Obito's words were laden with a seductive allure, but the content they conveyed made Nagato furrow his brows deeply.
He lowered his head again to glance at the scroll in his hand, remaining silent.
The scroll contained intel from the incident with the Nine-Tails — a record of Yuki Yoru blocking attacks from six paths head-on. It explicitly stated that Yuki Yoru's current strength had reached levels nearly equal to the Sage of the Six Paths himself, surpassing even the former terrors of the shinobi world: Uchiha Madara and the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama.
In the face of such a being, it was no wonder that even with his power restored to its peak and partial mastery over Wood Release, Obito still thought Nagato stood no chance.
Compared to the legendary Six Paths, even Wood Release was merely a footnote.
"How feasible is this plan?"
Nagato's voice was low and deep, his Rinnegan gleaming faintly as he stared at Obito. "And the Shikotsumyaku... isn't that a kekkei genkai from Kirigakure?"
"You possess the Rinnegan — the natural heir of the Six Paths. Your success rate is very high. As for the Shikotsumyaku..." Obito paused, then nodded slightly. "Yes, it's indeed a kekkei genkai of Kirigakure's Kaguya clan. Its awakening difficulty is extremely high."
"Based on our intel, currently only a dozen or so members of the Kaguya clan have awakened the Shikotsumyaku. But I want you to focus on one in particular — a boy named Kaguya Kimimaro. He was born with the Shikotsumyaku, the strongest kekkei genkai user the clan has seen in a century."
"If you can take his ability and fuse with it, and combine it with the top-tier Sharingan and Byakugan I hold, your kekkei genkai fusion will immediately be pushed to the pinnacle!"
"Hmph, don't make me laugh!"
Nagato let out a cold chuckle, directly cutting through Obito's lofty ambitions.
"You and I both know Kirigakure's current situation. With Yuki Yoru and the Soul Society involved, there's no way we could ever get our hands on a clan genius with an awakened kekkei genkai!"
"I'll lure Yuki Yoru away."
"With your mouth?" Konan snapped, showing no patience for Obito's claims. If Obito hadn't sent Nagato to the Land of Iron, she wouldn't have had to worry for him for so long.
Though Nagato had not only recovered but also grown stronger, it was still due to exploiting the special properties of White Zetsu.
And everyone knew what that meant.
Obito shot Konan a cold glance. If not for a slight miscalculation, he would never have revealed this plan to Nagato and risked complicating matters.
But he had no choice. White Zetsu detected that the special spore implanted on Fugaku had vanished. And just before it disappeared, it caught a final glimpse — of Yuki Yoru.
There was no doubt now. The plan to manipulate Uchiha Fugaku had most likely been exposed. Obito had to make backup arrangements and pull in more power.
That's why he had come — to recruit Nagato, now restored and even stronger than before.
"Suna, Konoha, and Kiri have officially formed a joint infrastructure alliance and have already begun extensive development efforts."
"Once the situation with Kumogakure is resolved, I plan to host the Chūnin Exams under Sunagakure's name and invite Yuki Yoru to attend as a guest."
Obito's voice dropped to a serious tone. "At that time, all you need to do is keep Yuki Yoru tied up in Sunagakure. I'll infiltrate Kirigakure directly and steal the Shikotsumyaku!"
"..."
It was actually a pretty decent plan.
A coordinated feint and strike.
Kirigakure, after years under Yuki Yoru's leadership, was sure to be heavily guarded — especially with the Soul Society stationed there. A direct assault would be nearly impossible.
But letting Obito use space-time ninjutsu to infiltrate was far more viable — and Nagato wouldn't even be the one infiltrating.
Besides...
Nagato, now not only fully recovered but even stronger than before, also wanted to see just how far he'd come. How much difference remained between him and Yuki Yoru?
Was that man really, as Obito claimed, approaching the level of the Sage of Six Paths?
This kind of inflated self-confidence was a natural consequence of a power-up. If Obito hadn't given him this reality check, Nagato would already be walking around like a newly awakened Mangekyō Sasuke, thinking he was invincible.
"Very well. I'll await your signal," Nagato said in a deep voice.
"All for our shared dream."
Obito vanished in a swirl, taking Zetsu with him. Nagato stared impassively in the direction he'd disappeared, then turned back to the steel jungle of Amegakure beneath his feet.
Konan spoke softly. "That guy definitely has ulterior motives. He's up to something, Nagato."
"I know. But that doesn't mean he's wrong."
"If Yuki Yoru's strength is truly as he described, then the method 'Madara' proposed may really be our only chance to realize our dream. We don't have a choice, Konan."
"But—!" Konan's beautiful face showed urgency.
"There's no 'but'. Everything is for a better future — for our ideals, for our beliefs."
Nagato stepped toward her, his voice quiet but unwavering.
"And for Yahiko."
...
The situation between Kumogakure and Konohagakure, after nearly a month of simmering, had escalated even further.
The Fourth Raikage denounced Konoha on international shinobi broadcasts, accusing them of lacking sincerity. During peace talks, Kumogakure claimed that Konoha had made outrageous demands. After Kumogakure's delegation rejected those terms, they were reportedly detained by Konoha — with no updates since.
"If Konoha truly seeks negotiation and desires peace, then I demand the release of my Kumogakure delegation — let them return to their families!"
"But if Konoha refuses, then we, Kumogakure, are prepared for war!"
The Fourth Raikage's bold proclamation immediately stirred waves across the entire shinobi world.
Most of the other major villages watched the drama unfold with glee — the louder, the better. Especially Iwagakure. That very afternoon, Ōnoki held a press conference, publicly condemning Konoha's actions. He pointedly reminded the world of the trauma Iwa had suffered during the Third Great Ninja War when Konoha unleashed the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
Public opinion surged like wildfire. Though Kumogakure had not officially declared war, their aggressive posture and manipulation of the narrative had clearly pushed Konoha to the center of the storm.
Surprisingly, Konoha — usually obsessed with public image and reputation — chose to remain silent this time.
That silence triggered speculation across the shinobi nations.
Had Kumogakure's accusations hit the mark? Was Konoha really preparing for war?
Two weeks passed. The tension reached a breaking point.
Finally, Konohagakure's Fifth Hokage — Uchiha Fugaku — called for a world press conference. With a calm but commanding tone, he addressed the world.
"Kumogakure coveted our kekkei genkai. Under the guise of negotiations, they acted in secret — even attempting to sway a former Hokage to their side! If not for the sharp insight of Clan Leader Hiashi and the vigilance of the Hyūga Clan, they might have succeeded!"
"We of Konoha desire peace — always have. But we do not fear war. If Kumogakure wants to fight, then we will meet them head-on!"
Uchiha Fugaku's fierce declaration, combined with the shocking revelation, reignited public attention and flipped the narrative overnight. This time, Kumogakure found itself on the defensive.
According to their intelligence analysts, Konoha was in dire straits — economically crippled, with declining ninja numbers and increasingly restless civilians. Under those conditions, not even a wielder of Mangekyō Sharingan should've had such confidence.
And yet... Konoha's stance was not only unyielding, it was threatening war.
The next day.
Kirigakure held its own press conference. Their message was clear:
"The Tri-Nation Infrastructure Alliance between Water, Fire, and Wind is a policy dedicated to peace and prosperity for our people. Any individual, organization, or nation that dares to threaten the interests of Kirigakure will bear the consequences."
"Boom!!"
The Fourth Raikage smashed the desk in front of him with a thunderous slap. Rage twisted across his face as he stared at the intelligence report in his hand.
"Bold, aren't they?! Bluffing like that! Do they really think we, Kumogakure, are afraid of Konoha?!"
"Konoha's been through war after war. What do they have left? A nearly blind Mangekyō user? They really believe that having Kirigakure's support lets them do whatever they want?"
"Kumogakure has thousands of elite shinobi. We have not one, but two perfect Jinchūriki — Two-Tails and Eight-Tails. And they think that shattered village can stop us?"
(Yeah... because they found themselves a real daddy.)
A few of Kumogakure's elder advisors stood silently nearby, not daring to make a sound.
They had, in fact, prepared for war with Konoha. Why? Because intel from a fallen Kumogakure jōnin had confirmed that the Mangekyō Sharingan leads to blindness — and that Uchiha Fugaku was almost blind.
With that knowledge, they were ready to continue their plan to seize the Byakugan — and go to war with Konoha afterward if needed.
But they hadn't expected Kirigakure to so openly back Konoha — even issuing such a brazen statement:
"Touch Konoha, and we'll fight you."
"Lord Raikage, perhaps we should just—"
One elder, trying to persuade the Raikage to stand down, caught a glimpse of his furious expression and swallowed the rest of his sentence.
The advisors exchanged glances, unsure what to do. Eventually, the eldest among them stepped forward. His cloudy eyes locked onto the Fourth Raikage.
"A... do you want to fight?"
"Yes!"
The Fourth Raikage's gaze was firm and blazing. "I want to fight!"
"Then let's fight."
"Elder!"
The other advisors were shocked and cried out, but the old man calmly nodded.
"I know what you're all thinking. But I also know what the Raikage is thinking — and what Kumogakure needs right now."
"Since the Second Great Ninja War, we've kept to ourselves and conserved strength. At one point, we had the highest military power in the entire shinobi world — and that's why we launched the Third Great Ninja War."
"But during that war, we suffered loss after loss. We gained no advantage against Suna. We lost the Third Raikage to Iwa. And our conflict with Konoha... ended in a whimper."
"Truth be told, we haven't suffered any devastating blows. Sure, we've had minor losses. But compared to the rest of the shinobi world, our strength remains the most intact."
"And yet... our morale, our spirit, and our people's faith — have all collapsed."
The elder's voice carried a trace of bitterness as he swept his eyes across the room.
"The entire village is miserable. The people are hopeless. Merchants have begun to leave in droves, taking capital and resources with them."
"We, who preserved our strength the best — are now staring into a gray and uncertain future. Why? Because we lost the people's trust. We lost our own confidence."
Everyone lowered their heads. They had all known this deep down — they just didn't want to face it.
Now that the elder had ripped the veil away, there was no more hiding.
"Our village needs a war — and more importantly, a victory. Even a costly victory would be better than this."
"So."
The elder turned to the Fourth Raikage.
"Go to war, Lord Raikage. Even with Kirigakure looming over us — we must fight!"
"Good."
The Fourth Raikage nodded fiercely. The elder's words echoed his own inner thoughts, and the rest of the council finally understood — this war had to happen.
But if they were going to war, it had to be smart war.
This wasn't about wasting manpower recklessly — they were fighting for victory, not pride.
The Fourth Raikage stepped toward a large wall-mounted map of the shinobi world, his voice steely.
"Konoha isn't the problem. Fugaku's nearly blind. Even if he burns out in one final blaze, it's just a flash before death. All we need to do is drag things out — he'll fall apart. The real threat is Kirigakure."
"We have to admit it. Kirigakure is now the strongest in the shinobi world — even without Yuki Yoru. Add the Soul Society Shinigami on top of that, and they crushed us before."
"If we can avoid direct conflict with them, we should."
"Therefore, my plan is—"
The Raikage's finger traced from the Land of Lightning, cutting directly through the Land of Rivers, and finally landing inside the Land of Fire.
"Concentrate our elites. Launch a lightning-fast assault!"
"We'll strike Konoha before Kirigakure can react. Overwhelm them. And if Kirigakure intervenes, we'll grab whatever spoils we can and retreat back to our fortified terrain. From there, we'll defend and counterattack."
"But that kind of plan... the gains might be minimal," one elder muttered, frowning.
"It doesn't matter."
The Fourth Raikage's voice was resolute, his gaze sharp as blades, his fists clenched tight.
"All we need — is a victory."
"A battle to revive Kumogakure's fighting spirit."
"A war that shakes the shinobi world."
"A complete, undeniable, overwhelming victory!"
"All we need... is to win."
"Understood!"