"Saizō-sama! We've been attacked! An intruder broke into our stronghold, and some of the guards were unable to stop him. We urgently need backup!"
Inside a quiet house, a guard shattered the stillness with a loud shout, reporting the dire situation. Kirigakure Saizō, sitting on the tatami mat, narrowed his eyes and swiftly made his way out, without the need for further confirmation.
"Everyone, now!" As soon as he said it, the shinobi hiding in the surroundings began to follow him.
Someone dared to interfere in his affairs, injuring his men and tarnishing his reputation in his own territory, the Land of Water. Regardless of the severity of the situation, Saizō needed to pay attention since it would impact his operations.
For the past ten years, Kirigakure had been lying low in these misty waters, waiting for the right moment to strike back at those who had undermined his power in the Land of Fire.
After the disastrous Genesis Bank raid, their forces had been decimated, with Yoichi taking out nearly half of their elite shinobi, leading to a desperate retreat into the Land of Water.
It was clear that Saizō's once calm demeanor was starting to unravel. The sleepless nights and bitter defeats began to weigh on him, feeding his growing desire for power and control.
He was determined to overcome the monstrous thoughts that plagued him yet the light at the end of the tunnel seemed to be so hard to capture, Saizō was unable to find shortcuts or paths.
"RAAAHH! Let me go right now, or else..."
"Or else what?! Must be so sad to be such a weak shinobi. Hahaha, where's your protector? Hiding away like a coward?!"
In the background, two men were arguing, one being effortlessly held in a chokehold with just one hand while the other smirked like a predator. The scene around them was drenched in red, with people sprawled on the ground like lifeless bodies, some gritting their teeth and glaring at the attacker with open hostility.
"Who are you? Are you sent here by those foolish elders?!"
Saizō arrived at the scene swiftly, examining his surroundings while gazing at the unwavering figure before him. Meanwhile, his shinobi forces quickly encircled the area.
He looked unfamiliar to me. Who is this person? It seems odd that he would provoke me here... It's certainly not a common occurrence.
"Does it really matter?" Blood dripped from the attacker's hand as he discarded his victim out of view, casting a curious glance at Saizō's expression.
"Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
As soon as Kirigakure Saizō heard those words, a bad feeling washed over him, prompting him to quickly perform his hand signs. He managed to execute the technique flawlessly, but the unease continued to nag at his instincts. Still, he pressed on, launching an attack while the other shinobi nearby hurled their kunai and shuriken at the outsider.
"What?! Is he really that crazy?"
"Charging at our Lord? Ha! What an overly confident fool!"
With a self-assured grin, the blood-covered stranger charged into the hail of metal like a wild warrior. Using his own body to absorb the deadly onslaught left everyone stunned as the outsider cast aside reason and tapped into his primal instincts.
"I suggest you both stop this senseless fight. This kind of bickering has no place with our shared goals."
But as they drew closer to one another, a strange dark substance began to snake into their bodies, anchoring their feet and putting an end to the chaos.
"You... You're quite the party pooper, aren't you?"
The intruder came to an abrupt halt, feeling a blend of annoyance and curiosity. The sudden stop sparked his anger toward the familiar figure, but the unseen action of his supposed friendly ally made him elevate the danger levels further into a higher aspect in his mind.
What's happening here?! I feel stifled by this strange presence! Shared objectives? In this constrained condition, he's proposing a ceasefire? What's really going on?!
Meanwhile, Saizo was experiencing a similar turmoil as the stranger's emotions swirled in his mind. Once again, a sense of helplessness surfaced, and he ground his teeth, feeling like a big fish on the chopping block, trapped in a fate where he's just a stepping stone for others.
"Sorry to interrupt your little conflict. I'm Black Zetsu, and this is my rather impulsive friend, Shin. I genuinely apologize for dropping in on you like this. To make up for our abrupt entrance, I'll release you now. Please don't hold any hard feelings; let us clarify why we're here."
In the end, Black Zetsu set the two free, successfully achieving his modest goal. His mix of passive-aggressive language and stealthy yet dangerous actions ensured that he was acknowledged in the right way.
He served as both a suitable deterrent and a strong unifier, possessing discreet negotiating power among his allies.
"Oh, and next time, just leave me out of the introductions, alright? And by the way, my name is Jashin! Not Shin! It's JASHIN, got it?!"
In his defense, Shin simply corrected Black Zetsu's slip-up, confidently highlighting Seimei's brilliance as one of his assets.
Upon hearing the correction, Black Zetsu just nodded in response.
Bloodlines! Those goddamn bloodlines once again! If I have it, I will be much stronger!
Now back to himself, Saizō was fuming internally, but he remained cautious around the two of them. He motioned for his army to stand down and called off the attack, his mind racing with thoughts.
"What's your purpose here? What are you both up to? And what's this goal that... Black Zetsu mentioned earlier?"
Noticing the chill in Saizō's voice, both Shin and Black Zetsu exchanged glances. Meanwhile, Shin subtly nudged his chin upward, gesturing toward Black Zetsu. "You should explain," he indicated.
After a short while, Black Zetsu laid out their cunning plan in great detail.
At first, Saizō was skeptical and raised a few questions. However, once he fully grasped the scheme, he was taken aback, though a sense of excitement bubbled within him until he managed to stifle his enthusiastic feelings.
"Are you in or out?"
Shin and Black Zetsu watched as Saizō considered their proposition. Their plan was already solid and didn't necessarily require him, but having an extra ally wouldn't hurt. They knew they'd gain advantages once everything got underway smoothly.
After a moment, Saizō turned to them with a determined look and said, "I'm on board. Just give me a heads-up when you want me to take action. I'll get ready in the meantime."
"For now, I will report it to my Lord Yukimura. Let's meet up in three days and polish this plan even more."
With that, the three of them went their separate ways.
However, Saizō still had some reservations about the two. Their collaboration felt fragile, yet their goals seemed to align perfectly as if the stars were properly lined up.
The objective? Create chaos, starting with the assassination of the clan leaders and manipulating evidence to further complicate things.
In particular, they aimed to target the leaders of the prominent clans: Uchiha and Senju.
"I understand that many of you have questions. Let me clarify: those unusual individuals are our pathway back into those prosperous territories. I know some of you were upset by my decision, but for the sake of our future, try to see the bigger picture!"
Several of his subordinates exchanged glances, reluctantly nodding along as Saizō spoke. After all, no one was harmed during Shin's abrupt interruption, and their leader had plans to challenge the Land of Fire once again.
In their minds, the Land of Water felt lukewarm.
With few opportunities for growth due to a lack of commissions, diminishing battle experiences, and missed chances to prove themselves, their frustration became clear.
The chance was right in front of them, so who were they to turn down such tempting advantages?
...
"Wow, that spoiled Lightning Daimyo! And the way that former Daimyo's first mistress looked at me—with a mix of affection and condescension—made me cringe!"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Release those innocent people trapped in their cells. As for the criminals, just let them go!"
After finishing up his report, Yoichi felt a bit irritated by the young Lightning Daimyo, who seemed to expect him to bow down in front of his advisors. Ultimately, Yoichi couldn't stand for that treatment, and he cleverly countered with a clone, causing a bit of chaos.
Sure, his assertive actions didn't make him look great, but the high-ranking officials weren't bold enough to create a fuss over it, like delaying his rewards or holding back on their assignments.
The tense atmosphere of the Warring States Period was clear to everyone. The relationship between the Shinobi and the Daimyo was a bit better than it used to be, but not following the traditional systems could still spark anger from the other side. Plus, Yoichi's reputation was like a shooting star; if anyone tried to play dirty, they'd have to face him.