"How did this guy get here? Wait—hold on!"
The envoy hadn't been picked at random to represent the Water Daimyō in Kirigakure. He knew Kirigakure inside and out, and he had a solid grasp of the village's high-level intel.
Utakata had been a missing-nin for a while now, but a Six-Tails jinchūriki was too important to forget. The envoy knew exactly who he was.
So why was Utakata strolling along the road toward Kirigakure?
Was he planning to defect back to Kirigakure—was he going to bend the knee to Uchiha Yōrin too?
After a moment of hesitation, the envoy worked up his courage and went up to strike up a conversation.
Utakata blinked. "What? You're saying I'm defecting to Konoha and becoming Uchiha Yōrin's lapdog? That's not what this is at all!!"
…Even though, in truth, it kind of was.
But Utakata was proud. There was no way he'd admit it.
"No way. Not a chance. Never. I will never become the lackey of a tyrant like Uchiha Yōrin," he declared righteously—though there was a hint of fluster in his tone.
Normally, the envoy would have caught that. But unfortunately, the envoy's mind was already a mess, and he missed every red flag.
Instead, he felt like fate was smiling on him.
This was the legendary: When you think you're out of options, a door opens.
He'd scoured all of Kirigakure and couldn't find a single opposition faction with the guts to oppose Uchiha Yōrin. He thought the mission was doomed.
And now—outside the village—someone with real weight had basically walked up and offered himself.
In the shinobi world, jinchūriki were often treated like weapons more than people. They weren't exactly seen as leadership material.
But the envoy didn't care anymore.
Eyes shining, he grabbed Utakata and launched into an excited, loud "strategy session."
At first, Utakata was wary—What are you doing, talking like this out in the open? What if someone hears? He even suspected the envoy was a trap, sent by Yōrin.
But as the conversation went on, Utakata realized—this man really was a daimyo's envoy, and he really was tasked with undermining Kirigakure.
"Seriously…?" Utakata was briefly stunned. They sent someone like this on a mission this important? Is the Water Country that short on competent people?
Then he thought for a few seconds, and a conclusion snapped into place.
He looked up with a bright, eager smile and said, "Well then—this is perfect. If we have the daimyo's backing, Kirigakure is basically already in my pocket."
"Exactly!" The envoy lit up, thrilled that the fish had taken the bait. "As long as we work together, Uchiha Yōrin is nothing! It's settled. I'll report back to His Lordship. We'll stay in close contact."
"Oh, we'll definitely stay in close contact," Utakata said with a gentle smile—while thinking, What a clown. 'Together we don't need to fear Uchiha'? These people have no idea how terrifying that man is. But… that's precisely why they've just handed me a massive achievement on a silver platter.
As soon as the envoy left, Utakata headed straight into Kirigakure. He gathered some quick intel, then proactively contacted the now-openly operating Ninshū people inside the village.
Waiting for him were Zabuza Momochi—once called the "Demon of the Mist"—and his partner, Haku.
These two had become emblematic of Kirigakure's post-reform shift toward Konoha and the Ninshū. By now, they were mid-level cadres.
They weren't surprised to see Utakata.
To Yōrin, Utakata might've been "just another guy," but Mei Terumī took him seriously. She'd already passed word down that Utakata might return soon.
So—he really did come back.
Rumor had it he'd run into Uchiha Yōrin out in the wild, got utterly overwhelmed by the terror of his Sharingan, and his confidence shattered. True or not, it didn't matter.
With Utakata's ability, if he returned and earned a little merit, he'd be welcomed into the upper tiers of Kirigakure.
And even if Kirigakure became a subordinate branch under the Ninshū, becoming a mid-level cadre like Zabuza and Haku was still a path forward.
So, normally, this would've been straightforward—just follow procedure.
But Utakata brought urgent intelligence.
"I met an envoy of the Water Daimyō," he said. "I have critical intel. Contact Yorin-sama immediately."
Zabuza and Haku didn't even blink.
"You're talking about the Five Great Nations trying to sabotage the summit and block the Ninshū revival, right?"
Utakata froze.
The two of them looked completely unsurprised—like they'd already known.
So the Ninshū was prepared from the start. My 'big contribution' won't be as huge as I thought… Utakata thought. Still, it beats dying alongside those fools.
Just like that, the daimyo's plan collapsed at the starting line.
When the time came for the summit, none of the Five Great Villages refused to attend. None of them turned on Konoha like the daimyo had hoped, and none of them lit the fuse of a Fifth Great Ninja War.
Forget betrayal—some people even started openly floating the idea of "crowning" Uchiha Yōrin as an emperor, desperate to earn early loyalty points.
So the daimyōs were left clinging to their last thin hope: Utakata.
They knew it probably wouldn't work.
But if they didn't cling to something, they'd have to admit, "It's over. We're done." And even idiots don't say that out loud.
So they ran on sheer denial, "only one option left," and shoved all their remaining resources and hopes onto Utakata.
Anyone who objected got shouted down:
"We have no other choice!"
And so they fantasized—Utakata would ruin the summit, the Fifth Great Ninja War would erupt, everyone would unite, and they'd finally crush Uchiha Yōrin.
Then they could go back to living comfortably.
And then Utakata sold them out.
Before the summit formally began, Uchiha Yōrin smiled lightly at the Kage of the Five Great Villages—and the heads of more than a dozen smaller villages—and said:
"First, thank you all for coming at this time. I know it wasn't easy.
Before we begin the summit, I'd like everyone to watch a little performance."
"A performance…? Like noh theater?" someone asked.
Yōrin didn't care about noh at all—obviously that wasn't what he meant. The smaller village leaders exchanged confused looks, while the Five Kage sat calmly, expressionless.
The reason was simple: they'd already coordinated with Yōrin. They knew what he was about to do.
He was going to expose a plot.
"It's truly regrettable," Yōrin said coldly, "that there are always pathetic fools in this world—people who, for their own interests, insist on provoking beings far stronger than themselves.
The formation of the Ninshū benefits every shinobi in the world—especially the small villages. Because after this, a shinobi from a small village will stand equal to a shinobi from a great one.
Everyone will have one identity: a Ninshū shinobi.
It's the road to peace, to fewer wars, to a world where people can live happier lives—
And yet there are still some bastards who refuse a correct and just path because it threatens their interests!"
His voice sharpened near the end.
A massive screen powered on. On it appeared a group of men whose faces made the smaller village delegates gasp.
They were the retainers and warriors the Five Great Nations had secretly sent—each tasked with undermining the summit.
After being "successfully recruited" through Utakata, these men had gathered around him, convinced they were going to test steel against steel and prove that the warrior class still had teeth.
Instead, they were simply… rounded up and handed over.
No grand duel. No dramatic final strike. They didn't even get to fight.
They were caught cleanly, like fish in a net.
Afterward, they screamed and protested. Some shouted, "Let us go and we'll fight you fairly!" Others insisted they were innocent.
But in the current situation, everything they said only made them look ridiculous.
And even though Mei was the only one smiling openly, none of the others felt like laughing.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— This Fanfic is Completed in Patreon!