"So, it's just a diary? But this diary is quite thick."
Casually flipping open the diary and glancing at a few pages, he unexpectedly gleaned some information.
Sarutobi Nijin seemed to be a person who loved writing in his diary, recording both major and minor events in his life, from ninja world wars to the mundane details of daily life.
From it, Kaze learned that Sarutobi Nijin, as a member of the prestigious Sarutobi clan of Konoha, had a rather simple identity. He was actually the nephew of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the uncle of Sarutobi Asuma, giving him considerable connections within Konoha, because his mother was from the Nara clan.
However, this Sarutobi Nijin didn't exploit these connections but relied on his own efforts to gradually attain his current strength and position.
Therefore, at the age of nineteen, his strength as a Special Jonin was not widely known in Konoha.
When he went to the battlefield, he was already prepared to dedicate his life to Konoha.
This time, if Kaze presented the "Cloud Ninja Defense Map" that he had intercepted from who knows where, it would be considered a significant contribution to Konoha.
Unfortunately, he was dead. No matter how great his contribution, it was useless.
Flipping through a few more pages, the recorded content was quite dull, mostly mundane daily life records, and it seemed there were no regrets left behind.
Bang.
Closing the thick diary, he glanced at the lifeless Sarutobi Nijin lying on the ground. Kaze reaffirmed his determination to survive.
Once a person is dead, nothing else matters, so he must live on.
But slowly.
A strange idea suddenly flashed through Kaze's mind and became clearer and more complete, uncontrollably.
"What are you thinking about? It's time to go," the Puppet Disciple reminded him.
Although it was a shadow clone, people's thoughts were ever-changing, and he couldn't guess what the main body was thinking.
"I'm thinking..." Kaze slowly said, "Let Sarutobi Nijin claim this credit himself."
"He's already dead."
Kaze and the Puppet Disciple exchanged glances, a look between himself and himself.
"You want to..." The Puppet Disciple seemed to have guessed Kaze's somewhat audacious idea.
"Tell me, is it more reassuring to rely on others, or is it more reassuring to rely on yourself?" Kaze asked another strange question.
"Of course, it's relying on yourself. No matter how trustworthy others may be, when it comes to the critical moment, people's hearts are difficult to predict," the Puppet Disciple said matter-of-factly.
"So, instead of me trying to get close to the three Nara families, or even trying to get close to Namikaze Minato... These ideas are good, but ultimately, they rely on others. Getting close to Nara Shikaku and the others inevitably puts me in Danzo's sights. He might not care about a small corpse collector like me now, but it's ultimately not stable enough."
Kaze couldn't help but feel helpless about this.
Since he was being targeted by Orochimaru, he had to get close to some people to influence the village's final decision regarding him and plan for Orochimaru's defection in advance.
"So, instead of relying on others, I might as well create some fame or even merits in Konoha myself. I don't need to reach the level of Namikaze Minato. Just having the strength of one of the Sannin is enough to protect myself."
As Kaze spoke, the light in his eyes grew brighter.
"You want to use another identity as a shield for the main body?"
Kaze nodded and continued, "I've had this idea before, but it was restricted by two factors. First, I can't reasonably obtain such an identity. If it comes from outside, it won't gain Konoha's trust."
"Second, Konoha seems democratic, but it actually emphasizes lineage very much. The Hokage can only come from the Hokage lineage, and most of the higher-ups are the same."
"It's difficult to obtain a reasonable identity and have enough connections to allow this identity's status to rise steadily."
He pointed to the corpse of Sarutobi Nijin on the ground.
"Now, there's an opportunity in front of me."
"No one knows Sarutobi Nijin is dead, except for me. In addition, Sarutobi Nijin has close ties with Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Nara clan. Although he's not a direct Hokage disciple or a Sannin disciple, his identity as Sarutobi Hiruzen's nephew already explains everything."
At this point, the Puppet Disciple completely understood Kaze's intention and quickly added, "Coincidentally, we now have Sarutobi Nijin's very detailed diary. There are no cognitive or memory issues in taking over his identity."
"Combining the 'Obsession of the Fire Stone' tool and this diary, we can perfectly obtain Sarutobi Nijin's identity."
"At that time, as long as we use this identity and hidden strength to let him 'reasonably' and 'smoothly' gain status, prestige, and even power, we can achieve the result of protecting ourselves by relying on ourselves."
"That's right, it's a bold idea. But it's not impossible to implement. I already have enough conditions. This is the best opportunity. Even if it fails in the end, at most it's just the loss of a puppet. No one will know I did it."
"Success is the ability to fully display strength without attracting unnecessary covetousness. Failure is just the loss of a puppet. The gains and losses of success and failure are completely disproportionate. It's indeed worth trying," the Puppet Disciple affirmed.
"Then let's do it like this! In the future, Sasori will go undercover in Akatsuki, and Sarutobi Nijin will be a high-level official in Konoha. I won't participate in either side, but I'll understand both sides, which can ensure enough safety."
If it really succeeded, there would be a faint feeling of controlling the entire ninja world from behind the scenes, and it was difficult to suppress the excitement.
"Then, which puppet should we use? It must have enough strength to lay the foundation for this new identity. It can't be too weak. Sasori can't be used. Relying on this puppet or Yekura's puppet alone, the strength of an Elite Jonin doesn't seem to be enough to reach the level of the Sannin," the Puppet Disciple asked again.
Kaze gave a mysterious smile, "Of course, it must be powerful enough and special enough."
Chapter 112 Impulsive and Passionate Personality
Taking over Sarutobi Nijin's identity was a spur-of-the-moment decision after Kaze obtained his diary.
However, in fact, he had this idea for more than just a day or two, but he couldn't implement it due to various factors.
First of all, the Konoha ninja corpses he obtained were all known to others and couldn't be reasonably inherited. He couldn't just revive someone who had already died, could he?
Secondly, the inherited identity must have a sufficient network of relationships in Konoha. Otherwise, even if he showed strength, he wouldn't have a suitable position.
At least, the Uchiha, Hyuga, and other Konoha clans were impossible to match.
And who was the person in Kaze's impression who wasn't from the Hokage lineage but still gained high-level power and prestige due to his strength?
Hatake Sakumo.
What was his outcome?
He was forced to his death by Danzo's schemes. Although Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't fuel the flames, he didn't stop it either.
It was chilling.
Therefore, a reasonable identity was equally important.
The last point was matching the identity.
It wasn't just about using a 'Fire Stone Obsession' to disguise the appearance. The original interpersonal relationships, living habits, and other aspects of the identity also had to be inherited, at least to avoid revealing flaws.
Now, Sarutobi Nijin's identity met all the conditions, and Kaze boldly took action.
