A thought struck Tobirama.
He went to the ramen shop, requested a private room, but ordered no food.
“Teuchi, Nara clan head says one of their scrolls is missing.”
Kakuzu knew what Tobirama implied.
He casually tossed out a scroll.
“It’s here.”
Just as he expected, Tobirama thought.
He pocketed the scroll and added, “Teuchi, you mentioned you know medical jutsu.”
Anyone who understood medical jutsu was undoubtedly a researcher, or could become one.
As a researcher himself, Tobirama understood such talent was incredibly rare in this era.
Since he controlled Teuchi’s life, not taking advantage of it would be a complete waste.
Kakuzu sensed Tobirama had an ulterior motive.
“What do you need, Lord Tobirama?”
Tobirama smiled.
“You seem quite interested in these scrolls.”
“What if I am?” Kakuzu asked.
“Cooperate with me.
I can let you continue accessing them, and I can even assist you in researching them,” Tobirama said.
Having planted a curse mark on Kakuzu’s heart, he didn’t worry about betrayal at all.
Even as he spoke those words, he formulated a plan to dispose of Kakuzu once he outlived his usefulness.
After draining Kakuzu of his value, he would use the curse mark to kill him.
Kakuzu knew Tobirama’s thoughts.
He was thinking the exact same thing: they would use each other, then part ways peacefully when it was over.
If Tobirama struck to kill, he would show no mercy.
Instead, he feigned contemplation.
“I expect you to keep your promise.”
“Pleasure doing business.”
The two men, each harboring ulterior motives, exchanged smiles.
Though Kakuzu was an outsider, his life rested in Tobirama’s hands.
That made him more reliable than the villagers.
Tobirama led Kakuzu to an underground laboratory several kilometers outside the village.
A crafty rabbit has three burrows, Tobirama possessed more than one research facility.
This was merely one of them.
“The jutsu records of the various clans are all here.
Read them as you please.” Tobirama pointed at the dazzling array of scrolls on the bookshelf.
The so-called various clans naturally excluded major clans like the Senju, Hyuga, and Uchiha, referring only to smaller ones.
Tobirama could not obtain intelligence on the other great clans.
Furthermore, handing over the Senju clan’s own materials for Kakuzu to study was out of the question.
“Thank you, Lord Tobirama.”
From then on, Kakuzu was nominally a ramen shop owner, but secretly he worked for Tobirama.
He studied the scrolls in this laboratory and submitted research reports at regular intervals.
Kakuzu also absorbed knowledge of the various clans secret techniques, training his Yin and Yang chakra natures.
Unlike the five basic nature transformations, Yin and Yang theoretically belonged to everyone.
After all, Yin represented spirit and Yang represented life, lacking either meant one could not be considered a living creature.
However, some individuals possessed a more prominent Yin or Yang nature.
The Uchiha clan, for instance, the Sharingan was the hallmark of a prominent Yin nature.
Another example was Hashirama’s Wood Release, that towering vitality represented the Yang nature.
In canon, Kakuzu only possessed the five basic element natures.
While mastering them to an advanced level made him a powerhouse, his achievements were ultimately limited.
Now, as a transmigrator, Kakuzu refused to settle for the canon timeline’s accomplishments.
Lacking a method to train senjutsu for now, he focused on the Yin and Yang natures.
Tobirama had been in good spirits lately.
He had rejoiced more than once over his decision to spare Kakuzu.
Kakuzu’s unorthodox ideas, combined with the secret technique records he had “collected,” provided immense assistance to Tobirama’s forbidden jutsu research.
“I really want to crack open your skull and see what’s inside.”
As time passed, Tobirama occasionally teased Kakuzu with such remarks.
“I’ve been to many places, so naturally I’ve seen more.”
In reality, it was just wild ideas accumulated from watching various anime, games, novels, and movies in his past life, an advantage brought by transmigration.
Even so, Kakuzu genuinely admired Tobirama’s aptitude for research and invention.
He used the secret technique records alongside his own wild ideas to deduce highly imaginative reports.
But the one who turned those wild ideas into reality was Tobirama.
If their identities weren’t so unique, they could have become close friends, devoting themselves to research would surely yield monumental results.
Hearing Kakuzu’s explanation, Tobirama said thoughtfully, “Is that so?
Perhaps I should go out and see the world someday.”
But that was clearly very difficult.
Right now, he had to help Hashirama manage Konoha.
Once he became the Second Hokage, his every action would represent the village, making it impossible to wander around.
Tobirama suddenly lowered his voice.
“My brother is returning soon.
Watch your movements from now on.
Don’t expose yourself.”
The tasks Tobirama assigned Kakuzu were unethical toward the clans in Konoha.
After all, none of them wanted their secret techniques studied by someone else.
And this violated the original intention behind Hashirama founding the village.
Kakuzu nodded, his expression unchanged.
His recent research had paid off handsomely.
Having uncovered leads on Yin-Yang Release, he refused to let Hashirama interrupt him.
In this regard, his goals aligned with Tobirama’s.
A few days later, Hashirama and Madara returned to the village one after the other.
Only then did Kakuzu realize the true reason the two had left: to collect the tailed beasts.
They had gathered all but the One-Tail.
This meant the Five Kage Summit among the Five Great Nations would soon begin, ushering in a period of peace for the shinobi world.
Hashirama remained in the village for half a month, contacting the Kage of the other four great nations.
He finally prepared to hold the Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron, a region devoid of shinobi forces, using the distribution of tailed beasts to secure peace.
Tailed beasts were akin to nuclear weapons, arming the Five Great Nations with such power ensured no one would dare act recklessly.
Hashirama’s method was clearly a precaution against the shinobi world falling back into war after his death, a painstaking effort.
Yet he underestimated human greed.
The moment Hashirama died, the Shinobi World War erupted immediately.
His act of distributing the tailed beasts had merely provided each nation with a weapon of mass destruction.
Keeping the tailed beasts in Konoha might not have yielded a better outcome.
Once Hashirama died, Konoha, possessing eight tailed beasts, would become the target of universal hostility, an enemy of the world.
A few days later, Hashirama took the eight tailed beasts to the Land of Iron for the Five Kage Summit.
This time, he brought Tobirama as his Hokage guard, leaving Madara behind in Konoha.
Madara’s reputation and strength surpassed Tobirama’s.
Stationed in Konoha, even if he spent most of his time in the Uchiha compound, he was enough to deter scoundrels.
No spy dared infiltrate or steal anything.
Kakuzu saw this period as the perfect time to stir up trouble.
Madara was in the village, yet he completely ignored administrative affairs.
Aside from Hashirama and the Uchiha clan, no one in Konoha liked Madara.
Even among the Uchiha clan itself, the number of clansmen supporting Madara had dwindled ever since the village’s establishment.
By the time no more clansmen supported him, he would be entirely disheartened, leaving Konoha to orchestrate the Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan.
A proud and arrogant powerhouse like Madara would never force a warm face against a cold shoulder.
As long as no one caused trouble right in front of him, he would not intervene.
Kakuzu was going to stir things up.
During his time in Konoha, relying on his ramen shop, catching scattered phrases from customers, and his exposure while working for Tobirama, he had already gathered intelligence on key personnel of the secret jutsu clans.
The Konoha Military Police Force was established during the Second Hokage’s administration.
Patrol members were not exclusively from the Uchiha clan but included members from various clans.
Fudo Akimichi was a member of the patrol squad.
As a typical Akimichi clansman, he had few hobbies other than eating and drinking, frequently visiting the ramen shop to challenge the competitive eater record.
“I heard a new ramen variant is coming out tomorrow.
Want to go try it?” Fudo asked his patrol partner with a grin.
His two companions nodded, clearly fond of ramen as well.
In the freezing wind, the mere thought of steaming noodles brought an involuntary sense of happiness.
*Rustle…*
Suddenly, the surroundings fell deathly silent, leaving only the sound of wind rubbing against leaves.
Every shinobi in this era was forged through battle.
Fudo, in particular, had survived over a dozen battles, large and small, he acutely sensed the shift in atmosphere.
“Who’s there?”
From the dark forest, three figures suddenly darted past.
The three patrol shinobi exchanged a glance and swiftly pursued them.
Fudo quickly caught up to one of the figures.
Using the Partial Multi-Size Jutsu, he enlarged his arm and punched the figure in the back, certain he had struck solid flesh.
“Did I hit him?!”
Fudo could hardly believe it.
As a spy didn’t need overwhelming combat power, but wasn’t his escape ability a bit too weak?
The figure that crashed to the ground morphed into a pitch-black, shapeless lump.
“What is this?” Fudo stepped forward to investigate.
A hand burst from the earth and grabbed Fudo’s ankle.
Fudo realized instantly that an enemy was hiding underground.
“Lightning Release!”
Fudo prepared to smash his fist into the ground, but in a flash, a surge of high-voltage lightning raced from that hand.
Lacking any defense against Lightning Release, Fudo suffered full-body paralysis, completely immobilized.
Shinobi wielding secret techniques possessed bizarre abilities, but they also shared the weakness of being overly specialized.
In battle against a superior opponent, lacking coordination from other shinobi left them vulnerable.
Pitch-black tendrils erupted from the ground, tearing open Fudo’s clothes to expose his pale chest, a deep crevice separating the two thick slabs of flesh.
‘No!’ Fudo screamed inwardly.
The tendrils ignored his resistance, forcefully piercing straight into the pale, tender flesh.
Warm fluid spilled from the wound in an instant…
“One heart.”