Naruto: How to Be an Undercover Shinobi

Given Ōnoki's powerful tactical deterrence, Reiji ultimately chose to release the remaining Iwagakure forces—less than half their original number.

In his mind, Kitty's petulant voice echoed.

"Reiji, you've changed!

Back when you were chasing me, you used to call me 'Sweetie'~

Now I'm getting bullied by Big Nose, and you won't even help me beat him up!"

Reiji couldn't help but laugh and sigh, covering his forehead as he tried to reassure her.

"Don't worry, I already have a devious—uh, I mean, a plan."

Hearing that, Kitty immediately perked up, her dissatisfaction fading as her mischievous loli voice chimed in.

"Is it a really, really bad kind of devious plan?"

"It's not devious, it's just a plan!" Reiji corrected her.

"Alright, alright, a plan." Kitty brushed it off, then asked again, "Is the plan really, really bad?"

"Very bad!" Reiji nodded with emphasis.

Seeing that, Kitty was so delighted she rolled around on the floor in joy.

She knew Reiji too well. If even he said the plan was "very bad," then that Big Nose guy was definitely in for a rough time.

With that thought, Kitty resolved to behave herself for the next month or two and get ready to enjoy the show.

With Kitty in tow, Reiji returned to his home in Konohagakure and settled back into a peaceful, laid-back life.

But behind the scenes, a message spread from the Bounty Exchange and quickly swept across the entire ninja world.

The Land of Rain has a new Daimyō—clueless, loaded, and ready for the taking.

At the same time, a flurry of rumors began to circulate.

The Daimyō of the Land of Rain is at odds with Hanzō of the Salamander, the leader of Amegakure.

Supposedly, if someone manages to kill Hanzō, the Daimyō has promised to establish a brand-new hidden village and offer massive financial backing.

In short, whoever takes down Hanzō will be showered with power, status, and riches!

With this news, the already unstable ninja world was thrown into even greater chaos.

Self-important Missing-nin, greedy mercenary ninjas, and militant groups from various small nations all sprang into action.

Even among the Five Great Ninja Villages, there were plenty keeping a close eye on the situation.

After all, while the Daimyō might lack military strength, the land was still officially his.

And despite the Land of Rain being a war-torn region bordered by the Fire, Earth, and Wind countries, it was still a territory of considerable weight.

All factions became restless, casting greedy, ill-intentioned eyes toward this rain-drenched land.

In Iwagakure of the Land of Earth, after failing to capture the Two-Tails, Ōnoki called another meeting. The agenda remained the same—how to divert the increasingly sharp internal conflicts.

This time, their attention turned to the Land of Rain.

Although Amegakure had Hanzō of the Salamander, in the end, it was still a small village.

It couldn't put up much resistance against Iwagakure, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.

As time passed and the situation grew more volatile, Reiji, still lying low in Konoha, received a message from Hanzō of the Salamander.

Along with the letter came a cloaked and hooded figure, face covered, wrapped up like a red envelope.

Without sparing the visitor a glance, Reiji took the letter and opened it confidently.

Inside, the great Hanzō-sama lavished praise and recognition on Reiji's recent accomplishments.

He also enthusiastically commended Reiji for getting close with the Third Hokage's personal disciples.

Hanzō emphasized: "You must truly embody the spirit of Amegakure—take root in Konoha like a drop of rain merging into the sea. Build strong ties with Jiraiya and Orochimaru, and do your best to win the favor of Princess Tsunade."

To this, Reiji replied, "You're absolutely right. Please don't say it again next time."

Right after, Hanzō gave a detailed account of Mizukuma's life, explaining from various angles that the guy was doing great—thriving, even.

If Reiji hadn't seen Mizukuma's corpse with his own eyes, he might've believed that nonsense.

Finally, Hanzō issued a mission.

He wanted Reiji to use his network to secretly investigate someone named Dan Shimura.

If possible, Reiji should build a good relationship with him. If not, then he was to kidnap or kill the new Daimyō of the Land of Rain.

Seeing this, Reiji sneered inwardly.

Dan Shimura was an alias of Reiji Sakuhō, who was actually Shuku Kohei, who was, in turn, a cover for Jashin's apostle Reiji.

As recorded in the Annals of Lü Buwei...

Roam the world long enough, and you're bound to take a few hits.

If you want fewer stabs, you better have plenty of aliases!

Men with stories look like dandelions on the outside—some things just disappear with a gust of wind.

But inside, they're like onions. Peel away! Go on, keep peeling! If you're not bawling, I'm not trying hard enough.

So the ultimate secret of aliases? A bald onion!

Just as Reiji was thinking about this, a cold, grim voice broke the silence—it came from the man wrapped tightly in cloak and hood.

"Shuku Kohei?"

Reiji paused for a moment, then gave a slight nod.

The man continued, "Tell me everything you know about Dan Shimura."

"Oh? And who might you be?" Reiji asked, eyeing him curiously.

After a brief silence, the hooded man answered in a low voice:

"Kakuzu. Mercenary ninja. Your village leader hired me to kill Dan Shimura."

Hearing this, Reiji frowned slightly. He quickly recalled what Hanzō had said in the letter, and his mind raced.

Hanzō told me to get close to and possibly eliminate Dan Shimura—yet now he's hired someone named Kakuzu.

Kakuzu!

Suddenly, Reiji froze. A hairy monster popped into his mind.

Kakuzu! The immortal duo from the Akatsuki! Hidan's partner! Damn—Earth Grudge Fear!

Realizing this, tears of excitement welled up in Reiji's eyes.

Earth Grudge Fear... adorable... I want it!

He wiped his tears and, ignoring Kakuzu's wary gaze, leaned in with a sleazy grin.

"Brother Kakuzu, I know Dan Shimura. I know him very well.

He's a Konoha high-up. Younger brother of Danzō Shimura. Word is, he recently struck it rich—now everyone's after him!

So... what do you need from him?"

Seeing Reiji's eager expression, Kakuzu furrowed his brow beneath the hood and backed away several steps, refusing to let him get any closer.

"Kid, just tell me where he is."

Instead of answering right away, Reiji stroked his chin and fell into thought.

Both Kakuzu and Hanzō were targeting Dan Shimura. Looks like my value in Hanzō's eyes has gone up.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have paid someone like Kakuzu to clear the path for me.

Especially not here in Konoha!

With that in mind, Reiji stood up, walked to the door, and pointed toward Hokage Rock.

"Kakuzu-san, there's a crooked tree on a raised platform behind Hokage Rock. There's a hidden switch at its base.

I heard that's where Danzō Shimura's secret base is. As for intel on Dan Shimura... I don't know much yet."

At those words, Kakuzu's eyes lit up under his hood. He recalled the information he had on Dan Shimura.

Danzō Shimura's favorite little brother…

That name—on a bounty poster—was highly likely hiding out in his big brother's secret base.

With that, Kakuzu didn't waste another word. He turned and swiftly left Reiji's house.

...

(40 Chapters Ahead)

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