You arranged a private meeting with Kabuto Yakushi, scheduling it for the night of the final preliminary match to discuss the specifics of the Konoha Crush Plan.
After sitting through a dull match between the Hyūga main house and branch house, you could only feel bored.
On one side was the branch family's eldest son, who went on and on about breaking the chains of fate—only to willingly die the very way fate had dictated.
On the other side was the so-called Child of Prophecy, someone who believed hard work could change destiny. After countless struggles and immense effort, he finally gained recognition and inherited his father's legacy—the reincarnation of Asura.
What a cruel irony.
When you strip it all down, this world is nothing but a playground for the Ōtsutsuki clan. If you were Neji, and held the Hyūga bloodline—a ticket into that Ōtsutsuki playground—you wouldn't waste time preaching about ideals in a world ruled by violence.
No, you'd gain a power a hundred, a thousand times stronger than those who wield violence... and strike back with tooth and claw, with eye for eye!
If you couldn't do that, then you'd shut your mouth, tuck your tail between your legs, and flee like a beaten dog—until the day you could fight back.
And if your enemies left you no opening, you'd spill your blood just to splash theirs!
The match ended.
Watching Naruto bouncing around excitedly, you didn't feel sorry for Neji. What you regretted was that Hinata, under the protection of the branch family, had been quickly escorted back to the clan compound—leaving you no chance or corner to make a move.
Thankfully, there was still the meeting tonight.
And Gekko Hayate was still the one in charge of guarding the arena.
If he didn't notice you during your exit... you were already planning to kill him on the way out.
...
Up on the rooftop, Kabuto was already waiting. Not long after, Baki, the Jōnin representing Sunagakure, also arrived.
Once the three of you were assembled, each representing your own faction's interests, you finalized the details of the Konoha Crush Plan:
① Top-tier combat matchups:
Orochimaru would disguise himself as the Fourth Kazekage to get close to Hiruzen Sarutobi. Then, the Sound Four would isolate the Third Hokage from the main battlefield.
This part would be handled entirely by Otogakure. No other forces needed to interfere.
② Tailed Beast strategy:
Sunagakure would take the lead through Gaara, their Jinchūriki. At the right moment, he would unleash the One-Tail and wreak large-scale havoc in Konoha.
If Konoha sent out the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki to counter him, it wouldn't be a quick loss. On the contrary, the clash between the two would cause massive collateral damage.
③ Jiraiya and Tsunade:
The "Fourth Kazekage" would use his Magnet Release and flight abilities to keep Jiraiya tied down.
You, hiding in the shadows, would be responsible for intercepting Tsunade if she appeared—preventing her from summoning her slug. If she never showed up, you'd look for an opportunity to use your Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails.
With this setup, Konoha's top-tier combatants would all be pinned down.
And with you hiding in the dark, wielding a Sharingan, Konoha would actually be at a disadvantage.
④ Mid-tier fighters like Kakashi and Might Guy:
They'd be stalled by Kabuto and Baki to buy time.
⑤ Logistics and support:
Root had already arranged for the Sound Four to infiltrate Konoha in advance. Additionally, some Jōnin would be given preemptive assignments on the day of the assault to delay reinforcements.
...
After hearing the full breakdown, you couldn't help but think: Orochimaru still seemed a bit sentimental toward his two old classmates. His attack on Konoha looked like it was intentionally holding back.
Because if he really wanted Konoha to die, it would've been too easy.
So easy it wouldn't require much thought—or money. Just a visit to the bounty office, and leave a date for Konoha's downfall.
Kakuzu would sniff out the opportunity on his own. Free ninja corpses? Who wouldn't want them? He might even show up and off a few Kage-levels while he's at it.
With just one extra Kage-level fighter added to the mix... who knows how many people Konoha would lose to fill that gap?
Maybe Danzō had a hand in this. The guy didn't want Konoha to collapse—he wanted the Hokage seat. But with Jiraiya and Tsunade still around, that dream was forever out of reach.
Your arrival, however, could help him diminish their influence—or even allow him to seize control of a Tailed Beast.
All he needed was for Root to strike suddenly, creating an opening in one of the battlefields.
Which meant you'd also have to keep your guard up—against sudden attacks from Danzō and Root!
Orochimaru harbored sentimentality, Danzō harbored ambition...
And as for the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa? He seemed straightforward, looking only to destroy Konoha.
But who knew—maybe he simply couldn't afford someone like Kakuzu and had no choice but to come alone?
With everyone harboring their own secrets and agendas, you knew total destruction of Konoha was unlikely.
Naturally, you had your own plans too.
For example, not only did you want to control the Nine-Tails—you wanted to take the One-Tail as well.
And while chaos reigned, you'd plunder Konoha's vaults—and even steal the secret techniques from every clan!
And so, the three sides, plus the unseen hand of Danzō—who had already laid out his own traps—concluded their meeting and went their separate ways.
You were a little disappointed that Gekko Hayate hadn't noticed your actions guarding the exam site.
But no opportunity? Then you'd make one.
Shortly after leaving, you circled back to the exam hall and silently infiltrated the building's interior.
Gekko Hayate's weak constitution prevented him from sustaining 〖Transparent Escape〗 for long—that was why he never made it past the gap between special Jōnin and full Jōnin.
(T/N: This technique has never actually been seen in the manga, but it allows the user to spy on others without being noticed. It was invented by Jiraiya during his youth to allow him to spy on girls bathing without the risk of being caught. But as I understood it, the author presented this technique as his clan's kekkei genkai)
Using senjutsu from the Ninja Cat Clan, you quickly locked onto his location.
Just as you crept behind him, he coughed up a few more drops of blood. The guy looked seriously ill.
Luckily, your healing hands knew no equal.
Without making a sound, you snapped his neck.
Immediately, you began absorbing his blood. Worried that his condition had left him too blood-deprived, you even added a few drops of White Zetsu extract into his mouth—to stimulate his cooling body into producing more blood.
All the better for you to extract the source of his Bloodline Sickness—and more fully pull out the Transparent Escape bloodline.
Now Hayate would never need to worry about his bloodline illness again.
And you, satisfied with your payment, took your leave.
Time to test out this new bloodline.
...
Using the reverse summoning technique of Boss Black-Cat, you returned to your room and began carefully sensing the new bloodline within your body.
But no matter what you tried, you couldn't activate the Transparent Escape power within it.
You began to wonder if the Gekko clan's bloodline was simply too diluted—requiring some unique awakening condition, like the Sharingan.
Combined with the damage caused during the absorption process, perhaps it was just too weak to awaken right away.
Frustrated, you decided to meditate using the Ninja Cat Clan's senjutsu to calm your mind.
And just as you completely quieted your heart and mind...
You felt a strange suction from deep within your bloodline, draining your chakra rapidly.
Boss Black-Cat, who stood guard nearby, quickly warned you—and you snapped awake, only to realize your body was slowly becoming visible again from a state of complete invisibility.
So that was it. The key to activating 〖Transparent Escape〗... was a perfectly calm body and mind.
No wonder it couldn't be used during battle—only to stay hidden during small-scale movements.
And the chakra drain was no joke.
No wonder Gekko Hayate was so physically weak. It all made sense.
After some simple practice and learning the basics, you had no time to develop the ability further. You lay down to rest—recharging your energy for tomorrow's Konoha Crush Plan!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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