Not far from the Akahane clan's temporary compound, spatial ripples disturbed the air, and a silhouette gradually emerged.
Behind his mask, Xuan was deep in thought. He was almost absolutely certain that Akahane Akira would move against the Kimura and the other two traitorous clans. However, recalling Akira's heavily guarded and suspicious attitude toward him made him grit his teeth. I handed you the keys to the kingdom, yet you still guard against me like a thief. What an ungrateful wolf.
Of course, Xuan wasn't foolish enough to pin all his hopes solely on his own eloquence. He habitually prepared for the worst-case scenario. If he and Akahane Akira eventually had a falling out, he already had a trump card prepared: Kotoamatsukami.
Yes, the very Mangekyō Sharingan visual prowess hailed in the original story as the ultimate Genjutsu—capable of completely rewriting a target's will without them ever realizing they were being manipulated.
However, Xuan was actually highly skeptical of this "ultimate Genjutsu" title. Simply put, there were far too many things labeled "the absolute strongest" in the original story. For instance, Itachi Uchiha's Tsukuyomi was initially hailed as the strongest, unsolvable Genjutsu. Jiraiya's Demonic Illusion: Toad Confrontation Chant in Sage Mode was also dubbed the strongest Genjutsu.
It was abundantly clear just how utterly worthless the title of "the strongest" was in the canon lore. Never mind Genjutsu, who knew how many Ninjutsu had been randomly crowned the strongest? Of course, the most ridiculous and heavily roasted title of all was Hiruzen Sarutobi being hailed as the "Strongest Hokage." Looking at the Third Hokage's actual combat performances later on, Xuan could wrack his brain all day and still not understand how the old man was ever evaluated as the strongest.
Getting back on topic, Xuan harbored genuine doubts about Kotoamatsukami's true efficacy. In the original story, the technique only successfully activated once, when it helped Uchiha Itachi break free from the Reanimation Jutsu. But that only proved it could override the Reanimation command talisman on a single target; it didn't categorically prove it could mind-control absolutely anyone.
One had to understand that all Ninjutsu have an upper power limit. The most classic example was Amaterasu, hailed as the strongest Fire Style, yet its actual combat lethality record was basically a running joke.
The same logic likely applied to Kotoamatsukami. At the very least, Xuan didn't believe using the Jutsu could successfully brainwash the Uchiha Madara of the original timeline. That was precisely why, when he first realized Uchiha Tajima wanted him dead, he didn't directly redeem Kotoamatsukami to mind-control the Patriarch. Firstly, he was afraid the Jutsu activation would be detected by a seasoned three-tomoe user, and secondly, he feared the massive gap in their raw strength would render the control completely ineffective.
Of course, Xuan didn't actually know if Kotoamatsukami's success rate was tied to the user's raw strength. He had never used it, so he could only guess.
Because of this, Xuan treated the technique as an absolute last resort, unwilling to use it unless he was backed into a corner. Moreover, he felt a deep sting in his heart over the cost—it required 15,000 System points! He only had 25,000 points right now. It was much more reliable to hoard his points to purchase a fully matured Mangekyō Sharingan.
After mulling it over a bit more, Xuan decided to visit two other clans before heading back to sleep: the Kimei and the Shokuka.
Previously, these two clans, alongside the Akahane, formed the top three strongest clans of the coalition, each boasting two Peak Jōnin. As for why he used the word previously, the answer was simple. During the bloody ambush, the twelve-clan coalition had lost four Peak Jōnin in total. Two of those casualties belonged to these two clans, while the remaining two were the Clan Heads of the Shiraishi and Eguchi clans.
Xuan's body suddenly blurred, and within a second, he was sucked into a spatial vortex. He was becoming increasingly proficient at using Intangibility. The absolute best part about this defensive phasing was its extremely low demand on his ocular prowess. Compared to the massive chakra drain of the offensive Kamui, one couldn't help but wonder if they were even derived from the same Ninjutsu.
Inside the Kimei clan's temporary compound.
Clan Head Kimei Takuya was endlessly processing his clan's official documents. These past few days had been the absolute busiest period for him.
During the ambush, their clan's Great Elder had perished in a mutual destruction with an Uchiha Shadow Guard. To Takuya, this was an apocalyptic blow. A Peak Jōnin! Even the fourteen great clans of the Land of Fire would weep blood over such a loss, let alone a mid-tier clan like them. This was a devastating strike capable of shaking the very foundations of their lineage.
Fortunately, the alliance had held, and they had successfully seized a massive chunk of the Uchiha's fertile, resource-rich northern territory, which somewhat compensated for the horrific loss.
Unfortunately, with only one Peak Jōnin left, his clan had effectively dropped to the second tier of the alliance hierarchy. Still, with him personally anchoring the clan's strength, their situation wouldn't be too miserable. The first tier now exclusively belonged to the Akahane clan—the only faction still sitting on two Peak Jōnin.
Thinking of this left an incredibly sour, bitter taste in Takuya's mouth.
"Who goes there?!"
Takuya suddenly snapped his head up from his documents, shouting sternly.
The space in front of him rippled, and a figure entirely shrouded in a black cloak eerily appeared. The intruder's aura was incredibly faint, almost completely imperceptible.
Takuya set his writing brush down. A frigid light flashed in his eyes as his hands discreetly blurred through hand seals beneath the desk. The clan's secret technique, Ghost Fire Three Transformations, was primed and ready to fire.
"Clan Head Kimei, do not be impulsive. I harbor no ill will. At the very least, you were only able to successfully ambush the Uchiha thanks to my intelligence. Greeting me with a lethal Ninjutsu right off the bat isn't very polite, is it?"
Xuan's Sharingan clearly saw the man's hand seals through the desk. The three tomoe spun slightly, but he didn't attempt to copy it; he immediately recognized it as a Kekkei Genkai or a clan-exclusive secret Jutsu that couldn't be replicated.
"Oh?" Takuya let out a sound of surprise. His hands stopped forming seals, but he didn't separate them, maintaining a posture where he could unleash the Jutsu at a microsecond's notice. "You were the one who provided the intelligence on the Uchiha clan?"
"Indeed," Xuan replied calmly.
"What is your purpose in seeking me out?" Takuya asked directly. He obviously wouldn't blindly believe a stranger based on a single sentence, but since the mysterious figure hadn't shown any immediate hostility, he didn't mind having a conversation.
"The Uchiha and the Senju have gone to war."
Xuan didn't beat around the bush, instantly dropping a piece of incredibly weighty intelligence.
"What?!"
Takuya's pupils shrank violently. Immediately after, the corners of his mouth twitched upwards as if he wanted to laugh out loud, though he forcibly suppressed the urge.
The sheer deterrent power of the Uchiha is even more terrifying than I imagined. They literally won the last major conflict, yet these minor clans are still buckling under such immense psychological pressure, Xuan thought silently as he took in the Clan Head's expression.
Takuya's gaze toward the mysterious figure softened slightly, though his hands remained unseparated beneath the desk.
"Why are you telling me this? State your true objective."
Xuan let out a bizarre, chakra-altered laugh.
"I just visited Akahane Akira to deliver this exact news. However, he was rather... unfriendly toward me. Acting on the principle of fairness, I specifically came to tell you as well. Oh, by the way, just a friendly reminder: Akahane Akira is already preparing to move against those three traitorous clans led by the Kimura. If you move too slowly, you might not even get a sip of the leftover soup."
"What do you mean by that?!"
Takuya immediately stood up, a flash of genuine anger crossing his face. Deep down, he also desperately wanted to massacre the Kimura and the other traitors to seize their wealth. He had only held back because of the suffocating pressure of the Uchiha's impending retaliation. Now, hearing that the Akahane clan was already making moves to monopolize the spoils, how could he possibly remain calm?
Xuan continued with a sinister chuckle,
"Oh, right. Akahane Akira also mentioned that since they are now the undisputed strongest faction among the twelve clans... if they were to swallow up the other clans step by step, perhaps they could rise to become the fifteenth great clan of the Land of Fire."
By saying this, Xuan was blatantly and unapologetically sowing discord. He didn't even expect Takuya to completely believe him. As long as he planted a sharp thorn of suspicion in the Clan Head's heart, unexpected and delightful surprises would slowly but surely bloom over time.
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