Meeting Nagato Again

As expected, it was due to the potential of the Land of Lightning and the mechanisms of the Cloud Village; what was unexpected was the timing.

The development of a ninja village's strength is not a straight line, but a curve.

During certain periods, each village may produce a powerful figure. With the right environment and opportunities, the village's strength can increase significantly. However, such good times are not permanent and will eventually decline.

Of the five great ninja villages, Leaf Village, relying on its strong foundation, maintained an upward trend from the First to the Fourth Hokage, but the strength of its various factions within the village still fluctuated.

The Senju Clan declined after World War I and eventually withdrew from the scene. The Sarutobi Clan enjoyed its golden age from before World War II to Third Shinobi World War, after which it also declined. Third Shinobi World War was a turning point, and currently the Uchiha Clan is on the rise, with the Uchiha Clan lineage already taking shape.

Judging from this trend, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Fifth Hokage will likely be surnamed Uchiha Clan.

Before the Third Shinobi World War and after the First Shinobi World War, the Uchiha Clan was in a period of decline. In the original timeline, the Uchiha Clan would have become even more sparsely populated, to the point that the number of ninjas could only maintain a single Konoha Military Police Force squad.

The difficulty of Hokage lies in the need to carefully manage and handle the power struggles between these factions, promptly promoting those on the rise while avoiding excessively provoking those in decline, in order to ensure that the village's overall strength is not dragged down by the decline in the strength of the original mainstream factions.

The other three villages, lacking the foundation of Leaf Village, don't have this problem for their Kage. However, fluctuations in factional strength directly affect the overall strength of the villages.

The Kumogakure was an exception. Since World War I, it had been highly integrated under the Raikage Clan, resulting in only one faction. However, its strength developed in a straight line upwards until it was curbed by the external force of Leaf Village Third Shinobi World War.

All of this stems from the fact that the development model of Kumogakure) is unconventional in the entire Ninja World.

A high degree of unity and solidarity within the village, coupled with ruthless methods of external plunder.

This characteristic is also determined by the traditional national spirit of the Land of Lightning, a northern country, which is why Kumogakure became the only village that continued to engage in military expansion during peacetime.

The Kumogakure and the Land of Lightning are a perfect match.

From the very beginning, what truly posed a threat to Leaf Village was the Land of Lightning's unique culture of plunder, distinct from that of other nations.

Other countries' recovery of production involves focusing on farming and strengthening national defense, while the Land of Lightning's recovery involves farming while waiting for the neighbors to have a good harvest, then stirring up trouble and engaging in war extortion when they feel they can take advantage of the situation.

However, everyone else is busy farming, preferring to avoid trouble. As long as the Land of Lightning doesn't cross their bottom line, they tend to spend money to avoid problems.

Reflected in the Ninja World, this means that the Kumogakure is particularly unruly. Sneak attacks are nothing to them, and it's common for them to cause trouble during negotiations. They extort money from one family today and swindle another tomorrow, causing unrest everywhere. Since farming is just a side job for them, they don't care about local disturbances. It's as if they are making diversified investments, hoping to reap the rewards as soon as possible.

With the gods gone, sheer volume reigns supreme.

That's why people like Kinkaku and Ginkaku existed, who, in order to prolong the war, ambushed the Second Hokage and incidentally scattered their own Hokage's ashes.

This is the real culprit who killed the Second Hokage.

During the first playthrough, Uchiha Shingen suggested striking first and destroying the Hidden Cloud Village Kumogakure before it could fully develop.

Senju Tobirama did not adopt the idea because he felt that Cloud Village would become a public enemy, and he didn't want Leaf Village to be the one to take the lead.

He is clearly terribly wrong on this point.

Because he has never truly experienced peaceful times, he doesn't know how much tolerance other villages will have towards Cloud Village once the era of the meat grinder ends! Including Leaf Village!

The Fourth Raikage must die. Uchiha Shingen couldn't change the inherently despicable nature of the Land of Lightning, but he could change the Kumogakure.

Simply wiping out Cloud Village is a very low-cost-effective action. Even if Iwagakure and Hidden Mist Village don't hold you back, Leaf Village will still suffer a pyrrhic victory, which would benefit others.

The Land of Lightning could easily establish a second Cloud Village, just with a different name but the same substance.

Changing the Cloud Village would better suit Leaf Village's needs.

Changing Kumogakure isn't actually that difficult; ending the Raikage Clan is the first step.

The Sunagakure also needs to plunder, but they don't have figures like the Raikage Clan there, so they have to rely heavily on the rules of the Ninja World.

The most typical example is the betrayal in the original timeline; Sand Village only did it after being forced into a corner.

Breaking alliances for survival is within the bounds of the rules.

If it were Cloud Village from the original timeline, they would form an alliance and then immediately cause trouble and extort money.

Now that the Fourth Raikage is dead, they've already achieved more than half the success.

Next, we need someone with the qualifications, but who doesn't possess the combined power of the Fourth Raikage, to become the Raikage.

There is one in this town.

The fireworks in the night sky had faded, Uchiha Shingen withdrew his gaze, first sensing his surroundings.

"Two-Tails has left the town; we should go after it."

"The Two-Tails is here too?" Shimura Danzō up.

It's not that he was slow to react; when he and Kagami were Impure World Reincarnation using Edo Tensei, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't have time to tell them about the big cat.

He only had time to tell him that he wanted to kill the Raikage.

"The Akatsuki ninja just left, perhaps to hunt down the Two-Tails," Torifu Akimichi said.

"Akatsuki? They're Leaf Village's enemies!" Shimura Danzō's face hardened. "Hiruzen, you were careless!"

"Danzo, I am no longer the Hokage." Sarutobi Hiruzen had to remind him one last time.

I'm so annoyed; every time something happens, I end up arguing with him first.

I retired while you were still alive, okay? You couldn't see such a huge Hokage right next to you!?

"Hmph! Hiruzen, the way you're acting right now is truly outrageous." Shimura Danzō snorted fiercely, then looked at Namikaze Minato, who had been intending to watch the show, and asked, "Lord Hokage, what do you say?"

"Of course we should arrest him, Shingen. You had a backup plan, didn't you?"

Namikaze Minato immediately shifted the blame.

Back when he first became Hokage, Shimura Danzō often criticize Sarutobi Hiruzen in his office for not acting like Hokage, a familiar scene that he fondly remembered.

I always remember the Hokage is right next to me at the very last minute.

But now, facing Shimura Danzō face to face, I feel a bit sad, after all, Shimura Danzō to his death by him.

You can't blame him! How could he have known that Shimura Danzō would go so far? By the time he realized it, it was too late to stop.

They were both pinned against the wall with no way out.

"Yes." Uchiha Shingen took out a scroll that sealed the Two-Tails Chakra. "Finding the Two-Tails isn't difficult, but what about that Dodai Cloud Ninja? Release him, or kill him?"

"There are still Cloud Ninja? Kill them!" Shimura Danzō couldn't stand the word Cloud Ninja. "Kill them, then kill their entire force. Didn't they say there was another force? Those supporting the Raikage must be elites. We should take this opportunity to eliminate them all!"

"Third, what do you think?" Namikaze Minato asked Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Let me think..." Sarutobi Hiruzen began to recall information about Dodai.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Let him go. This man is very suitable to be the new Raikage!"

Chapter 41 Reencounter with Nagato

Sarutobi Hiruzen's suggestion was approved by everyone on the spot.

In this regard, everyone still has a lot of trust in the old Hokage's judgment.

After all, this guy is best at making this kind of thing.

Only Shimura Danzō was used to being verbally defiant, and he never changed even after death.

However, everyone was already used to his platypus-like behavior and didn't take it seriously.

If Shimura Danzō truly opposed it, he would have said that.

Hiruzen! You'll regret this!

Instead of...

Hiruzen! You're being too soft-hearted!

"In that case, I'll go and track down the Two-Tails first."

Seeing that everyone had reached a consensus, Uchiha Shingen didn't waste any time. He took out a ball of Chakra Matatabi the sealing scroll and vanished without a trace before everyone's eyes using Flying Thunder God.

The big cat I've got can't fly away now.

He had already planned out where to Matatabi.

His two lifetimes of experience have given him a deep understanding of the Chakra interconnection mechanism. The Tailed Beasts' Chakra is incredibly powerful in this regard; having a ball of Tailed Beast Chakra in hand is like having a navigation system.

Once outside the town, without the Flying Thunder God Seal, Uchiha Shingen switched to the Body Flicker Technique to continue his journey.

Chakra feedback, Matatabi had clearly not been captured yet, which reassured him considerably.

The Dodai could be bestowed with the Lightning Crest indicates that his strength in Kumogakure is outstanding. In Kumogakure, this thing is like an ID card for a strong person, but it is not enough to ruin Uchiha Shingen's cat-petting plan.

In Uchiha Shingen's view, only Orochimaru and Nagato were capable of competing with him for the giant cat.

Nagato has the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Orochimaru has brains.

Currently, the ninjas' talk of capturing the Tailed Beasts is essentially about sealing them.

They can either be sealed inside a human body to become Jinchūriki, or sealed in a special container. However, Uchiha Shingen only knows of two such containers, one in the hands of Sand Village and the other in the hands of Cloud Village.

Another thing that others might not know, but Uchiha Shingen did, was the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

In theory, Uchiha Shingen only needed to worry about Nagato, but with Orochimaru, Uchiha Shingen could solve anything.

The Raikage is dead, the remaining force is no longer a problem, official business is done, it's time to indulge his personal hobbies.

Uchiha Shingen's current Lightning Release Body Flicker Technique is the original version.

Unlike when he first copied the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Uchiha Shingen has now overcome the hurdle of fully releasing Chakra through his own efforts and the assistance of Senjutsu Mode.

Although they haven't reached the level of the Hyuga Clan, they have indeed crossed that threshold.

Thus, he truly mastered the Lightning Release Body Flicker Technique.

It wasn't as difficult as he had imagined. The Uchiha Clan's bloodline, the development of Yang Release and Senjutsu, combined with Black Zetsu's knowledge, resulted in truly remarkable effects.

To be fair, he's not as good as the Fourth Raikage, but he should be about the same as the Third Raikage before he became Raikage. He saw that person in his first playthrough; he was among the people who were trying to kill him.

But killing the Fourth Raikage wasn't really for revenge. He wouldn't dwell on things from his past life, and he wasn't interested in the plot of the son paying for the father's sins. It was purely for Leaf Village's sake.

If Leaf Village recovers, the turmoil will stop; if it stops, the Uchiha Clan will recover, and then he will be at ease.

He was determined to fully experience the peace that was about to arrive.

Experiencing different customs and cultures, like Jiraiya, is a good idea. Besides, he's not looking for some kind of chosen one, so he doesn't need any mission or burden.

Uchiha Shingen felt that something was increasingly amiss. Even though he had resolved the Uchiha Clan crisis, he was causing even more trouble than before.

So he felt he needed to find an opportunity to go out for a stroll and also remind these people that he didn't hold any official position in the Hokage Building; that position belonged to Uchiha Shisui.

Uchiha Shisui joined the advisory group, which is now managed by Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu.

The shadows of the trees blended into the night, but finally, Uchiha Shingen saw that familiar blue light.

It not only has lighting effects, but also sound effects.

It sounds like it's going to be very lively.

He roused himself, activated his Body Flicker Technique to its fullest extent, and sped off.

Lightning Release Body Flicker Technique is a technique with stunning visual effects, and it's quite eye-catching in the eyes of skilled fighters.

When the Two-Tails Matatabi appeared in Uchiha Shingen's field of vision, it was surrounded by several people.

These people surrounded him without attacking; their eyes were fixed on Uchiha Shingen, who was enveloped in lightning.

Uchiha Shingen stopped in his tracks, looking at the large cat ahead with admiration in his eyes.

"Uchiha Shingen, we Akatsuki have already withdrawn, what's the meaning of your pursuit now?"

Nagato asked coldly.

In his view, the ninjas from the outside world always had ulterior motives towards Konan.

He promised Yahiko that he would protect Konan.

Konan's safety is even more important than the grand cause, because it is not only their shared ideal but also their agreement.

"I didn't come here for you," Uchiha Shingen said.

He took a step forward, then stopped.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "I told you, I'm not here for you. Don't interfere with what I'm doing."

Based on my Chakra perception, the flow of Chakra in these people indicates they are about to use Ninjutsu.

"Did Leaf Village consider the consequences of killing the Raikage?" asked the only Cloud Village present.

In his view, Uchiha Shingen came to kill him.

Those who know have already told him.

With that kind of lineup, it wasn't that he didn't believe in the Fourth Raikage's strength; it was truly a one-in-ten chance of death.