Chapter 133: The Operation Begins

Chapter 133: The Operation Begins

"So, Orochimaru really defected?"

After a long pause, Baishi removed his hand from Kuki Ichiro's head and murmured softly.

From Kuki Ichiro's memories, Baishi learned about a major event: the defection of Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin and a hero of Konoha. Orochimaru had now become a notorious S-rank missing-nin in the ninja world.

But thinking about it, Baishi wasn't surprised. Orochimaru had gone so far as to experiment on Konoha's own shinobi. It would've been strange if Konoha had continued to tolerate him.

The only reason Orochimaru's crimes had not surfaced earlier was the sheer volume of crises Konoha had been dealing with over the past few years. But as soon as things began to settle down, Orochimaru's actions were finally addressed.

---

"And the Uchiha?"

Baishi searched through Kuki Ichiro's memories but found no information related to the Uchiha clan.

"Looks like the tension between the Uchiha clan and Konoha has been suppressed once again."

He sighed softly, turning his attention to another matter—the Akatsuki.

---

From the intelligence Kuki Ichiro had gathered, Baishi learned about a mysterious organization making waves in the ninja world: Akatsuki.

This mercenary group was composed of incredibly powerful members and specialized in taking on high-risk missions. They operated on the principle that for the right price, they'd accept any job.

Shockingly, even some ninja villages had begun hiring Akatsuki for certain tasks.

"So, Akatsuki has begun its rise..."

Baishi smirked faintly.

Others might not grasp the full implications of this, but Baishi understood. This marked the start of Akatsuki's calculated efforts to incite conflict between smaller nations, monopolize war commissions at low prices, and gradually expand its influence.

The ultimate goal was to disrupt the larger nations' ninja systems, collapse the current order, and fully monopolize warfare.

In the long term, Akatsuki would aim to collect all nine Tailed Beasts, creating the ultimate weapon—the Ten-Tails—to subjugate the entire ninja world under a single regime of oppressive peace.

Of course, that was Nagato's plan.

Obito, however, intended to hijack Nagato's efforts at the last moment, using the Ten-Tails to cast an ultra-large-scale genjutsu—Infinite Tsukuyomi—to trap the world in a dream-like illusion of peace.

But that was no longer relevant because Obito was already dead.

---

Obito's absence would undoubtedly impact Akatsuki's future in several ways.

Two years ago, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, had abolished the controversial Bloody Mist Policy after the shocking graduation exam of Zabuza Momochi, where Zabuza slaughtered his peers.

In the original timeline, Obito's influence would have caused the Bloody Mist Policy to resume, leading to a significant talent drain from Kirigakure. Among those defectors was Kisame Hoshigaki, who would later join Akatsuki.

Without Obito interfering, Kisame was unlikely to leave Kirigakure in this timeline.

Similarly, if the Uchiha clan and Konoha managed to ease their tensions, Itachi Uchiha might not join Akatsuki either.

This meant Akatsuki was potentially losing two key members.

Nagato, of course, was oblivious to all this, and Baishi had no intention of enlightening him.

After all, Nagato's efforts would ultimately serve as groundwork for Black Zetsu's plan. Baishi preferred for Nagato to waste more time on detours, giving himself more breathing room.

---

However, the Akatsuki's recent "high-profile" activities confirmed one thing: Nagato must have already killed Hanzo the Salamander, the leader of Amegakure.

Otherwise, Akatsuki wouldn't dare operate so openly under its current name.

This also meant that Amegakure was now Akatsuki's stronghold.

Baishi immediately decided: "I need to avoid the Land of Rain for the time being."

Nagato's Rain Tiger at Will Technique, a massive sensory barrier covering the entirety of Amegakure, was a major concern. Baishi had no interest in clashing with Nagato right now.

It wasn't that he feared Nagato, but rather, Nagato served as a perfect distraction to keep Black Zetsu's attention away from him.

---

Having reviewed the notable events of the past year, Baishi refocused on the task at hand.

"Alright, you can leave now," he said to Kuki Ichiro.

"Yes, sir!" Kuki Ichiro replied respectfully before retreating from the room.

Once alone, Baishi's mind entered his spiritual space. Raising a hand, he gestured, and a glowing "star" descended into his palm.

These stars weren't literal celestial bodies but representations of individuals Baishi controlled through his Mental Seeds.

The star in his hand represented a ninja from Root, the secretive organization under Danzo's command.

After a moment of concentration, Baishi extended a finger. A faint silver light flickered at its tip before merging into the star.

---

At the same time, in Konoha's Root headquarters, a ninja who was training suddenly froze.

Moments later, Baishi's voice resonated deep within his mind, as though it were emanating from his very soul.

"Come to me as soon as possible. The address is…"

Baishi transmitted the location of his inn before cutting off the connection.

This was the power of mental communication. Regardless of distance, Baishi could convey orders to anyone marked with his Mental Seeds.

However, the communication was one-way. While Baishi could send messages, the recipient could not respond.

This limitation wasn't due to technical constraints but a deliberate precaution.

Baishi had no intention of risking someone tracing his location or invading his spiritual space through the connection.

And this precaution wasn't unwarranted—over the years, numerous attempts had been made, all of which had failed.

---

Several days later, the summoned Root ninja arrived at Baishi's location.

Of course, they weren't alone. Shadowing them were several spies sent by Danzo.

Far from being surprised, Baishi was actually pleased.

This, after all, was within his expectations.

Knowing Danzo's nature, it was only logical for him to investigate any unauthorized actions by his subordinates. Sending people to tail them was the obvious move.

And that was precisely what Baishi had hoped for—he needed more manpower.

---

Effortlessly subduing the spies, Baishi quickly subjected them to a series of procedures:

Cursed Tongue Eradication Seals

Binding Curse Marks

Flying Thunder God Markings

Mental Seeds

By the end of it, the spies were firmly under his control.

Using them, Baishi sent false information back to Danzo, luring even more of his Root operatives.

In less than half a month, Baishi had gathered a squad of seventeen Root ninjas under his command.

---

Looking at his newly assembled team, Baishi smirked.

By normal standards, Root should only have the capacity for one squad, given its status as an offshoot of Konoha's ANBU.

But clearly, Danzo had long since disregarded such regulations.

"I can't go any further, though. Danzo must have realized something is off by now. He's probably already on his way here."

After a brief pause, Baishi issued the command:

"Begin the operation, as planned!"

"Yes, sir!" the seventeen Root ninjas responded in unison before vanishing via Body Flicker.

Watching them leave, Baishi murmured, "Let's hope everything goes smoothly."

---

From the beginning, Baishi had no intention of entrusting this mission to "freelancers" like Kuki Ichiro.

If he wanted to infiltrate Iwagakure and steal records related to Dust Release, the only viable candidates were highly trained professionals.

And few organizations could rival Root when it came to specialized operations.

To secure this squad, Baishi had baited Danzo with tantalizing intelligence, effectively poaching operatives directly from under his nose.

Even with Root's expertise, though, stealing from a major village like Iwagakure was no small feat.

To compensate, Baishi had spent the past few weeks preparing.

By covertly controlling numerous Iwagakure ninjas—both those on missions and those returning—he had gathered valuable intelligence and positioned several inside agents.

These agents would act as support during critical moments.

Of course, more time would have increased Baishi's chances of success, but both Root and Iwagakure were already growing suspicious. Any further delays risked ruining everything.

---

"You can plan all you want, but ultimately, success depends on execution."

Baishi wasn't worried.

If the mission succeeded, great. If not, he wouldn't lose much.

He smirked, his eyes glinting with determination.

"Let's see how this plays out."

(End of Chapter)

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