The Highest-Level Mole

"Fifth Hokage? What new scheme are you up to now?"

Tsunade asked in confusion. She knew that the person before her was exceptionally skilled at plotting. Whenever he slapped his head, there was a ninety-nine percent chance it meant no good.

Hyuga Mirai then told her about the recent events in the Ninja World: Iwa-nin and Konoha joining forces to attack the Rain Country, as well as the Uchiha Clan’s impending extermination.

After listening, Tsunade widened her beautiful eyes and looked at Hyuga Mirai. "Don’t tell me you had a hand in this too."

"Don’t pin this on me. The Second Shinobi World War was the same. I hadn’t even been born back then. You should know perfectly well why Konoha took the initiative to start that war. It’s the same situation now, except Suna-nin have been replaced by Iwa-nin."

Hyuga Mirai replied irritably. As for the Uchiha matter, he did not explain much. He had indeed played a part in it, but he had merely accelerated things. The main reason was that the Konoha Higher-ups did not trust the Uchiha Clan and were unwilling to accept them.

"Another war… That old man really is…"

Tsunade did not directly say the word "scourge," preserving the last shred of dignity between master and disciple. The Second Shinobi World War had been the battle that made her famous, so she naturally understood its inner workings better than anyone.

Internally, Konoha claimed that the rise of Amegakure would endanger Konoha and the Ninja World. Hanzo was said to be militaristic and obsessed with becoming the Sixth Hokage, bringing extremely harmful consequences to the countries surrounding Konoha.

Externally, they claimed Konoha wanted revenge for the Second Hokage. Yet their spear had somehow struck the Rain Country instead. Hanzo had truly been wronged back then. The fact that he had restrained himself from attacking the Sannin really did make him worthy of being called the Ninja Demi-God—because he was very good at enduring.

The situation was the same now. The Rain Country had begun cooperating with the Saudi Federation. Although Konoha and Iwa-nin did not know how far that cooperation had progressed, the moment they noticed any sign of it, they would suppress it without hesitation.

The Rain Country was the only small country serving as a buffer between the Saudi Federation, the Land of Fire, and the Earth Country. If the Rain Country also sided with the Saudi Federation, the friction between the three countries would only grow worse. They might even end up fighting small battles every few days.

"The Hokage position is such a hassle. You should have some other method, right?"

Tsunade turned her head aside and muttered. She had only just immersed herself in developing ninjutsu. If she went back to become Hokage, she would definitely be tied down by trivial matters again, with endless worries piling up.

Unlike the Third Hokage, she had no attachment to power whatsoever. To her, power was nothing but a burden.

"There is another way, but without your cooperation, many wars might still break out, just like they have now."

Hyuga Mirai spoke slowly. "In the Ninja World, economic disparity is what most easily fuels the rise of the Martial faction. War can bring benefits too, but if someone cooperates with me, it can promote unification and peace much faster."

"Tsunade, if you help me, it will be of tremendous assistance. If you hate dealing with miscellaneous affairs by then, I’ll help you through the terminal. Communication is convenient enough anyway."

With all the Hokage on my side, how could the remaining Konoha Ninja Clans possibly keep playing? As long as Tsunade kept approving documents and signing them, Hyuga Mirai was confident that he could completely control Konoha’s economy within three years. Even Ninja Clans with their own industries would be powerless.

As long as they could not form a self-sufficient domestic cycle, under the sanctions of a powerful economic system, the Ninja Clans would have no choice but to open up and join in. Otherwise, only death awaited them. In severe cases, they might not even be able to buy rice or flour.

This war had come somewhat suddenly, but fortunately, the Rain Country stood at the front and helped the Saudi Federation avert disaster. If Tsunade cooperated from within Konoha, the situation would certainly be far better than it was now.

"You really are good at persuading people…"

Tsunade sighed, her tone softening considerably. The moment she said that, she had essentially agreed to Hyuga Mirai’s request.

Moreover, Hyuga Mirai’s Chakra influence remained within Tsunade, making her attitude toward him extremely subtle. She found it almost impossible to refuse some of his requests and favors.

"Thank you, Tsunade."

Hyuga Mirai smiled and thanked her. Then he pointed at the Curse Mark on her neck and continued.

"That thing—do you want me to remove it for you? The Curse Mark contains my Spiritualization Clone and Yin Release Chakra. And now that your body has completely adapted to Natural Energy, you can gain control of the most perfect Sage Mode through surgery."

Cursed Seal Sage Mode itself was not much of an issue. Other than the overly violent absorption of Natural Energy causing some changes in the body, its abilities were basically the same as Perfect Sage Mode.

What Hyuga Mirai was asking about was the Spiritualization Clone and Yin Release Chakra within the Curse Mark. Those still had some influence on Tsunade, subtly changing her attitude toward Hyuga Mirai. After all, Yin Release Chakra affected a person’s brain. Every time Tsunade entered Cursed Seal Sage Mode, she was influenced once more.

After hearing this, Tsunade thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Forget it. Since I’m returning to Konoha, there’s no need to change those things for now. It’ll save them from noticing that something is off."

"Fine, I’ll listen to you. But the genetic modification injection suited to you has already been developed. Remember to pick it up before you leave. Don’t worry, it won’t be as perverted as Orochimaru’s. It’s the normal version."

Hyuga Mirai then spoke with Tsunade about some other matters. Most of them were recorded in the terminal, but given Tsunade’s personality, she was probably too lazy to search through them herself. So before she headed to Konoha, Hyuga Mirai explained them to her properly.

During their conversation, Hyuga Mirai also told Tsunade about Jiraiya’s death. She had to learn about it eventually, and Hyuga Mirai had already kept it from her for quite some time.

When Tsunade heard the news, her expression seemed calm, but the faint tremble at the corner of her eyes revealed that her heart was far from peaceful.

Although she had barely interacted with Jiraiya after leaving Konoha, they had still been teammates who had grown up together.

"That idiot who always lived in his dreams… Ninja are probably the ones who need people filled with ideals the least."

Neither a tool nor someone who had found the right path, Jiraiya’s death seemed like an inevitability—he had been destined to be cast aside by the new era.

Tsunade and Jiraiya were not as close as they would be ten years later. To put it plainly, they had barely contacted each other for nearly a decade. The relationship among the Sannin was simply that of teammates who could entrust their lives to one another. When Tsunade joined Hyuga Mirai’s side, she had already developed a sense of betrayal toward Konoha. Combined with how much time had passed, when she heard this news, she was only saddened for a while—for a teammate of more than ten years.

Afterward, Tsunade dragged Hyuga Mirai out for a drink, intending to drink to their hearts’ content.

Hyuga Mirai knew she was not in a good mood, so he went along with her. Drinking in the base felt like nothing, so the two went to an Izakaya in the nearest town. The alcohol there did not taste as good as the few bottles Hyuga Mirai had brought Tsunade, but the atmosphere was much better.

Tsunade truly drank fiercely. Even with Hyuga Mirai’s constitution, by the end, if he did not use Chakra to purge the alcohol from his body, his head would become groggy.

Once Tsunade passed out drunk, Hyuga Mirai sent her back to the Tea Country Base before leaving.

"Itachi, I failed. Danzo simply doesn’t trust me. He took one of my Sharingan, and now I no longer have the ability to stop the Uchiha Clan’s coup d’état. I’m entrusting everything to you."

After saying only those words to Uchiha Itachi, Shisui Uchiha jumped into the river and killed himself.

Several days later, the Uchiha clansmen found Shisui Uchiha’s corpse downstream. His eyes had been gouged out, and he had soaked in the river for days. If not for his clothes and Ninja Tool Pouch, the Uchiha Clan might not even have recognized that this was their famous Body Flicker Shisui.

Shisui Uchiha’s death was undoubtedly a heavy blow to them. He had been a symbol of the Uchiha Clan’s strength. Body Flicker Shisui, who had seemed capable of handling any mission, had actually been killed after having his eyes gouged out.

Although Shisui’s suicide note had been found upstream, after seeing the corpse, no one believed that Shisui Uchiha had killed himself.

There were two suspects within the clan. One was the Konoha Higher-ups, and the other was Uchiha Itachi.

There was no need to explain the Konoha Higher-ups. Given the current relationship between the two sides, it would not have been strange for them to target Shisui Uchiha. Only, Shisui’s suicide note was far too suspicious. It was very likely forged by someone with the Sharingan.

As for Uchiha Itachi, who had been close to Shisui, behaved suspiciously, and remained busy with the Anbu, he naturally came under the suspicion of the other clansmen.

But without evidence, they could not directly make a move against the clan head’s son.

In a quiet forest outside the Uchiha Compound, where Itachi and Shisui often trained, Uchiha Itachi began using the place to meet with the so-called "Madara Uchiha" after Shisui’s death.

"Have you made your decision? It seems Body Flicker Shisui’s death did not make them abandon the idea of a coup d’état. Instead, they’ve become even more radical."

Uchiha Obito suddenly appeared behind Uchiha Itachi using Kamui. Wearing a mask and altering his voice, no one would have imagined that the man calling himself Madara Uchiha was actually a hero carved upon the Memorial Stone.

"By myself, I can’t eliminate the entire Uchiha Clan. I need you to deal with the Military Police Force. Only then can this succeed."

Even though Shisui’s death had awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, Uchiha Itachi did not become careless because of it. Shisui had been stronger than him and had also possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, yet he had still died.

If he wanted to protect the Uchiha Clan’s reputation, then he had to bear all the darkness himself. Uchiha Itachi had already prepared himself for that. He was only lacking in strength, which was why he had agreed to cooperate with this man claiming to be Madara Uchiha.

Furthermore, the Konoha Higher-ups did not seem to have left him a third option. If he did not deal with the Uchiha Clan, then Root and the Anbu would act against the Uchiha Clan under the pretext of rebellion.

"Of course. I have no interest in laying a hand on ordinary Uchiha clansmen either. In that case, I’ll leave those people to you. Once you finish this, you probably won’t be able to remain in Konoha. When that time comes, join the Akatsuki."

Uchiha Obito spoke. He needed Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Whether for Izanagi or to eliminate the possibility of other Uchiha awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, every Ninja in the Uchiha Clan had to die.

"Oh, and the Yasunori Trading Company is currently the one doing business with the Uchiha Clan. Before the coup d’état, someone from the Uchiha intends to meet with people from the Yasunori Trading Company near Konoha. It’s probably related to the coup d’état."

"Is that so? I understand." Uchiha Itachi spoke indifferently. When he opened his eyes again, they had already become Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

"You don’t need to get involved in this matter at all, Itachi."

Uchiha Obito shook his head. "Leak the information to Danzo. He’ll be more than happy to deal with it."