I have a dream

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"The Land of Waves?"

Pakura had been to this country before. It was a small island nation located on the fringes of the Land of Fire, where the people lived in poverty.

Being an island country, all travel within the Land of Waves relied on fishing boats, severely limiting its development.

Conducting business there was not an easy task.

However, one advantage of the Land of Waves was that it remained distant from the chaos of the Third Great Ninja War. Nearly all the nations bordering the Five Great Nations had been dragged into the conflict. Only a few remote countries managed to escape.

The Land of Wave was one of those nations, which made it particularly useful for the Twelve Kizuki's current operations.

"Yes, the money is mainly for arms deals," Muzan replied, his voice sharp with intent.

The war wouldn't end for at least another year, and this period was the perfect opportunity for the Twelve Kizuki to expand. War profits were easy to come by.

"Medical supplies, kunai, shuriken—we'll handle it all. If there's profit to be made, we'll take it."

There was a hint of cruelty in Muzan's tone. While most feared war, he saw only opportunity in the chaos.

After each conflict, the Five Great Ninja Villages would enter a state of exhaustion. It was always a time of rapid innovation. New weapons, tools, and jutsu were often born from the fires of war.

"Understood," Pakura said.

Her mission wasn't difficult. Given her power, any dangers would be minimal.

"The profits will fund a laboratory—a facility for genetic research," Muzan continued, his voice laced with ambition.

This was unexpected. Outside of Konoha, very few villages had advanced labs, especially Sunagakure.

Pakura had seen the labs before, but they were mostly focused on puppet and poison research.

Genetic research, however, was still far beyond what the Five Great Villages could handle.

"Yes, our genes are flawed," Muzan explained, turning his gaze toward Pakura. "We need to overcome our weaknesses, especially our vulnerability to the sun."

The sun was their natural enemy. Even Muzan himself wasn't immune to its effects.

"These labs will focus on studying our genetic structure. Once we overcome this limitation, we'll be able to move freely throughout the ninja world."

Muzan's eyes gleamed in the moonlight, his words filled with power. Even Pakura, hardened by years of war, found herself captivated by his vision.

If someone had once told her they aimed to surpass the God of Shinobi, she would've laughed.

But now, standing before Muzan, Pakura believed that such a future wasn't so far off. The Twelve Kizuki's ultimate goal was to spread their influence across the entire ninja world—

After their departure from Kirigakure, word of the Twelve Kizuki's emergence began spreading among the major factions. Everyone wanted to know what kind of group they were.

Their initial appearance, attacking Kirigakure and confronting the Three-Tails, had already made them notorious.

In Sunagakure, the leadership had been discussing Pakura's defection for hours. Such conversations were unheard of during wartime.

"Pakura actually joined the Twelve Kizuki. They say she was personally recruited, and her strength has improved drastically."

"The real issue is not finding her, but preventing the Twelve Kizuki from targeting us."

"Exactly. If they turn their attention to us, we'll be in danger."

In Kumogakure, Killer Bee had heard the rumors and connected them with his own experiences.

"It's definitely the work of the Twelve Kizuki! We need revenge!"

Both Konoha and the Twelve Kizuki were considered mortal enemies.

The rise of the Twelve Kizuki had sent shockwaves through the ninja world. The Five Great Ninja Villages, Akatsuki, and even Uchiha Madara himself were investigating the group's movements.

"I didn't expect another powerful organization to appear," Madara mused. "But I am the one who will bring true peace to the ninja world."

"The Twelve Kizuki? As long as they don't interfere with my plans, they can be ignored—for now."

Though many forces were investigating the Twelve Kizuki, the organization had seemingly vanished after their attack on Kirigakure.

No one knew where they had gone.

As they returned to a small town in the Land of Wind, Muzan received new information from a bounty hunter.

"The sketch is terrible."

Of the three known Twelve Kizuki members, Muzan was the leader, but no one would recognize him based on the drawing. The face he had used during their raid was that of an adult. Yamanosatsu, standing beside him, had been depicted as nothing more than a pair of eyes on a disfigured humanoid figure.

"Is this supposed to be a person?"

Yamanosatsu's face darkened as he glanced at the sketch. If he ever found the artist, he swore they'd pay for the insult.

"They didn't capture my wisdom and power. Instead, they made me look like a monster with multiple eyes!"

"But the likeness isn't far off," Muzan commented. "Be careful about how you present yourself as a cannibal."

"I'm numb..."

It was really him.

Well, strength came with sacrifices, he supposed.

In addition to these bounties, several well-known ninja from the Five Great Nations were also listed, including a young Muzan.

"Let's make another fortune once the war ends."

As they prepared to leave, a towering figure blocked their path. The man pulled out a book, comparing Yamanosatsu's face to the sketch.

"The bounty on you is too low. I'll come for your head once the price increases," the man said, his eyes full of disdain.

Yamanosatsu's hand instinctively moved toward his weapon, a glimmer of killing intent in his eyes.

"Enough. Don't start anything here," Muzan interjected.

It wasn't that Muzan feared the bounty hunter, but the man standing before them was none other than Kakuzu—a notorious figure who had once fought Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi himself.

But Kakuzu didn't budge.

"You're not so easy to kill, old man."

Muzan's eyes gleamed red from beneath his black cloak. He and Kakuzu locked gazes, their bloodlust palpable.

With a sudden flash, both sides moved.

"Clang!"

Kakuzu, surprised by their quick reflexes, barely dodged Yamanosatsu's kunai strike.

"Boom!"

A puff of smoke signaled Kakuzu's escape as he distanced himself from them, his eyes now filled with caution. These were no ordinary opponents.

"Impressive. Perhaps we can work together someday."

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