Chapter 185: Tobirama Senju — I've Got a Bad Feeling Someone's Taking the Fall Again! But This Time… It Better Not Be Me!
"Time will prove I'm right!"
"You relic of a bygone age — if you don't seize this chance now, there won't be a seat for you on the ship of the new era."
Uchiha Makoto said coldly to Tobirama Senju, then turned and walked away without looking back, leaving Tobirama standing there, fuming.
Uchiha Makoto was already laying the groundwork for the future.
He didn't just want temporary influence — he wanted the whole world under his control, to make shinobi the true rulers of the ninja world.
But that wasn't something that could be achieved with mere slogans like "For the good of the shinobi world!"
The shinobi had long grown used to living within the old systems. To change that, Makoto needed an entire generation of "like-minded" ninjas who would stand with him to reshape the world.
One Hidden Akatsuki Village wasn't enough — even adding Konoha wouldn't cut it.
This couldn't be done through brute force alone.
Even someone as powerful as Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha could sweep across the ninja world with sheer might — Hashirama's Sage Buddha combined with Madara's Susanoo could easily obliterate the strongholds of every great village.
But brute-force conquest couldn't erase hatred or change ideology.
In the end, even the strongest were just two men.
The ninja world was vast — ruling it required administrators, systems, and most importantly, ideological unity. Move too fast without aligning beliefs, and chaos would follow.
Hashirama, ever naïve, believed that because he was unbeatable, he could leave things be — trusting future generations to rule wisely, following a philosophy of "governance through noninterference."
Madara, on the other hand, wasn't that different. He too thought himself invincible, intending to retire after conquest — except he didn't trust anyone's wisdom but his own. When things went wrong, he'd just ask, "Did the world make a mistake?"
How could those two fools ever rule the ninja world properly?
Pure military domination only led to hidden rebellions, counterattacks, and endless wars of resistance.
Even American soldiers got spooked by trees that could move — imagine what would happen with ninjas, whose mobility and destructive power were on another level entirely.
Even victory came in degrees — great victories, small victories, and hollow ones.
So Makoto preferred a slower, more deliberate path — one step at a time, carefully loosening the chains on the shinobi's mindset, binding them together with shared interests, and cultivating allies across all lands.
---
Half an hour later, while everyone else was still grumbling happily, Uchiha Makoto rose and said:
"Everyone, I think we've all eaten enough for lunch. It's about time we resume the negotiations."
It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over the room.
They'd just started opening up, venting years of bottled frustration — and now it was over already?
What a buzzkill!
Negotiations? What good could come out of those anyway?
But Makoto was the Akatsuki's Light Shadow — his words carried weight.
The shinobi reluctantly broke off their chatter, dispersing into smaller groups by faction.
Makoto scanned their faces — everyone still looked unsatisfied, itching for more.
Perfect.
As the saying goes, "The first step is the hardest."
This was a fine beginning, and Makoto was pleased.
Now that emotions were stirred, it was best to end here — leave them with something unresolved.
After all, most of their anger was just talk.
They might sound ready to storm noble estates with kunai in hand, but if he actually told them to draw blood on a rainy night, they'd all panic, call him extreme, and wash their hands of it.
Better to cut things off while the fire still burned — leave them with a memory that wouldn't fade.
---
The talks resumed soon after.
Representatives from every major village returned to their seats.
The Mist and the Rock delegates sat down again, both clearly uncomfortable.
After all, earlier, when everyone was ranting about the nobles and the daimyō, the atmosphere had been great.
But duty soon reminded them of their roles, and the tension returned.
It didn't take long before it was just like the morning session — bickering, arguing, taking breaks, then bickering again.
If Makoto hadn't been there to preside, fists would've flown.
This time, though, the Rock Village gained the upper hand.
That was because Makoto often stepped in at key moments to back the First Tsuchikage — even dragging Tobirama along to pressure the Mist, citing "the peace of the ninja world" as justification.
Naturally, it was just rhetoric.
Makoto was willing to "support" the Rock in every way — except actually helping them fight.
If anything, he'd rather sell weapons, medicine, and explosive tags to both sides. The Akatsuki's armory was still well-stocked, after all.
But the threat alone worked wonders.
The last village that doubted Makoto's resolve — the Hidden Cloud — had been crushed by the Akatsuki until it still hadn't recovered.
That's what reputation could do.
The First Mizukage wasn't about to gamble; he didn't dare shout back, "Go ahead, all of you, attack!"
The combined pressure of three major powers weighed heavily on him, though he still held out without conceding.
Makoto didn't push too far — he maintained just enough pressure to keep the balance.
After several rounds of back-and-forth, the day's progress was minimal.
Finally, as evening came, Makoto announced the talks would adjourn until tomorrow.
---
After the meeting, he slipped away to a small tavern and waited.
Not long after, the person he'd been expecting appeared — though, unfortunately, Tobirama Senju had tailed him too, shamelessly sitting down across from him with a plate of peanuts.
"Lord Light Shadow, fancy meeting you here."
Makoto turned as the First Mizukage entered, now dressed in plain clothes, carrying a flask of sake.
"Well, what a coincidence indeed."
Makoto casually brushed his hair back, glancing at Tobirama. Moments ago, they'd been wondering when the Mizukage would come find them.
Makoto had deliberately sided with the Tsuchikage earlier because the two of them had already struck a deal in secret. Now, only the Mist remained.
He needed leverage — and today's "joint pressure" gave him just that.
"Gentlemen, might we talk privately?"
"Of course," Makoto smiled. "We've been waiting for a proper discussion with the Mizukage."
The three entered a private room.
The First Mizukage sat upright, serious.
He had already noticed that both Makoto and Tobirama seemed biased toward the Rock earlier — a strange thing, considering the Akatsuki and the Rock had clashed bitterly in the past.
If they were cooperating now, there had to be secret deals behind the scenes.
Well, if they could negotiate — so could he.
Still, the Mizukage was under immense pressure.
What if Makoto demanded something outrageous?
He had no idea what price the Rock had paid to win his favor.
But if things kept going like this, the Mist would collapse under the strain — so he had no choice but to try.
"Lord Light Shadow, Lord Tobirama — I hope the Akatsuki and Konoha might consider the Mist's position. The Tsuchikage's demands are simply too excessive."
He exhaled deeply — straight to the point.
"Ah, that's difficult," Makoto said, feigning a troubled look. "You know we always stand for fairness and peace. You've put me in quite the bind!"
Tobirama sipped his sake, ate a few peanuts, and stayed silent — watching Makoto's performance like a spectator at a theater.
Hypocritical, pretentious, sanctimonious bastard, Tobirama thought. Still… I should learn that act. It might come in handy later — on him.
"So tell me, Lord Light Shadow," the Mizukage pressed, "what is it you want from the Mist? I'm willing to pay a price."
Makoto smiled — the signal had been caught.
"Good. I appreciate your honesty."
"Actually, what I want isn't much — just a bit of help persuading the Water Country's daimyō about the fishing territories."
Makoto produced a scroll — a map of the ninja world, marked with new maritime borders.
No doubt about it — the Fire Country and its Akatsuki allies stood to gain the most.
The designated waters included several golden fishing grounds that had long been shared by neighboring nations — soon to belong entirely to the Fire Country.
And the Fire Country, of course, meant Makoto.
Those waters would feed his vision — a massive, industrialized canned seafood empire spanning tens of thousands of square meters.
The Mizukage studied the map.
The Fire Country had never cared much for the sea — so why the sudden interest?
Then he remembered a string of recent missions — Water Country merchants had been hiring shinobi to repel "Fire Country fishermen."
Those "fishermen," of course, were all ninjas.
And Akatsuki's whirlpool ninjas even summoned giant aquatic beasts to help. The playing field was anything but fair.
The matter had been swept under the rug then — no one dared cross Akatsuki or Konoha.
But this map revealed Makoto's real goal.
"Hmm… the Water Country doesn't seem to be losing much," the Mizukage murmured. "But the small nations will be furious."
Indeed — Makoto's borders were basically big countries bullying small ones.
Fire and Water gained; the little nations were stripped bare.
That kind of grab would draw widespread resentment, and the daimyō would take the political hit. The Mist's reputation would also suffer.
Makoto knew all that — which was why he needed the Mist to take the blame.
Everyone knew the Fire Country was a landlocked nation.
So in the public eye, it wouldn't make sense for them to covet the sea — that suspicion would naturally fall on the Water Country.
The Mizukage hesitated, thinking it over.
Makoto just smiled innocently, waiting.
And beside him, Tobirama suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
Why do I get the feeling someone's about to be the scapegoat again? Please… not me this time!
"Tobirama," Makoto asked, noticing his expression, "what's wrong? You look nervous."
"Makoto… I haven't offended you lately, have I?"
"No, not at all. I think we've been getting along quite well."
"Oh… good. That's… good."
(End of Chapter)