Naruto's Strongest Force

Konoha Village.

Hokage’s Office.

Neji Hyuga quickly returned to report after his task.

However, the news he brought was that the Uchiha were unwilling to sell the properties, only to lease them.

The Third Hokage took a puff of his pipe. “Did Fugaku mention anything else?”

Neji, adhering to the principle of “the less said, the fewer mistakes,” shook his head.

“Who did the Uchiha assign to handle these matters?”

Managing those properties wasn’t a simple task as it involved more than just a few stores.

Neji replied, “Fugaku didn’t assign anyone. He asked me to manage it.”

The Third Hokage was momentarily surprised but then nodded. “Understood.”

Seeing that the Hokage had nothing more to say, Neji took his leave.

Left alone in the office, the Third Hokage pondered. The Hyuga clan wasn’t being reprimanded by the Uchiha? He had been the mastermind behind the previous incident, with Danzo as the instigator and the Hyuga as the executors.

He had anticipated that the Uchiha might seek retribution, but Fugaku seemed indifferent to the matter. Was it because Fugaku and Neji were too close?

The Hokage had sent the Hyuga to deal with this matter as a test. If the Uchiha and Hyuga broke their alliance, he could then try to pull the Hyuga to his side.

Unexpectedly, the Uchiha had not pursued the matter, and instead, entrusted Neji to manage the properties. This development left the Hokage somewhat anxious as he tapped his pipe on the table. The Uchiha had become a looming threat, and he still hadn’t found a solution. Meanwhile, the Fire Daimyo had already started promoting new culinary businesses. What would happen next was uncertain.

Knock knock knock…

Just as the Hokage was deep in thought, there was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

The one who entered was an Anbu messenger from the communications division, responsible for delivering important missives.

“Hokage-sama, there’s an urgent message from Jiraiya-sama!”

The Anbu handed over a scroll and then left.

It was rare for Jiraiya to send an urgent message, so the Hokage’s heart tightened with concern. He quickly unrolled the scroll and read its contents. To his surprise, a rare smile spread across his face.

After a moment of contemplation, the Third Hokage penned several letters.

“Someone, come here.”

An attendant immediately entered the room.

“Send these to the Akimichi clan, the Nara clan…” the Hokage instructed.

“Yes, sir!”

…

Kamui Space.

Obito Uchiha moved across the stone platforms within Kamui’s dimension, still uncertain of all its secrets. Certain places within this dimension corresponded with locations in the real world, allowing him to travel vast distances quickly.

Before long, Obito emerged at the border of the Land of Fire, where he found Zetsu rising from the ground.

“Why is the Land of Water out of control?” Zetsu asked, puzzled.

Using his Mayfly technique, Zetsu could merge with the earth and vegetation, enabling swift movement while cutting off all his chakra presence. This made him the perfect intelligence operative.

After Obito had traveled to the Land of Water, he had stationed Zetsu in Konoha, hoping he might gather information. Meanwhile, Danzo had resumed his activities in Konoha, giving Zetsu the chance to further their information network. However, Obito’s plans in the Land of Water had gone awry.

Obito’s voice was low. “I found someone well-suited to join the organization, but Uchiha Natsuki appeared and disrupted everything.”

“The Fourth Mizukage under your control wasn’t a match for him?” Zetsu asked in disbelief.

Obito let out a cold snort. “It’s more than that. I took a serious loss against him.”

Zetsu was shocked. “Even Yagura in tailed-beast form couldn’t defeat him?”

Obito scoffed. “It’s worse than that. I barely escaped with my life.”

“Natsuki Uchiha is really that powerful?” Zetsu found it hard to believe.

Ever since Natsuki had risen within the Uchiha leadership, Obito’s plans had been repeatedly thwarted. His attempts to recruit Itachi had failed, and his plans in the Land of Water had been ruined. With several revenue streams cut off, he now had no choice but to abandon his dealings with Danzo.

Obito’s face darkened. “His Mangeky? Sharingan ability directly counters mine.”

Having suffered twice at Natsuki’s hands, Obito had narrowly survived each time by using Izanagi. However, Madara’s stock of Sharingan was now running low.

Zetsu’s mind raced. The fact that Natsuki could neutralize Obito’s Kamui space was a significant problem for their future plans. Worse still, Natsuki wasn’t the only Uchiha with the Mangeky?. There were also Fugaku and Itachi, both of whom were dangerous. Shisui might even be another Mangeky? user, which meant that Obito’s strength was no longer enough.

Zetsu mused aloud, “Even with Hashirama cells, relying on only one Mangeky? limits your power.”

Obito understood the hint but hesitated when he thought of Kakashi. He fell silent for a moment.

“I don’t want to be tied to my past anymore,” Obito said, though his words rang hollow.

Zetsu laughed darkly. “If you don’t make a decision soon, you’ll never complete the Moon’s Eye Plan. You’ll never see Rin again.”

“Shut up! Don’t say her name!” Obito roared, his expression twisted with rage.

Zetsu immediately fell silent, knowing that was enough to push Obito. After a brief pause, Obito calmed down.

“Let’s go to the Uchiha compound. I need to replenish my Sharingan supply.”

Was Konoha’s Uchiha compound far away? No, just a few kilometers.

Zetsu didn’t correct Obito, allowing him to rationalize his actions. Activating Kamui, Obito vanished with Zetsu, disappearing into the void.

…

Land of Fields Border.

Natsuki was leisurely flying on his sand cushion when he suddenly heard a pleasant female voice behind him.

“Please wait, Natsuki-sama.”

Turning around, Natsuki saw Konan descending rapidly on her paper wings.

Standing up on his sand cushion, Natsuki raised an eyebrow. “What brings you here? I thought I asked for Nagato to come himself.”

Konan’s expression shifted slightly; she wasn’t sure how much Natsuki knew about Nagato’s situation. She changed tactics, replying, “We went to Otogakure to find you, but Itachi said you had just left, so I hurried to catch up.”

Natsuki suddenly realized that Nagato’s limited mobility had slipped his mind. It seemed they had missed each other.

Seeing Konan’s glance at his sand cushion, Natsuki casually said, “Alright, I get it. Where’s Nagato now?”

“Please follow me, Natsuki-sama,” Konan said, flapping her wings to take flight.

After a short while, Konan noticed that Natsuki was far behind, flying at a snail’s pace. She quickly returned, seeing him still leisurely floating on the slow-moving sand cushion.

Natsuki grinned. “Sorry, my ride isn’t as fast as yours.”

Konan was taken aback. She recognized the technique as Sunagakure’s sand cushion, known for its slow speed. Unable to rush him, she could only fly alongside him at his unhurried pace.

Become a Patron to read chapters ahead of public release and support me 😉

30 chapters ahead are available on Patron!