After a brief rest, the group pressed onward, their destination unchanged—the Land of Water.
Hakken's goal was clear. He intended to visit Kirigakure to check on Yagura's condition.
The original accounts of Kirigakure's Blood Mist Policy were vague at best. When did it begin? When did it end? Only a rough timeframe was ever given.
However, there was one clue that confirmed the village was still under the Blood Mist Policy at this point in time—Itachi's age.
When Itachi joined the Akatsuki, it was after the Uchiha clan's annihilation. His first partner then had been Jūzō Biwa, a man who had once done something similar to Hakken. Later, when Yagura regained his senses and tried to seal the Three-Tails into a portable container, Jūzō had cut through a Tailed Beast Ball with his blade.
Unfortunately, the Kubikiribōchō was no Zanpakutō like Hakken's—it was fragile and ended up shattering. The broken blade also cleaved Jūzō in two.
This meant that Itachi's later partner, the real man Kisame Hoshigaki, had not yet joined the Akatsuki. Obito also had yet to approach him or reveal his true identity.
Based on this, it was almost certain that Kirigakure was still under Obito's control.
Hakken needed to confirm Yagura's status. If Yagura was still trapped in a genjutsu, it meant Obito was alive. If he wasn't, there were two possible explanations.
First, Hakken had truly killed Obito. Second, he had gravely wounded him, forcing the genjutsu to end. But that possibility was slim. After all, Hakken didn't know what kind of illusion was controlling Yagura, and in the original story, even after Minato injured Obito, Yagura's genjutsu remained intact.
Of course, the Nine-Tails' control had been broken after Obito was severely injured, so it was possible that Yagura had lost control under similar circumstances. In any case, the current state of Kirigakure was clear—its elders, such as Genji, were not in control, and Terumi had not yet taken power.
The time when Ao used his Byakugan to see that Yagura was being controlled hadn't arrived yet, but it was close—just a few years away. After all, Ao already possessed the Byakugan.
Seeing it with his own eyes would give Hakken certainty. Besides, whether the illusion was broken or not wouldn't change his plans.
"Ken-san, we're close to our destination."
Kirigakure was nestled deep in the mountains, its territory perpetually shrouded in mist, completely isolated from other ninja villages within the Land of Water.
As they advanced, the specially trained ANBU operatives moved with silent precision, slipping into the outskirts of Kirigakure unnoticed.
After carefully observing the surroundings, Itachi approached and reported.
"What exactly are you planning to do?"
Jiraiya frowned as he spoke, his tone questioning.
If this were just a routine mission, why would they have come this deep?
Kirigakure—known as the Village of the Bloody Mist—was infamous for its brutal graduation exams.
Under such conditions, its people had suffered for years, making it the village that produced the most rogue ninja.
This much, Jiraiya understood about Kirigakure.
"According to my intelligence, the higher-ups of Kirigakure and the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, are both under control."
Hakken's words were so abrupt and shocking that Jiraiya froze on the spot. Even the members of the Night Owl Team were left stunned.
"Think about it carefully," Hakken continued calmly. "No true Kage—someone who's inherited the will of a village leader—would ever enforce something like the Blood Mist Policy."
"There are countless ways to foster competition. Take Konoha's Wall of Honor, for example—graduates striving for recognition through missions and achievements. But forcing students to kill each other to graduate? As a Kage, how cruel do you think that is?"
The logic was obvious. The Blood Mist Policy was never about cultivating strong shinobi—it was madness.
Anyone who could become a Kage wasn't an idiot.
"So our mission is to tell the people of Kirigakure the truth, and then liberate the village?"
Jiraiya's eyes lit up.
Truly worthy of the Child of the Prophecy—seeing a nation in pain and immediately thinking of saving it!
And he still denied it.
That compassion for the shinobi world was plain to see. Still pretending to be indifferent… the child burdened with destiny's choice.
"I knew I wasn't wrong about you, Child of the Prophecy."
Resting a hand on Hakken's shoulder, Jiraiya spoke with genuine admiration.
"What does your 'Child of the Prophecy' have to do with me?" Hakken asked, giving him a puzzled glance before calmly revealing his true plan.
"What we're going to do is take the power that controls Kirigakure into our own hands."
"Turn Kirigakure into a subordinate village under Konoha's command. Of course, we won't make this public right away. Once Konoha fully absorbs Kirigakure, then we'll consider unification."
"The current leadership in Kirigakure is fragile. We just need to move fast—find a strong enough candidate to take the position of Fifth Mizukage, and make her agree to our conditions."
"Once that's done, our mission concerning Kirigakure will be complete."
When Hakken finished, Jiraiya stood speechless.
This wasn't about liberating the villagers or freeing them from oppression—it was about seizing political control over a village already under someone else's grasp.
Was this his real ambition?
Jiraiya opened his mouth to speak, but Hakken didn't give him the chance.
"Think about it—why has the shinobi world always been at war?"
"Because there's no absolute authority. It has never been unified."
"If we can take control of Kirigakure at minimal cost, end the Blood Mist Policy, and later join forces with them to pressure the other villages, we can achieve true peace."
"What's wrong with that?"
Meeting Jiraiya's eyes directly, Hakken's voice was calm and steady.
It wasn't about power or glory.
This was his ultimate goal—to end the wars completely and bring the shinobi world back on track.
"But… I still feel something's off," Jiraiya said quietly. "I believe that if people could just understand one another…"
He gave a faint, bitter smile. Hakken's ambition and purpose were laid bare, and his end goal—ending the chaos—was the same as the prophecy foretold.
But his methods… were far too ruthless.
Jiraiya was just about to bring up Yahiko's philosophy of mutual understanding when a voice suddenly cut in.
"Have you never killed anyone?"
It was Shisui, who leaned forward with a faint smile and asked bluntly.
"Isn't that obvious?"
Jiraiya blinked, momentarily confused. He had killed plenty during the Second Shinobi World War. As a ninja, that was part of his duty.
"Then have you ever asked the parents of those you killed if they understood your actions?"
The question hit like a blade, leaving Jiraiya silent.
He killed to protect his home.
But those he killed fought for the same reason—to protect their families, to survive.
That's where hatred was born.
Even during the Second Shinobi World War, it was Konoha that invaded the Land of Rain first. Nagato's parents had been killed by Konoha's own shinobi.
"I'm not asking you to explain anything," Hakken said flatly. "Just watch—with your own eyes—the day peace truly arrives."
He didn't bother to argue. He and Shisui had already discussed peace in depth before.
Maybe mutual understanding could lead to peace.
But Hakken rejected that idea.
True peace had to be fought for.
"Prepare for action."
At his command, two hundred ANBU operatives slipped into the Village of the Bloody Mist under cover of night and thick fog.
The slaughter began.