Chapter 423: Undercurrents Stirring
Along his route.
Sai put his expertise as a professional shinobi to full use, launching a meticulous investigation throughout the Land of Valleys. He focused particularly on the medical tech firms operating in the area.
Sure enough, just as the Hokage had warned, hidden forces were actively moving in the shadows—the medical corporations scattered across the Land of Valleys were definitely compromised.
Over the course of ten days, Sai failed to pick up any direct trace of Lady Tsunade, but he did uncover several critical pieces of intel.
Within the Land of Valleys, covert operatives had infiltrated various medical device companies, systematically stealing technological blueprints and equipment specs belonging to other nations.
"Just what kind of faction is behind this? Is it simply cutthroat corporate espionage between rival companies?"
Under normal circumstances, corporate rivalry was the most logical explanation. Techniques like this were standard practice; whether shinobi existed or not, spies were an inevitability.
However, after tracking the trail of stolen intel, Sai made a startling discovery: the ultimate employer wasn't a corporate rival at all, but rather a prominent local clan.
This clan operated as its own shinobi force. Every single member had been fitted with advanced scientific shinobi tools, and they maintained an airtight surveillance grid over their estate—forcing Sai to retreat without gaining entry.
"To guard themselves so thoroughly... something is definitely amiss. Could it be that this clan kidnapped Lady Tsunade to force her to accelerate their medical equipment development?"
The thought crossed Sai's mind, though he quickly questioned its plausibility. You don't need to kidnap Lady Tsunade to get her help—all you have to do is catch her at a gambling table and beat her in a high-stakes match, and she'll happily work to pay off the debt. After all, she still carries the prestige of the Fifth Hokage.
Thus, Sai pivoted his theory toward other possibilities. He could only hope she hadn't been captured and dragged off somewhere to serve as a lab test subject.
...
The capital of the Land of Valleys.
Swarming aircraft filled the skies overhead, performing real-time scans across every sector using chakra sensors and thermal imaging technology. On the ground below, shinobi sentries stood guard at strict intervals.
Deep within a towering structure, a massive figure sat perched atop a colossal throne.
"Lord Boro, an intruder has been probing into the internal intelligence of various medical equipment firms. Their tradecraft is exceptionally refined—it closely matches our profile of Konoha's ANBU," a fully cybernetically augmented subordinate reported, bowing low before the throne.
"Hmph. Konoha's lapdogs, are they? Keen as always," the massive figure muttered. "However, engaging them directly right now would be unwise. Prepare everything for transfer—we're leaving immediately. Leave behind a single shell company for them to pick through."
Now was not the time to clash head-on with Konoha; his cult had not yet fully spread its roots, and their organizational foundation was still in its infancy. Furthermore, the leak of corporate information had been intentionally engineered by them in the first place—a misdirection to prevent anyone from realizing the organization had already breached top-tier scientific shinobi tool laboratories across the major nations.
"Everything has been arranged," the subordinate replied. "By the time they finish investigating, all they will learn is that Tsunade spent a brief period at that company before leaving on her own accord."
"Good. How is the propagation of the Otsutsuki Faith progressing? Has anyone caught wind of us?"
"Not at present. Even the Shinobi Alliance merely assumes our group was founded by devout worshippers of the Otsutsuki, given all the ancient Otsutsuki ruins uncovered over the past two years."
In truth, their entire purpose was to manifest the true ideology of the Otsutsuki.
"Excellent. Technology is still advancing at a rapid pace, and we can grow far stronger yet. Until our scientific progress hits a hard bottleneck, we must avoid direct confrontation with Konoha and the other major villages."
Boro felt thoroughly satisfied with the execution of their recent strategy.
As for Konoha or the Shinobi Alliance catching wind of subtle clues, that came as no surprise. So long as they operated within the Shinobi World, evading the Alliance's vast intelligence network entirely was impossible. The key lay in controlling which pieces of information were exposed and which remained strictly hidden.
"Understood, Lord Boro. I will make the preparations at once," the subordinate bowed deeply and withdrew.
The giant throne slowly sank into the floor, carrying Boro out of sight along with it, leaving behind a silent, vacant hall.
...
The Village Hidden in the Mist.
"Chojuro, I'm leaving the mantle of Mizukage in your hands! I'm off to find my Prince Charming. See ya!"
Mei Terumi placed the Mizukage hat atop Chojuro's head and planted a soft kiss on his cheek, causing Chojuro's entire face to turn bright red from heat overload.
Mei let out a bright laugh and strolled away, leaving the senior council members of the Mist Village shaking their heads in utter disbelief.
She was still so young! To throw in the towel after serving as Mizukage for only a few short years... Elder Genbu had truly misjudged her character. Comparing her to Konoha's Third Hokage or the Hidden Stone's Third Tsuchikage—who served dedicatedly for decades—was downright embarrassing.
At least there was Sunagakure, where Kazekage tended to die young anyway.
Regaining his composure, Chojuro settled onto the Mizukage's throne. "First item on the agenda: as you all know, the development of scientific shinobi tools has become a primary target for every major village. The Hidden Mist cannot afford to lag behind."
"Understood, Lord Mizukage," Ao led the response.
Having served multiple generations of Mizukage and established merit during the Fourth Great Ninja War, Ao stood as one of the Mist Village's most respected elders. Many high-level affairs required his personal touch, and guiding Chojuro to become a capable Mizukage was chief among his duties.
"Lord Mizukage, recent intelligence indicates that scientific shinobi tool development labs across various nations have suffered data breaches, leading to the illicit distribution of technical designs. We must take defensive precautions," Ao added, reporting on the immediate state of affairs.
Chojuro nodded thoughtfully. "Understood. If my strength as Mizukage is required for anything, I will step up personally. My current capabilities are a far cry from what they used to be."
He had trained rigorously within the physical conditioning systems, pushing himself through multi-gravity taijutsu routines that elevated his hand-to-hand combat skills to the top tier of the entire Shinobi Alliance. Coupled with his mastery over various Ninjutsu and enhanced kenjutsu, he was a force to be reckoned with.
...
The Village Hidden in the Clouds.
"Aw yeah! Yours truly finally passed the Ninja Association's evaluation! One-Star Music Shinobi—how awesome is that?! This title proves without a doubt that I'm the most talented singing shinobi in the Hidden Cloud!"
Killer Bee stepped out of the Ninja Association building, doing a lively victory dance down the street.
Passersby turned to stare, while those familiar with his goals stepped forward to congratulate him on achieving the One-Star Music Shinobi title.
"Is there really any reason to be this proud? You spent a mountain of money, hired countless vocal coaches, and traveled all over the world just to snag a lousy One-Star rating... It's downright embarrassing!" Gyuki, the Eight-Tails, groaned from within his inner space, cringing on his behalf.
To think he spent all those years pulling stunt after stunt just for a single title—what was there to be so thrilled about?
"Look at Master Gold! Ever since he earned his One-Star rating, he's been going on concert tours everywhere and blowing up in popularity across all Five Great Nations! Meanwhile, you're throwing a parade over a tiny milestone... Good grief!"
"What do you know?! My music will surpass Master Gold's sooner or later! I'll become the ultimate Music Shinobi—Three Stars! My goal is Three Stars!" Killer Bee flashed a confident thumb-up, declaring his resolve.
"Three Stars? I sure hope I don't have to listen to you sing that awful racket every single day... The more I hear it, the more my ears bleed."
Yet despite his complaints, Gyuki made no attempt to block out Bee's voice.
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