With a Zanpakutō at the Start,I Built the Strongest Hidden Mist Villag

Meanwhile, on the other side...

Although the Konoha delegation was extremely puzzled by Danzō's decision to remain in Kirigakure for discussions, their superior had made the call. They had no choice but to comply, allowing the Kirigakure shinobi to lead them on a tour of the village.

Despite being one of the Five Great Nations, Kirigakure had long remained shrouded in secrecy, its island location making it feel distant — yet it had always stood on par with Konoha in power. Naturally, the Konoha shinobi were more than a little curious.

Rumors described this place as a land soaked in blood, its people ruled by brutal and merciless laws. But what they saw today… was far from that.

"This notice board here shows the blueprint for Kirigakure's future development," said Ringo Ameyuri, their assigned guide. She gestured toward a large planning map. "After taking office, the Fourth Mizukage reorganized the entire village — academy, hospitals, commercial districts, residential zones, ninja training grounds, and an industrial sector."

"Most of the plans are still in the early stages, but construction on the schools and hospitals has already begun."

The Konoha shinobi were stunned. This level of urban planning rivaled anything they had back home.

Notably, in this new layout, Kirigakure emphasized its academic districts, commerce hubs, and industrial growth. The ninja training ground — once the heart of the village, located beside the Mizukage Tower — had been moved to the outskirts.

It was clear: Kirigakure was abandoning its infamous Blood Mist policies and pivoting toward open development and modernization.

If Yoru truly succeeded in reshaping the village like this — and with its unique island geography — Kirigakure could become a magnet for outside populations. Even with resource shortages, the alliance with Konoha could offset that. If things remained stable, its future might rival even the Leaf's.

The delegation members were floored. The Fourth Mizukage's reforms were swift and sweeping. Wasn't he afraid of pushback from the village's conservative factions?

But then… it made sense.

In Kirigakure, strength ruled all. Yoru had become Mizukage at a young age by sheer force. In a place like this, raw power dictated authority.

If the Blood Mist could survive under the foolish leadership of the Third Mizukage, there was no policy too radical to implement here.

"I used to think Kirigakure's obsession with strength was backward… but if Konoha had a similar system where the strongest ruled, maybe this whole mess could've been avoided."

"If Konoha had followed a 'power above all' structure, then maybe the Uchiha clan would've already claimed the Hokage seat…"

Different thoughts began to take shape in different minds.

Ringo Ameyuri didn't care what the visitors were thinking. Her mission was simple: keep them entertained and distracted — like ordinary tourists.

"Our village's development plan is just the beginning. Next, I'd like to introduce you to some local specialties — Kirigakure's signature sake, salmon roe, sushi…"

"And our sashimi is especially popular — made from bonito, sea bream, bass, tuna…"

As she enthusiastically listed delicacies, most of the Konoha shinobi half-listened out of politeness.

Except Uchiha Hachidai.

His eyes wandered until suddenly… they locked onto a figure in the crowd.

His expression sharpened. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from the group.

"…Huh?" Ringo's voice faltered. Her brow furrowed.

The rest of the delegation realized someone was missing — and their faces turned grim.

"Where the hell is Hachidai?!"

"This is Kirigakure! What the hell is he doing?!"

"Is he trying to screw up the peace agreement we just signed?!"

"Damn Uchiha!"

Konoha was already in a fragile position. They had hoped to finalize the treaty and leave quickly — but then Danzō insisted on staying behind to discuss further cooperation with the Mizukage.

Now, stuck here, they were doing everything they could to avoid stepping on landmines.

And Hachidai had just gone sprinting straight into one.

"…Looks like your friend is really eager to get to know Kirigakure," Ringo said with a smile. At her signal, ANBU in the shadows began to track him.

Truthfully, Hachidai hadn't intended to cause trouble. He'd simply seen someone on the street — someone who looked way too familiar.

Someone who shouldn't be here.

"It can't be…"

Now that he'd broken formation, a flicker of regret hit him — but it was too late. He had to know the truth.

"Hey! You there!"

Shisui, whose legs were trembling after a fierce "battle," was walking back to his room. He stiffened at the voice behind him but continued walking as if he hadn't heard anything.

"I'm talking to you! Didn't you hear me?"

In a burst of motion, Hachidai appeared in front of him, Sharingan fully activated, eyes locked on the figure before him. "What's your name?"

Shisui instinctively glanced at Hachidai's three-tomoe Sharingan. He swallowed hard and stepped back.

"I… I don't know you."

"You really don't recognize me? Look into my eyes."

"…What—?"

"Genjutsu: Shar—"

"Enough."

A cold, cutting voice interrupted him.

It was the female ANBU who had been escorting Shisui.

"You're an Uchiha," she said icily. "And this is Kirigakure. If you think you can cast genjutsu in public using the Sharingan on a Mist civilian — right after signing a peace treaty — you're out of your mind."

Hachidai clenched his teeth. The genjutsu was forcibly canceled.

He glanced at the masked ANBU… at his own team glaring at him in horror… and then at the terrified boy in front of him.

He scoffed, muttered a half-hearted apology, and turned to walk back — though after a few steps, he stopped and looked back again, eyeing Shisui closely.

Almost like he was trying to reconcile that face with someone from his memory.

"…Let's just go," Shisui muttered, not daring to look back. His legs trembled as he staggered away.

The ANBU kunoichi gave Hachidai a disdainful look, then calmly followed Shisui.

She naturally understood Hachidai's purpose. Though she harbored a bit of dark amusement, for the sake of Kirigakure's future Sharingan supply, and to ensure the physical and mental state of Shisui—Kirigakure's sole Uchiha "breeding machine"—she wouldn't allow Hachidai to do anything outrageous that might cause him to collapse, go on strike, or diminish in "quality."

"According to the Mizukage's plan, Danzō will remain here for a few days to discuss cooperation," she said coolly. "So the Konoha delegation will be staying."

"If you want to avoid an incident, behave."

"Then keep them the hell away from me!" Shisui snapped. "Do you have any idea what I felt when I saw him?!"

One thing was clear: not once did he consider asking for help — or escaping with Hachidai.

He just didn't want to be recognized.

"…Don't worry. That was a fluke. As long as you keep working, your safety is guaranteed."

"…You better keep that promise."

The two figures vanished into the distance. But Hachidai's gaze lingered.

"That guy… was that really not Uchiha Shisui?"

He returned to the group, only to be met with glares sharp enough to kill. He muttered another apology, but his mind was still spinning.

"That face… it was identical. Even the 'dango-shaped nose.' Could two people really look that alike?"

But there had been no chakra. No eye power. Just ordinary eyes.

"Was he really just… a lookalike?"

Back in the Mizukage's office...

Yoru knew Danzō had access to countless Konoha secrets. His deep ties to Hiruzen Sarutobi and his long reign over Root guaranteed that.

But he hadn't expected this much.

"Wood Release… Uzumaki sealing arts… and Tobirama Senju's forbidden techniques — Impure World Reincarnation, Flying Thunder God…"

Yoru scanned the dense scrolls Danzō had transcribed under Kotoamatsukami. His grin stretched wide. Even a reserved man like him was close to letting out an Uchiha-style laugh.

And it was clear Danzō still had more in his head.

Unfortunately, Yoru's Mangekyō was running dry. Without Hashirama Cells, he couldn't sustain the genjutsu any longer.

As for other methods…

He'd considered torture, but Danzō had laced himself with enough internal sealing curses to make most intel extraction methods worthless unless the subject was willing.

"Looks like I'll need a custom body to maintain Kotoamatsukami long-term… and I need to know if Danzō already has Hashirama cells…"

"I'll keep him a few more days. Once the cooldown ends — another round."

Yoru created a clone and began analyzing the contents of the scrolls.

He skipped over Wood Release and Uzumaki seals — what drew his attention were the forbidden jutsu developed by Tobirama Senju.

Tobirama was a genius. Most shinobi spent their entire lives mastering a few jutsu. Even prodigies like Kakashi and Minato only managed to invent one or two techniques.

But Tobirama?

He created Flying Thunder God, the Shadow Clone Technique, the Darkness Technique — even Impure World Reincarnation.

All while founding a village, leading it as Hokage, and simultaneously suppressing the Uchiha Clan.

"If the Shinobi World ended up like it did, people blame Madara, Black Zetsu, and Obito… but Tobirama deserves at least 30% of the blame."

Yoru's eyes locked on three particular jutsu:

Impure World Reincarnation

Dead Demon Consuming Seal

Soul Sealing Technique

All three involved souls.

The first two were infamous, each playing a massive role in shaping the timeline. Especially Impure World Reincarnation — the primary reason the entire world had to unite during the Fourth Great Ninja War.

And the Dead Demon Consuming Seal… though only used three times in the original timeline, it changed everything each time it appeared.

Yoru was very curious.

"What was the difference between the Shinigami summoned by this technique and himself, a Shinigami?"

He assigned two clones to begin dissecting those techniques.

Meanwhile, he turned his attention to a lesser-known secret art: the Soul Sealing Technique.

Compared to the previous two techniques, this jutsu's effect was not as exaggerated. It could neither summon a Shinigami nor revive the dead for one's own use. Its sole effect, as its name implied, was to imprison souls!

It forcefully kept the deceased's soul within their body, thereby delaying the onset of death. In Chapter 663 of the manga, Tobirama Senju used this ninjutsu to imprison Sasuke Uchiha's soul, temporarily delaying his death after being killed by Madara.

"Using this technique in conjunction with soul experiments, with modifications and changes, it should absolutely be possible to keep soul bodies in the Shinobi world for extended periods, allowing me to better conduct my Shinigami transformation experiments!"

"I could even use it to create a Concentrated Spirit Zone in this Reiryoku-scarce living world!

Excited, Yoru rolled up his sleeves to study further—but then noticed another technique nearby.

"Chimera Technique..."

PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin