At dawn the next day, just as the sky began to pale, Ryūjin opened his eyes.
His body moved before his thoughts fully formed, guided by a precise internal rhythm. He sat up in bed without hesitation, already fully awake.
Without wasting a second, he formed hand seals.
"Shadow Clone."
With a soft puff, another Ryūjin appeared in the room.
The two stared at each other for a brief moment.
"World's most handsome guy, I'll leave things here to you," Ryūjin said casually. "I'm heading to the Hidden Mist to stir things up."
The clone nodded with the same expression. "Go on, then. Don't worry about anything here. As long as the sky doesn't collapse, I've got it covered."
"Yeah right," Ryūjin replied lightly, already turning away.
A Kamui vortex spiraled open in front of him, distorting space. Without another word, he stepped in and vanished.
At nearly the same moment, his figure appeared silently outside the Mizukage's office building in the Hidden Mist.
No alarms were triggered. No one noticed.
Ding. New check-in location detected: Isobu's location. Do you wish to check in?
The familiar notification echoed in his mind.
"Check in."
There was no reason to hesitate.
Ding. Check-in successful. Reward obtained: Isobu Chakra.
As the system's voice faded, a presence suddenly formed within his body.
"Shukaku?"
"Isobu?"
Two voices rang out almost at the same time, both filled with disbelief.
Inside Ryūjin, the long settled Shukaku and the newly appeared Isobu faced each other in complete confusion. Neither understood what had just happened.
Ryūjin did not bother explaining.
"Eight Trigrams Sealing Style."
He acted instantly, sealing Isobu within himself before it could react or attempt to escape.
The process was clean and efficient.
"Someone's coming. Fast reaction… but not fast enough."
Sensing the approaching shinobi, Ryūjin remained calm.
Another Kamui vortex formed, and he disappeared once again.
By the time the Hidden Mist ninja arrived, the place was empty.
Ryūjin was already gone.
He did not return to Konoha immediately. Instead, he appeared in a desolate and uninhabited area.
There, he properly "greeted" his new tenant.
The exchange was brief, decisive, and one sided.
By the time it ended, Isobu had no choice but to behave.
Only then did Ryūjin return to Konoha.
"Isobu's chakra, done. Next, Ryūchi Cave Senjutsu."
After spending a day in the village as usual, Ryūjin focused on the Flying Thunder God seal he had long ago placed on Manda.
The connection was clear.
Using Kamui, he instantly appeared at Ryūchi Cave.
The moment he arrived, he completed the check-in.
By the time the sage snakes sensed the disturbance and rushed over, Ryūjin had already left.
What remained behind was nothing but confusion.
After Ryūchi Cave, his next target was Sunagakure.
From that point on, the village might as well have been his personal training ground.
Every morning, after waking up, Ryūjin would make a trip to Sunagakure to check in.
With Kamui's unpredictability and the enhanced perception granted by Sage Mode, more than two months passed without anyone noticing his presence.
During that time, his gains were substantial.
Magnet Release: Gold Dust from Rasa.
Chiyo's puppetry techniques.
Various Sunagakure ninjutsu and secret arts.
Piece by piece, he stripped the village of its advantages.
Even so, Ryūjin could not help but compare.
Sunagakure's foundation simply could not match Konoha's.
Then again, Konoha had already been thoroughly explored by him as well.
"Can't blame them. Konoha's roots are just built different."
Life during those two months settled into a steady rhythm.
He slacked off during work hours, went on dates after work, occasionally checked in at the Hidden Mist, and kept in contact with Kisame and Orochimaru.
Nothing particularly noteworthy happened.
Except for one thing.
Uzumaki Kushina.
Since he did not know her exact due date, Ryūjin kept track of her chakra using Sage Mode.
The moment she was moved out of the village, it would signal the beginning.
As the Nine Tails Jinchuriki, Kushina's seal would weaken during childbirth. That vulnerability posed a serious risk.
For that reason, the Hokage and the higher ups had arranged for her to give birth in a secret location outside Konoha.
Secret, at least in their eyes.
Through the Telescope Technique, Ryūjin had already located it long ago.
"Kushina's been moved. So it's within a few days."
When he sensed her relocation, his focus sharpened.
This meant two things.
The child would be born soon.
And Obito would appear.
That afternoon, while patrolling Konoha with his teammates, Ryūjin extended his Sage Mode perception, keeping track of Kushina's condition.
Her chakra began to fluctuate.
Then it grew more unstable.
"Her chakra's getting chaotic… looks like it's starting."
His expression shifted slightly.
Sage Mode expanded further, covering the entire village and its surroundings.
It did not take long.
"Uchiha Obito."
Ryūjin's eyes narrowed.
Just as expected, Obito had already arrived.
He stood outside the birthing location, leaning near a tree, calmly watching the direction of the base.
Like a hunter waiting for the right moment.
"Yeah right… you really showed up."
Ryūjin kept his focus steady, monitoring both Obito and Kushina at the same time.
Kushina's chakra continued to spiral into disorder.
The moment was approaching.
Ryūjin exhaled slowly.
It was time to move.