"You brought so many people here, killing all the way, just for this?" Nagato asked.
"How can you put it that way? Don't you understand the importance of ceremony? I'm the head of the ANBU now, if I don't make an appearance and show off a little, how can I assert my authority?" Masashi spoke seriously, sharing his insights on the ninja workplace. "Someone like me, who parachuted into this position, has to take on a faction and shake things up at the start, or else the subordinates will just pretend to obey while secretly resisting."
"If it's about establishing dominance, you should be targeting your own people," Nagato took a deep breath for the first time. "Like when I killed Hanzō, the effect was much better."
Kill Hanzō? More like you wiped out his entire family and a bunch of his loyal followers.
Am I that ruthless? Of course not.
"No way, there are only a few reliable ones. I can't bear to get rid of them. But you're different, Ame has plenty of spies. If we don't eliminate them, it'd be a waste. After cutting down a few waves, my people are now very fond of me."
"But you even cut down Ame ninjas," Nagato took a second deep breath.
"I'm sorry."
"…" Nagato took a final deep breath. "Next time, I hope you'll at least show your ally some basic respect."
"I will. Look at Kumo, you'll see how much I respect my allies," Masashi chuckled. "Besides, I'm actually very loyal. If my own people betray me, I'd be heartbroken for life."
Nagato instinctively dismissed this as nonsense. But he understood what Masashi was implying.
"So am I," he replied stiffly, then turned to leave.
Watching his unrestrained departure, Masashi started to wonder if this meant Ame was rejecting the invitation. Just as he was thinking that, a voice floated over from a distance.
"Ame will, of course, participate. The list is in the village, you come get it."
"If you're participating, just say so. Why so dramatic?" Masashi sighed.
Activating the Flying Thunder God, he appeared beside Fū, who instinctively turned to strike with his blade.
Then he recognized the new boss.
"Masashi-sama, my deepest apologies, I thought—"
"It's fine." Masashi glanced at the others and noticed they all had bloodstains on them.
"Everyone's been busy, huh?" Masashi nodded. "We didn't suffer any losses, did we?"
"No. Once Ame's people arrived, things settled down."
"Oh?" Masashi sensed something.
Konan was here too? What a coincidence. Might as well go and make an impression. As for Nagato, he was already heading in Konan's direction.
"We should go too," he said. "Our ally is here, we can't ignore them. Our main task is to visit Ame, after all."
He noticed the way everyone was looking at him. It seemed a little odd, but he didn't dwell on it. He figured this was just proof that his authority as leader had been firmly established.
Feelings were like a tornado, always arriving suddenly. A true man must not only face others' praise head-on but also respond in the boldest way possible... "Harder! Don't stop!"
"Yes!"
His men responded in unison, as if they had just been injected with adrenaline.
A group of them followed Masashi toward Ame's ninjas.
On the way, as expected, they encountered scattered third-party factions.
Masashi, upholding the noble spirit of "an ally's enemy is my enemy," naturally had his subordinates take down every enemy they encountered. If there was one, they cut one down. If there was a group, they wiped them all out. As a result, when Ame's ninjas saw these murderous Konoha ninjas approaching, their first instinct was not a good one.
They thought these people had come to kill them.
Nagato's expression darkened even further.
"Didn't I just tell you to show some basic respect to your allies?" He looked at Masashi, telling himself to stay calm.
"You and I are allies, like family. There's no need to distinguish between us." Masashi waved his hand grandly. "I just saw some spies on the way and got rid of them all for you."
"Ame's affairs should be handled by Ame. Don't interfere in our internal matters." After saying this in a flat tone, Nagato turned to call out to Konan. "Let's take our guests back and discuss the joint Chunin Exams."
But Konan didn't move, she was staring at Masashi in shock. So were the other Ame ninjas.
Meanwhile, the Konoha ANBU stood tall, their heads held high.
Nagato turned back.
"Are you showing off those eyes to your ally?"
"Hmm?" Masashi seemed to just now realize that he still hadn't deactivated his Rinnegan. "Oh, sorry, I forgot to turn them off... Wait a second, you keep yours on all the time too. So you've been showing off all along, huh?"
Nagato turned away, not wanting to engage with this man any further. Although, he had always been curious about one thing. Since the Rinnegan was a dōjutsu, it should theoretically be able to be deactivated. But ever since he awakened them as a child, they had stayed that way.
As for how he first awakened the Rinnegan, he had no recollection at all. He only remembered that when his parents died before his eyes, his mind went completely blank. By the time he regained awareness, the Konoha ninjas who had killed his parents was already dead.
He had tried to deactivate the Rinnegan before, but it was useless. Eventually, he just stopped bothering. As long as he didn't actively use its abilities, it didn't consume much of his stamina, though it did make him hungrier.
Besides, constantly looking at people with these eyes helped intimidate members of his organization.
But now… it just felt really annoying.
"I don't have time for your smooth talk. Do you still want the list or not?" Nagato asked.
"Of course I do. That's my job this time."
"What list?" Konan, who had just snapped out of her shock from seeing another pair of Rinnegan in this world, quickly asked.
"The list of Ame's participants for the joint Chunin Exams," Masashi said. "Since you're participating, I need to register your names first."
"You caused all this commotion… just for that?" Konan's eyes widened.
No, that wasn't it at all. He was clearly here for Nagato's power! She had long heard that Masashi's Sharingan could copy others' bloodline limit, but she never expected he could actually steal the Rinnegan!
"Konan, let's go," Nagato said. "Things aren't as you think. I'll explain later."
Saying this, he felt frustrated. Nothing had come of this. What a huge loss!
"Report!"
An Ame ninja suddenly appeared beside Konan, his tone urgent.
"A squad is rapidly approaching from the north, it's Konoha's Police Force."
The Ame ninjas, who had just relaxed a little, immediately tensed up again. The Konoha ninjas were also confused. Why was the Police Force here?
"Oh, they're probably here for me. No need to be nervous, everyone," Masashi said, having now deactivated his Rinnegan. His current appearance was friendly and harmless. "I've been away from home for a while, maybe my family got worried and sent people to check on me."
He could more or less guess why the Police Force had come. Sigh… Uchiha really stick together.
If you were not an Uchiha, you'd never understand just how warm they were to their own. Even as a former Senju, he often felt embarrassed by how much they looked out for him. Sometimes, after slacking off too much, he even felt a bit guilty, like hell, was he growing a conscience?
"Then we'll wait," Nagato said.
He was only wary of Masashi. As for the others, it didn't matter how many came. Until he saw the Police Force enter his line of sight.
"They're just here to check on you?" His face darkened.
Ame, as the strongest among the second-tier ninja villages, had an extremely well-developed intelligence network. Combined with the traitors within Akatsuki, he possessed a formidable web of information.
So, with just one glance, he recognized the leader of the group, Shisui. The number two figure of the Uchiha's current generation.
Along with several senior Uchiha jonin. Even Konoha's rising star, Itachi, was among them.
Aside from the Uchiha, the squad also included Hyūga, Inuzuka, and Aburame ninjas.
This wasn't just an elite team anymore, this was a force capable of launching a full-scale assault on a small ninja village.
"My clan came to check on me, totally normal, right? And that one over there was my student back in the day. As for the others, well, I do have a lot of friends. Maybe they're just free lately." Masashi spoke casually.
Truthfully, he was surprised too. This lineup was… a bit much. Forget everything else, how did they even get approval to pull so many elites from the clan?
"Masashi-nii!" From afar, Shisui was already waving enthusiastically. In a flash, he used the Body Flicker Technique to appear beside him.
His technique was so flawless that the Ame ninjas were momentarily stunned. They silently assessed the situation, if they had to fight against movement like that, they probably wouldn't even have time to react before they were dead.
The Ame ninjas quietly observed the approaching Police Force and made a comparison in their minds.
They had to admit, Konoha really had too much talent.
"Shisui, why are you all here?" Masashi walked forward to greet him.
Why was this kid so excited? Did he get a girlfriend or something?
"Fugaku-sama said you were in danger, so we came to support you."
"Thanks for looking out for me. But don't worry, it's all over now." Masashi was genuinely touched. The Uchiha were so warmhearted that he couldn't not return the favor. "We were just about to head to Ame to collect their Chunin Exam participant list."
"I see." Shisui nodded. "Got it. Then I'll go with you, Masashi-nii."
"Let's go, Konan," Nagato said. He found the presence of this large group noisy and irritating, so he called for Konan again.
This time, she didn't ask anything more and simply followed him. Then came the Ame ninjas. But suddenly, the atmosphere among them had turned very gloomy.
Meanwhile, the Konoha ninjas naturally grouped together and followed the Ame team forward.
---
As the only country bordering the three great nations of Earth, Fire, and Wind, the Land of Rain was famous for being full of spies. Its neighboring country, the Land of Grass, was known for trading intelligence.
So, when these two countries joined forces, they became the biggest gossip hub of the shinobi world.
If a rumor managed to spread across the entire shinobi world, it was almost certainly connected to them.
Recently, one particular rumor had been spreading like wildfire.
Masashi had once again set a new record for the Sharingan's copying abilities, this time, by copying the Rinnegan of the leader of Ame.
Back when Nagato was only operating Akatsuki, the fact that he had the Rinnegan was a well-kept secret within a small circle. But once he became the leader of Ame, it was no longer a secret at all.
In the original timeline, he maintained an air of mystery, but in this altered timeline, that wasn't possible.
Due to the butterfly effects caused by Masashi's actions, the shinobi world had shifted into a new order, forcing Nagato to take a more active role to maintain peace in the Land of Rain.
After years of chaos, when he took over, Ame had three key characteristics: A high number of spies, a large population of wandering ninja, and a proliferation of small organizations.
And if you looked beyond the shinobi world, there were also countless refugees. So naturally, the existence of the Rinnegan was exposed.
This attracted even more spies and restless third-party organizations, which in turn forced Nagato to take even more action, further confirming the existence of the Rinnegan.
And so, without anyone even considering the power of the Five Kage, the shinobi world came to recognize two absolute powerhouses: Nagato and Masashi.
Because both of them had such terrifying reputations, the rumor spread at an alarming speed.
---
Masashi was still in the Land of Rain when the news reached the Land of Fire.
It soon landed on the desk of Minato.
After serving as Hokage for over a decade, there weren't many things that could make him frown, aside from his wife demanding late-night "study sessions."
Normally, rumors wouldn't be taken seriously enough to be delivered to the Hokage's office.
But the ANBU still chose to report this one.
The reason was simple. First, Masashi had recently taken over the ANBU, so anything concerning the new boss had to be reported.
Second, there was another reason, one that couldn't be openly discussed.
During the Third Hokage's era, the ANBU had an unwritten rule: "There is no such thing as a small Uchiha matter."
Even though there were fewer Uchiha in the ANBU now, the rule still lingered. Minato read through the report and found it troublesome.
The Rinnegan was something he knew about. But beyond that, he didn't know much. From Jiraiya he had learned about the abilities of his former disciple who possessed the Rinnegan.
But that was about all he knew.
When Ame's new leader was revealed to have the Rinnegan, Minato had been shocked. His first instinct was to connect him to the boy Jiraiya had mentioned.
Jiraiya was also very concerned.
Konoha never pursued retribution for Hanzō's death, and that was directly tied to their confirmation of Nagato's identity.
From the perspective of the Hokage's office, Nagato was a better leader for Ame than Hanzō ever was.
Masashi, however, did not share this sentiment. But that didn't matter anymore. Because now, the rumor had spread across the entire shinobi world, everyone was saying that Masashi had copied the Rinnegan.
"Sigh..." Minato lifted his gaze and looked around the room.
Fugaku was drinking goji berry tea.
The Third Hokage was smoking.
Koharu and Homura were both staring at him.
"How about I just retire and let Masashi be Hokage?" Minato said.
They say power corrupts.
Maybe.
But Minato felt that if anyone was immune to corruption, it was definitely his wife, she was the real powerhouse in their home. In this regard, the only person he could relate to was probably the legendary First Hokage.
"Don't joke around," Koharu said. "Even if it's just a rumor, it's already spreading all over the village. Several ninja clans have been holding constant meetings about it."
Minato picked up on her underlying message.
Be serious! But he had always been serious. This wasn't the first time he had considered the idea.
Minato had once hoped that Obito could fulfill his dream and become Hokage. If an Uchiha who embodied the Will of Fire became Hokage, Konoha's deepest internal conflict could finally be resolved.
But that dream was incredibly difficult, nearly impossible.
After all these years, Minato understood this reality even more.
The Senju... no, it wasn't even about the Senju anymore. It was the entire "former Hokage faction," they could never truly accept an Uchiha becoming Hokage.
But if even Masashi couldn't become Hokage, then Minato believed the Uchiha clan would never have a chance at the position. And sooner or later, that unresolved conflict would explode.
He wasn't tied to any political faction. He was a family-oriented ninja. To him, Konoha itself was more important than any faction.
"Well, regardless, let's all share our opinions," Minato said, breaking the silence. Then he turned to the oldest person in the room. "Sandaime-sama, what do you think?"
The smoking Hiruzen was caught off guard. People often complained that Minato's favorite phrase was "What do you think?" But this was the first time he had used it on him.
"What do I think? I think while I smoke." Hiruzen took a deep puff and pretended to contemplate deeply, though he wasn't sure why this needed a discussion in the first place.
"Hm… the Rinnegan, huh…" he muttered, appearing thoughtful. "If it's true, then the village has gained even more strength, which is a good thing. If it's false, then someone must be plotting against us."
Fugaku glanced at Hiruzen, his usually expressionless face briefly showing an "As expected of you, always so insightful" look.
But in his heart, he silently sighed.
This generation's approach of relying on political favors and alliances to ease tensions… simply wouldn't work.
As for the Rinnegan…
He only knew one thing: if it were true, that kid Masashi would really be making a huge breakthrough.
The entire clan would surely adopt a new path from then on. Anyone who opposed it would be a fool.
Since he couldn't be sure whether it was real or not, Fugaku didn't know how he should react. So, he just doubled the amount of goji berries in his tea.
His little action did not escape Minato's keen eyes. Looking at his precious little jar with a heartbroken expression, Minato decided to get some payback.
"Fugaku why don't you say something?"
"Hm?" Fugaku looked at him, confused. "Say what?"
"Talk about the Rinnegan. What if it's real?"
"How would I know anything about the Rinnegan…" Fugaku sighed. "The highest record of our clan's bloodline limit only mentions the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"The way you said 'only' just now was quite something." Minato immediately called him out.
"I really don't know," Fugaku sighed again. "Among the Three Great Dōjutsu, no one would have thought two could exist in one person, right?"
"So, you're saying it's a real copy?" Minato rubbed his chin in thought.
"..."
It seemed the Hokage had already accepted it as fact.
"Hahaha, I was just joking! Fugaku, you're too serious," Minato suddenly laughed out loud. "I think, like the Sandaime said, we should focus on whether someone is targeting the village."
Everyone nodded in agreement upon hearing this. No one mentioned the previous topic again.
---
Meanwhile, as rumors spread outside, Masashi was currently in Taki, confirming the final list with the village's higher-ups.
To show respect to their allies, the ANBU and police force ninjas had not entered Taki but were stationed outside.
He had gone in alone. It made negotiations easier that way. Strictly speaking, his main task was to visit Ame, Kusa, Taki, and Oto to confirm their participation and finalize the list of attendees.
"Is this all the participants from your village?" he decided to confirm one last time. "The list can't be changed once registered."
According to Taki's report, they were sending six genin for the upcoming joint Chunin Exams. Kusa had also reported six, while Ame, under Nagato's leadership, was sending twenty-one.
At first glance, Ame was going big.
But following the usual pattern, the host village always had the most participants.
Before leaving Konoha, the number of participants from their village hadn't been finalized, but it was guaranteed to be at least eighty.
As for Suna, Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri, negotiations were still necessary. The major villages had never sent fewer than thirty participants each.
The number of participants was also a symbol of a village's strength.
Konoha had always been the most frequent host of the joint Chunin Exams due to the complex relations between ninja villages. Even now, Kumo refused to host the event, and the smaller villages lacked the capability, making Konoha the preferred choice.
That was until Masashi founded an association that eased economic ties between the major villages, leading to a rotation system where Suna, Konoha, and Kiri took turns hosting the exams.
Ame was a regular participant, consistently sending the most candidates among the smaller villages. Of course, whether from large or small villages, most participants were just there to fill numbers.
According to tradition, after at most two rounds, the number of contestants would be whittled down to single digits. And that process involved real deaths.
Now, looking at Masashi, the Taki higher-ups wore bright smiles.
"Yes, Masashi-sama, these six are the finest genin in our village."
Taki's leader still maintained some composure, though he kept sneaking glances at Masashi's face. Despite being known as a secretive village, Taki's appetite for gossip was no less than any other.
Ever since leaving Ame, Masashi had noticed the peculiar looks from the higher-ups of every ninja village he visited.
He was aware of it but chose not to say anything.
After all, they weren't actually doing anything, just giving him strange looks.
"Alright, your list is confirmed. I'll take my leave now." He put the list away and stood up to leave.
"Masashi-sama, you've been traveling tirelessly. Why not rest in our village for the night?" The Taki leader was very enthusiastic.
The Kusa leader had been just as warm.
In fact, not only had he been enthusiastic, but he had also wanted to throw a banquet, an offer Masashi politely declined.
He couldn't help but feel something was off.
Had these people taken some strange medicine? They weren't this friendly before.
Sure, he had cut down some people in battle, but was that really such a big deal? Maybe he had killed a bit more than usual during the war, but in diplomacy, he was always a gentleman, right?
"No, I need to head to Oto right away." Once again rejecting the leader's kind invitation, Masashi used Flying Thunder God to teleport back to his unit and immediately set off for Oto.
This mission had two major obstacles. Nagato was one, already dealt with. The last one would be the toughest.
Everyone knew that Orochimaru… was truly impossible to kill.