Naruto: Eating Kaido's Azure Dragon Devil Fruit-Chapter 345: The Current State of Kirigakure
In the Amegakure village.
Sora, wearing a brand new black robe with red clouds, strolled along the street.
He appeared to be casually wandering, but in reality, he was familiarizing himself with this stronghold he would need to frequent in the future, while also organizing the information he had just obtained.
Joining the Akatsuki organization was a smooth first step; it would not only allow him to closely monitor Obito and Nagato’s movements but also utilize the organization’s channels to obtain some hard-to-get intelligence.
"Mr. White Tiger?"
A hoarse voice came from behind.
Sora stopped in his tracks and turned to look.
Kisame Hoshigaki, also dressed in a black robe with red clouds, walked out of a small alley, his face still bearing that shark-like smirk.
"Mr. Hoshigaki."
Sora nodded slightly.
"Didn’t expect to see you out wandering around too."
Kisame walked over to Sora’s side, looking at the continuous rain before them. "I really can’t bring myself to like the weather here; the mist in our Land of Water is much more comfortable."
Sora’s mind stirred, and he seized the opportunity to respond, "The Land of Water? Kirigakure? I heard things haven’t been peaceful there lately."
"Peaceful? That’s an understatement."
Kisame grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth. "The Third died not long ago, and the Fourth hadn’t even warmed his seat before he mysteriously vanished without a trace. Now the village is in complete chaos."
Sora played along and asked, "Oh? What’s the specific situation?"
Kisame didn’t seem to mind talking to his new partner, Sora, perhaps thinking this information wasn’t really a secret. He continued, "Who knows the specifics? When it comes to the higher-ups’ affairs, we Anbu are just tools that follow orders."
"All I know is that after the Fourth took over, everyone thought the ’Bloody Mist’ policies might change, but then he suddenly disappeared—gone without a trace, dead or alive."
"Now, in the village, Elder Genji is trying to stabilize the situation, but he’s old and can’t suppress the restless clans."
"Every clan is thinking of seizing the chance to compete for the Mizukage position or profit for themselves. Assassinations and conflicts happen almost every day."
Kisame’s tone carried a faint, hard-to-detect weariness and disappointment with the village.
Sora listened quietly, mentally comparing it to the original story’s plot.
Kirigakure now, having lost a strong Kage and endured the internal strife of the "Bloody Mist," was in its weakest and most turbulent period.
"It’s no wonder you left," Sora said timely.
"Left?"
Kisame scoffed. "Maybe. Staying in a place with no future is worse than following Mr. ’Madara’ and seeing what this new world he talks about really is."
He turned to look at Sora and asked in return, "Enough about me. What about you, Mr. White Tiger? Takigakure is a small village, but I heard the environment there isn’t bad. Why did you join Akatsuki?"
Sora had his explanation ready and answered, "Takigakure? Ha, it’s just a narrow, isolated place that couldn’t accommodate me. Isn’t it natural to pursue greater power and a broader stage?"
Kisame seemed to agree with this, nodding, "Right, when it comes down to it, ninjas rely on strength to speak. Unfortunately..."
"My most desired Samehada still hasn’t been found. All seven of the Legendary Swords are missing. Damn it!"
Hearing this, Sora’s mouth curled slightly beneath his mask.
The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist had been annihilated by him and Uchiha Takumi during the Third Shinobi World War, and all seven swords had ended up in his possession, now resting quietly in the sealing scroll of his original body.
In this life, Kisame truly had no connection with Samehada.
Unless Kisame "defected" again and joined his side.
Sora thought to himself with a silent laugh, "Good luck."
"Thanks."
Kisame waved his hand. "By the way, the organization has few members right now and no mandatory missions. For members at our level, we’re usually pretty free. We just need to occasionally help the organization with some high-difficulty bounty missions to accumulate funds."
"I’m going to look for information on Samehada now, so I don’t have anything to do for the time being."
He pulled out a scroll and handed it to Sora, "This is my contact information. You can reach me through this if there’s a mission or anything."
Sora took the scroll and also handed one to Kisame, "This is mine."
Kisame took the scroll and put it away, grinning, "Alright then, I’m off. Hope next time we meet, I’ve found my precious big sword."
After saying this, he melted into the drizzling rain and disappeared.
Sora stood silently for a moment, watching the direction Kisame had vanished.
He pondered the information Kisame had just revealed.
The current state of Kirigakure was even worse than he had anticipated.
Yagura was dead, Elder Genji was old and lacked authority, the clans were in constant infighting, and the younger generation like Mei Terumi and Chōjūrō hadn’t fully matured yet...
This was simply a piece of fat just waiting to be bitten.
Especially since Obito’s attention was now more focused on the development of Konoha and the Akatsuki, with less attention on Kirigakure. This was the perfect time to intervene.
"Establishing a force of my own..."
Sora murmured to himself.
He needed people, loyal and promising people.
Kirigakure was in chaos now, with many ninjas either dying under the bloody policies or defecting out of disappointment with the village. Among them were many good seeds.
If he could gather them, train and guide them, they could undoubtedly become a crucial cornerstone for his future plans.
"It seems it’s time to take another trip to the Land of Water."
Sora turned and walked towards the outskirts of Amegakure.
...
Meanwhile.
Konoha Village, Uchiha Clan Compound.
Shisui Uchiha’s figure darted quickly through the compound, soon arriving outside the residence of the clan head, Fugaku Uchiha.
The moment he landed, a small figure ran out from under the porch.
"Shisui-nii-san!"
A gentle smile appeared on Shisui’s face as he crouched down to look at the black-haired little boy who had run up to him.
"It’s you, Itachi. Long time no see. You’ve grown taller."
The boy before him was Fugaku Uchiha’s eldest son, the five-year-old Itachi Uchiha.
Though still young, Itachi’s eyes already held an unusual calmness and precocity. He looked at Shisui with familiarity and admiration.
"Shisui-nii-san, are you back from the front lines? Was it very dangerous there?"
"It’s alright. There isn’t much fighting now, mainly defensive duties." Shisui ruffled Itachi’s hair.
Itachi nodded and whispered, "I’ve started learning to use shuriken recently. Father says I have a lot of talent."
"Is that so? Next time I’ll test you and see how much progress our Itachi has made."
They chatted for a few moments in a warm atmosphere.
Shisui felt a twinge of emotion. Itachi’s talent was the best he had ever seen, perhaps even surpassing his own. It was a pity he was still too young to share the clan’s burdens.
"Shisui, you’re here."
Fugaku Uchiha appeared at the entrance. He waved at Itachi, "Itachi, go and practice on your own. Shisui and I have matters to discuss."
"Yes, Father."
Itachi obediently nodded, smiled once more at Shisui, and ran off.
Shisui stood up, his previously relaxed expression fading into seriousness.
He followed Fugaku Uchiha into a secret room deep within the residence.
