"Fascinating!"
"That bastard Tobirama really knows how to play his cards right!"
Lord Madara sneered.
He cast a disdainful gaze over the contents of the scroll.
In truth, it was almost laughable to him.
That idiot Tobirama probably never even dreamed...
His entire scheme had already been laid bare before him.
It was like a girl with her first love going shopping.
She thought she dressed modestly enough, but in the eyes of an experienced veteran, her figure and measurements were already completely exposed. Not a single secret remained hidden...
"What do you think, Onoki?"
"I..."
Onoki's face darkened with anger, unsure how to respond.
That damned Uchiha Madara was right there beside him—like a blade held to his throat.
What could he do?
Could he say no?
"How am I supposed to look at this...?"
Onoki clenched his teeth, bitterly retorting.
"Do as you're told."
"If that fool Tobirama wants to play games, let's humor him for now."
"Besides, your Iwagakure and Konoha are allies, aren't you?"
"Since it's a request from an ally, just comply fully."
Lord Madara waved a hand with a faint smirk.
But in Onoki's ears...
This sounded extremely dangerous!
Was he planning to use Iwagakure as expendable pawns?
He had endured so much humiliation precisely not to throw his own ninja away like cannon fodder!
If that was the case, better to fight back desperately.
Better to take on this bastard Uchiha Madara directly!
"But..."
Madara frowned slightly and continued:
"Don't worry. If I wanted to destroy your village, I wouldn't need such a complicated plan."
"Just obey quietly."
"And don't forget the final payment installment—it's been delayed far too long already."
"My mercy is limited..."
At those words, Onoki gritted his teeth and reluctantly nodded.
"Fine, I understand!"
With that, he slowly straightened his aged posture, his face still darkened.
With slow, heavy steps, he walked out of the office.
Clearly, aside from compliance, he had no other choice...
Endure!
Endure, and no hurdle is too great to clear!
That was Onoki's life philosophy.
If he had survived them once—Uchiha Madara and his ilk—he could survive them again!
His village could afford to wait!
Of course, the underlying truth was simple—they stood no chance in battle.
Other than endure, he truly had no other options...
No sooner had Onoki walked out...
Than Black Zetsu emerged right behind him.
Standing beside Lord Madara, he warned cautiously:
"This is a trap. Konoha is trying to lure the adult into their snare..."
Madara nodded calmly:
"I know."
"And since that fool Tobirama dared to devise such a plan..."
"He must have found some way to counter me."
"That guy never engages in battles he doesn't believe he can win..."
"Who knows what new kinjutsu he might have concocted this time..."
Besides Hashirama, Tobirama was also someone Lord Madara knew all too well.
How could he possibly fail to guess the scheming mind of Tobirama?
Black Zetsu: "Lord Madara, then, what should we do?"
Lord Madara: "We can play along a little. It'll help divert their attention appropriately."
"Send Obito to retrieve the One-Tail."
"Let him and his new underling get some exercise."
Black Zetsu: "But... with just the two of them, success seems uncertain."
"How many White Zetsu remain?"
"About ten thousand or so."
"Then send them all out. You and Kakuzu go assist as well."
"If they want to play around, let's humor them by making things seem more serious..."
"At once!"
Black Zetsu complied.
After all, the main body of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path had already been restored completely. Those remaining White Zetsu wouldn't be particularly useful anymore anyway.
They'd serve perfectly as sacrificial pawns for this operation.
As for sending Black Zetsu into battle as well, Lord Madara probably wanted someone to monitor Obito.
If Obito succeeded in capturing the One-Tail, that would naturally be ideal.
But if something went wrong and the capture failed,
they could at least ensure none of their own people fell into Konoha's hands, thereby exposing their plan...
On this point, both Lord Madara and Black Zetsu understood each other perfectly.
No matter who got sacrificed, nothing must obstruct their grand scheme!
Even if it meant sacrificing the entire Akatsuki organization!
...
Thus, three days later,
the ninja forces from Iwagakure Village and Sunagakure Village both marched into the Land of Stone.
And during the following days,
frequent skirmishes and small-scale clashes erupted continuously in the Land of Stone—the border area between these two nations.
Smoke filled the air...
Eventually drawing widespread attention across the ninja world.
All major and minor countries turned their gazes here.
Everyone watched intensely as these two great nations battled.
This wasn't like watching 'Big Bear' fighting 'Little Bear' in an old drama from someone's past life.
This time, [Big Bear] was directly declaring war against the [Bald Eagle]!
A single misstep could escalate this into a full-scale war engulfing the entire ninja world.
How could they not take this seriously?
Because of this, the Land of Fire repeatedly sent diplomatic letters urging the Lands of Wind and Earth to control their emotions and restrain their troops,
to prevent further escalation of hostilities.
Unfortunately, those efforts proved completely useless.
From outsiders' perspectives, it appeared simply as these two great nations having lost their heads in battle, letting old grudges combine with new resentments, beyond any hope of persuasion.
Yet actually, both sides remained extremely calm.
They were merely performing enthusiastically on stage.
Of course, the higher-ups on both sides knew it was just an act.
However, in order to maintain performance authenticity, neither side informed their lower ranks.
Therefore, ordinary ninja at the very bottom remained completely oblivious...
all appearing to fight with tremendous vigor.
As a result,
in the following days,
numerous spies from various countries gathered within this small nation caught in the middle of turbulent winds. They watched closely as the confrontation between Iwagakure and Sunagakure unfolded.
One could clearly sense the rising tension.
In small-scale conflicts, Iwagakure Village had the upper hand.
They frequently routed Sunagakure's ninja squads, forcing them to retreat in disarray with broken armor and scattered weapons.
That wasn't all that shocking.
After all, due to its vast but sparsely populated territory and harsh environment, Sunagakure was inherently the weakest among the Five Great Nations.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have struggled to maintain even possession of The One-Tail years ago.
And recently, without the Fourth Kazekage's [Gold Dust Jutsu], Sunagakure might have already gone bankrupt.
So, in a head-on fight,
Sunagakure being slightly inferior to Iwagakure was perfectly normal.
But to everyone's surprise,
the small-scale conflict hadn't even lasted five days when
Sunagakure made the first big move!
They directly deployed their strategic weapon: the Tailed Beast!
In an ambush battle, using the Tailed Beast's might, wiping out three Iwagakure squads and instantly turning the tide of battle.
This news about deploying the Tailed Beast
immediately escalated tensions several fold.
The struggle between these two great nations now drew increasing attention.
At the same time, it also conveyed information about The One-Tail leaving Sunagakure's battlefield to every faction.
Of course, including Akatsuki, Oto Village, Homuragakure, and others...
...
As soon as word got out that Sunagakure deployed the Tailed Beast,
Konoha finally moved too.
Publicly, Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage, led a five-man peacekeeping squad out of Konoha,
presenting the image that Konoha didn't intend to interfere or escalate the fight.
Just acting as mediators.
But in reality, over a thousand elite Konoha ninjas were already assembled inside the village.
Fully equipped and ready to strike at any moment.
Once Tobirama, playing the role of a peacekeeper, spotted Akatsuki members on the battlefield,
he would instantly activate the [Flying Thunder God Technique], 'airdropping' Konoha's main force directly into the battlefield.
Then collaborating with both Iwagakure and Sunagakure,
One Final Strike!
Eradicating all Akatsuki presence!
And possibly capturing one or two alive to extract the location of Akatsuki's lair...
This plan was damn near perfect.
Of course, Tobirama himself didn't yet realize that
just after his departure,
within Konoha's Interrogation Department prison,
Ibiki Morino, head of the Interrogation Unit,
was currently being casually gripped by a young boy.
"Oh, so this is Konoha's true objective."
"What an excellent calculation indeed!"
Shimoku closed his Mangekyo Sharingan, ended the Genjutsu,
and gazed thoughtfully, exclaiming with sudden realization.
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