Rogue ninja had their own channels for obtaining information.
Before this, the outside world had already been intensely curious about Neiki Hyuga, and as a result, countless rumors spread through the rogue ninja community.
A Konoha ninja defecting was nothing unusual.
Every year, dozens—sometimes hundreds—of shinobi abandoned Konoha for various reasons. Most were hunted down and eliminated by Konoha's hunter-nin shortly after defecting. A few, however, managed to escape—either through speed, strength, or sheer luck. When Konoha judged that eliminating someone would cost too much, that individual would be placed on the bounty list, their name spreading throughout the ninja world.
Neiki being listed was already an acknowledgment of his strength.
But a starting bounty of sixty million ryō?
That was considered outrageous.
He was not a legendary figure like Orochimaru, one of the Sannin. Even Orochimaru's bounty had never been that high. Veteran rogue ninja who had caused chaos for over a decade weren't worth even a fraction of Neiki's price.
No one could accept that.
Thus, the prevailing theory was not that Neiki had committed horrific crimes—but that he possessed something Konoha desperately wanted.
Given his background in the Hyuga Clan, the implication was obvious.
To rogue ninja, Neiki became like a child carrying gold through a crowded street.
They believed he had talent—but not enough to survive against experienced adults. If he truly had such strength, he would already be famous.
That assumption shattered the moment Zabuza heard Haku's report.
He fell silent for a long time.
His previous understanding of Neiki had been completely overturned.
The ninja world was small.
Some people remained unknown because they lived in peaceful times and never encountered opportunities.
Others remained unknown because—even when opportunities appeared—they lacked the ability to seize them.
Neiki's obscurity clearly belonged to neither category.
It was due to his youth, his deliberate concealment, and his preparation for something far greater.
And when the time came—
He created his own opportunity.
The annihilation of the Hyuga Clan.The instigation of the Uchiha Clan rebellion.The orchestration of the second Nine-Tails incident.The complete destruction of Konoha.
Any one of these deeds would have been enough to go down in history.
Yet all four were attributed to a single person.
Zabuza thought of his own fifteen-million-ryō bounty, issued by Kirigakure after his failed assassination attempt on the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura.
He had once thought Neiki's sixty-million bounty was absurd.
Now, he realized—
Even quadrupling it might still be too low.
With the Fourth Great Ninja War erupting, countless people would begin searching for its origin.
Zabuza could already foresee it.
As the war intensified, whether cursed, hated, or admired, the name Neiki Hyuga would spread far beyond the ninja world itself.
Like a cataclysm shaking the world, people would never forget the man who destroyed Konoha and shattered the balance among the Five Great Villages—igniting the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Zabuza exhaled slowly, pulling himself out of his shock.
He pondered.
If the war expanded, Kirigakure would not remain uninvolved. But participating in war would inevitably break its long-standing isolationist structure.
"This… could be an opportunity," Zabuza said quietly.
An opportunity to assassinate Yagura once more—and completely overturn Kirigakure's Bloody Mist policies.
"Should we cooperate with that Hashirama?" Haku asked.
After hearing the masked man who claimed to be Hashirama speak of the inevitability of the Fourth Great Ninja War—and declare his intent to "correct the entire ninja world" and "plant the Tree of Peace across the world"—Zabuza and Haku had chosen to split up.
Zabuza remained in the Land of Waves to observe Hashirama for hidden motives.Haku traveled to the Land of Fire to gather intelligence.
Now—
With Iwagakure initiating hostilities, the war had become unavoidable.
Hashirama had not lied.
Reversing the logic, Zabuza realized that this man—able to predict everything so early—might not be the Shinobi God of decades past, but he certainly understood Konoha intimately.
He knew about the disasters caused by Neiki—disasters Konoha had concealed until Iwagakure exposed them.
Zabuza finally spoke.
"Recently, a new ninja village was established in the Land of Waves."
"Hidden Sword Village?" Haku asked, surprised.
"Yes," Zabuza replied slowly."He told the Land of Waves' daimyo that he wanted everyone here to control their own destiny."
"It seems… he intends to train everyone on this island to become ninjas."
Haku was stunned.
"The Land of Waves' daimyo can afford that?"
Ninja villages were financial black holes.
Even Konoha could only cover thirty percent of its expenses through missions—the remaining seventy percent came from the Fire Country daimyo.
Sunagakure was in even worse shape. The Wind Country daimyo's refusal to provide funds forced the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, to personally mine gold dust in the desert.
The Land of Waves was small and poor. Establishing a village—let alone training everyone—should have been impossible.
"Hidden Sword Village is different," Zabuza said."It doesn't require massive funding. The daimyo doesn't need to pay anything."
That alone was enough for the daimyo to agree.
Haku was first stunned—then deeply shaken.
"To correct Konoha.""To correct the entire ninja world.""The Land of Waves is only the beginning.""To let everyone control their own destiny.""To plant the Tree of Peace across the world."
Each phrase echoed in her mind.
It felt as if an immense shadow stood before the world—one willing to swallow everything broken within it and reshape it, no matter the cost.
"He truly has resolve," Haku said softly.
Zabuza knew then—
Haku had fully acknowledged Hashirama.
This was not empty talk.
He was already acting.
"I think you were right before," Zabuza said calmly."If the first step is the Land of Waves… then the second might as well be Kirigakure."
Even if the Fourth Great Ninja War gave him a chance to kill Yagura, success alone might not change Kirigakure's fate.
This wasn't a problem that could be solved by killing one man.
It required someone capable of overturning an entire system.
Zabuza knew he lacked that ability.
But in Hashirama—
He saw the possibility.
"I'll follow any arrangement you make," Haku said with a gentle smile."But will he be interested?"
"Of course," Zabuza replied.
At that moment—
A figure wearing a wooden mask gently pushed the door open.
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