Obito cursed harshly.
Hundreds of reanimated ninja had been defeated so easily by an impromptu team of ninjas.
Weren't the reanimated supposed to be immortal, with unlimited chakra, able to fight ten enemies at once?
What the hell!
How many casualties did they even cause?
The vanguard suffered minimal losses, less than twenty in total!
It wasn't that the reanimated ninjas were weak; it was just that the Uchiha leading the charge were too insane.
When they fought, it was like they were on adrenaline.
Fight ten enemies at once?
It seemed more like the enemy was doing that to them.
"Obito, what do we do now?"
Zetsu emerged from the ground and said, "Our vanguard has been wiped out, and the enemy will surely keep advancing."
Obito remained silent.
He was irritated and conflicted.
If the enemy kept pushing forward, what could be done?
The White Zetsu army wouldn't stand a chance against these elite ninjas.
The most likely outcome was that they would be killed several times over, and the enemy would retreat safely.
As for absorbing their chakra…
It didn't seem possible!
These were skilled opponents. Since they knew how to counter the reanimation technique, they would likely know how to deal with White Zetsu too.
Obito realized that in the past, when he had used White Zetsu, the enemy probably gathered information on how to counter them.
If they were specifically prepared, not only would the attack fail, it might backfire.
"What now?"
Black Zetsu looked at Obito, his eyes filled with malicious intent. "How about you personally go and take care of these people, Obito?"
Obito gazed at Fugaku and the others, deep in thought.
"What the hell!"
Black Zetsu was shocked.
Dude, you're not serious, are you? I was just joking, but you're actually considering it?
If you make a move, Uchiha Itsuki will definitely act too. Do you really think that having one of Madara's Rinnegan makes you invincible? You're overestimating yourself!
Even though he had faith in Madara's power, when it came to Obito…
They might both be Uchiha, but they were not on the same level.
In a fight between Itsuki and Obito, Black Zetsu's bet would be on Itsuki, even if Obito had a Rinnegan.
"Forget it."
Obito sighed and said, "If I fight now, it would take too much energy, and I might not even be able to handle Itsuki."
He chuckled.
"So, what do we do?"
"Have Orochimaru send more troops," Obito said coldly. "And release White Zetsu as well."
"But White Zetsu won't be effective against these elite ninjas."
"I know!" Obito's gaze turned toward the Allied Shinobi Forces headquarters. "That's why I'm ordering White Zetsu to attack the headquarters directly!"
"This…"
"If we hit their headquarters, their villages, I refuse to believe these ninjas will be able to focus on attacking us."
Obito's voice was icy.
"Understood!"
Black Zetsu nodded.
There was no other choice now. They had to try.
...
At the Allied Shinobi Forces headquarters.
"By the way!"
The Raikage suddenly asked, "Itsuki, what about the daimyos?"
Itsuki gave him a strange look. "I didn't go to kill them."
"…No, that's not what I meant," the Raikage hesitated, "The war has started, and we haven't sent enough ninjas to protect them."
"Protect them?" Itsuki looked surprised. "Why would we protect them? What use are they?"
Is this about usefulness? They're daimyos!
They're our lords!
Seeing the strange looks from those around him, Itsuki continued, "Let's break it down."
"You all want to protect the daimyos, right?"
"Right!"
The Raikage and the others nodded without hesitation. Even Pakura and Mei Terumi, after some hesitation, nodded as well.
They never held back their true thoughts in front of Itsuki, and Itsuki welcomed that openness.
"Alright then," Itsuki said, "If we want to protect the daimyos, we'd need to send at least one Kage and several elite ninjas, right?"
"Right!"
Everyone thought for a moment and nodded again.
It would indeed require a Kage. Otherwise, sending weaker forces would be disrespectful to the daimyos.
Sending two Kages, though, was out of the question. They were in the middle of a war, and splitting their top forces any further would be disastrous.
If they lost, what would they do? All of them would be finished.
"If we assume the Kage we send is Kakashi," Itsuki gestured toward Kakashi, "What about the nobles?"
"What? What nobles?"
The Raikage frowned. "What do they have to do with this?"
"Of course, they're involved!" Itsuki snapped. "If you protect the daimyos, they'll definitely demand you protect the nobles too. That's their symbol of status, their foundation of power. Without the nobles, what even is a daimyo?"
"This…"
The Raikage and the others were stunned.
He had a point.
It was like them—if a Kage had no ninjas to lead, would the title of Kage mean anything?
"At that point, we'd need another Kage and several dozen elite ninjas," Itsuki raised a finger, "and that's just for the nobles of one country. We're dealing with five nations, plus several smaller ones…"
"Forget it, forget it!"
The Raikage waved his hand dismissively. "Itsuki, just pretend I didn't say anything."
Onoki also nodded stiffly.
Itsuki's logic…
They couldn't afford to think about it. Otherwise, they'd have to send out half their forces.
This war would be doomed!
And only now did the Kages realize something—they had formed the Allied Shinobi Forces without even consulting the daimyos...
Well, it was too late to worry about that now.
Some of them glanced at Itsuki uneasily.
Under his influence, their reverence for the daimyos had clearly diminished. They had formed this alliance on his orders without a second thought for the daimyos' opinions.
Sigh!
This might not end well.
Several of them sighed inwardly.
Even if they won the war, how would they deal with the daimyos afterward?
Would they follow the lead of the Fire Village and completely abandon the daimyos, turning their ninja village into an independent nation?
It didn't seem… impossible.
...
As expected.
At this moment, the leaders of several great nations were furiously shouting.
They were absolutely livid.
When they first heard the ninjas were forming an alliance, they had already considered the implications.
Some of the leaders thought, "No way! This can't happen!"
Others reasoned, "If the opponent is Uchiha Madara, or at least his heir, then perhaps an alliance wouldn't be out of the question."
But who could have guessed?
Without their knowledge, the ninja alliance was already formed!
The leaders were completely stunned.
"We haven't even agreed or disagreed yet! And you went ahead and did it? What about us?"
"Do we mean nothing to you? Are we, Damios, so insignificant in your eyes?"
"Immediately, go and tell the ninjas—we do not agree to this alliance!" one feudal lord shouted, his voice cold and sharp.
"But…"
One of the advisors hesitated.
"What?" The lord roared. "Did you not hear me? Are you deaf?"
The advisor trembled, speaking in a shaky voice, "We just received a letter from Uchiha Itsuki."
"A letter? What did he say?"
The lord was even more furious.
After all, they were the descendants of gods.
They were born noble!
Even the Kage had to bow before them.
And now, Uchiha Itsuki had only sent a letter?
He didn't even show up in person! This was blatant disrespect!
The advisor, voice still trembling, said, "He asks that we do not oppose the formation of the ninja alliance."
"Hahaha!"
Damio couldn't help but laugh loudly, though his eyes were cold.
"Uchiha Itsuki… is he giving me orders?"
The advisor kept his head down, saying nothing.
In reality…
That wasn't what Uchiha Itsuki had said at all.
"Send him a reply and tell him this!" Damio spoke slowly and deliberately. "Who does he think he is? How dare he order me?"
"This…"
The advisor was dumbfounded, his lips quivering, unable to say a word.
He now vaguely understood why his colleagues, after receiving Itsuki's letter, had quickly packed their things and fled.
There was huge risk in this!
"Are you looking to die?"
Damio's gaze was cold as he stared at the advisor. "Did you not hear me again?"
"N-no, that's not it…"
The advisor, full of bitterness, replied, "My lord, actually, what I said wasn't exactly Itsuki's original words."
"Original words?"
The lord froze, then angrily asked, "What was different?"
"There was!"
"What?"
"'Don't talk nonsense, or I'll come kill you!'"
Damio: "..."
"Guards!"
After a moment of silence, the lord suddenly shouted, and a group of samurai rushed in, causing the advisor's legs to weaken.
"Arrest this fool and chop him into a hundred pieces!"
The lord pointed at the advisor and roared in rage.
"No, please, spare me! Spare me…"
The advisor's screams were piercing.
Finally, Damio sighed in relief.
At least someone still feared him.
He had almost been suffocated by rage.
But…
Uchiha Itsuki!
The lord's expression grew dark, though he didn't act rashly.
Itsuki's information was already on their desks.
Two things stood out most prominently:
Mangekyo Sharingan! Flying Thunder God Technique!
The combination of these two abilities was practically invincible.
No matter how much the lord disliked him, he had to consider whether Itsuki might really come after him.
And there was no doubt—Itsuki had a history of doing just that.
He remembered when the Uchiha clan had once rebelled, going to war with the Fire Country's nobility.
That battle had terrified the nobles.
The idea that "nobles can't be killed" didn't exist in the minds of the ninjas of the Hidden Leaf.
They only regretted not killing more of them.
So, dealing with Uchiha Itsuki would not be easy.
At the very least, the nobles of this country might not even support Damio.
He knew all too well how the nobles thought.
When there's profit, they're in it together, because they're all nobles.
But when there's danger, don't come looking for me. You're the lord, you have rights, but you also have responsibilities.
Bah!
Damio paced back and forth angrily.
"Heh, what's the matter? Frustrated with Uchiha Itsuki?" a soft chuckle echoed.
"Who's there?"
Damio shouted, twisting his head to look around.
But it was clear his body was trembling slightly.
He was scared! Scared Uchiha Itsuki might show up and kill him.
Instead, a long black-haired figure appeared, grinning with a long tongue sticking out.
"And you are?"
The lord frowned, the figure's appearance reminding him of someone.
"I'm Orochimaru!" the man said with a sinister smile. "I'm here to propose a partnership."
"A partnership?"
Damio scoffed. "I don't see why I need to work with you. Even though the ninjas don't obey our orders, they've still passed on your plan—the Eye of the Moon, right?"
Orochimaru smiled faintly, his words laced with temptation as he softly began to explain…
…
"Hey, do you think what I'm saying makes sense?"
At that moment, Itsuki was sitting in front of Yamanaka Inoichi, chatting with him.
But Inoichi's focus was entirely on the surveillance, leaving him no time to respond to Itsuki.
Yet, the words Itsuki spoke made him tremble with anger.
If he could, he really wanted to jump up and punch Itsuki hard.
Ino! Yamanaka Ino!
Uchiha Itsuki was actually interested in Yamanaka Ino.
Just now, he had been rambling on and on in front of Inoichi, trying to convince him to have Ino marry into the Hidden Fire Village.
Are you kidding me?!
That's the future head of the Yamanaka clan! Marrying her off to your village? What would that even look like?
"General!"
Inoichi muttered, "I'm monitoring the entire ninja world, so please, stop bothering me."
"Fine, fine."
Itsuki waved it off. "I do admire the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. You're all welcome in my Hidden Fire Village anytime."
"General!"
Kakashi couldn't take it anymore and sighed. "Saying such things right in front of me—do you think that's appropriate?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't it be?" Itsuki chuckled. "The Ino-Shika-Cho's status in the Leaf is pretty awkward these days, isn't it?"
Kakashi remained silent.
Itsuki didn't push the point.
Because Inoichi suddenly shouted, "General, I've detected something! There's a huge chakra force rushing toward us."
"Oh?"
Itsuki stroked his chin. "Interesting. Is Tsuchikage giving up on the vanguard and targeting the main camp instead? No, wait… attacking us wouldn't make sense. We have too many strong fighters here. Could it be…"
He didn't finish his sentence.
But everyone understood what he meant.
Attacking the main camp was pointless. So, what about the ninja villages?
If they attacked your villages instead, how could you continue fighting in peace?
You'd have no choice but to retreat!