"You don't know?"
Uchiha Su looked at Hōzuki Gengetsu with visible surprise.
Gengetsu scratched the back of his head awkwardly before replying honestly.
"I really don't know. I've never studied these things in detail," he said candidly. "Even if I had known about them, it wouldn't have made much difference. In our era, who had the luxury to worry about such theoretical matters?"
He leaned back lazily in his chair.
"Back during the Warring States Period, children only a few years old were already being sent to the battlefield. Under those circumstances, the only thing that mattered was learning whatever method of training made you stronger as quickly as possible."
Hearing this, Uchiha Su suddenly remembered something.
Hōzuki Gengetsu was not simply the laid-back Mizukage he appeared to be. He was also a veteran ninja who had survived the brutal Warring States Period.
However, Gengetsu's lively and carefree personality often made Su forget that the man had already lived through countless battles and tragedies.
Su silently handed over the official documents he had just approved.
Gengetsu accepted them and began reviewing the contents carefully.
Although he disliked dealing with complicated village administration and usually left most of those tasks to Gensui, that did not mean he lacked the ability to understand such matters.
After reading through the documents processed by Su, Gengetsu raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"I always knew you were clever," he said with genuine admiration. "But I didn't expect you to handle these village affairs so efficiently."
He placed the documents down and looked at Su with a thoughtful expression.
"It seems that if you really become the Mizukage in the future, you would be quite qualified for the position."
Uchiha Su smiled faintly.
"So you still didn't believe in my abilities before?"
Gengetsu frowned slightly.
"Your smile looks very strange," he muttered.
Every time Uchiha Su smiled like that, Gengetsu felt an uncomfortable sensation. The boy suddenly looked like a cunning old fox plotting something behind the scenes.
The most unsettling part was Su's age.
After all, he was only six years old—barely approaching seven.
Seeing such an expression on a child's face made the situation feel strangely awkward.
Su seemed to notice Gengetsu's reaction.
"How about now?" he asked with a brighter and more innocent smile.
This time his expression appeared much more natural and childlike.
However, Gengetsu felt even more uncomfortable.
"Forget it," he sighed helplessly. "Now the feeling is even stranger."
Su chuckled softly before changing the subject.
"Is there anyone in the village who specializes in bridge construction?"
Gengetsu blinked.
"A bridge builder?"
He scratched his head again.
"This is a ninja village," he said with a shrug. "If you asked me to find someone skilled in assassination or infiltration, that would be easy. But where would I find someone who knows how to build bridges?"
Su thought for a moment before responding.
"In that case, send someone to invite a man named Tazuna from the Land of Waves. He is an expert in bridge construction."
While staying in the Land of Waves, Su had secretly gathered information about the local population.
Even at this time, Tazuna already possessed a small reputation as a talented bridge engineer.
Gengetsu nodded without hesitation.
"Alright. I'll arrange for someone to invite him."
Although being ordered around by a six-year-old child made him feel slightly embarrassed at first, Gengetsu had gradually grown accustomed to it.
In fact, after working together for some time, he had begun to trust Su's judgment.
Su stretched his arms and walked toward the large window in the office building.
Through the glass, he could see the mist-covered landscape of the Hidden Mist Village.
From this vantage point, the village looked calm and peaceful.
The recent migration of the Uchiha clan had gone surprisingly smoothly.
Compared with what might have happened, the entire event had been almost bloodless.
That was both good and bad.
The good side was obvious: no large-scale conflict had erupted.
But the downside was that many people in the village still remained uncertain about the sudden arrival of the powerful Uchiha clan.
"Will you support me in the future?"
Su suddenly spoke.
Gengetsu looked up in confusion.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Have I not been supporting you this whole time?"
From the moment Gengetsu lost to Uchiha Madara, he had publicly welcomed the Uchiha clan into the Hidden Mist Village.
Even though the village had its own internal problems, it was still one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
If Gengetsu had truly opposed their arrival, the situation would never have remained peaceful.
"So that's how it is…"
Su spoke quietly while facing the window.
Gengetsu watched the boy's back and suddenly felt something unusual.
For a brief moment, the six-year-old child seemed strangely lonely.
It felt as if he was carrying many thoughts that he could not share with anyone.
Gengetsu unexpectedly felt a trace of sympathy.
Far away, in another village…
Konoha.
Inside the Hokage's office, Senju Tobirama sat behind his desk with a stern expression.
The atmosphere in the room felt tense.
Several Anbu operatives stood quietly nearby.
"So," Tobirama said coldly, "can someone explain to me what this phrase means?"
He lifted a document from the desk.
"The orthodox Konoha is in the Hidden Mist."
His sharp gaze swept across the Anbu operatives.
"Hokage-sama," said the Anbu ninja with the codename Baku, speaking carefully. "We are currently investigating the source of this rumor."
Tobirama suddenly slammed his hand on the desk.
"Danzo, are you an idiot?"
The room immediately fell silent.
"Why are you wasting time investigating the origin of this rumor?" Tobirama continued angrily.
"It is obvious that the message was spread by those Uchiha who fled to the Hidden Mist!"
Danzo's eyelids twitched slightly beneath his mask.
"Hokage-sama," he said awkwardly, "I am currently serving as an Anbu operative. Using my real name like that violates operational protocol."
Tobirama narrowed his eyes.
"Danzo, do you really believe that simply hiding behind a codename prevents people from knowing who you are?"
Several other Anbu captains standing nearby began trembling slightly.
They were clearly trying to suppress their laughter.
After all, the group of Anbu present in the Hokage's office consisted almost entirely of elite squad leaders.
There were not many such individuals in the entire village.
Everyone knew each other's identities already.
Danzo felt deeply embarrassed.
"That was not my intention, Hokage-sama…"
Despite always strictly following the rules established by Tobirama, he still found himself being scolded.
Deep inside his heart, a quiet ambition began to grow.
One day, he would establish a special organization.
An organization more efficient than the Anbu.
More ruthless.
More loyal.
An organization that would obey only his commands.
Tobirama rubbed his temples, showing clear signs of fatigue.
"Is this rumor spreading only within Konoha?" he asked.
"If that is the case, we must immediately suppress it."
"All of you are experienced ninja. I should not need to explain how such information must be handled."
The pressure on Tobirama had been increasing rapidly in recent weeks.
Forcing the powerful Uchiha clan to leave the village had created significant political tension.
Several major clans had begun questioning the current leadership.
After all, Uchiha Madara was still alive.
If someone as powerful as Madara could be driven out of the village, what would happen to the weaker clans?
Would they suffer an even worse fate?
As for the remaining Uchiha still living inside Konoha…
Tobirama trusted them even less.
Although they behaved obediently on the surface, Tobirama believed that some of them were certainly spies left behind by Madara.
Even though he had promised Hashirama to treat the remaining Uchiha well, Tobirama had no intention of lowering his guard.
After all, if their positions were reversed, he would have done exactly the same thing.
Leaving spies behind was simply common sense.
Danzo spoke again carefully.
"Hokage-sama… according to intelligence reports sent back by our agents…"
"This rumor is not limited to Konoha."
Tobirama looked up sharply.
"It is spreading across all Five Great Villages," Danzo continued.
"And even several smaller ninja villages have begun discussing it."
Tobirama's face darkened.
"In other words…"
"The entire ninja world now knows about Konoha's internal scandal."
He clenched his fists.
"That is not all," Danzo continued cautiously.
"Our intelligence also indicates that the Hidden Mist Village now possesses combat power that may rival Konoha."
"If open conflict were to occur, we would suffer heavy losses in direct battle."
Tobirama felt his irritation growing stronger.
"Damn that Uchiha Madara…"
"When he left the village, he actually took the Nine-Tailed Beast with him."
At present, Konoha no longer possessed any Tailed Beasts.
Meanwhile, the Hidden Mist Village now controlled three.
Originally, the Three-Tails and Six-Tails had been allocated to the Hidden Mist Village during the Five Kage Summit.
Now, with the Nine-Tails taken by Madara, the situation had changed drastically.
Three Tailed Beasts represented a terrifying level of power.
In the entire ninja world, only two people had ever been capable of controlling Tailed Beasts like obedient pets.
Senju Hashirama.
And Uchiha Madara.
For every other ninja, facing a Tailed Beast meant confronting almost certain death.
And that reality made the current balance of power far more dangerous than anyone wanted to admit.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)