Naruto: Hatake's No Misfortune

---

Arata Kagerou had only come to sow chaos. His mission was simple: drive the people away. Whether or not he collected any "protection money" was irrelevant. Judging by the furious expression on the shopkeeper's face, compliance was clearly off the table.

"It seems we're not particularly welcome here," Muzan remarked, stepping out from the back room. His crimson eyes narrowed at the commotion Arata Kagerou had stirred.

The cold, malicious gleam in Muzan's gaze sent a chill down Arata's spine. Still, emboldened by the armed thugs behind him, Arata straightened and barked, "You merchants from the Land of Waves! We don't want your kind here! Hand over the money, or—"

Before he could finish, a shadow moved faster than his eyes could follow. A sharp pain bloomed in his chest, and he looked down to see a kunai buried deep in his flesh. Muzan's servant, Yamanomatsu, loomed over him, a glint of disdain in his dark eyes.

"How dare you insult Lord Muzan," Yamanomatsu said, his voice like a blade cutting through the tension. "Disrespect deserves only one punishment—death."

The other thugs froze in terror as Arata collapsed. Blood pooled at his feet, staining the wooden floor. Muzan, unperturbed by the violence, observed the scene with a detached air.

"Dispose of the rest," Muzan commanded coldly, turning toward the storefront.

"Yes, Lord Muzan," Yamanomatsu replied.

Muzan stepped over the bodies without sparing them a glance, his expression darkening as he surveyed the damage to the shop. "It seems they plan to use brute force to resolve their grievances. Let them face the consequences of crossing me."

Rather than resort to overt violence himself, Muzan preferred more subtle methods. Disguised as a merchant from the Land of Waves, he had quietly manipulated the local economy. He brought affordable goods to the people, winning their trust and goodwill, all while undermining the ruling nobility.

"Increase the purchase price of local goods," Muzan instructed. "Ensure that everything they produce is bought out, but keep it discreet. Let the people believe the nobles are hoarding wealth for themselves."

Yamanomatsu bowed. "Understood, Lord Muzan."

Though this was just a minor incident, Muzan's ambitions extended far beyond this small town. His operations in the Land of Fire were progressing rapidly. With Konoha's interference subdued, nearly one-fifth of the region had fallen under his influence. For the Land of Waves, a once-overlooked island nation, this expansion signified a meteoric rise to wealth and power.

"This peace feels... unnatural," Muzan mused. His progress had been swift, yet unchallenged. Konoha's silence was troubling. Normally, their shinobi would have been dispatched to confront him after the chaos his Twelve Kizuki had sown.

"Perhaps their focus is on the Akatsuki," Muzan theorized. The recent attack on Konoha had left the village vulnerable, but its leadership seemed preoccupied with Akatsuki's movements.

No matter their reasons, Muzan knew he had to consolidate power quickly. Any misstep could draw Konoha's attention, and he could not afford their full wrath. His betrayal after the Third Shinobi War had left him branded a traitor. With Akatsuki looming as a greater threat, Konoha might choose to let him fall.

Meanwhile, in Kumogakure, the Fourth Raikage, A, sat in a tense council meeting with his advisors. The chaos in the Land of Fire had not gone unnoticed. Determined to protect his village, the Raikage's booming voice echoed through the room.

"With two jinchūriki in Kumogakure, we can't afford to be complacent. Akatsuki is targeting jinchūriki, and we all know what happened to Konoha. That won't be us."

"Brother, you're worrying too much!" Killer B called from outside, freestyling as he stood atop a nearby cliff. "I'm a perfect jinchūriki! I ain't no weakling like Konoha's Nine-Tails brat!"

Raikage stormed out, grabbed B by the collar, and hauled him back into the meeting room. "Enough with the jokes! This is serious!"

Darui cleared his throat, his calm demeanor contrasting with the Raikage's intensity. "We've also received word about Muzan and his Twelve Kizuki. They've caused countless atrocities in the Land of Fire. If we work with Konoha, we must ensure they take responsibility for this Blood Demon menace."

Raikage nodded, his tone firm. "Agreed. We can't antagonize Konoha, but neither can we ignore Muzan's actions. And then there's Akatsuki."

Darui continued, "Reports suggest they possess multiple pairs of the Rinnegan, each with unique abilities. If that's true, even Konoha's strongest shinobi might struggle."

Raikage leaned forward, his expression grim. "Until the alliance meeting in the Land of Iron, no one leaves the village. We can't afford any risks."

Despite his outward focus on Akatsuki, Raikage's thoughts lingered on the Land of Waves. Muzan's growing influence there was alarming. A former ally of Konoha, now a rising threat—it was a situation Raikage would not ignore.

Unaware of the plans forming against him, Muzan continued his expansion. The local nobility, desperate to maintain their hold, had begun hiring rogue shinobi and mercenaries to resist him. But to Muzan, these efforts were laughable—a mere nuisance to his grander plans.

To reshape the world, Muzan sought more than domination. He envisioned a system where people depended on him entirely—a new world order built on his absolute authority. Only then would his ultimate vision be realized.

---

After observing the situation in the Land of Fire, Muzan returned to the Land of Waves. Over this period of development, the prosperity of the Land of Waves had begun to outstrip that of the Five Great Nations in certain aspects.

Compared to it, the other nations seemed like frogs in a well. Yet, Muzan remained unsatisfied. Prosperity and development should lead to advancements in science and technology, aiding his research. However, he had not yet found suitable talent during this time.

He had no choice but to cultivate potential himself. Fortunately, he found Kabuto.

"Sensei, are you asking me to teach these children?"

Kabuto understood Muzan's intent, glancing down at the group of children gathered below with a hint of sympathy. Kabuto had been an orphan of war himself.

Half of the children in front of them were wanderers from the Land of Fire, brought to the Land of Waves by merchants for education and training.

Children were the ideal candidates for cultivating talent, not just because of their malleability but also because of their loyalty to the Land of Waves.

In Muzan's existing curriculum, some advanced concepts were incompatible with the current state of the shinobi world. To achieve unification and reform, brute force alone would not suffice.

For someone like Muzan, who had all the time in the world, patience was an asset.

"Yes, education in the Land of Waves is still rudimentary, especially in the field of human biology," Muzan said softly, a hint of frustration evident. "Trying to achieve too much too quickly is merely wishful thinking."

He was not cruel enough to expose a group of children to such things right away. His plan was to mimic the former world's system of nine-year compulsory education. Only after the basics were mastered would they begin to study human biology.

"Don't worry. Under my guidance, these children will grow into towering trees, strong pillars for the future of the Land of Waves," Kabuto declared with confidence.

He had gained power under Muzan's tutelage and was now passing that knowledge on. The rest was a matter of organization. Since children were involved, Muzan prioritized their safety. He constructed a school in the heart of the Land of Waves, with the Twelve Kizuki stationed there for protection.

"Enough playing around," Muzan called, his gaze landing on Uzumaki Karin, who was running toward them. Since coming to the Land of Waves, he had been too busy with his own affairs to keep an eye on her. Karin had been living a carefree life.

Now that the school was built and the foundation laid, it was time to bring things into formal order. Karin was still a child, and with a swift motion, Muzan lifted her by the back of her collar, tucking her into his robe's pocket.

Kabuto eyed her closely. The Uzumaki clan's bloodline was of great interest to him. With proper training, she could become a sealing master for the Land of Waves.

"She's another promising seed," Kabuto remarked.

Just as Muzan was planning his next steps, he noticed a large ship docking nearby. His expression darkened.

"Why is Muchuan back?"

Their relationship had been one of close cooperation, but Muchuan was a noble. He would not come to the Land of Waves without a pressing reason.

As the ship docked, Muzan teleported to the harbor, watching as Muchuan hurried down the gangway in a panic.

"Lord Muzan, we have a serious problem!" Muchuan exclaimed, breathless. "A group of attackers invaded our territory. They destroyed our production equipment and killed several hired shinobi."

Muzan's expression remained indifferent at the mention of the destruction, but his eyes narrowed at the news of the hired shinobi being killed.

"You're telling me the hired shinobi were defeated?"

Although they were mostly rogue ninjas, their strength was formidable. In some ways, they surpassed shinobi from the smaller villages.

Muzan considered the possibility of interference from one of the Five Great Nations. Could it be Konoha?

"No," he shook his head. "Konoha is still recovering from the war. They wouldn't risk direct conflict with us at this stage."

Then who could it be, Muzan muttered. "Let's go and see for ourselves who's responsible for this."

Muchuan's face was uneasy, but he quickly composed himself. Muzan paid little attention to his discomfort. Nobles were parasites, and as long as they did not interfere with his plans, he turned a blind eye to their schemes.

Soon after, the ship reached the shores of the Land of Fire. As Muzan stepped off the ship, he immediately felt the presence of several hostile gazes directed at him.

Unfortunately, the Twelve Kizuki were all preoccupied with other assignments. After Muchuan's territory was stabilized, Muzan needed to continue building his forces and reassemble the Twelve Kizuki as quickly as possible.

"Looks like some rats decided to show themselves," Muzan mused aloud, ignoring the figures watching him as Muchuan led him to the site of the attack.

The bodies had already been cleared away, but Muzan could piece together a general idea of the situation from the damage to the area.

There were no obvious signs of ninjutsu use. However, he noticed distinct footprints in certain locations, indicating that the attackers had used them to enhance their mobility. The precision of the kills indicated shinobi skilled in taijutsu.

"The attackers are taijutsu specialists," Muzan concluded after studying the scene. "And there were at least three of them."

The only village known for producing elite taijutsu users was Kumogakure.

"I see, so it's the Cloud ninja," Muzan mused. "They were bold to kill my people so recklessly. It seems they underestimated us."

He recalled the hostile gazes from earlier and realized that the Cloud ninja might not have been watching him but rather Muchuan.

Muzan recognized a key issue: the Land of Waves might rival the Five Great Nations in terms of top-level combat power, but its middle-tier forces were lacking. Even with Muzan's efforts to recruit rogue and small village shinobi, this gap couldn't be bridged overnight.

Cloud had merely sent a few jonin, and they had caused this much havoc. The Twelve Kizuki couldn't be everywhere at once.

"It's clear I need to cultivate a new generation of shinobi," Muzan decided. "Perhaps I'll turn to some of the smaller, declining ninja clans for recruits."

His thoughts shifted back to the present threat.

"But first, I need to deal with these pests in front of me," he said, vanishing in an instant.

In a flash, Muzan appeared before one of the hostile shinobi. The man's eyes widened in shock as he recognized Muzan's attire. Fear and anger filled his voice as he tried to shout a warning.

"Everyone, evacuate Muchuan's territory! The leader of the Twelve Kizuki–"

Before he could finish, Muzan's hand had already pierced through his chest, silencing him forever.

---