Passing through the lush forests of the Land of Fire, everything opened up before his eyes.
A boundless green wilderness stretched out, with a few white clouds floating in the clear blue sky.
Reiji, carrying a backpack as big as himself, walked into the wilderness.
"The Land of Hot Water! I'm back!"
When he thought of the Land of Hot Water, he thought of Amegakure, where he had committed evil deeds.
He no longer had any ties to Amegakure—only endless hatred.
A week had passed since Reiji's departure.
A few days ago, Tsuchigami, who had been assigned to contact Reiji, told him that Mizukuma's body had been secretly transported from Amegakure to Konoha and buried in the Konoha Cemetery in the western part of the village.
Although he wasn't buried in the ninja cemetery, as a shinobi from another village, this was already quite a high honor.
And now that they had the body, Impure World Reincarnation, Reincarnation, anything could be arranged. With the black technology of the Naruto world, everything was negotiable!
"Next, it's up to me~"
Reiji was no stranger to infiltration—after all, he had successfully infiltrated Konoha before.
But this time, Hiruzen Sarutobi's request was very different from Hanzō of the Salamander's.
Knowing Reiji's capabilities, Hiruzen gave him a far more challenging mission.
Not only did he need to infiltrate Kumogakure, but within three years, he had to blend into the upper ranks and gather intelligence.
To be honest, it was a bit much to ask.
But Reiji didn't care at all. He was like a kite that had been let go—there was no pulling him back.
What did he want to do in Kumogakure? Whatever he felt like.
Thinking of that, Reiji grinned.
Hmm! No need to rush about the mission. Making money and getting stronger were what really mattered!
As for the mission? He could take care of that on the side.
With money, he could make Hanzō miserable. With strength, it'd be easier to kick him to death someday.
So, the real question was: how to get stronger?
Just thinking about Kumogakure got him excited.
The secret technique he had his eyes on wasn't Lightning Release Chakra Mode, or Lightning Armor, or even Storm Release, nor any so-called taijutsu.
What he really wanted was a space-time jutsu designed for logistics—the Heavenly Transfer Technique.
In his memory, during the Fourth Great Ninja War, that beautiful dark-skinned girl from Kumogakure used it to send the Fourth Raikage and Tsunade to the frontlines.
But to Reiji, that kind of use was a complete waste of potential.
The Heavenly Transfer Technique, in his eyes, was the ultimate mix of logistics, tactics, surprise strikes, and precision assaults—basically a railgun!
And not just any railgun—this one was long-range and guided. Paired with the Flying Thunder God Technique, it was like strapping a jet engine to a cat: pure chaos with infinite firepower.
Even if the enemy was right in front of him, he could use Shadow Imitation or similar jutsu to lock them down and send them straight to the ends of the earth.
And then, with perfectly styled hair, sing,
"I'll send you away, a thousand miles away, and a pile of shit will fly your way~"
Wouldn't that be epic?
Thinking about it, Reiji shook his head in disbelief, disappointed like a teacher whose student had let them down.
Of course, he had another goal for this trip—the Two-Tails girl! No, wait... Matatabi!
He'd tried every possible way to increase his total chakra, but nothing had really worked.
His immortality completely capped his chakra pool, and with only mid-tier Chūnin-level reserves, his creativity was severely limited!
Realistically, Reiji's ultimate goal should be something like becoming a Gundam—grabbing the Nine-Tails with one hand.
Or a sword saint on land, waving a feather fan to unleash a thousand arrows.
Sure, the style didn't quite fit the ninja world, but he had Magnet Release. If he didn't do something flashy, it would feel like he was betraying his childhood dreams.
But with so little chakra, all he could do was swing a giant slab of a sword and throw out one flashy technique. Weak!
Grumbling to himself, Reiji strolled down a small path between the fields, his scheming mind already turning.
As he plotted his next steps, he avoided the village of Yugakure at the center of the Land of Hot Water and made his way northwest—toward the Land of Iron.
The Land of Iron, a neutral nation in the shinobi world, was home to warriors known as samurai.
It was also one of the largest producers of iron ore in the entire world.
That iron ore was exactly why Reiji had chosen this place.
He needed money. He had a lot of prep work to do, and diving headfirst into the Land of Lightning would only raise red flags.
That would alert Kumogakure, ruin the plan, and crush any hopes of getting stronger.
So, preparation wasn't just necessary—it was non-negotiable.
...
Another week passed.
On the eastern coast of the Land of Iron, far from any village, a small wooden cabin had been built.
The cabin faced the ocean. Across the sea lay the jagged mountains of the Land of Lightning.
Early one morning, Reiji stepped out of the cabin in a straw hat and big floral shorts, carrying a bamboo basket.
He walked down to the beach nearby.
Taking off his straw hat and setting down the basket, he jumped into the sea with a splash.
After swimming around freely, he returned to the shore and stretched out to sunbathe.
Reiji was simmering in the sun.
Since he was going undercover, he had to look the part.
Reiji chose the most basic method—skin tone assimilation.
Although Transformation Technique and similar ninjutsu were convenient for short-term infiltration and becoming an inconspicuous villager, Hiruzen Sarutobi's assignment was on a whole different level. His goal was to rise into the upper ranks.
Using Transformation for that kind of role would be asking for trouble.
He wasn't worried about whether he could tan or not.
Back when he was in the Jashin cult, he'd gone through the whole sun-drying process! The only reason he stopped was because he didn't like not being able to see his hands at night, so he peeled the blackened skin off bit by bit.
After a while in the sun, Reiji reached into the bamboo basket beside him and pulled out a palm-sized scroll. He opened it and began reading intently.
The scroll detailed intel on Kumogakure Genin and Chūnin, gathered by Konoha's undercover agents.
Infiltrating the upper echelons of Kumogakure within three years, especially as an outsider, was next to impossible.
So naturally, a body swap was the only viable plan.
After reviewing the information several times, Reiji settled on a candidate he found acceptable.
The boy's name was Raimei. An orphan, fourteen years old, arrogant and reckless, he had frequently clashed with his teammates during missions.
He was a die-hard fan of the Third Raikage, obsessed with nintaijutsu, and dismissed all ninjutsu and genjutsu that weren't Lightning Release.
Socially, he was a loner. Aside from minimal interaction with his squadmates, he had almost no contact with his neighbors or classmates.
That said, the guy had the skills to back up his arrogance. Though still a Genin, Konoha's intel noted that his taijutsu had already reached Chūnin level.
So why wasn't he promoted?
Because his squad leader didn't think he had the ability to lead a team on his own.
Strangely enough, despite his personality, he hadn't been ostracized in the village.
Seeing that, Reiji couldn't help but sigh.
"Kumogakure really is the number-one battle village."
A guy like that would've been mocked into the ground by Byakugan-wielders in Konoha.
But in Kumogakure? As long as you were strong, you could still get by just fine.
Damn... if Sakumo Hatake had been born in Kumogakure, he would've torn Konoha apart.
Reiji let out a sly chuckle.
Konoha really is the shadiest village of them all.
But what's that got to do with me? I'm from Amegakure! Hehe~
He set the scroll aside and picked up another one, this one more ancient in design, and studied it carefully.
This scroll contained details on heavily guarded areas throughout the Land of Lightning.
Reiji had specifically asked Hiruzen for this before leaving—his goal was to find where the Two-Tails was sealed.
So far, aside from the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, there wasn't a single trace of the Two-Tails' host in any of Kumogakure's records.
Kumogakure's go-to sealing method was the Kohaku no Jōhei, the Amber Purifying Pot. But that was unquestionably reserved for the Eight-Tails.
If they used the Amber Pot to contain the Two-Tails, and the Eight-Tails went berserk—then what? Let the Two-Tails back out? Swap them?
No way the Raikage would go for that.
Which meant one thing: the Two-Tails had to be sealed somewhere else.
...
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