Chapter 100: Preparation
Outside Konoha, deep within the forest, four masked ninja armed with short swords raced through the underbrush.
Suddenly, several vines shot out from the trees, snaking toward the group with unnerving speed and agility.
The vines struck with such swiftness that the group—unprepared for an ambush so close to Konoha—failed to react in time. Two of the ninjas were instantly ensnared, bound so tightly they couldn't even move, let alone form hand seals.
The remaining two managed to leap back and distance themselves, but before they could catch their breath, the sharp whistling of projectiles filled the air.
In their peripheral vision, they saw kunai flying toward them and scrambled to evade. The blades narrowly missed, grazing past their bodies.
Just as they were about to regroup, Baishi appeared beside one of the embedded kunai.
"Not good!" One of the Konoha ninja panicked and attempted to retreat, but it was too late.
In an instant, Baishi reached out and grabbed the man by the shoulder. With a swift application of the Cursed Binding Seal, his target was paralyzed on the spot.
Seeing this, the last remaining ninja launched a counterattack, hurling a barrage of shuriken—seven or eight of them in quick succession.
Baishi sidestepped effortlessly, his movements too fast for the ninja to follow. He appeared behind him in a flash, carrying the immobilized man with him. With a single precise chop to the neck, Baishi knocked the final ninja unconscious.
The entire skirmish took mere seconds. The four Root operatives had no time to mount an effective resistance before being subdued.
Baishi's skill and overwhelming power left them helpless, and his ambush ended almost as soon as it began.
A rustling sound came from behind the trees.
Baishi's wood clone stepped into view, having emerged from hiding. It had been the one to initiate the attack with Wood Release: Silent Strangling Bind, immobilizing two of the ninjas right at the start.
Glancing back toward Konoha, Baishi addressed his clone. "Let's go."
The wood clone nodded and, along with Baishi, activated Flying Thunder God to transport themselves—and their captives—back to an underground hideout a dozen kilometers away.
Inside the hideout, Baishi placed the four restrained ninjas in a row and smirked. "Good, the first step is complete. Now, let's search their memories."
Grabbing one of the captives, Baishi used the Yamanaka clan's mind-reading technique.
This time, unlike his usual methods, he performed the process more delicately to avoid triggering any failsafes that might kill the captives. As a result, the process took much longer than usual.
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An hour later, Baishi released the last captive and murmured, "As expected, all four are from Root."
He had suspected as much based on their demeanor and chakra signatures, and his investigation confirmed it.
"Danzo..." Baishi muttered, his eyes narrowing.
For a moment, he entertained the idea of using these four to assassinate Danzo. With them under his control, he could easily get close enough to eliminate the man.
Of all the individuals in his past, Danzo was the one Baishi hated most.
It wasn't just the cruel experiments Danzo and Orochimaru subjected him to, or the years of suffering. It was also the relentless pursuit and attempts to kill him after he escaped.
But after careful consideration, Baishi dismissed the idea.
The Nine-Tails Incident was approaching, and killing Danzo now would cause an uproar in Konoha. The village would undoubtedly strengthen its defenses and launch an investigation.
Although Baishi was confident he wouldn't be caught, the additional precautions could complicate his plans for the Nine-Tails.
Moreover, Baishi needed Danzo alive to keep the Uchiha clan in check.
Three-tomoe Sharingan users weren't a concern, but Mangekyō Sharingan was a different story. Baishi didn't know if Shisui Uchiha had awakened his Mangekyō yet, and if he had, a single use of Kotoamatsukami could override even his Level VII Mental Resistance.
Then there was Fugaku Uchiha's "Schrödinger's Mangekyō," which Baishi also viewed as a potential threat.
"Better to let events unfold as they did in the past," he decided. And for that, Danzo was essential to keep the Uchiha confined to their district.
While Baishi wouldn't kill Danzo, he saw no harm in planting a few spies within his ranks.
Activating Flying Thunder God, Baishi transported himself to another hidden chamber to ensure his safety before performing Spirit Transformation Jutsu.
His spirit form easily located the four Root operatives still immobilized in the hideout. Baishi entered their mental spaces one by one, implanting Seeds of the Mind into each.
Baishi refused to perform Spirit Transformation Jutsu near captives, even ones he had completely restrained. The lesson of Katō Dan's fate made him exceedingly cautious about his physical body's safety.
After several hours, all four operatives regained consciousness.
Outwardly, they appeared unchanged, and even the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal Danzo had placed on them remained intact. But their souls were now under Baishi's control.
Ordinary victims of the Seed of the Mind tended to exhibit slight behavioral changes, but Root operatives were already stoic and silent by nature. Danzo, who treated his subordinates as disposable tools, would never notice the difference.
As long as the four faithfully carried out their orders, there was little risk of exposure in the short term.
After issuing instructions to the operatives, Baishi waved them off. "You may leave."
"Yes, sir!"
The four bowed before departing, returning to their mission of collecting intelligence.
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Several days later, the operatives returned to Konoha. As Baishi had predicted, Danzo noticed nothing amiss.
Satisfied with this outcome, Baishi instructed the operatives to monitor Danzo's actions and relay any intelligence directly to him through their spiritual connection.
Because Danzo trusted his subordinates deeply, he often shared sensitive information with them. This made gathering intelligence surprisingly easy.
Through them, Baishi could infer the actions of Konoha's leadership and gauge the village's overall situation.
In addition, Baishi used the Flying Thunder God markers he had placed on the operatives to infiltrate Konoha. Once inside, he discreetly left his own markers throughout key locations in the village.
Now, like Obito, Baishi could bypass Konoha's sensory barriers and move freely.
Time passed as Baishi continued his preparations. Finally, over a month later...
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(End of Chapter)
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