For the first time, Obito stepped into the Land of Rivers, but he felt nothing special about its environment, which was quite similar to the Land of Fire.
It had been a long time since he last sneaked into Konoha to take a look.
Thinking back, who would have imagined that he would become the person he was today?
The envoys from Kumo and Suna had already set off toward Konoha, carrying an official document announcing the formation of a joint investigative team. The document bore the personal signatures of the Interim Raikage and the Kazekage.
With this, Konoha would surely realize the gravity of the situation.
Neither Suna nor Kumo would gamble their village's reputation on such a matter. If they did, their credibility would be utterly destroyed.
The reputation of a ninja village was never about whether they launched surprise attacks or used deception in war—those were expected.
What was interesting was that the suspect truly came from the Land of Fire.
Suna had already begun searching for traces left by the culprit within its territory. Meanwhile, Ame, Kusa, Oto, and Shimo were doing the same. With so many ninja villages working together, it was only natural for things to escalate to this level.
Whoever was behind this must be feeling nervous—this level of scrutiny was unprecedented since the Warring States period.
But it wasn't because he was important—the real target of everyone's efforts was Masashi.
They all wanted to redistribute power.
The Association belonged to Masashi. Forcing him by sheer power was impossible. But if they had a reasonable and justified cause, then everyone would join in.
Except for Iwa. On the surface, it seemed to be holding its ground in a two-front conflict, but in reality, it was already backed into a corner.
The Land of Earth had been too greedy, and it just so happened to be in the perfect position to be "redistributed."
This war, at its core, was sparked by the unequal distribution of benefits from the Association.
"You haven't changed anything—human greed is endless."
Standing on the soil of the Land of Rivers, Obito gazed toward the Land of Fire, his resolve strengthening.
Everything in reality proved that the Eye of the Moon Plan was the only way to end this tragic world.
Even if he one day obtained the Rinnegan, he would not resurrect Rin. That wouldn't be salvation—it would be dragging her back into hell.
Behind Obito, shadows flickered.
They were Kumo's ANBU.
The best trackers and forensic experts in every major ninja village were always within the ANBU ranks.
"Tobiyama-sama." An ANBU agent approached to report. "The scene has been mostly cleared."
Obito turned around.
"Just give me the key points."
"Based on the traces of Water Release, the culprit's proficiency in it is not particularly high. There are also signs of multiple people performing the jutsu together, indicating that the perpetrators were not individually strong but had strength in numbers."
"A group of weak ninjas—how did they precisely locate and take out Konoha's ANBU?" Obito asked. "Can the scene provide a reasonable hypothesis?"
"Further investigation is required."
"Then continue." Obito waved his hand. "Keep this investigative direction in mind, but also consider other possibilities. If you need more manpower, let me know—I'll assign more people."
"Understood." The ANBU retreated.
Along the way, he had observed that Tobiyama, supposedly a newcomer, fit the ANBU's work style perfectly.
He had natural talent for this kind of job.
His leadership was also competent.
While he set high standards for the job, he never compromised on their operational needs—whatever they needed, they got, as long as it was possible.
And he never shifted blame.
As Tobiyama himself put it, they were just there to solve cases. Everything else, he would handle.
Although the ANBU found the job exhausting, they still felt that working under him was relatively comfortable.
The ANBU continued their work.
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Meanwhile, deep within the Land of Fire, in Konoha, Minato had just met with the envoys from Suna and Kumo.
Two official documents lay spread out on his desk. With a serious expression, he glanced at the two envoys standing before him, then returned his gaze to the documents.
"Please wait in the adjacent lounge for a moment. I will provide a response as soon as possible."
"We wouldn't dare refuse." The envoys from Suna and Kumo bowed respectfully before leaving.
Once they were gone, Minato immediately turned to his secretary.
"Notify the Advisor, the Third Hokage, the two elders, and Masashi. Tell them it's urgent and they must come at once."
"Understood, Hokage-sama."
Before long, those summoned had arrived together at his office.
Upon entering, they saw Minato frowning deeply, staring at the documents on his desk.
Just from his expression, they knew the matter was serious.
"Hokage-sama, what exactly happened?" As the Advisor, Fugaku voiced the question on everyone's mind.
"Take a look for yourselves. To be honest, I find it hard to believe." Minato handed the two documents to Fugaku and Hiruzen.
One glance, and their expressions changed. They immediately passed the documents to the next person.
Finally, both documents reached Masashi.
He took one quick look and muttered a single word.
"Shit."
Then he looked up and saw everyone staring at him.
"Don't look at me…" Masashi was frustrated.
The culprit was from the Land of Fire?
He wasn't particularly skilled in forensic investigation, which was why he had directly tracked chakra traces to Ame.
He had considered this possibility before, but…
Killing ANBU operatives—what kind of crime was that? Would people in the Land of Fire really go that far?
It had only been a few years…
Had money become more important than their lives?
These were people of status—there was no need for them to take such risks.
He'd rather believe this was a smokescreen.
"Masashi, the two village envoys are just next door, and both villages have publicly announced this investigation?"
"They openly declared that the culprit is from the Land of Fire?" Masashi considered whether he should walk next door and hit the two envoys with a genjutsu to figure out what their Kage were really up to.
"No, they only announced the formation of a joint investigation team and invited Konoha to participate."
"What about the other nations?"
"The ANBU have been monitoring them, but we haven't received the latest updates yet."
Just as Minato finished speaking, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
The ANBU commander stepped inside, his pace slightly rushed.
"Hokage-sama, latest intel—Ame, Kusa, Oto, and Shimo have all declared their willingness to assist Suna and Kumo in tracking down the true culprit behind the ANBU attacks."
Everyone was shocked.
"So, it really wasn't Kumo?" Hiruzen mused.
"At this point, Suna and Kumo can be considered clear—unless it was an individual act," Koharu noted. "Right now, we are the ones being cornered."
"The one who came up with this plan—I'd really like to meet them," Homura added.
"Then let's investigate—fully. The village's ninja cannot die in vain," Fugaku said, looking at Minato. "Hokage-sama, what do you say?"
"Of course, we'll investigate. But how we do it is another matter," Minato sighed. "If we mishandle this, it could be disastrous for the village."
"Form a joint investigation team, Hokage-sama," Masashi suddenly suggested. "Half our people, half from Suna and Kumo—that should be enough."
"Are you confident, Masashi?"
"A dull blade cuts slowly and painfully. A sharp blade cuts before the pain even registers, Hokage-sama."
He did not participate in the investigation at all.
After all, everyone has their area of expertise, and the professionals in this field work in the ANBU.
To find the real culprit, battle traces alone wouldn't be enough; a lot of non-combat intelligence work was needed.
And when it came to that, Hiruzen was the best.
Masashi figured there was no need for him to get involved—he would just wait for the results.
Once the results were in, then it would be his turn to do what he was good at.
Of course, Minato didn't really believe this excuse. He had a feeling that Masashi was actually quite skilled in this area too.
But when Masashi later approached Kushina to discuss private tutoring, the matter was settled.
So, he didn't join the investigation. The ANBU would handle it.
Only a fool would get involved—who knew how many enemies they would make in the process?
Masashi wasn't that idle. Since he couldn't just kill off the culprits, why bother making enemies?
The investigation teams from the Three Great Ninja Villages were quickly assembled. In fact, there were more than just three. Since Minato figured that if they were going to do it, they might as well go big, he pulled in Kiri, who had originally come to Konoha for negotiations.
This lineup alone was enough to scare the wits out of the various rogue elements lurking in the shadows.
Even Taki, which had been maintaining a neutral stance, got intimidated and agreed to assist.
Meanwhile, Yu, eager to be part of the action, volunteered to lend a hand.
Thus, a grand-scale joint investigation operation was launched, spearheaded by Konoha, Kiri, Kumo, and Suna, with Ame, Kusa, Taki, Otogakure, Shimo, and Yu joining the effort.
With such a force assembled, they could practically walk across the continent unchallenged.
Ninety-nine percent of the obstacles in their way vanished instantly.
This team could go anywhere and investigate anything—except for storming the daimyōs' palaces of the Five Great Nations.
Meanwhile, in the underworld, a silent purge was taking place. Both sides were racing against time.
But no number of dead bodies could stop a ninja investigation.
Even if someone was reduced to ashes, as long as any biological material remained, they could still be traced.
That was because Konoha had played a trump card.
Maybe it was because Hiruzen had once used Edo Tensei to revive an old comrade, but this time, he had decided to authorize its use for the investigation.
Of course, there were strict conditions:
The person being revived had to be proven to have been involved in the incident and to be a key witness. Without interrogating this person, further investigation would be impossible. Their remains had to be recoverable. The Edo Tensei could only use condemned criminals as sacrifices—those who had committed heinous crimes.
Hiruzen had no choice but to make this decision.
After leading the ANBU for decades, he knew that conspiracies like this always operated on a strict need-to-know basis. If a key witness died, the entire trail could go cold.
With so many villages involved and the entire ninja world watching, Konoha had to demonstrate a no-compromise stance.
Moreover, the ANBU could die in the line of duty, but not in vain.
He had been preaching the "Will of Fire" for decades. While it wasn't perfect, one thing was clear—it was all about Konoha's interests, not the Land of Fire's. Konoha's people weren't just pawns that anyone could touch.
But Masashi wasn't interested in any of that.
He was genuinely focused on preparing his lessons.
Every day, he showed up to the Academy on time to teach.
The atmosphere at the academy had completely changed. Not only was his class packed, but students arrived earlier than him. Even before dawn, parents were already gathering their children at the training field for morning drills.
Now that he had kids of his own, he totally understood.
So, he took teaching seriously and even allowed students from other classes to sit in.
No joke—he was the hottest instructor at the Academy.
Even the other Academy teachers made time to attend his classes.
In the process, he made it clear which students he was prioritizing for private lessons, giving them time to prepare mentally so it wouldn't be a surprise later.
Kiba was thrilled.
Neji, on the other hand, was anxious.
He couldn't understand why Masashi had chosen him—a branch house member—when there were main house students in the Academy, like Hinata.
But he didn't dare to ask.
Time passed, and the students of the ninja academy continued enjoying their school life, filled with rigorous training. This generation of students became the envy of many, as it was shaping up to be the best-educated class since the First Great Ninja War.
Beyond the Academy walls, one shocking revelation after another emerged—all related to the joint investigation team.
More and more evidence suggested that the culprits didn't all come from the same country.
However, one thing was certain—some of them did come from the Land of Fire.
This situation put the Hokage's office in an awkward position, but at the same time, it infuriated them.
The Land of Fire, the wealthiest nation with the largest population, had a deeply entangled web of power both at the central and local levels. Some were native-born, while others had come seeking fortune.
Some desired peace, while others longed for war.
For the sake of profit, different factions from various nations would even collaborate.
In the past, whether it was the ninja villages or the daimyō's government, they had often turned a blind eye to these individuals. But this time, they could not.
As the investigation became clearer, those involved were systematically exposed.
When the final results were revealed, everyone was stunned—because this time, the Land of Lightning, which had always been notorious for its corruption, was actually clean.
The Land of Water and the Land of Rain were also clean.
As for the rest? Not so much—evidence even pointed as far as the Land of Earth.
The Suna ninjas, who had initially thought they were being dragged down by incompetent allies, soon realized that the real problem was within their own country.
Within the Land of Fire, corruption and crime were rampant. Too many people had profited from war.
Now came the part ninjas excelled at—elimination.
The ANBU of Suna and Konoha first swept through the Land of Rivers. Since that was where Konoha's ANBU had been ambushed, it played a critical role in the conspiracy.
Within just a few days, the rogue ninjas in the Land of Rivers were nearly wiped out, and some nobles disappeared as well. Suna and Konoha conducted a brief investigation and concluded that they had been killed by "desperate missing-nin."
As for the Land of Earth? That was under the Kazekage's jurisdiction, and Suna would handle it.
For Konoha, the next target was the corruption within the Land of Fire itself.
At this moment, Masashi was summoned by Minato.
Inside the Hokage's office, Masashi looked at the assembled high-ranking officials and felt speechless.
Even more frustrating—the Association was involved in this mess.
The moment he heard that, he immediately understood everything.
"Hokage-sama, what's the next step?" he asked.
At this point, they couldn't just brush it off with a simple 'let's not do this again'—that would be wishful thinking.
"There are several troublesome matters," Minato said, sifting through a pile of documents before pulling one out.
"Let's start with something that might seem unrelated. Recently, a lot of people have been trying to get close to Tsunade—even the daimyō himself stepped in. However, Tsunade has already left the daimyō's palace and moved to another town. But there are people there who need to be dealt with as well."
"Tsunade, huh…" Masashi's first reaction was to look at Hiruzen.
And he wasn't the only one who did so.
"Cough, cough!" Hiruzen started coughing violently.
"Sandaime-sama, maybe you should cut back on smoking," Masashi said helplessly.
Everyone in this room knew each other too well—acting like an old man wouldn't work here.
When other people got old, they couldn't lift their swords anymore.
When Hiruzen got old? Nothing really changed.
"I plan to handle this as a mission request, sending the top-ranked jonin in the village—one per town. What do you think?" Minato asked.
Hiruzen stopped coughing—he even stopped smoking.
He understood exactly what Minato meant.
Whether these ninjas were individually elite didn't matter. What mattered was that their families were powerful.
The Sarutobi clan had to be included—after all, the slain ANBU had been from their ranks.
"Fine," Hiruzen gritted his teeth and made up his mind.
"If Tsunade can't handle things over there… I'll put my pride aside and go talk to them myself."
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