Chapter 457: Persuading the Akatsuki to Join the War
A month passed quickly, and the joint Chunin Exam hosted by the River Village finally began.
Besides the squad Ishiro brought, Iwagakure sent over a dozen more teams.
Kirigakure also arrived early, led by an elite jonin, with twenty squads in total. It was clear from the participants that Kiri had sent their high-quality genin squads.
Kiri was determined to win the Blast Sword Shibuki.
In addition, Konoha, Sunagakure, and Kumogakure all participated, sending between three and ten squads each.
Suna was led by an elite jonin-level puppet master.
Kumo's team leader was a sensory-type ninja Ishiro had seen in intelligence reports.
Konoha was even more extreme. Not only was their delegation led by a member of the Hyuga main family, but Ishiro also spotted an Aburame jonin and an Inuzuka jonin in Konoha's contingent.
Seeing this configuration, Ishiro didn't even need to guess their intentions.
They were definitely here for reconnaissance!
Ishiro observed from the shadows and did not reveal himself. The official person-in-charge for Iwa was Kanako. As an elite jonin and the Tsuchikage's disciple, her status was only higher, not lower, than that of the Hyuga branch member.
Regardless of Konoha's ill intentions, this was the most complete joint Chunin Exam to date.
All Five Great Shinobi Villages were present!
However, not many of the smaller villages attended. Most of them sensed the smell of war in the air and wanted no part of it. Only the smaller villages with good relations with Iwagakure sent teams.
As the first exam began, Ishiro was chatting with Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan in the River Village leader's office. Ishiro was analyzing the current situation for them.
"From the intelligence we have, Konoha, Suna, and Kumo are all here with malicious intent."
"They sent reconnaissance ninja to gather information, while the squads they actually sent to compete are average. They clearly aren't here for the exam itself."
"However, the fact they sent scouts means they won't make a move during the first exam. It's highly likely they will make their move during the third exam."
"We just can't confirm their specific objective yet."
"But we can start making some preparations."
Yahiko was worried. "Ishiro, is it really going to be war again? Didn't you just finish a battle not long ago?"
Ishiro shook his head. "Actually, this upcoming battle and the last one can be considered the same war."
"The reason we haven't achieved true peace between the Five Great Nations is because the last great war ended too quickly. The losses on all sides weren't significant enough, so no one has given up hope."
"Therefore, once this war breaks out, its intensity will definitely exceed the last one."
Yahiko nodded, dejected. As a war orphan, "war" was the last word he ever wanted to hear.
Ishiro said, "Yahiko, don't worry. If the three villages choose to attack your Land of Rivers, I will definitely persuade my village's high command to send troops to help you."
"If the three villages don't attack the Land of Rivers, I promise I won't let the flames of war spread here."
"I only hope that, when it comes to top-tier fighters, you can help us tie down some of theirs."
This was Ishiro's true purpose for coming to the River Village. Sparring with Nagato was just a bonus.
Knowing a great war was imminent, why would Ishiro, the Tsuchikage, abandon his village and run off to the River Village? It was irresponsible. It was treating the great shinobi war like a joke.
But no one, including Ōnoki, said a word against it. Why?
Because the Akatsuki Organization was worth pulling to their side!
Ōnoki and the others didn't expect the Akatsuki to dispatch their army. He only hoped Ishiro could persuade the Akatsuki to dispatch their Kage-level members to tie down at least two or three of the enemy's Kage.
If the Akatsuki could do that, Iwagakure and Kirigakure would have a high chance of winning this war.
Therefore, in the eyes of Ōnoki and the council, Ishiro's trip to the River Village was crucial. He had their full support.
Yahiko said, "Ishiro, who exactly is our enemy?"
He felt helpless. He also felt the unease; he could smell the gunpowder in the air, but he didn't even know who the enemy was.
Ishiro began his analysis for the three of them:
"The situation in the shinobi world is quite clear: Konoha, Suna, and Kumo are allied. Our Iwagakure, your Akatsuki Organization, and Kirigakure are also allies."
"Comparing the top-tier combatants, our side clearly has more."
"Kiri has three: the Mizukage, Mei Terumī, and Mangetsu Hōzuki."
"You have five: the three of you, plus Sasori and Kakuzu."
"Iwagakure has six: the Third (Ōnoki), myself, Ikura, Kawakita, Han, and Kitsuchi."
"So, our three factions together have 14 people. And that's not even counting Nagato's 'Super-Kage' strength."
"Nor does it count our village's Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Rōshi. Plus, Sōkai, that kid with the Mangekyo Sharingan, can also temporarily erupt with Kage-level power."
"The Konoha-Suna-Kumo alliance clearly has fewer."
"Suna only has three: the Kazekage (Rasa), Pakura, and Ryosuke."
"Kumo also only has three: the Raikage (A), Killer Bee, and Darui."
"Konoha is the tricky one. They have a lot of Kage-level fighters, seven in total: the Hokage (Tsunade), Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzō Shimura, Kakashi Hatake, Shisui Uchiha, Fugaku Uchiha... and Izumi Uchiha, who is in a similar situation to Sōkai."
"But those last two [Fugaku and Izumi] are not aligned with Konoha's leadership. Not only will they refuse to fight us, they will actually hold Konoha back."
"Konoha can deploy four at most, maybe even only three."
"So, even if Konoha calls Orochimaru back, their side only has eleven or twelve Kage-level fighters."
"With such a disparity in strength, under normal circumstances, they wouldn't dare start a war."
"But your Chunin Exam, hosted here in the River Village, is an opportunity for them."
"When the time comes, the three of you will likely not leave the River Village to protect it. If you don't participate in the war, they have a chance to win."
"And, since we don't want to break the peace, the initiative for the war lies with them."
"They can use sneak attacks to create a localized advantage on the battlefield."
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan listened to Ishiro list off the names, gaining a clearer understanding of the world situation.
Had the shinobi world unknowingly split into two opposing factions?
Finally, Yahiko said, "Ishiro, what should we do?"
Ishiro replied, "As we just analyzed, we have the advantage in Kage-level numbers."
"However, we also have disadvantages. A higher percentage of our Kage are newly promoted, more so than theirs. Furthermore, Sasori and Kakuzu are unstable elements."
"So, my idea is to have Sasori and Kakuzu go find trouble with Orochimaru. This removes those two unstable elements from the main war. It also eliminates one of Konoha's potential allies."
"Oh, right. Tell Kakuzu I will pay him a large bonus. If they successfully tie Orochimaru down, I'll pay him Orochimaru's full bounty."
"As the superior side, we need control. We don't need 'accidents'."
Nagato nodded. "No problem."
Ishiro sighed internally. Yahiko and Nagato are still children at heart. They agreed before I even told them what the Akatsuki gets out of this.
Ishiro continued: "In this war, we aim for stability. We will seek victory only after ensuring we cannot lose. We will not take risks."
"First, this Chunin Exam you are hosting must be a perfect success. This is crucial for elevating the River Village's status after the war."
"Second, the River Village's weakness is its regular army. Although everyone knows this, try not to expose it during this war. It's best if your regular shinobi army does not participate."
"If we achieve these two points, after the war, I will propose that the River Village be upgraded to the Sixth Great Shinobi Village. Yahiko will be the first Kage of the River. This way, the Akatsuki's ideals can truly become known throughout the shinobi world."
"Kage of the River sounds weird, you can pick the name yourselves."
The three were both excited and apprehensive. Konan asked, "Ishiro, will the other four great villages agree?"
Ishiro said, "If we win this war, there's a 50% chance they will agree."
"If we win, and we successfully host this joint Chunin Exam, giving the Akatsuki a strong reputation, the odds rise to at least 60%."
"And if, during this war, we can also concentrate our forces and crush one of the great villages, then I am at least 80% certain I can make the River Village the Sixth Great Shinobi Village."
Yahiko was silent for a long time, unable to calm himself. "Ishiro," he finally said, "you've thought so far ahead."
Ishiro smiled. "Although I'm the Tsuchikage now, and my position is better than yours, the enemies I face are also far more cunning."
"If I wasn't always cautious, what Hanzō did to you back then would have happened to me long ago."
"The people staring at me far outnumber those who were staring at you."
"A while ago, wasn't I plotted against by an Uchiha with a Mangekyo Sharingan?"
"He had a lot of intel on me. If I hadn't learned so many new jutsu in the last two years and disrupted his plans, I might not be here to see you."
Konan said worriedly, "Ishiro, you need to be more careful. Stop running all over the place when you don't have to."
Ishiro: ...
Even you guys know about my reputation for stirring up trouble?
Nagato spoke up. "Ishiro, besides having Sasori and Kakuzu tie up Orochimaru, what else do you need?"
Ishiro said, "As I mentioned, ensuring this Chunin Exam proceeds smoothly is a vital part of the plan, so the three of you should try not to leave the River Village."
"If needed, I hope the Six Paths of Pain can take action. Considering the Paths can't be too far from your main body, Nagato, they might need to go to the Land of Fire or the Land of Wind to deal with Konoha or Suna."
The three Akatsuki leaders looked at each other and nodded. As long as the war didn't reach the Land of Rivers, they could accept this.
Seeing this, Ishiro sighed in relief.
Before coming, he wasn't 100% sure this would work.
If he himself were in danger, getting them to help wouldn't be a problem. But asking the Akatsuki to expend effort for Iwagakure's sake was a different matter.
After all, Ishiro was planning for a great shinobi war, and the three of them hated war.
To successfully persuade them, Ishiro had switched the concepts, presenting the Iwa-Kiri-Akatsuki alliance—which hadn't actually been formalized—as an established fact.
He had also linked this great war to the promotion of the Akatsuki's ideals.
As for upgrading the River Village after the war, the three of them didn't really care about that. If Ishiro hadn't connected it to spreading the Akatsuki's philosophy of peace, they probably wouldn't have paid it any mind.
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