No street fighting occurred in the alley.
Neither the Yomi (possessed by Moryo) nor the Sunagakure members dared to engage in battle in Konoha.
Killing the other side is fine, but if you accidentally hurt a passerby and attract the police, you're in big trouble.
Rasa's face darkened. "The Moryo of the Land of Swamps... I know you."
"Do you think I would believe in an Evil Being like you?!"
The Moryo sneered, "Who else can you go to?"
"I've already observed it. The chakra of that Rinnegan user is terrifying, and their organization is very strong. The Tobirama Senju Hidden Fire Village are old rivals."
"I think we can reserve two spots for these two groups."
"Since you're not with those people from the Land of Lightning, it means you're not in cahoots."
"If the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth unite, they will definitely be able to secure one spot; if they split up, they might be able to get two."
"The remaining spot..."
The Moryo its lip in disdain. "Even if you add the Land of Water to your team, I am confident of victory."
Rasa's expression grew increasingly grim.
"Then stop talking nonsense and let's see who's the best on the battlefield. We, the Sunagakure, will definitely defeat you!"
"Alright, I'm here to have a serious discussion with you, don't give me that kind of nonsense."
Moryo waved his hand. "You haven't forgotten about Konoha, have you?"
"Even if Kagami Uchiha Minato Namikaze Hatake Sakumo don't participate, are there no other strong fighters?"
"Based on my guess, at least one spot for Kagami Uchiha is reserved for Uchiha Shisui."
"Who in the Shinobi World doesn't know that Kagami Uchiha is domineering and protective of his own? If all the Uchiha participated in the competition to help Uchiha Shisui, that would be a terrifying force."
"Even for me, I need to gather some good people to have a chance of winning a spot."
"Most importantly, we have different goals."
The Moryo grinned maliciously, its eyes as black as ink. "I only want the Dragon Vein Crystal. The title of Shadow and the other reward are yours."
"And..."
"If this collaboration goes well, we will have the opportunity to continue our cooperation."
"I can help you reclaim the Land of Wind, and you help me conquer the Land of Earth!"
Rasa sneered, "You can't even get past the Land of Demons, yet you're spouting nonsense here."
"If it weren't for the sudden appearance of the Hidden Fire Village, I would have already conquered the Land of Demons Land of Wind."
The Moryo said calmly, "The fact that I was able to withstand Hashirama Senju for so long should prove my strength."
In fact, Moryo Hashirama Senju didn't really make a move, except when the Moryo's Army invaded the Land of Wind, in which he repelled them.
Hashirama Senju had already realized that the Moryo and the Priestess were one and the same, and that eliminating the Moryo was also killing the Priestess.
He originally intended to help the Priestess suppress the Moryo, but Tobirama and Orochimaru stopped him.
After the chaos in the Shinobi World, there were indeed many innocent people, but there were also some criminals who willingly fell into depravity.
The Hidden Fire Village n't just kill them directly, otherwise, if word got out, no one would dare to seek refuge with them.
The only option is to take all the people in first, then select the most heinous criminals and send them to the battlefield against the Moryo's Army.
Living is atonement, dying is paying for one's sins.
It is necessary to retain a certain degree of opposing forces.
This is the lesson Tobirama learned after his elder brother's death, when Konoha, which had enjoyed a long period of peace, was suddenly unable to cope with the war.
The Land of Fire's actions don't count as confrontation; if they were to actually defeat us, it would be called crushing them.
In fact, Tobirama Senju realized that this was probably one of the reasons why Kagami Uchiha proposed the Shinobi World Martial Performance.
We have become complacent and have forgotten how to fight.
He was the outsider who understood the Uchiha best. If the Uchiha neglected combat for a long time, they would degenerate severely after a few generations.
The Third Shinobi World War gave rise to monsters like Kagami Uchiha.
In the end, Sunagakure reached an agreement with Moryo.
We won't discuss future plans, but we've agreed on this martial arts cooperation: the Moryo will only want the Dragon Vein Crystal, Sunagakure will want the Land of Water.
In fact, Rasa had already planned to betray Moryo once he could secure a spot.
He believed that the Moryo must think the same way.
Well... let's see who comes out on top...
Neither of them noticed the tiny puppet in the crevice of the rocks in the corner.
No...
Chiyo noticed, but she didn't say anything.
This could be considered... a little bit of Grandma's selfishness.
——
In a dark room.
A miniature puppet crawled onto Sasori's palm, and as the Chakra Threads connected, an impression was reflected in one of Sasori's eyes.
There is only a scene of Sunagakure and Moryo talking, but no sound.
However, Kakuzu and Sasori are seasoned ninjas, and lip reading is a basic skill for them.
"Sunagakure has teamed up with that guy named Moryo..."
Kakuzu sat on the edge of the bed counting his money and sneered, "I was originally thinking of cooperating with that monster."
"Impossible. His goal is the same as mine: the Dragon Vein Crystal." Sasori shook his head. In fact, he was monitoring the Sunagakure group because he wanted to find Chiyo and Ebizo to cooperate.
In his opinion, these two veteran powerhouses were far stronger than all the other useless bastards in Sunagakure combined.
"Speaking of which, what exactly is this Dragon Vein Crystal? Is it just this name that makes you so obsessed?"
Is it valuable?
Sasori was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't know either, but since Kagami Uchiha gave it as a separate reward, its value is at least equivalent to one of his Severance Release Cultivation Manual."
"The Dragon Vein is an incredibly powerful force. I once thought that no one could tame the Dragon Vein, but he did it."
"As for the Dragon Vein Crystal... I think it's at least equivalent to the chakra of a Tailed Beast, and it has even more effects."
"...Hmm, then this thing must be very valuable." Kakuzu nodded and looked up at Sasori.
"Is there anyone else we can work with? I feel like we're in a tough spot on our own."
"Let's find someone to work with again, anyway, all I want is money."
Scorpion pondered for a moment and said, "Why don't we go find the Land of Water?"
"Just show them the footage of Sunagakure and Moryo plotting."
"In my calculations, the Sunagakure and the Moryo faction are easier to deal with."
"Hmm... okay, let's get this straight, the money..."
"Okay! I understand."
——
I will not sleep tonight.
Countless ninjas were running around, forming alliances.
Perhaps they were confident in themselves before they came, but after truly witnessing the strength of the Shinobi World, they realized their own insignificance.
They began traveling together, hoping to pluck a fruit from the great tree of the Land of Fire to fill their stomachs.
——
Territory of the clan.
Kagami Uchiha's residence.
Kagami, Kakashi, Shisui sat facing each other.
"Kakashi, have you found teammates yet?" Kagami Uchiha asked casually, taking a sip of tea.
Kakashi looked at Shisui. "I came here today to invite Shisui. What do you say?"
Shisui shook his head with a wry smile, "No, my brother requires me to team up with Ryuzetsu to participate in the competition."
"Alright."
"The teammates I've found so far include Guy, Asuma, Red, Yamato, and Kabuto."
Kakashi paused for a few seconds as he spoke, then looked at Kagami Uchiha.
"Mirror... do you know where Jiraiya- sensei went?"
Jiraiya gave an opening speech, and then he disappeared. I was hoping he Jiraiya lead the team.
"He went to team Akatsuki."
"You mean... Nagato and Konan?!" Kakashi's pupils contracted.
Even Shisui frowned.
Shisui was Minato's disciple and had some understanding of Jiraiya's strength, plus his senior master with the Rinnegan...
Wow, with that kind of strength, how are we supposed to compete?
It seems that if a chaotic battle breaks out, we should avoid this team first.
"Kakashi, go find your father," said Kagami Uchiha.
"Sakumo told me that he also wanted to participate. He hadn't fought against a strong opponent for many years, and his sword was getting a bit dull."
Kakashi's eyes lit up; he had thought his father wouldn't participate.
With his father's words added, their team might not be without a chance of winning.
The rewards weren't something Kakashi would crave, since he knew some things he wouldn't use even if he got them.
But at such a grand event that the entire Shinobi World was focused on, he also wanted to stand out to some extent.
Especially Kai.
The training intensity was already inhuman before, and it has been doubled recently.
Even Kakashi got a little fired up.
Wait until Kakashi leaves.
Kagami and Shisui sat facing each other, and Kagami Uchiha spoke calmly.
"Shisui, this is the trial I have prepared for you."
"I will protect you; you will never die."
"But..."
"You need to protect Ryuzetsu yourself."
"Protect those you cherish, and make a name for yourself throughout the world, Shisui."