With Rin Nohara as the trigger and the loss of his grandmother serving as emotional fuel, Obito Uchiha's personality began to shift in subtle but dangerous ways.
None of this was known to the outside world.
The matter of Obito's disappearance was quietly covered up. Over ti, even his classmates at the academy gradually accepted the reality that Obito had simply left.
As the dust settled, Kirigakure's delegation arrived in Konoha, and peace talks between the two villages formally began.
This ti, Yagura openly represented Kirigakure, coming to Konoha as a mber of the negotiation team.
It was widely known that Yagura was the most likely candidate to beco the Fourth Mizukage. To honor his arrival, Konoha extended him every courtesy.
However, negotiations centered on war were destined to be lengthy and complex.
"Congratulations. It looks like you'll officially beco the Fourth Mizukage before long."
After a day of negotiations, Yagura personally ca to visit Takuya, accompanied by the individuals Takuya had requested, in hopes of retrieving the Sahada blade from him.
The Kirigakure delegation had brought two Yuki clan shinobi who had already awakened Ice Release as part of the deal.
"If that's what congratulations feel like, I'd rather not have them."
Though Yagura was officially the chosen candidate for Mizukage, his expression was far from cheerful.
The Third Mizukage had left Kirigakure in shambles.
And thanks to Takuya's antics, the village's condition had only worsened. Kirigakure was now barely hanging on.
While Konoha had also suffered significant losses, everything was relative.
In comparison, Kirigakure had bled far more heavily.
Yagura, ruthless as he might be, was loyal to his village and truly wished for its prosperity. Unlike so, he would never harm the village for personal gain.
He hadn't initially been interested in competing for the Mizukage title. However, under pressure from his ntor, he was forced to step forward, using his influence to eliminate other candidates and secure his place as the frontrunner.
Once the negotiations between the two villages concluded, Yagura would return to Kirigakure to formally assu the mantle of Mizukage.
"Any progress in tracking the Third Mizukage?"
Since Yagura seed disinclined to discuss his promotion, Takuya shifted the topic.
"None."
Yagura's youthful face creased in frustration. He had spent countless hours worrying over the matter.
"It's as if he vanished completely. There's no trace to be found."
"Looks like your village has a real headache on its hands."
Takuya's tone was laced with schadenfreude—unabashed and intentional.
After all, it didn't concern Konoha. Why shouldn't he laugh?
And really, what was wrong with laughing?
Kirigakure had managed to create such a massive scandal on its own. Surely a bit of ridicule was warranted?
At least Konoha had refrained from spreading the news, which was already a kindness.
Yagura clenched his fists on the table, his glare toward Takuya growing sharper by the second. He wanted nothing more than to punch that smug face, but he restrained himself.
It wasn't just because he would lose in a fight—Kirigakure still needed Konoha's cooperation on critical matters. Besides, the ongoing peace talks made this an entirely inappropriate ti for conflict.
"Alright, enough gloating. Let's get to the point. You're not here just to retrieve Sahada, are you?"
Sensing he had pushed enough buttons, Takuya changed the subject.
If it were rely about exchanging Sahada, the negotiation team could have handled it officially. There was no need for Yagura to et him personally. Clearly, there was more to the visit.
"You're right."
Yagura's expression turned serious.
"On behalf of Kirigakure, I'm here to request your assistance in capturing our village's tailed beasts."
Konoha had its share of problems, but Kirigakure was in utter chaos. Yagura had to oversee internal purges, handle peace negotiations, and now take charge of capturing their village's tailed beasts.
After consulting with his ntor, Yagura had decided to take advantage of the peace talks to request Konoha's help in capturing the Three-Tails and Six-Tails.
"Wait. Are you telling your village can't even catch its own tailed beasts?"
Takuya's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Yagura, are you joking?"
While the Three-Tails and Six-Tails were difficult to deal with—being partial to hiding in the sea—surely Kirigakure could manage without outside help.
"..."
Yagura's fists clenched tighter, his gaze growing colder.
"Because soone infiltrated Kirigakure and wreaked havoc, our sealing teams were severely impacted. They're nearly disbanded."
"Cough, cough!"
Takuya choked on his own breath.
It seed this was partially his fault.
He hadn't specifically targeted their sealing teams during his operations—it was just bad luck that they got caught in the crossfire.
Clearing his throat, Takuya quickly tried to deflect.
"Well, this isn't sothing I can decide. You'll need to speak with the Hokage or Tsunade. They're the ones in charge."
Takuya had zero interest in a mission to capture tailed beasts.
It was Kirigakure's problem, not his. At most, Yagura could borrow Konoha's sealing teams to assist.
Predictably, Yagura had anticipated this response.
"The Hokage and Tsunade both said the mission would require your consent before Konoha could accept it."
What's going on with Konoha?
Since when did high-level missions need the individual's approval before being assigned?
Shouldn't the leadership's decision be final?
"Sorry, but I refuse."
Takuya declined without hesitation.
"I have no interest in a tailed beast capture mission. You'd be better off asking soone else—like Jiraiya or Orochimaru, who's about to return to the village.
"They have the skills for it. With a sealing team, as long as the tailed beasts aren't hiding in extre environnts, success is practically guaranteed."
"May I ask why you're refusing?"
Yagura's tone was asured but persistent.
"The war is over, and our villages are negotiating peace. In the future, we're ant to be reliable allies. Wouldn't accepting this request strengthen ties and improve relations?"
Typically, tasks that bolstered inter-village relationships were never turned down, and the leadership often issued mandatory orders.
Yet, when it ca to Takuya, there seed to be an exception.
The Third Hokage had outright stated he couldn't make this decision and had silently deferred to Tsunade. Tsunade, in turn, had shrugged and told Yagura:
"You'll have to ask him directly. If he agrees, the mission can proceed imdiately."
Takuya sighed, sensing Tsunade's cunning play.
"Look, my answer is still no. I'm not interested, and I don't want to get involved in Kirigakure's ss. If you need help, there are plenty of capable shinobi to ask. Just not ."
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