Chapter 386: The Akatsuki's Crisis
Although Ishiro had been practicing his Sage Mode on the way, he had not wasted any time. The group quickly returned to Iwagakure.
After entering the village, Ishiro let the three Little Tailed Beasts return to his residence on their own, while he left the others and went directly to the Tsuchikage's building.
Soon, the high-level meeting began. Saka was the first to brief Ishiro on the current situation.
"We don't know how long Konoha and Suna have been in contact or what kind of agreement they have reached. Recently, Konoha has secretly mobilized a large number of ninja to hide near the border of the Land of Rivers, the Land of Rain, and the Land of Fire. One of our jonin escorting a caravan discovered them by chance, and only then did we realize something was wrong."
"I have already dispatched the Anbu to gather detailed intelligence. We still can't confirm the target of Konoha and Suna. However, we suspect they may be targeting the Akatsuki organization."
Ishiro thought for a moment. "What about Konoha's military strength? To deal with the Akatsuki, they will definitely dispatch Kage-level shinobi. Who is Konoha's commander? And what about Suna? Where is their army? And who is leading them?"
Saka said helplessly, "We don't know any of that. On Konoha's side, the ninja who sent back the intelligence didn't get close to their camp; he only discovered the tracks of a large army's movements. We don't know the size of the force, but judging from the tracks, it's at least a thousand strong."
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzō Shimura, and Tsunade have all made public appearances in Konoha these past few days, but we can't rule out the use of the Transformation Jutsu, so we can't be sure who the commander is."
"As for Suna, we still don't know if they have dispatched troops at all. Our people only discovered the tracks of the Konoha army after seeing Konoha and Suna ninja meeting in secret."
"So, whether Suna has dispatched troops is still just a guess. The Anbu have already begun to enter the Land of Wind to search the borders with the Lands of Rain and Rivers."
"Among the dispatched ninja, some have a summoning contract with the shark colony. If they discover anything, they will send the intelligence back at the fastest speed."
Ishiro nodded but said nothing, breathing a sigh of relief inwardly.
Although he knew that Konoha would certainly not dare to provoke Iwagakure at this time, what if? If Konoha were to join forces with Suna, their strength would definitely be greater than Iwagakure's. And this was only what had been discovered. What if Konoha had also roped in other hidden villages? For example, those simpletons from Kumo. Never mind old grudges; did Konoha and Suna not have few enough grudges? Yet they were still cooperating.
Although Iwagakure had developed rapidly in recent years, it was still far from Konoha's level of being able to fight against many at once.
Since the target wasn't him, Ishiro's thinking changed. He was now wondering whether to notify Yahiko and the others. This wasn't because he was particularly concerned about his friendship with the three of them, but because if the Akatsuki was prepared, they could certainly inflict greater losses on Konoha. If they could heavily damage both Konoha and Suna at the same time, that would be even better. It would be best if they could kill one or two of Konoha and Suna's Kage-level shinobi.
It's just...
Ishiro looked at Saka. "How many intelligence ninja have we planted in the Akatsuki?"
Saka replied, "Quite a few. Although the Akatsuki was established a relatively short time ago, it's very easy to plant intelligence ninja. They have almost no counter-espionage awareness."
Ishiro sighed. This was what he was most worried about. What if he tipped off the Akatsuki, but then Konoha also received the news and canceled the operation?
After thinking for a moment, Ishiro decided to wait a little longer, until the intelligence was confirmed.
The next day, intelligence came from the direction of the Land of Fire: the number of Konoha ninja was about two thousand. Judging from their specific location, they were indeed heading for the Akatsuki. However, from their formation, it seemed Konoha's target was the Akatsuki's base in the Land of Rain, not their "River Village" in the Land of Rivers.
Looking at the latest intelligence transmitted back via the sharks, Ishiro analyzed the situation in his mind.
Was Konoha not planning to attack the River Village, or was there a division of labor between Konoha and Suna, with Suna being responsible for the River Village?
Both situations were possible. Attacking only the Land of Rain was understandable; the Seven-Tails was there. It would make sense if Konoha was going after it. If there was a division of labor with Suna, that was also possible. A feint to the east to attack in the west. When the Akatsuki sent reinforcements to the Land of Rain, Suna would come out and raid their main base. At that time, even if the three leaders of the Akatsuki didn't die, they would become little more than three rogue ninja.
"Is there any news from the direction of the Land of Wind?" Ishiro asked.
Saka shook his head. "No. If Suna has really mobilized, then unsurprisingly, they are probably using the deserts of the Land of Wind to hide. The only one who can do that is the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa."
Ishiro slapped the table. "Prepare for battle! Ikura, you will stay and guard the village. Pay close attention to Kumo's movements. Have the sharks lay down a warning line at sea."
"Kitsuchi, you and Han will take a three-thousand-strong army to the border, directly at the intersection with the Land of Fire."
"Saka, isn't there someone in the Anbu squad guarding Rōshi who can use the shark summoning jutsu? Have him tell the Third to pay attention to the war situation and be ready to attack the Konoha ninja at any time."
"Bella, you make a trip to the capital. Explain the situation to the Daimyo. Try to get some war funds. Bring more people with you, and pay attention to protecting the Daimyo's safety."
Then Ishiro looked around the room. "But remember, if Konoha does not suffer losses, we will not make a move. If Konoha suffers significant losses, we will use military force to threaten them and gain some advantages. If Konoha suffers massive losses, then it will be our time to expand."
"Yes," Ikura and the others in the office replied in unison.
Afterwards, Saka asked, "Ishiro, where are you going?"
Hearing this, everyone's gaze once again fell on Ishiro, staring at him intently. A great war is imminent, and you, the Tsuchikage, are thinking of going where? Thinking of disappearing?
Ishiro's body stiffened. "I'm going to the Land of Rain and Land of Rivers area to take a look. I'll give the Akatsuki a heads-up first. If there's a possibility of gaining an advantage, I'll go to Konoha to meet with the Uchiha clan's radical faction."
Saka and the others stared at him with blank expressions, saying nothing.
"Don't worry, I'll take Kiyoshi Ishizawa with me and maintain contact with the village at all times," Ishiro hurriedly promised.
"Moreover, if I'm on the front line, I can grasp the enemy's movements in a timely manner and make prompt responses."
Seeing that everyone still had no reaction, Ishiro continued, "I promise, without sufficient confidence, I will not leave the sky."
"I can already enter Sage Mode on my own without a natural energy seal. And I will also be taking the three Tailed Beasts with me."
"I am an existence that can instantly enter Tailed Beast Chakra Mode. Self-preservation is not a problem."
Saka sighed. "Go on, go on."
As if granted amnesty, Ishiro hurriedly ended the meeting.
After everyone had left, Ishiro breathed a sigh of relief, then infused his chakra into the Big Dipper Ring in his hand.
Before long, Nagato pulled Ishiro's thought-form over.
However, to Ishiro's surprise, the three of them were not in the River Village. Judging by the location, it should be a small village.
Yahiko was very happy to see Ishiro. "Ishiro, you've come to see us? Let me tell you some good news. We've already started doing as you said. We've supported several factories, and they're now producing our Land of Rivers' specialty products."
"Last month, quite a few merchant caravans purchased a large quantity of products to sell in your Land of Earth."
Ishiro did not share Yahiko's happiness and remained silent.
Seeing that something was wrong, Konan interrupted Yahiko and carefully asked Ishiro, "Ishiro, did something happen?"
Ishiro took a deep breath. "Konoha and Suna are going to make a move on you."
"Our Anbu have already confirmed that Konoha has gathered two thousand ninja. The target is likely the Land of Rain. Suna's movements are unknown, but my people saw them meeting secretly with Konoha."
"In addition, my people have probably been discovered. I can't rule out the possibility that Konoha will take immediate action."
The three of them were stunned. Their good mood from just a moment ago vanished.
Seeing this, Ishiro sighed. "Hurry up and prepare to meet the enemy. I can't mobilize Iwagakure to support you, but I will send troops to the border to put pressure on Konoha. I myself will also set out for the border immediately. As soon as I confirm that Konoha and Suna's target is not the Land of Earth, I will immediately come to assist you."
Yahiko was, after all, a leader. After hearing Ishiro's words, he immediately reacted. "Ishiro, thank you. We'll go back to the village now to prepare for war."
Ishiro said, "Hurry up. Konoha has done a very good job of keeping this secret. If it weren't for one of our ninja escorting a caravan accidentally discovering the situation, I would still be in the dark."
"No one knows how long they have been preparing for this operation. And I suspect that you have their intelligence ninja planted among your subordinates. Be careful. Watch out for being stabbed in the back."
After deactivating the Magic Lantern Body Technique, the three of them dropped their factory matters and immediately set off for the River Village.
On the way, Konan asked Yahiko, "Yahiko, what do we do?" She was very panicked now. Not because she was afraid of death, but because the home she had worked so hard to build was about to be destroyed. It was a subconscious reaction.
Yahiko pondered for a moment as he ran. "Ishiro said that Suna's movements haven't been discovered yet, but we must be prepared for both possibilities. We have to meet Konoha's attack and also guard against a surprise attack from Suna."
"It seems we'll have to split our forces."
Konan's heart panicked. She remembered the time they were tricked by Hanzō. She hurriedly said, "Do we have to split up?"
Nagato interjected, "I'll send my Six Paths of Pain one way, and the three of us will go the other. If the situation is manageable, I will control the Six Paths of Pain with all my strength. If the situation is dire, I will abandon them."
"The Land of Rivers is the foundation of our Akatsuki. The Land of Rain is just the base of the Dark Akatsuki. The Dark Akatsuki has not established a hidden village. The so-called base doesn't have much of value. If we lose it, we lose it."
At the critical moment, it was Nagato who was more decisive.
"Mm," Yahiko agreed after a moment of struggle.
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