CHAPTER 343: CHAPTER 343: YOUR LEG IS MY LEG

Konoha had changed—drastically.

The first thing to notice was its size.

The village had expanded outward by a huge margin. Once upon a time, the Uchiha were on the outskirts—isolated, cut off from the rest of the village. But now?

The Uchiha district had been seamlessly integrated into Konoha’s main residential area.

Even visually, the difference was staggering. One look, and you’d feel that the Uchiha were now truly a part of Konoha—no longer separated by walls or suspicion.

Of course...

That wasn’t what A cared about.

His concern was far more practical.

He wanted to see whether Kanda Kyoichi’s system really worked—if the man had actually implemented the same ideas he’d shared with others.

But those kinds of things couldn’t be judged from the surface. So, A looked for what he could observe.

The changes within the Uchiha were one thing.

But upon entering the village, something else stood out—something even more striking.

On the streets, most of the ninja patrols were children.

Hardly any jōnin in sight—those wearing the official flak vests were rare enough to count on one hand.

If this had been Sunagakure, A wouldn’t have been surprised. The Land of Wind was barren—resources scarce, population thinner still. Despite the Daimyō’s financial support, their manpower had always been their weak point.

Years of war had only worsened it.

So, seeing children patrolling Suna’s streets would make sense.

But Konoha?

No way.

That could only mean one thing.

A’s eyes narrowed.

"So that brat really did it..."

He wasn’t guessing blindly.

A had tried Kyoichi’s "ninja education reform" in Kumogakure—and it had worked frighteningly well. The overall strength of the genin had increased tremendously. But... there was a problem.

The graduation rate was too high.

Too many genin, not enough missions.

If they kept the old three-man-team system with one jōnin leading each squad, there simply weren’t enough leaders to go around. They couldn’t just pull jōnin or chūnin off active duty to babysit rookies either.

Now that he saw Konoha, A realized—

they must’ve already changed their system.

So that’s why he came. And now, at least, it wasn’t a wasted trip.

Minato, meanwhile, was exhausted.

He couldn’t care less about A’s nitpicking. Bureaucratic headaches like this were Kyoichi’s problem, not his. His job was just to get people from point A to point B.

Now, he just wanted to go home and rest.

---

"Kyoichi, you’re not being very fair—you only taught me half the trick."

"Oh? What do you mean by that?"

That was the first thing A said the moment they met.

Kyoichi already had a vague idea of what he meant, but he played dumb anyway.

A smirked.

"You raised the graduation rate. Fine. But then what? What happens after they graduate?"

"They form teams and take missions, obviously."

"And where exactly do all these missions come from?"

Kyoichi just smiled, letting the Raikage vent.

Running a village was something only a Kage could truly understand. No matter the village—Kumo, Kiri, Konoha, or anywhere else—missions were a limited resource. When graduation rates were low, it looked like there were plenty of missions to go around.

Now, with more teams than ever, there weren’t enough missions—or jōnin—to go around.

The old model didn’t work anymore.

So the training-focused, "learn through missions" approach for genin was breaking down.

"That’s not a problem with my plan," Kyoichi said casually. "That’s a different department’s issue."

One thing at a time.

He offered advice—and got paid for it—but he never promised to hand over the entire system.

"I did mention," Kyoichi added with a grin, "that if anyone wanted a complete, systematic consultation, the price would be much higher. A few people asked—but none of them chose that option."

He chuckled.

"You get what you pay for."

A was speechless.

He remembered that offer, actually. He’d brushed it off back then, thinking only a fool would pay for the "premium package."

And now... the fool was him.

The great Raikage—played like a customer at a discount seminar.

He sighed deeply.

---

After a moment, A collected himself. There were more serious matters to discuss.

"Enough of that. Let’s talk business. Those little details can wait. I’m willing to cooperate with Konoha—but let’s be clear, this help of yours is costly."

"Oh, it’s not that bad," Kyoichi said with a disarming smile.

A frowned. He didn’t trust that smile one bit.

He wanted to argue, but instead he steered back to the real issue—Madara Uchiha.

If this were just about forming an alliance, A wouldn’t have come in person. But when the talk turned to tailed beast chakra—he couldn’t be careless.

"So let’s talk about Madara. You’re saying he’s still alive? How do you prove that?"

"The Rinnegan," Kyoichi said calmly. "And the secrets behind it. Will that do?"

"What?"

A blinked.

The Rinnegan? What did that have to do with Madara? Minato hadn’t mentioned that part at all.

Of course he hadn’t.

As Hokage, Minato couldn’t share secrets involving both the Senju and Uchiha bloodlines with outsiders.

But Kyoichi? He didn’t mind bending the rules.

"Madara discovered the method to awaken the Rinnegan—and that’s how he’s survived this long. His plan is to use a resurrection technique tied to the Rinnegan to revive himself fully after death."

"You have proof?"

"The Rinnegan is here, in Konoha."

At that, Kyoichi gestured for Nagato to enter.

Nagato appeared—his face heavily disguised, a mask covering everything but his eyes.

Those eyes, however...

A’s breath caught.

The legendary Rinnegan.

No mistaking it.

Then Kyoichi presented another piece of evidence—White Zetsu.

The lab had a preserved, still-living specimen, pulsing with biological activity no ordinary technique could reproduce.

After seeing all that, A was mostly convinced.

But that only raised another question.

With the current strength Konoha had shown—did they even need outside help?

Even if Madara had returned, surely they could just strike first and crush him outright.

"The tailed beasts’ chakra is for insurance," Kyoichi explained smoothly. "Madara has a technique that lets him control others—completely. Combined with certain seals, he can dominate anyone. We can’t predict who might already be his pawn."

That part was... pure fabrication.

But it wasn’t entirely false either.

The real goal was to prepare for Ōtsutsuki and Black Zetsu—and to harness the chakra of all nine beasts to forge a split version of the Ten Tails’ power.

With that, he and Nagato could create Six Paths–level chakra—enough to craft a massive Chibaku Tensei and seal Black Zetsu away for good.

Let the schemer reunite with his "mother."

After reviewing the evidence, A couldn’t deny the truth of what he saw.

"So that’s why Kirigakure’s been acting all strange lately," he laughed. "When I sent people to ask, they were so twitchy! Turns out they were just afraid I’d find out the truth and die laughing!"

He threw back his head, roaring with amusement.

His laughter echoed through the room.

After all, it was hilarious—his old rival, the Mizukage, had been a puppet for years without even realizing it. There was no greater humiliation than that.

No sympathy here. Only satisfaction.

"Anything else I should know?"

"Yagura was being controlled too," Kyoichi said mildly. "He even became a jinchūriki."

"Ha! That guy? The Fourth Mizukage? Good! Serves him right!"

A slapped his knee, still grinning.

"Fine. We’ll supply the tailed beast chakra. But you see..."

"I understand," Kyoichi interrupted smoothly, smiling. "Your leg is my leg—I’ll make sure it’s properly reattached."

A blinked, confused by the idiom—but he got the gist.

It meant the deal was good.

The alliance was on.