"Correct."
The Great Toad Sage nodded without hesitation.
"The Sage of Six Paths contacted me and told me to cooperate with you."
"Together, we are to suppress the strongest man in the shinobi world, the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren."
"And if possible, erase him completely."
"The Sage of Six Paths?"
The moment those words fell, Madara's expression changed.
A rare trace of shock appeared on his face.
He had not expected the Great Toad Sage to have come under the Sage of Six Paths' orders.
Unbelievable.
Truly unbelievable.
Wasn't the legendary Sage of Six Paths already dead?
How could he still issue orders to the Great Toad Sage?
But then again, even Madara himself had returned from death.
If the Sage of Six Paths had also faked his death, it was not impossible.
The older the schemer, the more dangerous he became.
The Sage of Six Paths had feigned death and hidden from the world, likely manipulating the shinobi world from the shadows all along.
Thinking of this, cold sweat appeared on Madara's forehead.
After all, the Sage of Six Paths definitely knew about his actions.
Including the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Perhaps from beginning to end, everything had been seen by that old ghost.
"What? The Sage of Six Paths?"
"Could it be that the Sage of Six Paths isn't dead? He can still command the Great Toad Sage?"
"This is too shocking. After the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren, rose to power, even the legendary Sage of Six Paths can no longer remain passive?"
"Excellent! If we can truly cooperate with the Sage of Six Paths, our chances of victory will increase greatly."
The camp immediately erupted into shocked discussion.
Many shinobi from Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Otogakure showed excitement.
This was the Sage of Six Paths.
He had actually sent the Great Toad Sage to cooperate with Madara.
Did that not mean even the Sage of Six Paths could no longer tolerate the Fifth Hokage's actions?
Was he finally going to move against Uchiha Ren?
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
In an instant, many shinobi from the three villages were filled with confidence.
They blindly believed in the legendary Sage of Six Paths.
In their minds, if the Sage of Six Paths acted, suppressing Uchiha Ren would be simple.
However, those shinobi had only seen the surface.
The Fourth Raikage, Ōnoki, Orochimaru, Hashirama, Tobirama, Minato, Sakumo, and the revived Kage understood more.
They seemed to realize something, and their expressions changed at once.
None of them were fools.
On the surface, the Great Toad Sage had come under the Sage of Six Paths' instructions to cooperate with Madara.
But did that not also mean that even the Sage of Six Paths did not dare to attack Uchiha Ren directly?
He could only rely on outside forces.
Otherwise, why would the Sage of Six Paths deliberately expose the fact that he was still alive?
Why would he instruct the Great Toad Sage to seek cooperation with Madara?
The more they thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
This was the Sage of Six Paths.
If even he did not dare openly attack Uchiha Ren, then how strong was the current strongest man in the shinobi world?
For a moment, the wrinkles on Ōnoki's forehead seemed to deepen.
"The situation in the shinobi world is becoming more and more complicated. How interesting. Even the Sage of Six Paths can no longer sit still?"
Orochimaru, who had remained silent until now, revealed a ghostly smile.
"The Sage of Six Paths is actually still alive. Does that mean my approach to research was wrong?"
After watching the Nine-Tails suffer social death, Orochimaru had already begun to admire Uchiha Ren deeply.
Now, even the supposedly dead Sage of Six Paths had begun interfering in the shinobi world by sending out the Great Toad Sage.
The situation was drifting further and further from any established path.
"This is unbelievable…"
Beside him, Kabuto lowered his head in fear.
Cold sweat unknowingly covered his forehead.
His heart was shaken by waves of shock.
The current situation had completely exceeded what he could handle.
The shinobi world was a maze of schemes within schemes.
Aside from the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Ren, it seemed everything else had been within the Sage of Six Paths' grasp.
Even Uchiha Madara.
"Brother, what do you think?"
Not far away, Tobirama frowned.
"The Sage of Six Paths and Mount Myōboku seem ready to move against the Fifth Hokage."
"Yes."
Minato nodded solemnly.
"Since the Sage of Six Paths sent the Great Toad Sage, it means he is preparing to attack Konoha."
"Even the Sage of Six Paths is involved now," Sakumo said seriously. "I wonder whether the Fifth Hokage can handle it."
"Relax. Trust the Fifth Hokage."
Hashirama did not seem too worried.
"If the Sage of Six Paths doesn't dare show himself, that means he lacks confidence."
"Otherwise, he could have simply acted personally and suppressed Uchiha Ren."
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