On the border of the Land of Earth.
Onoki fled back in a panic, looking utterly wretched.
At this moment, he was drenched in a cold sweat.
Did he not know the Third Raikage's strength, as someone who had been an enemy of the Hidden Cloud Village for so long?
To put it bluntly.
Even the current Hidden Stone Village could do nothing against the Third Raikage and would still be at a disadvantage if they encountered him.
To defeat the Third Raikage, the only method Onoki could think of was to overwhelm him with sheer numbers.
But.
What about now?
In his mind, the nearly invincible Third Raikage was so vulnerable in front of that person.
Faced with his subordinate's question, he couldn't answer for a moment.
In Onoki's heart, the thought of competing with Kyohiko had completely vanished, but the current Hidden Stone Village had no way out.
Either they advance, defeat Konoha together with Uchiha Madara, and then possibly face the pressure of a powerful enemy like Uchiha Madara, or other problems.
Or, like decades ago, they lie down obediently and wait for this era of Konoha to pass.
In other words, trust in the wisdom of future generations!
Onoki glanced at Kitsuchi and sighed lightly.
A child like Kitsuchi...
How could he trust him?
What's more.
He had already taken benefits from Uchiha Madara and had even participated in the attack on Jiraiya.
The Hidden Cloud Village had paid the price of the Third Raikage, and there might be other unexpected developments later...
He was silent for a long time and said, "Attack! Of course, we must attack."
Kitsuchi asked in a low voice, "Then, are we going to follow them and attack Konoha?"
"Huh??"
Onoki turned his head, his face a mixture of annoyance and helplessness, "Use your brain. When did I say we were going to attack Konoha?"
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.
If we're not attacking Konoha, what's the point of besieging Jiraiya with such fanfare?
Kitsuchi was speechless for a moment.
However.
He was not a fool, just a bit simple-minded. He quickly realized that they must have encountered difficulties this time.
Even.
It was very likely that his father had suffered a great loss in the Land of Grass, which was why he retreated and wanted to find an alternative solution.
"Then, who are we attacking?"
"We're attacking the Hidden Rain Village!"
A sharp light flashed in Onoki's eyes.
For the Hidden Stone Village and the Land of Earth, attacking the Land of Fire and Konoha was an impossible task in itself.
Konoha was too strong!
The current Konoha was simply invincible. Even Uchiha Madara, Onoki felt, would have a tough time.
Madara has now officially entered the stage, using his White Zetsu to deal with Konoha and gathering the Tailed Beasts of several of their villages.
As far as he knew, the Hidden Cloud Village had also handed over its Tailed Beast.
In the current ninja world, one side's Tailed Beasts were gathered in Madara's hands, while the other side's were gathered in Konoha's hands. It was a confrontation between two superpowers.
In the face of such power, what was there for them to do?
Just fight on the sidelines and wait for the result.
He figured the Third Raikage's way out must have been the same—
With the Third Raikage's death, the Hidden Cloud Village was no longer the focus of everyone's attention and had a reasonable excuse to withdraw.
Thinking of this, Onoki said, "We won't attack Konoha directly. We'll attack the Hidden Rain Village first. This is a key node in the alliance of Konoha, the Hidden Sand, and the Hidden Rain."
If Konoha wanted to form a contiguous territory, the Hidden Rain Village was indispensable.
For this reason, Konoha even seemed to have given up some interests in the northern part of the Land of Rivers to let the Hidden Rain Village join.
Furthermore, if Onoki were to focus on attacking Konoha, and the Hidden Rain Village suddenly attacked their rear, the consequences would be unimaginable.
They were different from Madara's creatures.
Ninjas still needed to eat and replenish their energy. Supply and recovery lines were very important to them.
Attacking the Hidden Rain Village first was the right move!
Onoki said, "It's decided. Order the army to move out!"
"Yes!"
...
In the Land of Grass, with Onoki's retreat and the Third Raikage's death, only some remaining enemies were left on the scene.
These enemies, let alone Jiraiya, even the Hidden Grass Village itself could handle.
Therefore.
After learning that Mount Myoboku was attacked, the two great sages immediately returned.
Then, they saw the tragic scene on Mount Myoboku.
A complete mess!
Nagato was sealed in amber with only one eye left, and the scene was in shambles.
The chair was overturned, and the Great Toad Sage was lying on the ground, looking very pathetic.
But...
Strangely, it had not woken up.
Fukasaku was greatly alarmed.
"Kyohiko, why didn't you help the Great Elder up?!"
"I just gave him simple treatment. Compared to helping the Great Elder up, I think the other Rinnegan is more important."
Kyohiko's wood clone replied.
Shima agreed, "That's so true, Kyohiko-chan. What exactly happened with the enemy? Why could he control Nagato?"
"I'm not sure either. I'm still checking."
Madara's curse mark was indeed buried very deep. He had been checking for a long time but still couldn't find any clues.
As for Black Zetsu.
He had given up.
That fellow was too good at hiding. Unless he reached the state of the Sage of Six Paths, it would be impossible to detect its whereabouts.
"Then..."
"Found it!"
Suddenly, Kyohiko opened his eyes, the tomoe in them spinning.
This curse mark's position was very deep.
It was hidden in the deepest part of the heart, which meant that, in theory, there was only one way to destroy this curse mark—
Break the heart!
However.
Kyohiko observed for a while and thought of another possibility.
Let Nagato master Izanagi, and then with the help of Izanagi's ability, at the moment the heart is shattered but before he is completely dead, use Izanagi's ability to reverse death.
This method also applied to Obito.
However.
An idiot like Obito, so easily deceived, was not worth saving in Kyohiko's opinion.
Even.
That guy might not even live to the end.
Thinking of this, Kyohiko frowned slightly and said, "Elders, before you help the Great Toad Sage up, please take Nagato to Konoha first."
"This, alright!"
Seeing this, the two Toad Sages understood that there was no better way.
The current Mount Myoboku was no longer safe.
If Nagato continued to stay, the other eye might also be lost, and Mount Myoboku might face an even more terrible disaster.
Rather than that, it was better to let Kyohiko take him away.
Carrying him with him, if the problem could be solved, that would be for the best. If not, at least there would be a way to keep an eye on Nagato.
...
In the river, Rasa was on a boat, traveling north along the river to the Land of Rain.
He planned to go to the north to assist Konoha in completing a mission.
However.
Not long after arriving in the Land of Rain, a series of roaring sounds forced him to halt his actions.
Rasa tracked the sounds all the way.
As a result, he saw a chaotic battlefield.
The Hidden Rain Village and the Hidden Stone Village were fighting!
"Kill!"
"Damn Hidden Stone Village, repel them!"
"Assist Konan!"
On the battlefield, the sounds of killing shook the heavens. Ninjas from both sides were engaged in a fierce battle, and in the air, sheets of paper danced in a chaotic tangle.
With every flight, it would reap the lives of a swath of ninjas.
However.
Compared to the entire battlefield with its countless ninjas, the number of people she killed was too small!
Rasa's expression was dull.
The Hidden Rain Village...
Had actually been invaded!
Soon, he came to his senses.
At this time, if he didn't know, it would be one thing. But since he knew, he couldn't just sit by and watch.
With the opening of that mountain, a very special bond had formed between the Hidden Sand Village and the Hidden Rain Village.
The mountain could be dug away, but it could also be rebuilt.
Therefore.
The current Hidden Sand Village could no longer sit idly by.
"Go back quickly, inform the border outpost to dispatch ninjas to support the Hidden Rain Village as soon as possible, and have the outpost inform the village..."
"Yes!"
The ANBU ninja on the boat replied, then body-flickered away.
Rasa didn't hesitate.
Instantly, he shot out with a Sand Body Flicker.
In the rain, patches of golden sand suddenly appeared.
Then.
Boom!
The fortress built by the Hidden Stone ninjas quickly collapsed under the dismemberment of the gold dust, turning into a ruin.
"That is..."
Konan's figure landed, then instantly created a paper clone to observe.
The next second, she shouted loudly, "The Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village has come to support us! Everyone, hold on!"
"Yes!"
The Hidden Rain ninjas' spirits were lifted.
Reinforcements!
Excellent!
Just in time!
The war had only been going on for a few minutes, yet the Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village was able to arrive at the first moment and lend them a helping hand.
Such speed, not even their own village had such high efficiency!
Konan landed and quickly ate a soldier pill.
A short while later, Rasa body-flickered to the vicinity of their position.
"I am Rasa. What happened here?"
"Kazekage-sama!"
Konan raised her hand, signaling for the others to let Rasa through.
A short while later, Rasa walked up to Konan.
This young female ninja...
Rasa had some impression of her.
She had previously been active in the Land of Birds and had only recently returned to Konoha. Like the other one, Yahiko, she was now a mainstay of the Hidden Rain Village.
She was also present at the mountain opening last time.
The two exchanged intelligence.
Only then did Rasa know that Onoki was so crazy as to directly launch an attack on the Hidden Rain Village.
He frowned and said, "Did Onoki say anything?"
"He said that the actions of the Hidden Rain Village endangered the security of their country."
Konan was indignant.
During this time, the Hidden Rain Village had been busy managing the area north of the Land of Rivers, consolidating their newly expanded power and income.
Where would they find the time to seize the interests of the Land of Earth?
Isn't the Hidden Stone Village just bullying them?
She knew that war was unreasonable, but as a member of the Hidden Rain Village, Konan could not retreat at this moment.
Only defend and persevere!
As a result.
Unexpectedly, Rasa was the first to arrive, and he was just passing by...
Konan looked to the north, her brows furrowed.
"Onoki definitely didn't launch the attack suddenly. Something else must have happened that made Onoki dare to do so."
"Something happened to Konoha?"
Rasa was stunned.
In this day and age, who would dare to mess with Konoha?
Could it be...
His expression changed abruptly.
Uchiha Madara, has he finally decided to make a move?
His expression was grave.
"In that case, I understand Onoki's idea."
"He doesn't want to offend Konoha, nor does he want to offend Madara, and he wants to gain some benefits from this war..."
"He's playing his cards well!"
Rasa sneered.
As a Kage himself, over the years, he had handled many affairs and already understood how to view problems from the perspective and height of a Kazekage.
Onoki's choice was clearly to not offend either side.
However.
At a time like this, not offending either side means offending both sides.
Afterward, neither side will let him off easy.
Of course—
Rasa thought this way mainly because he didn't know that the current Onoki had already made a move on Konoha, but had failed and only then came here.
He took a deep breath, his thoughts gradually becoming clear.
"No matter what, we have to defend now and repel Onoki. You rest first, I'll help here."
As he spoke, golden sand spread out between the positions, turning into a rolling sandstorm that swept towards the opposite side.
The Hidden Stone Village ninjas immediately switched to a defensive posture.
"Thank you, Kazekage.-sama"
Konan breathed a sigh of relief.
She was naturally happiest that Rasa could understand the relationship between their two villages, and she felt a long sigh of relief in her heart.
If Rasa hadn't acted, she could have held on for a while, but after a while, she might not have been able to hold the line.
"It's nothing, but I can only hold on for a while, after all—"
Rasa looked into the distance.
Onoki had arrived!
"From now on, the real tough battle begins!"
Rasa's expression was grave.
He glanced at Konan and said, "Your name is..."
"Konan. My lord, my name is Konan."
"Konan, I'm afraid we'll have to fight side by side. I need you to cover me, or help me interfere with Onoki."
Over the years, Rasa had been tied down by the situation in the village, and his strength had not improved.
However.
He had improved greatly in one aspect, and that was self-awareness.
After a series of beatings, Rasa was well aware that he was not outstanding among the Kage, and could even be said to be at the bottom.
And the other party?
The Third Tsuchikage, possessing a power like Dust Release. Even if he had Magnet Release, it would be very difficult to block Onoki's attacks.
With Konan's help, it might be a little better.
Konan nodded, "No problem."
...
In Konoha, the massive Susanoo underwent another change.
As Obito's chakra and visual prowess were fully stimulated, the Susanoo entered a new form, and Obito floated in the air at the head of the Susanoo.
He looked down at Konoha.
Tsunade looked up, her eyes filled with disbelief.
This kind of Susanoo...
Even with her current power, she couldn't break it. Uchiha Obito was a true genius in this aspect.
Or rather—
Madara really taught him too well!
Tsunade gritted her teeth, preparing for a fight to the death.
Suddenly, above, Obito vaguely sensed that something was wrong.
The space was changing!
This is...
Not right!
Obito's pupils shrank, and he quickly wanted to retract his power and return to the other dimension.
However.
At this very moment, a figure landed beside him.
Namikaze Minato!
At this moment, Namikaze Minato had allowed the Nine-Tails clone to enter his body, reaching a special Tailed Beast state.
In his hand, a spiral ninjutsu emitted a buzzing roar.
Wind Release: Spiral Blade!
The three spinning wind blades, like a cutting machine, unleashed a terrifying power in the area where they touched the Susanoo.
The next instant.
Crack!
The part of the Susanoo closest to Obito was directly cut apart.
Obito controlled the Susanoo and quickly threw out a magatama.
This was the advanced power of the Susanoo.
However.
The next second, the Namikaze Minato in front of him instantly disappeared, leaving only a special kunai. Following that—
In the distance, a new Namikaze Minato appeared.
In his hand, he held a larger Wind Release Rasengan, and his body was covered with special patterns.
Sage Mode!
Sage Art: Rasenshuriken!