The Stone Ninja of the Land of Earth excelled at defense, and the Land of Earth's resources were pitifully scarce. What use was there in taking it down?
Ōnoki had thought about this for three days and three nights, yet still couldn't figure it out.
But Kumogakure was pushing its luck. He couldn't simply refuse to fight, or what would happen to his reputation in the village?
Not only did he have to fight, he had to fight hard enough—even if it meant killing the Third Raikage A—to deal Kumogakure a crushing blow.
He wasn't some old dog like Hiruzen Sarutobi.
To sit by and watch his powerful ally, the Uzumaki Clan, be wiped out, with the Land of Eddies destroyed as well... that was practically the politics of a divine idiot.
Don't call it pacifism. It was practically an insult to the word "pacifist." It was nothing more than surrenderism.
While Ōnoki was agonizing over the matter, he still planned to invade Konoha with the Stone Ninja.
After all, Kumogakure was leading the charge.
Although they weren't allied, there were still advantages to be had.
And at that moment.
Younger Raikage A died on the battlefield. The Third Raikage A's hostility toward Konoha rose sharply, and all the Cloud Ninja invading Iwagakure withdrew. Although no peace agreement had been reached, the fighting had effectively stopped.
Ōnoki was delighted.
As expected, heaven's luck was fair.
At Sunagakure's moment of crisis, Rasa had emerged.
With Sunagakure weak while Iwagakure and Kumogakure were powerful, Rasa had relied on Magnet Release to preserve peace and prevent Sunagakure from being destroyed.
But Sunagakure could only barely defend itself now. It was impossible for the village to launch another offensive; all it could do was recuperate and rebuild its strength.
"Kumogakure is enraged, and its target is Konoha."
"Fortunately, the Stone Ninja excel at defense and can effectively resist Namikaze Minato!"
"This is the perfect opportunity for Iwagakure and Kumogakure to form an alliance!"
"Although things took a few twists and turns..."
"Everything is still going according to plan!!"
Having tasted success in the war against Sunagakure of the Land of Wind and gained valuable experience through the fighting, Iwagakure now needed a larger piece of "meat" to strengthen itself.
And that piece of meat was Konoha, which was currently embroiled in internal turmoil!
On the other side, the Third Raikage A looked at the letter personally written by Ōnoki that the envoy had delivered. His expression shifted unpredictably.
"Join forces with Iwagakure... to oppose Konoha? This Ōnoki certainly knows how to make a good deal." Although Raikage A's heart was filled with hatred for Konoha, he still had reservations about joining forces with Iwagakure.
Ōnoki of Iwagakure was an old monster, and his Dust Release was terrifyingly powerful.
Moreover, during Ōnoki's tenure, Iwagakure's strength had increased rapidly, developing from a small ninja village into a major one.
And that was despite the Land of Earth's meager resources...
In terms of political ability and combat prowess, Ōnoki was, honestly speaking, far superior to Konoha's Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, in Raikage A's eyes.
But for that very reason, Raikage A didn't dare underestimate the old bastard.
He had no choice but to remain cautious.
When Ōnoki had previously come seeking cooperation, Raikage A had been brimming with confidence and rejected him outright.
Not only had he refused to cooperate, he had even intended to test whether he could gnaw through Iwagakure's tough defenses.
There was only one reason: absolute confidence in his own strength.
Kumogakure had the power to invade both Konoha and Iwagakure simultaneously.
"Sigh."
"Pass down my order."
"I want to have a thorough discussion with Ōnoki!"
Raikage A sighed and ultimately decided to make a deal with the tiger.
In truth, Raikage A and Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage, were both quite wary of each other. Raikage A thought Ōnoki was scheming and cunning, while Ōnoki felt that although Raikage A was an idiot, his combat power was frighteningly strong.
"The second phase of the war...?"
Raikage A said.
The first phase of the Third Shinobi World War: Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure.
Early stage of the first phase: Iwagakure invaded Sunagakure.
Middle stage of the first phase—the most intense period: Kumogakure launched a large-scale invasion of Sunagakure, while Iwagakure invaded Sunagakure as well.
Late stage of the first phase: Rasa appeared, and Magnet Release ran rampant. He possessed a tremendous advantage when fighting in the desert, driving back Kumogakure and Iwagakure. If not for the heaven-sent powerhouse Rasa, the Land of Wind would have ended up being divided between the two great nations.
Now.
It was the second phase of the Third Shinobi World War: Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Konoha.
Early stage of the second phase: Kumogakure invaded Konoha, and Kumogakure invaded Iwagakure.
Middle stage of the second phase: Kumogakure invaded Konoha, Kumogakure and Iwagakure negotiated peace and even formed an alliance, and Iwagakure invaded Konoha...
In other words...
The most intense phase had arrived once again.
And the battlefield would be within the Land of Fire!
In Konoha!
This was a strategic initiative!
No amount of tactical success could salvage Konoha's strategic disadvantage!
Unless Konoha once again produced a terrifying existence like Uchiha Madara or Senju Hashirama, someone capable of overturning everything by himself!!
In Konoha, Hyuga Shin and Uchiha Miya finished their meal and walked along the streets.
An unprecedentedly tense atmosphere permeated every corner of the village.
Anbu shinobi frequently darted across the rooftops, while the villagers wore anxious expressions and stayed shut inside their homes.
"Looks like the Third Hokage is truly desperate. He's mobilized this many forces to search the village." Uchiha Miya spoke in a low voice.
"But they still haven't found anything." Hyuga Shin said.
At that moment, within Hyuga Shin's body, inside his Inner World.
Su Nuo had successfully analyzed multiple forbidden techniques from the Scroll of Seals, and his strength was rising with every passing moment.
In particular, the resentment throughout Konoha was actually being absorbed by Hyuga Shin.
Sorry about this. This is the Yin Release you people have never seen before. It really lets me do whatever I want.
Su Nuo's Cursed Energy was also constantly increasing. At that moment, Su Nuo looked at the technique model condensed from Cursed Energy in his hand and smiled with satisfaction.
"These forbidden techniques will become my powerful weapons." Su Nuo grinned viciously. "But I still need to keep increasing my strength. I can't let my guard down."
One had to remember...
Uchiha Madara, that old monster, was still alive!
At the same time, in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi listened to the Anbu's report, and his expression grew increasingly grim.
The final search of the village had also yielded no results. It seemed the Scroll of Seals had truly left Konoha. Hiruzen Sarutobi was frantic with worry and had no idea what to do.
However, there was even worse news.
Danzo kicked the door open.
"Hiruzen."
"The latest news is that Kumogakure appears to be inclined to join forces with Iwagakure."
"What!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened.
"The intelligence is accurate." Danzo said.
"I understand..." Hiruzen Sarutobi collapsed into the Hokage's chair, and even the hand with which he lit his cigarette was trembling.
"Orochimaru, Jiraiya... and Tsunade."
"Konoha needs them now."
"I'll write the letters myself at once."
"Mm." Danzo nodded. This was exactly what he had wanted Hiruzen Sarutobi to do.
It seemed that Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't lost his head yet.
"And Namikaze Minato." Danzo reminded him.
"Right, him too..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag on his cigarette.
He didn't understand...
Why had the situation reached this point when he was a pacifist?
"Assign Namikaze Minato a mission."
"Do everything possible to disrupt the alliance between the Stone Ninja and the Cloud Ninja!"
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