In an isolated dimension, the skies were covered by purple storm clouds, constantly flashing with purple lightning that threatened to strike the desiccated white mass of land under them. Countless black cubes with lines on them floated all around the dimension, seemingly frozen in time and space.
One such cubic structure was much larger than the others. On top of its surface, three cloaked figures were standing in a semi-circle around a fifth figure who was seated. In the middle, a white-haired man with blood dripping from his cloak knelt on one knee in front of the seated leader. No one cared about the crimson puddle that was slowly spreading underneath the white-haired man, including the injured person himself.
"Your failure to retrieve the vessel was most unfortunate, Kashin Koji," the seated figure spoke regretfully. "Now, Konoha possesses the vessel despite your intervention and the mobilization of Victor's hidden force."
"Konoha's response was far too unnatural," Kashin Koji responded. "They sent almost all of their elites who are fit for combat to retrieve the vessel. After Sasuke Uchiha got to Ao, I knew that Konoha would mobilize a few elites to retrieve the vessel, but the Hokage sent every single one of them."
"It seems that the fool truly thinks that he is the strongest in the world," A woman with lemon-blonde hair and a Roman numeral one marking on her forehead spoke with a frustrated tone. "The vessel cost us enough to buy out his whole damn village and then some. Not only did we lose the vessel, but we also lost Viktor's entire reserve force of Outers. Great work, really, Koji."
"Delta," the seated man spoke, silencing the irritated blonde before turning to Kashin Koji. "You handled Viktor's disposal well, but the situation with Konoha disappoints me. Yet, I understand the reason for your failure. Konoha sent their entire force, along with Sasuke Uchiha, and turned a simple retrieval mission into a major battle. You will not be penalized for your failure."
"Let me do it," A bulky man with a thick beard and mustache spoke. He had three lines going along his face, one from his glabella to his nose and two over his eyes, marking him with a Roman numeral three. "Since Kashin Koji is inept, I will go into Konoha and retrieve the vessel myself. Those shinobi won't even know what hit them."
"No, Boro," the leader shook his head. "The reason Kashin Koji was on the mission was because Konoha falls under his jurisdiction. I shall give him a chance to redeem himself. The vessel not being under our control is a serious problem. Rectify it and bring it back. Lest I am forced to act."
"Let me go with him," Delda, the lemon-blonde woman, spoke. "I won't interfere, but in the case that he fails again, I will provide backup. You don't have to take action, Jigen."
"The Hokage," Kashin Koji spoke. "He doesn't seem as simple as I had expected. For one, he utilized the space-time ninjutsu with no prior signs of ever using such abilities. Secondly, he was aware of my identity. It could all be a simple bluff. But if not, he hinted at being aware of more about Kara than just me."
"Are you insinuating that we have a traitor in our midst, Koji?" Boro spoke. "As far as I know, you are the most viable candidate for a traitor."
"A traitor is unlikely." Jigen, the leader, spoke. "It is possible that he has other means of obtaining information. Tell me, does he possess the Kāma?"
"I remembered that he is said to have killed Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki. But no. There were no markings on him. Either Momoshiki is still alive and simply sealed, or he has found a way to kill an Ōtsutsuki without having the Kāma manifest."
"Interesting," Jigen spoke with a fascinated tone. "Kashin Koji, Delta. You are to go to Konoha and retrieve the vessel first and foremost. And Code," Jigen addressed the until-now silent member of their group. "Investigate the Hokage and Konoha from the shadows. The Kāma would have manifested had Momoshiki died. If not, that means he is still alive. In that case, look into the Hokage and try to extract the information about Momoshiki."
The target of the words raised his head, proudly displaying the tattooed Roman numeral five under his right eye. "Understood. You can rest assured that I will be discrete in my actions."
"Should I have my people interfere with his operations? Put pressure on him. I heard he is working on some kind of a secret project," Boro spoke.
"As you wish," Jigen refused. "Delta, Kashin Koji, please secure the vessel within the week. It would be most unfortunate for me to be forced to take action," Jigen said. "And this time, I will personally make sure that there are no more mishaps. That is all."
Slowly, everybody dissipated into particles that vanished, concluding the genjutsu projection, leaving only Jigen in the isolated dimension as he stood up from his seat.
"Uzumaki Naruto," He spoke while looking far into the endless purple clouds. "What is this feeling? Caution? No, being so close to our end goal must be making me anxious."
…
Back in Konoha, Naruto decided to take care of something before going to Tsunade's place. He made his way to the Administration building and walked up to Shikamaru's office to talk to him about his new plans for the Research Center.
"What are you up to?" Naruto asked as he entered the man's office without knocking.
"Just a few final cancellation invoices for the guys we hired for the research center. They've been a handful ever since you canceled the project. What happened?" He asked. "Why did you abruptly cancel it? We didn't have any leaks; Ino was handling everything very meticulously."
"I have it on good authority that the location and a chunk of our plans were leaked to Boro, an Inner of Kara. His Outers have infiltrated every major power throughout the nation. The ones who defected from our side? They all are part of a cult, with a fanatical following for their so-called god, Boro."
"Unless it was Ino herself who leaked the information, I can't see how this could've been possible."
"It happened," Naruto said, shaking his head. "Now we have to modify our plans. I have already scouted the new location for it."
"Okay," Shikamaru nodded. "Where is it?"
"That's the thing I'm here to talk to you about," Naruto said. "I'm not going to take any chances this time. Especially after having three of our top shinobi defect on us."
"What are you planning, Naruto?" Shikamaru asked, frowning as he finally put his pen down and got serious.
"The only ones whom I can give my absolute trust to are those marked by a unique seal," He said. "It is an ancestral technique of the Uzumaki that I was too reluctant to use in the past, but it is necessary if I am to keep my people secure. It's not that I wouldn't trust you with my life, but the Ōtsutsuki have techniques to control people that go beyond simple genjutsu. The only way for me to give you my absolute trust is if you accept that seal."
"And what would happen if someone tried to control me after that? Will that seal protect me?" Shikamaru seemed far less averse to such a seal compared to either Ino or Sakura.
"I will be able to remotely examine your state. It will tell me whether or not you are being controlled. I will also be able to track your location at all times. There's more to it, but I will only tell you about it if you take the seal."
"Sure, why not?" Shikamaru shrugged. "While it sounds awfully close to a Curse Mark, I understand why you want to use this guarantee. Hell, I'm somewhat glad that you are making the move to bring things under systematic control. Your eventual goal is to get rid of both councils, right? What better way than to replace them with a council of people you can completely trust to give you sound advice?"
"I expected resistance." Naruto raised a brow. "I at least thought that you would ask me for some time to think."
"What's the need? We talked about this that day we went out for drinks, Naruto. All of my bets are on you. So the more robust you make your administration, the more satisfied I am. Logically, this seal is a very good stabilization measure as long as you are giving it to people with their willingness."
"Of course," Naruto nodded. "Damn, I didn't think it would be this easy. Great. I'll be here when your shift is over to give you that seal. You will need some rest after it is done.
***
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