After finishing his tasks, Masashi returo the pace just in time to see Shisui walking out of the pace gates. Let's get this verification over with.

  The two looked at each other with their Sharingan activated. Even among members, protocol had to be followed.

  When members of a team separated, there was always a risk of an enemy using a transformation jutsu to sneak in, so for the Uchiha and Hyūga s, it was veo just use their eye teiques to check.

  Ohey were both sure the other wasn't an imposter, they deactivated their Sharingan.

  "Waiting for me?"

  "No… I just got here myself, but it's the st stop anyway." Shisui gnced back at the pace gate and sighed. "Even though I was mentally prepared, the daimyō's pace is just way too plicated."

  "It's certainly plex." Masashi looked up. Though he came from a world filled with skyscrapers, the architecture still surprised him.

  Like the buildings, this pace fortress also has a spire structure on its top floor. The pace towers were especially rge, tall, and numerous.

  These tall towers were the daimyō family's aral mausoleum. The nobility of the Land of Rain didn't practice burial. Instead, they prepared the bodies of their family members and pced them iowers.

  It was said that Ame did the same.

  Effit use of vertical space, at least.

  "Let's go see the daimyō. We pare notes about the issues we've found afterward."

  "Are there many issues ier district?"

  "More than enough. It's practically a disaster for our mission." And that's just what's visible on the surface.

  Masashi tapped the pace gate with his hand, his fingers deteg the subtle vibrations iructure.

  "Why are you knog on the door?"

  "Oh, nothing. Just cheg if it's sturdy."

  "Oh…" Though Shisui found this a bit odd, he didn't dwell on it ahrough the gate with Masashi.

  The two made their way back to the hall where they'd previously met the daimyō. Ihey saw the him discussing goveral matters with a few bureaucrats.

  This hall was mainly where the daimyō heard reports from his bureaucrats, its high ceiling desigo amplify the authority of his position.

  The two entered quietly, leaning against a wall to wait, their presence aowledged only by slight shifts in the guards' stances.

  The daimyō was talking with the officials about how to ensure food produ. From their versation, it was clear that the food supply depended on a few rge-scale farms.

  I days, however, there had been several is. One farm had even experienced a nd colpse.

  "The Land of Fire provided a lot of tools this time," reported one official. "With the growing number of unemployed people ier district, anizing them to develop a new farm would be ideal."

  "No." The daimyō rejected the suggestion without hesitation, his small eyes narrowing further. "The final pnting season has already passed this year. Even if we set up a new farm, it won't be usable until year. Starting stru now would e more food, leaving us short on supplies."

  "But the Land of Fire has also provided a lot of food this time…"

  "Store it," the daimyō replied. "Keep it as a reserve for year-end, and after the harvest, we'll sider building a new farm. As for the unemployed…"

  He thought for a moment and tinued, "You mentiohe sanitary ditions ier district are poht? ahem to up. No wages, just meals."

  "Daimyō-sama, wouldn't that still make food supplies tight?"

  "Make the pe thinner. Do I really o teach you that?"

  "With such thin pe, they might harbor rese…"

  "Oh? They've been drinking water aing grass every day, and now they'll resent a bowl of pe? I don't think so."

  He uands fear better than governance. Almost admirable, in a twisted way.

  The daimyō's personality here was entirely in lih Masashi's assessment of him. He accepted none of his officials' advice, shooting down each suggestion quickly with phrases like "I refuse," "I don't think so," or "You be quiet now."

  Holy, it was impossible that every suggestion had . But it was not about merit. It was about trol.

  However, although the daimyō denied all their suggestions, he did issue clear directives for the work ahead. By the end, everyone's stomach was growling.

  "I tell you all came just to freeload… fine, a few more mouths won't hurt." The daimyō, also hungry, he hopeful looks of his officials and wasn't stingy. "Send word to set up a baonight. I'll eaiwo shinobi guests properly."

  Shisui's first instinct was to dee, but then they met the daimyō's expet gaze, as if waiting for them to offer more advibsp;

  So he kept silent.

  The officials left with smiles, and the daimyō, too, returo his rexed, idle manner, sitting bad addressing Masashi and Shisui zily. "Do you two need anything else? ht, choose any room you like, and if you're looking for female pany, there are still some around the pace, though married ones are off-limits."

  "…"

  This boss was much more impressive while w. Dealing with ts like this was truly exhausting.

  "Daimyō-sama, may I check your body?" Masashi interrupted him before he could resume chatting.

  "Huh?" The daimyō was fused, visibly trying to open his small eyes a bit wider to show it.

  "You are not allowed to approach the daimyō." One of the daimyō's bodyguards spoke stiffly, stepping forward. "It is my duty to protect the daimyō. Although I apologize, I must ask that you focus only on your assigask."

  But Masashi wasn't so courteous with him.

  He used a genjutsu, his red eyes briefly intensifying. The guard's resistance crumbled as his sciousness fell into an illusion of duty fulfilled. He obediently moved aside, croug awkwardly in the er.

  The daimyō looked at his bodyguard, frowning.

  It wasn't that he minded Masashi's behavior; he just wondered if his bodyguard's mind was broken.

  If you were petent, would I have o ask for ninja prote?

  Unaware of the daimyō's thoughts, Masashi, after incapacitating the guard, didn't immediately approach. Instead, he expined, "Daimyō-sama, this is for your safety. There are teiques in the shinobi world that allow for assassination without face-to-face frontation. I strongly reend you sider this risk."

  "That sounds very dangerous! eous. Please, check me immediately." The daimyō swiftly accepted Masashi's suggestion, his previous ziness fotten. "ime, let's skip the hassle. Don't judge by appearances; I'm actually an open-minded daimyō, very receptive to advice."

  Masashi pretended not to hear that st part and approached to thhly ihe daimyō with his Sharingan, cheg for any signs of jutsu. His eyes traced every potential point of interference.

  Upon finishing, he firmed there was no issue and reassured the daimyō.

  At the same time, he left a small mark. Just as he had in other pces before.

  "I'll take sed watch," Masashi said as the proteission for him and Shisui officially began. "Better ce with my sensory jutsu at night."

  And less iion with the t, he added silently.

  The two essentially worked in shifts, one visible and the other hidden, to protect the daimyō, who spent his days causing trouble and his evenings zing around.

  Masashi had strategically positioned his surveilnce points throughout the pound, creating an invisible of chakra-infused markers.

  They even had a resting pce set up right door to the daimyō's quarters, though Masashi made sure to position himself where he could observe without unnecessary social iion.

  The first month passed peacefully, with only minor disturbances cropping up now and then.

  For instance, a group ue ninjas appeared on a farm, attempting to steal food supplies. It so happehat Shisui was apanying the daimyō to che the situatiohen fshed through his Body Flicker. Starting as one, he split into over ten, while the rogue ninjas totaled fewer than five.

  Unsurprisingly, they were wiped out in one go.

  It all happened so fast that the daimyō didn't even have time to finish yawning.

  "Is it always this quick with you shinobi?" the daimyō asked, stifling another yawn.

  "Konoha values efficy, daimyō-sama," Shisui replied with a polite bow.

  Aime, an actual ninja mao sneak into the vilge—a rogue ninja from Ame.

  Unluckily for him, he bumped into Masashi, who was on a patrol. The poor soul romptly immobilized by his genjutsu. Let's see what information you're carrying, Masashi thought as he methodically began his interrogation.

  "Where are your panions?" he asked, adjusting the genjutsu's pressure.

  "N-no one... I'm alone..." the ninja gasped.

  "Your supply routes? tact points?"

  After extrag all the information, which firmed he was just a small fry who had snu looking for food, Masashi killed him. sidering that he died still under genjutsu, it could even be ted as a merciful death.

  And so the first month passed iive peace.

  In the seonth, Shisui's messenger crow arrived with a letter from Itachi, inf him that Mikoto regnant. Shisui happily shared the news with Masashi, who took a moment to process it.

  "Isn't it wonderful? Another addition to the !" Shisui beamed.

  "Your enthusiasm for other people's family matters is puzzling," Masashi replied ftly.

  "You really o work on your social skills, Masashi-nii," Shisui chuckled.

  He couldn't uand why Shisui was so excited about someone else's wife being pregnant, when they could be spending their time eating delicious food at the daimyō's expense.

  But such leisurely days didn't st forever.

  Toward the end of the seonth, a rge portion of the sensory markers Masashi had set around the outer district were suddenly destroyed—nered, but obliterated.

  These markers were actually a type of water jutsu Masashi had developed, inspired by both Kiri's teiques and the Rainmaker Jutsu of Nagato.

  This jutsu was a high-level application of shape transformation, creating tiny, biting water-sharks hidden within the flowing water. When an oppo struck the water pilr, the small sharks dispersed with the water and attacked them.

  Each shark carried a trace of his chakra, allowing him to sense disturbances across vast distances. Using this principle, Masashi had developed a sensory jutsu.

  It seemed the intruder had used a powerful Fire Release teique to evaporate the chakra-infused water. Not just any fire teique could mahis, Masashi his is someone who knows what they're doing.

  Clearly, the intruder not only sensed his jutsu but expressed hostility as well.

  Masashi, who was in the middle of esc the daimyō during a meal along with Shisui, stopped mid-step.

  "Is something wrong?"

  "There is a powerful chakra presence," Masashi replied, deg to iigate. "Shisui, keep an eye on the daimyō."

  "Wao check it out instead?"

  "No. Stay with the daimyō."

  With that, he left the pad headed toward the disturbance.

  While enviroal factors weren't absolute, they could often influehe chakra nature local shinobi excel at. Among the Five Great Natioh, Lightning, and Water all exhibit this.

  In the Land of Rain, most native shinobi have water-based chakra, with very few wielding fire chakra. Which made the visitor even more iing.

  And based on the chakra Masashi sehe intruder was at least a jonin.

  As he leapt betweeowers, his Sharingan locked onto the target—a cloaked figure. Something about it seems familiar.

  The figure turned away the moment he sensed Masashi's gaze, quickly sprinting toward the vilge outskirts.

  It wasn't just hostility; this was a direct provocation.

  Masashi pursued him, mapping out possible intercept points as they moved.

  After two months here, the entire vilge ractically mapped in his mind. There was no way to ambush him here—just as in Konoha, where no one could set a trap for him.

  Well, except for that one bug in Konoha.

  Despite his self-assured demeanor, he wasly careless. At least, in his view, he was never reckless.

  However, after the experience of beien to death in his first run, he now preferred to leave himself with multiple escape routes in this sed run-through.

  Because, regardless of how many lives you might have, gettien to death still hurts.

  The vilge quickly disappeared behind him, but the distance was manageable. After a long chase, the enemy suddenly stopped.

  Masashi reized the location.

  "You were the og that day," he said, the hillside from afar, firming his earlier suspis. This theatrical approach... how tedious.

  A voice responded from beh the hood.

  "Are you Masashi?"

  The cloaked figure's words were iionally muffled as he kept his back turned.

  The whole act reminded Masashi of shows he'd seen too many times to t. Had it been anyone else, he would have fired off a water jutsu already.

  But not this time. Because this voice...

  The figure finally turned, and his suspis were firmed.

  With su ugly mask, it had to be Obito—the same mask he had stubbornly worn for over ten years.

  Just as Masashi was about to speak, anure with a bd white face emerged from the ground beside Obito.

  "Madara-sama, is there something special about this kid?"

  Masashi stared at Zetsu unblinkingly.

  When someone you've dreamed of fronting suddenly appears, how would a oisseur of food approach it?

  It was a tough question.

  "What are you looking at, kid?"

  "Oh, nothing much. I just thought you looked like a half-moon cookie that went wrong," Masashi said, raising an eyebrow. "You know—the bd white ohough usually they're split more evenly."

  Zetsu was taken aback. In his memory, this was not a typical Uchiha rea.

  After all, hadn't he just mentiohat name? Where was the shocked response?

  Puzzled, he g the other Uchiha beside him. To be ho, this one didn't feel very Uchiha-like either.

  Could it be that this geion of Uchiha had shifted somehow?

  "Don't py dumb, kid," Obito finally turned, still hiding his hands behind his back, striking another pose. "I am Uchiha Madara. You should know that name."

  He activated his Mangekyō Sharingan for emphasis. Through the mask's eyehole, Masashi saw the distinct pattern of Obito's Sharingan.

  Then he couldn't help but ugh.

  It was hard not to. Anyone who'd read even a little should know better, he thought. Amateur theatrics. At least put some effort into the research.

  He should be able to see through Obito's ruse, especially being from the Uchiha .

  "Enough with the nonsense. Madara's eyes didn't look like that at all; it's recorded in the archives," Masashi said. "Plus, he had the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, with the pattern shared with his brother Izuna's."

  "So unprofessional."