Neji's Stance (Part 1)

The afternoon sun in Konoha should have been warm.

But the light streaming through the Hokage Office window at this moment had a pale and powerless quality. Outside the window, the village was eerily empty—no children were chasing each other in the streets, no housewives were chatting in front of the shops, and no Genin sweating on the training grounds. All the villagers had been evacuated to the rear base, and the entire Konoha had become a silent military fortress.

This silence is more suffocating than any noise.

"The third node of the barrier must be reinforced."

Shikaku Nara's finger traced across the map, his voice as calm as ever, though the dark circles under his eyes betrayed the exhaustion of days without sleep. His fingertip pointed towards the main gate of Konoha: "When Pain invaded, this was the first point breached. According to post-incident analysis, Deva Path Pain's 'Shinra Tensei' created a shockwave that spread spherically across the barrier. We need to add a layer of counter-force barrier to the existing Four Red Yang Formation— "

"How much will Chakra consumption increase after stacking?"

The one who asked the question was Jiraiya. This white-haired sage was unusually dressed in formal ninja attire, with Konoha Forehead Protector on his forehead. He crossed his arms, his brows furrowed, and his gaze followed Shikaku's finger as it moved across the map.

"Forty percent increase," Shikaku replied, "But the defensive strength can be tripled, capable of withstanding at least three impacts of the 'Shinra Tensei' level. The problem is, we need at least four Kage Level ninjas as nodes to maintain the barrier's operation, and once activated, they cannot move while the barrier is active."

"Four Kage Level..." Tsunade sat behind the Hokage's desk, her fingers tapping unconsciously on the surface. "Me, Jiraiya, Kakashi... Kakashi, can your body handle it?"

In the corner of the room, Kakashi Hatake leaned against the window. He still looked languid, but the carefree look in his exposed right eye was gone.

"No problem." Kakashi's voice was a little hoarse. "Although the Sharingan is a heavy burden, maintaining the barrier doesn't require frequent use of ocular power."

"And what about the fourth person?" Tsunade looked to the other end of the room.

Gaara stood there.

The Kazekage of Sand Village was currently in the Hokage Office in Konoha. Behind him stood Temari and Kankuro, all three looking travel-worn. All of Sand Village's fighting force had been transferred to Konoha ten days ago, and Tsunade had handed over command of this allied force to Gaara, but the young Kage had proposed to share power with Jiraiya.

"I can." Gaara's answer was brief and firm. "Although Shukaku's power has been extracted, my control over the sand has not relied on the Tailed Beast in recent years. Maintaining the barrier node is enough."

"The Lord Kazekage's Chakra reserves are indeed astonishing." Shikaku nodded. "Then the fourth node is—"

His words came to an abrupt halt.

It wasn't interrupted, it was abruptly stopped.

Because, without warning, a figure appeared in the center of the room.

The red cloud and black robe looked like congealed blood in the afternoon sun.

"Sake," the messenger of the Akatsuki's declaration of war.

The air in the office seemed to freeze instantly.

Kankuro's fingers were already pressed on the puppet scroll behind him, Temari's iron fan was half-opened, and the sand beside Gaara moved without wind, solidifying into a defensive shape.

Only Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Shikaku reacted relatively calmly.

Tsunade didn't even stand up from her chair; she merely raised her eyelids to glance at the newcomer, then let out a weary sigh, "Again?"

The tone was like complaining about a troublesome relative who always shows up uninvited.

Gaara was stunned. He looked at Tsunade, then at Jiraiya, then at Kakashi, and finally at Shikaku —these four high-ranking officials of Konoha, although they also adopted a guarded posture, seemed more like a formality than a genuine state of readiness.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt your meeting."

The drinker—or rather, Neji Hyuga —spoke. His voice was deliberately calm. He didn't explain how he had broken through Konoha's layers of barriers and guards to enter the Hokage Office, nor did he explain the purpose of his arrival.

He simply raised his right hand, spread his fingers, and then gently clenched them.

A slight air vibration.

An invisible barrier emanated from him, instantly enveloping the entire office. The sounds outside the window vanished, the walls blurred, and even the light seemed to be filtered—a Soundproof Barrier, and a very high-level one at that, strong enough to block any spying or eavesdropping.

Gaara finally couldn't hold back any longer. "Lord Hokage, this is—"

"Ah, I forgot to introduce him." Tsunade pointed to Neji as if she had just remembered. "This is 'Sake,' the Akatsuki's envoy of war, the spokesperson for Madara Uchiha —or rather, Obito Uchiha. He is also..." She paused, seemingly choosing her words carefully, "Our intelligence provider."

Gaara, Temari, Kankuro all wore expressions of disbelief.

Are the core members of Akatsuki the intelligence providers for Konoha?

"Lord Kazekage, there's no need to be surprised." Neji turned to Gaara and nodded slightly—not a bow, just a polite gesture. "My stance is rather complicated, but what is clear is that I am on the same side as you all in our fight against Obito Uchiha and the Eye of the Moon Plan."

"But you—"

"We'll talk about the specifics later." Teuchi Gaara's questioning, then looked at Neji, her gaze turning serious. "This time, you're not just here to say hello, are you?"

Neji remained silent for a second.

The atmosphere in the office tensed up again after that moment of silence. Jiraiya's hands were already tucked into his sleeves—a sign that he was about to form Hand Seals. Kakashi's Sharingan wasn't activated, but he was as taut as a bowstring. Shikaku remained calm, but his fingers stopped moving on the map.

"I have some breaking news," Neji finally spoke.

Tsunade closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "As long as it's not bad news."

"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint everyone."

These words made Tsunade's heart sink. She opened her eyes and saw Neji's gaze behind his glasses—a gaze without mockery or ridicule, only a heavy calm.

"Obito Uchiha with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and six Jinchuriki," Neji said, enunciating each word clearly, "Defeated the allied forces of Cloud Village, Iwagakure, and the Land of Iron at the border of Waterfall Country."

"What?!" Tsunade and Jiraiya exclaimed simultaneously.

Gaara's pupils suddenly contracted. Temari covered her mouth, Kankuro took a half step back, and the puppet scroll almost slipped from his grasp.

"The leader of the Land of Iron, Mifune, has died in battle," Neji continued, his voice as steady as if reading a report. "The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki of Both Scales, died from exhaustion while covering the retreat of the Allied Forces. The Fourth Raikage A, is leading the remaining elite troops in a retreat towards Konoha."

Dead silence.

The deathly silence in the office was even more profound and heavy than when Neji appeared.

The sunlight outside the window remained pale, distorted as it passed through the barrier. The meticulously arranged defensive markings on the map now seemed utterly ridiculous—they were still discussing how to reinforce the barrier, how to allocate troops, and how to deal with potential attacks.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, the war had already begun.

Moreover, the allied forces were defeated.

The defeat was so complete and so swift.

"This is impossible..." Jiraiya's voice was hoarse. "That old man Ōnoki, and Mifune ... and Aya too... that's a combined force of fifty thousand..."

"To be precise, they were defeated within ten minutes of the battle starting." Neji's tone was devoid of emotion, simply stating a fact. "The Full Tailed-Beast Transformation's Six Paths Clones Jinchuriki, the immortality controlled by the Rinnegan, coupled with the suppression of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path —the Allied Forces' mid-to-low-tier combat power wasn't even cannon fodder. Ōnoki ultimately used Dust Release to disintegrate one-third of the meteorite, and A used One-Finger Nukite to shatter the remaining meteorite fragments, which gave the remnants of the Allied Forces a chance to retreat."

"Meteorite?" Kakashi grasped the key word.

"Tengai Shinsei," Neji, looking at him. "One of Madara Uchiha's signature Ninjutsu. Obito not only knew it, but he used it even more easily than Madara."

Another silence fell.

Everyone was processing this information. Obito Uchiha, the loser who "sacrificed" himself in the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, Kakashi's former teammate, the boy who secretly loved Rin—now he was powerful enough to single-handedly sweep through the allied forces of the Three Great Shinobi Villages, summon meteors at will, and kill Kage Level ninjas like chickens?

"Didn't Obito press his advantage?" This time it was Shikaku who spoke. The strategist of Konoha recovered from his shock the fastest and raised the most crucial question, "Given the difference in combat power you described, he could have easily annihilated the Allied Forces in Waterfall Country. Why did he let them go? Why did he let them retreat to Konoha?"

Good question.

Tsunade and Gaara both looked at Neji.

"He gave them three days," Neji replied. "His exact words were: 'Give them three days to escape to Konoha, to gather their last strength, to huddle together for warmth in their despair. Then, I will be there to wipe out the last resistance in the Shinobi World ...'"

The chilling declaration, delivered in a calm tone, was all the more unsettling.

"As for why A retreated to Konoha..." Neji paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the room, "because Ōnoki told him before he died: 'Tell Tsunade, tell Jiraiya, the enemy is not something Konoha can control. We must unite, the Shinobi World must truly unite.'"

Silence fell over the office once again.

But this silence is different.

The previous silence was one of shock, fear, and disbelief. This silence, however, is one of profound realization.

Ōnoki, that stubborn old man, the Tsuchikage who was full of doubt about Konoha at the Five Kage Summit, chose to trust in the last moment of his life.

He chose to entrust the future of the Shinobi World to this alliance that he had once questioned.

"What is the relationship Obito Uchiha and Madara Uchiha?" Gaara suddenly asked. The young Kage was already confused when he heard the name "Madara Uchiha," and now there was another one, "Obito Uchiha," and it seemed that the latter was the real enemy.

Neji turned to Gaara, his gaze behind his glasses meeting Gaara's directly.

"Obito Uchiha, the one who calls himself Madara Uchiha," he said clearly. "The mastermind behind the Nine-Tails Rebellion' attack sixteen years ago, the actual controller of the Akatsuki, and the executor of the Eye of the Moon Plan. As for the real Madara Uchiha ..." He paused slightly, "He's already a ghost. So it's certain that Obito is currently the greatest threat."

"Even stronger than Madara Uchiha?" Gaara pressed.

"In a sense, yes." Neji didn't shy away from the question. "He possesses the Rinnegan and the Mangekyō Sharingan —his left eye originally belonged to Nagato, but was later taken back by Obito. He can also use Madara Uchiha's techniques, such as the Tengai Shinsei. Most importantly, he is younger, more radical, and more reckless than Madara."

They became even more unscrupulous.

This word sent a chill down everyone's spine.

What kind of things would someone with Madara Uchiha's power do, but lacking Madara Uchiha's pride and principles as a legendary ninja?

"So what we're facing now is an enhanced version of Madara Uchiha," Jiraiya a wry smile. "And he also has the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, six Jinchuriki and Six Paths Clones, and..." He looked at Neji, "An army of 100,000 White Zetsu."

"The White Zetsu army is still being mobilized," Neji said. "Obito didn't bring White Zetsu to the Battle of Waterfall Country because he thought they weren't necessary. But he will definitely bring them when attacking Konoha. They are his consumables, cannon fodder used to hold back the Allied Forces' ordinary combat power."

Shikaku's fingers moved across the map again, but this time the movements were noticeably faster and more urgent. He was recalculating and rearranging his forces—the original plan was based on the Allied Forces having 50,000 troops, but now that number had to be cut by at least half. Moreover, with the loss of two Kage Level fighters, Ōnoki and Mifune, the gap in high-end combat power had widened even further.

"Do we still have a chance?" Temari couldn't help but ask. Her voice trembled slightly, not from fear, but from a tension bordering on despair.

All eyes were once again focused on Neji.

This intelligence provider from the enemy camp, this spy with a dual identity, this person who possesses the most information.

Neji did not answer immediately.

He surveyed everyone in the office— Tsunade's eyes showed weariness, but even more so, determination; Jiraiya's brows were furrowed, but his back was straight; Kakashi's eyes were sharp; Shikaku had entered a state of deep thought; Gaara's young face was filled with solemnity, but he did not back down; Temari and Kankuro were nervous, but their postures did not waver in the slightest.

These people are afraid, worried, and calculating their near-zero odds of winning.

But none of them said "give up".

"Yes." Neji finally spoke, a hint of strength in his voice. "Obito's strength is formidable, but he is not invincible. He has a fatal weakness—he relies too heavily on the abilities of the Rinnegan and Mangekyō Sharingan, especially the 'Intangible' Space-Time Ninjutsu. That technique requires frequent switching between solid and intangible states, with intervals between each switch. If we can seize those intervals..."

He didn't finish speaking, but his meaning was clear.

"Furthermore," Neji continued, dropping a second piece of information, "Sasuke Uchiha who possesses the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, will cooperate with the Allied Forces to jointly resist Obito Uchiha."

This news was like a pebble thrown into calm water.

Tsunade's eyes lit up. "Sasuke? He's willing to come back?"

"It's not about returning to Konoha," Neji corrected. "It's about cooperating with the Allied Forces. He wants to revolutionize Konoha, so Obito Uchiha is his enemy."

"Is there a difference?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yes." Neji looked at him. "He won't accept Konoha's command, and he won't fight to protect Konoha. But his goal is to kill Obito and destroy Akatsuki —on this goal, he's aligned with the Allied Forces. So he'll be on the battlefield, and he'll step in at crucial moments. That's enough."

That's enough.

Having another combatant with the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan level of power is of paramount importance to the entire battle. Especially when facing Obito, who also possesses the Mangekyo Sharingan and Rinnegan, Sasuke's presence itself serves as a constraint.

The atmosphere in the office eased slightly because of this news.

Just a little bit.

Because everyone knows that even with Sasuke, even if Obito's weaknesses are exploited, even with perfect tactics, the gap in strength is still enormous.

And what about you?

Tsunade suddenly asked.