Jiraiya paused slightly as the snow-white figure in his vision caught Jiraiya attention, and he casually replied.
"That's too pessimistic. Old man, you are Professor of Ninjutsu is proficient in the five elemental transformations and has mastered thousands of ninjutsu. Even Orochimaru is no match for you."
Seeing that Jiraiya was still acting so irreverently, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in his chair with a worried expression.
"If that organization not only contains Orochimaru, but also opponents who fought the First Hokage, and the leader even possesses the Rinnegan..."
Before he could finish speaking, Jiraiya appeared before Sarutobi Hiruzen, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Old man, what did you say? The Rinnegan!"
At this moment, Jiraiya was filled with shock and subconsciously doubted whether the information he had obtained back then had been wrong or missed something.
"The leader of Akatsuki, although I don't know his name, the news about the Rinnegan should be true."
In an instant, Jiraiya did Jiraiya hear Sarutobi Hiruzen's words. He sat blankly on the ground, lost in thought.
'What exactly happened? Nagato...'
Two flowers bloom, each representing a different branch.
Konoha's allies, Sunagakure.
"Our Sunagakure's Tailed Beast have already been sent to Konoha. Now that things have come to this, if you take this opportunity to back out, then the Five Great Nations will be swallowed up by us sooner or later."
Rasa spoke in a serious tone, while Ōnoki in the scene chuckled and spoke.
" The Four-Tails Jinchūriki and Five-Tails Jinchūriki of Iwagakure will enter the battlefield when Akatsuki's attack begins, and they are currently advancing towards Konoha."
The Fourth Raikage's expression was grave, and his tone was full of anxiety.
"The same goes for Kumogakure; the Two-Tails Jinchūriki and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki have already set off from the village."
The Fourth Mizukage slowly shook his head, pointed to himself, and frankly said.
" The Kirigakure can only provide six Jinchūriki. I am the Jinchūriki of the Three-Tails. Once I appear on the battlefield where the Akatsuki attacks Konoha, this matter will immediately be defined as the beginning of the Fourth Great Ninja War."
Rasa frowned slightly. He didn't say much, assuming that the composure of the three great nations of Iwa, Kumo, and Kirigakure meant that Sunagakure had staked everything on this battle.
"The entire Akatsuki is also advancing towards Konoha. Once the battle begins, even if Konoha is unwilling, the aftershocks of the battle will leave them severely weakened."
A pre-battle meeting ended silently. Facing the Kage, each with their own ulterior motives, Rasa sneered repeatedly and transferred half of the commissions from other Ninja Village to the village's operating funds.
With Sunagakure bearing such a huge risk, and potentially facing accountability from Konoha, how could the Fourth Kazekage, who was wholeheartedly devoted to the village, not seize the opportunity to make a fortune for it?
If the war succeeds, Sunagakure will reap a continuous stream of benefits; if it fails, the money can be used as war reparations.
The village of Sunagakure is now in a terrible state, with the Daimyo of the Land of Wind cutting off almost all of the village's funds and supplies.
The daimyo of the Land of Wind was almost ready to officially break ties with Sunagakure on the spot. This opportunity was a crucial moment for Sunagakure to go all out.
Even if we fail, it will only be worse; if we succeed, the sky's the limit and the sea is wide enough for birds to fly and fish to leap.
" The Fourth Kazekage and the Third Hokage have sent a message inviting you to Konoha in one month to witness the brilliance of the new generation of ninjas."
Rasa nodded slightly, a deep look flashing across his face, and then stood up and waved.
"One month from now, Konoha will be completely destroyed. Only allies that are destroyed are good allies."
Outside Konoha, in a dark and unknown corner.
"Squads from all four major ninja nations have been dispatched; sensing a powerful chakra fluctuation, members of the Akatsuki are approaching Konoha..."
In a corner of the laboratory, Konan spoke softly, as countless azure solutions churned within the Culture Vessel in front of her, eventually merging into the pale body inside.
"The four great nations finally couldn't hold back any longer and prepared to use Akatsuki to test Konoha's strength. Isn't this a good thing? Let everything be reborn from ruin."
The eyes, which were once clear and distinct, now shimmer with azure light. The unconscious cheers of the Natural Energy between heaven and earth can cause countless changes in the scenery.
Konan bit her thin lips lightly and remained silent for a long time, her knuckles turning white from clenching her fists.
"You promised me you'd spare Nagato's life..."
"That depends on whether he is lucky enough. If I haven't misjudged, Nagato is now completely blinded by hatred and can't wait to plunge the world into chaos."
With her long, black hair hanging down, the fragrance of grass and trees filled the laboratory. Her gentle smile seemed natural, seemingly charming, but in reality, it was incredibly cruel.
"The most important ability of the Rinnegan is the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique, a forbidden technique that can defy life and death. It is also one of the reasons why Uchiha Madara gave his eyes to Nagato."
"How much of the key intelligence gathered from Kaguya City has been analyzed?"
Slowly bandaging himself, dressed in Black Cloak, with long hair, the nine Tomoe in his eyes contained boundless magic.
"It's not going smoothly. The text on it isn't from the ninja era; it's very likely related to a mythological era a thousand years ago..."
With a slight frown, Konan was still very uncomfortable with the close contact between the two of them, even after so many years.
"I didn't expect things to progress very quickly. When I saw that scene, even I was a little shocked. Although I had expected it, it still..."
Her tall, slender figure gradually transformed into a white sheep, and after a period of intimate whispers, low, suppressed sounds echoed in the darkness.
Meanwhile, in the Chunin Ninja Exams written test hall...
Faced with the mental pressure from Morino Ibiki, more than half of the staff could not withstand the pressure and chose to leave voluntarily.
'Old-fashioned mental pressure, this is Konoha's torture ninja. Most guys couldn't withstand it, so boring...'
Looking around and seeing that only half the people remained, Naruto closed his eyes and meditated, his face expressionless.
Time ticked by, and in the blink of an eye, six more ninja examinees were eliminated, leaving a deathly silence.
Morino Ibiki nodded to himself.
Just as Kakashi said, this year's test takers have excellent mental fortitude, especially...
After scanning the crowd for a long time and confirming that no one was wavering, he then spoke loudly.
"So, everyone who remained in the room passed question ten of this written test!"
The next second, before the many candidates could even voice their questions, a black cloth shattered the glass, and a hot-blooded female ninja leaped out.
"Hahaha, now it's your turn, Lord Anko, to take the stage! Are you ready for the second exam, you newbies!"
"Hey, can't you read the room?"
Looking around, seeing everyone's stiff expressions, Anko blushed and clicked her tongue.
"Mind your own business, you pervert."
Naruto and Sasuke, sitting below their seats, stood frozen in place, seemingly in disbelief.
"The examiner for the next round is... Sister Anko?!"