At the Kumogakure Hospital, Reiji kept a straight face as he lay back down after being gently spoon-fed by the cute nurse.
It was great—but he couldn't let it show.
All in all, aside from that last Tailed Beast Ball from Matatabi, the plan had gone pretty smoothly.
He had basically accomplished the three strategic goals he'd set for himself.
First, meeting Two-Tails, Matatabi, face-to-face.
Sure, Matatabi hadn't exactly enjoyed the encounter, but who cared? He was satisfied—and that's what mattered. So, success!
Second, infiltrating Kumogakure without leaving a trace.
That part went decently. His current identity held up well, and at least in terms of trust, there weren't any issues.
The last was about status.
He'd spent a long time thinking this one through.
After all, the higher the status, the more scrutiny and surveillance came with it.
So Reiji chose the most cautious route—climbing his way up step by step, rather than replacing someone at the top.
The benefit was obvious. If he rose through the ranks naturally, a few changes in personality were to be expected, and the risk of exposure would be much lower.
Once he confirmed there were no loose ends, Reiji finally relaxed.
Time flew by, and before he knew it, a month had passed.
During this period, Reiji made full use of the Flying Thunder God Mutually Instantaneous Revolving Technique. By day, he lay in the hospital enjoying the care.
At night, he left a clone in his place and snuck out for other matters.
His current project was digging a massive underground chamber beneath Raimei's house—a secret base just for himself.
The work was split into two teams of shadow clones: one for digging, one for hauling.
To put it plainly, Reiji had the clones dig out dirt, then used Flying Thunder God to teleport the debris outside the village and dump it.
With the clones working around the clock, a massive underground space was soon completed.
Finally, Reiji personally sealed the entrance, making sure no one could ever find it.
From then on, he'd rely entirely on the Flying Thunder God Technique to enter and exit.
Once that was done, his clones resumed their regular training—this time focusing on chakra nature transformation.
Reiji was preparing to dive into Lightning Release training so that one day he could master the Lightning Release Chakra Mode and become just as hard-hitting as the Third Raikage.
Being strong might depend on the era, but being tough? That's for life.
...
Meanwhile, far away in the Land of Hot Water, Tsuchigami received a message from Reiji.
Since Reiji absolutely refused to write anything down, Tsuchigami had no choice but to memorize the five-thousand-character monologue that Reiji's clone recited to him.
What disgusted him most was that a full third of it was just Reiji shamelessly bragging about himself.
Another third was nagging Hiruzen Sarutobi to pay him already.
After Tsuchigami painfully finished memorizing the entire essay word for word,
Reiji's clone casually pulled out three scrolls and laid them on the table like magic.
At the sight, Tsuchigami's face darkened under his mask.
You bastard—didn't you say writing scrolls was off-limits? Then what the hell are these?
The clone gave a sneaky grin, just like Reiji would.
"Dog bro, this one's for my sister Rie. This one's for Lady Mito Uzumaki. And this one's for Kagami Uchiha. Don't mix them up. Oh, and no peeking!"
Hearing that, Tsuchigami began to radiate black energy from head to toe, gritting his teeth.
"You bastard—this is what you meant by 'no scrolls, no written intel'?!"
Reiji rolled his eyes dramatically and slapped a hand on the scrolls.
"Fine, I'll read them out loud, and you can memorize them all?"
"Ugh..." Tsuchigami froze, his face under the mask full of resentment. But the thought of having to memorize three more scrolls gave him an instant headache.
"Forget it," he grumbled and snatched the scrolls out of Reiji's hand.
Just when he thought he was done, Reiji casually removed a massive backpack from his back and dropped it on the table with a thud.
"There's more. These are all for my sister Rie."
Tsuchigami twitched. His hand trembled as he slowly undid the clasps.
Inside were neatly packed books—some thick, some thin, some heavy, some light.
"What's this?" Tsuchigami asked, deadpan.
Reiji scratched his head with an innocent look.
"Nothing much. Just some books."
"What kind of books?" Tsuchigami pressed, refusing to let it go.
"Uh…
'Happy Holiday' full math curriculum set;
'Little Exam Tyrant' test paper collection—"
"Wait, wait, wait! What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Forget it, I'll check myself."
Tsuchigami cut him off and randomly picked up a book.
...
By the time Reiji's clone ran out of time, Tsuchigami was still standing there, frozen in place, staring blankly at the book without flipping a single page.
This... this... this...
He was completely dumbfounded. Just one page from one book had utterly shattered his worldview.
He didn't need to read more—just this backpack of books alone painted a vivid picture in his mind of Reiji and Rie turning against each other, brother and sister locked in mortal combat!
But could that poor girl Rie really win against her brother?
Tsuchigami couldn't help but feel a deep sympathy for her.
Shaking his head helplessly, he slung the heavy pack over his shoulders and set off toward Konoha.
...
A week went by in a flash.
What should have been a two-day trip ended up taking much longer, all because of that burden of "knowledge."
The familiar village of Konoha basked under the warm, golden sunlight.
It was a peaceful, quiet afternoon.
At the entrance to the Hokage's office, a dusty, masked man was gulping down water like there was no tomorrow.
He drank so fast that streams of water ran down his neck and soaked into his oversized cloak.
"Tsuchigami, are you done drinking? Hiruzen-sama and the advisors are waiting for you!"
Tsuchigami handed the cup back to his fellow ANBU, gave a slight nod, and walked into the Hokage's office, ignoring the hint of pity in the other's gaze.
He pushed open the door.
Inside, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat puffing on his pipe. Beside him, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane sat calmly.
Danzō Shimura and Kagami Uchiha, who had recently been butting heads, were seated far apart in opposite corners of the room.
With Torifu Akimichi back home to take over his family business, the other five were all present.
Having endured Reiji's torment, Tsuchigami's heart was tough as iron. Calm and collected, he walked up to Hiruzen's desk, set down three scrolls, and unstrapped the heavy backpack from his back.
Before Hiruzen could ask anything, Tsuchigami calmly pointed to the scrolls and began.
"These three scrolls are for Rie Sakuhō, Lady Mito Uzumaki, and..."
He paused, his gaze subtly shifting beneath the mask toward Kagami Uchiha, sitting in the corner.
"...Kagami Uchiha."
At that, the once-sullen Kagami instantly lit up with a grin.
"Ohh~ Reiji actually remembered me? That's a surprise!"
He said it like it was no big deal, but the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth betrayed how pleased he really was.
Still, he didn't get up. As a student of Tobirama Senju, he knew how to follow proper decorum.
Hiruzen looked at the scrolls on the table but didn't reach for them. Instead, he raised his head to look at Tsuchigami.
"What about intel on Reiji Sakuhō?"
"Uh... Hiruzen-sama, shall I report it now?"
After getting a nod of approval, Tsuchigami's face twisted into something strange as he cleared his throat.
"Ahem...
'I'm in Kumogakure, just got into the hospital. Thanks for asking.'"
...
Follow me on Patreon — 30 advanced chapters available for Free members.
[email protected]/PinkSnake