Chapter 230: What Do You Call a Played Uchiha~
"Nara-Raikage's" words seemed reasonable at first glance. But to the "victim" on the other side of the conversation, they were infuriating. This isn't good enough, that's not enough... what, do you want the moon, you old Kumo brute?!
"Third Raikage!" the masked man's three-tomoe Sharingan stared at him. "What is it that you truly want?"
The "Nara-Raikage" gave the man a strange look. From the intel his main body had provided, he was almost certain this was the recently "delisted" Uchiha Setsuna. According to Shikaku, Setsuna was the leader of the Uchiha Hawks, a man who had inherited Madara's hatred of the Senju. But for a faction leader, his brain... seemed to be a bit lacking. The last time he'd come, "Nara-Raikage" had brushed him off with the excuse of insufficient payment. Now he'd come back with a high-quality offer. Shouldn't the next step be a proper negotiation? Why was he so angry?
Then again, any Uchiha who dared to challenge Tobirama Senju probably had some screws loose.
With the benevolent intention of caring for the mentally handicapped, and also because he wanted to see what would happen next, "Nara-Raikage" decided not to argue. He was extremely interested in what plans Old Man Madara had cooked up to deal with the "Shadow of Darkness." As for being personally targeted... the one being targeted was his main body. What did that have to do with him, a clone?
"What I want is simple," he said with a shrug. "Kumogakure can deal with the Shadow of Darkness, but does your Kirigakure have a foolproof plan to kill him?"
Yes, Kirigakure. The masked Uchiha was a go-between for Kumo, Kiri, and Iwa, but his most public identity was that of an emissary for the Third Mizukage. The three-village alliance was initiated by Iwa, expanded by Kiri, and Kumo was dragged in last. The "middleman" maintaining this fragile alliance was Kirigakure—or rather, the masked Uchiha and the old man behind him.
Of course, the masked man never explained how an Uchiha and Kirigakure had gotten so cozy. For decades, the Hidden Mist had maintained a policy of extreme isolationism. Even the civilians of the Land of Water barely knew of its existence, let alone the continental nations an entire sea away. The masked man hadn't bothered to invent some elaborate story; he simply used the Third Mizukage's name as a cover to negotiate with Iwa and Kumo. And his banner was simple: kill Konoha's top ninja, plunder their resources, and strengthen their own villages.
Seeing the Third Raikage was finally willing to talk, the masked man sighed in relief. "The Shadow of Darkness's power is indeed great, but he is not invincible," he said flatly. "We have gathered a large amount of intelligence on his abilities. We only need to make a few targeted arrangements to ensure that this top-tier Konoha ninja will be permanently left behind on the soil of the Land of Hot Water."
"Cut the crap," "Nara-Raikage" frowned. "I've fought him personally. His power is not that simple. I need a more concrete battle plan!"
Before a ninja reached a certain level, an intelligence leak was a fatal blow. But some ninja were difficult to deal with even if you knew all their abilities. The most obvious example was Minato Namikaze. And the same was true for the Third Raikage. His fighting style was brutally simple, but knowing about it didn't help you survive his punch.
The "Shadow of Darkness" wasn't quite at that level yet. 'If all of my main body's abilities were leaked,' Keisuke's clone thought, 'it would be very difficult to deal with—unless he decided to reveal his other trump cards.'
"The Shadow of Darkness is a Nara who plays with shadows," the masked man began, sharing his intel. "And the Nara clan's shadow techniques are useless when the user is in an environment of absolute darkness."
That's... your big plan? "Nara-Raikage" raised his eyebrows, feigning a look of sudden realization. "So we just need to lure him into a dark place to cut off his shadow techniques!"
"That's just the basics," the masked man said. "He is skilled with shadows, but that is not all he can do... My plan is as follows. First, we—"
"Wait," Keisuke's clone held up a hand. "It sounds like you Kiri ninja have this handled. I'll take your word for it for now. But you seem to have forgotten something. We haven't settled the payment yet."
Payment? We were just talking about the plan! The masked man almost rolled his eyes in frustration.
"Lord Third Raikage," he said, gritting his teeth. "What more do you want?"
"These scrolls you've given me are troublesome and time-consuming to research. It's much more straightforward to just give me people," "Nara-Raikage" said, picking up the two Kekkei Genkai scrolls. "I've never heard of a Kekkei Genkai clan that uses Lava Release, but the Yuki Clan of Ice Release..."
After so many setbacks, the masked man was no longer surprised by the Raikage's demands. "You want a ninja from the Yuki Clan?"
"And not just them. Doesn't Kiri also have the Shikotsumyaku?" "Nara-Raikage" added. "The Kaguya Clan is extremely aggressive. I love ninja like that."
"The Kaguya Clan..."
"And the Hozuki Clan's Hydrification Technique. That's an impressive art," he continued. "Even I admired the prowess of the Second Mizukage."
"The Hozuki Clan..."
"Oh, and doesn't your village have the Three-Tails and the Six-Tails?" he said again. "If you're worried about handling them, I don't mind taking them off your hands."
"The Three-Tails and the Six-Tails..." the masked man was completely numb now. He stared at the Raikage. "If you do not wish to cooperate, Lord Raikage, you could have just said so. Why waste our time with these impossible conditions?"
"So you don't want to cooperate?" "Nara-Raikage" raised a hand in a gesture of dismissal. "Then so be it."
But the masked man didn't move. He had already invested so much time and resources into this plan for Lord Madara. If he walked away now... he would likely have to commit seppuku.
After a long silence, he spoke again. "The Three-Tails and Six-Tails are impossible."
Whoa! He's still willing to negotiate? "Nara-Raikage" was genuinely surprised. 'Are all you Uchiha this stubborn?'
"Hmph," he grunted.
"The Kaguya Clan and the Shikotsumyaku are also impossible."
"Hmph."
"Many members of the Yuki Clan are scattered throughout the Land of Water. I can provide you with their general locations later. Whether your village has the courage and luck to find them is up to you," the man said, finally speaking a full sentence. "As for the Hydrification Technique, that is also impossible. But if it is other, derivative water jutsu you want... I will... report back to Lord Mizukage."
'The Yuki Clan and the Hydrification Technique... Is this Uchiha Setsuna's other nickname 'Uchiha the Milk Cow'?' "Nara-Raikage" thought. 'Just keep squeezing, and something will come out.'
"Hmph," he grunted again, for effect. "And one more thing."
Third Raikage, you have pushed me too far! I have tolerated you for a long time! the masked man screamed internally. His single eye bulged, then narrowed, and he squeezed a single word through his teeth. "Speak."
"Relax. It's not like I'm some insatiably greedy demon," "Nara-Raikage" said, completely ignoring the other man's silent rage. "Based on my intel, the Tailed Beast Sealing Method is a special sealing art from the Uzumaki clan. Since your village was able to get your hands on an A-rank seal like that, you must have... many other Uzumaki secret arts in your collection, right?"
"I... WILL... REPORT... THIS... TO... THE... MIZUKAGE!" the masked man said, spitting out each word. "Now. Are there any other problems, Lord Raikage?"
"No." "Nara-Raikage" leaned back, looking down his nose at him. "You may now present your battle plan."
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