Read ahead of public release on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley
Check out Chapter illustrations on Pixiv at unhinged_uchiha
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Inside the Hoshikage's Office
Several people were gathered inside the room. But the one seated behind the Hoshikage's desk was not Natsuhi, the newly appointed acting Hoshikage.
It was Kanzou.
Indeed, Uchiha Kanzou sat in the Hoshikage's chair as if it belonged to him, and in truth, it did. Natsuhi was only a puppet, and she was fully aware of it. The affairs of Hoshigakure were naturally under Kanzou's control.
And sitting on that seat, Kanzou's gaze moved across the four people in the office.
Natsuhi stood beside him like a loyal attendant. Across the room, Hazuki, Shin, and Souta stood or sat quietly, waiting for his next words.
"Well… it looks like everything has gone smoothly, and Hoshigakure is now under our control," Kanzou said lightly.
The others nodded. Shin spoke up, his tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction. "But, Sensei… didn't it go too smoothly? It feels a bit… disappointing."
Having awakened the Sharingan, he naturally sought battle and conflict to grow stronger. Taking over an entire shinobi village, even a small one, easily left him unsatisfied.
"It doesn't matter," Kanzou said with a shrug. "Smooth is good."
"But is it even worth it?" Souta asked, pressed. He questioned the value of a village that had fallen into their control so easily.
"It's an asset," Kanzou replied calmly. "Something to keep on the side… in case things don't go well for me, for us."
The others nodded, understanding his intentions.
Just then, Natsuhi spoke. "Kanzou-sama… how long should the Hoshikage be kept alive?"
"Keep him alive until your position is secure and you officially become the Fourth Hoshikage," Kanzou replied.
At present, Natsuhi was only the acting Hoshikage, not the true successor. Her authority existed solely because of the Third Hoshikage's orders. While some elders and high-ranking officials might oppose her, whether because of her age or their own interests, they could not openly defy the Third's directive. As long as he lived, they had no choice but to accept her authority.
If the Third Hoshikage were to die too soon, however, the situation could become unstable. Opposition would surface, and her orders could be challenged.
It was better to keep him alive for the time being, long enough for Natsuhi to solidify her control, learn the village's secrets, and build her support. Once her position became unshakable and no faction strong enough to oppose her remained, the Third could be removed without consequence.
In any case, the man was already near death. Even if they did nothing, he would not last long.
"I understand," Natsuhi said, nodding. Then she asked, "What should we do about the forces that were deployed to the borders?"
"Hm… those troops can't be recalled immediately," Kanzou replied after a moment of thought.
They had been dispatched by the Third Hoshikage after receiving reports that three Iwagakure shinobi had infiltrated the Land of Bears, tortured one of their ninja to death, and might be preparing to invade in search of the Star.
Now, officially, the Star no longer existed, as it was 'destroyed' by the Sandaime Hoshigakure in order to stop Akahoshi's madness… so the original threat was no longer relevant. However, withdrawing the forces right away would raise suspicion. The incident with the Iwagakure ninja and Hotarubi's death was still a matter of record. If Natsuhi suddenly dismissed the threat and ordered the troops to stand down, people would question her decision.
"But if they remain stationed near the border," Natsuhi said, "it could increase tensions with Iwagakure."
Naturally, Iwagakure would not tolerate Hoshigakure forces gathering near their frontier for seemingly no reason. The Tsuchikage would likely deploy his own troops in response. If the situation escalated, it could even lead to open conflict.
"Then open negotiations," Kanzou said calmly. "Contact the Tsuchikage and demand an explanation for the presence of those three Iwagakure shinobi inside the Land of Bears and the death of Hotarubi."
"I doubt Tsuchikage Ōnoki would give us any explanation," Natsuhi said.
Doing so would be no different from bowing his head to Hoshigakure. And the three Iwagakure ninja were most likely rogue shinobi. Admitting that rogue ninja from his village had caused trouble in another country would only embarrass him. It was far more likely that he would deny responsibility and accuse Hoshigakure of making false claims to provoke conflict.
There was even a real possibility that the situation could escalate toward war.
If the demand had come from a major shinobi village, the outcome might have been different. But Hoshigakure was a minor village. Ōnoki would not take them seriously.
"True," Kanzou murmured, acknowledging her point. After a moment of thought, he suggested the same approach the Third Hoshikage had originally considered. "In that case, get Konoha involved."
"Involve Konoha?" Natsuhi raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised.
"Yes," Kanzou said with a nod. "Request their mediation."
"With Konoha involved, the Tsuchikage will have to take the matter seriously. Iwagakure suffered a major defeat just two years ago in the Second Great Shinobi War. He won't want to risk another conflict so soon."
He continued calmly, laying out the logic. "More importantly, he won't want to put too much pressure on Hoshigakure if there's a chance this village could strengthen its ties with Konoha. No one wants a potential enemy right on their doorstep. So he'll weigh the situation carefully. The most likely outcome is that he'll claim the three ninja were rogue shinobi acting independently, and possibly issue a formal apology."
Kanzou paused briefly. "Once you have that, you can recall the border forces immediately. And if this is handled well, you can use the diplomatic success to strengthen your position as Hoshikage."
"I see… then I'll proceed as you instructed," Natsuhi said, nodding.
At that moment, Kanzou took the Star out of his pocket and placed it on the table.
"Now, about this," he said. "What do you think are the chances of successfully fusing it into my body?"
Natsuhi looked at the faintly glowing sphere. She hesitated for a moment before answering, recalling what the Hoshikage had told her on their way to confront Akahoshi.
"Kanzou-sama… fusing the Star with your body may not be a good idea."
"Is that so?" Kanzou murmured, not particularly surprised.
Natsuhi nodded. "Yes. According to what the Hoshikage told me, the radiation it emits is too much for the human body to endure. It would cause organ failure… and eventually lead to death."
Hearing that, the expressions of Hazuki, Shin, and Souta changed immediately.
"What? Organ failure and death? Are you serious?"
Their main reason for taking control of Hoshigakure had been to use the Star to strengthen themselves. If using it meant certain death, then their entire effort would have been pointless.
Seeing their reaction, Natsuhi quickly raised her hand and clarified, "Star training itself isn't a problem. But permanently fusing it into the body… that would be far too dangerous."
"Hm… I see…" Kanzou murmured.
The others let out quiet sighs of relief. Even if fusion wasn't possible, as long as the Star could still enhance their chakra through training, the takeover hadn't been in vain.
In truth, Kanzou knew that even ordinary exposure to the Star carried risks and could eventually lead to death. It had happened in the canon. Natsuhi's own husband, Hotarubi, had died in a similar manner, and countless others had died too. The difference was time. In most cases, the damage developed slowly, so slowly that a person might remain unaffected for decades.
'The first generation exposed to it shouldn't face serious problems,' he thought.
From what he understood, the worst cases in the records involved children whose ancestors had been training in front of the Star and were exposed to the Star's radiation for generations. The damage seemed to accumulate over time and pass down through bloodlines. What might be tolerable for a first-generation user could become fatal by the tenth.
Knowing this, Kanzou chose to keep that conclusion to himself, 'It shouldn't be too much trouble if only some of the Uchihas use it this time and then don't use it in future anymore…' and decided, 'Still… their health should be monitored regularly.'
Then he spoke aloud, "Basic training with the Star is fine. But the fusion… I still want a way to make it possible."
"Make it possible?" Natsuhi asked, confused. "How are we supposed to do that?"
"Experiment," Kanzou replied plainly. "Use test subjects and find a safe method to fuse the Star into a human body."
He wasn't a researcher himself; otherwise, he would have handled the work personally. But Hoshigakure had centuries' worth of records and data on the Star's use.
Given enough time, they should be able to find a solution.
Even if it took years, that wasn't a problem. The Star wasn't his only path to greater strength; he intended to make a move towards other methods and safeguards as well. But that didn't mean Kanzou was willing to abandon this option simply because it carried the risk of death.
If fusion wasn't possible right now, then the solution was simple: conduct experiments and find a way to make it safe.
"Experiment?" Natsuhi blinked, clearly not expecting him to insist on it. After a brief silence, she nodded. "Very well… if that is your order."
"Hmm," Kanzou responded, then added calmly, "Use people from Hoshigakure and the Land of Bears for the trials. It doesn't matter if they die. If they die, they die. What matters is finding a method to safely fuse the Star with a human body."
Using civilians or villagers could create problems, but that didn't concern him. His priority was obtaining a safe fusion method. Everything else was secondary.
"Until a fusion method is developed, normal Star training can continue," Kanzou said. Then he turned to Hazuki. "On that note, we can move forward with the Zodiac plan."
Hazuki blinked. "The Zodiac plan? You mean… using Hoshigakure to train the Zodiacs?"
Kanzou nodded. "Yes."
She quickly considered the implications. Now that they controlled Hoshigakure, they had access to the Star, which could significantly enhance the Zodiacs' chakra and shorten their training time. That alone was a major advantage.
But there was still a serious problem.
"The Star will definitely help," Hazuki said, "but training them in Hoshigakure isn't practical."
Kanzou didn't dismiss her objection. Instead, he looked at her with interest. "Why do you think that?"
"Because Hoshigakure is too far from Konoha," Hazuki replied. "Traveling here would take too much time, and the training itself would take even longer. If any of the girls disappeared from the clan for that long, it would raise suspicion and trigger an investigation. The police force might even track them all the way here."
She paused, then added, "And if they were gone for that long, they wouldn't be able to maintain their roles as Zodiacs. Their sudden reappearance would raise even more questions. It's not feasible. If we want the Zodiac plan to work, we need a different approach."
"You're overthinking it," Kanzou said with a faint smile. "There's a way to handle all of that. Bring the girls here at night, train them, and then send them back home before anyone notices."
"There's a method like that?" Hazuki murmured, her brows knitting as she tried to figure out what he meant.
Shin and Souta leaned forward, equally intrigued. They exchanged a glance before Shin spoke.
"Sensei… have you mastered space-time ninjutsu?"
They already knew Kanzou possessed several unique techniques they had never heard of before. Jutsu like Chidori and Rasengan had come from him, abilities unknown to them prior to his teaching. Because of that, they couldn't help but wonder if he had also mastered a space-time technique.
As for space-time ninjutsu, they were familiar with it. The Second Hokage of Konoha, Senju Tobirama, had created a space-time technique known as the Flying Raijin. Naturally, they wondered whether Kanzou had mastered it as well.
"Space-time ninjutsu? Unfortunately, no," Kanzou said, shaking his head with a trace of regret. It was something he had always wanted to learn, and he had even tried to obtain it. But that old hypocritical Hokage hadn't handed it over.
Of course, Hiruzen hadn't refused him outright. He couldn't, not when Kanzou was trying to obtain it using the contribution points he had legitimately earned through his service to the village. Kanzou had even been willing to add Chidori and Rasengan to the Scroll of Seals in exchange for the Flying Raijin.
But Hiruzen had stalled. The old man claimed he would first conduct a test to determine whether Kanzou possessed the space-time affinity. Only if he passed would the technique be given to him.
The result, unsurprisingly, was negative. According to Hiruzen, Kanzou didn't have the required attribute.
Kanzou wasn't even sure whether such a test truly existed. Hiruzen had said it was created by Tobirama, but there was no way to verify that. And knowing Sarutobi Hiruzen, Kanzou strongly suspected the truth, Hiruzen had no intention of handing over a technique that powerful and strategically important to an Uchiha.
Hiruzen had cleverly used the excuse of a space-time affinity test to corner him without creating conflict. If Kanzou didn't have the required affinity, then there would be no reason to give him the technique, at least, that was the logic. And since there was no way to verify whether the test was genuine, Kanzou couldn't even challenge the decision.
He had no choice but to accept it and swallow the result.
Of course, after failing the test, Kanzou refused to hand over Chidori and Rasengan to be added to the Scroll of Seals.
Hiruzen did feel some regret about losing the chance to obtain two A-rank ninjutsu, especially Rasengan, which appeared highly versatile. However, after rejecting Kanzou's request, he had no grounds to demand that Kanzou still submit the techniques shamelessly.
That day, Kanzou had taken a loss, and it left him deeply resentful toward Hiruzen.
'Humph… sooner or later, I'll find a way to learn Flying Raijin… and make him eat his words,' he thought, snorting quietly in irritation.
As for other ways to obtain Flying Raijin, there was always Namikaze Minato. Kanzou could simply place the boy under a genjutsu and extract the technique.
The problem was timing.
At this point, Minato was only twelve years old and still a chūnin. He obviously didn't possess the Flying Raijin scroll yet, which meant Kanzou would have to wait.
'Hmm… or I could plant a spy in the ANBU and have them steal the Scroll of Seals, along with the hand signs needed to unlock it. That's another option…'
His thoughts continued to branch out.
'Another possibility is Sarutobi Shinnosuke. Could I obtain Flying Raijin through the Hokage's son? Maybe a honey trap… find a woman to seduce him and make him demand the technique in exchange for her affection. Hiruzen wouldn't refuse his own son, would he? And if Shinnosuke-senpai could also get the unlocking hand signs for the Scroll of Seals…'
If he had those hand signs, he wouldn't need anyone else. 'I could just steal the scroll myself.'
Just then, Hazuki's voice broke through his thoughts.
"If you haven't mastered space-time ninjutsu, then how are we supposed to bring them here for training and send them back to Konoha in such a short time without alerting anyone?"
The concern was reasonable. Without space-time techniques, covering such a long distance quickly should have been impossible.
But Kanzou already had a solution.
"Even if I haven't mastered space-time ninjutsu… there's still a way," he said.
"What way?" Hazuki asked.
Shin, Souta, and even Natsuhi turned toward him, anticipation clear in their eyes.
A faint smile appeared on Kanzou's lips. "Summoning Jutsu."
"Summoning Jutsu?" all four repeated at once.
"Yes," Kanzou nodded. "Summoning and Reverse Summoning can be used for transportation."
Everyone in the room was sharp. It didn't take long for them to grasp what he was implying. Still, doubt remained.
"But would that work?" Hazuki asked. "Summoning… people?"
Summoning animals was one thing. But summoning humans? She wasn't entirely sure it was possible.
"Of course it would work," Kanzou replied, as if the answer were obvious. "Why wouldn't it?"
He continued calmly, "Anything can be summoned or reverse summoned, animals, weapons, scrolls, tailed beasts, even people. All you need is a proper summoning contract. Once the contract exists, anything connected to it can be summoned."
He paused slightly.
"After that, it's just a matter of chakra consumption."
Aside from space-time techniques like Flying Raijin and Kamui, Summoning and Reverse Summoning were among the fastest ways to travel between locations. They weren't as efficient as Flying Raijin or Kamui and required coordination between multiple people to perform the summoning and reverse summoning, but even so, they remained one of the quickest methods of transportation available.
There were even theories that Flying Raijin was simply a specialized form of summoning, one that allowed the user to summon and reverse summon themselves between marked locations. The idea made sense in theory.
But Kanzou had tried to replicate it and failed.
'It's probably not that simple,' he concluded.
Putting that aside, he continued, "With Summoning Jutsu, the girls can be brought here for training without the risk of being discovered. They can train in the presence of the Star, which will significantly increase their chakra reserves and accelerate their growth."
He spoke calmly, laying out the plan.
"They'll also receive instruction in espionage and other ANBU-related skills here. With direct training and real experience, they'll develop quickly and become proper Zodiacs."
Hearing that, Hazuki nodded. "Alright. In that case, I'll put the plan into motion as soon as we return to Konoha."
Kanzou gave a short nod. "Good."
Setting up the Zodiac plan had been one of his main reasons for taking control of Hoshigakure. Now, the village could serve its purpose, helping him build his own force within the Uchiha Clan.
Even though he had secured Hoshigakure as a fallback and would retreat here if his situation in Konoha ever turned dire, the truth was that Kanzou had no intention of abandoning the Uchiha Clan and hiding here. He didn't want that. Retreating to Hoshigakure would be his last option, something he would consider only if there were no other paths left.
Until then, he intended to use this village to strengthen his faction within the clan and, eventually, seize the position of Patriarch.
After all, what was the point of hiding in some remote corner of the world?
'Sooner or later, I'll become Patriarch. Just wait, Fugaku. I'm only waiting until I have enough power.' With that thought, he dismissed the others.
"I have something important to 'discuss' with Natsuhi," Kanzou said. "The three of you are free to go now. Check the rooms you'll be staying in for the next few days and make sure everything is in order."
"I see," the three replied. They nodded and left the Hoshikage's office, leaving Kanzou alone with Natsuhi.
Once the three left the Hoshikage's office, Kanzou pulled Natsuhi onto his lap. "Come here."
"S-someone might see," Natsuhi said nervously. Despite her words, her body did not resist as Kanzou's hands began to roam over her breasts.
"It doesn't matter," he replied calmly. "If someone sees their acting Hoshikage sitting in my lap and getting molested… then let them see."
He had no intention of stopping.
To Kanzou, this office, the Hoshikage's seat, was the symbol of authority in this village.
Fucking her here was his way of reinforcing the reality of her position. Even though she now holds power as the acting Hoshikage, in his eyes, she is still someone who must suck his cock when he wants her to…
With that in mind, he didn't care whether someone might walk in or not. He leaned forward and kissed her without hesitation.
Chu… slrrp…
"Aahhnn… K-Kanzou-sama~"
…
Chu… chu…
"Hahnn… Kanzou-sama… I missed you so much," Natsuhi said as she kissed him again, breathing in his scent, the familiarity she hadn't felt since his last visit to Hoshigakure.
"Hmm… I missed you too," Kanzou replied, pulling her closer. "Especially your taste."
"Liar," Natsuhi said with a pout. She didn't believe he had missed her that much. After all, he had so many women around him, why would he think of her?
If not for the task he had for her, he might not have even summoned her this time.
The thought made her chest tighten.
"Fufu… don't think about that," he said softly. Then he added, "Come here… let me taste you again."
"Hai… please, taste as much as you want, please violate me… I have been longing to be violated by you so much…" she replied, pushing aside her lingering sadness as she leaned into him.
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Let the power stones count surpass 120 within the next 24 hours!!!!
Read ahead of public release on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley
Check out Chapter illustrations on Pixiv: unhinged_uchiha
If you like this story, then you might also like my other story: One Piece: The Incubus' Adventure. Give it a try.