The Situation Deteriorates

Needless to say, anyone who isn't blind can see that Jiangtai is terrified.

He trembled all over, even his jaw started chattering, even though he knew that this was the effect of Taiichi's Ninjutsu and not a real ghost.

Yami felt sorry for Jiangtai. It seemed that Teacher Taiichi was planning to use the most violent means to break Jiangtai's fear.

That's really... really... really funny.

If she had a camera, she would definitely have taken a picture of this scene; she could use this as leverage to laugh at Jiang Taiichi!

"Teacher, I feel much better."

"Oh, really?"

Taiichi's spirit approached Jiangtai, with most of its spirit clinging to Jiangtai's body. A chilling aura permeated Jiangtai's mind as Taiichi drew near, causing him to tremble more and more violently.

Of course, Taiichi's spirit itself wouldn't have this chilling aura, but for Taiichi, who has mastered Ice Release, making the air a little colder is incredibly easy.

Seeing that Jiangtai was about to faint, Taiichi knew that training had to be done gradually and that it was impossible to see results immediately.

Taiichi's spirit returned, and his physical body opened its eyes again, staring at Jiangtai, whose face was now completely bloodless, and began to give him a long and earnest plea.

"Jiangtai, I'm not afraid of the living. What's there to be afraid of in those who can't even survive? It's just another round of killing."

He looked at the three of them, his gaze finally settling on Jiangtai's face. "This journey to the Land of Demons will undoubtedly be fraught with danger. I will give you special training along the way, and try my best to help you overcome this difficulty before we reach the Land of Demons. You must be prepared."

"No way, teacher!"

Jiangtai's pale face flushed red in that instant, and she exuded a sense of despair.

In this situation, Yami and Itachi finally couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs.

Even the Nine-Tails let out a strange "whimpering" laugh, its four legs flailing wildly in the air.

When the Land of Demons Moryo escaped, Konoha wasn't the first ninja village to receive the news.

The closest major powers to the Land of Demons are actually the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth, and these two countries are also the most affected. In comparison, the Land of Fire is relatively far away.

And that was indeed the case. As a country bordering the Land of Demons, the Land of Earth was the first to obtain the intelligence.

When Ōnoki received the letter of appeal for help from the official authorities of the Land of Demons, he initially didn't realize the danger involved.

After all, the demonic Moryo were ancient relics from a bygone era. Ōnoki knew of their existence, but for many years, the Ninja World had never personally experienced their harm.

You'll never know the pain unless you get hit yourself, and the same goes for Ōnoki.

As the leader of Iwagakure, whether out of vigilance or personal motives, Ōnoki still dispatched a full-strength Jonin squad to the Land of Demons in response to their plea for help.

That's right, this is a four-person ninja team, an elite team Captain by a Jonin and consisting of three Chunin.

Their mission wasn't to support the Land of Demons; they were there to gather Land of Demons.

Moryo had no idea what kind of destructive power the Ōnoki possessed, and he also had to take responsibility for the ninjas of Iwagakure.

Thus, under these combined circumstances of caution and underestimation, the Ninja World missed the best opportunity to extinguish the disaster quickly.

Similar problems are not limited to Iwagakure; Sunagakure, the second closest ninja village, also faces the same issue.

Both ninja villages chose to play it safe when a quick response was needed. It's not that their actions were wrong, but modern people haven't experienced the terror of that time.

The Land of Earth, Iwagakure.

When Ōnoki received news of that Jonin squad again, his small eyes widened like saucers.

"What did you say? Say it again!"

The communications ninja who came to report broke out in a cold sweat; Ōnoki's aura had just been too terrifying.

"Lord Tsuchikage, Kira Squad just sent an urgent message via communication. The sender is squad member Iwadomaru. The message states: The Moryo have grown stronger, the Land of Swamps has fallen, and Captain Kira and two other members have all been killed in battle. Please send reinforcements from the village immediately."

That's it? That's all?

Before the communications ninja could reply, Ōnoki walked around the desk, stood in front of him, and snatched the intelligence from his hand. With just one glance, his heart sank to the bottom.

This intelligence was sent back through special channels, and the information it could convey was limited.

"Damn it, how could this happen?"

The Kira Squad he sent was an elite Jonin squad, and their main mission wasn't to eliminate Moryo, but merely to gather intelligence. Yet, even their Jonin Captain was killed in battle. What exactly is Moryo, and what's the situation in the Land of Demons right now?

"Pass on the order." Ōnoki whirled around, facing the communications ninja, his tone fierce. "Border Troops immediately enter the Land of Demons, ascertain the situation, and organize a defensive battle. Simultaneously, urgently assemble a thousand-strong unit from within the village to support the frontline troops."

Upon hearing the words "transmit the order," the communications ninja quickly took out paper and pen, memorizing each command. However, as he finished writing the last word, his pen stopped abruptly, and he looked up in shock at his own Tsuchikage.

Is this necessitating troop mobilization in preparation for a major battle? Shouldn't we consult with higher-ups and make some preparations?

Ōnoki, seeing the communications ninja standing there dumbfounded, turned red with anger. "What are you standing there for! Get back to relaying the order!"

"Oh oh!"

The communications ninja, snapping out of his daze, quickly put away his paper and pen, bowed respectfully, and rushed out.

Ōnoki watched the communications ninja run off into the distance, his brows furrowing even more deeply, his worries growing stronger.

This is truly unsettling. Iwagakure hasn't had a single peaceful day since the Third Shinobi World War, and now this big one has arrived. Hopefully, it's not too late, and at least it won't affect the Land of Earth.

This incident in Iwagakure is not an isolated case; the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure also encountered the same thing.

The Sunagakure Village was very lucky; their Scout team didn't suffer too many losses. At least the Jonin Captain didn't die in battle, and as for the Chunin who died, that was no big deal.

The Sunagakure's Scout teams remained largely intact, resulting in a greater volume of intelligence being transmitted back.

Rasa stared at the thin page of intelligence in her hand, her hands trembling slightly.

What does it mean that the Land of Swamps has been destroyed?

What is an immortal Puppet Legion?

What does it mean that the Land of Demons has already fallen by more than half?

These all sound incredibly fantastical, like listening to ancient myths.

But this intelligence was gathered by his own ninjas at great personal risk, and every word was stained with the blood of the ninjas on the front lines, forcing him to take it seriously.

Setting down the intelligence report, Rasa turned to look out the window at his own ninja village. The wounds of the Third Shinobi World War were far from healed, and now Sunagakure was so focused on completing its mission that it had abandoned even the village's defenses. How could it possibly spare any more manpower to go to the Land of Demons?

Rasa let out a long sigh and finally made her decision.

"Order: Recall the Border Troops of the Land of Rivers to reinforce the Land of Demons."

Furthermore, forward this intelligence to Konoha so they can send reinforcements as soon as possible.

Rasa's idea was simple: if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up, and right now, the tallest person in the Ninja World is naturally Konoha.

Naturally, the Land of Demons would seek help from Konoha when it faces a crisis. However, considering the timeframe, their plea for help might not even have reached Konoha yet. Furthermore, Konoha might verify the accuracy of the intelligence. By the time Konoha sends troops, it could be a very long time.

For the sake of peace in the Ninja World, and to prevent the world from being further destroyed by demons, Sunagakure naturally has an obligation to deliver this information to Konoha as quickly as possible.

And indeed, things turned out exactly as Rasa had guessed.

Don't underestimate the gap between the five major villages and other smaller ninja villages.

That's not just a difference in actual combat strength, but a difference in every aspect.

For example, in terms of communication, major ninja villages have Summoning Technique, secret arts, and even radio communication, while smaller ninja villages are still stuck in the era of manual communication.

For example, right now, the information about Sunagakure has been delivered to Minato, but the letter from the Land of Demons requesting help hasn't even reached Konoha yet.

Upon seeing the intelligence relayed by Sunagakure, the young Hokage showed a bewildered expression for the first time.

Land of Demons?

Moryo?

What the hell is this?!

Fortunately, it doesn't matter if he doesn't know; there must be people in Konoha who do.

Soon, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Kazekage, was invited by the Anbu to solve this problem.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi reading the intelligence sent by Sunagakure, his brows were furrowed in worry.

"Lord Third Kazekage, is this Moryo really that powerful?"

Minato didn't believe that Sunagakure would deceive him, but the situation described in the intelligence was so serious that he couldn't help but have doubts.

"Minato, assemble the troops. The situation in the Land of Demons might be more serious than the intelligence reports suggest."

Hiruzen Sarutobi down the intelligence report he was holding, and with a grim face, explained the legend of the Moryo to Minato. Still not satisfied, he asked again, "Assembling the troops is still too slow. Are there any Konoha ninjas near the Land of Demons? Order them to immediately drop their current tasks and go to provide support as soon as possible."

Minato truly felt the danger now. You have to understand, even during wartime, Konoha never issued orders for ninjas on missions to abandon them.

Now, with the rampant spread of the Moryo, Konoha needs to undertake such an emergency mobilization.

Minato's smile vanished, his brow furrowed in deep thought. His eyes glanced inadvertently at the map of the Ninja World hanging on the wall. Below the Land of Demons lay the Land of Bears. A glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"Taiichi, Taiichi is in the Land of Bears, right next to the Land of Demons."

"Oh! This is truly wonderful. If Taiichi can rush to the Land of Demons, at least we can halt the pace of its fall and buy ourselves time to mobilize our troops."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a drag of his cigarette, his brows relaxing. It was a pity that his opponent was a demonic Puppet; otherwise, Taiichi alone would have been confident in quelling this turmoil.

Land of Swamps.

When Kakuzu and Hiruko in the Land of Swamps and reunited with Zetsu and Blood Crow, the scene before them shocked even those who were used to bloodshed.

The once soft, damp swampy land of the Land of Swamps is now covered with countless dark purple figures—thousands upon thousands of Puppet Soldier made of clay and resentment.

They moved on in silence, and wherever they went, all things perished.

At the heart of all this, a colossal creature, hundreds of meters tall, stands proudly in the depths of the swamp—the true form of the Moryo.

Five ferocious dragon heads swung wildly across the massive, dark purple body, each swing unleashing towering waves of mud that swept nearby Puppet Soldier into the air before scattering them like broken dolls.

"This... is this the future team member you were talking about?" Kakuzu's dark green pupils contracted slightly as he pointed at the distant Moryo and looked at Zetsu beside him.

The four were currently standing on a high swampy hill, temporarily unaffected by the Puppet Legion.

Jue's half-black, half-white body looked particularly eerie in the dim light of the day.

"How is the situation?" Kakuzu withdrew his hand, calmed himself down, and asked the question that concerned him most at the moment.

Black Zetsu took control of the body, his deep voice resounding. "The Moryo has completely broken the seal, and the Land of Swamps is now on the verge of falling. As you can see, it created this Puppet Legion, but its numbers are far from reaching their peak."

"Cooperation?" Hiruko squinted at the behemoth in the distance, which seemed utterly irrational. "Judging by its appearance, it doesn't seem like the type to sit down and negotiate."

"That's not how it works," White Zetsu interjected, his head bobbing again. "At least these Puppet Soldier haven't attacked us, have they? That means the Moryo isn't hostile towards us, or rather, it's simply too busy to bother with us right now."

Kakuzu snorted coldly, "This is not what we expected. The organization's goal is to absorb controllable combat power, not to support a beast that only knows how to destroy."

"Don't rush." Black Zetsu's voice rang out again. He straightened his back a little more, looked at the distant Moryo, and his face was full of satisfaction. "The Moryo has been sealed for over a thousand years. It has just been freed and naturally needs to vent."

Let it cause a ruckus. Once the Five Great Nations react and teach it a lesson, it will realize how foolish it was to face the entire Ninja World alone.

He paused, a strange smile appearing on his strikingly black and white face, "Besides, this monster doesn't only have this one form."

Once its power stabilizes, it will naturally recede.

Kakuzu waved his hand impatiently, his black tentacles twitching erratically. "Just say it. What do you need us to do? The leader sent us here, not to watch a show."

"Create chaos," Black Zetsu stated succinctly. "The Moryo has just escaped its confinement, and its Puppet Legion is not yet large enough to expand rapidly. We need to create more bloodshed and panic in the Land of Swamps and the surrounding areas to provide it with more nourishment," while simultaneously restraining any potential Shinobi Army that might come to suppress it, allowing it to safely weather this period of weakness.

A knowing glint flashed in Kakuzu's eyes, which quickly turned into practical consideration. "Perfect timing. We lost four hearts in Hoshigakure; I need to replenish them."

He turned to Hiruko and the Blood Crow who had remained silent to the side. "And you?"

Blood Crow slowly raised its head, and a hoarse, deep voice came from beneath its hood. "My god needs fresh flesh and souls as sacrifices. The chaos here suits me perfectly."

Hiruko her fingers, her long, greyish-white hair fluttering in the wind. "Creating chaos is just killing people, isn't it? I'll just go 'take a stroll' then."

Jue nodded in satisfaction. "Very good. Remember, the support from the Five Great Nations will arrive one after another. Do not become enemies with them. It is important for the Moryo to grow stronger, but the organization should not be overly exposed at this stage. Everyone should be careful to conceal yourselves."

Kakuzu took one last look at the still rampaging dark purple giant in the distance. Its five dragon heads were simultaneously spewing out jet-black energy beams, turning a village in the distance into ruins. The shrill screams could still be faintly heard even from this distance.

"Action."

As soon as the words were spoken, the four figures vanished from the mound.

The arrival of the four accelerated the fall of the Land of Swamps, and all the chaos and death transformed into invisible nourishment, continuously converging towards the dark purple giant shadow in the center of the swamp.

The body of the Moryo seemed to swell even more, and the roars from its five dragon heads became even more ferocious. More Puppet Soldier crawled out of the mud and joined the relentless legion of death.