Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 82 The Refreshing Strategies of Covert Maneuvering

Aburame Shisei sat cross-legged in the center of the stone chamber, looking up at the chakra crystal floating in front of him.

Inside the crystal, the outline of a white creature could be vaguely seen; it was a White Zetsu captured by the swarm of insects.

Several months ago, these White Zetsu once again infiltrated the Land of Waterfall. At first, Shisei Aburame thought they were looking for the lost Seven-Tails, but he never expected that they were coming for him.

It has to be admitted that while White Zetsu may lack strength and intelligence, their reconnaissance abilities are truly top-notch.

Some of the bolder White Zetsu even dared to sneak into the underground palace. One of them disguised itself as a rock and lay in ambush above the palace for a full six minutes, thinking it was foolproof. Little did it know that every inch of soil beneath its feet was teeming with Aburame Shichen's insect swarms.

Then the swarm of insects surged, and the two White Zetsu were tightly bound together and pushed from the corner to the center of the stone chamber. They struggled desperately, but could not break free from the specially made binding insects.

He had thought he could enjoy his time in Takigakure for a while longer, but the appearance of this thing made him wonder if Black Zetsu had noticed him and wanted to make it part of his plan. Even if he couldn't, he was probably monitoring variables.

But he soon realized that he seemed to be wrong; it was neither Madara nor Black Zetsu who had discovered him.

After some interrogation and reverse tracking, Shisei Aburame discovered that these White Zetsu were laying clumsy clues within the territory of the Land of Waterfall.

Soon, Jiraiya followed in their footsteps.

At first, Shisei Aburame didn't realize what was going on and didn't understand what these White Zetsu were up to.

However, he didn't rush to make a move. Instead, he planned to capture them all when they returned, ensuring that the information wouldn't leak out.

Soon, Jiraiya was lured here by these White Zetsu, and Aburame Shisei had been waiting all along. He never showed himself, but instead followed in the opposite direction, and soon discovered that Orochimaru seemed to be seriously injured.

However, judging from his physical condition, he should have just undergone body modification surgery. The fusion is not yet complete and he is still in the recovery period, which has greatly reduced his strength.

But how to put it—people always seem to have the most energy when they're doing bad things. Orochimaru doesn't seem to have escaped this rule either. He lured Jiraiya here, most likely to test him.

Unexpectedly, Danzo Shimura once again performed steadily, emerging from the sidelines.

He must have used some tactics in Konoha to stir up trouble, and his target was naturally Sakumo Hatake, whose reputation had been severely damaged.

Hiruzen Sarutobi originally wanted to protect Sakumo Hatake, which is why he arranged for him to lead the mission. His intention was probably to let him redeem himself through meritorious service, suppressing him on one hand and winning him over on the other, keeping him under his control.

However, he did not expect that this would fall right into Shimura Danzo's trap, since Danzo had personally heard Orochimaru say that Takigakure was not to be trifled with.

Shimura Danzo was eager to uncover the secrets of Takigakure, so he decided to let someone who threatened his position act as a pawn to scout ahead.

And so, Sakumo Hatake unwittingly became the pawn used to explore the path.

After Sakumo Hatake arrived, along with the Hokage's personal letter, Jiraiya saw through the intricacies of the situation at a glance. Unwilling to get involved, he withdrew early.

Based on the available information, Aburame Shisei roughly pieced together the outline.

Orochimaru went to find Jiraiya to test him, and also to make Jiraiya suffer a loss.

The White Zetsu was leading the way so that Jiraiya could return to the Land of Rain as soon as possible to complete his teaching mission.

As for Shimura Danzo, he wanted to go with the flow. Of course, he also had some guesses about the hidden master in Takigakure. As for whether he could guess it was him, Aburame Shisei himself was not sure, but at least his identity had not been exposed on the surface.

Orochimaru was still thinking of keeping the secret to himself, and as for why, it's highly likely that he wanted to devour him all by himself.

With all the information complete, Aburame Shisei naturally wouldn't let them get close enough to him. So, at a crucial moment, he won over key figures, set up an ambush and counterattack, and waged a well-founded defense of Takigawa.

Unexpectedly, it was still Sakumo Hatake who ultimately bore the brunt of it all, and his death occurred a full two years earlier than in the original story.

Connecting all the causes and consequences, it seems as if Sakumo Hatake was set up.

While Takigakure made a name for themselves, Danzo eliminated one of his opponents and probed the current military strength of Takigakure.

In this covert struggle, the only one who suffered was probably Hiruzen Sarutobi, who openly lost a key general. Of course, in reality, that's not entirely true, because Hiruzen Sarutobi never intended to relinquish power in the first place.

Aburame Shisei examined the crystal in front of him.

White Zetsu, a creation of Kaguya Otsutsuki, remnants of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and a pawn of Madara.

The appearance of this thing means that Madara's gaze may be turned to this place again.

However, it's impossible for him to let the other party notice his true strength right now, so the best way is to capture every White Zetsu that comes along and turn them into materials.

Besides that, he wanted to leave this place as soon as possible and move to a different location, and he had some ideas in mind.

Several days later, in the wilderness.

Kakuzu stood in the center of the ravaged battlefield, staring at the 'Naoto' before him, his eyes gradually turning dangerous.

"You're not that kid."

When that tentacle punch came out, the way the opponent dodged it was completely wrong.

Naoto has fought him dozens of times and knows his fighting style all too well. Although this guy is very good at disguising himself, his fighting habits are undeniable.

Kakuzu scoffed, "Disguise? You think you can fool me?"

The "Naoto" in front of him suddenly smiled. The smile was faint, but it sent a chill down Kakuzu's spine.

The next instant, Naoto's body transformed into countless swarms of insects, scattering in all directions. The swarms recombine behind him, transforming into a young man dressed in a black robe and wearing sunglasses.

"Mr. Kakuzu has a good eye." Shisei Aburame bowed slightly, as if in greeting.

Kakuzu stared at him, his gaze lingering on the swarm of insects surrounding him: "You're the one behind it all?"

I guess so.

Kakuzu was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "Interesting. I've heard of you, the genius of the Aburame clan, who defected from Konoha two years ago. I didn't expect you to hide in Takigakure and cause so much trouble."

Aburame Shisei listened quietly, and only spoke after he finished speaking: "I would like to invite Mr. Kakuzu to return to Takigakure to take charge."

Kakuzu raised an eyebrow: "You... want me to go back?"

“That’s right.” Aburame Cheng pulled out a brand-new headband from her bosom, engraved with the Takigakure symbol: “As long as you’re willing to come back, you’ll have complete control over the economy of Takigakure Village. If that’s not enough, you can have control over the economy of the Land of Waterfalls too.”