At the end of October, as the Iwagakure Ninja crossed the Land of Grass and launched an attack in conjunction with the Kumogakure who had occupied the Land of Frost, Konoha was forced to fight on two fronts.
The war broke out very suddenly, and the poor communication situation left many Small Nations unable to react to why the two countries were so determined to fight.
It wasn't until a message spread rapidly throughout the Shinobi World that the ninjas of the Small Nations realized what had happened. " Konoha has suffered a devastating attack..."
The ones spreading the news were naturally the White Zetsu who served Nagato. It had been almost half a month since Lord Madara had shown up, and his proxy had probably been killed by Shu Furukawa again, so they naturally wanted to switch sides.
At the top of the central metal tower in Amegakure, Nagato, who had returned safely, had been smiling more often lately.
Without Madara Uchiha, he and Konan can better realize Yahiko and their comrades' dreams.
Black Zetsu fled with Nagato early on the day of the attack, and neither of them mentioned Madara Uchiha who was there to provide support. For Black Zetsu, Obito, who was powerful and acted erratically, was a huge threat.
If possible, Black Zetsu would only want to retrieve those Mangekyō Sharingan; it would be even better if the disobedient Obito were dead!
Konan was also in a good mood; while Konoha was engulfed in war, the Land of Rain remained untouched by conflict.
With the support of Kirigakure and the Land of Rivers as its strategic depth, Amegakure entered a phase of rapid development.
Konan has recently started creating puppets for Nagato again, this time using Yahiko's body.
When modifying Hanzo, she showed no mercy. Konan thought she would be sad and upset in front of her comrade, but during the modification, she only felt a slight emotional fluctuation and was completely immersed in the technological advancement.
"Once the Deva Path Dao is reformed, we can seize the opportunity of war to relaunch the Akatsuki."
" Konan, you stay behind and continue to improve maritime trade. Leave the fighting to me; I'll recruit a new batch of members."
Nagato gently instructed Konan, who was focused on modifying her joints in the lab. The girl smiled in agreement, then added, "Is this a mission from Iwagakure? The Third Tsuchikage has started recruiting on the black market again. Be careful!"
"Don't accept missions that are too dangerous. Even if Konoha's strength is weakened, it's still too much to fight a massive ninja force head-on."
Recalling Shu Furukawa's perfectly timed attack that night, Nagato nodded involuntarily.
His Six Paths Technique was indeed not proficient enough, but Shu Furukawa's strength was still too terrifying. The difference in their combat experience was too great, and his opponent seemed to have a very good understanding of his ninjutsu.
"Don't worry, Konan, I won't reveal myself easily!"
"If the war can last for a few years, maybe this time we'll have a chance to break free from Konoha's control."
"In the meantime, you continue dealing with those Konoha Anbu are demanding accountability. I'll try to coordinate with the Iwagakure Ninja to sabotage some of their supply points."
Just as Nagato was about to continue discussing the village's development, Black Zetsu suddenly appeared, followed by another White Zetsu. A comical voice immediately rang out in the room. " Lord Madara is back! The Nine-Tails has been retrieved. In the meantime, I need to go to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to replenish my Chakra!"
"This is the power of Lord Madara, who single-handedly ignited the Fourth Shinobi World War. Kirigakure will soon join the battle."
" Konoha will not give up on the Tailed Beast. The Three-Tails will soon be resurrected. This is Lord Madara's next plan: to continue blocking Konoha."
White Zetsu's words became more and more natural. Although they were almost trapped to death in the Dōjutsu space, Obito was still paralyzed and unable to get up, the people in front of them had no idea what had happened.
As long as no one can expose their lies, then they have "won" this battle!
Upon hearing this, the other White Zetsu immediately became "fence-sitters" again, and the room was filled with a cacophony of praise, "As expected of Lord Madara! He actually captured the Nine-Tails!"
"With that, the most difficult task is complete, Nagato. You no longer need to worry about capturing the Tailed Beast."
"Faced with the power of Lord Madara Susanoo, that evil fellow Shu Furukawa is like a grain of sand; he is no match for Lord Madara at all."
The Ancient White Zetsu was about to continue his fervor when he heard "sand" and fell silent. He seemed to see Shu Furukawa's scarlet eyes again, which made his body suddenly go limp.
Black Zetsu, who had remained skeptical, immediately asked in a hoarse voice upon seeing his companion's behavior, "Is there something wrong with your body? Why do you need to go to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to replenish your Chakra?"
" Lord Madara used too much Wood Release, and with the battle against the Hokage, my body is exhausted."
White Zetsu remained calm and continued to respond in a comical tone. He knew that Black Zetsu was on high alert against the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, but he needed to replenish his energy at this moment.
Not only that, but to save Obito, they also need to replace the right half of his Hashirama Cells.
Currently, the energy in the cells has almost completely disappeared. Without this power, those powerful Mangekyō Sharingan cannot be used.
" Nagato, please allow me to take this guy to replenish his energy."
After a moment of contemplation, Black Zetsu asked for instructions. Although he still had some doubts, Obito had most likely survived, and combined with the information he had gathered, Konoha had indeed lost its Tailed Beast.
"Let me go in with you! You seem a bit off."
Konan suddenly spoke up. The girl looked at White Zetsu, and Shikigami transformed into wings behind her. Just as she was about to act, Black Zetsu suddenly turned into liquid and possessed the Ancient White Zetsu: "No need to trouble the angel, I'll take this guy there."
" Konan, leave the matters of battle to me. You don't need to bear that responsibility."
Nagato gently persuaded the girl, who had no choice but to fold her wings, a smile returning to her face as she softly thanked him, "Thank you, Nagato."
Shu Furukawa's spirit looked at Black Zetsu through Konan's gaze. Black Zetsu had realized the importance of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, a crucial "tool" for resurrecting Kaguya: "With the Nine-Tails in hand, you will come before me sooner or later."
Konan no longer had the idea of helping, while Shu Furukawa's spirit secretly planned how to seize the outer shell of the God Tree. Even if he awakened the Rinnegan, he still wouldn't be able to communicate with spirits, so he definitely needed an alternative plan.
" Shu Furukawa is the boy who killed the Mizukage, right? He's very strong."
"Could you describe the battle in detail? I'm quite curious!"
Hearing the girl's question, Black Zetsu, who was about to leave, paused. White Zetsu, unable to control his body, inwardly groaned, but then, in a comical tone, he exclaimed, " Lord Madara deliberately waited for that evil fellow at the Valley of the End. Faced with the Mangekyō Sharingan, just the resistance against Genjutsu nearly drove him to collapse!"
White Zetsu, increasingly engrossed in switching identities with Shu Furukawa Obito, noticed the serious expressions on Nagato and Konan's faces and a strange thought occurred to him, "Why does Shu Furukawa resemble Lord Madara?"
The river and stone walls in the distance between the two statues in the Valley of the End disappeared by more than half. Kamui Shuriken can tear space apart. After the collision, the spatial rift "dug away" a large chunk of the earth.
During the battle Obito kept moving away from the statue area in order to escape the Senjutsu Iron Sand, but the ground nearby still sank in quite a bit, and the energy of the Tailed Beast Bomb almost destroyed the statue.
Huge cracks appeared in the ground behind the two statues. The Konoha Anbu who came to patrol the area stared blankly at the bottomless cracks, muttering subconsciously, "What... what kind of power is this?"
" The Valley of the End has become like this. What kind of enemy is Lord Xiu fighting?"
Seeing his companion's shocked expression, the young Uchiha Anbu beside him smirked and replied with a hint of pride, "They say it's Susanoo!"
"The clan leader and many of his clansmen vaguely saw that purple giant; that's legendary power!"
"To retreat severely injured in the face of the Nine-Tails and Susanoo, Lord Xiu has already done an extraordinary feat."
The middle-aged ninja from the Yamanaka Clan frowned upon hearing this. Even with the power of the Uchiha, it was inappropriate to praise the enemy at this time—they were the culprits who attacked the village and stole the Nine-Tails. "Hurry up and act! There's no need to sigh anymore; this isn't a power that ordinary ninjas like us possess."
"The elite Kumogakure ninja squad may have already entered the Land of Rice Fields; we must be extra careful."
"Once they enter the Land of Fire, they will definitely disrupt our supply line."
Upon hearing this, the two immediately responded in hushed tones. Time was indeed of the essence. Although Jiraiya was very strong, the Fourth Raikage A, was not going to engage in direct combat.
The Kumogakure, determined to fight the war to the bitter end, have completely broken off all pretense of civility and have already invaded the Land of Rice Fields this week. Battles between the two sides are becoming increasingly frequent, and the number of casualties is slowly rising.
As soon as the three left, a delicate White Zetsu suddenly emerged from the ground. Turning its head to survey its surroundings, a pool of liquid quickly appeared on its shoulder, followed by Katsuyu: "Lord Xiu, the energy from the Land of Rice Fields has been collected. Should we absorb the energy from this clone?"
The White Zetsu Clone pondered for a moment, exchanged information with Shu Furukawa, who was recuperating in Konoha, and then responded in a light tone, "Just continue collecting energy. The Kumogakure are very fast; this is a rare opportunity."
The Katsuyu shook its antennae in agreement, then asked in a soft, sweet voice, "Did Lord Xiu and Lady Tsunade mate? My spiritual energy is insufficient; do you need my help?"
"I'm only 14. Keep working, at least make up for the losses that have occurred."
The spirit body of Shu Furukawa, one of the White Zetsu Clone, had to change the subject. Each clone had a different personality; some were shy, while others were very direct.
Although he was used to this way of chatting, he still felt a little awkward sometimes.
With the outbreak of war, Shu Furukawa was busy creating clones to Collection energy, working tirelessly every day, while Obito Uchiha remained inactive, having already spent a week at the old base on the Land of Iron peninsula.
Although the Mangekyō Sharingan was powerful, Obito only realized after the battle that the Hashirama Cells in his right half were the source of his power.
Obito used Kamui to escape, Obito almost died in his own Dōjutsu's dimension. He barely managed to leave with the help of White Zetsu, but his body completely collapsed.
Before leaving, White Zetsu told him that Shu Furukawa could "devour" the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, which made Obito feel fear again. No wonder Madara told him not to actively contact and "absorb" his nemesis if he wasn't confident.
If Obito were to accidentally lose his power during a battle, he felt his eyes would definitely be gouged out!
" Lord Madara! I'm back!"
"I have some bad news. My comrades in Konoha told me that Kakashi seems to be going to the battlefield again."
"The good news is that the girl is still at Konoha Hospital."
Obito was having trouble speaking, his eyes filled with anxiety. He looked at the Ancient White Zetsu beside him and stammered, "Quick... I need to regain my power..."
"You all go and look after Kakashi... I need to go see Rin..."
The revitalized White Zetsu stroked his chin, then suddenly looked down at Obito on the ground and asked in a comical tone, "Going to Konoha is dangerous. Do you want to replenish your eye power?"
"That girl's house was destroyed, Konoha is short of housing. It seems she's been sharing a room with Kakashi lately."
Despite his determination to protect his best friend, Obito was still deeply pained upon hearing the news. His weakened state prevented him from speaking, allowing him to only utter soft sobs. "Ugh..."