Gentlemen, What Is This?

When Madara asked,

Zetsu nodded.

His hoarse voice rang out:

"Lord Madara, under your control, the Third Mizukage has already reached an agreement with Kumogakure."

"Before long, they'll march on the Land of Whirlpools together."

At that,

Uchiha Madara stared into the distance,

as if he could see through the rain and mist to the pitiful figure he was manipulating in the village.

He turned his head and looked down at Zetsu.

His voice was grim:

"Good. Once they see Kumogakure and Kirigakure trying to profit at other nations' expense..."

"The Shinobi World, already a powder keg, will erupt into a great war."

Black Zetsu chuckled and chimed in:

"Heh heh... Then the Land of Fire will become the target of everyone's hostility."

"Unable to spare troops, they'll be in a difficult position when their allies call for help."

A smile curled across Uchiha Madara's lips.

He gave a cold laugh:

"The rest is simple. The Uchiha, kept under lock and key in the Police Force, will be a surplus fighting force..."

At the thought of how well things could turn out, he swung his arm and clenched his fist.

He continued coldly:

"With nowhere else to turn, they'll see the Uchiha as their only hope."

Black Zetsu nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with Uchiha Madara.

Hadn't he made Madara believe

that Infinite Tsukuyomi

was the only hope?

Brushing aside the thoughts in his mind,

Zetsu continued in agreement:

"No matter how much they hate the Uchiha, people still have to face reality."

Uchiha Madara looked away from Zetsu, folded his arms, and pondered for a moment.

Then he instructed Black Zetsu:

"To make the plan even more secure... Black Zetsu! The moment war breaks out, go in the name of the Third Mizukage..."

At that,

the intelligence gathered by the White Zetsu who had monitored Konoha over the past few years surfaced in his mind.

Then,

his scheming words continued:

"Get in touch with Danzo. He hasn't been doing well these past few years."

"Yes, Lord Madara." Zetsu sank slowly into the ground.

Uchiha Madara's heart, however, was surging.

Now in his sixties, if the plan succeeded,

it would be his final dance in his twilight years.

He had no choice.

That kid

was far too unpredictable.

On April 22, Year 37 of Konoha.

On that day,

news that Kumogakure and Kirigakure had joined forces to surround the Land of Whirlpools spread throughout the Shinobi World.

Sunagakure and Iwagakure, already eager for battle,

turned their forces toward the Land of Fire.

Fortunately, the three small nations of Rain, Grass, and Rivers served as a buffer,

preventing the situation along the borders from spiraling completely out of control.

Inside the Hokage Office,

Sarutobi Hiruzen and his three companions wore grim expressions.

An ally was under siege.

As Hokage and representative of the Senju faction's interests,

he should, by rights, have sent troops to help at once.

The problem was,

with Sand Village and Iwagakure both sending their forces straight to the border, they had been caught in an impossible position.

Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a breath and looked at his three silent companions.

He spoke slowly:

"That's the situation. Koharu... make the arrangements for a relief force."

Before Utatane Koharu could answer, Mitokado Homura spoke up beside her.

"Hiruzen, that's impossible. Don't think Sand Village and Iwagakure are the only ones attacking us."

"The Land of Whirlpools is small. The forces Kumogakure and Kirigakure have there are only a fraction of their armies."

As he reached the crux of the matter, he spread the map across the table.

Pointing to the border where the Land of Fire met the Lands of Lightning and Water,

he said coldly:

"If we split our forces to send help, most of their troops will launch a surprise attack. By then..."

He raised his icy gaze and looked straight at the Hokage.

"Once the Four Village Siege Net closes, we'll be in grave danger."

Sarutobi Hiruzen felt the weight of the situation.

That was true... What a helpless situation.

After reaching a certain resolution,

he spoke:

"Then send the Uchiha to help."

"Impossible! Hiruzen, have you forgotten what our teacher said?"

"Koharu's right, Hiruzen. We can't..."

Before Mitokado Homura could finish,

Danzo, who had been silent for a long time,

suddenly spoke:

"Hiruzen is right. Send the Uchiha. They're surplus fighting strength at present, and besides..."

"Minister Genmei's power has already rendered Teacher Tobirama's strategy meaningless."

Utatane Koharu stared at Danzo in disbelief.

Of the group,

he hated the Uchiha the most. How could he say something like that today?

"Danzo, what nonsense are you talking about? It's precisely because that kid is so strong that..."

Bang!

"Enough, Koharu!" Danzo slammed the table and met his companion's gaze with a grave expression. "Hiruzen is the Hokage!"

At that,

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Danzo, deeply gratified.

Among them, Danzo was indeed the one bound to him by the deepest ties.

He gave the order at once:

"That settles it. Notify the Police Force."

"Send troops to aid the Land of Whirlpools!"

The next day,

the sky was just beginning to brighten outside Naka River Shrine.

Uchiha Genmei had fasted and bathed,

and now he seemed

all the more composed and calm.

The Uchiha were one of the Shinobi World's foremost clans,

and they had preserved some of the old Warring States traditions.

Whenever the clan head

led the clan into a major war, ritual and warfare went hand in hand.

Outside Naka Shrine,

Uchiha in black robes stood in a long line that stretched beyond the torii gate.

The shrine's tranquil atmosphere

vanished in an instant.

Only a winding aura of bloodlust surged into the heavens!

Uchiha Genmei emerged from the shrine, stepped onto the raised platform, and surveyed the familiar faces.

He raised the Forehead Protector in his hand.

Then he shouted:

"Gentlemen, what is this?"

The Uchiha answered in unison:

"The Konoha Forehead Protector!"

Uchiha Genmei nodded with a smile

and pointed to the spiral emblem on the Forehead Protector.

"By 'Konoha,' we mean the village founded by us and the Senju."

"This spiral emblem represents our ally, the Land of Whirlpools."

"Now that our ally is in danger, what should we do?"

The Uchiha answered together:

"Rush to our ally's aid and destroy our enemies!"

Uchiha Genmei said:

"Exactly! Now, follow me and rush to the Land of Whirlpools!"

The Uchiha bowed their heads.

"Yes, sir!"

A relief force had to move fast.

They knew the Uzumaki Clan had a few tricks up their sleeves, but lasting a week was probably their limit.

The nearly thousand Uchiha, marching at full speed, pushed on as fast as they could.

On the fourth day after leaving Konoha, they finally reached the Land of Whirlpools.

They held back for the moment.

Uchiha Genmei and Uchiha Hikari went ahead to assess the situation.

As for command,

she stayed behind to direct the troops as deputy minister.

She would act once she received his signal.

At that moment,

the two watched as

the barrier around the capital was being battered to pieces

by swarms of Mist Ninja and Cloud Ninja.

Uchiha Hikari swept her Sharingan across the scene.

She said calmly:

"The barrier won't hold much longer. A day at most."

Uchiha Genmei looked at the girl, who had slowly grown taller and become more beautiful.

He nodded.

"Indeed. Then let's begin the rescue."

Hikari puffed out her cheeks and grumbled:

"I could handle those useless fish all by myself."

"Why did you bring two-thirds of our forces, Genmei?"

At that, ...

He gently stroked the girl's hair.

Yes...

If this had really only been about rescuing the Land of Whirlpools,

then either Hikari or the one overseeing the operation could have led the team and handled it.

The reason he'd taken matters into his own hands

was Miko's prophecy!

Those damned toads—

they had some nerve!