Chapter 452: Invitation
While Ishiro was tinkering with that small part of Black Zetsu's body, Black Zetsu's main body, located in the underground base in the Land of Earth, suddenly snapped his head around, looking toward Iwagakure.
Seeing this, Obito Uchiha grew vigilant, his expression ugly. "Is someone invading again?"
His condition was terrible; if he was forced to summon the Gedo Statue one more time, he probably wouldn't survive it.
Black Zetsu shook his head. "Obito, do you remember when we ambushed the Tsuchikage? A small part of my body was left behind in that fake ruin."
"At the time, my connection to that part of my body grew hazy; it must have been sealed away."
"But just now, I sensed that part of my body again. If I'm not mistaken, the Tsuchikage must be researching it."
Obito replied without even thinking, "Let him research it. You were created by Madara using Yin Release. The Tsuchikage doesn't have that kind of mastery over Yin Release. What could he possibly discover?"
Black Zetsu thought that made sense. Besides, I wasn't created by Madara; I was created by Mother. Mother was a god who fused all seven natures: Yin, Yang, Fire, Wind, Lightning, Water, and Earth. What can a mere Tsuchikage do to my body?
Obito ignored the matter of Black Zetsu's body. He said, "Iwagakure hunted down and killed the Kumo and Suna ninja stationed in those smaller countries. Is there any movement from the Raikage or the Kazekage?"
Black Zetsu shook his head. "The three Kage haven't even returned to their respective villages yet, so even if they were to react, it wouldn't be this fast."
"Besides, all three suffered a major loss this time. Kumo's perfect Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii, is dead. They won't dare to declare war on Iwagakure directly."
Obito was somewhat regretful; he had been looking forward to seeing the three great villages besiege Iwagakure.
After thinking, Obito asked, "Did we successfully blame the Gedo Statue incident on the Akatsuki?"
Black Zetsu replied, "White Zetsu already handled it. Judging by the expressions of the Hokage and Kazekage, they believed it. At the very least, they know you are connected to the Akatsuki Organization."
Just then, a White Zetsu clone emerged from the ground. "We just received news. The Akatsuki Organization is hosting a joint Chunin Exam."
"Yahiko has already started sending invitations to every village. We've determined that Yahiko plans to invite every ninja village in the world to the Land of Rivers for the exam."
"The official start date for the joint Chunin Exam is set for one month from now."
Obito frowned, confused. "What is Yahiko trying to do? He's hosting a Chunin Exam? Will anyone even attend?"
Black Zetsu pondered. "Perhaps the Tsuchikage and Yahiko have already been in contact. The Tsuchikage has likely already agreed."
"With Iwagakure participating, even if none of the other great villages attend, that's enough momentum for the Akatsuki."
The White Zetsu clone spoke again: "Kiri will definitely attend. Yahiko is offering the Blast Sword Shibuki as one of the prizes for the top five finishers."
"Shibuki? Yahiko has other Seven Swords?" Obito asked skeptically. "I remember Jūzō Biwa... he defected from Kiri with the Kubikiribōchō (Executioner's Blade), right?"
As the former puppet master of Kirigakure, Obito paid close attention to the Seven Swords. It was precisely because the swords were missing that the Fourth Mizukage under his control, Yagura Karatachi, had his influence decimated, leading to him being isolated and marginalized by Elder Genshi and the bloodline clans.
Black Zetsu explained: "After Jūzō Biwa died, the Kubikiribōchō originally fell into Konoha's hands, but Konoha subsequently suffered a major defeat."
"Whether the sword was recovered by the remaining Konoha ninja, taken by the Tsuchikage, or retrieved by the Akatsuki, we don't know."
"When the Konoha Genin, Might Duy, killed four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Shibuki and three other blades were lost."
"Based on our intel analysis, the person most likely to have taken the Seven Swords is the Tsuchikage."
Obito frowned. "Why is it him again? What is he doing offering one of the swords as a prize?"
Black Zetsu said: "It must be to ensure Kiri participates in this joint Chunin Exam, to deepen the alliance between Iwa and Kiri. No, wait, and the Akatsuki. It's to deepen the alliance between the three parties."
"The alliance between Konoha, Suna, and Kumo is now a foregone conclusion. The Tsuchikage is also desperate to find allies."
Obito nodded, murmuring, "One month..."
He looked at his own condition, calculating how much he could recover in a month.
Black Zetsu knew what Obito was thinking and sighed internally. Obito's mentality and strength were far inferior to Madara's. He began to doubt if Madara's plan could proceed smoothly.
Should I find a different collaborator? Black Zetsu mused.
A few days later, the three Kage, having returned to their villages, all received invitations from the Akatsuki Organization.
Although the Akatsuki's territories, the Land of Rivers and the Land of Rain, weren't considered great nations, the high command of every major village knew the sheer number of top-tier fighters the Akatsuki possessed.
Therefore, the invitations were taken seriously and quickly reached the desks of the respective Kage.
The Fourth Raikage, who had lost an arm, looked at the personal letter from Yahiko and said to his newly appointed young assistant, "Mabui, has the Intelligence Division reviewed this? What do they say? Will Iwa and Kiri attend?"
Mabui replied: "Iwa will definitely attend. This incident was likely orchestrated by the Tsuchikage himself. Without the Tsuchikage's backing, the Akatsuki couldn't possibly host a joint Chunin Exam."
"Kiri will also certainly attend, as the Akatsuki has offered one of the Seven Ninja Swords, the Blast Sword Shibuki, as one of the prizes."
The Fourth Raikage thought for a moment. "Did the Akatsuki provide detailed arrangements for the exam?"
Mabui shook her head. "No details were mentioned, but we can guess the general structure."
"The Akatsuki's purpose in hosting a joint Chunin Exam must be to enhance their reputation. They won't randomly change the standard examination process."
"The specific content might change, but the main structure shouldn't. Otherwise, the various celebrities and Daimyo attending will be dissatisfied."
The Fourth Raikage nodded, lost in thought.
Seeing this, Mabui asked, "Lord Raikage, a message arrived from the Kazekage. He has also returned safely to Sunagakure."
"Their Suna forces in the Land of Bears and other nations were also wiped out by Iwa."
"Lord Rasa is asking if Kumo intends to go to war with Iwa."
The Fourth Raikage shook his head. "Konoha will not participate in an invasion of the Land of Earth. Just the two of us against Iwagakure... we hold no advantage."
"Yugito is dead, and the Two-Tails has dissipated. Starting a war now is too disadvantageous for us."
Mabui nodded and said no more.
In Konoha Village, Tsunade dropped Kakashi—who was still struggling to even move—at the hospital before heading to the Hokage Tower to convene a high-level meeting.
Tsunade began by detailing the experience of their "two-day trip" to the Land of Hot Water to the gathered leadership, including Danzō. Shikaku Nara, who had returned earlier, filled in the gaps where needed.
Danzō hadn't attended a high-level meeting in a long time. First, it was because he had forcibly taken the Seven-Tails and was avoiding Tsunade, fearing she would use her authority as Hokage to pressure him into returning it. Afterward, Root had not yet been fully rebuilt, and he felt he lacked the standing to speak, so he avoided the meetings.
This time, with Root rebuilt and Tsunade having just returned from a failed external mission, Danzō felt he could finally make an appearance.
But this meeting felt uncomfortable for Danzō.
He looked at the attendees. Hiruzen Sarutobi was absent.
That's right; Hiruzen had already resigned from his advisor position.
Danzō felt a sense of loneliness, an emptiness in his heart.
As a result, he seemed absent-minded regarding whatever Tsunade said afterward. Even when Tsunade mentioned she had agreed to an alliance with Suna and Kumo without consulting the elders, Danzō showed no dissatisfaction.
With the most troublesome topic over, Tsunade breathed a sigh of relief. While she wasn't afraid of Danzō, she didn't want to argue with the old fossils every time they met.
Next, Tsunade asked about the village's situation during her absence.
Koharu Utatane said, "The Uchiha clan has been quiet recently. We heard Fugaku Uchiha is training Izumi Uchiha, the one who awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan."
"Just as Shisui said, the Uchiha clan is unlikely to rebel until Izumi has fully matured."
Tsunade and Shikaku Nara nodded, both relieved. While in the Land of Hot Water, their biggest worry had been the situation back home, terrified the Uchiha would suddenly go insane.
Fortunately, Fugaku remained calm.
Konoha's leadership wasn't afraid of the Uchiha scheming; they were afraid of the Uchiha snapping and launching an immediate rebellion without warning.
Mentioning the Uchiha finally snapped Danzō out of his fond memories of Hiruzen.
He said, "The Uchiha clan is now almost entirely composed of extremists. Tsunade, prepare for the worst."
After a pause, Danzō continued: "I recommend a preemptive strike. Starting now, Root and Anbu must undergo adaptive training against the Sharingan."
"Use Kakashi as the trainer; his Sharingan is perfect for it."
Tsunade thought, Which part of that woke you up?
But she replied: "Acceptable. However, Kakashi overused his Sharingan this time and needs to recover. We can have Shisui substitute."
"Shisui loves this village; he is an inheritor of the Will of Fire. He is trustworthy. I will explain to him that this is to prepare for the possibility of his clan rebelling; I am sure he will agree."
"Furthermore, isn't Itachi Uchiha in Root? Is he trustworthy right now?"
Danzō recalled the young Uchiha who even he found difficult to read. "Itachi Uchiha is not yet completely worthy of trust."
Tsunade nodded, choosing her words carefully. "Advisor Danzō, when you go to visit sensei, perhaps you could bring Itachi along. Give sensei some time to speak with him as well."
Danzō glanced at Tsunade, realizing she wasn't trying to seize control of Itachi from him. He replied, "Understood."
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