"Konoha's side, reinforcements have arrived?"
"Is it that Minato Namikaze? I heard he utterly defeated Iwagakure, completely overturning their invasion plan, and that old thing Ōnoki was forced to order a retreat."
At the Kumogakure base, the Fourth Raikage, son of the Third Raikage who succeeded him after his death, received the latest news. He punched the table, appearing exceptionally excited.
Mabui, standing nearby, had to rub her temples, looking exhausted.
"Lord Raikage, what do you intend to do?" As one of the Third Raikage's most trusted advisors, Dodai had undoubtedly become an aide to the new Raikage, responsible for offering advice and restraining the impulsive Raikage.
All past Raikage had been rather impetuous.
And the Fourth Raikage was undoubtedly a standout, but this didn't mean he was a brainless brute. He was just very young at this time and prone to making mistakes.
Dodai certainly didn't want this Lord Raikage to follow in the footsteps of the previous Raikage, his own father.
"What to do?"
The Fourth Raikage said fiercely, "Fight!"
Seeing this, Dodai knew what to say.
"Lord Raikage, we are in a standoff with Konoha in the Land of Frost. The forces on both sides are similar, but we have an advantage because we have you—and Killer Bee!"
Tailed Beast!
This was Kumogakure's trump card.
The Fourth Raikage felt very pleased listening to this, and couldn't help but nod. "You're right. Konoha's front lines don't have any major figures. Orochimaru is fighting Sunagakure in the Land of Rivers, Jiraiya seems to be there as well, and Tsunade is nowhere to be found. She appeared on the Hidden Mist battlefield before, but now..."
Just as the Fourth Raikage was speaking, Samui quickly walked in, interrupting him.
"She's on the front lines now."
"Tsunade has arrived at the front lines, accompanied by Uchiha Bai Mu, that Uchiha Clan genius who killed the Third Mizukage!"
Dodai's expression changed upon hearing this, and his brows furrowed tightly. "Tsunade has come to the front lines?"
And not just Tsunade, but also that Uchiha Bai Mu?
To be able to kill the Third Mizukage, his strength must be considerable.
Don't say the Third Mizukage was old.
That was a Kage!
"Is the information accurate?"
Mabui quickly asked.
Samui nodded and replied, "The information is accurate; it has been confirmed."
"If that's the case, then it's truly troublesome." Dodai looked worried, deeply concerned that the arrival of Tsunade and Bai Mu would cause some trouble for Kumogakure.
It would be tricky to handle; that was Princess Tsunade, one of the Sannin!
"Hmph, he's just a brat. As for Tsunade... I admit she's a medical expert, but in combat? She's not good enough."
The Fourth Raikage showed a dismissive expression, not putting Bai Mu in his eyes at all. As for Tsunade, he only acknowledged the power of her medical Ninjutsu, but for combat, he thought otherwise.
"Lord Raikage, Tsunade should not be underestimated." Dodai immediately got a headache upon hearing this, thinking, 'Like father, like son; you two are exactly alike, but she cannot be underestimated.'
Princess Tsunade is absolutely not weak!
Also, that Uchiha Bai Mu is truly strange.
"Alright, Dodai, don't tell me these things. For now, let's understand Konoha's movements. Since reinforcements have arrived, let's see how many people there are!"
The Fourth Raikage waved his hand, signaling Dodai to stop talking, and looked at Samui, instructing, "Samui, continue!"
Samui said expressionlessly, "Only Tsunade, Uchiha Bai Mu, and two unidentified women. According to intelligence sent by our top-secret spies, only four people have currently arrived at Konoha's main base."
"Only four people?"
The Fourth Raikage found it hard to believe.
Are you messing with me? Or is there a problem with our spies? Konoha's reinforcements are only four people? What about the Uchiha Clan Ninja?
If Uchiha people came, it's impossible for there to be only one Uchiha. Most likely, there would be other Uchiha Ninja, but there aren't any? Is Konoha out of people?
No, that's impossible. Konoha has plenty of people.
In this situation, only four reinforcements? This isn't right!
Four people, that's just one squad. Even if it's Tsunade and a so-called talented Uchiha genius, they are too young.
What's so great about killing the Third Mizukage?
The Third Mizukage was just a dying old man; his death only means he was weak. But our Kumogakure is not like that. Do they dare call four people reinforcements?
Hmph, incredibly audacious... oh, no, it's arrogant!
"Yes, Lord Raikage, although I am also very surprised, after repeated confirmation, the intelligence is accurate," Samui sighed softly and said slowly.
At this moment, a Jonin named Dosab asked the Fourth Raikage, "Lord Raikage, if it's true, what should we do?"
"What to do?"
The Fourth Raikage's face was grim, extremely ugly.
He said in a deep voice, "Yugito has already infiltrated the Land of Hot Water. Konoha's supply line needs to be destroyed!"
Let's give them a warning shot first!
Currently, we don't know what adjustments Tsunade's arrival will bring to Konoha's frontline army, so let's give Konoha's main forces a little appetizer.
"Fourth Raikage, Konoha's supply lines are protected by secure outposts, with at least three squads guarding each. I'm worried if we let Yugito attack, I'm afraid..."
Mabui immediately grew worried upon hearing this, believing that it would be difficult for Yugito alone to destroy Konoha's supply lines.
"She is a Jinchuriki, and she has three squads under her command, all elites among elites. Just trust her."
The Fourth Raikage chose to trust Yugito, reiterating that it must be done this way.
A warning shot, it must be given!
It's absolutely necessary.
Mabui sighed inwardly at the situation. It was unstoppable, so she could only compromise and accept it. She couldn't very well argue anymore, could she?
Didn't she see that even Darui didn't say anything?
Clearly, knowing it couldn't be stopped, he didn't try to stop it.
"Also, I will personally lead a team to meet Princess Tsunade of Konoha," the Fourth Raikage decided to take the field himself, leading a team of Ninja to probe their strength.
Although the Fourth Raikage claimed Tsunade was useless and only good at medical Ninjutsu, he said this to boost his own people's morale. In reality, he took her very seriously.
How could Princess Tsunade, one of the Sannin, be without power?
The Fourth Raikage, though impetuous and seemingly a brute, was not actually so. He knew very well that Konoha had many talented people. Even if some had fallen over the years... Uchiha Bai Mu was another genius, and even the Third Mizukage, an Kage, was ultimately killed.
Therefore, the Fourth Raikage knew very well that Konoha had sent four people as reinforcements, and there must be some deeper meaning behind it. So, it was necessary to understand the true situation.
As soon as the Fourth Raikage finished speaking, Darui frowned and said, "Fourth Raikage, should we wait a bit longer? Act after we have more specific intelligence? I think we should still wait for information from Konoha and understand the enemy's movements."
Samui held the same view, so she immediately added, "Yes, Fourth Raikage, I also suggest waiting a bit longer."
"No, I have decided. We must probe them," however, the Fourth Raikage was unwilling and resolute, his tone exceptionally firm.
"Fourth Raikage, since you are so determined, I naturally cannot stop you, but we must not be careless in selecting personnel," Darui knew he couldn't stop the Fourth Raikage, so he had to make efforts in other areas.
"I know. Killer B will act with me, and I'll call up three more squads, a total of twelve elites. How about that?" The Fourth Raikage understood Darui's meaning; he absolutely could not risk going alone again, so he absolutely had to bring Kumogakure Ninja.
He paused, then gave a solemn order: "Darui, you and Samui stay behind to manage the overall situation."
...Konoha camp.
Tsunade, Bai Mu, Esdeath, and Alice Lize gathered in the tent to discuss tomorrow's actions.
"Shikaku should inform the Old Man, so tomorrow's actions might be leaked. Although our intention is to make Kumogakure gather its elites to fight us, if the intelligence is leaked, it means some people within Konoha are putting their own interests above the Village's."
In reality, Tsunade didn't want to see such a thing happen, but her intuition told her it was inevitable.
Hiruzen Sarutobi would certainly tacitly approve, and the one to execute it... undoubtedly, Danzo Shimura!
Bai Mu glanced at Tsunade upon hearing this, and said meaningfully, "Tsunade, your understanding of the Third Hokage is quite accurate. However, our Hokage won't do it himself; he'll still instruct his black-gloved man to do it. He definitely needs to maintain his glorious image and can't expose himself like that."
"Anbu members came to assassinate you; I don't think that glorious image can still exist," Alice Lize snorted, very displeased about the matter.
"It's very easy to push the blame onto others, for example, the Hidden Cloud Village!" Esdeath said indifferently, crossing her arms.
A ready-made scapegoat!
For politicians, a son is certainly important, but what's more important is themselves. So, even though Sarutobi Miroku died, for Hiruzen Sarutobi, it was certainly a son's murder, an irreconcilable enmity.
But before he had absolute certainty, he shouldn't act rashly. And this time was an opportunity; Bai Mu had arrived on Kumogakure's battlefield... the danger factor was even higher.
Alice Lize just felt that so-called politicians were truly disgusting. They were deceiving themselves, right?
Yes, in her opinion, they were deceiving themselves. They clearly sent people to assassinate, but because the assassination failed, they pretended nothing happened.
As for how to explain it... Heh heh, blame the enemy, that's the simplest.
Kumogakure just happened to be the best scapegoat. So, this truly disgusted Alice Lize, making her feel sick, thinking they should all be slaughtered.
"By your meaning, if Bai Mu returns, he won't continue to cause trouble? And this matter will be dropped, because the Konoha higher-ups will directly push the blame onto Kumogakure. Is that what you mean?"
Esdeath pouted upon hearing this, thinking, 'You, this Princess, aren't some naive fool. You've been on the battlefield, why do you still insist on being so innocent?'
Although this is political, what does it matter?
Me, I never pay attention. Anyway, it has nothing to do with me.
Because my way of dealing with things is the simplest. Generally, as long as they don't provoke me, nothing happens. But if they provoke me, it's kill without mercy!
She said indifferently, "You already know, so why say it? Saying it only makes you seem very innocent!"
"I'm not innocent!"
Alice Lize corrected this statement. She didn't think she was innocent. 'You, Esdeath, don't just randomly label me.'
"Yes, yes, yes."
Esdeath waved her hand, saying very perfunctorily.
Alice Lize frowned slightly, not very satisfied with this. She was just very unhappy, in a terrible mood.
Of course, Tsunade was not in the mood to watch them perform. Instead, she wanted to know Bai Mu's next plan, whether he would immediately cause trouble once the Ninja World War ended and they returned to the Village.
"Right, when the war ends, are you going to cause trouble immediately?"
"We'll see then. You have to eat one bite at a time. I still have time," Bai Mu didn't reveal any plans, but admitted he would take it slowly.
Tsunade felt that Bai Mu wasn't telling the truth, but the problem was that asking again seemed pointless. She knew Bai Mu wouldn't say too much, so asking was in vain... Oh, wait, there was one thing she could ask.
Thinking of this, Tsunade directly asked, saying, "You said before that Uchiha Madara was alive and was choosing so-called pawns, eyeing someone called... Oh, right, Uchiha Obito. This guy just died."
Bai Mu shook his head and said, "He's not dead. Uchiha Madara saved him."
"He's really alive?"
Tsunade frowned slightly.
Bai Mu shrugged and said indifferently, "Of course, but he's barely clinging to life, which is why he needs pawns to do his bidding and then revive later."
"Revive?"
Tsunade's expression changed, and she immediately asked, "Is that really possible?"
Bai Mu explained, "The Rinnegan, didn't I tell you about it? There's a revival Ninjutsu. During the Second Great Ninja War, weren't you Sannin fighting Hanzō in the Land of Rain? At that time, Jiraiya met three brats, and one of them had the Rinnegan. Those were Uchiha Madara's eyes, and that guy was a vessel, used as a tool for revival. As for Uchiha Obito, he was chosen as the Eye of the Moon Plan executor, to act in place of Madara's deceased self, but he is ultimately just a pawn."
He paused, then added, "Of course, Uchiha Madara is also a pawn."
Tsunade: "..."
She fell silent for a moment, then sighed, raising a hand to rub her temples, feeling a bit exhausted.
Because the amount of information was a bit overwhelming, but she had to admit that Uchiha Madara was causing too much trouble. Even in this state, he still wanted to implement some Eye of the Moon Plan, and the problem was that what he pursued was peace?
Well, I don't even know what to say. And looking at the Ninja World after my Great-Grandfather's death, peace truly couldn't be maintained. It was originally suppressed by Great-Grandfather's powerful military might. No wonder Uchiha Madara didn't approve of such peace and wanted to pursue a new kind of peace, but this Eye of the Moon Plan, Infinite Tsukuyomi, is also very abstract.
Permanent peace!
Is he dreaming? This is truly outrageous.
Uchiha Madara, can he be made to realize that this is false? No, such a person won't be persuaded, unless he is defeated like my Great-Grandfather... three...