Start with a Zanpakuto and build the strongest Mist Village.

The experiments on Shinigami transformation, Hueco Mundo, and the control of the spiritual power of the sage Miroku were all proceeding smoothly.

In contrast to the flourishing Kirigakure, other ninja villages began to lick their wounds after the war, each entering a period of development where hawks lay dormant and doves rose to prominence.

Each of the shadows worked hard to heal the wounds left by the war in the village, while guiding it to develop in the direction they desired.

The ninja world, which was once filled with the smoke of war and was constantly erupting in conflict and war, has entered a brief period of relative peace. Although everyone knows that this peace will not last long, those who yearn for peace still cherish this short time.

However, in some corners of the ninja world, various upheavals are still unfolding, and explosive news is emerging, such as Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, defecting, and the Land of Rain beginning to close its borders.

Amidst this turmoil, figures clad in haoris could be seen moving about, seemingly carrying out some mysterious mission...

……

The Country of Wind, Sand Hidden Village.

"So Nagato has finally made a move against Hanzo?"

On the Kazekage Building, symbolizing the highest power in Sunagakure, a figure dressed in a black robe and wearing a vortex mask looked at the village standing in the yellow sand before him, his blood-red three-tomoe Sharingan faintly visible beneath the mask.

Beside him, a black and white figure resembling a pitcher plant nodded slightly.

"Hanzo didn't escape either. He locked himself in his fortress, wrapped himself up in layers of protective clothing, and lived a life of debauchery."

"When Nagato came to his door, he was completely drunk and didn't put up any resistance before he was taken care of."

White Zetsu said with some emotion, "It's really hard to imagine. That was a demigod, the man who stood at the top of the ninja world back then."

"So-called demigods have long been corrupted by power and lust." Obito sneered, "How can there be a future if the world is handed over to such power holders?"

"Any news from Kirigakure?"

"Undetectable".

Black Zetsu's hoarse voice rang out: "There is a huge special barrier inside their village. My spore clones will be discovered and dealt with as soon as they enter it. It is impossible to find anything about them."

"Looks like they're researching something incredible, Minazuki Yoru..."

Obito's expression was complicated. On that day on Mount Higashimatsu, he had also witnessed the terrifying power of that boy. Even if it was just a fleeting glimpse, that scene was enough to leave a deep impression on him.

"But there's no need to worry. He's been staying in Kirigakure during this time, so there haven't been any souls for him to absorb. Even if his strength has improved compared to the Third Shinobi World War, it won't be by much."

"However, something quite serious has happened in Konoha."

"oh?!"

Obito narrowed his eyes.

"The Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze, succeeds as the Fourth Hokage; Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, defectes from Konoha after his human experiments are exposed; and a top genius emerges in the Uchiha clan, named Itachi Uchiha."

"The Third Hokage completely relinquished power, even entrusting the Anbu to Minato Namikaze, and among them was an experimental subject who possessed Wood Release. Furthermore..."

"Minato Namikaze's wife, Kushina Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, is pregnant!"

Obito's body trembled violently, and his hands under his black robe clenched involuntarily.

"Madam, are you pregnant...?"

Obito still felt a lot of goodwill towards that 'gentle' red-haired woman, but this goodwill vanished in an instant.

He could never forget what happened on Dongsong Mountain.

His dearest teacher killed his most beloved girl with his own hands.

"Lin..."

Obito stood with his hands at his sides, his entire being seemingly swallowed by a huge shadow. The aura he exuded was so chilling that even Zetsu, who was in the scorching desert, felt a bit cold.

Zetsu didn't speak at that moment, lest he disturb Kamui's sorrowful moment of hiding her tears. After a long while, Obito finally composed himself and slowly spoke.

"How's the reconnaissance of the Tailed Beasts going?"

"Uh……"

That question hit the nail on the head.

Jue quickly organized his thoughts and words: "We have now grasped the situation of the One-Tailed, Two-Tailed, Eight-Tailed, and Nine-Tailed."

"One-Tail is in our hands, Two-Tail is in Yugito of Kumogakure, Eight-Tail is in Killer Bee of Kumogakure, and Nine-Tail is in Kushina Uzumaki of Konoha."

"As for the three-tailed, four-tailed, five-tailed, six-tailed, and seven-tailed..."

Looking at the stammering Zetsu, Obito narrowed his eyes.

The information about the One-Tailed, Two-Tailed, Eight-Tailed, and Nine-Tailed had already been exposed during the Third Shinobi World War, so there was no need for Zetsu to investigate anything.

What Zetsu really needed to investigate was information about the remaining five tailed beasts.

Now look what's happened! We have absolutely no information about the five tailed beasts. So all that investigation was for nothing?!

“The Four-Tails and Five-Tails were originally the tailed beasts of Iwagakure, but because of the Box of Paradise, the Jinchuriki of the Four-Tails and Five-Tails died one after another. Although tailed beasts are immortal, the location of their rebirth is uncertain, and judging from the time, they should not have been resurrected yet,” Zetsu said immediately.

"What about the Three-Tails, Six-Tails, and Seven-Tails?" Obito asked in a chilling tone.

"Uh, the Three-Tails died in battle on Mount Higashimatsu... Judging by the time, it should have been resurrected, but we still don't have specific information. As for the Six-Tails and Seven-Tails... there's still no news..."

"If there's no news, then go investigate!" Obito roared. "All our plans revolve around the Tailed Beasts, and now we don't even have basic information about them. How are we supposed to execute our plans?"

"I know, I know..."

Bai Jue said in a low voice.

The baby is upset, but has nowhere to say it.

The baby has been trying really hard to find the answer, but there is really nothing!

Chapter 138 The Night of Coveting the Dragon Vein for the Friendship of Kirigakure and Sunagakure

If there is anyone in the world who is most actively searching for the Tailed Beasts...

It wasn't Madara, who was single-mindedly pursuing the Eye of the Moon Plan, nor was it Nagato, who caused the world pain, or Obito, whose Kamui couldn't hide his tears.

It's Black Zetsu!

To save his mother, Black Zetsu waited for a thousand years, finally guiding the offspring of Indra and Ashura into their current form.

Now that he has the Rinnegan, and Nagato, as his vessel, is developing in the direction he envisioned, all he needs to do next is devour the nine tailed beasts to recreate the power of the Ten-Tails and rescue his mother.

It can be said that Black Zetsu at this moment is all set, just waiting for the right opportunity.

However, no matter how hard it searched, it couldn't find a single one of the remaining five tailed beasts!

"According to the information left behind by Madara, both the Three-Tails and the Six-Tails were once in the hands of Kirigakure. If we can infiltrate Kirigakure, we might be able to discover something."

"Do you think I don't know that?" Obito looked at Zetsu as if he were an idiot: "Didn't you just say that the entire Hidden Mist Village is shrouded in a barrier? Not to mention penetrating in, even your spores can't get in at all."

"...Special methods may not work, but conventional methods may not be."

Black Zetsu suppressed his anger, repeatedly trying to calm himself down: "Obito's ninja card only has 2 points. Calm down, calm down."

“Since Kirigakure is open to the public, we can enter it under the guise of Sunagakure’s official status, and explore its intelligence under the pretense of communication, cooperation and mutual benefit.”

"oh?!"

Upon hearing this, Obito's eyes lit up.

That's indeed a good idea.

The reason he obeyed Madara and took control of Sunagakure was to facilitate his future plans. Now is the time!

"But...who should go?"

Obito's gaze was deep and unfathomable.

Since the primary objective is intelligence gathering, we cannot send just any random person out. Minazuki Yoru is quite skilled; if we send ordinary people, they will likely find it very difficult to discover anything.

However, Sunagakure currently has very few available talents, just like Kirigakure during the Blood Mist era. The huge village is supported by only one gold miner and a few old guys.

“Galuru is a good choice; she has the right background and strength, and she’s very smart, but she’s pregnant…”

"Wait, Obito."

Zetsu, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up, interrupting Obito's words.

"Ok?"

"The people of Kirigakure... are outside the village..."

"what?"

……

As the first person from Kirigakure to set foot in Sunagakure in its history, Hozuki Mangetsu, who came as an envoy, received a very grand reception. Not only did the Fourth Kazekage personally appear, but Chiyo, Ebizo, and other high-ranking members of Sunagakure were also present. They were even entertained at the most luxurious restaurant in Sunagakure.

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

Hozuki Mangetsu looked at the high-ranking officials of Sunagakure with a broad smile.

"Lord Kazekage, and everyone from Sunagakure, your hospitality is truly overwhelming. We must not lose face..."

"Please take a look at this, Lord Kazekage and everyone from Sunagakure."

With that, Hozuki Mangetsu took out a scroll from his pocket and handed it to the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.

Rasa curiously opened it, and the contents immediately left this gold miner from the ninja world looking astonished.

"Looking at the entire ninja world, the situation of Sunagakure is most similar to that of our Kirigakure."

"We are situated within a vast ocean, while you are amidst endless yellow sand. We both face extreme conditions that cannot be compared to Konoha, Kumogakure, or Iwagakure. In terms of population and the number of ninjas, we are inherently at a disadvantage."

"During the Third Shinobi World War, the evil Konoha inflicted great wounds on us. For this, our Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure was filled with emotion and specially sent me here."

"Our Hidden Mist Village hopes to cooperate with the Hidden Sun Village in all aspects. Our Fourth Hokage has proposed projects including building a super cross-sea bridge, a transportation hub, diverting water from west to east, constructing waterways and reservoirs, etc., with the aim of establishing a friendly and harmonious alliance between the two villages of wind and water, and jointly creating a beautiful and harmonious world!"

"..."

Rasa stared blankly at Hozuki Mangetsu in front of him, then handed the documents in his hand to Chiyo, Ebizo, and other high-ranking members of Sunagakure.

The higher-ups read through it one by one, their faces showing disbelief, some even finding it hard to believe.

"Does the Mizukage really intend to cooperate with Sunagakure?!" Chiyo's tone was full of doubt as she stared intently at Hozuki Mangetsu.

"of course."

Hozuki Mangetsu nodded and smiled, "Much of the content in this scroll was said by the Mizukage himself, but the specific details of the cooperation still need to be discussed by both of us."

"The Land of Wind and the Land of Water are far apart, making cooperation between us extremely difficult."

"That's not a problem. The power of ninjas is great. As long as we both have the intention to cooperate, Lord Mizukage can even change the harsh ecological environment of a few places in Sunagakure first." Hozuki Mangetsu said with a smile, while pausing slightly: "Even though the climate in the Land of Wind is hot, please have faith in the power of our Lord Mizukage. After all, those ice sculptures on Higashimatsu Mountain have not yet completely melted."

Upon hearing this, everyone present was taken aback.

Minazuki Yoru's terrifying fighting power was well-known during the Third Shinobi World War. Putting aside everything else, the fact that Minazuki Yoru single-handedly made Konoha surrender was already a historic achievement.

In the fifty-one years since the founding of Konoha, it has only been defeated by Mizuki Yoru, which is enough to demonstrate the terrifying power of this Fourth Mizukage!

“I see from this scroll that the Mizukage wants to build a super bridge from the Land of Water to the Land of Wind, and construct a water transport system…” Rasa suddenly spoke up, pointing to the contents of the scroll and asking, “I’m very curious, the routes for these projects will probably pass through several countries, right?”

"Yes."

Hozuki Mangetsu nodded: "The Mizukage's intention is to make contact with the Land of Fire, from the Castle of Waves to the Land of Fire, then to the Land of Rivers, and finally into the Land of Wind."

"The idea is good, but I'm afraid it will be restricted by Konoha..."

"The Land of Fire and the Land of Wind have now signed a ceasefire agreement, and we, Kirigakure and Konoha, are allies. As long as the Kazekage nods, these plans will have a high success rate."

In the shadows.

Gazing at the eloquent Hozuki Mangetsu, Obito Uchiha and Zetsu exchanged a knowing glance, their expressions strange.

The fact that Kirigakure would take the initiative to seek cooperation was truly beyond their expectations.

The ninja world has existed for so many years, and the geographical locations of the Land of Wind and the Land of Water are worlds apart. One is located on a vast ocean, and the other is located in a barren desert. It is almost impossible for the two to have any interaction. However, Kirigakure came knocking on their door under these circumstances...

It’s tricky!

"I see the Mizukage's sincere desire to cooperate, but these projects are enormous. My Sunagakure has just suffered a defeat and paid a lot of money to Konoha. I'm afraid we are willing but unable to do so." Rasa suddenly spoke, a red light flashing in his eyes.

"Lord Kazekage is too kind. With your abilities, the Land of Wind will certainly not lack money."

Hozuki Mangetsu smiled broadly: "As you all may not know, our Kirigakure's 'economic development' plan has already signed cooperation agreements with countries such as the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, the Land of Hot Water, the Land of Iron, the Land of Waterfalls, and the Land of Demons. If the Land of Wind could also become our Kirigakure's partner, it would be of great convenience and benefit to both of us."

It was all about the money!

Obito and Zetsu exchanged another glance, and then it dawned on them.

They already knew that Minazuki Yoru was a complete money-grubber.