The Konoha Police Department.
Inside the department head's office.
Sōgen took a deep breath and untied the sack in front of him.
Inside the sack was an unconscious man. He had short black hair, no eyebrows, a cross-shaped scar on his right cheek, and red stripes painted on the lower half of his face... a face Sōgen vaguely recognized.
He rummaged through his memories.
It didn't take long for him to recall the man's identity.
"One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, wielder of the Decapitating Carving Knife... I didn't expect it to be you." Sōgen chuckled softly, then looked up at Uchiha Akitaro, who was covered in dust and exhaustion. "Juzo Biwa, I didn't expect you to bring me such a gift, Akitaro."
"It was just luck!"
Uchiha Akitaro straightened up and respectfully said, "I found him being chased by Mist Anbu. He killed the Anbu, but he was seriously injured in the process. It didn't take much effort for me to subdue him with a genjutsu."
Akitaro knew Sōgen had the Great Sword Samehada in his possession, thinking that Sōgen might like the swords of the Mist. So, he brought Juzo Biwa and his sword back as a gift.
"I see. Then, Akitaro, it seems you've had some good fortune."
"This is nothing. I failed to complete the mission you gave me. This is my incompetence!" Akitaro bowed his head in shame. His pride wouldn't allow him to make excuses. A failed mission was a failure, and capturing Juzo Biwa wouldn't change that fact.
"You didn't find any trace of the snake in the Land of Fields?"
"I searched every corner of the Land of Fields and found nothing suspicious. I even tried to reveal my identity on purpose, but no one took the bait." Akitaro had been sent on a secret mission to track down the rogue ninja, Orochimaru.
Don't misunderstand,
Sōgen wasn't interested in Orochimaru's dark experiments. He had his own path to follow now and didn't need to seek other means. What Sōgen valued was Orochimaru himself, a perfect tool to eliminate his former master, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Killing the former Hokage with Uchiha hands would bring nothing but trouble for the clan.
For that reason,
Targeting Orochimaru wasn't too surprising.
Whether using Kotoamatsukami to control Orochimaru or making a deal with him—so long as it resulted in getting rid of Sarutobi, anything would be worth it.
But—
"Was I too hopeful?"
Sōgen sighed softly but wasn't too disappointed.
He knew from the start that this mission was a long shot, a gamble. Now it seemed Orochimaru wasn't in the Land of Fields, meaning the so-called Village Hidden in the Sound was likely still just a dream of the future.
"Akitaro, this wasn't your fault. I told you before that the intel I received wasn't entirely reliable. This was always a needle-in-a-haystack situation. And besides, you didn't return empty-handed. Juzo Biwa..."
Sōgen glanced at the unconscious Juzo Biwa in the sack, his mind racing. A bold idea suddenly struck him.
Perhaps...
Juzo Biwa could be of use?
If he remembered correctly, this guy had also attempted to assassinate the Mizukage. If he's tried to kill one Kage, maybe it wouldn't be so strange to have him try again with the former Hokage... But why didn't the Akatsuki recruit him this time? Was something holding them back?
Sōgen stroked his chin, deep in thought.
He was right, in fact. The Akatsuki had been distracted by other matters.
Yes,
The chaos in Konoha.
Compared to a minor player like Juzo Biwa, Uchiha Obito and Zetsu naturally focused their attention on Konoha and the Uchiha clan. Whether Juzo Biwa joined the Akatsuki or not didn't matter; a tool of his level wasn't all that valuable.
In short,
By a twist of fate, Juzo Biwa, who should've joined the Akatsuki, was brought back to Konoha as a "gift."
"Akitaro, who knows that you brought this guy back to the village?" Sōgen asked.
Akitaro scratched his head and replied, "Since bringing Juzo Biwa directly into the village would have been inconvenient, I contacted Brother Ranzan. He escorted me back with some men. But they only know I brought back a person, not that it's Juzo Biwa."
"As for the way back... I didn't notice anyone suspicious from the village gate to the police department, but the Hyuga clan's vision is far-reaching, and the Yamanaka clan's sensory jutsu is troublesome..."
"It's fine. As long as Juzo Biwa isn't publicly linked to our clan, that's enough."
Sōgen waved it off.
Since Juzo Biwa had been secretly brought into the village, Sōgen's bold plan could be worth a try. The only issue was that, compared to Orochimaru, Juzo Biwa seemed a bit too weak for the job. Despite Sarutobi's age, he could probably still handle Juzo Biwa with ease.
A dull blade wouldn't cut cleanly.
He needed to think of a way to sharpen this tool.
"Akitaro, you've done well. Even though you didn't find Orochimaru, I'll gladly accept Juzo Biwa as your gift. When you leave, let Ranzan know to keep this matter secret. Don't speak of it to anyone."
"Is this guy useful?" Akitaro asked, now a bit happier.
"Yes, he might be very useful."
Akitaro left in good spirits. He didn't care what use Juzo Biwa had, as long as he hadn't let Sōgen—no, the clan head—down. That was all the praise he needed.
Juzo Biwa was pulled out of the sack.
His condition was poor.
First, he was injured in his fight with the Mist Anbu, and then captured by Akitaro. If Akitaro hadn't intended to bring back a live "gift," Juzo Biwa's head would have been cut off then and there, leaving just the sword and body for convenience.
The bandages around Juzo Biwa's abdomen were stained dark red, indicating his wounds had reopened.
Sōgen noticed Juzo Biwa's unnaturally twisted left arm. The bone appeared to be broken, along with various smaller wounds. Nothing fatal, but troublesome. Sighing, Sōgen dragged the still-entranced Juzo Biwa to the sofa.
Then,
He began using medical ninjutsu to treat Juzo Biwa while pondering how to make this tool sharp enough to sever Sarutobi's head. After thinking it over, he realized there was no quick fix. Trying to force rapid growth in someone was nearly impossible.
Breaking through one's limits was even harder.
Expecting Juzo Biwa to grow strong enough to defeat Sarutobi in a short time was nothing but a dream.
"This is tricky!"
Sōgen set Juzo Biwa's broken bones. Noticing that Juzo Biwa was starting to wake up, Sōgen simply pried open his eyelids and reinforced the genjutsu, plunging him into an even deeper illusion. Only someone with stronger illusion techniques than Sōgen could wake him now.
At that moment,
A knock came from outside the door.
"Minister, a messenger from the Hokage is here," a familiar voice called from outside.
"What is it?"
After about two seconds of silence, an unfamiliar voice replied, "Uchiha Clan Head, the Hokage has requested your presence at an emergency meeting at the Hokage Tower. It's regarding the Mist Village, and you are asked to attend promptly."
"I understand. Please inform the Hokage that the Uchiha clan won't let him down."
"Yes!"
The messenger's presence disappeared from outside the door.
Sōgen regretfully glanced at the unconscious Juzo Biwa. He had intended to spend more time figuring out how to make use of him, but it seemed that would have to wait. He couldn't refuse the acting Hokage's summons.
And besides, they mentioned the Mist Village.
He had to take that seriously.
Sōgen knew that the conflict between Konoha and the Mist was just a front. The real masterminds behind it all were Uchiha Obito and Black Zetsu. Even if it was only to stay on guard against the dangerous Obito, he had to pay attention to the Mist's movements.
Speaking of which,
Juzo Biwa's mind probably held plenty of information about the Hidden Mist.
"Chihaya."
Sōgen called out.
In less than a second, Uchiha Chihaya, his secretary, used Body Flicker to appear directly in the office.
"Go find Ranzan and tell him to come here."
Chihaya gave a small nod and disappeared. In less than three minutes, Uchiha Ranzan pushed open the office door and walked in. The moment he stepped inside, he complained, "Another problem? I haven't been home in three days. Can't you let me rest for once?"
"Haha!"
Sōgen let out a dry laugh and awkwardly said, "Well, the capable should do more work, right?"
"I'm already pushing the fast horse to death! Sooner or later, I'll collapse at my desk!" Uchiha Ranzan took a deep breath and sighed, "Alright, enough with the nonsense. Just get to the point, will you?"
"He's temporarily in your care. Keep it confidential. I don't want too many people knowing he ever fell into our clan's hands."
Sōgen decisively pointed at Juzo Biwa.
Confidential?
Uchiha Ranzan quickly connected the dots and realized, "This is the 'gift' that brat Akitaro brought back, isn't it?" So, the plan was to use this poor guy that Akitaro captured to stir up some trouble? Knowing Sōgen's past, he was aware that whenever Sōgen acted mysteriously, it never led to anything good.
But,
The ones who get hurt are always the enemies anyway.
"I got it! I'll handle it."
Uchiha Ranzan nodded in agreement.
(End of Chapter)