In the blink of an eye, a week of rest had passed.
With the help of countless shadow clones, Reiji had successfully mastered the Heavenly Transfer Technique and its corresponding formulas.
Just as he was quietly waiting in the shadows, a sudden piece of news threw off his plans.
In a room at the liaison office in the Land of Hot Water, Sakumo—the so-called Dog Brother—had left behind a scroll.
Fully embracing his philosophy of slacking off at work, Reiji didn't hesitate to skip out and headed straight for the liaison office.
As he opened the scroll, his brow furrowed—then a sharp glint slowly lit up in his eyes.
The scroll was from Amegakure.
And the sender? None other than Reiji's trusted teacher—Hanzō of the Salamander!
In the letter, Hanzō praised Reiji for his recent work, stating that the intelligence on Konoha was proving extremely helpful for the village's strategic planning.
Then, Hanzō issued a new order: Reiji was to gather as much intel on Takigakure as possible.
If the chance arose, he should try to sow discord between Konoha and Takigakure.
With a mix of curiosity and anticipation, Reiji put the scroll away, formed a single-handed seal—
The world spun, and he arrived at Sakumo's temporary hideout.
At that moment, Sakumo was sprawled in bed, his butt sticking up, a copy of "The Daimyō and the Twelve Guardian Ninja: Secrets You Can't Ignore" lying on his pillow.
Seeing the sight, a wicked gleam rose in Reiji's gut, and he let out a mischievous yell.
"Yo, Dog! Let me check if everything's developing properly!"
Sakumo froze, his face drained of color. He stiffly turned his head, glaring daggers at Reiji.
"You bastard, Reiji! Ever heard of knocking?!"
Reiji shrank back slightly, flashing an awkward grin.
"I-I didn't know you were working on national defense! Sorry~"
The words had barely left his mouth before Sakumo launched a flurry of punches and kicks, tossing him right out the door.
Reiji waited a while, figuring Sakumo had cooled off a bit, then knocked properly this time.
"Dog Brother, open up!"
"Don't call me Dog Brother! I'm not your Dog Brother!" Sakumo's muffled voice came from inside.
Reiji fought hard to keep a grin off his face and cleared his throat.
"Sakumo, Dog Brother, I've got something serious to discuss!"
After a pause, the door creaked open.
Sakumo was now dressed properly, wearing his mask, sitting on the bed with a hand on his head, looking utterly dejected.
Reiji dropped the jokes, composed himself, and spoke calmly.
"Sakumo, anything new between Amegakure and Takigakure?"
Sakumo looked up and gave him a glance.
"They're going at it hard."
Hearing that, Reiji pulled out the transmission scroll and waved it lazily.
"And this? Isn't this usually handled by ANBU? Why'd they suddenly toss it to me?"
Sakumo dropped his earlier attitude, replying in a steady tone.
"I don't have clearance for that."
"Fair enough." Reiji nodded.
Looks like Hiruzen Sarutobi is up to something big… Well, I hope it's something really big!
With that thought, Reiji nodded a farewell to Sakumo, formed a one-handed seal, and vanished.
...
In the Hokage's office, only Hiruzen Sarutobi and Reiji were present.
Reiji took out the scroll and gently set it on Hiruzen's desk.
"Hiruzen-sama, what's this supposed to mean?"
Hiruzen studied the boy he hadn't seen in over a year, then smiled, picked up his pipe, and took a long puff.
"This concerns two nations. The ANBU can't decide this one."
Reiji's brows slowly drew together.
The ANBU can't decide, and you're telling me the Hokage can't either?
After a brief silence, Reiji knocked on the Hokage's desk, then spoke in a low voice.
"What does Konoha want? And what do I get out of it?"
Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes lit up. He exhaled a long puff of smoke, then looked at Reiji with a half-smile and said quietly,
"Konoha wants nothing—just peace."
Reiji nodded, unsurprised, and silently gave him credit.
Clear-headed. Not bad.
"Peace just means strengthening ourselves and weakening our enemies.
As for growing stronger, I've already done my part. I just hope I didn't end up doing more harm than good."
At that, Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head repeatedly, his voice full of approval.
"You've helped tremendously. On this, both I and Kagami owe you."
As he spoke, Hiruzen thought back to recent village chatter.
Kagami, along with many clansmen who shared his views, not only kept the peace but also spent their spare time helping villagers clean the streets.
There were countless small acts like these.
It was undeniable—both the villagers and the Uchiha clan were beginning to feel the warmth of this harmony, building real bonds.
For a village, this was a truly positive shift.
And it was the kind of shift Hiruzen Sarutobi had long hoped to see.
But none of it was something Kagami alone could've come up with. Only by adding Reiji to the mix—two guys who might act like goofballs but could be relied on when it really mattered—could this actually happen.
Thinking that, Hiruzen nodded, fully agreeing with Reiji's take on the importance of strength.
Reiji's expression didn't change as he continued,
"As for weakening our enemies—leave that to me. I can guarantee ten solid years of peace."
He pointed north, then northwest.
Hiruzen's eyes lit up. The sudden turn in the conversation genuinely caught him off guard.
"Big ones?"
"Big." Reiji nodded firmly.
That could only mean Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
Hearing Reiji's confirmation, Hiruzen took a deep breath. It almost felt unreal.
If Reiji wasn't bluffing, then his value was immeasurable.
He inhaled slowly, calming his thoughts.
"So, what do you want in return?"
Even as he asked, Hiruzen already knew the answer.
Reiji, I've seen right through you.
The bloodstains in the archives, the slightly shifted position of the Scroll of Seals, the disturbance in Reiji's ANBU cell…
And the speed at which he returned after getting that intel—With all that in mind, Hiruzen couldn't help but say,
"You want to see the Scroll of Seals, don't you?
If I'm not wrong, you've already mastered the first two techniques in it: the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and the Flying Thunder God Technique."
Reiji didn't bother pretending anymore. He simply nodded.
Hiruzen took another drag from his pipe.
"Reiji, what incredible talent... truly remarkable ability.
When Tobirama-sama was alive, he taught the Flying Thunder God Technique to many children of the Senju clan.
But not a single one succeeded.
Some of them even ended up crippled.
I'll be honest—I once arrogantly tried to master that space-time jutsu myself. And I failed."
He chuckled self-deprecatingly and shook his head.
"It really is an extraordinary gift."
Reiji gave a modest wave of his hand but thought inwardly—
Compared to Minato Namikaze, no one's good enough.
When Hiruzen fell silent, Reiji didn't drag things out. He calmly took the intel scroll back from the desk and said plainly,
"I won't make it difficult for you. All I want is the Eight Inner Gates Technique."
Hiruzen's brows furrowed slightly.
"You already have the Flying Thunder God Technique—why do you need the Eight Inner Gates too?
Do you know what happens with the final gate…"
Before he could finish, Reiji shook his head and cut in with a firm voice.
"Hiruzen-sama, that's not how you should look at it.
A technique—no matter how powerful—won't automatically translate to combat strength just by holding it.
Yes, it has potential. But that takes time and manpower.
Right now, Konoha has the people. But do we have time? Can Raikage's peace treaty really be trusted?"
His voice grew sharper, more urgent, like waves pounding relentlessly against rock.
"That's the question—do you believe it?
The Eight Inner Gates mean ten years of real peace. Ten years of precious time.
Even with me here, Konoha can't scare off the wolves circling us. Because none of us are Hashirama-sama.
And time—time is the foundation for everything!"