Shen had no idea what truly happened behind the Uzumaki clan's destruction.
A Bi had merely mentioned briefly that they were wiped out by an allied force, with no clear identification of who led it.
As a transmigrator, Shen had been carefully recalling minor details from the original storyline throughout their journey.
The Uzumaki clan was eradicated before the outbreak of the Second Great Ninja War.
Then several years later, Rain ninjas suddenly launched a war against Konoha, Sunagakure, and the Land of Iron. This certainly had something to do with someone—the so-called "Demi-God."
Shen slightly eased off the accelerator as his brain raced into high gear. "Hanzo shouldn't have chosen to launch a three-way war unless forced into it… Wait, the incident involving Uzugakure!"
"Gritscreech—!"
The prototype vehicle's four tires screamed in unison from sudden braking.
The abrupt stop startled the three people resting quietly, trying to stay alert in case Black-clothed Ninjas pulled any tricks.
Nawaki, who had just fastened his seatbelt, opened his eyes only to find his forehead inches away from the back of the driver's seat.
He instantly exploded in anger: "What the hell was that for?!"
Shen knew none of them would believe his theory, so he quickly came up with an excuse: "Are you trying to yell the car apart? I just stopped to take a proper break, jeez—have you ever driven non-stop for a day straight?!"
"Really? Then I'll go back to sleep first," Nayou, sensing something odd about his close friend, chose to play along and cover for him.
Orochimaru thought for a moment, then laid down and drifted off as well.
After all, he had zero interest in anything outside his research—unless it involved his biggest sponsor.
"Tsk, next time warn us first! If I end up scarred, Shen, not even selling your entire Uchiha clan will make up for it, Rope-Beard!" Nawaki grumbled angrily as he drifted off to sleep.
Shen's stomach twisted and his mood soured instantly after hearing that.
But seeing that he'd successfully convinced the three to relax again, he returned deep into thought: *First theory—Hanzo feared Konoha obtaining the Nine-Tails, so he exterminated the Uzumaki clan. Second possibility—other villages feared Konoha's strength and therefore cooperated to eliminate the Uzumakis. Third hypothesis—Hanzo wanted to strengthen Rain by acquiring a Tailed Beast... But then again, why not just capture individuals instead of wiping them all out? Unless…*
At that moment, a crucial realization struck him, sharpening his gaze.
Unfortunately, inside the car—three humans plus one white lab mouse—were completely unaware of his current state.
The shinobi world really is a place of backstabbing and betrayal. If I hadn't convinced Sunagakure to switch sides earlier, maybe all six great villages would've united to destroy Uzugakure instead. So then—who had such motives?
He wove the three possibilities together, reaching the correct conclusion.
This answer must be the root cause that triggered the Second Great Ninja World War.
He turned his head toward Team One, his gaze complicated and heavy.
That regretful and reluctant look stirred strange emotions within Nayou, who hadn't truly fallen asleep but was actively scanning him using his Byakugan: *Why does Shen look like that?*
He must have already known the Black-clothed Ninja's purpose, but why did his eyes show such an unusual expression?
After watching his teammate for several minutes, Shen turned his head back. He decided to stop the inevitable Second Great Ninja War.
Team One, formed less than a year ago, had already made him accustomed to this kind of life.
Whether it was his good friend Nayou, his advisor Orochimaru, or even Nawaki, whom he often argued with, all had formed a bond deep inside Shen's heart—something called *kizuna*.
"Humans really are social animals, huh? I hope stopping the plans of those five villages can at least delay the outbreak of the Second Great Ninja War as much as possible." Sitting in the driver's seat, Shen gazed out at the fading glow of the sunset, feeling a pang of emotion stir within him.
He knew he couldn't ultimately prevent war from coming, yet still wanted to do everything he could to try.
Even something as bizarre as being reborn into another world could happen—how could he simply sit by peacefully waiting for war to arrive?
This hands-off, passive attitude absolutely didn't match his reputation as Konoha's infamous menace.
On the other side, at the border of Amegakure, an elite force of three hundred shinobi from five different villages had gathered.
After all, with such a large group, it would be nearly impossible to silently pass through the Land of Fire and arrive in Uzugakure all at once.
"Then, captains, on behalf of Hanzo-sama, I wish you all a safe journey." The Amegakure captain finished speaking, then divided his hundred-man unit into squads of five members each.
Then he led his four-man squad forward and was the first to move out.
Once he left, the remaining four captains began exchanging glances continuously.
The Kumo captain, never shy to speak his mind, was the first to break the silence: "I'm sure you three know our true objective too, so let's just let Ame strike the first wave of attacks while we proceed with our plan."
"Interesting. I didn't expect the muscle-bound Raikage to come up with a scheme like having someone else take the fall—it sounds more like something the Tsuchikage would plan." The Takigakure captain seemed eager to provoke conflict.
The Iwagakure captain wasn't falling for it: "So your Takigakure only knows underhanded tricks like this? You can't possibly measure the magnanimity of great nations with your small-country mindset."
"You think your Iwagakure is any better? 'Great nation'? More like a bunch of gangsters ruling the shinobi world!"
"At least those of your stature can actually handle self-defense issues unlike yours!"
Watching the two arguing, the Kirigakure captain couldn't resist joining in: "Looks like over ten years of peace haven't changed the shinobi world at all—not a single thing!"
"Quiet! You Kirigakure types haven't been involved for years—who gave you the right to talk like that? If not for the fact that Uzugakure was separated from Kiri merely by sea, would you even bother helping?" The Takigakure captain fired off, clearly harboring long-standing resentment toward these so-called major nations.
"Hehe, we're all guilty to some extent. You butcher who slaughters pigs—how dare you talk down to us slaughterers? Don't push me, or I'll wipe out your whole damn Takigakure next time!" The defiant Kirigakure captain threatened right back.
The Takigakure Captain immediately flew into a rage. "Come then! It seems you Kirigakure ninjas have been away from the shinobi world for too long and forgotten that strength reigns supreme! Just don't end up getting slaughtered by us — maybe staying in your diapers would've suited you better!"
"Do you intend to provoke a war between Kirigakure and Takigakure? Seems like you've forgotten our power!" The Kirigakure Captain directly elevated the confrontation to the level of war.
Inside, the Kumogakure Captain felt utterly helpless. Wanting nothing more than to complete their plan smoothly, he tried to mediate with calming words: "Alright everyone, we're all here as village representatives to execute this operation. Afterwards, you can fight however you want, but right now, please show some restraint for the sake of cooperation."
"No problem," responded the Iwagakure Captain who supported first, seeing there'd be no exciting conflict. "Iwagakure certainly won't lack a big-picture perspective like certain people."
"Hmph!" x2
The Takigakure and Kirigakure Captains exchanged disdainful snorts before both fell silent.
Their behavior signaled agreement on the matter.
Seeing this, Kumogakure Captain secretly exhaled in relief.
Seizing the moment, he quickly proposed the next plan: "Then after Rain initiates the attack, our personnel will change into their uniforms, approach from four directions, completely eradicate Uzumaki village first, followed by an assault on Uzugakure."
"Agreed!" x3
After responding affirmatively, the four factions each broke their forces into smaller units.
Then these two hundred elite warriors proceeded one after another toward the southern Uzugakure.
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