Rain slowly walked to the entrance of the main hall, and in a few quick flashes, he was on the roof of the hall. He rolled up his sleeves and stroked his skin. "It's a little dry. It's time for it to rain." With that, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky.
Just after returning to his residence, Torifu suddenly noticed a light drizzle falling outside his window. He walked to the door, held out his hand, and caught a few drops of rain. He felt them. It was still ordinary rain, and he couldn't sense any strange chakra from it. Maybe it was just a normal rainfall. It was normal for it to rain on an island like this... or so he thought.
It was too dark for Torifu to go out and check if someone was behind it. He would have to wait until tomorrow. With his puppets guarding the door, Torifu could finally get some rest without worrying about being ambushed. The night passed just like that, and Torifu woke up early the next morning. The morning sun shone through the window, signaling a beautiful day. After a quick wash, Torifu pushed open the door and found a lot of water in the courtyard.
"I didn't think the rain was that heavy." He waved his hand, and a flash of fire appeared, evaporating all the standing water.
He had a lot of information he had discovered yesterday that he needed to share with Naori today. It was best for them all to meet up before the main gathering. About two hours later, Torifu figured Naori had finished getting ready, so he communicated with her through their mark.
"Naori, are you ready? I have some things I need to tell you."
Naori, who was walking around the village, felt the mark on her arm heat up and then heard Torifu's voice. Naori whispered, "I'm just taking a walk in the village. Let me get back to my room first." With that, Naori immediately returned to her residence, closed the doors and windows, and made sure no one was listening before contacting Torifu.
"Okay, are you coming over?" Just as Naori asked, a ball of light flew out of her mark and transformed into Torifu in her room.
"Good morning, Naori. Did I interrupt your walk?"
Naori rolled her eyes. "We're here on a mission. Stop teasing me and tell me what important information you found. You came to find me so early in the morning."
Torifu laughed awkwardly, then sat down on a nearby chair and told Naori everything that had happened last night and his own speculations.
"Are you saying the First Prince is being controlled by that Rain person next to him?"
Torifu nodded. "Exactly. When they were both in the same room, Rain's words would cause the First Prince to freeze, but when Rain stops, the First Prince would revert back to his normal self."
Naori gasped. So, Torifu had been dealing with that Rain person all day yesterday? The First Prince had no idea Torifu was here? Maybe even the letter that was sent out wasn't written by the First Prince.
"Then can we confirm that this Rain is the mastermind?"
When Naori said that, Torifu shook his head. "We can't be sure. That's what's bothering me. I have a feeling he deliberately exposed himself to me."
Naori wasn't very good at these kinds of schemes and didn't like thinking about them. In the past, she would just follow whatever Torifu decided. But today, Naori had an idea of her own.
"The Uzumaki clan meeting is in two days, and that Rain person will surely be there. What if we expose him at the meeting and show everyone that he's been manipulating the First Prince? Could that work?" She then added, "The Seventh Prince told me he doesn't have any malicious intentions. He's just very disappointed in his older brother. But once he finds out the First Prince was being manipulated, he won't be in conflict with him anymore. We can then take down the other princes one by one, and the rebellion can be solved."
Torifu looked at Naori in surprise, as if he had discovered something rare.
"I can't believe it. You're actually analyzing the situation now, Naori."
Naori coolly wiped her nose. "Of course. I'm an Uchiha clan heiress! I just act like a normal person when I'm with you all."
Based on the clues they had, Naori's plan was actually quite good, but there was a risk that other variables could arise. But they couldn't just keep dragging their feet. The mission would stall if there was no progress. A meeting like this didn't happen every day. The next one might not be for a few more weeks. All they could do was try this plan.
"Okay, let's go with your plan. I'll find a chance to inform Hiruzen and the others."
Naori was very happy to hear that her plan was accepted. "Great! Then we'll act on the situation at the meeting."
"Alright. I'll be on my way now. I think Koharu and Homura are closer to you. You can inform them."
Naori snapped her fingers. "It's a piece of cake. You can count on me."
Seeing how motivated Naori was, Torifu smiled slightly and then transformed into a ball of light and flew into the mark. In the next second, he appeared back in his own room.
"The meeting in two days... I have a bad feeling about this. I hope everything goes smoothly. When it's over, I can finally go home. Minato is waiting."
Although he had just met with Naori, his mission wasn't over yet, so he couldn't rest. He activated his chakra suppression jutsu and turned into a light mist, flying out in the direction of Hiruzen. He had to inform his other teammates and tell them about Naori's plan while also asking for any information they had found.
Just as Torifu had expected, Hiruzen and the others hadn't found anything useful. Their findings were similar to Naori's. The other princes had no intention of rebelling. They just disliked the conflict among brothers and found it unappealing. But after the First and Second Princes suddenly began to vie for the title of Daimyō, and with Uzumaki Ashina's disappearance, the other princes had had enough and moved out of Uzushiogakure.
After taking note of all the information, Torifu shared his findings with them and repeated Naori's plan. They all agreed with the plan. After all, they hadn't accomplished anything for over a day, so now that they had a plan that could shake things up, they had to at least try. Even if they failed, as shinobi sent by the Hidden Leaf to help, no one would say anything. They would just have to deal with the public humiliation.
After taking care of all these things, Torifu finally returned to his residence. It was already three or four in the afternoon. He had been on the move all day. He finally had some time to rest and fell asleep as soon as he lay down on the bed.
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Chapter End
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T/N: Patreon is at Chapter 465.