Traveling by sea from the Land of Waves into the Land of Water turned out to be far more troubleso than Hikaru had expected.
The country’s mariti lockdown was stricter than rumors suggested.
If one were unlucky enough to encounter a patrol ship from the Hidden Mist—
The outco was obvious.
But for Senju Hikaru, none of this posed a real obstacle.
As the head of ANBU, he knew far too many secrets.
The Land of Water’s isolation had, in fact, given birth to a massive underground industry—
Smuggling.
Once the country sealed itself off:
Dostic goods couldn’t leave → demand outside surged → prices skyrocketedForeign goods couldn’t enter → internal shortages → prices soared even higher
A simple supply–demand imbalance—
But under these conditions, the profits beca absurdly high.
Hikaru rembered a saying from his previous life:
When profit exceeds 300%, people will trample over any law.
Shinobi were still human.
They needed money
And so—
Behind many smuggling operations stood shinobiWith this knowledge, Hikaru’s infiltration beca simple.
He seized control of a smuggling vessel and followed its safest route straight into the Land of Water.
There were ninja aboard—
But that didn’t matter.
"It’s the cleanup that’s annoying."
Watching the smuggling ship slowly sink beneath the waves, Hikaru muttered before turning away.
Sinking an entire ship—
That was a first for him.
He rarely left the Land of Fire.
Strictly speaking, this was his first real ti at sea.
Though in his previous life, he had traveled by boat before—so seasickness wasn’t an issue.
Still—
Too slow.
On his way here, he had already marked several islands and reefs with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The return trip wouldn’t take nearly as long.
Moving swiftly toward Kirigakure, Hikaru didn’t bother with detailed disguises.
Normally, wearing local clothing would help avoid suspicion—
But he wasn’t here to blend in.
He was here to cause trouble.
With his sensory abilities, he could avoid unnecessary inspections.
All he really needed—
Was to dye his silver hair black.
His original appearance—
Pale skin reminiscent of the Second Hokage, sharp features, striking looks—
Too eye-catching.
Better to tone it down.
If needed—
He could even pretend to be Hatake Kakashi.
Within three days—
Even while gathering intelligence—
He had nearly reached Kirigakure.
But the closer he got—
The more sothing felt off.
The entire region was under extre surveillance.
Even ANBU were deployed.
Anyone unfamiliar—
Even locals from neighboring towns—
Were subjected to strict inspections.
"...So Obito’s control has reached this level already."
Hikaru narrowed his eyes.
The Land of Water had been artificially divided—
Towns, villages, communities—
All isolated.
Communication cut off.
Over ti—
People’s perspectives would shrink.
Their worldview confined.
And with the right propaganda—
They would only recognize the limited reality presented to them.
"...Impressive."
Hikaru couldn’t help but admit it.
Then he paused.
"...No. This isn’t Obito."
Behind Obito—
Was soone far more dangerous.
A scher who had lived for centuries.
Still—
This level of lockdown made infiltration difficult.
Force entry was possible—
But risky.
He didn’t know Kirigakure’s barrier system well enough.
So—
He chose another thod.
"Impersonation."
Kill an ANBU.
Take his place.
Enter the village.
Simple.
Efficient.
As ANBU commander—
Hikaru knew their systems inside and out.
And masks made identity concealnt easy.
Pretending to be a regular ninja would be harder.
Even better—
Kirigakure’s ANBU wasn’t unified.
"There are two factions..."
This intelligence ca from Konoha’s ANBU archives.
Kirigakure had a unique power structure:
The MizukageThe Grand Elder — holding equal authority
The current Grand Elder—
Genji (Genjūrō / Genji-sama equivalent)
An old man with a staff, on the verge of death—
Yet he had held power for years.
Rather than appointing a Mizukage—
He retained authority himself.
Until decades later—
He would pass the title to Terumī i.
"...Two ANBU factions ans information gaps."
Hikaru smiled faintly.
"Perfect."
Soon—
He approached a patrol squad he had already been tracking.
Elimination
In a remote part of a small town—
The Mist ANBU squad was on surveillance duty.
"...minister... what we’re doing... is this really..."
One mber finally broke.
Doubt.
Confusion.
Even among ANBU—
It was spreading.
"Silence."
The minister cut him off.
"We are shinobi. ANBU shinobi."
"We do not question orders."
But even he—
Knew sothing was wrong.
The squad dispersed.
The questioning ninja wandered off alone—
ntally exhausted.
And didn’t notice—
He was being watched.
"...Hard, isn’t it?"
A gentle voice spoke behind him.
He froze.
Turned.
A young man stood there—
Fourteen, maybe fifteen—
Calm. Warm. Harmless.
Which made him even more dangerous.
"Who are you?"
The ANBU gripped his blade.
Hikaru ignored the question.
Instead, he observed him calmly.
Height. Build. Dominant hand.
Voice.
"Good. This will work."
The ANBU attacked instantly.
But—
Hikaru vanished.
A second later—
Pain.
His mouth was covered.
His body locked.
"...I’ll free you from this."
Hikaru whispered in his ear—
Using his own voice.
The ANBU’s eyes widened in horror.
Then—
Darkness.
Hikaru looked at the corpse.
"No such thing as unfair in this world..."
Kirigakure — Internal Conflict
Inside the village—
Terumī i and Ao knelt before the Grand Elder.
Their mission—
Failed.
"The Kaguya clan... won’t submit."
i reported.
"The Mizukage intends to use them as an example."
The Elder sighed.
The Mist was collapsing from within.
Blood Mist policies intensifyingIsolation destroying the economyInternal divisions growing
The Kaguya clan—
Once feared—
Now weakened, yet still proud—
Had beco the perfect target.
A warning to others.
A demonstration of power.
But—
At the cost of the village’s future.
"...Continue observing."
The Elder ordered.
i hesitated.
"...You could stop him."
The Elder shook his head.
"I am not the Mizukage."
Power—
Must not fracture further.
Or the Land of Water would descend into chaos.
Infiltration Complete
A week later—
Hikaru entered Kirigakure.
Mission phase one—
Complete.
Now—
He needed to disappear.
So—
He staged a death.
The ANBU he had replaced—
Burned in a fire.
A suicide note left behind:
Doubt in Mizukage’s ruleDespair over the village’s stateA final plea for awakening
A perfect seed of unrest.
"...Disgusting work."
Hikaru muttered.
"...But effective."
Next Target — Kaguya Clan
Moving through the night—
Hikaru headed toward the Kaguya district.
Once central—
Now pushed to the village outskirts.
Arrogance had isolated them.
But that—
Made them easy to approach.
"...Already under surveillance?"
Hikaru paused.
Multiple squads.
Watching.
Waiting.
But—
They weren’t coordinated.
"...Different factions."
Even better.
His real goal was Obito—
But before that—
He wanted to see sothing else.
The bloodline of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki—
Degraded, yet still present.
The sa lineage tied to:
UchihaSenjuHyūgaKaguya
"...Interesting."
Suddenly—
Two figures rushed toward him.
"Sensor-types?"
Hikaru tensed—
Then paused.
No reinforcents.
"...Not the sa faction."
He had been underestimated.
Or—
They didn’t realize what they were dealing with.
A blade pierced silently toward him—
The clash had begun.
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