A special thank you to all my patrons.
The List of My "Wandering Reader":
-Davis Nguyen
-Cain
-Goha21
-Jacob Mooe
-HADES
-Varun Madhu
-Aziz Makda
-Gonzalo Sumalavia
-Klip
-JWolf
-kevin Williams
-Shadow260802
-MIKE
-KD2001
-merp.
You can read 30 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
-------------------------------------------------------------
"You're right. This is just speculation. We have no evidence that Yagura is being controlled, so we can't spread such claims."
Tsunade's expression was grave.
Evidence—sometimes it mattered greatly, and other times, not so much.
In matters involving multiple villages, making baseless accusations would only bring unnecessary trouble to the village.
Even a war of words wasn't worth it.
Tsunade had no desire to engage in endless bickering with Kirigakure.
"There's another important signal."
"What signal?"
"Kirigakure hasn't requested assistance!!"
Kazuki raised his index finger and wagged it, reminding Tsunade:
"During the Five Kage Summit, Yagura already stated that if Kirigakure were attacked, they would seek help if possible. The other villages were supposed to support them in dealing with the Akatsuki. But now, Yagura is severely injured, and Kirigakure hasn't even mentioned this. Don't you find that suspicious?"
By normal logic, even if the Akatsuki's actions were merely disruptive, Kirigakure should have called for aid—let alone a situation where their Mizukage was nearly killed.
With the five great villages united, fighting the Akatsuki together would be far easier than Kirigakure facing them alone.
Using others' strength to eliminate a shared enemy was the wisest move.
Relying solely on Kirigakure's power—whether they could succeed or not—would still result in heavy losses for them.
But if other villages joined in, the losses and risks would be shared.
"This is insane."
After a moment of silence, Tsunade suddenly slammed her desk and gritted her teeth. "What the hell is the Akatsuki planning?"
Kazuki rested his chin on his hand, thinking for a moment.
"Do you think they might be trying to weaken the five great villages to make their plans easier to execute?"
The stronger the five great villages were, the harder it would be for the "Infinite Tsukuyomi" plan to succeed.
As long as Obito and Nagato weren't fools, they wouldn't choose to confront the five villages head-on.
But if they couldn't fight directly, what if they made the villages weaken each other first?
Let them exhaust themselves in conflict, and then the Akatsuki could swoop in to clean up the remnants.
By then, tensions would be so high that no village would come to another's aid if attacked.
"So you're saying that after controlling Yagura, the Akatsuki might use Kirigakure to instigate a war, depleting the strength of the five great villages?"
Tsunade's face darkened as she muttered in frustration,
"Please don't tell me the Akatsuki plans to use Kirigakure to target Konoha."
She had no interest in fighting Kirigakure for no reason.
"Unlikely."
After analyzing the situation, Kazuki replied:
"Our neighbors are the most probable targets."
Compared to the original timeline, Konoha's current strength was far greater.
Despite its internal issues, its visible power was undeniable.
As long as Obito hadn't lost his mind and Nagato wasn't being reckless, they wouldn't provoke Konoha.
Instead, they'd go after the weaker side.
Among the five great villages, the easiest to bully and manipulate was undoubtedly Sunagakure.
Kirigakure had a history of stirring trouble in Suna's territory, leaving the Sand shinobi seething but helpless.
If the Akatsuki wanted to provoke conflict, Sunagakure was the ideal target—because they were poor, weak, and easy to push around.
Meanwhile, Konoha, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure were like spiky hedgehogs.
Poke them, and you'd end up with a handful of thorns instead of any advantage.
"..."
'Poor Sunagakure.'
Tsunade and Shizune couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Rasa.
"Let's leave it at that for now. This is all speculation, and we can't even warn others too overtly—it might look like we're sowing discord. If Kirigakure really plans to act, they'll provoke a conflict first. We'll just wait and watch."
War wasn't something that could be waged on a whim—it required a proper pretext.
Even if the Akatsuki controlled Yagura, they couldn't just start a war without justification.
The Daimyō wouldn't allow it, and the village's elders wouldn't either.
To launch a war, they'd first need to convince those in power—with a compelling reason.
Tsunade was visibly worried, but Kazuki wasn't too concerned.
As far as he was concerned, no matter what the Akatsuki did, their ultimate goal was the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Knowing that was enough.
As for their schemes—as long as Konoha wasn't the target, it wasn't his problem.
Even if his speculations proved true, the ones suffering would be Kirigakure and Sunagakure.
Kazuki believed that at this stage, handling their own affairs was challenging enough. Other villages' troubles were theirs to solve.
Kirigakure's intelligence report wasn't just sent to Konoha—the other villages were notified as well.
Iwagakure and Kumogakure paid the most attention, with Ōnoki and A even sending envoys to Kirigakure to inquire further.
Unfortunately, after attacking Kirigakure, the Akatsuki vanished again, and Kirigakure failed to gather much new intelligence.
This left Ōnoki and A deeply disappointed.
---
Konoha.
"Konoha, your most dashing, most handsome, most legendary Toad Sage—Jiraiya-sama—has returned!!!"
After years away, Jiraiya finally stood at the village gates, striking a flamboyant pose and shouting loudly.
Passersby stared at him as if he were a lunatic.
The guards on duty were so embarrassed they could've dug a three-bedroom apartment out of the ground with their toes.
If it were anyone else, they would've stopped such disgraceful behavior immediately.
But since it was Jiraiya, they could only stand awkwardly to the side, forcing polite smiles while internally cursing.
"Tell him to get his ass here and see me—NOW!!!"
The moment Jiraiya's return was reported, the ANBU relayed the news to Tsunade—along with his antics at the gate.