"Sensei, should we keep scouting outward?"
"Take a break for now—mark the area first. By the way, did Kyoichi's side make any progress?"
Minato looked toward Obito and Shisui.
Those two had gone over earlier—they should know what happened there.
"We caught one, but there's probably no more intel to get from it."
Shisui shook his head.
He could tell that the creature, though captured, had already severed its own life force—there was no chance of extracting memories from its mind.
"Our direction is correct. After we rest, we'll continue the survey," Minato said calmly.
It didn't really surprise him.
Truth be told, Madara already had a deep understanding of Konoha's ways. He had likely made preparations long before.
Still…
The fact that they actually encountered a White Zetsu meant one thing—
Madara was still interested in Shisui and Obito. Or perhaps it meant they were indeed heading the right way.
Those people were somewhere ahead of them.
And that, frankly, was a problem.
Negotiating between great nations was actually the easy part. As long as one laid out the stakes clearly, even the most stubborn—like Kumogakure—would quickly agree to unite against Uchiha Madara.
Of course, there was another reason they cooperated—
Madara hadn't targeted them yet, likely because Konoha was keeping him busy.
But what if Konoha stopped pursuing him?
Konoha's power was formidable. Madara wouldn't be foolish enough to attack that iron wall first. When that happened, the first ones to suffer would be the other villages—unless they abandoned the power of their Tailed Beasts.
And yet…
Even Iwagakure, the village that valued its Jinchūriki the least, had its own stance—
Ōnoki might not care much for them, but he'd never let anyone else take them.
That was his logic.
At present, both Rōshi and Han were essentially free-range, but if Madara tried to capture them, Ōnoki would definitely take action.
Whether it was through genjutsu, seals, or direct absorption, if Madara got his hands on those powers, they would inevitably be turned against Iwagakure. Ōnoki couldn't just sit by and watch.
What's more—
Everyone had one shared fear.
What if Konoha gave up and sided with Madara instead?
Right now, at least Konoha was standing at the front lines, keeping Madara in check. If Konoha ever joined the "do-nothing" camp, the rest of them would be doomed. As for the fate of the ninja world after that…
Well, that would be another story.
But that was the thinking of the great villages.
For the smaller ones, their attitudes were different.
Most small villages—aside from Takigakure—had no Tailed Beasts, and their strength was limited. In their eyes, fighting Madara was the business of the great nations.
The big villages would handle the war; the small ones just needed to shout support from behind.
As for letting foreign shinobi enter their lands to search for Madara's trail…
Many nations would never agree to that.
Who knew whether "searching for Madara" wasn't just an excuse for invasion?
It was hard to say.
So far, whether it was Konoha or the other major villages, their talks with small countries had made it clear—those minor nations weren't taking it seriously.
However…
There was one exception.
While Minato's squad continued expanding their search, Kyoichi—back in the village proper—received an intelligence report from the Anbu.
The Land of Iron had joined the operation!
Even Tsunade was surprised.
The Land of Iron!
Unlike other small nations, the Land of Iron had no ninja at all. Its people were all samurai, trained in swordsmanship rather than ninjutsu.
Of course…
They practiced chakra cultivation as well.
So although they weren't ninja, they weren't weak either. What set them apart was their strict neutrality.
During all three Great Ninja Wars, they had maintained one stance—
Neutrality.
But this time was different.
The Land of Iron had officially announced its participation in the campaign to hunt down Uchiha Madara. Moreover, during the upcoming Five Kage Summit, they offered to host the meeting in their own neutral territory.
This was unprecedented.
"Kyoichi, what do you think of the Land of Iron's proposal?"
"For now, there's no need to hold a Five Kage Summit yet. The basic condition for that is at least confirming Madara's position. Right now, we only have a general area."
Kyoichi had to send out another clone from the laboratory to handle the matter.
Still…
The Land of Iron's stance stirred his excitement.
Mifune hasn't disappointed me, he thought. Just as before, the man's foresight was remarkable.
Madara had to be eliminated.
But holding a summit now would be premature—celebrating halfway to victory was never wise.
Kyoichi unrolled a large map.
According to the combined intel from all the villages, Madara's base was almost certainly not within any of the Five Great Nations—but in some remote corner of a smaller country.
That matched Kyoichi's earlier theory.
And among those minor nations, two locations stood out as most probable—
One, near the Land of Grass.
The other—
The Mountain's Graveyard, the former base of Akatsuki during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Even if the first turned out empty, the second was bound to yield clues—and that site likely lay within the Land of Iron's borders.
The Land of Iron had almost no ninja.
Though they knew how to use chakra, their samurai lacked Earth Release proficiency—a trait that happened to fit perfectly with Madara's hiding needs.
Most importantly—
It was close to the Land of Grass.
Thus…
After thinking it over, Kyoichi concluded the Land of Iron was the most likely place.
"I plan to go there myself," he said at last. "In secret—to investigate the situation firsthand."
"You mean…"
Tsunade blinked, then quickly realized what he intended.
The Land of Iron—a nation without shinobi.
What better cover could there be?
"Hmm. I just realized—the Land of Iron fits Madara's requirements perfectly. From the areas we've already explored, none of the Five Great Nations qualify, and Madara isn't foolish enough to choose them."
"As for the small nations…"
Most of them were unstable.
They might not be directly invaded, but wars between great nations often turned their lands into battlefields.
Hiding in such places wouldn't be safe either.
So naturally—
The perpetually neutral Land of Iron became the ideal refuge.
Tsunade paced for a while, then slammed her hand on the table.
"Wait one more day. Have Jiraiya return. I'll send him with you to the Land of Iron—you'll need backup."
"He can head there directly."
Kyoichi thought for a moment, then nodded lightly.
Jiraiya's strength was reliable—and besides—
He'd actually been to the Land of Iron before. He knew its geography and customs better than Kyoichi did, making him an ideal guide.
Not to mention—
Jiraiya's Earth Release techniques were exceptional.
With the two of them alternating recon and cover, the mission would be far safer than going alone.
With that in mind, Kyoichi immediately sent a message via Flying Thunder God.
No need to return—
Go straight to the Land of Iron.
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