Chapter 172: Falling Right Into the Trap
The frontline intel was relayed back to the village at once.
Uchiha Dali showed no reaction upon learning the enemy's movements—everything was already well within his grasp.
Seeing that he remained silent, Minato Namikaze volunteered, saying, "Allow me to go, Lord Fourth."
He had plenty of experience dealing with enemies from Iwagakure.
He had once wiped out fifty Iwagakure jōnin in a single instant.
Before absolute speed, all resistance was meaningless.
Uchiha Dali merely glanced at Minato upon hearing this. Reclining leisurely in his chair, his gaze drifted up to the ceiling.
Besides Minato, the office was filled with elites such as Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Shisui, Hiashi Hyuga, and Kakashi.
At this moment, everyone was looking at Uchiha Dali with puzzled expressions.
They couldn't understand why he wasn't ordering the combat units to take action.
"Aren't you all curious what the Land of Lightning is up to right now?"
Uchiha Dali suddenly asked.
"The Land of Lightning?"
Everyone's expressions sharpened.
This was exactly the kind of opening Shikaku Nara had been waiting for.
Noticing Uchiha Dali's expression, he responded, "Both the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning were defeated in the Third Great Ninja War. I do have a few thoughts on this, Lord Fourth."
Seeing Uchiha Dali nod at him, he continued, "Because of the deep-seated grudges left behind by the previous war, it's highly unlikely that the Lands of Earth and Lightning would consider cooperating under current circumstances."
"My assessment is that the two nations will most likely fight their own battles, even though they both see us as their enemy. The fact that the coalition forces led by the Land of Lightning haven't made a move yet is proof of that."
"If you ask me, the fact that the Land of Lightning has restrained themselves from attacking the Land of Earth at a time like this already shows incredible restraint."
Shikaku's reasoning quickly earned the others' agreement.
After all, during the last conflict, Iwagakure's surprise attack on Kumogakure had directly led to the death of the Third Raikage.
And from investigations, the Raikage was revered in Kumogakure as a figure of supreme authority—almost divine.
Given that their village leader died in battle during an enemy invasion, even if Kumogakure's higher-ups agreed to cooperate with Iwagakure, the general populace would certainly never accept it.
Uchiha Dali also agreed with Shikaku's analysis.
However, he chuckled lightly and said, "I know there's little chance of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth working together. I'm not worried about them teaming up."
"It's not like they're even capable of causing any real trouble anyway."
That statement made every ninja present break into a cold sweat.
They all silently thought to themselves: only someone like Uchiha Dali could say something like that with such confidence.
After all, both the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth were still major powers—nobody else would dare underestimate them.
Uchiha Dali ignored their reactions and continued, "What I'm saying isn't about what the Land of Lightning might do to us—it's about what they might currently be facing themselves."
As he spoke, a subtle, enigmatic smile spread across his face.
The Akatsuki weren't exactly saints.
After suffering a setback under Uchiha Dali's hand, Uchiha Obito was now desperate to accelerate the Eye of the Moon Plan.
He was feeling the pressure.
Given that, the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails held by Kumogakure would undoubtedly become his next targets.
"I'd love to see the spectacle of the Six Paths of Pain going up against the Fourth Raikage…"
Uchiha Dali thought to himself.
But what he truly wanted to see was Kumogakure, crushed by Akatsuki's pressure, forced to kneel in surrender, finally recognizing their own faults and willingly agreeing to cooperate with Konoha.
"Lord Hokage, are you suggesting… that the Akatsuki might take this opportunity to invade the Land of Lightning?"
Shikaku's reaction was swift—he immediately picked up on the implication.
Iwagakure had already lost its Jinchūriki.
Konoha, counting the Nine-Tails it already had, now possessed a total of five Tailed Beasts.
Of the remaining four Tailed Beasts, two were in Kumogakure, and the Three-Tails had already been captured by the Akatsuki.
As for the last, the Seven-Tails, it was said that the First Hokage had once entrusted it to Takigakure.
It remained unclear whether Takigakure still held the Seven-Tails today.
All things considered, the Akatsuki's next logical target would indeed be Kumogakure.
"Lord Fourth, are you planning to let the Iwagakure ninja coalition forces advance deep into the Land of Fire and then ambush and annihilate them?"
Shikaku asked again.
Since the Land of Lightning posed no immediate threat—and might even be too preoccupied to fend for themselves—Konoha needed only to seize this rare opportunity and take out the Land of Earth in one decisive strike.
If successful, not only would the Land of Earth fall, but more than a dozen small nations aligned with it might surrender as well.
Shikaku's question was exactly what everyone else wanted to ask.
So now, all eyes turned to Uchiha Dali, waiting for his response.
Uchiha Dali suddenly smiled cryptically.
Instead of answering, he asked in return, "How do you use the Four Violet Flame Formation?"
"The Four Violet Flame Formation?"
Everyone exchanged baffled glances.
Minato responded, "Lord Fourth, do you mean the Four Violet Flame Barrier? The more powerful version of that barrier technique is the Four Red Yang Formation."
At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder—why was Uchiha Dali suddenly asking about barrier techniques?
Could it be that he was planning…
"Oh, so it's called the Four Violet Flame Barrier?"
Uchiha Dali nodded. "Right, can someone tell me how to use that jutsu? I remember someone saying they knew how to perform it."
His gaze swept across the group.
Minato stepped forward voluntarily. "I'll teach you. But, Lord Fourth, are you thinking of using this barrier technique to trap the Iwagakure ninja coalition?"
That idea wasn't without basis.
The Four Violet Flame Barrier was specifically designed to imprison targets and prevent escape.
No one had considered using it until now primarily because of the strict requirements to activate it.
Even at its lowest level, the Four Violet Flame Barrier required four ninja of at least chūnin rank to perform it.
The strength and coverage area of the barrier depended on the users' skill levels—chūnin being the bare minimum to execute the jutsu.
Of course, trying to use four mere chūnin to trap the massive Iwagakure invasion force with this technique would be pure fantasy.
Neither its range nor its strength could withstand such overwhelming numbers.
However, if they used the vastly stronger Four Red Yang Formation—which was dozens of times more powerful—this issue could potentially be resolved.
Naturally, the greater the power, the harsher the cost. The conditions for activating the Four Red Yang Formation were far more demanding than those of the Four Violet Flame Barrier.
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