Compared to the confidence of the Land of Thunder,
the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth were in a state of desperation.
Onoki sat in the middle of his office.
It was only a week before the tragic war broke out in the Land of Rain.
His condition seemed to have aged him considerably—
as if these days had stretched not for a week, but for five years.
"Master Tsuchikage..."
Standing beside Onoki was an unknown female ninja.
Her name was Ziyan.
She was already one of the most elite Jōnin in Iwagakure,
reflecting the current situation of the Village Hidden in the Rocks.
After the Third Great Ninja War, Iwagakure suffered heavy losses.
Its most famous demolition and stealth units were almost entirely wiped out—by Simu alone.
Only a few scattered survivors remained, completely ineffective.
It could be said that the two major forces that Iwagakure once dominated were effectively disbanded.
Moreover, outstanding ninjas whom Onoki valued most—
like Huang Tu, an expert in Explosion Style Hunting, and Dong Shiren—
were all buried in this battle.
What was even worse was that Iwagakure had lost both of its tailed beasts...
Tens of thousands of Iwagakure shinobi had fallen to Hanyu Simu.
Thinking of this, Onoki felt a headache coming on.
There were fewer than 20,000 combat-capable soldiers left in all of Iwagakure—
and that number included most of the novice ninjas who had barely stepped onto the battlefield.
They hardly had any real combat power left.
Onoki sighed.
Since the defeat in the Land of Rain, not only Iwagakure but the entire Land of Earth was filled with a pessimistic atmosphere.
The mighty Konoha was like a terrifying moat, blocking their path.
Even though Konoha was losing people like Orochimaru and Danzo's two trusted aides,
Onoki remained uneasy.
As long as Hanyu Simu lived, it was hard to settle down.
After all, Simu's behavior was too similar to that man.
Not the gentle Ninja God Onoki once admired—
but the man who founded Konoha alongside the God of Ninjas and later rebelled against Yagura:
Uchiha Madara.
The man who could immobilize Onoki with just a glance.
Onoki thought pessimistically about the future of the Land of Earth.
Just then, his secretary knocked on the door.
"Master Tsuchikage, the delegations from the Land of Wind and Sunagakure have arrived."
"The Land of Wind..."
A trace of impatience appeared on Onoki's face.
He was very upset that the Sand Shinobi had not sent their Kazekage to participate in the siege against Hanyu Simu.
If Luo Sha had also taken part back then, the outcome might have been different.
Iwagakure wouldn't be so passive now.
But whether happy or not, the Land of Wind was still a powerful country—
even the Tsuchikage must not underestimate an envoy from such a nation.
"Bring them in."
Soon, the delegation representing the Daimyo of the Land of Wind and Sunagakure walked into the shadowed building.
Onoki stood up respectfully.
Who would it be this time?
As the envoys entered, cracks suddenly appeared on the leader's face.
Onoki's expression instantly turned serious.
He rose from his seat, ready to launch a ninjutsu counterattack at any moment.
The surrounding Iwagakure Anbu shinobi immediately appeared beside Onoki.
If the Sunagakure representatives showed any sign of hostility,
the Anbu would immediately initiate a ninjutsu barrage.
Although Iwagakure had suffered heavy losses in this battle,
their forces were still more than enough to deal with envoys from the Land of Wind.
"Master Tsuchikage, don't worry, I mean no harm."
Hearing this rather young voice, Onoki raised his eyebrows.
"Are you... Luo Sha?"
Sure enough, faint golden dust drifted from the cracks on the leader's face and finally dispersed completely,
revealing the handsome face beneath.
I have to say, Luo Sha was indeed a handsome young man.
Light red short hair, fair skin, and a striking appearance—
not to mention his unique ability to manipulate gold sand,
which was a skill of great value.
It was just a pity that the Land of Wind itself was not wealthy enough to support such talent.
On the contrary, things were very tight; most of the time, Fengying had to go to the desert to pan for gold just to make ends meet.
The vigilance on Onoki's face dissipated slightly.
"What brings you here in person, Kazekage-sama? Surely it's something important?"
Obviously, Onoki was still displeased about Luo Sha's absence from the war.
Luo Sha lowered her head slightly, ashamed.
"The situation in the Land of Rain was indeed due to my negligence. I thought that our tripartite cooperation, combined with you and Senior Hanzo's strength, should have been enough to take it down…"
After all, there were more than 10,000 ninja troops, plus two Kage-level powerhouses.
Even with such a lineup, any ordinary ninja would have been wiped out here.
But Hanyu Simu's strength exceeded everyone's expectations.
"Alright, let's not dwell on the past,"
Onoki said with a sullen face.
There was no use in continuing to talk about it.
After all, apologies could not stop the decline of the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind.
Luo Sha nodded, not minding Onoki's attitude.
"Fengying, you didn't come here just to apologize, right?"
Onoki asked directly.
The situation in the Land of Earth was bleak, and the Land of Wind was no better.
The originally barren Land of Wind had lost Ebizō, the Third Kazekage, Ye Cang, and others.
It could be said that they were troubled both internally and externally.
"I have come this time to seek a comprehensive alliance between Iwagakure and the Land of Wind on behalf of the daimyo and all the ninjas of Sunagakure."
Onoki's pupils constricted slightly.
"A full alliance?"
This was not an ordinary verbal agreement.
A comprehensive alliance meant the two countries would open their borders and engage in economic cooperation. In wartime, unified command would be necessary.
The Land of Wind and the Land of Earth had been tense rivals since the Second Great Ninja War.
For the Land of Wind to take the initiative to seek an alliance…
"I'm afraid the Land of Wind has truly been pushed to the edge of the cliff by that kid, Hanyu Simu."
"Now, the Land of Fire is strong, the Land of Thunder can still defend itself, and the Land of Water remains closed off and unknown."
"Both Wind and Earth have suffered heavy losses in this war."
"That guy, Hanyu Simu, is now Hokage. He will never let us off easily. You and I have few options left."
In fairness, forming an alliance now was a wise choice for the Land of Wind.
After all, the lips are near the teeth; if the lips die, the teeth grow cold.
Both nations, as well as the Land of Fire, had deep-seated hatred, making reconciliation impossible.
Thus, loyalty from the other party could be trusted.
"Forming an alliance is not impossible, but the command structure in wartime…"
Since it was a comprehensive alliance, they could not fight independently.
Therefore, who would command was a crucial question.
"Master Tsuchikage has the most experience, so naturally, Master Tsuchikage will lead."
Luo Sha spoke bluntly.
After all, Onoki was a veteran who had survived the First Great Ninja War.
It would be unthinkable for him to follow the orders of a junior like Luo Sha.
Luo Sha's straightforwardness earned Onoki's favor.
"In that case, I will report this truthfully."
"Then I wish for our successful cooperation."
Luo Sha extended her hand.
Onoki shook it.
What these two great ninja leaders did not know was that in the corner of the meeting room, a spore was quietly hatching.
White Zetsu, having overheard the conversation, immediately contacted other White Zetsu in the Kamachi Land and passed the news to a gray-haired old man.
"Hanyu Simu… I didn't expect someone like him to appear among the common people."
Uchiha Madara's eyes seemed to pierce through countless rocks and finally settled on the bustling village of Dangchen.
He withdrew his gaze and looked at Uchiha Obito training outside, speaking softly:
"It seems our plan must begin sooner than expected."
A man wrapped in straw emerged from the nearby wall.
Half white, half black.
This was exactly Black-White Zetsu.
"Master Madara, is that brat outside really up to the task?"
Black Zetsu was skeptical.
No matter how he looked at Obito, he didn't seem like someone who could inherit Madara's mantle.
An Uchiha, yes, but… naive.
Not a descendant of Madara, but more like one of Hashirama.
"That's right,"
White Zetsu also complained,
"Last time, he refused to show me his 'poop,' saying it was disgusting and that I didn't understand art."
Ignoring White Zetsu's strange complaint, Madara said flatly:
"A person's heart is as bright as sunlight, but how dark it becomes when hope is shattered…"
"Well…"
Black Zetsu stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"You can touch it, but don't touch my chin or I'll treat you to shit!"
White Zetsu said with clear dissatisfaction.
Uchiha Madara looked at the bickering pair and sighed.
"Hurry up and implement the plan."
His order finally silenced the two troublemakers.
"Yes!"
After Black and White Zetsu left,
Uchiha Obito ran inside.
"Grandpa, my training is almost complete. When will you let me return to Konoha? I miss my friends there."
Uchiha Madara raised his eyes and glanced at him.
"You miss Rei, don't you?"
"Ah—ah."
Obito touched his head, blushing, and didn't dare admit it.
Madara closed his eyes again.
"Don't worry, soon you will be able to see her again."
Hearing this, Obito jumped with joy.
"Really? Hehe, Rei will definitely be surprised to see how strong I've become."
Obito was very excited.
Though the old man before him had a strange temper,
he had healed his injuries and even taught him Shodai's Wood Style.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
There are 30+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
Check out my new Marvel fanfic!
[Marvel: Rise of Heroes]