The raid on Uzushiogakure had come to an end.
There wasn't much to say about the process—both sides took losses, and in the end, Uzushiogakure was overwhelmed and crushed.
Aboard the cargo ship loaded with spoils, Reiji trailed behind Hōzuki Gengetsu with a big grin.
"Patrick Star, just hear me out!"
"Shut the hell up! Don't talk to me—I'm so pissed I could choke!"
Gengetsu marched ahead, his little mustache twitching furiously, his eyes filled with exasperation.
Four!
Amegakure, Konohagakure, Kumogakure, Kirigakure...
This bastard had four forehead protectors—and all of them were officially recognized!
Just how many dirty tricks and shady deals did it take to get that many forehead protectors!?
And the worst part was—I was actually kind of jealous!
Unbelievable!
Back in his room, the mustachioed man plopped into a chair at the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and gulped it down.
He smacked his lips, but there was no taste. Then he remembered—he was dead. That realization only made him more annoyed.
Seeing this, Reiji quickly covered his mouth to suppress his rising laughter.
"You're still laughing?"
"No, not at all!" Reiji shook his head so fast it blurred.
"You're laughing!"
"Nope, not me!"
"You've been laughing this whole time—you haven't stopped!"
"Patrick Star, I've been through strict training. No matter how funny something is, I don't laugh—unless I can't help it."
Even as he laughed, Reiji knew the truth.
The moment that red-haired girl from Uzushiogakure showed up in Amegakure, his cover was already blown.
Still, with the Second Great Ninja War just a few years away, it was finally time to step onto the stage.
It was time to let the world know—
Amegakure was under his protection, and they'd better act accordingly.
More importantly, Reiji still had a decisive edge over Black Zetsu.
Right now, he had Flying Thunder God Technique for quick movement;
Heavenly Transfer Technique for disruption;
Sage Mode for recon;
Earth Grudge Fear for disguise;
Lightning Release Chakra Mode and Eight Inner Gates as his main combat options;
Magnet Release for battlefield control;
And the rarely-used Death Controlling Possessed Blood for ambush tactics.
All in all, whether it was raw combat as a berserker or infiltration as a spy, he had nothing to fear from that mama's boy Black Zetsu.
Which meant, he now needed a public identity as Amegakure's protector.
Privately, he could be SpongeBob, Patrick Star, Obito, or even Danzō Shimura.
His name would float on the surface, but he himself would remain hidden in the deep sea.
For now, Amegakure needed his protection, but in the future, this chaotic blend of bloodlines would become his strongest support.
After a moment of thought, Reiji stood up, patted Hōzuki Gengetsu on the shoulder, and said with a grin,
"Lord Second, let's cut the nonsense. Work with me—it's a win-win.
Eventually, I'll return to Amegakure, and Amegakure and Kirigakure aren't even rivals, not with a continent between them.
You help me with my mission, I'll help you deal with the headache that is the Third Mizukage. Everyone benefits."
Gengetsu sighed and gave a slight nod.
The kid was irritating, sure—but he had a point.
Right now, he was just a ghost back from the Pure Land, with no power or authority. The only person he could reach out to—and who might believe him—was Genji.
Genji held the village's finances, but he wasn't the Mizukage.
Eventually, the village had to be passed on. And breaking the illusion cast on the Third was the real priority.
With that in mind, Gengetsu tapped the table and said seriously,
"When we return to the village, I'll have someone attempt to break the Genjutsu on the Third Mizukage. If that fails, we'll need you to handle the root of the problem!"
"No problem." Reiji pounded his chest.
Break Madara Uchiha's Genjutsu?
Heh. What a joke.
You think the Sharingan is just for show?
Even in the future, as messy as Obito was, he still controlled the Fourth Mizukage—a so-called perfect Jinchūriki!
Someone like me keeps his distance from Madara Uchiha for a reason—just to avoid getting caught in one of his illusions!
...
Before long, the cargo ship—loaded with wealth, Fūinjutsu scrolls, and hostages—returned to Kirigakure in the Land of Water.
Reiji brought Hōzuki Gengetsu home, and he hadn't even warmed his seat before someone knocked on the door.
"Who is it?!"
Reiji opened the door to find a masked ANBU operative standing outside.
"Fuguki Suikazan," the operative said, holding out a scroll.
"Due to your diligence and outstanding performance in the operation against Uzushiogakure, you are hereby appointed as captain of the Second ANBU Special Mission Unit."
With that, he placed the scroll in Reiji's hands and turned to leave.
Reiji stared at the scroll, dumbfounded.
Outstanding performance in the Uzushiogakure raid? What—did they reward him for slacking off? Or for letting the Konoha ninjas get away?
What the hell is wrong with this village?!
Is my whole undercover plot in Kirigakure cursed?
He shut the door, returned to his room, and unrolled the scroll. Reading through it carefully, he found:
"Captain of the Second ANBU Special Mission Unit. Subordinates: none."
Then he read the listed responsibilities—his face twitched.
"This... this is just tracking down missing-nin!"
Just then, Hōzuki Gengetsu leaned in, his gaze sweeping over the scroll on the table. He twirled his little mustache and said lazily,
"So? How's the job I arranged for you?"
"You arranged this?" Reiji blinked, then grinned and gave him a thumbs-up.
Nice one. As expected of Lord Second Mizukage! You really get how the promotion game works.
Start by assigning field duty—get some real work under your belt, build a reputation, gather resources.
Then pull them back to HQ—give them a title, expand their network, set them up for advancement.
Classic bait-and-switch—promoting while demoting, and demoting while promoting. You've got it down to an art!
Currently, Reiji's cover was being one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Officially, he was under the Mizukage's direct command, but in reality, he rarely ever saw the Mizukage.
Originally, he'd planned to work his way into ANBU, slowly pass down the swordsmen legacy, and eventually rise into the upper echelons of Kirigakure's leadership.
Who would've thought—even after being dead for over ten years and brought back through Impure World Reincarnation—Second Mizukage still had this much influence behind the scenes.
Well then, no need to drag things out. Time to fast-track the plan.
And honestly, Reiji wasn't too worried about Gengetsu dragging him down.
From what he'd seen, this guy was cunning to the bone, his mind full of schemes and backup plans.
People like that? They were the easiest to figure out. The more they thought, the more their actions circled back to a predictable pattern.
Let's put it this way—
Someone with no real schemes acts purely on instinct. Their behavior can't be anticipated because even they don't know what they'll do next. That makes them unpredictable and dangerous.
But someone who's always scheming? Their decisions are influenced by countless factors, and if you understand those factors, you can predict how they'll act.
That's exactly why Reiji wasn't worried about Gengetsu turning on him.
No matter how smart someone is, they're not going to choose a path that offers nothing but downsides.