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From the shadows, Neji stepped forward. His pale mask gleamed faintly as his gaze fell upon Nagato's lifeless body, its sockets hollow, and Konan, kneeling motionless beside him.
Without hesitation, Neji raised his hand and drove it straight into her chest.
The strike was so sudden, so precise, that Konan, still lost in grief, didn't even have time to resist. Her pupils dulled; the light in her eyes faded away.
Moments later, she rose slowly to her feet. Her movements were calm, empty.
Her will, her memories, her soul all belonged to Neji now.
He glanced once more at Nagato's corpse, a faint smile forming beneath his mask.
"Efficient," he murmured. "You didn't even hesitate to steal his eyes to increase your power."
He waved his hand, and Nagato's body vanished into his inventory as a valuable specimen for human puppet creation, or perhaps for Edo Tensei.
The hidden cavern held nothing else of worth. Neji's Tenseigan swept through it one last time before fixing on a distant direction beyond the stone walls.
"Black Zetsu didn't disappoint," he said quietly. "Obito's betrayal must've been its doing, but that only plays into my hand. The timeline moves forward sooner than expected."
His gaze shifted through the rock, through the rain to where Jiraiya had emerged from the giant toad.
The old man was diving beneath the lake, retrieving Yahiko's body from the ruins.
Neji shook his head slightly.
Yahiko, Nagato, Konan... Jiraiya's first true students.
Their rebellion, their deaths it's always the teacher who carries the pain.
But Jiraiya didn't weep. His face was somber but calm. He knew he'd learned the truth too late.
All he could do now was send the intelligence back to Konoha… and give his pupils a proper burial.
Neji turned away. His focus returned to the blank-eyed Konan behind him. He reached out again, his fingers brushing her temple.
A stream of glowing blue energy flowed, memory after memory, the full layout and secrets of Amegakure now his to command.
He withdrew his hand, and both figures vanished into the shadows.
---
Outside Amegakure
Zabuza stood silently in the rain.
He had seen the Boss vanish mid-battle and knew better than to interfere. Even when he noticed Jiraiya resurfacing nearby, he stayed put.
If Neji wanted action, he'd make it known.
And sure enough, a flicker of chakra later, Neji appeared before him Konan standing docile at his side.
"Boss," Zabuza said, bowing his head.
Neji gave a short nod and extended his hand, pressing a surge of information into Zabuza's mind the complete political and logistical data of Amegakure.
Konan's memories flowed through him: her network of spies, supply chains, and command hierarchy.
Zabuza's brows furrowed as the torrent of data settled.
"Boss… this—"
Neji cut him off.
"Amegakure will now serve as a testing ground for intelligence gathering on the Five Great Nations. Handle it however you see fit. Konan will issue orders in my name and you'll oversee the transition.
Purge every trace of Akatsuki."
"I'll send Haku to assist you once you've stabilized the city," Neji added. "Report back when it's done."
Zabuza hesitated, then nodded sharply. "Understood."
He had signed up for battle, not administration, but somehow, he kept ending up managing entire territories.
Just like the old days, when the Boss had casually left Wave Country in his hands.
Moments later, under Neji's control, Konan eliminated several Hanzo loyalists who tried to exploit the chaos.
The executions silenced any thoughts of rebellion.
By nightfall, Amegakure's citizens knelt to their new leader and Zabuza began quietly erasing Akatsuki's traces from the city.
Konoha would respond eventually, but with Rain Country lying between the three great nations, the Leaf's retaliation would come in whispers, not armies.
Neji knew Zabuza and Haku could handle it.
---
Within the Hidden Cavern
When all was in order, Neji turned toward a corner of the cavern where a half-formed Zetsu clone lingered in the wall.
"How far along is Kabuto's progress?"
"Most of the materials are ready," Black Zetsu replied, its tone obedient, betraying nothing of its usual cunning.
"Good. The Five Kage Summit will convene soon. When it does, you'll deliver the message."
Neji's voice grew cold.
"Tell them war is coming."
"Have Kabuto begin Edo Tensei. Let the Five Villages taste fear before the storm arrives."
"As for Obito…" his hand turned upward, and a sealed orb floated into view. "Give him this. The Three-Tails."
Black Zetsu's pupils narrowed. "Already? Then the Eight and Nine-Tails—"
"Don't concern yourself," Neji interrupted. "Everything's proceeding as planned."
Black Zetsu bowed. "Understood."
It took the orb silently and sank back into the stone.
Beneath his mask, Neji smirked.
Zetsu's true loyalty is only to Kaguya, he thought. It'll manipulate Obito perfectly — no need for me to lift a finger. Our goals align… for now.
He turned. Konan followed at his side, her new obedience absolute.
In a flash of chakra, they vanished — reappearing far away, in the Wave Country, deep within the modified lab where Yugito's transformation experiments had begun.
Now, Konan was like Yugito memory intact, but utterly loyal.
A sigil glowed faintly across her collarbone: the mark of the Eight-Tails, connecting her to Neji's own chakra network.
---
Meanwhile…
Deep beneath the ruins of Amegakure, Obito sat upon the Gedo Statue, a single Rinnegan now gleaming in his left eye.
Black Zetsu oozed from the wall beside him.
"Our… ally sends word," Obito said, voice edged with mockery. "He wants us to declare war."
He tilted his head. "Clever, isn't he? Manipulating us while pretending we're equals."
Still, he could feel the Rinnegan's power humming through his veins. He needed only time to master it.
Zetsu relayed Neji's orders, the prediction of the upcoming Five Kage Summit, and Kabuto's involvement.
Obito's lone eye narrowed behind the mask.
"He's already this far ahead…?" he murmured. Then he smiled darkly.
"Good. It aligns perfectly with my plan."
He looked up at the Gedo Statue, its stone maw opening slowly in response to his chakra.
"Once the Ten-Tails is complete," he said, "the Infinite Tsukuyomi will begin. A world without war, without pain. A perfect dream for everyone."
The statue's eyes glowed faintly red in the darkness.
And above the rain-drenched sky of Amegakure, lightning split the horizon.
The Fourth Great Ninja War was about to begin.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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