Escape From Konoha

"What's this?"

Onoki, who was stationed in Iwagakure, also obtained information about the Rain Country immediately.

A huge number of white humanoid soldiers, huge beasts that resemble carnivorous lizards, these things are printed on the photos, and the pictures can be said to be lifelike.

Even Ohnoki was shocked by what he saw in the photo.

According to the intelligence of the search force stationed in the Land of Rain, the number of humanoid soldiers facing Iwagakure alone has reached tens of thousands, and there are several giant beasts, approaching the border of the Land of Earth.

"According to the intelligence obtained before, these humanoid soldiers seem to be called Bai Jue. As for these giant beasts, they are still under investigation. From the eyes of the giant beasts that have turned into samsara eyes, it is not difficult to see that these giant beasts are controlled by humans. That's it. According to the intuitive feelings of the people on site, every giant beast has the same destructive power as a large psychic beast. And this is only the part for Iwagakure. They also exchanged information from villages such as Konoha and Sunagakure. I received similar 'treatment'."

Huang Tu, who reported the matter to Onoki overnight, had a solemn tone.

"In other words, the Kingdom of Rain now has at least tens of thousands of artificial soldiers, right? And there are these legions of giant beasts that are no different from large psychic beasts?"

Onoki checked with Huangtu again. From his frown, you could see that he was not at peace in his heart.

"Yes. In addition, Konoha seems to have been attacked by members of the 'Akatsuki' organization they mentioned in the intelligence, and the attacker was a corpse doll made from ninjas such as Sansho Hanzo - Payne. Amegakure is the leader on the surface, but is secretly controlled by a man named Nagato.”

"I really underestimated Yugakure... Maybe I shouldn't have agreed to the conditions of the Kingdom of Demons, and joined forces with Kumogakure to put pressure on Konoha, causing the Kingdom of Rain to regain its independence."

Ohnoki sighed. To be honest, it was impossible for him not to have regrets in his heart now.

The Independence War of the Country of Rain was the key to freedom. In order to break away from the control of the Country of Fire and Konoha, the Country of Demons intervened in this war and took advantage of the distrust between the countries to instigate domestic strife among the five major powers at that time. As a result, the Kingdom of Rain was out of control, leading to the current serious problem.

Unfortunately, there is no such if.

At that time, the relations between the major powers were tense and fierce, and if you were not careful, the Third Ninja World War might continue.

In that situation, there is no other way but to fight on their own and secretly plot against other countries. They will not start to cooperate and form an alliance of interests with each other in order to deal with the country of ghosts like they are doing now.

At that time, the Kingdom of Rain was interfered by the Kingdom of Ghosts, and becoming independent was an inevitable result.

"Tens of thousands of artificial soldiers, as well as this huge legion of giant beasts, plus several tailed beasts in the opponent's hands... This organization and Yugakure are no longer a troublesome existence that can be solved by a single village. Loess, Send messengers to send invitations to the shadows in each village, it’s time to hold the third Five Shadows Conference.”

Onoki shook his head. At present, the situation in the Land of Rain has exceeded the control of big countries like them. Akatsuki, or Yugakure, has such huge power, and they will never be willing to be small. What's more, they also took away the tailed beasts from each village, which was an irreconcilable contradiction.

The rise of the Kingdom of Demons has given these traditional powers a huge headache. If the Kingdom of Rain also rises like the Kingdom of Demons, or it rises on the basis of snatching the tailed beasts of the Ninja Village from a great country... Therefore, no matter what, the Kingdom of Rain must be controlled. development, otherwise Iwagakure will never have peace of mind.

I believe that Sunagakure and Konoha will make corresponding arrangements and will never let this happen.

"Yes. Speaking of which, do I need to send an invitation letter to the Kingdom of Ghosts as well?"

Huang Tu asked as he remembered something.

As the most influential country in the ninja world today, its domestic military organization is named the military, rather than forming ninja villages and enclosing autonomous areas like other major countries.

The Minister of Military Affairs, Chiba Shiraishi, who leads the Demon Country's military, is not weaker than the Five Kages in terms of status and influence.

If the Kingdom of Oni can successfully join in, participate in the Five Kage Talks, and then receive military assistance from the other party, then it will undoubtedly have greater confidence in dealing with Yugakure.

"...Send them together. Now is not the time to confront the Kingdom of Demons. The most important thing is to block and recapture the tailed beasts and eliminate this Akatsuki organization."

Ohnoki closed his eyes and thought for a while, then opened his eyes, a sharp light shot out of his cloudy eyes, and ordered Huangtu.

Even if he deliberately wanted to exclude the Kingdom of Ghosts, considering the terrifying influence of the Kingdom of Ghosts today, if the Five Shadows Conference excludes it, more troubles will likely occur, making it impossible for the Five Shadows Conference to be held smoothly.

The Five Shadows Conference has occurred twice since the establishment of the One Country, One Village era.

The first time was with Konoha's first Hokage, Senju Hashirama, as the main initiator, to discuss the balance of the countries and divide the tailed beasts.

The second time was when Sunagakure was the initiator and targeted the Kingdom of Demons, but it ended in failure. Countries also acquiesced in the existence of the Kingdom of Demons until raising tigers became a problem.

For the third time that will be held next, Onoki has already thought out the purpose and tone of the event in advance, which is to control the Rain Country, regain the stolen tailed beasts, and eliminate the Akatsuki organization.

Huang Tu nodded, respectfully exited the office, and organized messengers to send invitations to the Five Shadows Conference to each village and the Ghost Country.

◎

A large number of White Zetsu soldiers appeared in the Kingdom of Rain, as well as an astonishing number of behemoth legions. Countries that received accurate information, such as the Tailed Beasts of the major countries, naturally began to pay attention to them immediately.

For a time, the Kingdom of Rain and the surrounding countries began to become uneasy, and began to mobilize strict military forces to strictly defend the borders.

Such a tense atmosphere continued until Konoha was attacked, causing the conflict between Konoha and Amegakure to break out, making the situation suddenly become more complicated and confusing. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the Fire Country and Konoha will undoubtedly launch retaliatory military operations against Yugakure in the future.

The outbreak of such conflicts is likely to turn into a new trigger of war.

September 22nd.

The day after Nagato manipulated Pain into attacking Konoha.

Ninjas injured in the battle have been fully taken over by the medical team, with priority being given to the seriously injured. Although some seriously injured people unfortunately passed away during the operation, most of the seriously injured were preserved by the superb medical technology of Konoha's medical ninjas. Come down.

In addition, thanks to the more advanced prosthetic technology in today's era, even disabled ninjas who have lost their limbs can continue to maintain their identity as ninjas as long as they replace them with prosthetic limbs. Although such military prosthetics that can conduct chakra benignly are very expensive, Konoha is not stingy about spending on this.

In addition, there are also pensions for the families of ninjas who died in this battle. A total of more than a thousand ninjas died in this battle. The departure of these people not only means that the relevant families will lose a reliable pillar, but also for Konoha Overall, it is also an extremely heavy blow.

In the end, countless buildings were damaged and destroyed. Under the attack of the enemy, a large piece of the center of Konoha was hollowed out, and an extremely huge meteorite crater appeared. It was shocking to glance at it.

Not only will this huge crater affect the normal operation of Konoha, but there are crushed human bodies everywhere in the crater, with flesh and blood completely squeezed into the soil. It is also a huge disaster for the ninjas of the corpse collection team. Challenging work.

In one sentence, the corpse collection team, which had collected countless corpses, saw such a tragic scene for the first time. Many new workers vomited directly on the spot.

Standing on the edge of the pit, Tsunade smelled the smell of blood that had not yet dissipated in the air, and frowned as she looked at the countless crushed and mutilated body parts in the pit.

Even Tsunade, who had experienced countless fierce battles, was slightly uncomfortable with such a scene.

It's just that as Hokage, he can't show his cowardice here. He must maintain a dignified persona in order to reassure the Konoha ninjas around him.

"...The above are all the losses suffered by the village in this attack. Although they successfully prevented the opponent from getting hold of the Nine-Tails in Naruto, the losses suffered by the village were also relatively heavy."

Beside him, Shikaku began to report.

Leaving aside the rest of the losses, just the casualties of nearly three thousand ninjas would be a headache.

"Shikaku, you should know the news from the Land of Rain, right?"

Tsunade looked at the Konoha ninja who were collecting corpses in the pit and asked a question without answering.

Shikaku nodded and took out a stack of photos, which showed the shocking scene of Bai Zetsu and the beast army marching in the heavy rain.

Even Shikaku couldn't help but be stunned when he saw such news, and then cold sweat broke out on his forehead, knowing that things were completely out of control.

The estimate of the Akatsuki organization's strength was seriously wrong.

The power this organization holds is more terrifying than expected.

After receiving the news, Konoha hurriedly mobilized troops before dawn to reinforce the western border of the Land of Fire. At the same time, it issued an order to withdraw all search force personnel from the Land of Rain.

If Bai Jue and the Behemoth Legion had not just approached the territory of the great power and then stayed in place without showing a strong desire to attack, the war might have broken out in the early morning.

No matter how many times Shikaku looked at the photos of Bai Zetsu and the Behemoth Legion, he always felt a sense of dreamy confusion.

Even if I think about it, I can't figure out how such a large number of soldiers are produced by what means, and they can produce so many at once. For a big country, this is no less than an earthquake sweeping the country, and the upper levels are also concerned about Take this seriously.

Although the investigation on the surface of the Kingdom of Rain has been temporarily suspended, the secret vigilance has never been eliminated. It is better to say that such prying will intensify in the future.

"We can't let the Akatsuki organization continue to act like this. The other party's momentum has been established. The other party has shown us such strength in the Kingdom of Rain. They have made it clear to us that they will not accept any form of compromise, nor will they hand over what they have already obtained. Tailed beasts. And all of us ninjas will undergo an unprecedented difficult test. If Konoha cannot survive such turmoil..."

Tsunade's eyes were dim, and her face was a little more melancholy and heavy.

Although he didn't say it clearly, Shikaku understood what the consequences would be if he couldn't get over it.

"What Hokage-sama means is..."

"Convene a Five Kage Conference to resolve this matter. This is not a problem that can be solved by just one village. The Fifth Ninja World War is coming..."

"...I understand, and I will make corresponding arrangements."

Shikaku listened silently and nodded.

When things have developed to this point, it is undoubtedly the worst situation.

It is inevitable to convene the Five Shadows Conference.

◎

The land of water.

The three of Shiraishi stopped in a wild open space. After a whole day of searching, the three of them basically searched all the suspicious places in the Kingdom of Water, but they still found no trace of Nagato, and they couldn't sense Yagura. of chakra.

Either the other party dies, or the other party is taken away from the Kingdom of Water.

The latter is the most likely. After all, if Yagura dies, the three tails in his body will also die together, which will cause trouble for Nagato's purpose.

"Stop it. Yagura has probably been taken away from the Kingdom of Water now. If we continue to search here, there will be no results."

Shiraishi stopped Ruri and Ayane so that they did not need to continue the search.

Both the sea and the land of the Water Country have been searched. At least from the outside, Nagato is no longer in the Water Country.

As for the sky, Kirigakure's air force has also conducted detailed investigations, but there is also no reliable news coming from there. The result can be imagined.

"Oh, that means the Three-Tails and Six-Tails will fall into Akatsuki's hands. Now is the worst possible situation, right?"

Ayane directly stated this stinging fact.

"It's not the worst, but the next situation will indeed become very difficult for us. Fortunately among the misfortunes, our alliance with Kirigakure has not been exposed yet, so there is still a way to reverse it. The hand of the situation.”

Shiraishi has given up hope of rescuing Yagura, so compared to this, the planning process needs to be slightly adjusted.

"Without Yagura as a contact, will Kirigakure really still form an alliance with us? You know, the power of both parties in the alliance is completely unbalanced."

Ayane thought with malice.

Although the Fifth Mizukage Terumi Mei also agreed with the cooperative relationship with the Demon Country, in comparison, it was Yagura, the original collaborator, who reassured them more.

Therefore, at this time, Ayane will inevitably become suspicious of Kirigakure's next move.

It's not surprising that she would think so. Betrayal and conspiracy between allies will always be inevitable. Even though Oni Country and Kirigakure are still in the honeymoon period of their alliance, no one knows that this relationship will last forever.

The Kingdom of Ghosts is too powerful, so powerful that even its collaborators will fear it.

Especially after losing one of the Five Kages and two tailed beasts, does Kirigakure's Fifth Mizukage still have the courage to cooperate with the Kingdom of Demons?

In her heart, is she afraid that after cooperating, she will be swallowed up by the Kingdom of Ghosts?

After all, when the power gap is too large and one party can absolutely crush the other, such cooperation is tantamount to seeking the skin of a tiger.

Will the Fifth Mizukage really be as relieved as before and leave his back to the Demon Country? Ayane needs to put a question mark on this question.

Even if the Oni Kingdom does not think so, how Kirigakure, who is on the weaker side, will change his mind is an unknown to the Oni Kingdom. And such unknowns are a potential hidden danger for the Kingdom of Ghosts.

"So, do you need me to use the Sharingan to control that Mizukage?"

Ruri has the same idea as Ayane, betrayal and betrayal between allies is very normal.

Since this alliance is no longer stable for the Kingdom of Ghosts, in order to stabilize this alliance, Liuli does not mind using some means to stabilize this relationship again.

"Not to that extent. In any case, Kirigakure is our ally, no matter weak or strong. Kirigakure needs us, and we also need Kirigakure. This is an unchangeable fact."

Not to mention destroying the trust relationship established, once exposed, the country of ghosts will undoubtedly be isolated, and most of the small countries that come to seek refuge will also have concerns. The road to establishing trust is very difficult, and destroying such a relationship... often only takes a moment.

In the long run, it will be harmful to the country of ghosts.

"Besides, as long as the worries in her heart disappear, it is not difficult for me."

After hearing Shiraishi's remarks, Ruri and Ayane had no choice but to temporarily suppress their thoughts.

"Let's go. Since the accident on Yagura's side is irreversible, let's discuss the next arrangements with the Mizukage. There is not much time left for us to prepare."

Shiraishi said hello and returned along the original route. Ruri and Ayane also followed his footsteps to join Terumi Mei.

◎

"Sandaime, Elder Yuanshi."

When almost all the Kirigakure ninjas were dispatched to search for the whereabouts of Yagura and the Six-Tailed Jinchuuriki Yugao, Terumi Mei, as the Fifth Mizukage, was conducting remote control from Kirigakure and did not directly participate in the search operation.

After finishing all the things at hand, he came to a secluded place in Kirigakure Village alone.

Not to mention the close disciples like Ao, even the ANBU did not follow.

In a rather simple two-story single-family villa, the third generation Mizukage, who had retired sixteen years ago, and the elder Yuanshi, who had retired to the second line and retired, were sitting on the couch playing chess.

In the middle of the chess game, Terumi Mei pushed open the door and entered as an uninvited guest, interrupting the chess game between the two and bowing slightly to them.

Compared to the past, the two of them had more wrinkles on their faces, especially Yuanshi, who had lived since the Warring States Period until now. He was even more disgracefully old. The chess pieces in his hands started to tremble obviously, and he might be dead at any time. It seemed to fall from the fingers.

He was a ninja of the same era as the first Five Kages, but now he no longer manages Kirigakure's affairs, but leaves them all to her.

The greatest pleasure now is probably playing chess and chatting with the retired Sandaime Mizukage, reminiscing about the past, and then waiting for the day when he dies.

"We have already heard about Yagura and Yugao being kidnapped, but even if you treat us as advisers, we two old guys no longer have the energy to deal with the heavy affairs of Kirigakure Village. Now you are young It’s man’s time.”

It was the Third Mizukage who spoke.

He was forced to step down by Yagura. Although he still feels resentful towards Yagura, a rising star, but in view of the fact that the other party has devoted all his efforts to Kirigakure, he has never caused trouble to Yagura in the past few years, allowing Kirigakure to peacefully transition to The Fifth Mizukage period.

However, he and Master Yuan have retired and all the power in their hands has been handed over. In addition, they are old, so even if they want to do anything, they are unable to do anything.

Terumi Mei's sudden visit, he and Yuanshi naturally knew the purpose of his visit, but this era no longer belonged to them.

"The matter between the Yondaime and Yu Gao is indeed a bit tricky. I have prepared for the worst. However, I am more worried about other things than this matter."

Terumi Mei's expression did not change.

Of course he understood that the fact that he had not grasped the whereabouts of the enemy after so long meant that the chance of recapturing Yagura and Yugao was very slim.

Seeing the two of them, he was still unmoved. Terumi Mei continued to speak in a calm tone:

"What you two don't know is that as early as the Third Ninja War, the Yondaime had secretly received the support of Chiba Shiraishi, the Kingdom of Ghosts, and established a very reliable alliance with him."

Hearing these words, the Third Mizukage and the Genshi stopped playing at the same time, and a sharp gaze suddenly shot out from their cloudy eyes, sweeping towards Terumi Mei.

Terumi Mei ignored such pressure and appeared extremely calm.

No matter how powerful the two of them were in the past, they cannot resist the erosion of time. This is the reality.

"The Kingdom of Ghosts..."

Master Yuan's voice was hoarse and trembling. Because of his old age, he even had problems with his vocal cords.

"Really? I thought that Yagura had already played a big enough game, but I didn't expect that he was even crazier than I thought... No wonder Yagura was defeated in that way in the previous battle and was ridiculed by others. Some of the riots in the Kingdom of Water in recent years were not caused by the Kingdom of Demons, but by Yagura."

The Third Mizukage seemed to understand something in an instant. Although he had doubts, he was extremely sure of his guess.

Some things that I didn't understand are now suddenly understood like a sudden enlightenment.

"Yes, that is a plan we jointly launched with the Kingdom of Ghosts, in order to overturn the era of one country and one village established by the first Hokage. Once the plan succeeds, Kirigakure will acquire the entire Kingdom of Water, and... more The large amount of land and population will push Kirigakure to a new peak."

Mei Terumi spoke the shocking truth in calm words.

The era of one country, one village has been around for a long time and has been supported by most countries, especially the big countries headed by the Country of Fire and the Country of Thunder, which are even more impressed by it.

Kirigakure, who relies on the existence of the Kingdom of Water, is also one of the beneficiaries. Generally speaking, there is no need for Kirigakure to harm his own interests and become the target of public criticism.

if so……

The third Mizukage's face became complicated, and a look of sadness flashed in his eyes.

"Blood mist..."

That was Kirigakure's darkest and bloody era.

caused by his erroneous policies.

The most fundamental reason is that in peacetime, the Daming Prefecture of the Land of Water does not need Kirigakure Village to train too many ninjas, so military expenditures have been cut year after year, causing Kirigakure's development to stagnate and even begin to regress.

Forced to have no other choice, he could only adopt an elite strategy. However, as this elite strategy continued to be implemented, it resulted in a serious result that was completely different from what he had imagined - blood mist.

Countless outstanding ninjas began to kill each other and cultivate ninjas by raising gu. Although to a certain extent, while reducing the number of ninjas, it improved the combat capabilities of Kirigakure ninjas, it also plunged the entire Kirigakure into an abyss.

In particular, the Daming Palace of the Kingdom of Water took this opportunity to secretly collude with Kirigakure's Blood Mist Sect personnel in an attempt to gain access to Kirigakure's power, which pushed Kirigakure to a dead end.

Such unbearable past events are as vivid as yesterday, and the memories are extremely clear in the mind of the Third Mizukage, lingering for a long time.

"..."

Terumi Mei didn't answer, but her attitude had already been acquiesced. She was on Yagura's side.

From the moment the Daimyofu of the Land of Water got involved in Kirigakure's power, the so-called one-country-one-village era had already been met with strong hostility from Yagura, and he deeply hated the core senior officials of the Land of Water.

And she is also an experiencer of the Blood Mist Era, and her hatred and murderous intention for the Daming Mansion in the Kingdom of Water is no weaker than Yagura's.

"So... the Godaime, are you afraid of cooperating with the Kingdom of Demons now?"

Interrupting the communication between Terumi Mei and the Third Mizukage, Genshi's trembling and hoarse voice came. Although it was a little weak, it went straight to the point and hit Terumi Mei's weak spot.

Terumi Mei looked into Genshi's cloudy eyes and nodded.

"I don't know if the next plan will be implemented together with the Kingdom of Demons. To be honest, if the Yondaime is captured, it will not only be as simple as losing the tailed beast, but the connection with the Kingdom of Demons will also become weaker. This will Many changes occurred.”

Compared to her, a latecomer, Yagura, as the original collaborator, is more worthy of the country's trust.

Moreover, because the strength of both sides is now too great, Terumi Mei is also very worried that if the Demon Country succeeds, it will be detrimental to Kirigakure.

This made Terumi Mei couldn't help but worry about gains and losses, and was in a dilemma.

She had too many things to consider, and this choice was related to Kirigakure's survival. She couldn't make the decision alone.

"It's really ugly. Terumi Mei, as Kirigakure's Mizukage, is hesitant at such a critical moment! I ask you, if you say you want to quit now, where can Kirigakure retreat to?"

The Third Mizukage suddenly scolded loudly.

The negotiations with the Demon Country are so deep, and as the internal agent of the Demon Nation to break into the five traditional countries, once they give up at this time, it is not a rapid retreat at all, but a self-destruction, leaving Kirigakure in a state of doom.

Because if you do this, you will not only offend the Demon Country to death, but after the relationship is made public, Kirigakure's past actions with the Demon Country will also be exposed, and you will definitely be ostracized by the other ninja villages and fall into a desperate situation of isolation and helplessness.

By then, Kirigakure will not be far from destruction.

The third Mizukage's scolding words made Mei Terumi wake up instantly, and she felt ashamed on her face.

"Having reached this point, Kirigakure, there is no turning back. Moreover, if the Kingdom of Oni pays enough attention to Kirigakure, it will probably take measures to eliminate your concerns. After all, your plan is too huge. Not only you, but also The senior leaders of the Ghost Kingdom will also have the same concerns, so please wait patiently.”

The Third Mizukage snorted, very dissatisfied with Mei Terumi's behavior of worrying about gains and losses.

If at the beginning of a collaboration, there is room for rebellion.

But if you cooperate to this extent and want to betray, the price will be so heavy that the entire Kirigakure will be destroyed.

"Your Excellency, the Third Mizukage, is right. At this point, there is no other way for us to choose other than continuing to cooperate."

At this time, a sudden voice came from behind.