Ryūjin Uchiha had already decided on his first target, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi.
This decision was not made casually. Ryūjin carefully considered several important factors before settling on Yagura.
First, the Hidden Mist Village possessed a very special geographical position. The Land of Water was surrounded by the sea on all sides, making it naturally isolated from the rest of the ninja world. The distance alone made communication with other nations difficult.
On top of that, the Hidden Mist Village had long enforced the brutal policy known as the Blood Mist era. Because of these cruel traditions, contact between the village and the outside world had been severely limited for many years.
When viewed from the broader perspective of the ninja world, the Hidden Mist Village almost resembled a country cut off from civilization.
If Ryūjin acted there, news would not spread easily.
That alone made it a perfect place for him to move quietly.
However, Ryūjin's trip to the Hidden Mist Village had more than one purpose. Dealing with Yagura was only part of the plan. He also intended to find Kisame Hoshigaki and see whether the man could be persuaded to join him.
Kisame was powerful, ruthless, and most importantly reliable in his own twisted way. If Ryūjin could bring him over, he would gain a very useful partner.
The second reason involved the current situation within the Hidden Mist Village itself.
Five members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had already been wiped out by Ryūjin. On top of that, the Mizukage was secretly being manipulated by Obito. Under that influence, the village had been placed under extremely harsh rule, creating tension and unrest everywhere.
The Hidden Mist Village was both weakened and unstable.
For someone like Ryūjin, that kind of chaos was the perfect opportunity.
"Alright, it's decided."
Ryūjin finalized the plan with a satisfied smile.
The following day, Ryūjin left a shadow clone behind in Konoha to act as a cover while he himself slipped away from the village.
Using Kamui, he quietly appeared outside Konoha's borders without attracting any attention.
After several hours of traveling, Ryūjin eventually arrived at a coastal dock.
Kamui was an incredibly powerful ability for long distance movement, but it came with one major limitation. He needed to know the exact location of his destination in order to use it properly.
Ryūjin had never been to the Hidden Mist Village before, which meant he could not teleport there directly. Like everyone else, he would have to travel by sea.
Of course, once he had visited it at least once, things would be different.
At that point, the Hidden Mist Village would practically become his personal backyard.
He could quietly slip in whenever he wanted and sign in with the Sign in System.
Just imagining that possibility made Ryūjin feel rather pleased.
Originally, Ryūjin had planned to visit the Hidden Sand Village first to sign in there. Unfortunately, the appearance of a Tailed Beast's location was far more important, forcing him to postpone that plan for the time being.
"Young man, looking for a boat?"
As Ryūjin stood at the dock, several boatmen immediately gathered around him. Each of them spoke eagerly, clearly hoping to gain a customer.
"Yes, I need a boat. I'm heading to the Land of Water, the Hidden Mist Village."
The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere suddenly changed.
The previously enthusiastic boatmen all froze.
Then one by one, they shook their heads vigorously and backed away as if avoiding trouble.
"Kid, don't you know? The Land of Water is practically a closed country."
"You can't just sail there freely."
"If you get too close, you might lose your life."
"The ninja there don't welcome outsiders."
One kind looking middle aged man wearing a straw hat offered a quick explanation before hurrying away with the others.
Within moments, the dock became strangely quiet.
Ryūjin spent some time asking other boatmen, but every single one of them refused to take him to the Land of Water.
He could only laugh helplessly.
"Uchiha Ryūjin?"
At that moment, a somewhat familiar voice called out behind him.
Ryūjin turned his head and immediately saw two recognizable figures.
Yahiko and Konan.
Previously, Ryūjin had ruined Obito's scheme and indirectly saved the Akatsuki organization. Because of that event, Yahiko and Konan felt extremely grateful toward him.
Seeing Ryūjin again clearly made them happy.
"So it really is you," Yahiko said with a bright smile. "Ryūjin, are you heading to the Land of Water?"
After confirming his identity, Yahiko and Konan walked over.
"Yahiko, Konan. Didn't expect to see you two here."
Ryūjin greeted them with a relaxed smile. He had always had a good impression of the pair.
People like Yahiko were rare in the ninja world.
Someone with that kind of straightforward sense of justice was hard to dislike.
"I'm planning to go to the Land of Water for some business," Ryūjin explained with a shrug. "But it looks like none of the boatmen here are willing to take me."
Yahiko laughed.
"That's perfect timing then. We are heading to the Land of Water as well."
He looked at Ryūjin sincerely.
"If you don't mind, you can come with us."
Ryūjin raised an eyebrow slightly.
"If you're going there too, how did you convince a boatman? None of them seem willing to sail there."
Yahiko chuckled and pointed toward a small boat floating nearby.
The boatman standing on it immediately waved back.
"These boatmen might be afraid of the Hidden Mist ninja, but we have our own people."
Konan spoke calmly from the side.
"Many members of our Akatsuki organization come from poor backgrounds. Some of their families make their living here along the coast, so we have access to boats."
"I see."
Ryūjin nodded with sudden understanding.
At the same time, he felt slightly relieved.
Finding a boat had been the biggest obstacle to reaching the Land of Water. Now the problem was solved.
Still, the situation gave him a bit of a headache.
Ryūjin had originally assumed that no one would recognize him during this trip. Because of that, he only changed his clothes and put on a pair of sunglasses instead of using the Transformation Jutsu.
Yet by sheer coincidence, he had run into acquaintances.
And not just anyone.
Yahiko and Konan were both people with strong morals.
Meanwhile, Ryūjin was on his way to do something that was far from honorable.
Fortunately, it was only a minor inconvenience. Once they reached the Hidden Mist Village, he could easily make up an excuse to leave.
After that, he could simply use the Transformation Jutsu and move freely without anyone recognizing him.
"In that case, I'll take you up on the offer."
Ryūjin accepted their help without hesitation.
Yahiko and Konan both looked pleased.
They called out to the Akatsuki member steering the boat, and soon the three of them boarded.
The small vessel slowly left the dock, heading toward the distant Land of Water.
The journey across the sea would take quite some time, which made it perfect for conversation.
Since the three of them already had positive impressions of one another, the atmosphere quickly became relaxed and friendly.
Naturally, the topic eventually turned to the reason each of them was traveling to the Land of Water.
Yahiko even offered to help Ryūjin if necessary.
Ryūjin simply brushed the question aside with vague answers, avoiding any clear explanation of his intentions.
Yahiko and Konan were both perceptive enough to notice this, and they tactfully chose not to push further.
However, when it came to their own reason for making the trip, they did not hide anything.
Yahiko's expression turned grim.
"It's infuriating, Ryūjin. That bastard who calls himself Uchiha Madara. After his plan failed because of you last time, he secretly stole Nagato's eyes."
Ryūjin froze for a brief moment.
Nagato's eyes were taken?
That news genuinely surprised him.
In the original course of events, Nagato would become one of the most terrifying figures in the ninja world. He would defeat Jiraiya, manipulate the Akatsuki from the shadows, capture multiple Tailed Beasts, and eventually destroy Konoha itself.
He was a major threat.
Yet now, his Rinnegan had been taken long before any of that could happen.
It was completely unexpected.
Still, when Ryūjin thought about it carefully, this might actually be better for Nagato.
At the very least, he would probably survive.
Once Obito retrieved the Rinnegan, there would be little reason for him to harm Nagato further.
In fact, Ryūjin could already guess exactly why Obito had taken the eyes.
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