While Danzo led several elite squads of Root toward the capital of the Land of Fire, Jiraiya entered the Land of Rivers and successfully secured a meeting with the representative of the Sand—the Hidden Sand Elder, Ebizo.
By this time, Ebizo's hair had turned stark white. His snowy eyebrows drooped from his brow bones, making it appear as though he could barely keep his eyes open.
However, Jiraiya did not let down his guard because of the man's appearance as a kind old soul. The person before him had lived through the First Shinobi World War and was a contemporary of his own teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Furthermore, Ebizo was the one who had single-handedly built the entire intelligence network of the Hidden Sand Village. Even after being retired for decades, he still maintained a massive web of secret contacts throughout the Shinobi World. As one of the strongest puppeteers in existence, his strength was absolutely not to be underestimated.
The moment Jiraiya stepped into the meeting room, the Sand ninjas guarding Ebizo tensed up. Their eyes locked onto the white-haired middle-aged man, and the Scorpion Jades on their backs extended various sharp blades, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
After all, the man standing before them was one of the Legendary Sannin; they couldn't afford not to be nervous.
Many of these ninjas had survived the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars. They knew exactly how terrifying Lord Jiraiya's strength was. One mistake, and everyone present would be in mortal danger!
In contrast, Ebizo took the initiative to reach out, pressing his hand down lightly against the air. "No need to be nervous, everyone."
He struggled to open his eyes, looking at the man who was a youngster compared to him, and said with a smile, "I believe Lord Jiraiya has come this time with the Hidden Leaf's sincerity."
Jiraiya paid no mind to the wariness of those around him. The Land of Fire and the Land of Wind had fought for so many years; hatred like that was certainly not easily dissolved. Being guarded or even hostile toward him was perfectly normal.
He said seriously, "Elder Ebizo, the Jashin Religion is a threat to both the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire. Trying to resolve the Jashin Religion with only one village's strength would likely result in massive casualties. Therefore, I have come with great sincerity, hoping that our two nations can form an allied force to completely uproot the Jashin Religion within the borders of the Land of Rivers!"
Ebizo nodded upon hearing this. "The personal arrival of Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, is enough for me to see the Leaf's sincerity. But the Leaf should also know how terrifying the Jashin Religion's strength is. If it is just you and I, I'm afraid..."
Hearing the implication in Ebizo's words, Jiraiya added, "Rest assured, Elder. When the time comes, the Hidden Leaf will deploy more than twenty elite Jonin, along with two thousand ninjas to participate in this battle."
Twenty Jonin, plus two thousand ninjas, and Jiraiya of the Sannin.
During a period that wasn't a Great Shinobi World War, this was indeed the maximum sincerity the Land of Fire could offer.
"It seems the Hidden Leaf is indeed very sincere."
With conditions like these, even Ebizo felt a bit embarrassed to haggle.
It also served as side evidence that the Hidden Leaf was truly desperate to cut the Gordian knot, completely uprooting the hidden danger of the Jashin Religion to restore its reputation as the number one village in the Shinobi World.
After all, having a Hokage die at the hands of a terrorist organization was a massive blow to the Hidden Leaf's prestige.
The Hidden Leaf had to use this battle to re-establish its authority.
The Hidden Sand Village felt much the same. While they hadn't lost a Kazekage, their Shukaku was still in the enemy's hands.
Consequently, both sides hit it off immediately.
"In that case, the Hidden Sand Village can provide fifteen hundred ninjas and fifteen Jonin to form the allied force with the Leaf. I will personally serve as the commander."
Ebizo spoke just as candidly.
"However, let's be clear: once this battle is over, the Leaf's stationed troops must fully withdraw from the Land of Rivers. The Hidden Sand will also take Shukaku back. As for other spoils of war, they will be split fifty-fifty."
Ebizo presented his conditions on behalf of the Hidden Sand.
To be honest, these terms were somewhat unfair to the Hidden Leaf, which was clearly contributing more manpower and effort.
But who could blame the Hidden Leaf for its current internal and external troubles?
The Land of Wind's territory was nothing but sand; no other great nation coveted it, and their border defense pressure was nearly non-existent.
But the Land of Fire?
It occupied the best location in the entire Shinobi World with fertile land. It was surrounded by great nations, with countless countries just waiting for it to weaken so they could take a bite.
Therefore, the Hidden Leaf could not afford to delay.
Even if they had to pay a price, they needed to resolve the issue quickly to prevent fighting a war on multiple fronts.
For now, these conditions were acceptable to the Hidden Leaf.
If they lost the Land of Rivers as a buffer, they could simply fight to take it back later. The immediate priority was to eliminate the Jashin Religion.
Jiraiya was very clear on this point, as the Great Toad Sage's prophecy regarding the "Child of Destruction" was constantly looping in his mind.
After finalizing the details, Jiraiya—assisted by an aide from the Nara Clan—completed the signing of the agreement with Ebizo. This meant the Hidden Leaf and the Hidden Sand had officially allied on this matter, ending a year of hostility within the Land of Rivers.
Sometimes, turning from enemies to allies is just that simple.
Of course, the hatred between them had not vanished.
This brief alliance was merely for the sake of mutual interest.
Although the signing of the agreement was complete and the two nations had entered a period of cooperation, there were still many details to discuss.
For instance, how the troops of both nations would coordinate, the chain of command, and how intelligence would be shared.
Jiraiya couldn't be bothered with such trivialities, which was why he had specifically brought a Nara aide from the Leaf to handle the detailed work.
Before leaving, he looked at the ninjas guarding Ebizo and complimented them. "The Hidden Sand's secret techniques are quite good."
With Jiraiya's vast combat experience, he could naturally see the value in the secret technique known as "Scorpion Jade."
Much like the Leaf's "Quinque," it was something that could boost the strength of ordinary ninjas in a short time, and it possessed the potential to be further promoted among civilians.
The only thing that made him slightly uneasy was that both technologies displayed certain characteristics of the Jashin Religion, which weighed on his mind.
However, his personal misgivings were clearly not enough to offset the growth in combat power these two new developments brought to the two great nations. Thus, they were destined to cause no major waves.
Jiraiya understood this logic well. After entrusting everything to his companion, Tonami Nara, he took the lead and slipped into the heart of the Land of Rivers under the pretext of gathering intelligence.
Ebizo did nothing to stop him. After all, intelligence is the most critical part of a war.
If a war is compared to two people fighting, then intelligence is the person's eyes. Without eyes, you will always be on the defensive.
Only by obtaining sufficient intelligence can you make targeted arrangements and anticipate the enemy's moves.
And Jiraiya, this member of the Sannin, was a master at gathering intelligence within the Shinobi World.
The capital of the Land of Rivers.
The estates where many of the Land of Rivers' nobles once resided had been completely overtaken by refugees. The magnificent palace of the Land of Rivers' Daimyo had been thoroughly transformed after a series of renovations into... a temple!
And the one enshrined within was the Great Lord Jashin, along with the Apostles and Priests beneath Him.
This matter traced back to a year ago.
Although the "God-Chosen People" had been successfully eliminated by the ninjas of the Hidden Steam Village, the entire village was wiped out in an instant after Lord Jashin performed a miracle.
After the Hidden Steam Village vanished, the Hidden Leaf Village of the Land of Fire quickly declared they would provide protection to the nobles of the Land of Rivers. They deployed a large number of Leaf ninjas to various parts of the Land of Rivers, including its capital.
As for the price, it involved various mines and resources within the Land of Rivers.
The surviving nobles of the Land of Rivers didn't hesitate for a moment, hurrying to hand them over just to preserve their lives in these chaotic times.
They had originally thought that with the protection of the Hidden Leaf—the number one village in the Shinobi World—they wouldn't have to suffer any more hardships.
Unexpectedly, their good fortune didn't last. In less than a year, the Hidden Sand Village suffered a terrifying terrorist attack by the Jashin Religion. Not only did they suffer heavy losses, but their only Tailed Beast was even stolen.
This incident caused the Hidden Sand to lose face entirely, and even led to the Daimyo of the Land of Wind exploding in anger. He believed they were taking money without doing their jobs and subsequently slashed their military budget.
To maintain their international competitiveness and prove the Hidden Sand's strength, Rasa led the village in a heavy-handed crackdown on the wandering ninjas who frequently provoked them within the Land of Rivers, using their newly developed secret techniques.
This subsequently evolved into a clash between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire.
Under the intense friction and conflict, the Hidden Leaf gradually abandoned the once-prosperous capital. Finally, it was occupied by the "Divine Kingdom," an organization of the Jashin Religion that had risen suddenly. They captured all the remaining nobles and turned the original palace into a temple to worship Jashin.
Following this, the "Divine Kingdom" used the capital as a core to continuously expand its influence outward, attracting a massive number of homeless refugees. It was like a tumor taking root in the Land of Rivers, constantly absorbing nutrients and growing wildly!
Currently, this earthly kingdom of Lord Jashin was holding a grand sacrificial ceremony.
The execution of the nobles!
The entire old capital was in a state of extreme madness. Everyone was venting their resentment and anger.
Under the guidance of the Priests, these impoverished refugees had come to clearly understand one thing.
"The suffering of this world was brought about by these nobles who live only to wait for death."
"They do not produce anything, yet they occupy the vast majority of this world's wealth. They are like greedy insects, hoping to gain even more wealth by exploiting us to stabilize their ruling positions."
"These ugly nobles are the source of all evil in this world; they are demons full of sin!"
"As for those ninjas, they are the accomplices of the demons! They are the demons' fangs!"
"Now, our Great Lord has descended!"
"Our Lord is the existence that created all things!"
"Our Lord is the Master of Shadows, the final destination for all living deaths, the creator of chaos, the origin of life, and the omnipotent everything!"
"It is the Lord who brings us hope, brings us food, brings us a future, and even brings us death!"
"Death will purify this world, and the Lord's Divine Kingdom will accept our souls. We will throw ourselves into the Lord's embrace!"
"The Lord's wrath will burn away all the sins of the world. All we must do is offer our heads and our blood to forge the Lord's throne!"
A man wearing divine robes was screaming madly in the square in front of the temple.
Every word he spoke turned into a musical note that touched the heart, became the kindling that fed the burning rage, and transformed into the spark that ignited the soul.
When he used all his strength to shout the final sentence, the entire square instantly turned into an ocean of frenzy. Countless souls emitted fanatical flames, turning into a whistling sea of fire that swallowed the nobles.
As the executioners, their blood vessels bulging, brought their blades down, fear was finally frozen onto the faces of these nobles. The blood further ignited the souls of everyone present.
Their eyes turned crimson as they rushed forward recklessly. Thousands of claws reached out, tearing apart and devouring the nobles who had once oppressed them, one by one.
"Truly... madness."
Inside the high-standing temple, the young Sasuke watched the scene below. A trace of disgust appeared on his frost-covered face.
In contrast, Gaara, standing beside him, showed no reaction at all. He appeared to have grown accustomed to this level of madness.
"Sasuke, you are currently the Divine Son of the Jashin Religion. Saying something like that is a bit irresponsible, isn't it?"
Shana sat outside the temple's window sill. A pair of slender bird claws, yet strong enough to tear through steel, dangled lightly outside. She looked like an innocent and romantic young girl.
Of course, that was if one ignored the carnage happening below.
Indeed, Sasuke had already been designated by Simu as the Divine Son.
In other words, he was the vessel for Lord Jashin's descent.
There wasn't just one such vessel; Gaara was also one of the Divine Sons.
However, it was very clear that Sasuke wasn't particularly fond of his status as the Divine Son.
"The Divine Son or whatever is fine. As long as I can kill that man, I wouldn't hesitate even if you made me sell my soul."
It was evident that Sasuke's hatred for Itachi had already begun to turn him twisted.
Hearing this, Shana let out a light laugh.
Sensing the extra meaning within Shana's laughter, Sasuke's brow furrowed slightly. "What are you laughing at?"
Shana didn't answer. Instead, another burly figure replied, "Shana is laughing because your current thoughts, Sasuke, are just like those of the followers down below."
Sasuke opened his mouth slightly, speechless for a moment.
After a while, a seductive female voice suddenly rang out. "Everyone, according to the messages from the [Broodmother Network], that famous Sannin has officially entered the [Divine Kingdom]."
The speaker was a woman with red hair. Her skin was as white as jade, and she wore only a light fur coat. Her snow-white skin peeked through, looking quite alluring.
It was Rie Uzumaki.
Jugo frowned. "One of the Sannin? That's not a character who can be dealt with easily."
Rie Uzumaki lightly curled her hair with a finger like a scallion, smiling softly. "Don't worry. Everything will proceed according to Lord Simu's plan."