Akatsuchi and Kitsuchi understood perfectly well what deploying Ninja forces represented.
War?
Both of them gently shook their heads, momentarily dismissing the thought. While the Fourth Ninja World War was bound to happen sooner or later,
in their opinion, it wasn't the right time yet. Some time had passed since the Third Ninja World War, but the strength of each Village had not recovered to its pre-war peak.
If another two or three years passed, and the new generation of Ninja had grown, then it might be possible.
As for now, unless there was a sufficiently large benefit, no Ninja Village would enter the fray prematurely.
"Go quickly!"
Seeing the confused expressions on Akatsuchi and Kitsuchi's faces, Ōnoki had no intention of explaining and spoke impatiently.
"Yes, Tsuchikage-sama!"
Akatsuchi and Kitsuchi's expressions became serious, and they spoke respectfully, turning to leave.
It wasn't until their figures completely disappeared that the calm expression on Ōnoki's face was replaced by one of confusion, and he murmured to himself:
"What could possibly interest those Cloud Ninja Village fellows?"
Under Yūto's covert instigation, the entire Ninja World, unknowingly, saw all Five Great Shinobi Countries enter the game.
As for the other small Ninja Villages, Yūto didn't care, and neither did the other Ninja Villages.
Currently, on the chessboard called the Ninja World, only five players could participate in the game. The other small Ninja Villages didn't even have the qualifications to sit at the table.
Even the current Akatsuki didn't have the qualifications to sit at the table.
Mount Myōboku!
One of the legendary Three Great Sage Lands.
This was a place within Mount Myōboku, similar to a temple.
An old Toad, several meters tall and orange-bodied, sat on the huge throne dedicated to it, dozing off.
This old Toad was the patriarch of Mount Myōboku, an existence known as the Toad Sage.
Its aged body could not make people ignore the powerful Chakra within the Toad Sage.
"How much longer is the Toad Sage going to sleep?" Jiraiya looked at Fukasaku beside him with a helpless expression.
If Fukasaku hadn't told him that the Toad Sage had an important prophecy, Jiraiya would have long since slipped away.
He had only just begun his writing when Fukasaku reverse-summoned him.
Fukasaku raised his head and glared at Jiraiya, remaining silent.
Seeing this, Jiraiya could only sigh helplessly.
Just as Jiraiya thought he would have to wait for a while, the previously drowsy Toad Sage slowly opened its eyes.
"Little Jiraiya is here."
A deep yet gentle voice came from above, making Jiraiya's spirit lift, and he quickly looked up.
"Toad Sage, is there a new prophecy? Is it about the Child of Prophecy?" Jiraiya quickly asked, his expression serious.
Hearing Jiraiya's words, the Toad Sage was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke:
"I did not foresee anything about the Child of Prophecy. However, just now in my dream, I saw fragments of Konoha engulfed in war."
"Konoha engulfed in war?"
Jiraiya's face showed a shocked expression, and he was momentarily stunned.
"Toad Sage, then..." Jiraiya quickly tried to ask again, but stopped halfway through his sentence.
At this moment, the Toad Sage had already fallen back into slumber, clearly not providing Jiraiya with an answer.
"When will the Toad Sage awaken next?" Jiraiya turned his head to look at Fukasaku beside him, his expression serious.
"I don't know. Perhaps in a while, perhaps in a long time." Fukasaku shook his head, also wearing a helpless expression.
"Is that so? It seems I'll have to return to Konoha in advance."
Jiraiya frowned. Naturally, he took the Toad Sage's prophecy seriously.
Konoha Village being engulfed in war, no matter how he looked at it, was not a good prophecy.
Bang!
With a puff of white smoke, Jiraiya disappeared from the spot.
----
A very large entertainment venue.
The entire room was eerily quiet, with everyone's gaze fixed on a gambling table in the center of the room.
A beautiful blonde woman with two ponytails calmly looked at the chips on the table.
Opposite this blonde beauty sat a middle-aged man dripping with cold sweat.
"Open!"
Accompanied by the sound of a referee from the side.
The dice in both their hands were opened simultaneously.
The next moment, a loud clamor erupted throughout the room.
"She won again!"
"How is this possible? She played everything and didn't lose once!"
"All the money of everyone present was won by her. If anyone calls her the 'Legendary Big Loser' again, I'll kill them!"
Sounds of curses and clamor continuously came from the crowd.
But no one present dared to step forward and snatch back the chips that had already piled up into a small mountain on the table.
After all, the dozens of figures lying at the blonde beauty's feet were no joke.
"Lady Tsunade, we're rich!"
Shizune looked at the chips piled into a small mountain on the table, her eyes full of stars, and spoke excitedly.
Tonton, held in Shizune's arms, also let out two soft grunts.
However, compared to Shizune's excited face, Tsunade's face was rather calm, even with a hint of displeasure between her brows.
"Shizune, how many rounds have we won?" Tsunade asked with a subtle tone.
Shizune was slightly stunned. She hadn't really counted. After thinking for a moment, she said uncertainly:
"It must be dozens of rounds. Since we entered this shop, Lady Tsunade hasn't lost once."
Bang!
As Shizune's words fell, Tsunade suddenly stood up and turned to walk out of the shop.
"Lady Tsunade, the money!"
Shizune was momentarily stunned, letting out a cry of surprise, even dropping Tonton directly onto the ground. She quickly hugged the chips from the table into her arms.
At the same time, Shizune showed a fierce expression and said to the onlookers:
"If any of you dare to think about our money, beware, I'll kill you!"
After speaking, Shizune exchanged all the chips on the table for money, put them into two suitcases, and quickly chased in the direction Tsunade had gone.
----
Meanwhile, Yūto, the instigator, was not in Kirigakure. Instead, he appeared on a street in Konoha Village.
There were bustling crowds, various shops on both sides of the road, and merchants pulling goods ready to sell, a scene of prosperity.
It must be said that Konoha, as the most prosperous of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, was indeed incomparable to the newly developed Kirigakure.
Looking at the bustling Konoha before him, Yūto had a gentle smile on his face, and in a voice only he could hear, he softly said:
"This game has already begun."
Ranmaru followed closely by Yūto's side, curiously surveying his surroundings. At the same time, his gaze occasionally fell on the turtle with its tail cocked on Yūto's shoulder.
Perhaps due to the start of the Chunin Exams, there was a large flow of people entering and exiting Konoha during this period. Yūto and Ranmaru easily entered Konoha with a merchant caravan without much inspection.