Response and Rewards

The sound echoed throughout the huge hall, creating a sense of spaciousness.

Madara Uchiha, who was sitting upright on the giant wooden chair, slowly opened his eyes. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan was clearly visible in them, and for some reason, even in its normal state, he showed no intention of closing them.

His gaze shifted downwards, landing on the half-black, half-white creature in front of him. It was Black Zetsu, a creature he had created after Rinnegan, by combining Yin-Yang Release with his own consciousness.

Although the exact cause is not yet clear, it may indeed have been an accident, but through various Scout, it has been confirmed that it is indeed a derivative of itself, and its loyalty and security have been verified.

"Jue, how is the situation outside?" His voice was hoarse and cracked, probably because he hadn't spoken for a long time.

"Lord Madara, the situation in the Ninja World is just as you predicted; it's starting to descend into chaos. Konoha and Sunagakure are currently locked in a major war, Iwagakure recently declared war on Konoha, Cloud Village and Konoha have also clashed in the Land of Hot Water. Apart from Mist Village, which is far from the mainland, the other four major ninja villages are fighting to varying degrees."

"Oh, very good!" Madara's voice gradually returned to normal, deep and heavy, yet lacking in vitality. "But it's not enough. Find a way to get Mist Village to join the battle. Only by weakening the power of all nations as much as possible can our final plan be implemented more smoothly!"

"As you wish, Lord Madara!" Black Zetsu replied without hesitation, "I'll take care of it immediately."

Madara nodded weakly, then, as if remembering something, he mustered his strength and asked, "That Uchiha child, his name is Obito, right? How is he?"

"Yes, Lord Madara, Obito Uchiha of Land of Rivers fighting against Sunagakure with his team. His strength is improving rapidly; although he hasn't awakened his Sharingan yet, he already has combat power approaching that of Chunin."

"Oh, he hasn't awakened his Sharingan yet. It seems the Ninja World has been too lenient with him, not letting him experience enough suffering." Madara pondered for a long time, while Black Zetsu waited quietly by his side.

"Forget it, it's not the right time yet. Let him grow on his own for a while longer, but keep a close eye on his every move, especially when he's on missions. Don't let him out of your sight."

"No problem, Lord Madara!" Black Zetsu replied respectfully, but then seemed to hesitate, as if he wanted to say something more.

"Is there anything else?" Ban asked impatiently. He needed more rest now. For the sake of that ultimate goal, he was conserving every ounce of his life, and rest was the best way to achieve it.

"Lord Madara, not long ago, two of our White Zetsu Scout missions were destroyed."

"Damaged? Are you sure? Has someone discovered it?" Madara's expression immediately tensed up. He was no match for the Ninja World in terms of power, which was why everything was being done in secret. He absolutely could not let anyone discover his whereabouts during this time.

"They were likely caught in the aftermath of a battle. Judging from the traces left at the scene, one of the two ninjas was skilled in Fire Style and the other in Wind Style. Their Ninjutsu had a wide range, and the two White Zetsu died from Fire Style."

"Is it really that much of a coincidence?" Madara Uchiha was a suspicious man. This situation seemed too coincidental. Although White Zetsu was not strong, he shouldn't have been killed by the aftermath of a battle between two ninjas.

Black Zetsu thought for a moment, but ultimately said something he didn't want to talk about anymore, "The two White Zetsu who were discussing poop at the beginning are the ones who died."

The spacious hall fell into a deathly silence; even the sound of breathing disappeared.

Those two White Zetsu were so famous that even Madara was deeply impressed by them. If it weren't for the difficulty in creating White Zetsu now, he would have already sent those two White Zetsu back to the furnace for remaking.

Now that these two guys have died in the aftermath of someone else's battle, then perhaps, possibly, it's not impossible that they did.

"Investigate more thoroughly and see if any related news has surfaced in the Ninja World."

"Yes, Lord Madara."

With a final response, Black Zetsu's figure sank back into the ground, and the hall returned to silence. Madara's heavy eyelids slowly closed once more.

The Land of Rivers, Sunagakure's front-line Camp, Central Command Tent.

After listening to the ninjas' mission report on Resupply the supplies, an eerie silence fell over the tent.

After a long silence, Kazekage finally broke the stillness.

"It's that Taichi Matsushita again, and that Space-Time Ninjutsu again. Doesn't anyone have a better solution?"

"I've also done some research during this time. This Space-Time Ninjutsu is Flying Thunder God. Ninjutsu was developed by the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju. Because it is extremely difficult to learn, so far, apart from the Second Hokage himself, I haven't heard of anyone else who has mastered it."

"I never expected that this Ninjutsu, which has been lost for so long, would be learned by people in Konoha, and two of them at once!" Ebizo continued the Kazekage's topic, giving a brief introduction to the Flying Thunder God Ninjutsu, but he didn't mention any solutions to it.

Indeed, the Flying Thunder God Ninjutsu is extremely rare, and it's understandable that the Ninja World lacks a way to counter it.

However, there are only two ninjas in the Ninja World who can use the Flying Thunder God Technique, and both of them are fighting against Sunagakure, which is truly infuriating.

"Taichi Matsushita and Minato Namikaze, these two ninjas are the Konoha Ninja have been active behind our lines recently. Apart from the Flying Thunder God, they are both top-tier Jonin. Our small units are basically doomed to perish when they face them."

"How about we transfer Pakura to the front lines?" Ebizo tentatively suggested, his gaze fixed on the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, who sat in the main seat.

Pakura can be considered to be on par with Rasa Sunagakure. It can be said that before Rasa mastered Magnet Release, he was inferior to Pakura in both reputation and strength.

Even now, among the high-ranking Sunagakure of Rasa, there are still quite a few who support Pakura.

If Pakura were transferred to the front lines at this time, and she were to achieve enough merit, Rasa's Kazekage as Kazekage might be shaken again. This is not only something Rasa doesn't want to see, but also a scenario that most of the Sunagakure high-ranking officials don't want to see.

"Let's wait and see. Iwagakure has already declared war on Konoha. Let's see what Konoha's next move is, and whether they'll try to move them away from this battlefield." Chiyo suggested a compromise, which could only be described as passive waiting, and sounded far too negative.

"Send the Jinchuriki to the front lines, and we'll launch a large-scale attack, releasing Shukaku to give Konoha a good beating," Rasa said expressionlessly, but his suggestion drew the attention of both elders.

After a long while, the two elders nodded in unison, clearly agreeing with Rasa's idea to send Shukaku's Jinchuriki to the front lines to participate in the battle.

Even if the Kazekage hadn't mentioned it, it was bound to happen sooner or later. If the battle continued in the current direction, Sunagakure would be slowly dying. Therefore, Sunagakure desperately hoped for a great victory to change everything, and Jinchuriki were the best choice.

Soon, a Communication Hawk took off from the Camp and flew towards Sunagakure.

Since the death of the previous Bunpuku Sunagakure, the Jinchuriki of Shukaku in Sunagakure has changed several times. Apart from Bunpuku, who was able to suppress Shukaku with his own will, the other hosts were often on the verge of going berserk due to their own abilities and Sunagakure's clumsy Sealing Jutsu.

Therefore, the task of transferring the Jinchuriki is no simple matter. According to Rasa and the two elders, the village would need at least a month to prepare for the Jinchuriki.

Therefore, for the next month, the fighting on the front lines will still depend on them.

That evening, when Taiichi returned to the Camp, he immediately heard the news that had spread throughout the Ninja World: Iwagakure had officially declared war on Konoha.

Now that the second ninja village has declared war on Konoha, it's likely that Kumogakure will follow soon, and Mist Village, an overseas ninja village, will also join the battle against Konoha sooner or later.

Konoha's toughest time has only just begun, and Taiichi can do now is to improve his strength as quickly as possible and strive to play a greater role in future battles.

Wandering through the Camp, Taiichi observed that although everyone was discussing Iwagakure's declaration of war, the overall morale was still quite high.

After all, Iwagakure's declaration of war was still too far off for them; Sunagakure was the enemy they needed to face. And in the battles of the past few days, Konoha had definitely been dominating Sunagakure.

Before he knew it, Taiichi had wandered into the Central Command Tent, and his leisurely figure immediately attracted Jiraiya's attention inside the tent.

"It's Taiichi! Come in quickly, I was just about to look for you!"

Taiichi was startled, looked around, and realized he was already there. Hearing Jiraiya's call from inside the tent, he immediately scurried into the main tent.

At this moment, besides Jiraiya, only Shikaku and two other advisors appointed by the Hokage were present in the tent.

The three advisors were pointing at a huge sand table of the Land of Rivers, which marked various outposts and occupied points of Konoha and Sunagakure.

Taiichi glanced at it quickly and discovered that most of the Land of Rivers was currently under the control of Konoha.

This situation is very favorable. You should know that when Sunagakure first started the war, Jiraiya moved his Camp to the rear in order to preserve his forces, giving up a large amount of territory under his control.

Now, not only have they fought back completely, but they've also pushed back to the Sunagakure's side, demonstrating Konoha's significant advantage on the current battlefield.

Taiichi's arrival naturally attracted the attention of the three strategists, but they only nodded to Taiichi in a friendly manner before immersing themselves in the simulation of the future battle.

"Jiraiya- sensei, did you need something?" Taiichi asked, looking puzzled. He rarely had the time to stroll around the Camp, but he hadn't expected to be caught red-handed by Jiraiya.

Jiraiya glanced sideways, leisurely flipping through the intelligence reports, but said with a hint of annoyance, "What, getting all high and mighty? Can't I talk to you for no reason?"

"Of course I can! You're my teacher, and I'm always online. Even if I'm out on a mission, you can have your Shadow Clone notify me to come back anytime!" Taiichi's expression was exaggerated, and he showered her with flattery without any scruples.

Jiraiya couldn't help but laugh at Taiichi's exaggerated performance and words. Although he didn't understand what "always online" meant, he understood what Taiichi was trying to say.

"Alright, stop joking. The village's reward for you has been announced. We called you over so you can choose." Jiraiya waved his hand, gesturing for Taiichi to come closer.

"Oh, so soon! What's the reward this time?" Taiichi rubbed his hands together excitedly, looking impatient.

"Knowing you don't lack anything, I'll help you choose. How about choosing a Ninjutsu from the Scroll of Sealing?" Jiraiya was full of confidence; he knew Taiichi quite well.

He was already quite wealthy, with no worries about food or drink, and lived in a place Jiraiya better than Jiraiya's. He didn't have any particular desire for power; his only interest was in improving his strength. Ordinary Ninjutsu obviously couldn't satisfy his needs, so naturally, he needed the forbidden techniques from the Scroll of Sealing.

Sure enough, Taiichi cheered with joy when he heard that he could choose another Ninjutsu from the Scroll of Sealing. Last time he chose the Flying Thunder God, which was also Ninjutsu he desperately needed, but who would complain about having too many good things!

Moreover, the Scroll of Sealing does indeed contain the Ninjutsu he desperately wants.

"Master Jiraiya, may I use the Spirit Transformation Technique?"

"Spirit Transformation Technique?" Jiraiya hadn't expected Taiichi to make a choice Taiichi quickly. He had originally intended to fulfill his responsibility as a teacher and properly introduce the other Ninjutsu in the Scroll of Sealing to Taiichi, but it turned out that Taiichi had already made his choice.

"This is Ninjutsu that involves the soul. It is extremely dangerous to both practice and use it. You should think carefully!" Jiraiya warned Taiichi. Jiraiya was also very familiar with the Spirit Transformation Technique, after all, it was the signature skill of his rival Dan Katō.

It can be said that the Spirit Transformation Technique both brought Dan Katō and ultimately cost him his life. Therefore, Jiraiya had to solemnly remind Taiichi to prevent him from making a rash choice due to a lack of understanding of the specifics of Ninjutsu.

Taiichi naturally understood Jiraiya's good intentions, but he remained firm in his decision. "Don't worry, Jiraiya- sensei, I have a thorough understanding of the effects of the Spirit Transformation Technique, so I'll choose this Ninjutsu!"

Jiraiya stared into Taiichi's eyes for a long time, and finally, after confirming that Taiichi thought things through seriously, he said no more.

As a teacher, he only needs to provide guidance. For a disciple like Taiichi, who already has a clear plan for his own cultivation, there is no need for him to say much.

Then, to Taiichi's astonishment, Jiraiya retrieved a Sealing Scroll, skillfully Hand Seals. With a "bang," seven or eight Ninjutsu scrolls appeared on the table— Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, Dead Demon Consuming Seal—

The scroll of Spirit Transformation Technique that Taiichi had chosen was right there among them.

Goodness, they've brought over every single Ninjutsu Taiichi could possibly choose from!

This is only Jiraiya; anyone else would definitely not have the face or the trust!

Jiraiya casually picked out the scroll of the Spirit Transformation Technique from among the many scrolls, and then formed a series of hand seals. As Jiraiya's hand seals changed, the patterns on the surface of the scroll also changed slightly.

After completing all 108 hand seals, Jiraiya finally handed the scroll of the Spirit Transformation Technique to Taiichi.

"I won't tell you to destroy it after you finish reading it, but you need to understand the rules. This kind of Ninjutsu cannot be passed on without the village's permission." Jiraiya instructed Taiichi, while also making sure to put away the other scrolls on the table.

But after not hearing Taiichi's reply for a long time, he looked up curiously and saw Taiichi staring intently at the other scrolls on the table. He couldn't help but chuckle and tease him.

"Stop looking! You saw it yourself, these scrolls are sealed with a one-time seal. If you open them without permission, the village will find out immediately. You're not trying to become Rogue Ninja, are you?"