Mastermind of the Akatsuki

"Could it be that, a long, long time ago, the Uchiha and Senju clans were actually one family?" Orochimaru suddenly found this thought popping into his mind, but he quickly shook his head, trying to dismiss the absurd notion.

The Uchiha and Senju clans being related seemed impossible.

These two clans, who founded the village of Konoha, had been enemies since the distant Warring States era, with their hatred persisting over centuries.

If they truly were one family, why would they have become two clans opposed to each other?

At this moment, Orochimaru recalled something and turned to Byakuya beside him. "Byakuya-sama, I still have some doubts about Wood Release."

Byakuya looked at Orochimaru with interest and said, "What questions do you have? Go ahead. I am listening."

Orochimaru didn't hold back, immediately asking, "Last time, you mentioned that the Sharingan and Uchiha bloodline can neutralize the berserk nature of Hashirama's cells, because Yin Release and Yang Release need to maintain balance but after several days of experimentation, I'm beginning to wonder if there's a deeper reason behind this."

Orochimaru paused for a moment, then revealed his bold hypothesis: "I have a wild guess—could it be that the Senju and Uchiha clans share a common ancestor?"

Hearing this, Byakuya felt a bit surprised and looked at Orochimaru with a meaningful gaze.

Orochimaru's research talent truly was terrifying; with just a small hint, he'd managed to speculate that the Uchiha and Senju might indeed have a common ancestor.

Now, should he mislead Orochimaru, or affirm his guess?

After a brief consideration, Byakuya made his decision and slowly said, "Orochimaru-senpai, your hypothesis is not without merit. It's possible that, hundreds of years ago, the Senju and Uchiha were once part of the same family. After all, my clan, the Uzumaki, was once just a branch of the Senju clan."

Receiving Byakuya's confirmation, Orochimaru's eyes lit up immediately. He extended his hand as if he had grasped something in the air, his mind brimming with thoughts.

Byakuya's reasoning made perfect sense; if the Uzumaki clan could be a branch of the Senju, then it wasn't impossible that, long ago, the Senju and Uchiha were part of the same family. But if this were true, the shared ancestor of the Senju, Uzumaki, and Uchiha must have been immensely powerful.

Perhaps even Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, couldn't compare to this ancestor.

Seeing Orochimaru deep in thought, Byakuya's lips curved into a subtle smile.

If the system wasn't here, he might indeed worry that Orochimaru would research some formidable secret technique that could threaten his safety.

But with the System in place, Orochimaru's increase in strength was equivalent to his own increase in strength.

After some small talk, Orochimaru and Byakuya didn't linger in the area. After summoning Manda from Ryuchi Cave to help transport the Box of Ultimate Bliss, the two of them headed toward Amegakure.

…

Three days later, Byakuya and Nagato returned to Amegakure with the Kusagakure leader in tow.

The Kusagakure leader hadn't come to Amegakure of his own will, but under Nagato's display of force, he had no choice but to follow.

Throughout the journey, the Kusagakure leader observed the smooth roads, the quiet and peaceful villages, the cloud-piercing spires, and the billowing black smoke rising above.

Seeing these sights, the Kusagakure leader felt a chill in his heart.

Having witnessed the sights in Amegakure, the leader of Kusagakure gained a deep understanding of the hidden village's true strength. Although Amegakure's territory was similar in size to that of Kusagakure, its overall power clearly rivaled that of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

After all, in the context of the shinobi world, two key indicators of strength are the number of top-tier fighters and logistical capabilities. Amegakure's elite forces were beyond question; with Byakuya and Nagato, it boasted at least three Kage-level shinobi.

Additionally, the towering steel factories visible throughout the village stood as testament to Amegakure's impressive production capacity.

Seeing this industrial power, the Kusagakure leader felt a mix of anticipation and nervousness about the upcoming meeting but soon composed himself. For a small shinobi village like Kusagakure, survival had always been about navigating between the powers of larger nations.

Originally squeezed between Iwagakure and Konohagakure, Kusagakure now simply had another force, Amegakure, to contend with—it didn't seem all that different.

As for the so-called "cooperative development" that Nagato and Byakuya mentioned, the Kusagakure leader held no faith in it. In the brutal, competitive "dark forest" of the shinobi world, it was the law of the strongest. Small countries like Kusagakure didn't even have a seat at the table.

At the village gates, Yahiko and Konan came out to greet Byakuya's group.

Seeing the Kusagakure leader, Yahiko immediately stepped forward and took his hand, speaking with excitement. "Leader of Kusagakure, you've finally arrived. I've been looking forward to meeting you for a long time."

The Kusagakure leader glanced at Yahiko, forcing a smile. "I've long admired you, Yahiko-dono. Meeting you today, you are even more capable than I'd imagined. With you here, Amegakure truly seems to be flourishing."

"Oh, not at all. It's the result of everyone's efforts…" Yahiko replied humbly. After a brief pause, he continued, "The journey from the Land of Grass must have been exhausting. Why don't you rest at the guest house first, and we'll begin our formal discussions tomorrow?"

The Kusagakure leader noticed the look in Yahiko's eyes and nodded politely. "In that case, I won't refuse your kind offer."

Once the Kusagakure leader had been escorted away by Ame shinobi, Yahiko turned to Byakuya and Nagato with a slightly incredulous expression. "Byakuya, Nagato—you two really went above and beyond. You set out to deal with Kusagakure's rogue shinobi problem, and you ended up bringing back their leader!"

"For efficiency's sake, of course." Byakuya chuckled and added, "And this time, I didn't go looking for trouble. It was Nagato who initiated the encounter with Kusagakure shinobi, and he even managed to capture their Jonin."

Nagato's face stiffened, and he explained awkwardly, "Yahiko, I didn't expect them to see through my disguise. To protect myself, I had to make sure they couldn't fight back."

So Nagato had practically taken on half of Kusagakure single-handedly?

Yahiko was at a loss for words, silently feeling that the leadership of Amegakure was becoming increasingly unpredictable. It used to be only Byakuya pulling off heart-stopping actions, but now even Nagato had adopted this bold approach.

Still, with their exceptional strength, both of them had the right to be impulsive and headstrong.

Their actions made Yahiko's upcoming negotiations with the Kusagakure leader much easier. If they could bring Kusagakure into Amegakure's sphere of influence and fully integrate its resources, then Amegakure might one day shake off the label of a "small shinobi village" and force the Five Great Nations to recognize a new power—a Six Great Shinobi Nations.

With this thought, Yahiko sighed softly and said, "No, you did well this time. Only by negotiating directly with the Kusagakure leader can we truly resolve the border conflicts. After all, endlessly pursuing peace won't bring true peace to the Akatsuki and Amegakure."