Superior Reed Richards

Kirigakure, also known as the Village Hidden in the Mist, was located in the Land of Water, situated southeast of the Land of Fire. Since the Land of Water was an archipelago, the journey there lay across the sea, which had become a highly dangerous zone due to the civil war in Kirigakure.

To reach it in the shortest possible time, I flew. Initially, I considered visiting the Land of Whirlpools, but upon learning that numerous countries had long ago plundered all the Uzumaki secrets, I decided not to waste my time.

The Village Hidden in the Mist lived up to its name completely. The entire village was enveloped in an incredibly dense fog that limited visibility beyond five meters. Moisture saturated the air, giving each breath a salty hint of the sea. Narrow streets, paved with slippery stones, wound between houses like a labyrinth designed to confuse unwelcome guests.

The houses in Kirigakure were built from sturdy gray stone; their roofs were partially covered with moss and seaweed. Here and there, oil lanterns hung on the walls, their dim lights barely piercing the thick fog, casting ghostly glimmers. Water trickled down the walls, collecting in small puddles at their bases.

"So, here we are..."

Activating my Rinnegan and engaging all my other senses, I observed with incredible clarity what was happening on the island at that moment. The sight unfolding before me was horrifying in its brutality.

Numerous battles were being fought sporadically throughout the village. My gaze instantly found the largest sources of chakra in the area.

Terumi Mei, Karatachi Yagura, and Utakata. Each of them interested me. Mei because of her bloodline and natural beauty; Yagura and Utakata because they had bijuu sealed within them.

At that very moment, Utakata was on a mission. Together with his teacher, he was pursuing a team of rebels. Considering the numerous pitfalls involved in approaching Yagura and Terumi Mei, Utakata was first on my list.

—= Utakata =—

As Kirigakure's jinchuuriki, Utakata understood his role as the village's weapon all too well. The very moment the Fourth Mizukage began his brutal policies, Utakata realized he would have an incredible number of tasks.

"You did well today, Utakata," said his sensei.

The corners of Utakata's lips lifted slightly. His sensei was the only one who treated him—a jinchuuriki—so kindly.

"At this rate, you'll become a jonin quite soon."

Utakata nodded. In truth, he wasn't particularly interested in climbing the career ladder, but his teacher's opinion mattered to him.

"In that case, see you tomorrow," said his teacher before departing.

As soon as his teacher left, Utakata was left to his own devices.

"You have rather dubious weather here," came a voice from behind Utakata.

The voice, sounding so dangerously close to him, made him adopt a combat stance.

Utakata's eyes began to study the owner of the voice: an ordinary-looking man at first glance, who exuded an aura of calm.

"However," Utakata's gaze met the man's eyes, which instantly changed. "That's not so important."

In an instant, Utakata found himself before the gates—the gates that had doomed him to such an unenviable fate. They stood before the gates of the Six-Tails.

"HUMAN, WHERE DID YOU GET THOSE EYES?!" boomed the voice of the one on the other side of the gates.

—= Reed Richards =—

"I just can't understand why you bijuu are so astounded by the fact that I have the Rinnegan," I couldn't help but ask.

"What have you done?!"

"YOU ARE UNWORTHY OF POSSESSING THOSE EYES!"

The Six-Tailed Slug was, to put it mildly, displeased that I had these eyes.

"Maybe you're right," I shrugged. "Your opinion is yours alone. I've not come here to discuss whether humans are worthy of this power or not. I've come here to make a deal with you."

The Six-Tails looked at me in puzzlement. In the gaze of this ancient creature, there was still distrust toward me. Understandable, since these beings had been confined in cages for decades. Over such a long time, it's easy to develop certain impressions about the human race.

"Do you think I'll just let you do whatever you want?" Utakata asked me.

"Believe me," I began, looking at him. "You're just as interested in seeing my plan come to fruition."

—= Some time later =—

Having concluded matters with the Six-Tails, I proceeded to my next target. Considering all the pitfalls of the civil war in Kirigakure, my next objective was Yagura.

The Fourth Mizukage was extremely unfortunate. The day he became Mizukage was the day he lost control over himself. Uchiha Obito took complete control of him and ruled the village in his stead.

Partly because of Obito, Kirigakure had become what it was at that moment. The Bloody Mist emerged because one child couldn't forgive the actions of the Hidden Mist toward Nohara Rin.

Since my plans conflicted with those of the Akatsuki, I needed to resolve the problem named Yagura.

At that very moment, the Fourth Mizukage was in his residence. In his mind were commands that compelled him to await the next arrival of Obito, which was to occur in four days.

By controlling electromagnetic waves and using telekinesis, I had adapted to creating Hiraishin markers.

I had learned the Hiraishin during my time in Konoha. Thanks to my understanding of the fabric of space-time, grasping the principle of the Hiraishin was quite simple.

In an instant, I teleported to the marker I had placed in Yagura's office.

The Fourth Mizukage reacted to my appearance swiftly. His hands had already formed seals for an attack, but I was faster.

And now, Yagura and I were within the subconscious of the Fourth Mizukage. Besides me and Yagura, the Three-Tails was also present here. Unlike what I had seen with Utakata or Naruto, Yagura's beast was not behind bars.

"Who are you?" Yagura asked me.

When I immersed Yagura in the illusion, besides entering his subconscious, I also destroyed the illusions placed by Obito.

"YAGURA, HE HAS THE FATHER'S EYES," Isobu rumbled.

"Rinnegan?..." Yagura said in a surprised tone. "I thought no one but the Sage of Six Paths could possess them..."

The Fourth Mizukage was one of the few jinchuuriki who had managed to build a good relationship with his bijuu.

"I'm just a determined scientist. Recreating his eyes wasn't all that difficult."

The Three-Tails said nothing, merely gazing intently at me. Then the bijuu looked at Yagura and gave a brief nod.

"I SEE. I DIDN'T THINK KURAMA WOULD BE WILLING TO SHARE HIS CHAKRA."

It wasn't surprising that a bijuu would notice the chakra of his brethren. This simplified my task.

"I suppose dealing with you will be easier than with those two."

—= Some time later =—

"What will you do next?"

Yagura looked at me and said:

"I'll accept the punishment I deserve."

"Do you want so badly to run away from the problems you yourself created?"

"How can accepting the punishment I deserve be called running away?"

"Even though that Uchiha used the Sharingan to control my actions, I cannot so easily shift the responsibility for all the suffering my village endured onto him."

I could understand this line of thought, but I couldn't grasp why he was so eager to go to the gallows.

"If I had been stronger," Yagura said, gripping his weapon tighter, "he wouldn't have been able to take control of me."

"Weakness is not a sin."

"No, in our world, weakness is a sin. As Mizukage, I had no right to be weak!"

A wave of chakra emanated from Yagura's body, creating cracks throughout the office.

"And you think that by surrendering to the rebels, all the problems will resolve themselves?"

The question, posed in such a way, made Yagura fall silent. The Fourth Mizukage understood perfectly well that his death wouldn't make the problems he had created disappear.

"And what do you propose?"

"Live," I said shortly, looking into Yagura's eyes. "Only by staying alive can you atone for your sins. Only by living can you personally fix the very problems you've created for yourself."

Yagura understood this himself. He just needed to voice these thoughts to commit to these actions.

—= Terumi Mei =—

The rebels in Kirigakure did not have a permanent headquarters. A large concentration of chakra in one place would inevitably attract the attention of Yagura's sensors. At the moment, they had occupied territory that once belonged to the Yūhi clan. Now, no one remained from that clan; at least, Terumi Mei hadn't seen a representative of it for a long time.

The ruins of the Yūhi clan consisted of semi-destroyed buildings covered with moss and vines. Trees entwined around old stone walls created natural shelters, and the dense fog typical of Kirigakure made visibility minimal. Narrow paths overgrown with grass led to hidden entrances of underground shelters where the rebels had set up temporary bases.

Mei stood on one of the ruined balconies, gazing at the remnants of former grandeur. She understood perfectly that any mistake could lead to their discovery and destruction. To her left, a half-ruined mansion was visible, once serving as the center of the Yūhi clan. The mansion looked gloomy and abandoned; its walls were cracked, and the roof had collapsed in several places.

"Ao, what do you mean?" The leader of the rebels couldn't understand what one of her trusted people was implying.

Even Byakugan Ao himself didn't fully believe what he had seen that day.

"I saw that the Fourth Mizukage was under the control of a very strong genjutsu."

The Byakugan couldn't lie. Ao was certain of this and trusted it.

"What kind of genjutsu?" Terumi Mei asked, frowning.

Ao's eye, which was accessible to Terumi, was an open book. For this reason, Terumi knew that Ao was aware of the nature of the genjutsu placed on Yagura.

"A Sharingan genjutsu. The chakra nature was very similar to what I saw from Uchiha Shisui."

"Is this the work of Uchiha Itachi?" asked one of the rebels who held a rather high position in the rebel structure.

"Doesn't add up," Terumi Mei shook her head.

Itachi couldn't have been in Kirigakure. The timelines didn't match at all.

"Well, it's clearly not his younger brother," the shinobi objected.

That was true. From the once fairly numerous Uchiha clan, only Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke remained now. Terumi Mei was sure of this, as the Hokage would have no reason to hide another living Uchiha.

"Someone who stole a Sharingan?"

"I have no other explanation," Ao shrugged.

"You've started thinking in the right direction," said a voice unfamiliar to everyone present.

The shinobi instantly took battle formations, and the especially zealous began to attack. Water-style techniques rushed toward the source of the voice.

The projectiles froze in the air, right in front of the man's face.

"If you thought such a greeting was appropriate, I understand why you have so few clients."

—= Reed Richards =—

Yagura Karatachi had decided to face the very problems he had created under Obito's control.

But for everything to go smoothly, it was necessary to contact Terumi Mei. Since Yagura was perceived rather coolly and reasonably at the rebels' meeting, it was decided to arrange a meeting on neutral territory.

I decided to deliver this message, as I was a third party. Placing a Hiraishin mark, I teleported to the meeting place of the rebel leadership.

"If you thought such a greeting was appropriate, I understand why you have so few clients."

Terumi Mei merely smiled at such words and said:

"And here I thought it was the climate that didn't suit many clients."

The leader of the rebels, Terumi Mei, stood confidently before me, ready for any development. She looked like the embodiment of elegance and strength. Mei's tall, slender figure, like that of a high-class model, attracted attention. Her long, shapely legs were a true delight to the eyes, exuding grace and power.

Her hourglass figure was the epitome of perfection: a narrow waist smoothly transitioning into the elegant curves of her hips and chest, creating a mesmerizing sight. Mei's incredible beauty was accentuated by her unique hairstyle, which gave her an unmistakable charm.

Her long, copper-chestnut hair cascaded over her shoulders, framing a face with high cheekbones and soft features. Deep, piercing jade-colored eyes looked at the world with determination and wisdom, reflecting strength and confidence. Full lips, slightly curved in a mysterious smile, added magnetic allure to her appearance.

"Maybe it's the climate," I shrugged. "But such an attitude plays a significant role in all this."

At that moment, Ao activated his Byakugan to determine the extent of my abilities.

"What the hell?!" exclaimed Ao, unable to contain his surprise.

All the gazes, except mine, turned to Ao, who was looking at me like I was a monster.

"What happened, Ao?" Terumi asked.

Mei's voice took on steely notes.

"He has monstrous chakra reserves," Ao said. "More than a bijuu."

Such words made everyone tense. In particular, the sensors who hadn't been able to detect my chakra level looked at me with fear.

"The Byakugan is a troublesome thing," I said with a slight smirk, realizing there was no point in hiding my power further.

At that moment, all the sensors, as well as the non-sensors, could see my reserves. My chakra could be seen even without dōjutsu. Purple wisps of energy streaming from my body created a rather fascinating sight.

"That's why we tolerate him," Terumi Mei declared, pulling herself together.

The ability to collect oneself during critical moments distinguished those capable of being leaders from those who could not.

"Since we've finished with all the pleasantries, can we proceed to more serious matters?"

Mei understood perfectly that if I wanted to, everyone present would have been killed by me. And since that hadn't happened, I hadn't come for their heads.

"Why not."

—= Some Time Later =—

My story lasted about thirty minutes. During this time, I managed to tell them what had happened with Yagura and pointed out an approximate path to eliminate all the problems that had arisen during the Fourth Mizukage's misdeeds.

Because Ao had told them that Yagura was under genjutsu, my words carried some weight in their minds. However, they didn't fully believe me.

"So that you can believe my words, Yagura and I can introduce you to the one who gave orders through the Fourth Mizukage."

Obito was supposed to arrive here soon to check on affairs in the village.

"After capturing him, you'll be able to see everything for yourselves," I suggested.

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