Danzo grew increasingly excited as he thought. "Selling off Akatsuki? There won't be any evidence linking me to them anymore. Even if they reveal the truth before dying, I can just claim they're trying to smear me!"
"As for Seiki Shimaseki... Although Akatsuki was ultimately destroyed by him, as long as he kills the remaining Four Kage, he'd clearly be unfit to become Hokage!"
At this thought, a faint smirk couldn't help but appear on Danzo's lips.
From his previous experience of gaining the upper hand against Seiki Shimaseki, physically defeating him was simply impossible.
To defeat Seiki Shimaseki, he had to cleverly use the so-called "rules"!
"Also, those photos could come in handy!" Danzo schemed inwardly. "I'll take full credit for discovering Akatsuki's hideout and exposing the mind control over the Four Kage."
"Then, I can use the incident of the Four Kage being controlled to argue their subordinates are all Akatsuki remnants, thereby removing the leadership of the other Four Great Ninja Villages and replacing them with my own men!"
"Not only Hokage, but even the Kage of the entire shinobi world—I could take that title too! Hehehe..."
Hearing the deliberately restrained yet still very eerie shrill laughter from inside the room, Tatsuma, standing outside and about to knock, felt a bit awkward.
Is Hokage-sama off his rocker today?
However, considering the urgent intelligence he had just received, Tatsuma didn't hesitate much longer and lightly knocked on the door.
Upon hearing the knock, the laughter inside the room stopped abruptly, soon followed by a low voice.
"Come in!"
Tatsuma pushed open the door and saw Hokage-sama sitting in his chair, looking serious while reviewing some documents.
"Do you have something to report?"
"We received intelligence from our undercover agent in Iwagakure. Just now, Akatsuki suddenly gathered their forces and attacked Iwagakure. At great cost, with Tsuchikage and the Four-Tails Jinchuriki gravely wounded and in a coma, and many elite Jonin injured, they barely managed to hold out until... um... until Seiki arrived!"
Danzo hesitated briefly, then nodded slowly. "How did the Akatsuki members escape?"
"Truly admirable, Hokage-sama, to remain so composed even upon receiving such shocking news!" Tatsuma carefully flattered inwardly before quickly continuing, "They used Kuchiyose no Jutsu. The moment Seiki arrived, they were instantly summoned away!"
"Even regular members can use Kuchiyose no Jutsu now!" Danzo's eyes narrowed slightly. Although he had been knocked out and taken away at the very start of the Kage Summit battle previously, after being released, he had still gathered information about how the battle proceeded afterwards. He knew that the Kuchiyose no Jutsu at that time only seemed to transport those with the Rinnegan.
"This could be a bit troublesome. If we can't take out the Akatsuki members, there might be complications with using them to my advantage!" Danzo pondered, soon brightening as an idea struck him. "I've got it! The Flying Thunder God Technique!"
"That guy Seiki can use the Flying Thunder God Technique! If I remind him about this, and have him secretly place Flying Thunder God Technique Forms on Akatsuki members, he could instantly appear next to the one using Kuchiyose no Jutsu and eliminate them all!"
Although he had a lot of disagreements with Seiki Shimaseki, Danzo never underestimated him. With Seiki's abilities, accomplishing what he had in mind wouldn't be difficult.
Thinking this, Danzo regained his composure.
"I already know about the attack on Iwagakure. That Akatsuki group has become too arrogant... Tatsuma, send invitations to the other Four Great Ninja Villages, telling them I will be holding a Kage Summit to discuss our response to the Akatsuki and the war!"
"Holding a Kage Summit?" Tatsuma couldn't help but feel surprised—would anyone actually respond at this critical moment?
Besides, didn't the Hokage lack that kind of prestige?
Reading Tatsuma's mind, Danzo took out several photos he had saved previously.
"Make copies of these photos and send one copy to each of the four villages. When they see these photos, they naturally will come!"
Tatsuma accepted the photos doubtfully. But one glance at them sent shockwaves through him. "Hokage-sama, this is..."
"Don't speak, don't ask," Danzo waved his hand calmly. "Just follow my instructions!"
Tatsuma exhaled heavily, "Yes, I understand!"
...
Iwagakure.
The once peaceful ninja village now lay in ruins.
The stench of blood and burning filled the air, and cries of pain and lamentation could be heard everywhere.
Buildings had collapsed, the ground had cracked open, as though the village had just endured an earthquake.
The refugees who had come from the Land of Earth and its surrounding regions looked dazed—if even Iwagakure, one of the Five Great Hidden Villages, had suffered such a disaster, then where in this world could still be called a Pure Land (Jingtu)?
"Where am I?" Kitsuchi mumbled dazedly as he opened his eyes, then quickly snapped awake, "Wait, I was fighting enemies from the Akatsuki!"
But before he could force himself to sit up, he heard people around him cheering:
"Thank goodness, Lord Kitsuchi has finally woken up!"
"All thanks to Lord Seiki!"
"If it weren't for Lord Seiki, not only Lord Kitsuchi, even Iwagakure might have been destroyed!"
It had been eight years since the end of the Third Great Ninja War. For ninja, eight years was enough time for a generational shift.
The younger generation had never experienced war, so they bore little hatred toward Seiki. In fact, many had grown up hearing his legends. Admiration was the prevailing sentiment.
With Seiki saving Iwagakure this time, their admiration for him had only increased!
Among the cheers, Seiki was maintaining an enormous Medical Ninjutsu technique called [Serenity Rain], covering the entire Iwagakure, while he asked, "How are you feeling? Better?"
Kitsuchi noticed the immense life force contained within the fine rain and coughed twice, "Is...is it really you who saved us?"
Seiki nodded, "Yes, I arrived just in time!"
"By the way, where is my father?" Kitsuchi looked around.
Seeing him struggling to rise, people around him quickly pressed him back down.
"Lord Tsuchikage is currently gravely wounded and unconscious!"
"However, after Lord Seiki treated the Tsuchikage, he was no longer in danger of his life!"
Upon hearing what everyone said, Kitsuchi's expression became complex.
Kitsuchi lost his right arm and his father his left leg — all because of Seiki. Even Iwagakure's former glory had faded due to him. But looking at the real root of it all, you could say we had it coming.
Yet now, instead of holding a grudge, he came personally to reinforce us, even taking the initiative to rescue people!
"Compared to Deidara, both my father and I seem somewhat narrow-minded," Kitsuchi thought with an inward sigh, then forced himself to speak, "Th... Thank you!"
Each word felt as heavy as a thousand-pound weight, yet once spoken, a sense of liberation came over Kitsuchi, as if a burden had been lifted.
Looking at the young people around him, he mused silently, "Maybe these kids really are better suited for this era..." Then he suddenly spotted something. "Wait a second—when did that little brat Deidara sneak over there?"
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