Once Uchiha Haru is stopped, will they still want to wade into this mess? After all, the Hidden Mist Village remains safe for now.
They live deep in the ocean, far from the mainland, their territories scattered like islands across the sea. Moreover, most shinobi from Kirigakure are masters of aquatic escape techniques. This is their home ground, where each ninja can unleash 120% of their strength.
No one would choose to attack Kirigakure lightly.
They are watching the fire from across the shore, hoping they might still save their village. After all, the Akatsuki organization is currently targeting only Konoha—there's no direct threat to Kirigakure yet.
But if they choose to ally with Konoha, they automatically become enemies of the Akatsuki.
Once the frontline falls, Kirigakure will suffer serious damage. At that point, even their geographical advantages won't be enough to hold back the Akatsuki.
And with the Akatsuki's current power, even a direct assault on Kirigakure might be unstoppable.
These are the risks they weighed.
Do they dare to take that gamble?
But at the crucial moment, the fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, rose to speak.
She declared that no matter how strong the enemy, no matter the cost, Kirigakure must form an alliance with Konoha and stand shoulder to shoulder with Uchiha Haru.
As before, when Mei Terumi spoke, Kirigakure's top leaders immediately stood to oppose her, insisting the village should not meddle in this muddy water.
But this time, the winds had shifted.
They used the same arguments when facing the Ninja Coalition before—and the same now when facing the Impure World Reincarnation army.
But what was the outcome last time?
The Ninja Coalition was no match for Uchiha Haru; they were crushed effortlessly.
Then someone spoke up: the Ninja Coalition's strength can't be compared to the Impure World Reincarnation army.
The latter is far stronger than the coalition formed by the three great ninja villages.
Uchiha Haru could easily handle the Ninja Coalition, but the Impure World Reincarnation army is a different beast.
Mei Terumi was confident she had grasped the Tao of war, but certainty was impossible.
Who could have predicted Uchiha Haru's effortless dismantling of the Ninja Coalition?
No one—not a single soul.
Though the Impure World Reincarnation army is formidable now, it might not be enough to stop Uchiha Haru.
Besides, there is something even more important—helping someone in need is always more meaningful than standing by idly.
Now, Konoha and Uchiha Haru need help more than ever.
If Kirigakure acts now, they can make up for past mistakes.
So the question boiled down to this:
Should they trust Uchiha Haru?
Do they still believe Uchiha Haru can withstand all odds and bring peace to Konoha and Kirigakure?
Mei Terumi chose to believe.
After much deliberation, Kirigakure's senior officials also voiced their opinions one after another, ultimately aligning with Mei Terumi's decision.
Of course, many opposed this move.
In the end, the majority sided with Mei Terumi.
Kirigakure thus finalized their decision: they would form an alliance with Konoha.
So on that day, led by Mei Terumi, Kirigakure's elite forces set out by boat.
Kirigakure and Konoha stood united to fight the Impure World Reincarnation army of the Akatsuki.
Meanwhile, in Konoha, two opposing emotions rippled through the village.
Among ordinary villagers, confidence blossomed.
They believed Uchiha Haru's protection meant no harm would come.
They had seen, time and again, how Uchiha Haru resolved crises like a god descending to earth.
Though this enemy was stronger than any before, the villagers trusted Uchiha Haru's power to solve the threat.
But the sentiment was different among Konoha's high-ranking and elite ninja.
Though they encouraged the villagers, they alone knew the true nature of their enemy.
The Impure World Reincarnation are immortal and have infinite chakra.
This grants a tremendous boost beyond their previous lives' strength.
Moreover, each of the reincarnated was a powerful figure before death—each comparable to a Kage in strength.
Facing such foes again, could they really stop them?
Fortunately, they had Uchiha Haru.
Unfortunately, only Uchiha Haru.
If Uchiha Haru were to be stopped even temporarily, catastrophe would descend upon Konoha.
Reluctantly, they prepared for the worst.
For a while, Konoha's senior officials were tense and uneasy.
Only Uchiha Haru remained calm as ever.
The Impure World Reincarnation Technique is indeed powerful, with an incredibly high ceiling.
But in his eyes, that meant little.
The so-called infinite resurrection and unlimited chakra might be a huge problem for ordinary shinobi, but he already had a plan to counter it.
However, if he were to be stopped, that would spell disaster for Konoha.
Almost all the opponents he faced this time were warriors on the level of Kage.
He could easily defeat one Kage-level fighter, five Kage-level fighters, even ten Kage-level fighters.
But what about thirty? Fifty?
Even if those shinobi could not outright defeat him, as long as they could delay him, the damage to Konoha would be unimaginable.
If Konoha suffered heavy losses, his support this time would be considered a failure.
This was the gravest problem on Uchiha Haru's mind.
He considered several strategies.
For instance, he thought about using genjutsu to control Orochimaru—who seemed to have unlocked the Impure World Reincarnation Technique.
But this plan was far from safe.
He suspected that the masked man and Orochimaru would have anticipated such a move and taken targeted countermeasures.
Orochimaru might even stay hidden, refusing to appear on the front lines to avoid falling prey to such tricks.
He also thought of the eye of Uchiha Shisui that he had acquired from Danzo.
That eye contained the highest form of genjutsu among the Hokage: Kotoamatsukami.
With Kotoamatsukami, he could potentially transform Orochimaru into a loyal ally of Konoha.
If that happened, the Impure World Reincarnation army would become Konoha's own force, completely shattering the plans of the masked man and the Akatsuki.
But this, too, might be useless.
If Orochimaru never showed up on the battlefield, the genjutsu would have no target.
And even if there was a chance, Haru was reluctant to use Kotoamatsukami.
Its inherent limitation was that it could only turn the subject into a loyalist of Konoha, not specifically loyal to him, Uchiha Haru.
Though he had tried to alter the genjutsu's effect after acquiring the eye from Danzo, multiple attempts had failed.
So for the moment, he set it aside.
In any case, there hadn't been many occasions demanding Kotoamatsukami's use.
Unexpectedly, that moment was rapidly approaching.
But Kotoamatsukami was not yet ready.
He had no choice but to look for other methods.
Yet, after much contemplation, nothing promising came to mind.
It was simply unrealistic for him alone to hold off so many Kage-level masters.
Unless his strength improved further.
But beyond a certain level, gaining even a small increase in power became exceedingly difficult.
This was a widely acknowledged truth.
Human potential is limited—once one reaches a peak, further growth is painfully slow.
Take, for example, the famed genius Hatake Kakashi.
Years ago, he reached the elite jonin level, hovering close to Kage-level mastery.
But even now, he has not managed to make that final leap.
Likewise, many other top-tier shinobi remain capped at Kage level.
Reaching "super-kage" status—a level beyond even Kage—is something unattainable within their lifetimes.
Haru was now beginning to brush against this boundary.
Thanks to the Uchiha Clan Massacre simulation system, he had acquired five "golden abilities" through simulation.
With these powers and countless life-or-death trials, his strength had grown extraordinarily fast.
Yet recently, progress suddenly stalled.
He had reached a plateau.
Much like Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara before him.
He was confronting a new threshold.
Surpassing this barrier would thrust his power into a completely new realm—the realm of Six Paths-level strength.
Such power did not yet exist in the current ninja world.
So Haru found it exceedingly difficult to refine his abilities any further.
The only possible breakthrough lay in awakening the Rinnegan or gathering all ten tailed beasts to become the Ten-Tails' vessel.
Only then could he become a true Six Paths-level powerhouse.
With that strength, facing the Impure World Reincarnation warriors would be trivial.
Even confronting Ōtsutsuki Kaguya herself would no longer be a problem.
But summoning the Ten-Tails to the Outer Path Demon Statue required the Rinnegan.
Only the Rinnegan could awaken the Ten-Tails within the Outer Path Demon Statue.
In other words, he must possess the Rinnegan to achieve this.
And the Rinnegan still existed in the world.
Nagato once wielded the Rinnegan, and the masked man had transplanted Nagato's Rinnegan into his own body.
If Haru wished, he could do the same—obtain the Rinnegan by transplant.
It wasn't that he couldn't; he simply chose not to.
This Novel is Completed on Patreon
---------
🎇🎇 Check out new Fanfiction 🎇🎇
🎊 Naruto : Tsunade You're Really Drunk 🎊
------------------
This Week Bonus Chapter - 200 Power stones
2nd Bonus Chapter - 400 Power Stones
3rd Bonus Chapter - 600 Power Stones
-------------
📢 Support the Novel & Read Ahead!
Love the story and can't wait to see what happens next?
Join my Patreon and get access to 50+ early chapters before anyone else! 🔥
https://www.patreon.com/UK21
Thank you for reading, and I truly appreciate your support! 💖
---------