Storm Clouds Gather

This gathering was not only meant to discuss the upcoming mission to Uzushio Village, but also to strengthen everyone's bonds.

So after Karatachi Yagura took the initiative to skip over the heavy subject, the atmosphere gradually livened up again.

"I heard that once someone becomes a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki, their life becomes bound to the Tailed Beast's. If the Tailed Beast breaks free, the Jinchuriki will die as well."

As Yukinagi spoke, she cast Karatachi Yagura a worried glance. The bond they had formed growing up together was genuine, and Karatachi Yagura had proven himself with his strength. Naturally, Yukinagi did not want to see someone like him die because of a Tailed Beast.

Hozuki Shingetsu looked at Karatachi Yagura, mulling over the matter as well. There was no doubt that, from the village's perspective, making Karatachi Yagura the Three-Tails' Jinchuriki was an extremely worthwhile arrangement.

In the original story, Karatachi Yagura had also proven through his actions that he possessed considerable talent in this regard. That was one of the reasons Hozuki Shingetsu wanted to bring him to Uzushio Village: to see whether he could acquire the necessary techniques and lay the foundation for becoming a perfect Jinchuriki.

"Enough. There's no point arguing about this now. We don't even know whether we'll be able to go to Uzushio Village, so discussing it here is meaningless."

The subject had successfully dissolved the awkwardness. Yukinagi returned to her usual carefree self and began discussing Hozuki Shingetsu's fishing skills with him. Amid their banter and roughhousing, the vigor of youth was on full display.

But such days would not last much longer.

Three days after their gathering, Ren formally summoned Hozuki Shingetsu. As expected, it was about sending him to Uzushio Village. However, the people present were not only the Mizukage and himself. Elder Genji was there as well.

To ensure the matter was settled, Ren had visited Genji beforehand and sought his assistance.

Naturally, he did not reveal his true intentions. He merely said that, in order to strengthen the village, he wished to send Hozuki Shingetsu to Uzushio Village in hopes of obtaining sealing techniques for Tailed Beast Jinchuriki. For various reasons, it would be best for this initial contact to be carried out by Hozuki Shingetsu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. However, Ren feared that Hozuki Shingetsu, the Hozuki Clan, and the others might refuse to put in effort out of personal grudges.

After hearing this, Genji was naturally willing to step in and support Ren. As the First Mizukage's right-hand man, Genji was now over sixty and one of the few elderly figures in the village who had survived since the Warring States Period. He held considerable prestige in Kirigakure. So long as their core interests were not involved, anyone in Kirigakure would give him some face if he came forward. A minor matter like this was hardly difficult.

Genji's willingness to help was mainly the result of unequal information.

In Genji's eyes, although Ren and the Kaguya faction had conflicts with clans such as the Hozuki Clan and the Yuki Clan, their dispute was, at most, comparable to the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha. When major issues were at stake, the two sides could still cooperate. It was far from the point of fighting to the death. Naturally, he could not have imagined that Ren would establish the Bloody Mist Village in the original story and launch brutal attacks against the ninja clans.

Under such circumstances, he was naturally willing to act as a mediator and ease the conflict between both sides.

Sure enough, when Ren saw Hozuki Shingetsu initially looking full of excuses, only to reluctantly agree to go to Uzushio Village after Genji's persuasion, he knew he had made the right choice.

Although he had signed a document granting Hozuki Shingetsu discretionary authority at Hozuki Shingetsu's request, as long as he coaxed the boy into going, everything else could be discussed later.

"Then the next step is to notify Konoha. I hope Danzo will live up to his title as Shinobi no Yami!" Ren watched the departing Anbu, his mind filled with endless speculation.

Meanwhile, Hozuki Shingetsu watched his own subordinate depart and arrived at the same thought. However, unlike Ren, his targets were entirely different.

"I hope the Third Raikage and Ōnoki can recognize this excellent opportunity!"

The task Hozuki Shingetsu gave that ninja was simple: through every possible channel, make sure Ōnoki and the Third Raikage learned that Konoha was actively pushing for Uzushio Village to teach Kirigakure the sealing techniques for Tailed Beast Jinchuriki. In exchange, Konoha sought to draw Kirigakure to its side, preventing itself from being isolated and attacked from both sides by Kumogakure and Iwagakure in the coming Shinobi World War.

The current situation in the Shinobi World looked chaotic, but in truth it was easy to understand. Only five nations truly dominated the situation. With Kirigakure closed off from the outside world, the relationships among the Land of Wind, Land of Earth, Land of Lightning, and Land of Fire determined the state of the Shinobi World. And after Hozuki Shingetsu's propaganda surrounding the Konoha Threat Theory, Konoha had been portrayed in public opinion as the strongest nation in the Shinobi World.

Although the various nations later released large amounts of false information to confuse matters, Konoha's strength was an objective fact. Its numerous Kekkei Genkai Clans, highest military expenditure, and vast population of mid-level ninja were all real. As a result, anyone with insight could see that if the Second Shinobi World War began, Konoha would very likely face a siege from every nation.

Under such circumstances, it was only natural for Konoha to seek out the sole "neutral force," Kirigakure. Although Kirigakure had been the first to spread the Konoha Threat Theory, under the pressure of survival, it was entirely possible for Konoha to put aside those grievances.

As for Kirigakure, it genuinely needed techniques to control Tailed Beast Jinchuriki. If Konoha used that as leverage to form an alliance with them, it truly had a great chance of success.

And once Kirigakure and Konoha joined forces, the situation would become a bloc confrontation of Earth, Wind, and Lightning against Fire and Water. The war would inevitably fall into a stalemate. Anyone with even a little foresight would not want to face such a situation.

Thus, while waiting for the right news, Hozuki Shingetsu had gone out of his way to delay his departure. He would not set out for Uzushio Village until the exact moment arrived.

He had gone to such lengths and made so many roundabout arrangements. If it were merely for fishing, that would be far too great a waste of time. His plan was simple: he would use this opportunity to seize Uzushio Village in one stroke!

Rely on a deal to obtain Tailed Beast Jinchuriki techniques? If he lured all the people over, what need would there be for any deal?

The bigger the waves, the more valuable the fish. Only by pushing Uzushio Village into an extremely dangerous situation could he reap the greatest rewards—even if he had to enter the game himself.

Because the information had been transmitted directly, Shimura Danzō was the first to receive news that Hozuki Shingetsu would soon head to Uzushio Village.

"A gift from heaven!"

The instant Shimura Danzō saw the intelligence, his instincts told him it was genuine. It had definitely come from inside Kirigakure.

He was far too familiar with this tactic of using someone else's hand to eliminate a rival—after all, that was exactly how he had gotten rid of Kagami Uchiha.

"This information... no, I can't tell Hiruzen."

Danzo had initially intended to go discuss how to eliminate Hozuki Shingetsu with Sarutobi Hiruzen, but he immediately dismissed the thought. Due to his inappropriate remarks during the previous Uchiha incident, Sarutobi Hiruzen had confined him for three months, and he was still under house arrest.

Of course, everyone knew this confinement would have no real effect on him. Yet Danzo had discerned the enormous divide between himself and Sarutobi Hiruzen from it—Sarutobi Hiruzen, as Hokage, placed too much value on stability.

He did not know whether Sarutobi Hiruzen, after learning this news, would be willing to risk provoking the Hozuki Clan and igniting the Second Shinobi World War just to kill a twelve-year-old child. Although Hozuki Shingetsu had displayed extraordinary talent and disgusted all of Konoha, that was all. Konoha lacked nothing more than talent. Possessing the greatest inheritance of top-tier ninjutsu in the world, they feared no genius's challenge. In the end, this world still spoke through strength.

Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen had said, Hozuki Shingetsu could currently do nothing beyond spitting in their faces. Although his Konoha Threat Theory had caused Konoha enormous trouble, that was only because Konoha itself was powerful enough to make the others wary. Hozuki Shingetsu's words had merely added fuel to the fire. The Uchiha Human Rights Report was the same. Konoha itself had flaws, and Hozuki Shingetsu had only followed the momentum and borrowed strength to strike.

A minor irritation, nothing worth worrying about.

But Shimura Danzō did not see it that way. The reason was simple: like repelled like. In Hozuki Shingetsu's actions, he saw his own shadow. He was all too familiar with that way of concealing one's true goal behind all manner of actions.

"If I could get an Uzumaki elder to use the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, that would undoubtedly be the simplest method... But without going through Hiruzen, Uzushio Village will never agree. Then Root will have to act..."

After giving it some thought, Danzo ordered Aburame Tatsuma to lead three Root squads and lie in ambush along the route Hozuki Shingetsu had to take to Uzushio Village.

After being cleverly relayed through several intermediaries, the information Hozuki Shingetsu had sent finally reached Ōnoki and the Third Raikage.

The difficult part of intelligence was never how to deliver it, but how to make the other side believe it. After all, information flooded the world. Finding the correct intelligence within that vast sea of messages, making the right judgment, and taking the right action were all tests of a leader's ability.

When the intelligence was placed on Ōnoki's and the Third Raikage's desks, they immediately grasped the logic behind it.

Well, the Third Raikage had understood it only after Dodai's subtle "reminder," but he had ultimately figured out Konoha's intention to use Kirigakure as the point of breakthrough.

The two men, both ambitious for the Land of Fire's fertile lands and the Shinobi World's dominant position, naturally could not stand by and watch this happen. Thus, without consulting one another, they made the same decision—destroy Uzushio Village!

In their view, although this was an agreement between Konoha and Kirigakure, Uzushio Village was the key.

Without Uzushio Village, unless Kirigakure transported its Tailed Beast and Jinchuriki candidates to Konoha for Uzumaki Mito to teach personally, or painstakingly started from scratch using ninjutsu scrolls and sacrificed countless talented people in the process, the plan could never be implemented. And without Tailed Beast Jinchuriki sealing techniques, Kirigakure would have no reason to ally with Konoha. Or rather, what Konoha could offer would no longer be enough to move Kirigakure.

Furthermore, eliminating Uzushio Village before the war began would also sever one of Konoha's arms. Why not do it? During the First Shinobi World War, those Whirlpool Ninja had firmly stood with Konoha when Konoha was in dire straits, risking their lives to help stabilize the situation. An Uzumaki elder had even used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to forcibly trade his life for that of an enemy powerhouse. Naturally, they had to learn from the previous war and destroy Uzushio Village first.

Of course, beyond all those reasons, there was an even more important one—Tailed Beast Jinchuriki techniques were not coveted by Kirigakure alone. Kumogakure and Iwagakure wanted them just as badly!

As the Shinobi World's only current Tailed Beast Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Mito had demonstrated her combat power beyond doubt during the First Shinobi World War. They naturally wanted such figures to emerge within their own villages, rather than continuing to spend enormous manpower and resources sealing away unusable ticking bombs.

Therefore, while the Shinobi World was in chaos, the most important task was to send experts past Konoha's defensive lines, launch a surprise attack on Uzushio Village, and seize the Tailed Beast sealing techniques!

However, taking Uzushio Village's Dead Demon Consuming Seal into account, both villages feared being forcibly dragged into a one-for-one exchange and losing their own experts. Without prior coordination, they both thought of the other side and hoped to join forces. With the mentality of letting others die first, they planned to let the other side occupy the Uzumaki experts while they slipped into the rear to steal the prize.

As for Sunagakure... they wanted to sell off their Tailed Beasts in exchange for land. There was no point bringing such a village into this. Besides, the high-end combat strength of two ninja villages was more than enough for a surprise assault on Uzushio Village. The Uzumaki Clan's sealing techniques were deeply feared, but after all, one clan had founded one village, and their population was limited. Bringing Sunagakure in would only mean another village sharing the spoils, so neither side informed them.

By the same logic, they did not inform Kirigakure either. In fact, because Uzushio Village was close to Kirigakure, they had to deliberately evade Kirigakure's watch.

When Kumogakure and Iwagakure first made contact, they still probed and tested one another. But after learning that the other had received the same information and harbored the same intentions, they became increasingly convinced of its authenticity and accelerated their negotiations.

Soon, after receiving approval from the Third Raikage and Ōnoki, Kumogakure dispatched an elite force led by Blue B, the B of the current AB Combo and the Third Raikage's partner. Iwagakure, meanwhile, sent the Explosion Corps led by Lie, commander of the Explosion Corps.

After the two forces successfully met in the Land of Hot Water, they headed south along the coastline, preparing to find an opportunity to wipe out Uzushio Village in one stroke.

At the same time, just as Ren was growing impatient, Hozuki Shingetsu finally received word that the high-ranking ninja of the two villages had not appeared for several days. After once again ordering his subordinates to send several secret letters and supplies toward the Land of Fire, he finally set out for Uzushio Village under Ren's repeated urging.