Chapter 156: Madara Uchiha: Izuna Is Too Extreme; He Actually Denies My Younger Self...
Two months later.
Mountains' Graveyard.
Madara Uchiha stood in the center of the underground cavern with his arms crossed.
In front of him was a massive map of the ninja world, annotated with the composition and personnel of various factions.
Looking at the map, Madara seemed energetic, actually appearing a few years younger than before.
He had regained a touch of his former glory as the Ghost of the Uchiha.
After losing to Hashirama, Madara hadn't just been lying around doing nothing during his decades in this hidden cave.
He had conducted a massive "ninjutsu assessment" of the entire ninja world!
The final conclusion he reached was that, even possessing the Rinnegan, there was a possibility he could fail in his old and frail body.
The burden of bearing the Ten-Tails was one factor.
His reputation, which would lead to unprecedented unity in the ninja world, was another—his infamy was very solid!
The key issue was also that Madara despised his aging, powerless physical body.
He wanted to bring the Infinite Tsukuyomi—the ultimate peace belonging to the Uchiha—to the ninja world in his most perfect form!
But the situation now was different.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi is truly interesting."
"The false peace of Konoha has been managed quite decently in his hands. He inherited the will of my youth and relatively perfected it a bit. The ninja world still has some capable figures!"
"If I don't change the plan, Seisui might just be attracted by this false peace. Even that foolish brat Obito might find it hard to realize the cruelty of the ninja world!"
"It seems I must personally step in after all."
"Since he is the inheritor of my will, it's only natural that other shinobi find it difficult to deal with him."
Madara muttered to himself, "I can only temporarily endure this aging body!"
To the side, White Zetsu A-Huo looked at Madara with a complex expression.
It wanted to say...
Lord Madara, don't you think you are acting very bizarrely?
For the past two months, Madara had been constantly talking to himself.
Does that Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, even know he is your inheritor? What's the word for this again... Oh right, the books call it 'wishful thinking'!
White Zetsu A-Huo mumbled in its heart: Also, what Lord Madara is doing should be called 'giving oneself a way out', right?
For a very long time, Black Zetsu had repeatedly and implicitly hinted to Madara that the proxy plan was truly unreliable.
The special body condensed from all of creation meant that ordinary chakra and Tailed Beast chakra could not massively replenish Madara's life origin.
But if they put their minds to it, there was always a way!
After all, they had the Gedo Statue, Black Zetsu with his long history in the ninja world, and the Rinnegan right there.
Restoring him to his peak was indeed difficult, but if they persistently thought of ways, they might be able to grasp the tail end of his peak condition. Wouldn't that be enough?
It would be far better than getting some proxy!
But Black Zetsu had no choice. Its persona was a creation of Madara's Yin-Yang Release.
It could offer advice, but it couldn't overstep, otherwise, it would be exposed.
As a result, Black Zetsu could only watch as Madara aged away like this, sighing and complaining day after day.
"Lingering on with one's last breath is shameful! I disdain those life-extending methods!"
He had just stubbornly given up on treatment.
White Zetsu A-Huo sighed.
In its view, Madara's talking to himself was just him trying to salvage his pride regarding his past resolute refusal of treatment.
White Zetsu A-Huo was relatively special.
The existing White Zetsus were divided into two batches.
One batch was transformed from ancient humans buried inside the Divine Tree for thousands of years. Their qualities were relatively better, and the White Zetsus capable of acting as scouts basically all came from this group.
White Zetsu A-Huo was one of them.
This batch of White Zetsus was controlled by Black Zetsu's special methods.
The other batch were degraded products cultivated using Hashirama's cells, barely capable of serving as cannon fodder.
Ever since Madara noticed White Zetsu A-Huo, and because he wanted to personally control the "struggle" against Konoha, he had restarted his research on the Gedo Statue.
White Zetsu A-Huo received an enhancement, and all its abilities were improved.
Although it still couldn't compare to Tobi, the child of the Divine Tree, it now possessed the ability to read and learn, understood how to conduct independent thought to a certain extent, and no longer asked what poop tasted like.
For example, it was very satisfied with its name "A-Huo" (Fire), and inexplicably felt a certain sense of belonging to Konoha.
Fire (Huo) was the symbol of Konoha, after all!
White Zetsu A-Huo could tell that Madara seemed to have a certain approval of Konoha, so why did he still want to arrange for Soragakure to attack Konoha?
So strange!
"Lord Madara, after two months of close observation, other scouts have confirmed that Seisui Uchiha still occasionally manifests Young Master Izuna's chakra."
White Zetsu A-Huo waited until Madara finished talking to himself before tiptoeing forward and reporting, "Young Master Izuna should not have been discovered by Mito Uzumaki. You can rest assured!"
Madara suddenly turned around, clapping his hands and laughing loudly. "Good!"
"I knew Seisui would protect Izuna! The blood of the Uchiha flows in both of them, and they definitely harbor distrust towards Konoha's false peace!"
"With my younger brother's wisdom, how could he be deceived by this false peace? He definitely understands me!"
Initially, Madara didn't know what state Izuna's chakra inside "Seisui" was actually in.
It could be conscious, or it could be unconscious; he wasn't even sure if it was a soul or residual chakra.
But after Madara's multiple observations, coupled with White Zetsu's intelligence, he confirmed that "Izuna" possessed self-awareness!
Because if he were unconscious, it would be impossible for him to repeatedly appear and fade within "Seisui's" body, even popping up in some everyday situations.
"A-Huo! Tonight I want to drink a toast to our success! Go buy me some good wine and dishes!"
Madara grinned, a rare sight, and said with a loud laugh, "Based on this one matter alone, I know what I did was right! Do you know why?"
White Zetsu A-Huo was full of question marks, and asked sincerely, "Why, Lord Madara! You are too wise..."
Madara chuckled dryly. "If Izuna agreed with Konoha's ideology, given Hiruzen Sarutobi's attitude towards the Uchiha, there would be absolutely no need to hide the fact that Izuna is inside Seisui's body."
"Hiruzen Sarutobi would definitely bring it out as propaganda material to promote the integration of the Uchiha and the village!"
"The fact that they didn't do this only proves that Izuna doesn't agree with Konoha and hid it from Mito's detection. Seisui also has similar thoughts, which is why they cooperated to avoid exposure!"
White Zetsu A-Huo thought carefully for a moment, then nodded in sudden realization. "That's really true!"
Madara's analysis actually had no major logical flaws.
He just overlooked one point: Hiruzen choosing not to expose Izuna's existence was actually Mito protecting "Seisui's" special identity of possessing both bloodlines.
It was also to ensure the Uchiha clan only had one backbone, Seisui, preventing the possibility of Izuna splitting their power.
"Hmph, naturally!"
Madara said with a smile, "However, Izuna is even more formidable than I imagined."
"He and Seisui combining forces actually managed to deceive Mito and Hiruzen. Truly worthy of being my younger brother!"
For the past two months, Madara hadn't slept well.
He was terrified that Mito Uzumaki would seal Izuna's chakra or soul.
Madara knew that back in the day, Mito had quite an issue with Izuna, but he couldn't exactly say anything about it.
Who told Izuna to always harass the Uzumaki kunoichi?
When there were so many women in the clan he didn't touch...
Madara couldn't understand this point either, so he could only let it go.
"Not only that, without knowing about the Eye of the Moon, Izuna can still avoid being bewildered by Konoha!"
"Such brilliance..." Madara shook his head in intoxication, then sighed emotionally, "However, looking at it from this point, Izuna's pursuit of peace is actually a bit extreme! As his older brother, I have to criticize him for this."
White Zetsu A-Huo was full of question marks. "Lord Madara, are you saying Young Master Izuna is extreme?"
Even it couldn't quite hold it in.
A deranged old man in a cave calling someone else extreme?
How could he even say that!
"Of course!" Madara said self-righteously. "The reason I am not deceived by Konoha's false peace is because I know about the Eye of the Moon plan."
"If it were my youthful self, perhaps I would have accepted this facade of settling for second best. This is also why I say Hiruzen Sarutobi inherited the will of my youth."
"But Izuna doesn't know about the Eye of the Moon plan, yet he doesn't understand Hiruzen Sarutobi, which is to say, the youthful me. This persistence is a bit overboard; it is indeed extreme."
"Logically speaking, he should have first been attracted by Konoha and the so-called Will of Fire, then under my plan gradually realized that the chains of hatred in the ninja world cannot be severed, and under his brother's guidance produced profound thoughts..."
"Then, on some day when Izuna couldn't figure out what true peace was, I would appear before Seisui and explain the greatness of the Eye of the Moon plan to both of them!"
"But Izuna's reaction makes it seem like he doesn't even agree with my youthful self." Madara sighed.
Izuna back then indeed hadn't understood his youthful self either.
After all, at that time, it was Izuna who insisted they couldn't forget their hatred and opposed the alliance with the Senju clan.
White Zetsu A-Huo's eyes widened, its pupils unconsciously dilating.
What on earth was Lord Madara talking about?
It took a good while for White Zetsu A-Huo to gradually understand Madara's logic.
Which was, he hoped Izuna wouldn't just agree with his youthful self, but would agree more with his current self.
So he should have shown an attitude of first believing, then questioning Konoha, rather than questioning it directly.
Young Master Izuna is truly an eccentric person to actually be able to get along so happily with Lord Madara. How on earth did he do it? It must have been hard on him...
White Zetsu A-Huo, having its intelligence enhanced by the Gedo Statue and having read a few books, couldn't help but complain internally.
Isn't Lord Madara a bit too hard to please?
White Zetsu A-Huo originally thought that perhaps all shinobi were mentally ill like this.
But on second thought, it had also listened to Konoha's Fireside Chat. Why was Hiruzen Sarutobi's mental state so stable?
So tolerant!
White Zetsu A-Huo sighed unconsciously, feeling very bitter about its origins.
"What are you sighing for, A-Huo?"
"I mean to say, Lord Madara is highly perceptive!"
White Zetsu A-Huo perked up and put on a big smile. "Your logic and wisdom are absolutely first-class in the ninja world. Hiruzen Sarutobi definitely cannot compare to you."
The corners of Madara's mouth curled up slightly. "You can't say that. Since I consider Hiruzen Sarutobi an opponent, then I must treat him seriously!"
And there was another reason why Madara was in such a good mood.
In the past, he hadn't dared to face Izuna. Even though he could use Impure World Reincarnation, he had never thought of doing so.
Because deep in Madara's heart, he knew he had broken his promise to Izuna.
Even if he used the Infinite Tsukuyomi to comfort himself.
Lying to oneself is the hardest thing to do.
But now that Izuna could occasionally appear within Seisui's body, the situation was different!
This gave Madara a stage.
A stage to prove that he hadn't broken his promise, but rather, he had seen the ultimate peace and therefore temporarily hadn't taken care of the clansmen!
Madara turned his head and looked at Izuna's photo hanging on the wall of the crypt.
He walked over step by step.
And gently brushed away the non-existent dust on it.
"Izuna, don't blame your brother. I just want to show you that I am the one who is right," Madara said softly.
As long as he launched an attack on Konoha, then everything would get better.
"A-Huo, do you know?"
"It's actually possible that Izuna hasn't completely rejected Konoha. Since Hiruzen Sarutobi inherited the will of my youth after all, he might be observing while taking Seisui along."
"So, all I need to do is prove to Izuna that the chains of hatred cannot be severed, and that Konoha doesn't have enough power to maintain the Will of Fire. Then that will prove the Eye of the Moon plan is correct!"
"In the past, I had no way to explain these things to Izuna, because words without proof are empty."
"Now, I actually have an opportunity to prove it to my younger brother! Facts cannot be refuted!"
Madara melodiously narrated his plan with a tone like an aria.
He held an astonishing expectation.
Once Izuna understood his thoughts, he could meet his brother again!
After all, the misunderstanding would have been cleared up.
He possessed the body of all creation, and replenishing his deficits was very troublesome, let alone reviving himself.
But Izuna was different; he still had a normal shinobi physique.
After deeply researching various jutsu of the ninja world and the Gedo Statue, Madara felt he could manage to revive Izuna.
Just thinking about the day Izuna could stand by his side again, fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with him for the Eye of the Moon plan...
Maybe they could even persuade Seisui, or even Hiruzen Sarutobi!
Madara's lips curled into a smile unconsciously; just thinking about it made him feel incredibly refreshed.
His younger brother, his clansmen, and an excellent successor were all on his side!
"Letting Soragakure attack Konoha, even with my meticulous manipulation, might not yield massive combat results."
"But it can let Hiruzen Sarutobi and Izuna know that even from a small hidden village, past hatreds will not dissipate. This is called seeing the big picture through a small detail!"
White Zetsu A-Huo revealed a confused expression.
Hadn't Lord Madara listened to Hiruzen Sarutobi's Fireside Chat?
The Hokage explicitly said that on the path to perfecting the Will of Fire, they would definitely encounter various problems, but they couldn't stop advancing or pursue extreme solutions just because of resistance.
Wasn't this stated very clearly?
If one goes to extremes upon facing a setback, wouldn't they be just like Lord Madara... White Zetsu A-Huo's heart skipped a beat, and it immediately banished this highly disrespectful thought from its mind.
Oh my, why do I feel like my thoughts are getting a bit weird?
White Zetsu A-Huo felt its head itching, as if something was about to grow out...
"Lord Madara, what if Konoha isn't successfully struck by Soragakure?" White Zetsu A-Huo said carefully.
Even though it felt Lord Madara was a bit unhinged right now...
He had, after all, fed it roast meat and used the Gedo Statue to enhance it...
Some things still needed to be said!
"Then that's a good thing!" Madara said shockingly.
"This proves that the will of my youth is not so easily crushed! Furthermore, this is merely digging a small pit for Konoha and Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"A-Huo, you must understand, Hiruzen Sarutobi is an enemy who must be treated seriously. I understand your desire to quickly destroy the Will of Fire, but that is wrong!"
"We must proceed slowly."
"I have already prepared a follow-up move!"
A black rod materialized in Madara's hand, and he tapped the map.
"The situation in the ninja world will detonate sooner or later! War is inevitable."
"I already have a way to keep the fuse of the Great Ninja War under my control."
A few question marks popped up over White Zetsu A-Huo's head. "Are you going to control them with genjutsu?"
It really wanted to say, Lord Madara, if you had this ability, why didn't you do it long ago!
"I can't control everyone."
"Although the power of ants is laughable, there are a few who are somewhat troublesome."
"The Third Raikage, that brat Onoki, even Sunagakure's Third Kazekage and Chiyo; they possess a certain level of strength themselves. Their villages also have various sensory ninjutsu, and the 'Kages' are surrounded by capable shinobi."
"Rashly attempting to control them carries a high probability of failure, and it would expose my existence to others."
"But Kirigakure is different!"
Madara sneered coldly. "According to intelligence, Kirigakure is implementing a policy known as the 'Blood Mist Village'. The Third Mizukage has effectively become a solitary ruler with no real allies."
"Moreover, although Kirigakure has many Kekkei Genkai, they lack sensory ninjutsu. Targeting him is very suitable."
"The Third Mizukage's consistent style is also temperamental and unpredictable, making controlling him even harder to detect."
"And given the shinobi's covetousness towards Konoha, I only need to make Kirigakure attack Konoha at the right time, and the other hidden villages will swarm in like hyenas!"
"In a chaotic war, often leveraging just one or two fulcrums can determine the overall direction!"
After learning about the current situation in Kirigakure.
Even Madara Uchiha, who was once known as the "Ghost of the Uchiha," couldn't help but frown tightly.
What on earth was going on!
The so-called "Ghost" (Shura) meant being merciless to enemies and opponents, dancing on the battlefield with a ruthless posture.
It did not mean throwing heavy punches at your own people, making the youths in the ninja academy slaughter each other, and launching uncontrollable great purges!
Madara couldn't help but sigh that under the one-country, one-village system established by Hashirama, there was actually someone capable of making shinobi live worse lives than during the Warring States period.
In a certain sense, he was also a rare talent!
This also made him firmer in his thoughts.
Hiruzen Sarutobi might indeed be good.
But the badness of other shinobi could only be saved by the Infinite Tsukuyomi!
White Zetsu A-Huo nodded thoughtfully. "Lord Madara's plan actually sounds pretty reliable this time."
"I hope Hiruzen Sarutobi can entertain me to the fullest, and not just casually collapse like a weakling!" Madara said softly.
"After all, he is someone carrying the will of my youth, he shouldn't be too embarrassing."
"This way, the test can also proceed on multiple fronts, making both Izuna and Hiruzen Sarutobi understand that the only solution for the ninja world is the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
"It goes without saying for Izuna; he will definitely support me."
"Hiruzen Sarutobi is also worth putting in a little effort. It wouldn't be impossible to give him a place by my side."
White Zetsu A-Huo realized something.
Ever since it became smarter...
Every time it just started to feel Lord Madara was amazing, as long as it listened to a few more sentences, it would again feel that his words were very confusing.
So twisted!
Why, after savoring his words carefully, did it always feel like Lord Madara didn't want Konoha to lose?
No, he did want Konoha to lose, but he wanted them to lose beautifully...
White Zetsu A-Huo's eyes turned into swirls; its brain temporarily couldn't process Madara's beautiful mental state.
It was too complicated!
"A-Huo, how is the intelligence gathering on Soragakure progressing?" Madara asked.
"Lord Madara, we have already preliminarily grasped their information." White Zetsu A-Huo perked up.
With Tobi and Black Zetsu both dispatched on long-term missions, it was currently the foreman of the White Zetsus.
"Soragakure is hiding at the bottom of a jungle near Yugakure. Their forces are currently scattered, but the core scientific and technological members are largely still there and can be organized."
White Zetsu A-Huo hurriedly ran out and brought back a document.
"Lord Madara, this is the intelligence collected by the other White Zetsus!"
Madara froze for a moment.
This White Zetsu, which usually acted like a retard, actually managed to complete the job so well, leaving him a bit unaccustomed to it.
Madara flipped open this manual.
It recorded the various technologies possessed by Soragakure.
"Small Flying Ninja Tools," "Angkor Thom Flying Fortress," "Maritime Aircraft Carrier Catapult," "Zero-Tails Energy Storage"...
Madara nodded slightly as he read.
Although in his view, these technologies still held little significance for a true battlefield...
They did possess aerial capabilities rare in the ninja world.
Controlled properly, they held high strategic value for a battlefield of 'mortals'.
"Hmm."
Madara pondered. "You've done well, but I still need to make a slight adjustment!"
White Zetsu A-Huo stood at attention. "Please instruct, Lord Madara!"
"All White Zetsus responsible for scouting the infiltration depths of Soragakure and Kirigakure must move five meters closer to the surface! You must obtain more precise and detailed intelligence."
White Zetsu A-Huo revealed a puzzled expression.
Shouldn't this kind of thing be adjusted according to the specific situation?
Controlling it so rigidly, what if they were discovered by others?
White Zetsu A-Huo nodded silently. It still didn't dare question Lord Madara regarding military orders.
But when it turned to leave, Madara called out to it.
Madara sighed heavily. "Forget it, just act according to the circumstances! Go, buy me some wine and food."
White Zetsu A-Huo scratched its head and sank into the ground.
Madara looked at Izuna's portrait, his heart complicated.
The reason he retracted the "move up five meters" order was because he remembered something Izuna had said.
In the past, he and Izuna's father, Tajima Uchiha, was a man with an extremely strong desire for control, deploying even the minute positional details of the clansmen's formations.
Izuna had sharply criticized Tajima Uchiha in private: "Father seems attentive, but actually it's just psychological defense under the guise of conceit."
"He even micromanages meaningless details. If we lose the battle, it's because the subordinates didn't execute properly; if we win, it's entirely his credit. The essence of it is a lack of self-confidence."
"He has the right of interpretation anyway; no one can check and balance Father's judgment of right and wrong."
"Father doing this ignores the timeliness and information asymmetry of the battlefield, and he doesn't listen to others' advice. No wonder the Uchiha clan can't beat the Senju!"
Madara exhaled a long breath of stale air.
He didn't want to become someone like Tajima Uchiha.
Am I actually as paranoid as my father? No, it's not that I think others are wrong, but that the Eye of the Moon plan is a truth that is difficult for mortals to understand!
Isn't what I am doing now just making Izuna, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the Uchiha understand me? Madara muttered to himself, but a knot quietly remained in his heart.
Deep down, for the first time, he felt that perhaps he wasn't absolutely correct.
Ninja World.
Bounty Station.
Kakuzu sat in the underground black market, holding a newspaper, deep in thought.
After receiving Hiruzen Sarutobi's deposit, he had been constantly paying attention to Konoha for over a year.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's posture of possessing immense military power yet still choosing to reason things out left an extremely profound impression on Kakuzu.
And the incident that blew up a few days ago regarding the conflict between the "Shinobi Rules" and the "Will of Fire" raised Kakuzu's interest to its peak.
Kakuzu thought of his own experience in Takigakure.
The former higher-ups, in order to gain reputation, hadn't treated him, a young man, as a human being at all.
They merely treated him as a disposable tool, dispatching him to assassinate Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi.
That was, of course, impossible to succeed.
But for such an outrageous mission, Takigakure still judged him as a failure, saying he brought huge losses to the village's reputation, and sought to execute him!
After so many years, Kakuzu naturally understood Takigakure's intentions.
It was to thoroughly establish the authority of the higher-ups: whoever they say dies, dies, thereby deterring all shinobi!
So, Kakuzu killed them all, and no longer believed in so-called comrades and villages, henceforth taking money, which could always facilitate transactions, as the sole faith in his heart.
"But Konoha is different."
"The Yashiro Uchiha incident is different from Takigakure simply wanting me dead back then. He genuinely failed to complete the mission, bringing huge losses to the Land of Fire and Konoha."
"Although it was beyond his personal capabilities, executing him would also be in line with the Shinobi Rules."
Kakuzu closed his eyes.
As a bounty hunter who traveled extensively, Kakuzu was very familiar with the intelligence of various countries.
For the past three months, nobles and hidden villages from all over had launched denunciations against Konoha, saying Konoha had abandoned the rules passed down for hundreds of years, and was an untrustworthy outlier that smeared the shinobi community.
Even the nobles of the Land of Fire had made quite a bit of noise.
Based on Kakuzu's experience and judgment, even if Yashiro was wronged, in order to quell public opinion, given Konoha's unique nature, they would at most just have Yashiro commit seppuku with dignity.
But shockingly, in today's latest intelligence, Kakuzu learned that those nobles in the Land of Fire who opposed Konoha actually fell silent in an instant.
The Madoka Masamune of the Madoka family, who had previously spearheaded the opposition, was reported by Madoka Ichikyu from a branch family.
The Madoka family issued a statement to the ninja world, declaring that Madoka Masamune had colluded with foreign countries and was a traitor to the Land of Fire!
The Madoka family could not tolerate such a scum appearing within the family, so they executed him according to family law.
Furthermore, to express their apologies to Konoha, they voluntarily donated money to Konoha's scientific research and orphanages, prompting the nobles who previously followed Madoka Masamune to follow suit, far exceeding Hiruzen Sarutobi's fixed limit of one million Ryo.
"Interesting. The donation limit of one million was set because the Daimyo and the Hokage didn't want their own people to bear too heavy a burden."
"But for these opposing nobles, it gave them an opportunity to pick a side again, making them gratefully offer money in exchange for their lives."
Kakuzu, who was extremely sensitive to money, instantly analyzed the critical points within this.
He had dealt with nobles plenty of times; he had seen the shady tricks involved here.
"Not only that, the Hokage actually became the Nation-Defending General of the Land of Fire! This shows that the nobles trust him immensely. Even though a Kage is also a shinobi, he was actually elected by these nobles as one of their own."
Kakuzu marveled even more.
He also noticed a detail.
The nobles of the Land of Fire, in order to clear the name of Konoha shinobi, submitted articles to major newspapers one after another, saying Konoha shinobi were the shinobi who truly considered the country, brothers who worked hand-in-hand with the nobles to give the people a good life.
Nobles calling shinobi brothers, and with a hint of a flattering tone at that, made Kakuzu feel he had truly seen something new in his long life.
"This noble said Konoha developed the 'Sovereign Sage Pills' to reward administrators, a deed of boundless merit."
"A hundred thousand Ryo a pill, a health supplement said to be passed down from the three Sage Regions? It sounds like something that requires long-term consumption, which would cost a lot of money in a year, but these stingy nobles are actually pursuing it so fervently."
Kakuzu looked up at the mission list in the bounty station, his gaze narrowing.
This time, the dispute incited half the nobles of the ninja world. The rhetoric of these Land of Fire nobles defending Konoha using the 'Sovereign Sage Pills' obviously attracted the interest of more than just him.
Combining Hiruzen Sarutobi becoming the Nation-Defending General of the Land of Fire, the nobles defecting, and various other factors...
It wasn't hard to figure out that the "Sovereign Sage Pills" were absolutely a major reason behind it!
Many foreign nobles were curious: what kind of magical efficacy did this health supplement, said to be from the three Sage Regions, possess to make the Land of Fire nobles so united?
Nobles had always been profit-driven, so it must absolutely be good stuff!
Thus, these foreign nobles hired bounty hunters and started asking around.
Wasn't it just money?
They had it too!
"Did this denunciation actually become the best advertisement for the Land of Fire's products? I wonder if the Hokage did this intentionally. If so, he is simply a business prodigy!"
"And what happened to Yashiro Uchiha? Are they actually using money to provide a safety net for shinobi who fail missions?"
"Since his village suffered such huge losses, how exactly will Konoha treat Yashiro Uchiha?"
The more Kakuzu thought about it, the more his heart itched. He urgently wanted to know the answer to this question.
Would Konoha be a village fundamentally different from Takigakure?
And...
Which was more important, money or people?
For a long time, Kakuzu's answer had always been money, and he believed everyone else's answer would be money too.
But when this answer might be reversed...
Kakuzu looked at his slightly trembling hands; he surprisingly didn't feel the anger of having his values challenged.
Instead, a trace of anxiety was born in his heart.
"Do I actually hope that money isn't omnipotent?" Kakuzu's green eyes deepened as he suddenly stood up.
He had actually gathered enough intelligence for Konoha long ago, he had just been observing from the sidelines.
After all, going to Konoha alone was still dangerous.
But now, Kakuzu decided to head to Konoha immediately!
He wanted to see with his own eyes, experience with his own heart.
What exactly was the final verdict for Yashiro Uchiha?
And how was Konoha maintaining this expensive mission failure compensation system?
Also, he had become slightly interested in the Will of Fire.
On the way, Kakuzu casually killed a Storm Release shinobi from Kumogakure who tried to rob him and collected his materials.
"Good."
"Now I've completely gathered enough funds."
"Let's just give the Hokage a 10% discount! So I can wander around Konoha a bit more."
Kakuzu wiped the blood off his hands and sped towards Konoha.
Just like a wandering son returning home after working abroad.
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