"Just as expected, that idiot Sasori has put all his energy into that puppet."
Through the surveillance feed, Jigen observed Sasori's movements.
He found that the other side was indeed doing exactly what he had predicted—devoting himself entirely to puppet production, while the children gathered from everywhere were all handed over to his subordinates for training.
At this rate, when would he be able to find a vessel that truly matched the power of the Ōtsutsuki?
Furious, Jigen slammed the wineglass in his hand against the armrest.
Many ready-made vessels existed in the ninja world and could technically be used, but he still had to worry about whether their willpower was strong enough.
Otherwise, the Fourth Raikage A would have long since had a Kāma carved into him.
Although victory would ultimately be his, the time required to fully revive might be affected.
Jigen did not want uncertainty staining his plans.
"Amado, are you truly loyal to me, or…"
He pulled another glass of red wine out of the alternate space, adjusted his posture, choosing a more comfortable position.
He decided to test Amado.
...
Elsewhere—A, whom Jigen had just been thinking about, had already arrived in the Land of Wind.
The Sunagakure forces led by Pakura were overwhelmingly strong, and supported by artillery, they were about to break through the Land of Wind's daimyō residence.
At this moment, the daimyō of the Land of Wind resolved to fully cooperate with the Akatsuki Organization. Even if the future of mankind was to be lost, he would secure his own position and make those rebellious ninja pay the price.
"Fourth Raikage, I didn't expect you to be one of that organization's members."
The daimyō granted audience to A.
Compared to the way he behaved before the daimyō of the Land of Lightning, A's attitude was far worse here. He didn't even bother bending his waist.
Moments earlier, he had personally killed five Sunagakure jōnin and injured the Kazekage, Pakura, so his rudeness did not provoke the daimyō's displeasure.
At least on the surface, the daimyō did not make things difficult for him.
Only after A took his leave did the daimyō throw his own wineglass to the floor.
"That damned man—just a defeated loser under the Fifth Hokage, and he dares show that attitude to me!"
"But, Your Highness, he just repelled Pakura's offensive."
Seeing his lord furious, the minister quickly tried to calm him.
"Hmph, let him off for now."
At these words, the daimyō instinctively recalled that attack by Rasa.
Pakura had slain the terrifying Rasa, which already proved her strength.
But A had defeated Pakura; one had to admit, Sunagakure's ninja truly were useless.
In the daimyō's mind, their strength ranked like this: Shimura Takeshi > A > Pakura > Rasa.
Therefore Konoha was indeed the strongest village, and suppressing Sunagakure had been the correct decision.
His only mistake had been failing to destroy Sunagakure in time, leaving Konoha with a bargaining chip. Because of this, he now found himself fighting a war on two fronts.
"According to intelligence from the Akatsuki Organization, Konoha seems unable to sit still anymore and has dispatched Namikaze Minato to support Sunagakure."
The minister conveyed the intelligence he had received.
"I don't want to hear it."
The daimyō frowned, impatiently waving his hand. With the help of his attendants, he left the hall.
The minister was long used to the daimyō's behavior. After watching him leave, he carried the intelligence to the army's supreme commander.
The man commanding the Land of Wind's army was someone called Taito. He had originally been a samurai of the Land of Iron, but unable to tolerate ninja behavior, he had devoted himself to protecting the daimyō.
"Taito, Namikaze Minato of Konoha is coming. How do you plan to deal with this?"
Hearing the enemy's name, Taito froze for a moment. A thoughtful expression quickly emerged on his weathered face.
The name Namikaze Minato was resounding throughout the ninja world. It didn't take him long to recall Minato's deeds.
"I understand. Once I've finished formulating a plan, I'll report to you."
For now, he had no good plan.
That he had managed to fight Sunagakure to a standstill with his men was already beyond expectations.
If not for A's timely support, the daimyō residence would have fallen days ago.
"Handle it as you see fit. His Highness has handed over all forces to your command. Don't betray his trust."
The minister waved his hand, dressing up the daimyō's irresponsibility as trust in Taito.
Seeing gratitude spread across the samurai's face—gratitude of a warrior ready to die for his confidant—the minister finally left, humming contentedly on the way out.
What made him so happy was simple: his servants had already informed him that all his assets had been converted into hard currency like gold and silver, and the escape route was prepared. Tonight, his entire family would flee this sinking ship called the Land of Wind.
However, the minister did not know that the escape route he had paid a fortune for was controlled by none other than the fearsome, unnamed "Kakuzu" known across the nobility.
"An order from the Land of Wind's chief minister? He's spending one hundred thousand ryō in gold right off the bat?"
Greed flickered in Kakuzu's eyes as he read the order from his subordinates.
"Heh… a big client like this must be handled personally."
Having fleeced the Land of Fields for a fortune, Kakuzu was far from satisfied. Using the Land of Fields as his base, he had begun extending his influence outward.
Now, his official identity had become the regent of the Land of Fields—second only to the daimyō.
Due to the ongoing wars, most people had overlooked this small country without ninja.
Thus, the Land of Fields was easily captured by Kakuzu.
Behind him, Tayuya—recommended by Takeshi—watched with glowing eyes, recording everything Kakuzu said and did.
She too was worn down by poverty; her childhood experiences had filled her with deep hatred toward the powerful.
Now that Takeshi had given her a chance for revenge, she would not waste it.
"Tayuya!"
"Yes!"
Kakuzu's roar broke her thoughts. She snapped to attention, ready for a scolding.
"How many times have I told you? Buy the cheapest notebooks! I know this brand—it's from Konoha. Twenty ryō for five!"
His face dark, Kakuzu snatched the notebook from her hands.
Then he pulled out his own little notebook from his robe.
"Look at this, produced in the Land of Water, price zero, a donation from the Land of Water to the Four Countries Alliance, actual cost only one of my fire jutsu."
Kakuto framed his theft as a legitimate transaction.
"Do you understand what to do from now on?"
"Yes, Lord Kakuto. From now on, I will lead others to carefully monitor aid teams from various countries, obtain sufficient resources for the organization, and never waste a single note!"