Chapter 215 (Patreon)

At night, the full moon hung high in the sky.

In a hilly region of the Land of Grass near the border of the Land of Fire, the forces of Kumogakure and Iwagakure had established several scattered encampments.

After his plan for an all-out offensive ended in failure, the Third Raikage returned to the command tent, where he met with Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage.

Three days of fighting had passed, and the situation on the battlefield was far from favorable for either village.

They had initially believed that the combined strength of Kumogakure and Iwagakure would be more than enough to overwhelm Konoha’s forces before Kizaru personally entered the battlefield.

Unfortunately, reality had shattered those expectations.

Konoha’s reserves were far stronger than either of them had anticipated. Two young shinobi—a man and a woman—had stopped their combined forces at the border of the Land of Fire.

The elusive Namikaze Minato and Kushina, the perfect Nine-Tails jinchūriki.

Together, the two were practically a smaller version of Kizaru. They possessed both terrifying destructive power and nearly unmatched mobility, making them almost impossible to pin down.

Seated across from one another at a neatly arranged wooden table, both the Third Raikage and Ōnoki wore grim expressions.

The situation on the Western Front alone had already left them too troubled to sleep. However, the intelligence—or rather, the complete lack of it—from the eastern battlefield made matters even worse.

They had lost all contact with Kirigakure.

Several messenger hawks had been dispatched to deliver and retrieve battlefield intelligence, yet none had returned. Kirigakure had not sent them a single report either.

To two veteran Kage, the implications were obvious.

Either Kirigakure had deceived them and never deployed its forces in the first place, or something had happened to its army after entering the Land of Fire. It might have been scattered, or perhaps even completely annihilated.

Neither possibility was good news.

“I’ve already sent word back to the village,” the Third Raikage said in a low voice, resting both hands on the table. “An elite squad will head south to investigate.”

That was the most practical course of action available to them.

Kumogakure was situated northeast of the Land of Fire, while Kirigakure’s forces had attacked from the southeast. Compared to Iwagakure, Kumogakure was in a better position to dispatch a team to investigate.

Ōnoki nodded.

“Raikage, what do you believe we should do now?”

“What should we do?” The Third Raikage struck the table with his fist. “We call in more shinobi from our villages and keep fighting!”

“If something has truly happened to Kirigakure, then our two villages alone are no match for Konoha,” Ōnoki replied calmly.

“Then what do you suggest? Surrender? Or sit here and wait for Konoha to destroy us?”

“Calm down, Raikage.”

“Calm down? How exactly do you expect me to remain calm?”

The Third Raikage wanted to vent his anger, yet he could not find anyone upon whom he could reasonably unleash it.

“Konoha is clearly using this war to temper its younger generation,” Ōnoki said with a frown. “Unfortunately, those two youngsters are far more troublesome than we expected.”

As he spoke, even Ōnoki could not prevent a trace of envy from appearing on his face.

Iwagakure also possessed two jinchūriki.

The first was Han, the Five-Tails jinchūriki, who was still growing and had yet to fully master his Tailed Beast’s power. The other was Rōshi, the Four-Tails jinchūriki, whose repeated disagreements with Ōnoki had eventually driven him to leave the village and wander the shinobi world alone.

Compared to Iwagakure’s two jinchūriki, Konoha’s Nine-Tails jinchūriki had not only achieved perfect control over her Tailed Beast’s power, but also willingly followed the village’s orders.

How could Ōnoki not be envious?

“I understand what Konoha is trying to do,” the Third Raikage said. “Their Nine-Tails jinchūriki is certainly powerful, but that yellow-haired brat is the real problem.”

With one of the Sage of Six Paths’ treasured tools in his possession and Ōnoki fighting beside him, the Third Raikage was confident that they could deal with the Nine-Tails jinchūriki.

The problem was that Konoha’s two young shinobi never acted separately.

Worse still, they refused to confront either Kage directly.

They deliberately targeted the ordinary units, yet the moment the Third Raikage or Ōnoki approached, they immediately retreated.

That infuriating style of combat left the Third Raikage feeling as though he possessed immense strength but had nowhere to use it.

What frustrated him even more was that he could not simply gather his scattered forces and launch a concentrated assault on Konoha’s defensive line.

The moment he did, Kushina would greet the army with a colossal Tailed Beast Ball.

If their forces remained scattered, Minato and Kushina attacked them one unit at a time. If they concentrated, they risked being wiped out by the Nine-Tails’ large-scale attacks.

This battle had reminded the Third Raikage of what it had been like to fight Kizaru.

The only difference was that against Kizaru, it had not mattered whether they scattered or concentrated their forces. Neither option had given them the slightest chance of victory.

“We need to find a way to trap that yellow-haired boy,” Ōnoki said. “Unless we can restrain his movements, we have no hope of winning this war.”

“We’ve already tried barrier ninjutsu. It was completely useless!”

Just thinking about their failed attempts made the Third Raikage’s expression darken further.

After those words, the command tent fell silent.

The oppressive atmosphere continued to deepen, yet neither Kage knew what else to say.

If there was one thing still giving them a sliver of hope, it was Kirigakure.

Perhaps—however unlikely it seemed—Kirigakure had stopped communicating because its forces had successfully broken through Konoha’s defenses and penetrated deep into the Land of Fire.

Both men knew the possibility was almost nonexistent. Even so, amid the despair brought about by the unfavorable battle situation, they wanted to preserve whatever hope they could.

At this point, the two Kage felt as though they had entered a wager from which they could no longer withdraw.

Neither was willing to commit the full military strength of his village, yet neither could find a path to victory. All they could do was place their remaining hopes upon an ally whose fate was unknown.

“If this continues, we should open peace negotiations.”

After considering the matter for a long time, Ōnoki finally voiced his true thoughts.

In his eyes, this war against Konoha was no longer winnable. There was not even the faintest sign that the situation might improve.

Before the war began, Ōnoki had believed that the alliance of the great villages would have a chance as long as Kizaru could be restrained—or, ideally, surrounded and killed.

However, Konoha continued to produce one talented young shinobi after another. With the appearance of a perfect Nine-Tails jinchūriki, Ōnoki could no longer imagine how they were supposed to win.

Kizaru, the Nine-Tails jinchūriki, and the yellow-haired shinobi who could move across the battlefield in an instant...

Konoha’s current strength was beginning to resemble the overwhelming force it had possessed under the First Hokage decades ago.

The Third Raikage glared at Ōnoki.

Peace negotiations?

That was merely a pleasant way of saying surrender.

“Ōnoki, if you intend to surrender, I suggest you first look at what became of Sunagakure.”

Sunagakure?

Ōnoki nearly laughed.

Had the two of them not played a major role in reducing Sunagakure to its current state?

“We are not Sunagakure,” Ōnoki replied. “As long as Iwagakure and Kumogakure remain united, Konoha will not dare push us too far.”

“Don’t forget that Sarutobi Hiruzen is no longer Hokage. Konoha is now led by Kizaru, the new God of Shinobi. His uncle is Shimura Danzō, the leader of Konoha’s hard-line faction.”

The Third Raikage sneered as he spoke.

“Sarutobi Hiruzen is still Kizaru’s teacher,” Ōnoki countered. “Kizaru is a young man who only recently became Hokage. How much authority can he truly exercise on his own? In my opinion, Konoha is still being managed by the old guard led by Sarutobi Hiruzen.”

“Have you forgotten our previous analysis? Kizaru assumed the position far earlier than anyone expected. He most likely relied on his overwhelming strength and the support of Konoha’s hard-liners to force his way into power.”

“That is only an assumption,” Ōnoki insisted. “Unless we contact Konoha and attempt to negotiate, how are we supposed to learn the truth?”

“You...”

The Third Raikage abruptly rose from his seat and stared down at Ōnoki.

“Fine! If you want to contact Konoha so badly, then do it yourself!”

With that, he turned around and stormed out of the command tent.

Ōnoki remained seated.

Rather than becoming angry at the Third Raikage’s hostile reaction, he watched the man leave with a faint smile on his face.

After all, the Raikage himself had just given him permission.

Upon returning to his own tent, the Third Raikage ordered his guards to remain outside. He then used sensory ninjutsu to confirm that no one else was nearby before speaking.

“C, from now on, assign several men to keep watch over Iwagakure’s forces. Pay particular attention to the Tsuchikage’s movements. If any of his people leave the camp, have them followed.”

C frowned.

“Lord Raikage, has something happened with Iwagakure?”

“That old man Ōnoki intends to negotiate peace with Konoha.”

C’s frown deepened.

“Is Iwagakure planning to withdraw from the alliance?”

The Third Raikage nodded. The rage he had displayed in front of Ōnoki had vanished, leaving behind only cold composure.

“Let Iwagakure make contact with Konoha first. If the terms are acceptable, we can consider doing the same.”

As the Kage of a great village, the Third Raikage was not truly a reckless man.

He had strongly opposed peace negotiations in front of Ōnoki because he needed to consider the feelings of Kumogakure’s shinobi and citizens.

Unlike Iwagakure, Kumogakure had a blood debt with Konoha’s new Hokage. The Third Raikage himself had once been captured by Kizaru. Under such circumstances, he could not bear the political consequences of being the first to propose peace.

However, if Ōnoki took the initiative to contact Konoha and caused the alliance between the villages to collapse, everything would change.

The Third Raikage could publicly condemn Ōnoki for betraying the alliance and place the blame for their defeat squarely upon Iwagakure. He could then follow Ōnoki’s example and “reluctantly” enter peace negotiations with Konoha.

As Kumogakure’s third-highest authority and the Third Raikage’s chief adviser, C immediately understood his intentions.

He did not expose them aloud and merely bowed his head.

“Yes, Lord Raikage. I understand.”

“You may leave.”

The Third Raikage waved his hand, dismissing C before sitting alone upon the bed inside the tent.

Having barely rested for the past three days, he could feel exhaustion weighing heavily upon his entire body.

Yet physical exhaustion was still a minor concern.

What truly tormented him was the weariness in his heart.

Deep down, the Third Raikage did not want to negotiate peace.

He understood that if the war ended in Konoha’s favor, the village would rise beyond the reach of every other great nation. A vast chasm would open between Konoha and the other hidden villages.

Kumogakure and the Land of Lightning’s dream of competing for supremacy would lose both its future and its hope.

But if Iwagakure truly entered peace negotiations, what choice would Kumogakure have?

Was he supposed to continue fighting Konoha with the strength of his village alone?

Konoha now possessed Kizaru, the new God of Shinobi. Even if Kizaru never entered the battlefield, Konoha’s current forces were still more than capable of defeating Kumogakure.

It was a truth the Third Raikage did not want to admit.

Unfortunately, he saw it more clearly than anyone.

After eight o’clock the following morning, Kizaru emerged from the Senju clan compound in high spirits.

The previous night, he had accompanied Nawaki in searching for Tsunade and Hashirama after the two lost money gambling. Kizaru had eventually returned to the Senju clan’s main residence with them and stayed the night, consoling Tsunade over her losses.

With Kizaru there to comfort her, Tsunade quickly forgot about the money she had lost.

She had risen even earlier than him and was already at Konoha Hospital, preparing to replace Nagato’s Rinnegan while continuing the cultivation of cloned eyes.

Hashirama, meanwhile, had gone to the Konoha Research Institute with his grandson, Nawaki.

He wanted to see the new variety of wheat Nawaki had developed, which was supposedly capable of producing a yield of one thousand kilograms per mu.

While he was there, Hashirama also intended to offer Nawaki some guidance in the use of Wood Release and the development of his kekkei genkai. Perhaps his experience could provide some assistance with his grandson’s research.

Kizaru had been the last person in the house to awaken.

By the time he got out of bed, the entire residence was already empty.

He leisurely wandered into the commercial district, bought himself breakfast, and ate as he walked toward the Hokage Building.

Danzō was scheduled to deliver all the compiled intelligence concerning Uchiha Madara that morning.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was also waiting for Kizaru to review the evidence. Once it was approved, he would take it to the Western Front and attempt to persuade Iwagakure and Kumogakure to agree to an armistice.

Hiruzen was not entirely confident that his mission would succeed.

His greatest concern was that Kumogakure’s more aggressive shinobi would refuse to accept Konoha’s evidence and insist on continuing the war.

If Kizaru had not accumulated so much hatred within Kumogakure, Hiruzen would have preferred to ask him to personally settle the conflict on the Western Front.

By the time Kizaru finished breakfast and entered the Hokage’s office, Danzō and Hiruzen were already waiting for him.

“I’ve finished organizing all the intelligence.”

Danzō placed three scrolls on the desk in front of Kizaru.

Kizaru smiled, took his seat, and opened the scrolls one after another.

The records were extremely thorough.

They began with Uchiha Madara’s initial appearance and included the confessions obtained from Kirigakure’s shinobi. Most importantly, they contained the Fourth Mizukage’s written account of Madara’s Eye of the Moon Plan.

Aside from the existence of Black Zetsu, almost nothing had been concealed.

“Sarutobi-sensei, you should take a look as well~.”

After finishing the last scroll, Kizaru placed it back on the table.

Hiruzen stepped forward, picked up the scrolls, and carefully examined their contents.

“There are no problems,” Hiruzen said after reading through them.

“Then I’ll leave the rest to you, Sarutobi-sensei~.”

“I will convince Ōnoki and the Raikage.”

Hiruzen’s voice was solemn.

He attached great importance to everything involving Uchiha Madara and sincerely hoped that the five great villages could unite their forces against such an enemy.

“This matter is rather urgent. You should leave immediately, Sarutobi-sensei~.”

“Understood.”

Hiruzen had already prepared himself for the journey and had arrived wearing clothing suitable for combat.

After watching him leave, Kizaru extended his senses and waited until Hiruzen was beyond range. He then released his light throughout the office, forming a barrier that isolated the room from the outside.

“Uncle, I have a secret mission for you~.”

Danzō did not answer immediately. Instead, he glanced toward the walls, silently warning Kizaru that someone might be listening.

“There’s no need to worry. I’ve already established a barrier. No one outside can hear us.”

Only then did Danzō relax.

He pulled a chair over and sat across from Kizaru.

“What is the mission?”

“Once Nagato’s Rinnegan have been removed, I want you to assist Black Zetsu in smuggling them out of Konoha and delivering them to Uchiha Madara.”

Even Danzō could not conceal his shock.

“Why would you return the Rinnegan to Uchiha Madara?”

“Because the current Uchiha Madara is far too weak~.”

Kizaru leaned back in his chair with a helpless expression.

Danzō stared at him in confusion.

Uchiha Madara was supposed to be their greatest enemy, yet Kizaru thought he was too weak and intended to help him recover his strength?

What sort of plan was that?

“Do you remember what we discussed before?” Kizaru asked with a smile. “Our plan for unifying the world.”

Danzō’s expression changed as he recalled their discussion about choosing between an easier beginning followed by greater difficulty, or enduring hardship first to make everything that followed easier.

“You intend to use the pressure created by Uchiha Madara to integrate the forces of the five great villages.”

Kizaru nodded, his relaxed smile never wavering.

“First, we must lose. Then, we fight him to a standstill. Only at the very end do we claim victory~.”

Danzō understood the purpose of the plan, but one concern remained.

“Are you truly confident that you can defeat Uchiha Madara after he regains the Rinnegan?”

“Oh, I’m only a tiny bit confident~.”

Kizaru raised one hand and left the smallest possible gap between his thumb and forefinger.

It was a familiar gesture Danzō had not seen in three years.

Danzō immediately understood.

In other words, Kizaru was completely certain.

With that assurance, the last trace of concern in Danzō’s heart disappeared.

“I understand.”

“Uncle, there’s no need to place Uchiha Madara upon such a high pedestal. In the end, he is merely another piece upon our board.”

Kizaru’s smile deepened.

“Our true objective is to overturn the existing order and unify the entire world. You should look farther ahead and broaden your vision. There’s no reason to let the reputation of a single enemy frighten you~.”

Danzō’s body trembled faintly with excitement.

Kizaru’s confidence and vision stirred something within the middle-aged man, awakening an ambition that had been buried beneath more than a decade of darkness.

“I will. I’ll follow you and witness that greater world with my own eyes.”

“Yes... That’s exactly how it should be~.”

Kizaru sincerely hoped that his uncle could finally step out of the darkness that had surrounded him for more than ten years and become his true right-hand man.

Danzō possessed ambition and ability.

What he lacked were vision and courage.

Kizaru intended to provide both.

After all, an obedient Danzō was remarkably useful.