The Turning Point of the Fourth War

The next day, in the Land of Fire, at a bandit hideout...

"Wind Release: Wind Cutter!"

Shinnosuke looked at the two people wearing Konoha Anbu animal masks before him, and his heart sank to the bottom. He was just a rogue ninja who ruled a mountain stronghold.

With your Special Jōnin strength, you'd struggle even against Konoha Genin, right? And you actually sent in the Anbu? That's utterly unethical!

There are so many ronin in the Land of Fire who rule the mountains, why did they specifically target me? Damn it, I was already so careful, the big caravans didn't even make a move, those lowly commoners shouldn't have the money to hire Konoha ninjas.

"Earth Release ~ Earth-Style Wall!"

Boom~

"Ninja Art: Mind Body Switch Technique!"

Oh no, it's the famous Ino-Shika-Cho from Konoha! You guys think too highly of Shinnosuke!

"Fujiwara, seal it. That technique requires a living sacrifice." Yamanaka Arashi, who had already possessed the body of the bandit leader, turned to signal to his partner in the distance.

"Understood, ninja method ~ Body Binding Seal!"

Whoosh~ A black sealing pattern covered Shinnosuke's entire body.

"Mind Body Switch Technique —unraveling the mystery!"

With his mind at ease, Yamanaka Arashi immediately began setting up the Sealing Jutsu for the Impure World Impure World Reincarnation using Hiruzen Sarutobi's body tissue.

In the shadows~

"Aren't we going to stop him? If one of the Third Hokage is resurrected, it might be difficult for us to take him away." Sasori urged Nagato, who wasn't planning to move yet, as Yamanaka Arashi had already started to act.

I have a lot of experiments to do, I don't have time to waste on such trivial matters.

"No rush, let's see how it goes first. What if it's just a half-baked attempt? Besides, with my current strength, the Third Hokage is only slightly difficult; he poses no threat to us." The Third Hokage... is just a figurehead.

"Nagato, I think we might be able to bring the Lord Third of Konoha to our side. After all, Konoha has changed hands and is now under the Tsunade of the Uchiha Clan. Given Hiruzen Sarutobi's personality, he would never tolerate such a thing." If the information White Zetsu gathered is correct, there's a very high chance that the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, died at the hands of Uchiha Gen. It would be a real shame not to bring such a natural ally over.

"Hmm? Trying to recruit him? He's the Third Hokage! Would he fight Konoha with us?" It has to be said, Hiruzen Sarutobi's strength is a bit lacking, but that depends on who he's compared to. Besides, he's been in power for so many years; if he could access Konoha's intelligence and secret techniques...

"Of course it's possible, Nagato. You don't understand these politicians. Just look at Hanzo back then and you'll understand. As the leader of Amegakure, which Demigod didn't team up with outsiders to deal with you and Yahiko? Hiruzen Sarutobi is now even more ruthless than Demigod back then! Besides, we're not dealing with Konoha. We're here at the Third Hokage's request to help him set things right."

Given Nagato's strength, Amegakure has been completely Nagato him for years. This guy has absolutely no political acumen whatsoever.

"Hanzo ~ that old bastard... it seems every country has these dirty politicians. Well then, let's do as you say." With the support of the Third Hokage, not to mention dealing with Uchiha Gen and his group, his choice of side alone could directly affect the offensive of the other major ninja villages against the Land of Rain.

Forbidden Technique: Impure World Reincarnation!

With Nagato and the others' plans in place, Yamanaka Arashi has begun to unleash the forbidden technique she has been eagerly anticipating.

Whoosh whoosh~

Runes flashed, and Impure World Reincarnation emerged.

"Ah!!!"

In Setsuna, Shinnosuke's entire body was covered in Impure World Reincarnation.

"Hmm? Where am I? I wasn't...~"

Looking at his familiar subordinates, Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind was still not clear for a moment.

"Lord Third, it's so good to see you again! Without you, Konoha has been thrown into chaos by those evil Uchiha Clan. Tsunade, that weakling, was nothing but a lackey of the Uchiha Clan, lenient towards the Uchiha Clan Guard while cracking down hard on innocent 'good citizens' who were wrongly accused. Lord Third, we really need you now!"

Forced to squeeze out two tears, Yamanaka Arashi began to weave a plausible story based on Hiruzen Sarutobi's past prejudices against the Uchiha Clan.

"Did Tsunade become Hokage? Does that brat Uchiha Gen really have no intention of becoming Hokage?" Damn it, what does the Hokage Position mean to him? What about all my past actions? What about my death for them?

The feeling of having something he cherished discarded like trash by others filled Hiruzen Sarutobi with a surge of rage and resentment.

"Lady Tsunade is not worthy of being Hokage at all, Lord Third. That woman is merely a puppet pushed onto the stage by the Uchiha Clan. The combined wealth of all the clans in Konoha today may not even be comparable to the wealth of the Uchiha Clan. The Uchiha Clan is sucking blood from Konoha to enrich themselves. The people of Konoha are all waiting for you to take charge, Lord Third!"

If the Third Hokage succeeds in his restoration, I will become the head Anbu the Third Hokage and use his power to suppress and destroy the Uchiha Clan. Then, the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans will absorb the Uchiha Clan's legacy and lottery business. The Sarutobi clan and others will have already been wiped out. In the end, won't the entire Konoha be in my hands, the Ino-Shika-Cho?

"A puppet? As expected. But Lan, you might be disappointed. With my current strength, I am no match for that brat Uchiha Gen. As for the current situation in Konoha, I am powerless to change it."

How did Konoha become like this? If only they hadn't been so indecisive back then, they could have just crippled the Uchiha Clan during the Third Great Ninja War, and things wouldn't be like this now.

"What... even the Third Hokage ~" It's over, the great undertaking has collapsed halfway through???

"I think you might need the assistance of our Akatsuki ~" A spatial ripple flashed, and the figures of Nagato two companions slowly appeared.

"Huh? Who?" How could someone be so close without me noticing? If they were hostile, my head would be long gone by now.

"Don't be nervous. We're friends, not enemies. Otherwise, we would have stopped you when you resurrected the Third Hokage." Yamanaka Arashi didn't take Yamanaka Arashi seriously at all. This kind of guy was better used as cannon fodder than Nagato else.

"Hmm? Akatsuki? I've heard of them, that terrorist organization from the Land of Rain? Weren't you guys busy with the Eye of the Moon Plan? What are you doing here monitoring Arashi?" The appearance of these people was clearly no coincidence!