Here's a bonus chapter for you all! Thank you so much for waiting. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments, and I hope you have a wonderful time reading!
A week of rest had passed in the blink of an eye.
With the help of his numerous shadow clones, Rinjin had successfully mastered the Heaven-Sent Technique and its associated formulas.
But just as he was quietly biding his time in the shadows, an unexpected piece of news disrupted his plans.
In the Land of Hot Water, Shamo—affectionately nicknamed Dogbro—had left a scroll in the liaison office.
Embracing his usual philosophy of "work is just an excuse to slack off," Rinjin promptly decided to skip work and headed to the liaison office in the Land of Hot Water.
Upon opening the scroll, Rinjin's brows furrowed momentarily before a spark of excitement lit up his eyes.
The scroll was sent from Amegakure.
And the sender was none other than his esteemed mentor, Hanzō of the Salamander.
In the letter, Hanzō praised Rinjin's recent efforts, noting that much of the intelligence on Konohagakure had been instrumental in shaping Amegakure's upcoming plans.
Hanzō then issued a directive: Rinjin was to gather as much intelligence on Takigakure as possible.
If the opportunity arose, he was to attempt to sow discord between Konohagakure and Takigakure.
With a mix of curiosity and anticipation, Rinjin carefully stored the scroll and formed a single-handed seal.
In a whirl of spinning space, Rinjin appeared at Dogbro's temporary base.
At that moment, Dogbro was sprawled under the covers, his rear end sticking up conspicuously, with a book titled The Daimyō and the Twelve Guardian Ninja: Scandals and Secrets resting on his pillow.
The sight was too much for Rinjin to resist. His mischievous streak flared up, and he shouted loudly:
"Hey, Dogbro! Let me see if you're developing properly!"
Instantly, Shamo froze, his face turning ghostly pale. He stiffly turned his head, glaring daggers at Rinjin.
"You... you bastard... Rinjin! Can't you knock before coming in?!"
Rinjin recoiled slightly under Shamo's furious glare, chuckling awkwardly.
"Well... I didn't know you were busy with such important 'national defense affairs.' My bad~"
Before Rinjin could finish his sentence, Shamo kicked and punched him out of the room.
After waiting for a while, Rinjin estimated that Shamo's anger had subsided and knocked on the door again.
"Dogbro, open up!"
"Don't call me Dogbro! I'm not your Dogbro!" came Shamo's muffled voice from inside.
Suppressing the grin tugging at his lips, Rinjin cleared his throat.
"Shamo, my dear Dogbro, I've got something important to discuss. Serious business!"
After a long pause, the door finally opened.
Shamo, now fully dressed and wearing his mask, sat on the bed with his head in his hands, looking utterly defeated.
Seeing this, Rinjin decided to cut the jokes and got straight to the point, his expression turning serious.
"Shamo, have there been any recent movements between Amegakure and Takigakure?"
Shamo lifted his head and shot him a glare.
"They're fighting. A lot."
Hearing this, Rinjin pulled out the scroll from the liaison point and waved it casually.
"What about this? Isn't stuff like this usually handled by the Anbu? Why was it suddenly passed to me?"
Shamo's playful demeanor faded as he responded in a low voice, "I don't have the clearance to know."
"Alright then," Rinjin nodded.
It seems Hiruzen Sarutobi is plotting something big. But that's exactly what I want!
With that thought, Rinjin nodded to Shamo in farewell, formed a single-handed seal, and disappeared from the spot.
...
In the Hokage's office, only Hiruzen Sarutobi and Rinjin were present.
Rinjin took out the scroll he had received and placed it gently on Hiruzen's desk.
"Hiruzen-sama, what is the meaning of this?"
Hiruzen took a deep look at the boy he hadn't seen in over a year, then smiled as he picked up his pipe and took a deep drag.
"This concerns relations between two nations. The Anbu cannot make decisions regarding you."
Hearing this, Rinjin's brows furrowed slightly.
"Cannot make decisions? The Anbu can't make decisions, and yet you, the Hokage, also can't?"
After a moment of contemplation, Rinjin knocked lightly on the Hokage's desk and spoke in a low voice.
"What does Konohagakure want? And what can I gain from this?"
Hiruzen's eyes lit up sharply at Rinjin's words. He exhaled a long puff of smoke, then looked at Rinjin with a faint smile.
"Konohagakure wants nothing but peace."
As expected, Rinjin nodded, inwardly praising the Hokage.
A clear-headed man. Not bad.
"Peace is nothing more than strengthening oneself and weakening one's enemies.
As for strengthening, I've already helped. I only hope I haven't done more harm than good."
Hiruzen shook his head repeatedly, speaking with admiration.
"You've been a great help. Both Kagami and I owe you a debt of gratitude."
As he spoke, Hiruzen thought of the recent changes in the village.
Kagami, along with many of his clan members who shared his ideals, had not only maintained order but also helped villagers clean the streets in their spare time.
Small acts like these had become numerous.
Undeniably, both the villagers and the Uchiha clan had begun to feel a sense of harmony and connection through these interactions.
For a village, this was an excellent transformation.
It was the kind of change Hiruzen had always hoped to see.
And none of it would have been possible without Rinjin.
These two seemingly unreliable individuals—Kagami and Rinjin—had proven themselves dependable when it mattered most.
Hiruzen nodded, agreeing with Rinjin's perspective on strength.
Seeing this, Rinjin's expression remained unchanged as he continued, "As for weakening our enemies, I'll handle it. I can guarantee ten years of genuine peace."
As he spoke, Rinjin pointed north, then northwest.
Hiruzen's eyes sparkled, feeling a surge of excitement.
"The big ones?"
"The big ones," Rinjin confirmed with a firm nod.
The implication was clear—it was about Iwagakure and Kumogakure, the villages of the great nations.
Hearing Rinjin's confirmation, Hiruzen took a deep breath, feeling as though the prospect was almost too good to be true.
If Rinjin wasn't exaggerating, his value was truly terrifying.
Taking another deep breath, Hiruzen calmed himself and asked, "And what do you want?"
Though he asked, Hiruzen already had an answer in mind.
Rinjin, I've seen through you.
The bloodstains in the Konohagakure archives, the slightly shifted position of the Scroll of Seals, the disturbances in Rinjin's Anbu cell...
And the speed with which he returned after receiving the intelligence...
Hiruzen couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"Rinjin-kun, you want to see the Scroll of Seals, don't you?
If I'm not mistaken, you've already mastered two of the techniques—Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu and... the Flying Raijin Jutsu!"
Hearing Hiruzen's confident tone, Rinjin stopped pretending and simply nodded.
Seeing this, Hiruzen took another puff of his pipe.
"Rinjin, your talent is truly remarkable. Absolutely extraordinary!
When Tobirama-sensei was still alive, he tried teaching the Flying Raijin Jutsu to many children of the Senju clan.
But not a single one succeeded.
Many of them even suffered permanent injuries to their limbs.
I'll admit, I once foolishly attempted to master this space-time ninjutsu myself. But I failed."
Hiruzen shook his head self-deprecatingly.
"Truly, an extraordinary talent!"
Rinjin waved his hand modestly, inwardly thinking, Compared to Minato Namikaze, anyone would seem inadequate.
Seeing that Hiruzen had fallen silent, Rinjin didn't waste any more words. He calmly retrieved the intelligence from the desk and spoke plainly.
"I won't make things difficult for you. All I want is the Eight Gates Technique."
Hearing this, Hiruzen's brows furrowed slightly.
"You already have the Flying Raijin Jutsu. Why do you need the Eight Gates?
You do realize... the final gate..."
Before he could finish, Rinjin shook his head and spoke firmly.
"Hiruzen-sama, that's not how you calculate the value of a technique.
A jutsu, no matter how powerful, doesn't automatically translate into combat strength.
It requires time and people.
Right now, Konohagakure has the people, but do we have the time? Can the Raikage's peace treaty be trusted?"
As he spoke, Rinjin's tone grew more forceful, like waves crashing against a cliff.
"The key is, do you believe it?
The Eight Gates Technique guarantees ten solid years of peace. Ten precious years!
Right now, even with me, Konohagakure cannot intimidate the surrounding wolves eyeing us hungrily. Because none of us are Hashirama-sama!
Time is the foundation of everything!"