Naruto: Reborn as Yagura Karatachi

August 1st. The day of Yagura's official inauguration ceremony.

The people of Kirigakure, already riding high on their village's meteoric rise, were whipped into even greater excitement.

This wasn't an illusion—Kirigakure's new power was real.

Under the leadership of the Fourth Mizukage, they truly believed their village was heading toward a glorious future.

And don't forget—of all the current Kage, theirs was the youngest!

But for Yagura himself, the ceremony didn't change much on a personal level.

If anything, the village's fervor toward him only intensified. Now it was even harder for him to move freely.

"Have I been too flashy lately?"

The feedback from the village's inner circles had Yagura on edge.

Internationally, though, the event drew little attention. The general public across the continent didn't particularly care who the Mizukage was.

Still, the other four Kage took the opportunity to send over diplomatic correspondence.

With the war over and Kirigakure slowly opening its borders, the internal changes fueled by siphoning resources from other nations during wartime were impossible to keep under wraps.

Happiness is a matter of comparison—once people start to feel that disparity, it's easy to become a target.

But thinking back on it, Yagura figured—so what if they were being flashy? Which of the other villages currently had the power or the energy to mess with Kirigakure?

As usual, he skimmed through the letters from Kumogakure and Iwagakure. Full of empty words, not worth a second glance.

He did, however, linger a moment on Sunagakure's tone.

Rasa wasn't exactly thrilled with him these days, and it showed—his language was far from respectful.

As for Konohagakure...

Yagura had lost count of how many times Minato Namikaze had tried to mend diplomatic ties with him.

After Kirigakure poached Konohagakure's most loyal ally—Sunagakure—it was no surprise that Konoha found itself isolated once more.

Sure, they'd technically won the war. But they were still surrounded by enemies on all sides.

Kumogakure and Iwagakure remained sworn rivals. Sunagakure was showing diplomatic weakness and losing control over its own stance. From Namikaze Minato's perspective, Kirigakure must have seemed like the best breakthrough point.

"After all, we were allies during the war—briefly," Yagura thought.

But he didn't reply.

Minato had only been in office for less than a year, and while he looked calm and composed in managing domestic affairs, Yagura could sense something deeper beneath that surface.

Hiruzen Sarutobi pushing his protégé into the spotlight might've seemed like an attempt to turn the war hero into a human shield.

But this particular 'shield' was capable of using various means to wrest power from Konoha's upper echelons—even from Hiruzen himself—and then use that power to strike back at Kirigakure in very real, very effective ways.

Yagura tossed aside Konoha's diplomatic letter and picked up the latest company reports coming from that same village.

Cutting off economic lifelines—like killing someone's parents. His subordinates' hatred for Minato Namikaze practically leapt off the page.

"Without you, things would be so much better for us."

Some even suggested taking military action against Konoha, seizing the opportunity to strike while they were vulnerable and force them into submission.

"Should we make a move during the Nine-Tails incident?"

Tempting, no doubt.

If they could use the opportunity to capture Naruto Uzumaki—the vessel of the Yang Nine-Tails—that would be even better.

Yagura tapped his pen against the document on his desk, again and again.

Ultimately, he vetoed the proposal.

Kirigakure had already become far too active, drawing the envious glares and cold shoulders of the other four hidden villages.

If they launched an attack on Konoha now—the most hated target of all—then they'd be next in line to face collective retaliation.

However...

Minato Namikaze still had to die.

Yagura picked up the letters from Kumogakure and Iwagakure again, this time giving them serious thought. He began to probe both Kage about the feasibility of eliminating Minato together.

After all, Obito had failed twice already—who knew what he'd do next?

They had to be prepared.

Unlike Kirigakure, whose grievances were mostly economic, Kumogakure and Iwagakure had real, personal grudges against Minato. They wanted him gone even more.

...

Eastern forests of Konohagakure.

Onime Kaede and two other Kirigakure shinobi dashed between the trees, heading toward the site of their current assignment.

Still within the Land of Fire, but closer to its northwestern region.

Suddenly—thud, thud—the two teammates behind him collapsed.

"Genjutsu?"

There hadn't been any physical attacks—no taijutsu or ninjutsu, either.

But Kaede could see it clearly—their chakra flow had been completely disrupted.

He stopped in his tracks and scanned the area with his eyes, searching for signs of enemy shinobi.

Shared vision.

With a flicker of chakra, Kaede activated his dōjutsu. His two teammates instantly shared his vision, and using the link, he injected his own chakra into them—breaking the illusion.

Their chakra flow stabilized.

As the genjutsu faded, the two Kirigakure ninja realized how close they'd been to disaster.

"Thanks, Kaede."

"No problem."

Kaede tugged at the zipper of his collar and looked up.

He saw the enemy.

One man stood on a tree in the distance, glowing with green-tinged chakra around his eyes.

No doubt about it—the genjutsu that had felled his comrades came from him.

Kaede's expression grew grim.

"Damn... it's Shisui of the Body Flicker."

One of the shinobi gasped. "Shisui Uchiha? I've heard he's one of the Uchiha clan's top prodigies!"

His signature wasn't just his famed Body Flicker Technique.

He was also a master of Fire Release, throwing weapons, and genjutsu—hallmarks of the Uchiha clan.

Even during the Third Great War, when he was just a child, Shisui had already carved out a fearsome reputation for himself.

And now, even at a distance of nearly 200 meters, his genjutsu had still taken down two mid-level Kirigakure ninja.

Kaede didn't hesitate.

"Retreat."

...

The two Kirigakure ninja had just experienced firsthand what it meant to have a reputation earned in blood. They didn't argue.

With things taking a turn for the worse—and Kaede not being a frontline fighter—they had no choice but to abandon the mission.

The three of them turned back the way they came and withdrew.

From afar, Shisui watched the Kirigakure team retreat without hesitation.

They spotted me?

"An unusual eye technique?"

The way Kaede had broken the genjutsu intrigued him.

"So... Kirigakure has a dōjutsu user who can see through my illusions?"

Still, the mission was accomplished.

In the next instant, Shisui vanished with Body Flicker—like he'd never been there at all.

...

Back in Konoha, inside the Hokage's office.

"Mission accomplished, Lord Hokage."

Shisui stood before Minato Namikaze.

"The Kirigakure shinobi have retreated."

Minato didn't even look up from his paperwork.

"Good work, Shisui. Thank you."

Minato and Shisui had quite a bit in common. They were both famous for their speed-based techniques—and both were fiercely loyal to Konoha.

Despite Konoha's repeated offers to talk, Kirigakure had refused every time.

They would rather align with Kumogakure than accept Konoha's goodwill.

So Minato had no choice but to respond with force.

There was no time to sit and wait.

And this wasn't just about playing catch-up.

Minato had started deploying shinobi like Shisui—interception specialists—to halt Kirigakure operatives wherever possible.

The edge Kirigakure had gained over the past few years wasn't something that could be neutralized overnight.

Money wouldn't solve it either—and Konoha didn't have much of that to begin with.

It was cutthroat. But this was the world of shinobi—it was only natural.

"Please remember to rest, Lord Hokage," Shisui said, noticing the dark circles forming under Minato's eyes.

Minato blinked, then smiled faintly.

"Right. Thanks. Things have been hectic at home lately, haha."

After all, Kushina Uzumaki was now at full term.

The birth of a Jinchūriki's child was the moment when the Tailed Beast's seal was at its weakest.

Minato, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and every single person who knew this top-secret information were working feverishly behind the scenes, preparing for the moment Kushina would go into labor.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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