Danzo's New Move

Konoha's intelligence was quite timely; just three days after Orochimaru's order, the latest information about the battle between Iwagakure and Cloud Village was delivered to Orochimaru.

As they expected, the two sides intensified their conflict, and intelligence personnel even discovered Killer B's trail on the battlefield.

Originally, both sides had only contributed one Jinchuriki to the war, so they were evenly matched. However, Cloud Village Killer B Village has greatly disrupted the balance of power.

For a time, Iwagakure was being suppressed by Cloud Village. On the day the intelligence was relayed back, Iwagakure had been forced back a hundred miles by Cloud Village. This was not a hundred miles of land in a small neighboring country, but a hundred miles of land in the Land of Earth itself.

It's easy to imagine how furious Ōnoki must have been. Since the start of the Third Shinobi World War, Iwagakure was the first ninja village to lose territory.

This fact not only caused Iwagakure to lose face internationally and lose many missions that originally belonged to Iwagakure, but also disappointed the Daimyo of the Land of Earth.

It is said that during this period, Ōnoki has been receiving letters from the Daimyo every few days, asking him when he will be able to drive those barbarians from Cloud Village Land of Earth.

But this is no easy task. Han Five-Tails Jinchuriki of Iwagakure, is confronting Konoha in the Land of Grass, while in the Land of Earth, only Roshi Four-Tails Jinchuriki Rōshi, remains.

He alone couldn't defeat the combined attack of two Jinchuriki from Cloud Village. Now, Ōnoki was beginning to consider personally going to the front lines against Cloud Village.

While the battle raged fiercely between Iwagakure and Cloud Village, Sunagakure and Mist Village fell into an eerie silence.

The two sides, who had been constantly clashing near the Coastline, suddenly ceased hostilities one day.

This commotion was quickly Scout by Minato, who was patrolling near the battlefield. After spending a day confirming that there were no signs of the two sides fighting again, Minato immediately relayed the message to Jiraiya.

The Central Army Tent the Land of Rivers.

"Jiraiya- sensei, here's the situation: Mist Village has completely withdrawn from the Land of Wind's mainland and is currently entrenched on an island 50 kilometers from the mainland."

The Sunagakure also tightened its defenses, seemingly unconcerned about a surprise attack from the Mist Village.

Jiraiya, Shikaku, and two other advisors were all there, analyzing the intelligence Minato had brought back.

"The sudden halt by these two must mean they've reached some kind of agreement, and in the current situation, we're probably the only ones who could bring them together."

Shikaku spoke slowly, but his words made everyone present appear extremely solemn.

Is Mist Village finally going to make its move against Konoha?

Konoha is about to face its most dangerous moment since the start of the war—simultaneously fighting against the four strongest ninja villages in the Ninja World.

"Compile our hypothesis into a report and send it back to the village. At the same time, increase the intensity and scope of ninja patrols, especially along the Coastline of the Land of Rivers. Focus our defenses there to prevent a sudden attack from Mist Village."

"Yes!"

Jiraiya acted swiftly and promptly. Just days after Konoha strengthened its defenses, the Sunagakure forces, which had been stationed on the border of the Land of Wind, began to change their usual tactics and frequently sent Scout ninjas towards the Land of Rivers.

These guys were quite sensible; although they were gathering intelligence, they rarely initiated conflicts with the Konoha Ninja, as if they were truly there for the information.

While the Sunagakure was operating, unsurprisingly, the Mist Village) also landed on Coastline of the Land of Rivers and the neighboring Land of Wind.

Their objective was clear: to directly plunder various resources within the Land of Rivers, just as the Cloud Ninja had done in the Land of Wind.

Now, Konoha was naturally furious. The Land of Rivers was currently under Konoha's control, so this was tantamount to slapping Konoha in the face.

Thus, although Mist Village and Konoha did not formally declare war, they engaged in a major battle within the Land of Rivers.

The Land of Wind, Border Camp, Central Command Tent.

Kazekage Rasa returned to this place, but unlike her previous high spirits, Rasa looked noticeably haggard.

The continuous blows and heavy internal pressure had left even a top-tier ninja like him somewhat exhausted.

"Lord Kazekage, should we continue fighting Konoha?" The one who asked the question was his trusted subordinate, one of the few he had rescued during the attack on Konoha, Sawa.

"Of course not, we just need to make an offensive stance. We can tie down some of Konoha's forces, and leave the rest to Mist Village. Aren't they all clamoring to kill Konoha Ninja?"

Rasa revealed a strange smile. He had gone to great lengths to finally pull Mist Village onto the front lines against Konoha, and had to make significant sacrifices in the process.

Now that his plan had succeeded, he had not only pulled Sunagakure out of the quagmire of war, but also eliminated a rival, all of which filled him with immense excitement.

"But, Lord Kazekage, Mist Village just killed Pakura. Is it appropriate for us to cooperate with them now?"

I've heard people below complain about this more than once, especially the chuunibyou (middle Genin), who have a lot of opinions about it.

"Sawa carefully reminded him."

Pakura's death is full of doubts. She was ambushed by Mist Village during a simple patrol mission and ultimately died in battle.

Just three days after Pakura's death, Sunagakure quickly reached a secret agreement with Mist Village to jointly attack Konoha Ninja in the Land of Rivers.

This was far too fast. Many ninjas in the village believed that Pakura had been betrayed, which led to her being ambushed by the Mist Village.

However, speculation is speculation precisely because there is no evidence.

Therefore, although many people felt indignant, they had to give way to this plan that could free Sunagakure from the quagmire of war.

The Southern Front of Konoha became lively again. By the time Taiichi learned of this news, it was already July of Year 47 of Konoha.

In the past month, besides occasionally harassing the Cloud Village Camp, Taiichi has also spent a considerable amount of time locating the Flying Thunder God Kunai Nonō.

Ever since Danzo was removed from his position as elder, Taiichi had a feeling that the old man would one day make a move against Nonō.

Sure enough, during today's routine check, Taiichi discovered that Nonō, who had always moved within a very small area, had changed her location significantly.

Judging from the Kunai clear spatial location, this place should already be within the territory of the Land of Earth.

A Medical Ninja appearing in the Land of Earth? Don't tell me Danzo has already led his troops into the Land of Earth; that would be a complete joke.

The only remaining explanation is that Danzo as an excuse to transfer Nonō, most likely to force her to return to her old ways and become a spy.

Taiichi clenched his fists. This Danzo was truly a man who never gave up his evil intentions. He had plotted against him and those around him more than once.

It's a pity there was no chance, otherwise Taiichi wouldn't mind erasing him from this world at all.

Now, Taiichi's task is to ensure Nonō's safety. This mission, which was clearly designed specifically for her, is obviously very dangerous.

After greeting Orochimaru, Taiichi disappeared from the Camp.

He didn't appear beside Nonō because he was worried Nonō wasn't alone. If there were other people with her, Taiichi wouldn't be able to do anything about them without knowing their identities.

After all, he didn't want anyone to know that he had appeared in the Land of Earth without permission, nor did he want to be someone who killed indiscriminately.

When Taiichi reappeared, he had arrived at the border of the Land of Fire near the Land of Grass, which was the closest Flying Thunder God coordinate point to Nonō.

Taiichi rested briefly to recover his Chakra before soaring into the sky. Once above the clouds, he identified his direction and flew towards Nonō's location.

As he flies more and more, Taiichi continues to improve his flying skills.

From flapping his wings at the beginning, to using Wind Style for propulsion, and now using Wind Style to eliminate drag, Taiichi's current speed is approaching the speed of sound.

The feeling of speeding like lightning was incredibly exhilarating, but if it weren't for the protection of the Wind Style, Taiichi estimated that he would have been torn apart by the wind resistance immediately.

About two hours later, Taiichi sensed that he had approached the Flying Thunder God Kunai Nonō's body. He slowly reduced his speed, activated his Chakra Perception, and searched in Nonō's direction.

Two or three minutes later, in a small town, Taiichi finally found Nonō's figure in the vast crowd.

She was alone, sitting in a restaurant eating, her unhurried movements making her seem no different from an ordinary person—no wonder she was once a professional spy.

However, Taiichi did not immediately set off to meet him, but instead continued to hover in the sky.

At an altitude of over a thousand meters, he wasn't worried at all about being discovered by people on the ground. On the contrary, he could use his Chakra Perception to monitor the actions of the people on the ground at all times.

Sure enough, after monitoring for two hours, Taiichi noticed two strange-looking guys following behind Nonō.

One of them appeared to be a team member who was on the mission with her; they occasionally exchanged glances.

The other person was different; he was clearly a stalker, but Taiichi wasn't sure whether he belonged to Root or some other organization.

With these discoveries, Taiichi made a plan in mind. He formed One-Handed Seal, and two Shadow Clone suddenly appeared beside him.

The moment the Shadow Clone appeared, it spread its wings and flew to the side.

"Take care of myself, I'll be right back."

After saying that, he closed his eyes, folded his wings, and used the Spirit Transformation Technique to separate his soul from his body.

Just as Taiichi's body was in freefall, two chains shot out from the left and right, suspending Taiichi between the two Shadow Clones.

At this moment, Taiichi's spirit had already arrived beside Nonō and plunged into her body.

Outside, Nonō paused for a moment, then continued walking forward as if nothing had happened.

In his inner world, Taiichi did not invade the other's body as his soul would in a normal battle. Instead, he revealed his identity immediately to avoid unnecessary conflict.

"Sister Nonō, it's me, Taiichi!"

Nonō, who was preparing for a desperate fight, was slightly stunned. Her body had been possessed by someone else's soul. Although such Ninjutsu was not common in the Ninja World, it did exist. At least Konoha had Ninjutsu like Spirit Transformation Technique and Mind Transfer Jutsu.

She thought Danzo was about to attack her, but unexpectedly it was Taiichi arrived.

"Taiichi, what are you doing here? It's dangerous here. There are Root members watching us from outside," Nonō said anxiously.

"It's alright, Sister Nonō. Just keep controlling your body. This is the Mind World; no one will know I was here."

This is also why Nonō paused slightly outside, and at this moment, Taiichi also began to examine the layout of this mental space.

This was a courtyard. After a moment's thought, Taiichi realized that it looked exactly like the Konoha Orphanage. Every flower, every blade of grass, every table and every chair was a replica of the Orphanage.

Taiichi pulled Nonō to sit down at the stone table in the courtyard.

"Sister Nonō, weren't you at the Medical Camp? How did you end up in the heart of the Land of Earth?"

"I also want to ask you, how did you find me? And this is Spirit Transformation Technique, isn't it? Where is your real body? Don't you know this is a very dangerous Ninjutsu?"

Nonō's series of questions left Taiichi momentarily stunned, but Taiichi showed no impatience; he could feel the deep affection in her words.

"Don't worry, Sister Nonō, my true form is safe. No one will be able to find it. But you, your situation is not good right now."

Taiichi reassured Nonō, but at the same time, he didn't forget to ask about her situation.

"I'm actually alright. Danzo hates me, but at least he won't lay a hand on me during this mission." Nonō was quite calm, seemingly unconcerned about her safety.

"Why? I've discovered someone is still following you." Taiichi, puzzled.

"This mission is very important. If it can be completed successfully, Danzo's chances of winning against Iwagakure will greatly increase, so he will definitely not cause any trouble during this mission."

"As for the stalker you discovered, that's standard practice within Root. For missions like this, there's usually someone hiding in the shadows, firstly to monitor, and secondly to know the mission's success or failure as soon as possible," Nonō patiently explained to Taiichi.

Although this mission was extremely dangerous, and Danzo had ulterior motives in assigning it to her, Nonō genuinely wanted to complete it well, simply because it could indeed increase Konoha's chances of winning this First Shinobi World War.

Taiichi was also helpless. He could not deprive others of their spirit of dedication to Konoha. Konoha's current prosperity and status were due to the existence of a group of ninjas who were willing to dedicate themselves to it.

Nonō is that kind of person, and Taiichi is one of them. That's why he can understand Nonō's feelings.

"Sister, since that's the case, I won't stop you, but you must be careful. If you feel there's any danger you can't handle, be sure to call me."

My strength is vastly different now; there are very few enemies in the Ninja World I can't defeat.

Taiichi kept emphasizing his current strength to Nonō, because he was afraid that Nonō would worry about his safety and would rather face the danger alone than call him over.

"I know, I know, the White Reaper, huh? I've heard of him too. Our Taiichi is now a powerful ninja renowned throughout the Ninja World."

Nonō looked at Taiichi with tenderness. The little boy who was once so small was now able to stand on his own, which made her most gratified.

Faced with Nonō's loving gaze, Taiichi felt helpless, but still gave a final explanation before his spirit left Nonō's body.