once the Chūnin Exam was over, it wouldn't take long before Naruto would go out on his training journey with Jiraiya.
And after that, only around three years before the Fourth Great Shinobi War.
All in all, I guess there would be no more than four years left until everything wrapped up.
With me finally returning to my full power.
"Still no news about Isshiki?" I asked, changing the subject.
"Nothing," Zetsu said, shaking his head. "It's as if he doesn't exist. We have searched the archives, we have interrogated prisoners, we have bribed officials. We have come up with nothing. It's like he is a ghost."
I let out a sigh. "That is to be expected. He wouldn't have survived for so long if he were easy to find."
"Then... should I adjust the search? Focus on other things?" Zetsu asked.
"No, keep looking. He is out there, I know it. And when we find him, I want to be ready," I said, my tone firm. "We have to find him before he makes a move. Before he finds out that I am back."
Zetsu nodded. "I understand, Mother. I will not rest until he is found."
"Good," I said, a small smile on my face. "Now, what about the Sage Lands, any progress on our plans there?" I asked, once again changing the subject.
The Sage Lands, the homes of the Slug Sage, Lady Katsuyu of the Shikkotsu Forest, the White Snake Sage of Ryūchi Cave, and that hateful Gamamaru of Mount Myōboku.
Those lands were all filled with powerful nature energy, and there was no doubt that they were enemies. After all, it was Gamamaru who turned my sons against me back then.
Who trained them and taught them how to defeat me.
I owed my defeat to them, so there was no way I would let them sit around while I planned my return, lest they suddenly pop back up to stop me.
After all, Gamamaru could, to some extent, foresee the future.
"The White Snake Sage's land is the easiest to handle. With the contract in Orochimaru's hands, I have already dropped a few hints. Getting the scroll isn't hard, and I have a few White Zetsu lurking near the cave," Zetsu reported.
"Good," I said. "And the others?"
"The Slug Sage is... difficult. The Shikkotsu Forest is well-hidden, and the contract is held by Tsunade Senju. While she isn't difficult to deal with, she is unlikely to be willing to hand it over easily. Not to mention, the slug isn't easy to deal with. Let one escape, and the whole thing escapes," Zetsu explained, though he didn't sound too worried.
"I see," I said, a thoughtful expression on my face. "And what about the toads? That is the most important one, as we both know."
Zetsu's expression darkened. "Getting the contract will be very difficult, and the mountain is sealed. Getting inside is nearly impossible, and given their abilities, it's entirely possible the entire mountain is one big trap."
"So... nothing, then?" I asked, my disappointment clear.
"I am working on it," he said. "But the toads are a different breed. They are not as straightforward as the snakes or the slugs. They are... tricky."
Tricky was an understatement. Gamamaru was a master of prophecy, a being that had lived since the time of the Sage, and he had a hand in shaping the world as it was today.
He was my enemy, and I had to be careful.
"Keep working on it," I said. "And in the meantime, keep an eye on Orochimaru. I want to know what he is planning, who he is talking to, and where he is going. He may be leaving us, but he is still a useful tool."
"As you wish, Mother," Zetsu said, before dissolving into the shadows, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
The toads were a problem, a big one, and I had to solve it, but I couldn't do it alone.
I needed help, and I knew just who to ask for it.
Zetsu might be a master of deception and a skilled spy, but he wasn't a warrior.
The ones who could do something about Mount Myōboku were among the other members.
Indeed, Pain would be the best bet... but Pain was far from invincible. He had shown from his future fight with Jiraiya and later Naruto that Sage Arts were his weakness.
Even getting him to act wasn't hard when, eventually, Naruto would go there to hide and train in Sage Mode. If I told Pain where he was, or had Zetsu tell him, he would happily attack the place.
But could he win, and could we wait that long? Or would I need to find another excuse to act before then?
The other members, though? Sasori was powerful, but puppets would be at a disadvantage in a place like that; the nature energy would interfere with the chakra strings.
Itachi's Amaterasu and Susanoo would be very powerful, but would they be enough to burn down an entire mountain that could be the home of thousands of toads? And it's not like I could trust Itachi to do it anyway.
As for Kakuzu, while he was powerful and had a lot of experience fighting all kinds of opponents, I doubted he could handle the entire mountain. He wouldn't have an answer to Sage Arts either.
As for Kisame? He wasn't even in the Akatsuki yet. And even when he was, a large amount of water might be a good thing, but he also relied heavily on his sword being able to absorb chakra, something it couldn't do with nature chakra.
As for the future, Hidan? Deidara? Well, Deidara would be bad. His bombs might be perfect, but the question still remained: who would I lead the Akatsuki into attacking it with?
And when would be the best time?
It felt like I would only be able to deal with the snakes, who also seemed the least likely to become my enemy.
So, should I attack and make them my enemy, or should I spare them, hoping they wouldn't target me?
Because once I moved against one, the chances that the rest would start trying to deal with me were more or less guaranteed.
I couldn't help but let out a sigh.
My own weakness was truly the original sin.
I might be the strongest kunoichi in the world, I might be able to run circles around nearly anyone, but challenging villages, Sage Lands, all on my own?
That wasn't something I could do.
That required more.
To reach that level, one would need at least either Wood Release or the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Neither of which I had.
The many Kekkei Genkai weren't weak, but they merely made me invincible within my level. They didn't allow me to reach a higher one.
The Tenseigan. It all came down to me needing the Tenseigan.
But how to awaken it!?
I was planning to use Isshiki to achieve that... but I still hadn't found him.
So, how else?
Did I have to go to the Moon and find the descendants of Hamura?
It might be possible. I did know how to get there. The secret entrance wasn't a secret to me, who had watched the world for a thousand years.
And the clan should more or less be all gone by now.
The civil war should be over, right?
It was annoying to no end that I had been unable to keep track of them.
I couldn't even rely on Zetsu to collect information for me.
But as long as I could ensure they couldn't use the Giant Tenseigan against me, they shouldn't be a challenge, even if there were still a few left.
After all, even if the war wasn't over, it shouldn't be far from it, and their overall strength should already be spent.
Yes, there wasn't anything else that seemed important right now. Zetsu would handle Orochimaru, and if I got my hands on the Giant Tenseigan, I might be able to use its ability to observe the world to find Isshiki.
It would also allow my strength to rise to another level, making all future plans far easier.
Yes, I would bring Kakuzu out to the Moon when we left. He would be able to help me a little, and he would mostly be interested in money and care little for anything else.
Far better than bringing attention from someone like Orochimaru.
With my mind made up, I turned my head upwards. Even if there was no need, my Byakugan beheld the Moon. Even in daylight, I could see it.
The Hyūga didn't know why the Byakugan could see the Moon, despite it being far out of their range, but I did.
The Moon was my seal. Within it was my body, and my chakra allowed all Byakugan to see its glow.
"Children of Hamura, for a thousand years you have watched over my body... now it's time you pay for it. And Hamura... you unfilial child, I gave you your strength. Your chakra belongs to me, and now it's time I take it all back!" I spoke aloud to the Moon, making a silent promise to myself.
(End of chapter)
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