In a damp cave within the Land of Rain.
Drip…
Water droplets struck the rocks, creating a crisp, echoing sound.
Two enormous pitcher plant leaves slowly rose from the ground, revealing a bizarre face in their center – one half white, the other half black. The newcomer was Zetsu, of Akatsuki.
Within the cave, the masked Obito glanced at Zetsu and casually asked, "How's the situation?"
White Zetsu, still half-submerged in the earth, replied, "Kumogakure's forces have withdrawn from the Land of Fire. Although they haven't started peace talks with Konoha, the war is essentially over."
Hearing this, Obito was silent for a moment before saying, "Have you found out the reason why Kumogakure slowed their offensive earlier?"
It was well known that, at the beginning of the war, Kumogakure had been like an unstoppable force, nearly shattering Konoha's front-line defenses. Most people, including Obito and Zetsu, had expected Kumogakure to press their advantage and rapidly approach Konohagakure.
But unexpectedly, after Konoha dispatched Jiraiya and Orochimaru with a large force of Konoha ninja to the border of the Land of Fire, the battle quickly devolved into a stalemate. Despite the Nine-Tails' attack, Konoha wasn't as weak as the outside world believed. And in the past three months, Kumogakure's offensive had almost completely stalled.
While Jiraiya and Orochimaru's formidable reputations played a role, it wasn't enough to completely dictate the course of the war. The reason for Kumogakure's slowed advance had been a subject of much speculation.
Black Zetsu said, "From the information I've gathered, Kumogakure initially slowed their offensive to proceed cautiously. As for their later inability to break through, it was because of Konoha's Anbu Squad 11."
Obito was puzzled. "Anbu Squad 11? A single Konoha Anbu squad was able to hold back Kumogakure's entire army?"
Shaking his head, Black Zetsu said, "Don't underestimate this Anbu Squad 11. It's composed of Hatake Sakumo's son, Hatake Kakashi; the Uchiha clan's genius, Uchiha Shisui; Might Duy's son, Might Guy; and a genius from the Akimichi clan named Akimichi Tatsuya. All four are exceptionally strong. Just a few days ago, the Fourth Raikage himself, along with the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii, and a large number of elite ninja, went to annihilate Konoha's Anbu Squad 11, but they failed to take them down. According to the intelligence revealed in that battle, Uchiha Shisui has awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, Might Guy's son has opened the Seventh Gate of the Eight Gates, and the Akimichi kid has a powerful summon and has mastered his clan's secret Butterfly Mode technique. In terms of actual strength, the previously well-regarded Hatake Kakashi is actually the weakest of the four."
After Zetsu finished speaking, the cave fell into a wordless silence.
After a moment, Obito said, "Anbu Squad 11! It seems Konoha's luck hasn't run out yet. Oh well, since we can't destroy Konoha in the short term, we'll just have to wait. The organization's situation has stabilized, and it's time for me to move on to the next phase of the plan in Kirigakure."
Zetsu nodded, then, as if remembering something, said, "That Shisui has awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. Aren't you curious about what ability he obtained?"
Obito shook his head. "The abilities of the Uchiha clan's Mangekyo Sharingan are countless. No matter what ability his Mangekyo Sharingan possesses, it can't compare to mine. After the Nine-Tails' attack, Konoha's leadership already completely distrusts the Uchiha clan. Now that another Uchiha with the Mangekyo Sharingan has appeared among them, we can use this to our advantage. If we can incite internal conflict between them, it will further weaken Konoha's strength."
Zetsu asked, "Is there anything you need me to do?"
Obito's voice was slightly distant. "We don't need to do anything. Once Konoha's leadership learns about the appearance of the Mangekyo Sharingan, there will be people more worried than we are."
As he spoke, a swirling vortex appeared in the air, and Obito's figure quickly vanished.
...
Northwest of the Land of Fire, at the border of the Land of Grass.
A figure floated in the air, observing the Konoha ninja army camp stationed at the border from afar.
In the woods near the Konoha ninja army camp, Hyuga Den, with his Byakugan activated, was closely monitoring the figure in the sky.
After observing for a long time, the figure turned and floated back in the direction he came from.
Seeing the distant figure flying away, Hyuga Den let out a slight sigh of relief.
"Den, who was that just now?" a fellow Konoha ninja beside him asked.
"The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki!" Hyuga Den said in a grave voice.
"The Third Tsuchikage? Why did he come to the front lines personally? Is Iwagakure planning to attack us?" His companion was shocked.
"I don't know! We should report back to the camp immediately," Hyuga Den shook his head; he couldn't guess the other party's intentions either.
Immediately, the two rushed back to the army camp to report the situation.
In the distance, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, floating high in the sky, slowly descended onto a mountaintop.
On the mountaintop, a tall, strong young Iwagakure ninja was already waiting. On this young ninja's arm sat a petite and adorable little girl. The girl was about three or four years old, with large, striking eyes and long legs. These two were the Third Tsuchikage Onoki's bodyguard, Akatsuchi, and his granddaughter, Kurotsuchi.
"Let's go!" The Third Tsuchikage landed from the air and directly flew into the seat Akatsuchi carried on his back, speaking softly.
Akatsuchi didn't reply, but simply took a step and started walking down the mountain.
Beside him, the petite Kurotsuchi climbed over and said in a childish voice, "Grandpa, are we not fighting anymore?"
"No more fighting," Onoki said softly, stroking his granddaughter's head.
The intelligence report on the battle in the Land of Hot Springs' valley had already been circulated, and the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, had naturally learned of it. When he heard the news, Onoki knew that the opportunity for war was gone.
Two pieces of information were of particular concern to him.
First, Uchiha Shisui had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. As someone who had experienced the era when Konoha's First Hokage and Uchiha Madara joined forces to dominate the ninja world, Onoki was well aware of the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan. For Uchiha Shisui to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan at such a young age, his potential for growth was undeniable. This caused Onoki to be deeply wary. However, thinking about the conflict between Konoha's leadership and the Uchiha clan, Onoki couldn't help but feel a sense of schadenfreude.
Second, the sudden rise of a young ninja from the Akimichi clan, Akimichi Tatsuya. The power of the Akimichi clan's Butterfly Mode secret technique exceeded many people's expectations, allowing him to withstand a Tailed Beast Bomb from the Two-Tails, Matatabi. In the history of the Akimichi clan, very few ninja had truly mastered this secret technique; even members of the Akimichi clan were rarely aware of it, and outsiders knew even less. Except for the era when the First Hokage, Hashirama, and Uchiha Madara overshadowed the ninja world, it was rare for anyone to be able to withstand a map-destroying attack like a Tailed Beast Bomb.
"Not fighting anymore?" On Akatsuchi's back, the little girl bit her finger and looked at her grandfather innocently.
One day later, the Iwagakure ninja army, which had been stationed at the border of the Land of Earth, withdrew.
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