Chapter 197: The Establishment of the "Aka" Organization! Sasori Joins, Sunagakure is Incorporated into Madara's Domain!
White Zetsu A-Huo twitched the corner of his mouth slightly.
Will he dance beautifully?
As A-Huo consumed more literature and expanded his cognitive processing, he gradually realized that although Lord Madara projected the aura of a high-level intellectual, his phrasing and operational mindset... well...
It faintly carried the dramatic flair of a chuunibyou teenager!
"Lord Madara is truly a peerless sovereign!"
A-Huo bowed respectfully, handing over Konoha's latest intelligence briefing, which included minor policy adjustments and the demographic registry of the newborn cohort. "My only regret is that I was not deployed earlier to witness the Ghost of the Uchiha operating at peak kinetic capacity during the Warring States era!"
"Hahahahahaha!"
Madara erupted into boisterous laughter, shaking his head. He patted the back of A-Huo's head with a rare display of affection. "You... among all the White Zetsu assets, you are the only one who consistently optimizes my psychological baseline."
Madara took the briefing documents and began to review them, his posture relaxed and leisurely.
A-Huo stood by with a polite corporate smile, though internally, he was struggling to parse the logic.
After Madara received intelligence regarding Konoha's demographic boom, he had explicitly ordered A-Huo to conduct door-to-door data collection to compile a comprehensive census.
Naturally, the primary surveillance target was the Uchiha clan quarter...
But what possible correlation existed between Konoha's newborn demographic and Lord Madara's current objective to instigate a continental shinobi war?
"Hmm. Hiruzen's administrative execution is more than adequate."
A few moments later, Madara nodded slightly. "He enforces absolute parity between civilian shinobi and the noble clans, utilizing a first-come, first-served subsidy model to successfully achieve his demographic expansion targets."
"The Uchiha clan's reproductive metrics are exceptionally high. That young operative, Fugaku, even produced a second son and named him 'Sasuke.' It appears Hiruzen holds his executive potential in very high regard."
"We must place this asset under high-priority surveillance moving forward."
Regarding Fugaku, Madara had already been briefed on the fierce Uchiha's operational track record.
To scale his combat power, Fugaku had burned through two Izanagi resets during consecutive surgical trials, pushing through with only one remaining life, and ultimately succeeded in synthesizing the highly anomalous "Magnet Release."
Madara highly appreciated this methodology. Such reckless, high-risk behavior would have been considered exceptionally hardcore even during the brutal Warring States era.
He had not brought shame to the Gunbai fan!
Therefore, acting as the Great Patriarch, Madara paid close attention to the clan's outstanding junior executives, concurrently adding Fugaku's second son, Sasuke, to his observation roster. However, Madara had not yet realized that from birth, Sasuke bore a striking resemblance to Izuna in his youth...
If he were to witness Sasuke's adorable infant form, it was impossible to calculate what expression the Ghost of the Uchiha might make.
The cognitive framework of a Warring States operative like Lord Madara is truly terrifying...
He clearly harbors profound affection for Konoha. Isn't this exactly like an executive auditing whether the Hokage is properly executing corporate policy? He cares deeply about the Uchiha clan, yet he insists on deploying total war to pressure-test them...
One second it is absolute love, the next it is uncompromising hostility. What exactly is the end goal here?
A-Huo complained aggressively within his own mind. The echoes of the "Fireside Chats" and the occasional glimpses of Hiruzen Sarutobi managing the village played in his head.
A-Huo had come to the conclusion that the most critical metric for a Hokage or a supreme leader was emotional stability and logical consistency. Serving an executive like Lord Madara, whose left and right brain hemispheres were constantly at war, was an exhausting logistical nightmare.
Madara's current operational mindset closely mirrored that of the Sage of Six Paths.
He loved the shinobi world. If the market faced an existential liquidation event, he would absolutely intervene...
Yet he imposed bizarre, draconian testing parameters upon the shinobi world, to the point where those very tests threatened to shatter the infrastructure.
In a certain sense, it was a mindset saturated with divine arrogance.
He could officially be classified as a "Divine Madman"!
Madara stared at the briefing in his hands, falling into a prolonged silence.
He suddenly found himself unable to parse his own objectives.
Did he truly want to see Konoha flawlessly navigate his series of draconian stress tests, or did he want to see Hiruzen Sarutobi fail?
Previously, Madara had envisioned watching Hiruzen fall into absolute despair, allowing Madara to descend like a savior, preaching the magnificent Infinite Tsukuyomi initiative and incorporating the entire village into the dream...
But now, while Madara's commitment to the Infinite Tsukuyomi remained theoretically absolute...
Whenever he recalled that the populace had restored his monumental statues, hoisted his banners, and displayed his portrait in the Academy corridors...
When visualizing the moment he would unmask his true identity, a sliver of genuine apprehension crept into his heart.
How could he possibly articulate it?
Yes, the Infinite Tsukuyomi would reboot the server.
Those who had perished in past cycles would find flawless, optimized lifetimes within the simulation.
But the suffering inflicted prior to that reboot was tangible, objective, and irreversible.
If the old Madara could dismiss that collateral damage, it was because the Uchiha clan and Konoha had actively liquidated his legacy.
But the current administration and clan had elevated his historical profile to the absolute summit.
Consequently, even though Madara possessed a closed-loop internal logic, he found it increasingly difficult to confront the prospect of looking into those shocked, disappointed faces...
"Sigh." Madara exhaled slowly, concluding internally:
If Hiruzen truly fails the audit, then I will simply be forced to permanently roleplay as Tobirama Senju...
It is not that I desire to hide; it is simply that unmasking is tactically unnecessary...
While Madara was contemplating Tobirama, the voices of the Six Paths Puppets echoed from the far side of the Mountains' Graveyard.
They, too, were loudly invoking Tobirama's name.
"That wretched, defeated dog! To think we, brothers of peerless renown, failed to detect his faked death all those years ago!" These were the Gold and Silver Brothers.
"You two treasonous dogs! If Kumogakure and Konoha had successfully executed our joint venture, we would have structurally dismantled Iwagakure years ago! Sunagakure is a non-entity, and Kirigakure is isolated overseas. The entire continental market could have been split into a duopoly!"
The Second Raikage, who had been reconstructed by Madara, furiously reprimanded the brothers who had assassinated him during his peace summit with Tobirama:
"We wouldn't have even needed to split it evenly! After securing the alliance, we could have executed a preemptive corporate backstab, positioning Kumogakure as the undisputed premier hidden village!"
"Forget the 'Light of Kumogakure'—you two are the most vile corporate saboteurs in our village's history!"
The Gold and Silver Brothers exchanged a glance and threw their hands up:
"Do not shift the liability onto us! Forming a strategic alliance with Tobirama Senju would have inevitably triggered a hostile coalition boycott from the other hidden villages. Furthermore, given your cognitive bandwidth, what made you believe you could outmaneuver him in a boardroom?"
Kinkaku fired back at the Second Raikage without yielding an inch. Even though he had personally assassinated the man, he felt zero institutional guilt.
This was a clash of corporate ideologies! He had simply lost the final engagement...
"Do not operate under the delusion that holding the title of Raikage automatically makes you the orthodox inheritor of Kumogakure's Will!"
"Did the First Raikage mandate us to engage in treacherous corporate espionage? Let me brief you: the moment Kumogakure loses its kinetic muscle and bloodlust, we become indistinguishable from the rest of the market!"
"Given a second opportunity, I would liquidate a traitor like you again! My only regret is allowing that brute to steal the final kill, permanently framing my brother and me as corporate criminals..."
"I should have delayed my strike by one second! Let him assassinate you, and then I would execute him to secure the Raikage seat!"
The Third Raikage was clearly an uncompromising martial hardliner, mirroring the Gold and Silver Brothers' doctrine.
However, his tactical brilliance lay in avoiding the vanguard position. He allowed them to physically clash with the Second Raikage, stepping in only to handle the biological cleanup and secure the executive dividends...
Ginkaku nodded vigorously: "A Kumogakure operative attempting to play mind games with Tobirama Senju? Let me educate you: back in the Warring States era, when we were actively trading blows with the Senju clan, your combat metrics weren't even ranked on the ledger!"
The Second Raikage's expression froze. He suddenly realized their logic was alarmingly sound...
Attempting a joint venture with Tobirama Senju was the equivalent of dancing with wolves. The risk profile was catastrophic.
Why hadn't he calculated that variable back then?
"It wasn't I who ruined Kirigakure; it was this era of chaos and the Third Mizukage who bankrupted the village!" Gengetsu Hozuki sighed theatrically. Over these past weeks, he had lost track of how many times he had repeated this exact press release.
"Curse! You! Tobirama!" Mu ground his teeth, cursing the overwhelming suppression parameters of the Six Paths Puppets.
He had covertly attempted to decompile the Edo Tensei's control matrix multiple times, but failed to identify a single structural vulnerability.
The architectural tier of this jutsu had been elevated by Tobirama Senju to a level that conventional counter-measures could not pry open.
It made Mu realize exactly why their captor was so fearlessly deploying them, even authorizing Gengetsu to conduct a reconnaissance run to Kirigakure.
The man simply didn't view them—former Kage—as legitimate peer-level threats...
What absolute, unfathomable arrogance!
"Tobirama has always been fond of spewing unhinged corporate rhetoric; I logged that data ages ago..."
Ashina Uzumaki stroked his long beard, his eyes burning with fury:
"Being so inherently vile himself, he actively vetoed my R&D initiatives regarding the shinobi world's premier jutsu, the 'Myriad Seals Body Integration Mark.' And now, this insolent brat dares to deploy the Edo Tensei against me! Excellent! Truly excellent!"
"By the way, have any of you genuinely observed an operative successfully cultivating the architecture I described?" Ashina asked, refusing to abandon his obsession.
Like the others, he was a broken record.
Even if A-Huo eventually grew so annoyed he revealed that the Land of Whirlpools had been liquidated and erased from the map...
Ashina would likely only experience a brief period of depression. Once he confirmed that Uzumaki personnel were still operating within Konoha, his anxiety would evaporate...
He would simply resume repeating this exact query, hoping these widely-traveled Kage could provide an actionable data point.
Clearly, he had prioritized his proprietary R&D project above the survival of his own bloodline. His obsession had reached a terrifying critical mass.
"Do you have any concept of the kinetic yield this jutsu possesses?"
"That foolish Tobirama and my short-sighted daughter completely lacked the processing capacity to evaluate the market value of the 'Myriad Seals Body Integration Mark'!"
Ashina chattered endlessly: "Mito confiscated my rough drafts, assuming it would terminate my R&D pipeline. But it only forced me to derive a far more flawless architectural inspiration later on!"
"I have already mapped out the optimal geometric lattice for integrating sealing matrices into the human core. If my theoretical framework is successfully compiled, a sufficiently talented shinobi could transform their physical vessel into an autonomous micro-universe! Let alone Tailed Beasts, they could trap a literal Sage within their chassis and weaponize their output!"
Gengetsu Hozuki and Mu exchanged a weary glance. These eternal rivals were completely exhausted by Ashina's repetitive auditory spam.
Initially, they had maintained professional respect for the grand-master of Fuinjutsu. Driven by a desire for intelligence gathering and basic empathy, they had listened to Ashina pitch his jutsu...
But eventually, alongside the Gold and Silver Brothers and the Second Raikage, they all burst into mocking laughter.
Who in their right mind attempts to construct a secondary vascular and skeletal system out of volatile sealing formulas?
The term "Fuinjutsu" sounded defensive and benign, but it was absolutely lethal architecture.
If deployed correctly, a single "Four Symbols Seal" could permanently incarcerate a rampaging Tailed Beast...
Yet Ashina's blueprint involved layering these catastrophic seals one on top of the other, directly into the host's organs...
Just how absurdly durable and anomalous would the host's physical vessel need to be to endure that volume of sealing pressure without instantly detonating?
After enduring the endless pitches, the Kage had eventually laughed in his face.
Leaving Ashina standing alone, red-faced, vehemently arguing that his jutsu was statistically on parity with Senjutsu Wood Release and the Perfect Susanoo...
"Tobirama Senju!"
Ashina screamed in frustration:
"You utilize the Edo Tensei to humiliate me! Do you calculate what Hashirama will do to you when he downloads this data?!"
"Let me establish my terms: I will execute your operational mandates, but you must procure an elite prodigy capable of inheriting the 'Myriad Seals Body Integration Mark.' Otherwise, this labor dispute is far from over!"
Madara Uchiha listened silently, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
He hadn't muted these Six Paths Puppets precisely because each of them was utilizing highly creative dialects to curse Tobirama Senju. As the background audio for the Mountains' Graveyard, it was exceptionally pleasing to the ear...
It also provided Madara with a rare, grounding sense of human activity beyond A-Huo's presence. This was likely a contributing factor to the recent stabilization of his cognitive and psychological health.
Humans were, ultimately, a social species.
Madara shot A-Huo a subtle glance.
A-Huo comprehended the directive instantly. He nodded, approached the group of Kage, and cleared his throat: "Honored Executives. As of today, our 'Aka' Organization is officially incorporated."
"Our corporate mission is the harmonization of the shinobi market and the pursuit of absolute, structural peace. I request that moving forward, you cooperate with absolute synergy, rallying tightly around Lord Tobirama's leadership. If you have reasonable logistical requisitions, you may submit them to my desk..."
This brand name was a bespoke creation A-Huo had brainstormed for Madara.
Initially, he had proposed "Akatsuki" (Dawn), but upon discovering the trademark was already registered, he pivoted to "Aka" (Scarlet), drawing ideological inspiration from the blood-red hue of the Sharingan. Furthermore, it served as brilliant counter-intelligence, misleading external auditors into associating it with Tobirama Senju's signature red eyes...
Madara was highly satisfied with the branding.
The Kage stared at A-Huo with complex, unreadable expressions.
These operatives possessed apex-tier sensory suites; even in a suppressed state, their baseline perception was elite...
Every single one of them could detect the overwhelming, hyper-dense vitality radiating from A-Huo's biometric signature, carrying an aura virtually identical to Hashirama Senju's...
Everyone realized they were completely outmaneuvered by Tobirama Senju.
Never mind foreign Kage and rival combatants... this man hadn't even spared his own biological brother!
Conducting R&D on Wood Release and cellular vitality was one thing; that fell within standard scientific parameters.
But utilizing that baseline to manufacture hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Wood Release biological anomalies? What was his endgame here?!
Without Mito and Hashirama acting as regulatory oversight, the shinobi world's ultimate mad scientist had completely breached containment!
"The 'Aka Organization'? Tobirama Senju, so you are abandoning all corporate camouflage?"
Gengetsu Hozuki scratched his head, his expression slightly theatrical: "Are you not concerned we will leak your identity to the press?"
Mu narrowed his eyes. He is attempting to temper Konoha's spiritual resolve!
Even if it means positioning himself as the enemy of the previous Hokage, he intends to force them to maintain peak combat readiness?
This bastard's strategic ambitions are terrifyingly vast...
"Proceed as you wish, Executives. Lord Tobirama's operational policy here is 'everything not explicitly prohibited is permitted.' If he does not wish for you to execute a specific action, no amount of effort will allow you to succeed."
"Conversely, any action you successfully execute is simply an action Lord Tobirama deemed unworthy of blocking."
White Zetsu A-Huo smiled with slick, corporate diplomacy.
This White Zetsu—who just a few years ago was a deformed, low-tier biological clone—was now projecting the absolute, untouchable aura of a Chief Operating Officer!
Listening in, Madara smiled faintly.
The operational roadmap was fully validated...
If Konoha managed to successfully navigate the gauntlet and crush all opposition, Madara could simply withhold his true identity indefinitely. After all, the Will of Fire he had fostered in his youth had already blossomed and borne fruit across the continent...
He could occasionally don a disguise and visit Konoha for a bowl of ramen. There was no mandatory requirement to be publicly recognized. Operating in the shadows and remaining misunderstood by the masses was the standard equilibrium for a shadow executive anyway.
If the endgame resulted in catastrophic failure, he would simply manifest while wearing the "Tobirama" skin-suit and launch the Infinite Tsukuyomi protocol!
With Tobi available for deployment, combined with the Rinnegan's capacity to flawlessly simulate chakra signatures...
Madara possessed the administrative clearance to roleplay as any entity he desired.
Furthermore, on an objective level, although his physical vessel was currently rejuvenated, sustaining peak combat output over extended durations still required Tobi's biological integration...
The offspring of the Divine Tree remained a critical support asset for an operative of his tier.
Madara also hypothesized that if the child Mito was mentoring received Tobi's biological support, he might just evolve into a "Mini Hashirama"...
"All logistics are secured, Lord Madara."
After concluding negotiations with the 'Aka' executives, A-Huo casually strolled back to the command dais.
"Exemplary execution..."
Madara smiled, narrowing his eyes as he gazed up at the Gedo Statue.
Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was aggressively scaling the combat power of Konoha's personnel...
Following the ideological reconciliation between the Uchiha and Konoha, Madara felt he could finally face Izuna with a clear conscience. Consequently, his desire to reunite with his brother surged. He planned to extract a concentrated dosage of the Gedo Statue's life force to execute Izuna's physical resurrection!
However, Madara needed to optimize the R&D protocol. He intended to ensure the resurrected Izuna possessed combat metrics significantly exceeding his mortal peak, serving as a belated dividend for the brother who had surrendered his eyes.
The shinobi market was evolving at an astronomical velocity.
Even Madara was forced to concede that while his brother's Mangekyou was formidable, in the current patch meta, it had severely depreciated and could no longer project absolute dominance...
Therefore, Madara intended to ensure Izuna returned as an apex predator.
Moreover, securing Izuna's presence would stabilize Madara's psychological baseline. Izuna was the second-most brilliant strategic mind in Uchiha history. While A-Huo was highly competent, the COO slot permanently belonged to Izuna...
His integration would make the execution of every macro-plan infinitely smoother.
A-Huo quietly observed Madara tinkering with the sealing formulas, noting internally: Let's be honest, Lord Madara's current operational footprint is completely indistinguishable from the historical profile of Tobirama Senju I read about in the archives!
Endless R&D on forbidden jutsu, absolute, obsessive dedication to Izuna...
An indeterminate amount of time passed.
A-Huo approached with soft, measured footsteps:
"Lord Madara, that young operative from Sunagakure has arrived at the designated coordinates per our agreement. The one named Sasori..."
"Hmm. Authorize his entry. You will conduct the briefing..." Madara nodded dismissively.
A few days prior, the White Zetsu network had flagged Sasori's intent to assassinate the Third Kazekage. Madara had deployed Mu and Gengetsu Hozuki to intercept him, delivering a simple message: if he wished to discover the true meaning of life, he should seek out the mastermind...
After a period of hesitation, Sasori had navigated to the extraction point and was escorted by a White Zetsu into the Mountains' Graveyard.
"Where is Tobirama Senju? I demand an audience!"
Sasori, who had not yet fully converted his biological vessel into a puppet, remained a striking, crimson-haired youth. The moment he breached the facility, he issued his demand with aggressive urgency.
Sasori's motivation for risking the rendezvous was simple: he had witnessed the deceased Second Tsuchikage and Second Mizukage operating in the mortal plane...
If that technology existed, did it not imply he could see his parents one last time?
"Oh? We actually have a living, breathing visitor..."
The notoriously talkative Gengetsu Hozuki sniffed the air: "Great. Smells like sand. At this rate, Tobirama Senju has successfully aggregated representatives from every major hidden village outside of Konoha..."
"He is genuinely committing to the role of the shinobi world's ultimate shadow mastermind!"
"Why wouldn't he aggregate Konoha? He is a Konoha shinobi himself, and he commands a legion of First Hokage biological knock-offs..."
Mu shook his head. He was finding it increasingly difficult to project a viable, optimistic future for the shinobi world—and specifically for Iwagakure.
The moment Sasori stepped through the threshold, his psychological defenses were completely shattered.
He was undeniably the strongest operative of Sunagakure's new generation, but the entities standing casually before him were legendary apex predators whose names were etched in blood across the history books... Never mind him; if the entirety of Sunagakure mobilized against this synchronized strike team, they would be utterly liquidated.
"Please vacate the sector temporarily. This is a family visitation session."
A-Huo shrugged. From behind his cloak, a man and a woman stepped forward, gazing at Sasori with profound, overwhelming joy.
Sasori froze. He hadn't even submitted his formal requisition, yet his psychological profile had already been decrypted?
Discarding all tactical caution, Sasori sprinted forward, throwing his arms around his father and mother.
Compared to Sunagakure's crude puppet mechanics, the synthesis of Edo Tensei and Rinnegan-directed Six Paths Puppetry represented an infinitely superior technological tier.
Though their physical vessels were cold to the touch, they retained the flawless, uncorrupted consciousness of the living.
"Sasori, you have matured into an exceptionally elite shinobi..." Sasori's mother gently caressed her son's face. Despite existing within an Edo Tensei chassis, her eyes brimmed with boundless maternal love.
"Sasori, we are so incredibly proud of you..." Sasori's father rested a hand on the boy's head, his voice choked with emotion.
Sasori, who had spent years systematically sealing his heart and suppressing all emotional output, found his psychological firewall instantly obliterated by his parents' clumsy, straightforward validation.
Watching the reunion from the shadows, White Zetsu A-Huo analyzed the scene: The deployment of Edo Tensei to execute wish-fulfillment and psychological closure carries an absolutely terrifying, authoritative power. Lord Madara is the only executive who truly comprehends the total market application of this jutsu.
Sasori conversed with his parents for hours before A-Huo finally intervened to conclude the session.
Yet the debriefing plunged Sasori into an even deeper state of ideological disorientation.
His parents had been terminated by Sakumo Hatake. Sasori had fully anticipated they would mandate him to execute a blood vengeance campaign against the White Fang. Instead, he was briefed on the objective geopolitical reality: the Second Great Shinobi War was fundamentally instigated through a joint venture between Sunagakure and Iwagakure.
Their objective had been to exploit Hanzo's geopolitical ambitions to escalate the theater, allowing them to annex the highly fertile, resource-rich territories of the Land of Fire. However, they failed to breach Konoha's borders, succeeding only in reducing the Land of Rain buffer zone to irradiated slag.
Having witnessed the apocalyptic kinetic authority of 'Tobirama Senju' casually controlling six Kage-tier assets, Sasori's parents urgently pleaded with their son to abandon his vendetta. They begged him to prioritize his own survival within the volatile shinobi market...
Sunagakure's barren geography and toxic diplomatic relations with the Wind Daimyo dictated that the village's only viable strategy for economic mobility was launching foreign wars. There was no alternative corporate roadmap.
The dead rarely impose heavy operational burdens upon their living kin.
It is the living who frequently inflict suffocating pressure upon one another. This realization caused A-Huo to marvel at the complex contradictions of human nature.
Sasori's parents forecasted that the Third Kazekage would inevitably shred the non-aggression treaty. When that occurred, the treacherous, contract-breaking Sunagakure would be subjected to Konoha's most brutal, unmitigated kinetic retaliation...
Furthermore, the shadow operative 'Tobirama Senju' remained on the board.
Though Sasori's parents and the other six Kage found the man's operational logic deeply bizarre, and suspected he might eventually direct hostilities toward Konoha...
One objective variable was crystal clear: 'Tobirama Senju' would only permit stress-tests against Konoha that adhered to his proprietary schedule and parameters. Any external village that dared defy or disrupt his macro-plan would suffer catastrophic, punitive liquidation!
Given the age of Sasori's parents, they had grown up absorbing the terrifying lore of the original Darkness of the Shinobi.
They were absolutely petrified of the consequences if Sasori found himself operating in opposition to Tobirama Senju...
The man had already offered diplomatic outreach. If Sasori rejected the olive branch, his termination was guaranteed.
"Your esteemed mother and father are no longer operating under a standard Edo Tensei protocol. They have been integrated with Lord Tobirama's proprietary puppet technology. They currently serve as administrative staff for the 'Aka Organization,' managing intelligence aggregation and data processing."
A-Huo explained with an unhurried, measured cadence.
In reality, they were assigned as A-Huo's logistical interns. He had finally secured his own secretarial staff.
As for the other Zetsu assets, Tobi was exclusively assigned to Lord Madara. Black Zetsu, having recently fallen out of favor, had been demoted to frontline grunt work...
This demotion occurred because Black Zetsu had submitted a strategic proposal suggesting Madara launch a total war during Konoha's demographic boom, executing a decapitation strike while the village was at its most vulnerable. Madara had glared at Black Zetsu with such ferocious disgust he nearly ordered the entity to be melted down and recycled...
Is this truly a manifestation of my will?!
How could my consciousness generate such a cowardly, dishonorable operational roadmap?!
Madara had even experienced a brief bout of profound self-doubt, wondering if his historical baseline was truly that repugnant.
To avoid blowing his operational cover, Black Zetsu could only apologize profusely and temporarily withdraw from Madara's immediate vicinity.
Consequently, Black Zetsu was suffering from extreme systemic anxiety. He had recognized that Madara was completely off-script...
His loyalty to the Eye of the Moon Plan appeared to be severely compromised!
Yet Black Zetsu possessed no viable countermeasures. While he was a premier shadow manipulator of the shinobi plane, he operated on an entirely inferior tier compared to the Sage of Six Paths. The Sage's non-intervention was a philosophical choice; Black Zetsu's non-intervention was a lack of kinetic capacity.
He could only rely on manipulating external leverage...
"I..."
"That architecture is based on puppet jutsu? I thought the chakra threading felt familiar..."
"The synthesis of Puppetry and Edo Tensei? Tobirama Senju is a true visionary, achieving such flawless artistic perfection! Reversing the cycle of life and death, inverting Yin and Yang..." Sasori, an absolute fanatic for puppet engineering, was completely captivated by the Rinnegan's Six Paths Puppetry.
"So, what is your decision? Will you accept incorporation into the 'Aka' Organization?"
A-Huo smiled warmly.
Sasori did not hesitate for a single microsecond. He nodded with absolute, decisive finality: "I accept!"
He harbored zero institutional loyalty toward Sunagakure, and lacked even basic sympathy for its populace. His only tether was a familial bond with Chiyo.
Especially considering his parents were actively employed by this corporate entity, Sasori felt he possessed zero leverage to reject the offer. Furthermore, the position granted him access to the absolute bleeding-edge of puppet R&D...
Sunagakure?
A bankrupt outpost buried under irradiated sand, populated exclusively by starving, uncultured sociopaths who lacked any appreciation for true art...
What possible reason did he have to remain loyal?
After Rasa had formally sacrificed Gaara to secure political capital, both Pakura and Sasori had been profoundly disgusted.
Absolutely grotesque. A father deploying that playbook?
If an executive of that moral caliber ascended to the Kazekage seat, Sasori calculated that Sunagakure's future roadmap contained zero viable pathways to profitability.
If an executive treated his own biological assets with such ruthless utility, his exploitation of the rank-and-file shinobi would be exponentially more tyrannical and devoid of humanity.
"A wise executive recognizes the flow of the market..."
A-Huo nodded in deep satisfaction:
"Lord Tobirama's operational directive for you is as follows: return to Sunagakure and maintain deep cover. Your objective is to systematically aggregate total executive control over the village, leveraging your alliance with your grandmother, Chiyo."
"Within a maximum window of two months, the shinobi world will erupt into total, unrestricted warfare, initiated by a Kirigakure preemptive strike against Konoha. The remaining hidden villages will subsequently form a hostile coalition to assault the Leaf."
Sasori's face became a canvas of question marks.
Though he maintained a stance of political apathy and rarely monitored macroeconomic trends...
He was fully briefed on Kirigakure's "Blood Mist" isolationist policies and the extreme paranoia of their Daimyo. Moreover, Kirigakure had officially normalized diplomatic relations with Konoha.
During the recent international diplomatic spat, when the Third Mizukage was publicly mocked by rival powers for lacking legitimacy, Hiruzen Sarutobi had been the only executive to issue a statement defending him...
And Kirigakure was going to execute a corporate backstab?!
"Are you instructing me to veto Sunagakure's mobilization against Konoha?"
Sasori pondered the logistics, nodding slowly: "That will be a severe operational bottleneck. Even my grandmother, Chiyo, covets the resource-rich sectors of the Land of Fire. Personally, I am indifferent..."
"Negative. You lack the political capital to enforce a veto. Sunagakure is structurally hardwired to attempt a hostile takeover of Konoha."
"Your current rank and combat merits are insufficient to dictate macro-policy. However, backed by the political equity of Chiyo and Ebizo, both the Third Kazekage and Rasa are incapable of liquidating you. You must aggressively build your public brand by acting as the primary voice of opposition against the war."
"Konoha has a zero percent probability of losing this engagement..." A-Huo stated with absolute, unshakeable certainty:
"In the post-war phase, you will position yourself as the chief diplomat spearheading Sunagakure's peace negotiations with Konoha. You will leverage this diplomatic victory to secure a seat on the high council, eventually ascending to the Kazekage throne. My strategic counsel is that during the war, you must ensure your hands remain clean of Konoha shinobi blood..."
White Zetsu A-Huo flawlessly charted the geopolitical roadmap for Sasori:
"In the initial phase, the four-village coalition will project stability. But the moment Kirigakure's vanguard is shattered, the alliance will immediately disintegrate into a chaotic, free-for-all cannibalization. When that phase initiates, you will redirect your combat operations to secure military merits by liquidating assets from Iwagakure and Kirigakure."
"If you require intelligence drops or strategic logistics, you report directly to me. I operate as Lord Tobirama's executive assistant."
Sasori nodded with profound gravity.
Radiating from A-Huo, he witnessed the unmistakable, blinding spark of supreme tactical intellect...
"Work diligently, young man. If you ever experience separation anxiety, you are cleared to visit your parents at this facility anytime..."
A-Huo offered a warm, paternal smile.
Sasori nodded: "Bring it on. I am fully prepped for integration."
"Prepped for what, precisely?" A-Huo asked, tilting his head in confusion.
"The control matrices? The psychological suppression seals to prevent defection?" Sasori was equally confused. He possessed a proprietary jutsu specifically engineered for this exact purpose, designated the "Memory-Concealing Manipulative Sand Technique," utilized to hardwire sleeper agents.
Not only did it partition memory drives, but it actively hijacked the target's cognitive functions to enforce absolute compliance, carrying a lethal failsafe capable of destroying the brain's cerebral cortex. It was the ultimate, three-in-one corporate retention tool.
"We do not deploy such crude mechanics in this organization..."
A-Huo's tone deepened with profound, philosophical weight: "Since you have accepted integration, you are recognized as a corporate partner. Traitors will naturally face Lord Tobirama's ultimate disciplinary measures. You possess the processing capacity to calculate the risk-to-reward ratio yourself."
Enforcing compliance via ocular genjutsu was a viable mechanical option.
But Sasori was a high-profile asset within Sunagakure, constantly interfacing with elite executive personnel.
Operatives under active genjutsu suppression invariably leaked anomalous chakra signatures, and their baseline combat effectiveness suffered measurable degradation.
A-Huo had absorbed a critical lesson from auditing Hiruzen Sarutobi...
Genuine, good-faith corporate synergy—especially in a shinobi market saturated with paranoid sociopaths—yielded a significantly more resilient bond than brute-force neurological hijacking.
This principle scaled exponentially the stronger the operative was.
"I comprehend your operational doctrine... How should I address you?" Sasori took a deep breath, total clarity washing over him.
If the 'Aka' Organization mobilized its full roster, they possessed the kinetic yield to inflict terminal, existential damage upon any of the Great Hidden Villages. Furthermore, his parents were physically employed at this facility...
As long as Sasori retained basic logical processing, defection was mathematically impossible.
"My designation is A-Huo. Welcome to the 'Aka' Organization..." A-Huo mimicked the exact posture and cadence Hiruzen Sarutobi utilized when shaking hands with Konoha civilians, extending his hand with practiced, charismatic warmth.
"My designation is Sasori. It is a pleasure to initiate this partnership." The traditionally arrogant and volatile Sasori adopted an exceptionally cooperative, professional posture. The two operatives shook hands with heavy, corporate finality.
While Madara, the continent's shadow mastermind, was aggressively expanding his operational portfolio...
The true, ultimate shadow mastermind of the shinobi plane—the avatar of the Sage of Six Paths—had officially concluded his negotiations under the alias 'Ichiraku'. He had formally injected venture capital into Ichiraku Ramen, securing a partnership as a wealthy merchant from the Land of Fire.
The Sage of Six Paths projected the aura of an affable, deeply approachable middle-aged entrepreneur. His chemistry with Teuchi was flawless; the two had already reached a 'brothers-in-arms' level of camaraderie.
Together, they engineered an expansive menu of innovative ramen variants, rapidly capturing massive market share among Konoha's shinobi and civilian demographics.
"Brother, have you audited Lord Jiraiya's latest publication?"
Teuchi chuckled warmly, wiping the sweat from his brow and handing a bottle of water to the Sage, who was preparing to read. "It is time for a scheduled break. We have cleared the lunch rush. Maintaining an optimal work-life balance is critical—that is a direct quote from Lord Hokage..."
"I have reviewed it. I purchased a copy while transiting through the Land of Rain. It is currently a massive bestseller in that sector."
The Sage smiled pleasantly: "What is your assessment? Do you find the narrative exaggerated? To be completely transparent, it was precisely reading this manuscript that convinced me Konoha's corporate culture was uniquely viable, prompting me to liquidate my provincial assets and invest here..."
"The core narrative is fundamentally accurate, though I would argue the author exercised extreme conservative restraint."
Teuchi shook his head:
"He likely feared that publishing the full scope of our reforms would strain the credulity of the foreign market. Ichiraku, place your trust in my forecast. Operate this venture with me for three to five fiscal cycles, and you will aggregate a substantial capital reserve. That timeline provides a sufficient window to verify the market."
"When the time arrives, I will personally sponsor your application. Even if you lack legacy status as a Konoha merchant or shinobi, you can secure full civic protections and authorization to relocate your residence to the inner administrative ring..."
Teuchi offered a conspiratorial, insider smile:
"Do not underestimate my network merely because I operate a ramen stall. I possess deep institutional connections. I can likely secure priority access for you to purchase real estate in newly zoned development sectors..."
"Lord Hokage is a frequent patron of this establishment."
Teuchi's expression radiated profound, civic pride.
"That is an exceptionally lucrative proposition. You have my deepest gratitude, brother..." The Sage was momentarily taken aback. Was this man actually offering to leverage his political capital for him?
In truth, across the entire shinobi plane, there was virtually no entity that occupied a higher hierarchical tier than the Sage himself.
Yet experiencing this pure, unvarnished camaraderie and genuine human connection deeply moved the ancient deity.
This authentic, grounded civilian vitality occasionally provided soothing comfort to his ancient, ascended heart.
The Sage of Six Paths gazed out over the bustling village with a warm, benevolent smile.
He was no longer deploying Senjutsu to actively extract the psychological data or intelligence of the Konoha shinobi. Or rather, the intelligence he had previously absorbed was ambient "exhaust data," rather than invasive cognitive breaches.
The human mind was a locked, private sanctuary. The Sage had zero desire to forcefully violate the privacy of mortals; doing so directly contradicted his core operational ethos.
"The self-imposed restraint of the absolute."
Overwhelming power, if not strictly regulated, inevitably mutated interpersonal relationships, gradually isolating the host and driving them toward extremist ideology. The Sage refused to allow his psychology to mirror Kaguya's or Indra's.
This was his ultimate, uncompromising dedication to the foundational principles of 'Ninshu.'
Naturally, if the scenario escalated to continental extinction or the return of Kaguya... the parameters would shift entirely.
That would be classified as an extreme emergency override.
At this precise moment.
Kushina and Mikoto, both cradling Naruto and Sasuke respectively, strolled down the street. They happened to cross paths directly in front of Ichiraku Ramen, exchanging warm, radiant smiles.
Their interpersonal synergy was exceptionally high, fostered by Konoha's currently harmonious political climate.
"Wow, Sasuke is so adorable! His features are delicate, almost like a little girl's..." Kushina couldn't resist gently poking Sasuke's soft cheek.
"Naruto is equally precious. He is mathematically guaranteed to mature into a strikingly handsome shinobi, just like Minato."
Mikoto smiled warmly: "By the way, I received a briefing from Tomie. Did Shio formally accept Naruto as her apprentice?"
"She did! Minato and I ran the logistics. We wanted to establish a rock-solid foundation for Naruto's early development. However, since the boy lacks the cognitive maturity to construct sealing matrices independently, Minato and I would have to constantly intervene. Securing a dedicated mentor to guide his early phase was the optimal solution..."
Kushina laughed heartily: "We won't burden Shio's operational schedule indefinitely. Minato has already drafted the long-term roadmap. Once Naruto clears the early phase, Obito or Kakashi will assume direct control over his combat training..."
Mikoto looked pleasantly surprised:
"Is that so? My husband ran the exact same strategic calculus. He explicitly stated he possesses zero aptitude for early childhood education, so he formally petitioned Tomie to manage Sasuke's development... He also filed a formal request with Lord Sakumo to have Kakashi mentor Sasuke during his adolescent phase..."
The Sage of Six Paths felt a profound jolt within his core. He possessed the administrative clearance to instantly verify that Naruto and Sasuke were the reincarnations.
To observe both entities spawning within the exact same sovereign village, with their biological mothers operating as intimate, bonded allies...
It stirred a profound, sweeping wave of emotion within the Sage...
Prior to Naruto and Sasuke, Asura and Indra had invariably reincarnated into diametrically opposed geopolitical factions, hardwiring them for mortal combat from the very moment of their birth.
But in Konoha, that millennial cycle of violence had finally been shattered!
"You know..."
"When Naruto and Sasuke reach maturity... if I successfully scale Ichiraku Ramen into a thriving, premier franchise, they will inevitably dine at my establishment together, won't they?" Visualizing that exact scenario, the Sage's eyes widened slightly in pure anticipation.
This would represent the ultimate family reunion.
How many centuries had passed since their family had sat down together to share a hot meal? And he, their father, would personally prepare the broth...
"The decision is final..."
"This does not qualify as direct intervention in shinobi geopolitics. I am merely operating as the proprietor of a ramen franchise, implementing reasonable security measures to protect my corporate assets." The Sage's eyes narrowed with absolute resolve.
His deployment to Konoha had a complex agenda. He wanted to conduct close-proximity data collection on the ideological divergence between the Will of Fire and Ninshu, and to physically audit the anomalous executive known as Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Through his "Shinobi Emotional Heatmap" and ambient intelligence aggregation, the Sage had forecasted that the shinobi world would plunge into total war within a very short operational window.
He harbored an intense desire to witness exactly how Hiruzen Sarutobi would navigate the impending geopolitical apocalypse.
The Sage of Six Paths would not intervene in the war.
But now that he had established the personal milestone of serving ramen to Naruto and Sasuke, the Sage resolved to indulge in a rare, localized exertion of absolute authority. Even if a hostile coalition successfully breached Konoha's perimeter, they would absolutely not be permitted to inflict a single scratch upon his establishment...
Any entity foolish enough to target his shop would face catastrophic, unmitigated divine liquidation!
Nothing in the universe possessed the kinetic capacity to obstruct an ancient father's desire to cook ramen for his sons!
"Oh? Will Sasuke also operate under a dual-mentorship framework?"
Kushina asked with professional curiosity: "Did Tomie authorize that arrangement?"
Within the shinobi market, an early-development instructor and a formal Jonin squad leader occupied distinct administrative roles. However, it was evident Minato intended for Shio to serve as Naruto's foundational master, with Kakashi or Obito subsequently taking over as his operational commander.
Minato could execute this because Shio and Kushina shared deep, tribal solidarity as Uzumaki survivors, and Kakashi and Obito were his direct, fiercely loyal disciples. The political leverage was entirely different.
"Technically, operating under a dual-master framework deviates from standard institutional compliance..."
Mikoto offered a helpless, amused smile:
"But as you know, Clan Head Isshin issued a strict executive mandate barring Fugaku from participating in the children's education. He has been broadcasting that directive since Itachi's birth, and now, not just the Uchiha, but the entire village is aware of it..."
"However, submitting another requisition to Seisui felt like an over-extension of our political capital. When Fugaku learned Shio had accepted Naruto, and recognized Tomie harbored similar mentorship ambitions, he personally visited her estate to submit the petition, and the contract was finalized."
"As for the adolescent phase, Tomie is an active Root operative. Her operational schedule is far too demanding to permanently burden her with Sasuke's oversight, correct?"
Kushina nodded in sudden, enlightened comprehension.
It could be argued that securing dual mentorship for Sasuke was a direct dividend of Fugaku's public reputation...
His absolute incompetence as an educator had been so aggressively marketed by Isshin that it was now universally accepted fact.
In a bizarre, roundabout manner, this perceived liability had successfully secured top-tier developmental resources for Sasuke!
"The interpersonal dynamic between Shio and Tomie... hmm, I would classify it as highly complex! But fundamentally, the synergy is positive..."
"I truly hope they evolve into inseparable, bonded comrades in the future..." Mikoto smiled warmly, looking from Naruto to Sasuke, inadvertently echoing the exact sentiments of the Sage of Six Paths.
While Konoha bathed in this unprecedented era of peace and prosperity.
Kirigakure plunged into an atmosphere of suffocating, unprecedented terror.
Under the brutal suppression of the "Blood Mist" protocols, the mere mention of the Third Mizukage's name had been criminalized, a tactic that had artificially inflated his dictatorial authority. Yet over the past few days, dissenting voices had erupted across every political faction within the Mist—both loyalists and opposition forces alike were openly questioning his leadership.
In reality, under the covert orchestration of Black Zetsu and A-Huo, the White Zetsu cells had merely sparked the initial friction. Once the psychological 'Prisoner's Dilemma' paralyzing the Mist shinobi was shattered, decades of accumulated resentment detonated with explosive velocity.
The Kirigakure operatives realized that if they unified and refused to be compartmentalized, the Third Mizukage simply lacked the kinetic bandwidth to liquidate the entire village...
The Mizukage's Executive Office.
The Third Mizukage, his eyes bloodshot and manic, summoned Elder Genji and Kimimaro—the two operatives he trusted most in the world.
He was completely out of administrative options...
He was going to launch a war!
☆☆☆
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