Our Konoha was the strongest-we could do whatever we wanted (update, 2/3)

Shazo retreated with the Konoha Ninja and two Toad.

Once they were a safe distance away, making sure the Akatsuki wouldn't hear them, Sage Shima finally spoke, asking, "Fifth Hokage, you clearly had the upper hand in your battle against the Akatsuki leader, so why did you voluntarily stop fighting?"

Upon hearing that the Toad seemed to be questioning the Hokage, Jiraiya felt embarrassed, Kakashi Hatake frowned, and Shisui Uchiha's eyes instantly turned red.

In the battle just now, the power and bizarre skills displayed by the Six Paths of Pain filled them with deep fear.

In particular, the repulsive and attractive forces of the Heavenly Dao are so powerful that they can completely erode one's confidence in resisting them.

However, the Fifth Hokage easily held off all six powerful enemies and an S-rank Rogue Ninja from Kirigakure.

Not only can they easily deal with all kinds of powerful and bizarre Ninjutsu, but they can also suppress and force the Akatsuki to give up the fight.

The Fifth Hokage is so reliable. How many years has it been since Konoha Ninja has felt protected by Hokage?

Even Jiraiya, who had been brainwashed by Mount Myōboku, underwent a huge change in attitude after witnessing the Fifth Hokage's power and experiencing the feeling of being protected by the Hokage.

Kakashi Hata, who already admired Shazo Zuo, and Uchiha, who was Shazo's nemesis, what kind of shock would they feel?

Without a doubt, Kakashi had developed a cult of worship for Shazo, while Shisui went straight to becoming Fanatics of Shazo.

If Shazo hadn't indicated that everything was alright, Shisui Uchiha might have used a Genjutsu on Sage Shima to teach him that he had to respect the Fifth Hokage.

Shazo Zuo chuckled, "I have my reasons for pausing the battle, but it involves the secrets of Konoha, so it's not convenient to tell Mount Myōboku."

"Sage Shima, Mount Myōboku wouldn't hold a grudge against Konoha or me over such a small matter?"

Sage Shima and Sage Fukasaku were stared at by Shazo's clear and kind eyes, they felt a chill run through their bodies, even more terrified than when they were stared at by the malevolent gaze of the Serpent from Ryūchi Cave.

The two Toad had no idea why they felt this way, but that didn't stop them from offering explanations in unison.

"No, no! That's impossible!"

"How could such a trivial matter affect the relationship between Konoha and Mount Myōboku?"

"You're right, aren't you, old man!"

"Yes, yes, yes, the old woman is absolutely right."

"Mount Myōboku also has its own secrets; how could we possibly become enemies over this?"

The two Toad Sage grew increasingly flustered as they spoke, and hastily made an excuse to dispel the communication and return to Mount Myōboku.

As soon as they returned to Mount Myōboku, they rushed to the cave shrine and woke up the Great Toad Sage.

"Great Immortal, something terrible has happened!"

Leaving aside whether the Great Toad Sage, after hearing about Shazo's Wood Release and the specific details of Six Paths of Pain Rinnegan, and feeling that unparalleled power, might have seen a drastically changed future in his dreams.

After the two Toad Sage left, Shazo, with great trust in Jiraiya, Shikai his reasons for choosing to cease hostilities.

Of course, he was using an excuse, not a real reason. "The reason I chose to stop when I had the upper hand was because the opponent's Nagato still had cards up his sleeve, and if we continued, the intensity would get out of control."

Jiraiya, deeply concerned, eagerly asked, "Lord Hokage, what other trump cards does Nagato have Nagato?"

Xia Zuo continued his fabrication, "I don't know the specifics, but it was a power that, when Nagato was young and severely injured, was able to seriously injure Shimura Danzo and Hanzo, and wipe out the entire Root ninja and Amegakure ninja."

"It was also a few years ago that the power silently crushed the demigod Hanzō into dust."

"Lord Jiraiya, you were once defeated by Hanzō. Do you think you can defeat him now?"

Jiraiya recalled for a while, then pondered for a few more minutes before answering, "Compared to the Second Shinobi World War, I am ten times stronger. I believe I can defeat Hanzō then."

"If it were a few years ago, when Hanzō had aged considerably, we would be even more confident."

Shazo asked again, "Are you confident you can kill him?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "Hanzō is Ninja who came from Shinobu village like Amegakure. In the process of rising to prominence, he encountered far more battles than we Konoha Ninja."

"His ability to survive is something I can't match at all. I can defeat him, but I can't kill him unless he chooses to fight me head-on."

Shazo said, "I am confident that I can defeat Hanzō with my Wood Release, but the Wood Release must be extended to a range of several thousand kilometers to trap Hanzō in the Forest and ensure his death."

"But when Nagato killed Hanzō, he completely controlled the intelligence, so he must not have caused much of a stir."

"Therefore, Nagato must be holding a powerful trump card that exceeds my current capabilities."

"Perhaps it's not a fatal attack for me, but what about for you? What about for Konoha?"

"I am the Fifth Hokage of Konoha. My responsibility is to protect the Konoha Ninja and the Konoha, not to fight for my own reputation."

"Judging from the battle just now, Nagato couldn't stop me from destroying Amegakure, and I couldn't stop Nagato from destroying Konoha. We've reached a balance of power, so there's no real winner or loser."

"Konoha is right here in the Ninja World, in the Land of Fire, unlike Mount Myōboku, which is hidden in a sacred place that no one can reach. I cannot pursue victory without any scruples like the Toad Sage."

Kakashi Hatake took a deep breath. "You did the right thing, Lord Hokage!"

"Your choice is the choice the Hokage should make; those who oppose you will inevitably become enemies of the Konoha Ninja!"

Jiraiya nodded along with Shisui Uchiha, indicating that he agreed with Kakashi's words.

Shazo smiled with satisfaction; he had achieved his biggest goal for this trip.

Since changing his mind about sending Jiraiya to his death, Shazo's purpose in exploring Amegakure has changed.

He wanted to create an enemy for Konoha.

He wanted to make the Konoha Ninja feel the pressure of a terrifying enemy, forcing them to unite closely around him.

He wanted to use the enemy's intimidation to smoothly advance the purge of the Sarutobi Clan, Mitokado Clan, and Utatane Clan, and complete the integration of the village.

He wants to rebuild the long-divided Konoha into a unified whole, just like during the Second Hokage's era.

In this process, everything Shazo does is a redistribution of interests. Inevitably, some people will suffer losses, while others will gain considerable benefits.

As the old saying goes, cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents.

Those Ninja whose interests were harmed were bound to harbor resentment and want to cause trouble, and would become hostile towards the Hokage and those who benefited from the situation.

This is the new rift in Konoha, a psychological rift based on self-interest.

If left unchecked, this hostility will spread and grow, constantly widening the rift in Mind Stone, and one day Konoha will erupt into Civil War.

The best way to eliminate psychological division is to find a powerful and terrifying enemy, avoid conflicting interests, stand back to back, and deal with the imminent crisis.

Shisui Uchiha, of course, couldn't think that far ahead. At this moment, all he could think about was Uchiha Itachi, and he couldn't help but blame himself, saying, "It's all my fault. I told Uchiha Itachi about the Divine Weapon artifacts, which led him to find those two Divine Weapon."

"If it weren't for the Totsuka Blade and the Yata Mirror, I could definitely defeat Uchiha Itachi today."

"If I had the Totsuka Blade, I could cooperate with the Lord Hokage to seal Nagato directly, and then I wouldn't have to worry about anything."

"The Lord Hokage doesn't need to force himself to let the enemy go; Kakashi- senpai could have delivered the final blow."

Shazo was speechless at Shisui Uchiha's self-delusion. To prevent the kid from going too far with his self-delusion, he could only advise, "Shisui, this isn't your fault."

"When you told Uchiha Itachi the information, he wasn't yet missing-nin of Konoha and the Uchiha."

"And who would have thought that, despite the fact that no Uchiha Ninja from previous generations could find it, and that information about the Divine Weapon weapon was only considered a legend, Uchiha Itachi found it in just three years."

Shisui Uchiha sighed again, "Yes, I never expected this."

"I didn't expect his strength to improve so quickly, and I couldn't have imagined that Uchiha Itachi would master so many Secret Technique and forbidden techniques. Many of them I've never seen before, but they are definitely lost Secret Technique of the Uchiha Clan."

Shazo said, "This means that there is another Uchiha behind Uchiha Itachi, perhaps the one-eyed Mangekyō Sharingan who appeared in the village on the Nine-Tails Night and the Massacre Night."

"And this Mangekyō Sharingan Uchiha might be related to the previous Uchiha Clan Leader Madara Uchiha, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to obtain so many of the Uchiha Clan's lost Secret Technique."

Shisui Uchiha said thoughtfully, "The Lord Hokage is right, that's very likely it!"

"That makes it even more of a pity. If I could capture Itachi today, I could not only deal with this missing-nin, but also retrieve the clan's Secret Technique —killing two birds with one stone!"

Seeing Shisui's frustrated expression, Shazo comforted him, "Don't be so regretful, Shisui. Uchiha Itachi's time to die hasn't come yet."

Shisui Uchiha snorted coldly, "I will find a way to seal the Divine Weapon. Next time I encounter Uchiha Itachi, I will definitely not let him get away."

Shazo and the Konoha Ninja had the upper hand in the battle, so they were able to relax and happily exchange various questions and opinions after they left.

But the Akatsuki Ninja couldn't do that.

The Akatsuki Ninja returned to their boss's back before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

Pain Deva Heavenly Dao was able to destroy Forest of giant trees within a radius of 1300 meters with his [Super Shinra Tensei], but other Ninja could not do the same. They were all trapped in the Forest and suffered from the harassment of tree trunks, branches, and roots.

For example, Kisame Hoshigaki, who had just broken free from the ice, was using [Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave].

At that moment, he was Sneak Attack by tree roots and dragged into the floodwaters, whereupon he was completely frozen beneath the Ice Field created by his Ice Style.

While Uchiha Itachi held his own on the field, the pressure he endured far exceeded that of Shisui, resulting in further severe damage to his eyesight.

It was because Susanoo was in Wood Release Forest that countless giant trees, like spears, constantly pierced the lower half of the red Susanoo's body.

Not only did it distract Uchiha Itachi, but it also rapidly depleted his Chakra and ocular power.

Kakuzu didn't suffer a major loss in the Wood Release Forest. His two hearts were destroyed by a lightning storm at first sight, and then Kakashi Hatake targeted and pierced his other two hearts, almost killing Kakashi.

The Akatsuki members all thought they were very strong, but they were thoroughly humiliated by the Fifth Hokage, and were naturally overwhelmed by frustration and defeat.

They were all depressed and didn't want to talk.

Only Konan didn't take it seriously, but the final conversation between Shazo and Heavenly Dao Pain made Konan realize something was wrong.

After the Konoha Ninja left, Konan immediately took flight and rushed towards the Secret Chamber where Nagato was hiding.

When she saw the door to the Secret Chamber open, her heart skipped a beat, and she almost cried out in surprise.

Fortunately, Nagato was unharmed, which put Konan's mind at ease.

Back in Amegakure, Konan finally spoke, asking, "Nagato, our Final Weapon Plan has been leaked. Should we continue?"

Nagato replied, "The plan will continue!"

Neither Orochimaru nor Jiraiya knew the full extent of our plan, therefore Konoha also didn't know what we were up to.

"For now, we'll just go around Konoha."

Konan shook her head and said, "Nagato, the Nine-Tails is in Konoha. The Final Weapon Plan needs to collect the Tailed Beast, so it can't bypass Konoha."

Nagato said, "If we can't get around it, then let's make the Nine-Tails of Konoha our last target. We'll gather all of Akatsuki's forces and launch a surprise attack on Konoha."

"Attack quickly, advance rapidly, and retreat swiftly; don't give the Fifth Hokage a chance to stop us."

"Once the final weapon is completed, no one in the Ninja World will be able to defy the trend of peace, and the Fifth Hokage will have to bow down to our Akatsuki."

Shortly after Shazo returned to Konoha, Orochimaru also returned from Kirigakure in the Land of Water.

Besides intelligence, he also brought back a beautiful little girl.

Tsunade liked the pretty child very much and asked Orochimaru where he had abducted him.

Orochimaru replied, "Yukimaru is not a girl; he is a descendant of the Yuki Clan Kirigakure."

"This Ninja Clans boy has a naturally feminine appearance and is more beautiful than most girls."

"What's even more interesting is that the more handsome a boy is, the more likely he Awakening the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai. After I discovered Yukimaru, I thought that I could add a new Kekkei Genkai to Konoha, so I brought him back."

He looked at Shazo and asked, "Fifth, will my actions cause dissatisfaction in Kirigakure?"

Shazo didn't care about this and said magnanimously, "Don't worry about what Kirigakure thinks. Konoha is the strongest, and we can do whatever we want. Even if Mizukage is unhappy, he'll have to keep quiet."

"Yukimaru has joined Konoha. His specific food, lodging, and daily life will be arranged by Lord Orochimaru."

Orochimaru nodded in satisfaction, indicating that there were no problems.

Shazo asked, "What's the situation in Kirigakure? How are the Fourth Mizukage and Genji doing?"

Orochimaru replied, "The Kirigakure is in even greater chaos now, and the Fourth Mizukage has completely gone mad."

"Who would have thought that he would actually launch a 'hunt for Kekkei Genkai ' operation, deliberately eliminating the Kekkei Genkai inheritors of Kirigakure and the Land of Water."

"This is going to completely destroy Kirigakure."