"What the heck!?"
Seeing the result of the life simulation, Uchiha Akira was dumbfounded. His attempt to use Kotoamatsukami had failed, and he ended up dead at the hands of the Raikage?
This was something he hadn't expected at all!
He could accept that Kotoamatsukami might not work on Nagato, Danzo (who possessed Shisui's Sharingan), or the Third Hokage (who was already on guard).
But for it not to work on the Raikage? How could that be?
Yes, the Raikage was indeed strong, even among Kage-level shinobi. He could go toe-to-toe with Sasuke, who had the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
But that shouldn't be enough to resist Kotoamatsukami, right?
In the original story, Kotoamatsukami was used twice.
Once by Danzo on Mifune, trying to sway him into making Danzo the leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces. Kotoamatsukami succeeded!
The second time was when the Kotoamatsukami implanted in Naruto was triggered, freeing Itachi from Kabuto's control under the Reanimation Jutsu.
From both the established lore and its track record, Kotoamatsukami is incredibly powerful.
So why did it fail when I used it?
In theory, the Fourth Raikage shouldn't be able to resist the effects of Kotoamatsukami.
The Raikage is strong, but is he stronger than Itachi Uchiha? That's debatable.
Especially considering that Itachi himself possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, which should make him more resistant to similar powers.
"Could it be that the problem isn't with the target but with the caster's strength?"
After pondering for a while, Uchiha Akira came to this conclusion, which made him smile wryly.
So, it really is because my own strength is too weak?
Even though Danzo was somewhat of a joke in the original story—getting repeatedly beaten by Sasuke and ending up sealing a bridge with his death—he was still considered to be on the cusp of Kage-level.
And Naruto, in his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, was undoubtedly Kage-level.
Even though the crow with Kotoamatsukami was planted by Itachi, who was also Kage-level.
But I'm just at the Jonin level, trying to use Kotoamatsukami to control a Kage. No wonder it failed!
After thinking it over, this seems like the most reasonable explanation.
Alright, if Kotoamatsukami can't control a Kage-level opponent, I'll have to come up with a different plan.
The next day, Akira decided to run another life simulation.
This time, he tried using Kotoamatsukami on Uchiha Fugaku.
[You attempted to use Kotoamatsukami on Clan Leader Fugaku, but it failed!]
[You left Konoha and headed to the Hidden Cloud Village, dealing with several Root ninjas who were tailing you along the way.]
[You met with the Raikage and revealed the current situation between the Uchiha clan and Konoha, proposing that the Uchiha clan relocate to the Hidden Cloud Village.]
[The Raikage thought it over but ultimately refused your request.]
[You didn't return to Konoha. A month later, news of the Uchiha Massacre spread throughout the shinobi world, and you were classified as an A-rank rogue ninja.]
[A year later, your chakra capacity increased by 20%!]
[Three years later, you encountered Itachi, who expressed disappointment that you failed to play your role as the Uchiha clan's backup plan.]
[Five years later, you had a chance encounter with Kakashi and his team. During the encounter, Naruto unleashed the Nine-Tails' chakra, and you were killed.]
...
This time, Uchiha Akira frowned as he reviewed the simulation.
As expected, trying to use Kotoamatsukami on Clan Leader Fugaku failed too.
However, now that he had reached the Jonin level with three-tomoe Sharingan, even as a rogue ninja, he could survive a few more years.
But he hadn't anticipated dying under the influence of Naruto's protagonist aura!
Also, his proposal to the Raikage to have the Uchiha clan join the Hidden Cloud Village was rejected.
But thinking it over, the Raikage had his reasons.
Why take the risk of directly confronting Konoha to accept the Uchiha clan?
It made more sense for him to let the Uchiha and Konoha fight it out and then swoop in to reap the benefits.
It seems that getting the Hidden Cloud Village involved in a direct conflict with Konoha isn't going to be easy.
So, what should I do next? What other options do I have?
As he contemplated this, Akira decided to claim the reward from the simulation—the increase in chakra capacity.
Instantly, he felt a surge of chakra within him, nearly doubling his reserves.
No worries, this was only the second simulation. I still have eighteen more attempts.
I just need to think carefully about what to try next…