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The situation had grown even more severe; the village's explosion was coming faster than Ohnoki had anticipated.
If preparations weren't made in advance... conflicts would only keep escalating.
The purpose of the high-level officials and the daimyo coming together was simple: they wanted Ohnoki to set an example.
"Let me think about it."
Ohnoki didn't give a direct response, nor did he outright refuse. He needed time to ponder before making a decision.
The high-level officials and daimyo hadn't come to discuss things with him—they needed a stance, a declaration that the village might launch a war.
Ohnoki knew full well about Iwa Ninja Village's malformed development, and so did everyone else.
When pressure became too great, the only way was to shift it outward from within.
With Ohnoki's reply, the high-level officials and the daimyo left satisfied.
Even though Ohnoki said he needed to consider it, they knew success wasn't far off.
As long as he didn't reject them on the spot, their plan would succeed.
Sitting silently in his chair, lost in thought for a long while, Ohnoki finally lifted his head and gazed at the shinobi world map, falling into deep contemplation.
Konoha's dispatch of additional ninja forces to station at the border had caused no small ripple in the shinobi world. Some believed Konoha was merely defending, while others thought a major war between Konoha and Iwa Ninja Village might erupt.
All of it was just advance preparation.
The Akatsuki organization, which paid extra attention to the shinobi world's trends, was naturally keeping an eye on Konoha as well.
Kiri Ninja Village and Suna Ninja Village had successfully clashed, and in the short term, it would be hard for the war between the two villages to reach a conclusion. Akatsuki wouldn't allow this war to end hastily either—the longer it dragged on, the greater the depletion, and the more beneficial it was for Akatsuki.
"Konoha's dispatched personnel have already reached the border line. They're guarding against Iwa Ninja Village."
As usual, Black Zetsu, in charge of intelligence gathering, periodically returned to the base and reported the shinobi world's situation and intel one by one. For some necessary parts, Black Zetsu would conceal them—not just from Nagato and Konan, but even from Obito.
"Iwa Ninja Village's internal issues have already reached the point of preparing to launch a war?"
Why had Konoha prepared in advance?
It was definitely to prevent Iwa Ninja Village from jumping the wall in desperation. From Konoha's arrangements, it was clear that Iwa Ninja Village was under immense pressure.
"Because of overdeveloping military power, the village's finances are insufficient. They can't buy massive amounts of goods from outside to balance prices within the village and the country, so material costs are climbing steadily." Black Zetsu grinned, as long as it was stirred up by White Zetsu.
Pain spoke indifferently: "It seems to match the intelligence we've gathered. Iwa Ninja Village's internal pressure is starting to amplify. If that's the case, let's give them a push. The shinobi world needs a new war to drain the power of the five great ninja villages."
"But will Iwa Ninja Village still declare war on Konoha?" Konan frowned slightly.
Konoha was already prepared, which meant it would be much harder for Iwa Ninja Village to target Konoha and the Land of Fire. Even if the organization pushed from the shadows, Iwa Ninja Village might not necessarily aim its spear at Konoha.
Pain didn't care in the slightest.
"As long as war breaks out, no matter who Iwa Ninja Village targets, it benefits the organization."
Nagato didn't care whom Iwa Ninja Village chose to attack; he just needed Iwa to make a move. So Akatsuki needed to give a push from behind.
Spreading rumors, letting gossip fly in Iwa Ninja Village and even the Land of Earth—this wasn't difficult for Akatsuki, because Black Zetsu was an expert at these deadly, no-accountability tricks.
Once public opinion stirred up, whether Ohnoki wanted it or not, he'd have no choice but to launch a war outward.
Then Akatsuki's goal would be achieved. The process didn't matter; the result did. Akatsuki wanted results.
"Black Zetsu, this task is yours."
"Yes."
Black Zetsu accepted the task without hesitation. No one was better than him at manipulating hearts and controlling public opinion.
"What about Obito?"
Finally, Pain asked.
Konan looked up at Pain, who stood at the very top, and replied: "Obito wants to pull Kiri Ninja Village's Hoshigaki Kisame into the organization, but Kisame hasn't decided yet whether to betray the village."
"Then tell him to hurry up and not draw attention from others. Even if he wants revenge on Kiri Ninja Village, he can't be too obvious about it."
Pain didn't need to guess what Obito was scheming. Right now, Akatsuki was controlling Yagura from the shadows, and Pain wouldn't tolerate Obito messing around in Kiri Ninja Village.
If his identity was exposed and people suspected Yagura was being controlled, the war between Kiri Ninja Village and Suna Ninja Village might end prematurely—that wasn't the scenario Pain wanted to see. So Obito had to restrain himself.
First Kiri Ninja Village, then Suna Ninja Village. After they clashed, the target shifted straight to Iwa Ninja Village. Akatsuki's plan was thorough; all five great ninja villages were in their sights, with Konoha being the hardest to handle—especially after Kazuki's complete Susanoo was revealed. Konoha had been listed by Akatsuki as a target not to be provoked lightly.
Its danger level was far higher than Kumo Ninja Village.
The war hadn't affected Konoha's overall environment and daily life. On this day, the entire village was bustling with excitement; a massive crowd of villagers flocked to the Ninja Academy to watch the spectacle.
Because their Hokage Advisor had turned the graduation exam into a public test, allowing villagers to come to the Ninja Academy and observe.
Though testing under the eyes of so many would make students nervous, and some might make mistakes leading to poor scores...
Kazuki still chose public exams—not just for this class, but for every future one as well.
Nervous?
Could you not release ninjutsu just because someone was watching?
Would your performance drop because people were looking?
If you couldn't handle this small scene, you might as well stay back a grade in the Ninja Academy. Better yet, don't become a ninja at all—save yourself the trouble later, and you wouldn't drag down your teammates.
Enemies wouldn't let you off just because you were nervous inside.
A huge crowd of villagers poured into the Ninja Academy, surrounding the training field to watch the excitement. Nearly all the village's notable figures had come to the scene to observe.
Even Tsunade and Kazuki had personally arrived.
But Kazuki didn't sit with Tsunade; instead, he sat beside Fugaku and Hiashi.
The place was packed with people. A large portion of the students about to take the exam were already getting nervous, worrying: What if their parents, family, and friends were watching and their scores weren't ideal?
What if their test scores were too low and they failed?
Many were tense—not just one or two. Quite a few students were even complaining in their hearts: Why turn a simple graduation exam into a public one, letting everyone in the village come watch? It was making them so nervous they could die.
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