Deep into the quiet of the night, the silver tabby—unwilling to return only to see Maru fawning over her again at dawn—curled up in her pink cat bed and fell asleep. Her soft fur rose and fell gently with each breath.
Ren, however, felt no urgency to rest.
Leaning against the window, he calmly sorted through everything that had transpired during the clan assembly earlier that day.
Moonlight filtered through the lattice, casting shifting shadows across his sharply defined profile.
His thoughts eventually settled on a bounty hunter—Kakuzu.
A rogue ninja from Takigakure who had yet to join the Akatsuki, Kakuzu possessed genuine Kage-level strength. In the current shinobi world, that alone allowed him to move freely in most situations.
Coupled with his peculiar sense of professional integrity and his obsessive greed for money, he remained useful despite his volatile temperament and bloodstained hands.
As a transmigrator who had gradually taken control of the hawkish faction, Ren had no intention of letting such a tool go to waste.
Under the guise of the ninja cats, he had already commissioned Kakuzu for multiple covert operations.
Assassinating Kumogakure shinobi and framing Konoha had been just one example.
"As for the coming conflict with Kirigakure…" Ren murmured inwardly, his gaze deepening. "There may be room to reach an understanding with their frontline command."
His thoughts began to sharpen.
At present, Kirigakure was not yet under the rule of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, but rather the Third Mizukage—the one who had already begun implementing the infamous "Blood Mist" policy.
At its core lay a brutal reform of the ninja academy's graduation exam.
What had once been a test of teamwork had been transformed into a survival elimination.
Students of the same cohort were forced to slaughter one another until only half remained.
The rest were executed.
A system glorified as a means to forge elite shinobi through bloodshed.
Yet the Third Mizukage himself—neither from a bloodline clan nor possessing overwhelming strength—lacked the authority to fully enforce such extremity.
According to intelligence gathered by Kakuzu and the ninja cats, he had begun deliberately stirring conflict between bloodline clans and civilian shinobi.
By encouraging suppression from one side and resentment from the other, he aimed to escalate tensions—effectively achieving the same brutal elimination.
Ren's eyes turned cold.
"This method…"
"Most likely, the Third Mizukage is already being manipulated—kept barely alive and controlled from the shadows by Uchiha Madara."
The power of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan needed no explanation. At this stage of the shinobi world, anyone caught in its gaze was doomed.
It also explained something else.
Why, later in the war, the Three-Tails—a strategic asset of Kirigakure—would end up sealed inside a mere genin like Nohara Rin.
And how that would lead Kakashi to kill her with his own hands… driving Uchiha Obito, who witnessed it, into despair—awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan amidst the collapse of everything he believed in.
A plan laid out long in advance.
"So… how to communicate with Kirigakure, and more importantly—how to profit from it?"
Even though civilian shinobi occasionally rose to prominence, the backbone of every major hidden village still lay in bloodline and secret technique users.
Which meant—
Kirigakure's frontline command would undoubtedly include elites from such clans.
And that created an opening.
The Third Mizukage's policies would never gain the support of bloodline clans.
Especially not the Hōzuki Clan—the foremost clan of Kirigakure.
Their former leader, Hōzuki Gengetsu, had risen through sheer strength to become the Second Mizukage.
To them, the current Third Mizukage—originally subordinate to the Second—was nothing more than a failure.
At the same time, he held no favor among civilian shinobi.
Because under a survival system, those who would die in greatest numbers… were the children of ordinary families.
How could those who clawed their way up to jōnin from nothing accept such a system?
And yet—
In the world Kishimoto had created, shinobi were conditioned to obey.
Orders flowed downward. Compliance was absolute.
Even if nobles insulted them to their faces, they would bow their heads like obedient hounds.
How much more so when it came to their own Kage?
As long as it was handled carefully, the Blood Mist policy would inevitably be enforced.
Then, under the Fourth Mizukage—controlled by Obito—Kirigakure would descend fully into the true "Village of Bloody Mist," driven by vengeance and manipulation.
Ren's thoughts aligned.
"Bloodline clans. Civilian shinobi. The Third Mizukage."
"As long as this triangular conflict is handled properly… the Uchiha will profit."
"And for me—there are two gains."
"One: leverage Kirigakure to pressure Konoha. Accumulate strength quietly, delay open ambition."
"Two: seize the Three-Tails."
His mind drifted briefly to a boy who had yet to awaken his Sharingan.
Uchiha Obito.
Still a dead last.
Still the kind of fool who would help an old lady cross the street.
Ren would not condemn someone for a future that had yet to happen.
In fact—
Handled properly, the Uchiha might gain not a threat…
But a loyal hound.
No—a powerful general.
Over the years, through careful observation—and subtle "training" of Maru and Kasumi—Ren had gathered more than enough data on such personalities.
Obito was simple.
As long as Nohara Rin existed in his world—
He would become an unstoppable warrior of pure devotion.
Remove Rin—
And he would become a madman, trapped within his own broken reality.
"For now… I only need to wait for the outcome of the negotiations between the clan head and Sarutobi Hiruzen."
"After that… Kakuzu can add fuel to the fire."
A faint chill flickered in his eyes.
Once Kumogakure took the first step—crossing into the Land of Fire—
Iwagakure and Sunagakure would descend like wolves drawn to blood.
At that point, war would spread like wildfire.
There would be no room left for hesitation or careful balancing by the Hokage.
"And the Uchiha…"
"Will step out of the most brutal chaos—preserving our strength."
His thoughts settled.
He cast a glance in the direction of Uchiha Mikoto's residence.
"Good night," he murmured softly.
Then he turned away from the window.
The night breeze stirred the hem of his dark yukata.
Nearby, Kasumi twitched her ears in her sleep.
Ren casually tucked a thin blanket around her nest before lying down himself.
For some, the night brought restless thoughts.
For others, peaceful dreams.
Unknowingly, it passed.
The Hokage Tower remained lit throughout the night—like a tireless heart.
Shadows darted in and out, carrying urgent orders.
ANBU operatives flickered through the pre-dawn mist, vanishing beyond Konoha's borders.
Having not slept at all, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood by the window.
Thin trails of smoke rose from his pipe, curling into the morning light.
He watched as Mitokado Homura departed steadily toward the village gates—heading for the Fire Daimyō's court.
Then his gaze shifted.
To the crystal ball on his desk.
Within it appeared Shimura Danzo, moving reluctantly as he prepared to approach the various clans.
A long sigh dissolved into the cool morning air.
"…May everything proceed smoothly."
The rising sun stretched Hiruzen's shadow long across the empty office—
Leaving him standing there, alone.
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