A scream pierced the night air.
Although the Kaguya Clan was undeniably strong, their Shikotsumyaku alone wouldn't impress a true expert.
Especially against a Jinchuriki.
"Poor things. Seems like nobody's coming to rescue them."
Zetsu retracted his long-range sensing ability and couldn't help shaking his head as he spoke.
He was secretly hoping more people would show up—it would make things far more entertaining.
Perhaps even witness Obito fighting against the Hidden Mist shinobi.
It might not mean much, but it would definitely be amusing.
Obito ignored him, scanning the area with his Sharingan to locate Six Paths' chosen target.
He relayed this information to Yagura Karatachi.
"You're not going down there to play around?"
Seeing Obito simply standing there, Zetsu grinned and asked, "That doesn't sound like you."
"No interest."
Obito swept his gaze across the Kaguya Clan's base. Moments later, his expression subtly shifted.
He vanished in an instant.
Zetsu blinked and followed at his speed.
An underground prison.
"Did you find something interesting?"
Zetsu stood up, glancing around.
Many Kaguya prisoners were locked inside.
At the sight of them, the captives grew visibly excited.
They could naturally sense the battle sounds outside.
The noise made Obito frown slightly before he strode toward the deepest chamber.
"Hmm, looks like a kid?"
Zetsu noticed the boy inside one cell. The child had red markings above both brows, prompting him to chuckle, "This must be a ninja from the Kaguya Clan."
Upon hearing the voices, the boy lifted his head, showing no emotion on his face.
Kimimaro.
Obito recalled the intel about him that Haruki's Shadow Clone had provided.
The Kaguya Clan's strongest prodigy—imprisoned since childhood and treated like a weapon—possessed extraordinary power.
"Hey, kid."
Obito squatted down, locking eyes with Kimimaro. "Want to join the Akatsuki? You'll gain unimaginable freedom, no longer trapped here."
Freedom?
A flicker passed through Kimimaro's eyes.
He fixed his gaze on the masked stranger.
"He's way too young," Zetsu whispered, leaning closer, surprised. "Is he really capable of joining our ranks?"
"Just because he isn't now doesn't mean he won't be."
In truth, Obito couldn't determine Kimimaro's current strength.
From his Sharingan's observation, the boy's chakra levels only matched those of a Genin.
But given his age, he already outshone other prodigies.
"The Akatsuki controls the Land of Rain. Supporting one more person is trivial."
Obito stood up, shaping chakra in his hand to unlock the chains. "A rare genius like this shouldn't be left to rot here. He has far greater potential. In a few years, he'll play a vital role in our plans."
Zetsu glanced at him.
That wasn't without merit.
Konoha's current strength meant their grand plan couldn't succeed quickly.
It could take ten or twenty years.
But he didn't mind.
Thousands of years of waiting had made him extremely patient.
Kimimaro emerged from the cage and trailed silently behind Obito.
"The Hidden Mist shinobi are approaching."
Zetsu suddenly raised his head. "It's Terumi Mei. Around forty of them. They probably sensed Yagura Karatachi's and the Three-Tails' chakra and mistook it for an Akatsuki operation."
Obito didn't respond.
He landed on the ground, grabbed an unconscious middle-aged ninja, and left.
A moment later, Terumi Mei arrived.
Seeing the devastation before her, she wore a shocked expression.
She knew well the strength of the Kaguya Clan.
She never imagined they would vanish overnight.
Undoubtedly, the Mist Village had been weakened.
"Mizukage-sama, what happened?"
Terumi Mei hurried forward upon seeing the blood-soaked Yagura Karatachi and asked, "Was it attacked by that mysterious organization?"
"The Kaguya Clan colluded with Konoha's Hyuga Clan. I've already eradicated them," Yagura Karatachi said flatly.
The air was thick with the smell of blood.
Terumi Mei felt lightheaded.
The Mizukage before her felt like a stranger.
"Any questions?"
Seeing her silence, Yagura Karatachi continued, "You're just in time—clean up this mess."
Then he vanished, leaving Terumi Mei standing alone, puzzled.
...
"The alliance between Iwagakure and Kirigakure has broken down."
Haruki picked up the scroll, glanced at it, and smiled. "The reason is because Iwagakure secretly traded with Konoha, violating our treaty."
Tsunade rested her chin on her hand, smiling sweetly at him. "And the real reason?"
Haruki shrugged. "The real reason is that Fourth Mizukage Yagura Karatachi was controlled by Obito, so he cut ties with Iwagakure."
Tsunade shot him a glare. "You really are underhanded."
Although Haruki's methods weren't honorable, being a ninja wasn't exactly an upright profession to begin with.
Especially when dealing with enemies.
"Men who aren't a little bad don't attract women," Haruki quipped.
"Nonsense."
"So tell me, do you like me or not?"
"..." Tsunade fell silent. "You really are asking for it."
"Hehe." Haruki chuckled. "Tonight at home, you can hit me all you want."
Tsunade shivered slightly, fearing he might try something inappropriate again in broad daylight. She changed the subject. "Back to work."
"Alright, Hokage-sama."
Haruki served as her secretary.
As for the original secretaries, Shizune and Fuling Uzumaki, Haruki and Tsunade had already sent them away.
He looked at the next message and read aloud, "All land in the Land of Summer has now been leased according to population."
The ninja world had suffered through several major wars.
It could be described as vast land with few people.
Even after distribution, nearly one-third of the farmland remained unused.
"We've actually made real our talk from Sunagakure," Tsunade smiled.
If the policy continued smoothly, from now on everyone would be able to eat white rice.
Haruki nodded.
Though imperfect, it significantly improved the lives of ordinary civilians.
Of course, with the improved conditions, merchants benefited the most.
They would become wealthy.
But Haruki had already laid the groundwork in advance.
Konoha-controlled companies ensured everything remained stable.
I won't let the Summer Country become all about money."
"As for the remaining farmland, we'll form an agricultural department to handle it specifically."
Haruki explained the concept of modern agriculture to Tsunade.
Currently, with technological advancements, various industrial machines were beginning to show some results.
But reaching high-tech levels would still take a long time.
Fortunately, this was a world where ninja thrived.
A single jonin could easily take the place of a machine.
Of course, mastering highly refined techniques still required time and training.
"Recently, Obito and the others have been quite active," Haruki said with a smile while reading the next intelligence report.
To create the Six Paths bodies, they've been making moves in Iwagakure, Kiri, and other ninja villages.
But for the Summer Country, these were only indirect gains.
Haruki guessed based on the reported numbers that they had already gathered enough material to create Nagato's Six Paths.
In the original story, Nagato chose several character prototypes inspired by Jiraiya's novel.
This indicated that creating the Six Paths wasn't bound by strict requirements.
After all, no matter how powerful a Kekkei Genkai was, it couldn't compare to the Rinnegan.
The remaining issue was what to do about Zetsu.