The True Pinnacle!

At the eastern border of the Land of Fire, where it met the Land of Hot Water.

Small countries such as the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Grass, wedged between the Five Great Nations, had been deliberately preserved.

If great nations bordered one another directly, they could easily go to war over a disagreement. These small countries served as buffers.

And when the great nations went to war, they could also place the battlefield in small countries, leaving their own territories unaffected.

The Land of Rain had originally been the same kind of place. The difference was that a figure like Hanzo of the Salamander had emerged, forcing the great nations to take it seriously.

At the border, an incomparably imposing man stood atop a mountain, facing a stretch of lush greenery in the distance.

The Third Raikage's gaze darkened as he watched in silence.

That was the Land of Fire, the heartland of the Shinobi World.

Hashirama Senju had ended the Warring States Era and brought peace to the Shinobi World for the first time in a thousand years.

But he had not been a selfless saint. The Land of Fire occupied the most fertile region of the Shinobi World, and Konoha was the core among cores.

Why was it that every Shinobi World War involved the other four nations besieging Konoha, while Konoha never took the initiative to start one?

It was not because Konoha was kind-hearted, but because...

What wealthy man would be interested in stealing a beggar's bowl?

There was no need to mention Sunagakure. Even water was a major problem there, let alone everything else.

Iwagakure's environment was not much better, with barren land and scarce resources.

Kirigakure sat isolated overseas, with resources heavily dependent on imports. Its internal problems were difficult to redirect outward, making civil unrest likely.

The Land of Lightning was somewhat better. Its peninsula terrain was easy to defend and difficult to attack, while its mountainous regions could support animal husbandry.

But compared to the Land of Fire, its territory was far too small. Its strategic depth was severely lacking, and its distance from the center of the continent limited its influence.

The foundation of the Land of Fire—or rather, Konoha—was simply too deep.

The First's era went without saying. During the Second's era, Konoha fought the other four nations in turn and remained undefeated.

Sarutobi Hiruzen...

The Third Raikage was naturally familiar with him. They had been the ones to carry on the Second's unfinished business and sign the armistice agreement between their two nations.

He acknowledged Sarutobi Hiruzen's strength. In terms of versatility, no one in the current Shinobi World could surpass him.

And besides... Konoha had more than just Sarutobi.

Hearing footsteps behind him, the Third Raikage spoke in a deep voice.

"Have you found that bastard?"

The man shook his head helplessly. "Not yet. There are no leads."

Ever since Kumogakure's shinobi had entered the Land of Hot Water, showing signs of being ready to march south and attack the Land of Fire at any moment, several vicious incidents had occurred within the country.

Shinobi had vanished, intelligence had been leaked, and old grudges between shinobi clans had resurfaced...

Although there was no evidence to confirm it, the Third Raikage's instincts told him that Shimura Danzō was behind it.

Those methods of stirring up people's hearts were completely that man's style.

Trying to force me back so I can't join the war... Heh heh!

"Keep looking. The moment you locate him, I'll crush that disgusting bug with my own hands!"

"Yes!"

"Raikage-sama, there is one more matter to report."

The Kumogakure shinobi presented a sealed letter with both hands. "This is intelligence sent back by Iron Plow."

The spy networks of each village used different code-name styles. Kumogakure preferred using farming tools as aliases, believing them to be more discreet.

The Raikage tore open the envelope. Inside was the decoded message.

Crackle—

After reading it, lightning flashed at the Raikage's fingertips, reducing the paper to scraps.

"That brat's younger sister has even greater talent..."

They could not wait any longer.

There were lessons from the past. Once Uchiha geniuses were tempered by war, they became even harder to deal with!

"How many people do we still have in Konoha?"

"Currently, there are seven agents inside Konohagakure we can still contact: two jonin and five chunin."

"Six are carrying out missions outside, including one jonin... and those on the battlefield..."

After finishing his report, the man's voice sank. "Iron Plow, who sent back the intelligence... has been confirmed dead."

Iron Plow was his younger brother.

The Raikage fell silent for several seconds.

"I remember he had two children. Take good care of them."

"Contact every sleeper agent. Move the original plan forward!"

"Understood!"

The Raikage turned back toward Kumogakure, a trace of worry in his eyes.

--

--

Land of Rain.

A figure walked through the rain.

"Kamizuki, don't be unhappy."

A white snake with gleaming scales poked its head out from his collar. Its forked tongue flicked as it spoke. "Mikoto has grown up. She'll have her own life. She can't do everything the way you want."

"People change, just as we snakes shed our skins."

"She's your most important little sister. Go apologize to her later. It'll be troublesome if she stops making tasty offerings for me next time."

That last sentence was probably the point.

Kamizuki ignored the white snake and continued walking.

Behind him, a ninja cat with glossy black fur and snow-white paws gracefully avoided the puddles. It gave a soft meow as an opening remark. "Enough, Xiaobai. Don't you know how stubborn this guy is?"

"This lady is tired from walking. Move aside a little so I can hitch a ride."

"Right away, Sister Lulu."

Kamizuki paused imperceptibly, allowing the black cat to land steadily on his shoulder, leaving four wet pawprints there.

Lying on his shoulder, the black cat's lips curved in a humanlike smirk. "Let me guess... you're planning to go make trouble for Hanzo, right? That guy made such a huge splash, and you're already in a bad mood."

"I heard Orochimaru's analysis too. We don't even need that old Third Hokage—we perfectly counter Hanzo!"

"You aren't afraid of poison at all, and Xiaobai and I can use that super-powerful ultimate—meow!"

Kamizuki stopped abruptly, nearly throwing Lulu off.

"The ability for Summoning Beasts to talk is a little unnecessary. Keep making noise, and I'll replace both of you."

The white snake shrank back and said timidly, "Don't do that. Dabai eats more than I do, and I'm easier to feed."

Dabai was the name of another white ninja snake that followed Orochimaru—the one that stored the Kusanagi Sword in its stomach.

The two white snakes possessed the ability to store and exchange items. Only that snake could replace Xiaobai's function.

Lulu gave a soft snort, lifted her head proudly, and said, "Hmph! All the ninja cats of Cat Village are my underlings. Who would dare replace me?"

"I can ask Sakumo for a ninja hound."

"Meow! No! It absolutely can't be a dog! I hate dogs the most!!"

"Then be quiet!"

Whenever Kamizuki carried out missions normally, he would bring Shikaku along to save brain cells.

This time was different.

Kamizuki really did want to find Hanzo.

Of course, it was not because of the childish reason the black cat had mentioned... well, perhaps a little.

The most important reason was that Orochimaru's creation had been preliminarily completed, while Kamizuki's own jutsu had also been refined over more than a year.

He wanted to see...

How far his current self was from the ninja standing at the apparent pinnacle.

Whether he was qualified to meet that...

The true pinnacle of the Shinobi World!

--

--

An unknown underground palace, lit by dim candlelight.

White Zetsu rose from the ground and spoke to the withered old man seated upon the stone throne.

"Madara-sama, Kamizuki went to find Hanzo. Alone."

"Should we create some trouble to stop him? If he faces Hanzo now, he should die, right?"

Madara Uchiha slowly opened his eyes. Within their sockets were no longer the Rinnegan, but a pair of Three Tomoe Sharingan.

"If even a mere Hanzo can kill him, then he isn't qualified to be my successor."