As time went on, the invitations were delivered to the leaders of the various hidden villages by Konoha ninja...
Among the smaller villages, Amegakure, Kusagakure, and Takigakure all indicated they would send participants.
Yugakure, led by its pacifist faction and with its diminished strength, had no interest in fighting and politely declined.
Sunagakure, needless to say, as an ally, had no reason to refuse.
Iwagakure and Kumogakure also agreed to send participants.
Unlike the original Chūnin Exams where Konoha was in an unprecedented period of weakness, leading Iwagakure and Kumogakure to look down on it and not even bother sending anyone to probe, this world was different.
With the powerful combatants Kageyama Kogetsu and Kushina, Konoha could not be underestimated, and both Iwagakure and Kumogakure were interested in testing its strength.
Kirigakure, Mizukage Tower, Mizukage's Office.
Obito, controlling the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, finished reading the scroll from Konoha and gave his reply.
"Agree to participate."
"Go and relay my orders. Select the strongest, most cruel, bloodthirsty, and ruthless Genin and send them to Konoha."
"Have them target the Hokage's three god-sons during the Chūnin Exams at all costs, and kill as many Konoha Genin as possible."
"If the opportunity arises, don't spare the Genin from other villages either."
Stirring up trouble within Kirigakure alone was no longer enough to satisfy Obito. He wanted Kirigakure to offend as many other villages as possible.
This would lead to Kirigakure ninja being targeted by various forces the moment they set foot on the continent.
If someone were to start a war against Kirigakure, that would be... absolutely perfect!
"Yes, Lord Mizukage," said Jūzō Biwa, wearing a Kirigakure ANBU mask, in a deep voice.
Because Kirigakure had not obtained the Byakugan, no one in the village had discovered that Yagura was being controlled. Naturally, Jūzō Biwa had not died from taking a Tailed Beast Bomb to the face with his sword.
To facilitate his control over Kirigakure and its ANBU, Obito had brought the formerly rogue ninja Jūzō Biwa back into the village.
Jūzō Biwa was now both a member of the Akatsuki and the deputy head of the Kirigakure ANBU. In the Akatsuki, he was partnered with the same rogue ninja who was killed from behind by Kakuzu in the anime.
"Go."
"Yes."
...
Land of Wind, Sunagakure, Kazekage's Office.
Swoosh. A Suna ninja in an ANBU uniform suddenly appeared in the office, kneeling on one knee to report.
"Lord Kazekage, someone has sent a letter for you through ANBU intelligence channels, specifying that you must open it personally."
"ANBU has already inspected it. It is an ordinary letter with no tricks."
Rasa, wearing the Kazekage hat and robes, his features slightly sinister, looked up upon hearing the report and extended his hand.
"Bring it here."
"Yes."
The ANBU ninja stood up, walked over, and presented the letter with both hands.
Rasa opened the scroll and read it, a look of surprise on his face.
"You are dismissed."
"Yes, Lord Kazekage."
That day, Rasa left work early. Accompanied by his guards, he secretly left Sunagakure and arrived at the foot of a barren mountain east of the village.
Seeing his target had arrived, Orochimaru, along with Kimimaro Kaguya and Kabuto Yakushi, emerged from the side...
"Orochimaru, what method do you have to help Sunagakure break free from its treaty with Konoha?" Rasa asked with a serious expression.
"Hehe, we are old acquaintances, after all. Aren't you going to reminisce a little?" Orochimaru chuckled lightly.
During the Third Great Ninja War, the two had fought many times, clashing in both combat and strategy. They were indeed "old acquaintances."
Rasa's face was cold. "What is there to reminisce about with you?"
"Speak directly. As the Kazekage, I am very busy."
"Having lost the position of Hokage and founded a small village, you wouldn't understand."
Heh heh... This Rasa really has a foul mouth. He truly deserves to die. I almost want to do it myself.
Never mind. I'll let you live a little longer. When the time comes, I'll kill you and turn you into a puppet I can control at will.
Though Orochimaru was sneering inwardly, he maintained a smile on his face, seemingly unbothered by the taunt.
"Since Lord Kazekage is an impatient man, I'll get straight to the point."
"You're aware that Konoha is holding a joint Chūnin Exam, correct?"
"Mm," Rasa nodded slightly, then his expression shifted. "You mean to cause trouble during the exams?"
"Correct. I, too, am dissatisfied with Konoha's military coercion and the unequal treaty."
"Therefore, I propose that Otogakure and Sunagakure form a secret alliance and pull off something big!" Orochimaru said with a fierce look.
"Interesting. Tell me your thoughts," Rasa said, his interest piqued.
He had long been dissatisfied with Sunagakure's current situation.
Konoha was bleeding Sunagakure dry, and the funding from the Land of Wind's government was decreasing year by year, forcing him, the Kazekage, to occasionally work as a gold panner to supplement the village's expenses.
The exhaustion was one thing; the key was the loss of face. It was quite humiliating.
Forget the other four Kage; even the leaders of small villages didn't have to go out and work personally!
He had to break free from both of these constraints!
Since the current Daimyō was becoming increasingly stingy with Sunagakure, he might as well be replaced.
The plan was already in motion. The Land of Wind Daimyō would almost certainly go to Konoha to join the festivities.
Major events in the ninja world like this were always an opportunity for the daimyō, nobles, and officials of various countries to set up betting pools and make money.
With nothing important to do and being bored, it would be strange if the Land of Wind Daimyō didn't go.
Many villages would likely participate in the joint Chūnin Exams. When the time came, he could just frame a ninja village from another country.
The choice for the new Daimyō needed careful consideration. He had to pick someone who was either favorable towards Sunagakure or had a personality that was easy to manipulate.
If Orochimaru's idea was highly feasible, he might be able to break free from both constraints very soon!
Orochimaru smiled and spoke eloquently.
"First, before the Chūnin Exams begin, we must dispatch as many of our elite ninja as possible into the Land of Fire from various directions and through various means."
"Then, some will infiltrate Konoha and lie in wait, while others will remain on standby outside the village."
"The joint Chūnin Exams will inevitably attract many spectators, which will make it easier for our ninja to blend into the Land of Fire and Konoha."
Rasa nodded slightly, indicating both his approval and for Orochimaru to continue.
"Next, when the exams are at their most exciting and have everyone's attention, our forces will launch a surprise attack. The forces outside Konoha will attack immediately upon receiving the signal."
"An attack from both inside and out will surely deal a heavy blow to Konoha."
"If we can eliminate the promising talents from other villages, we can not only reduce future war pressure but also use the other villages to pressure Konoha."
"We can then threaten war and present our conditions. Besieged from within and without, how could Konoha refuse?"
"If we play our cards right, we can not only break free from the treaty but perhaps even tear off a fat piece of meat from Konoha for ourselves."
Rasa's eyes lit up, and he said with deep conviction, "That makes sense."
"To ensure the plan's success, both you and I will need to go to Konoha personally."
"Being there in person will boost our subordinates' confidence and allow us to make decisions and adapt to the situation."
"Furthermore, we must tie up Konoha's top experts, or the chances of success will be extremely low."
"Although Konoha has more experts, we will have no restraints and can use our power freely. They, on the other hand, will have to hold back to avoid collateral damage. Protecting ourselves shouldn't be a big problem."
"Lord Kazekage, do you have the courage to participate personally?" Orochimaru asked with a half-smile.
Rasa snorted coldly, his face stern. "Hmph, why wouldn't I dare?"
"For this plan, I am willing to send my youngest son, the Jinchūriki, to Konoha to increase our chances of victory."
"This is my sincerity. What is yours?"
Orochimaru smiled. "Lord Kazekage is indeed a man of great courage."
"My sincerity is my old subordinates in Konoha. A portion of them remain loyal to me, my die-hard followers."
"A few of them have managed to climb to high positions and have access to the procedures of the joint Chūnin Exams and are familiar with various locations in Konoha."
"I will tell them that I am returning to seize the position of Hokage, not to execute the Konoha Crush Plan."
Rasa smiled. "Good. I can feel your sincerity."
"The Konoha Crush Plan... there's nothing wrong with it. A good name, too!"
"Although our power is limited and it will be difficult to truly crush Konoha, if other forces seize the opportunity after our plan, it might not be impossible for Konoha to truly fall."
"Now that the general plan is set, let's perfect it and add the various details."
Heh heh... He took the bait.
This matter really did require him to be the one to do it for Rasa to fall for it so easily, because from Rasa's perspective, his motive was strong.
"Good," Orochimaru said with a faint smile.
Two hours later, the two parties went their separate ways, disappearing into the cold, dark desert...
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