"What's your opinion?"
The masked man's voice echoed through the council hall as he awaited Shinju's reply.
"Nine Tailed Beasts. You have three sealed within yourself. The remaining two are inside Naruto and Killer B… If I had your cooperation, my Eye of the Moon Plan would proceed much more smoothly."
A hint of amusement crept into the masked man's tone.
Shinju refused without hesitation.
"I have no need to seek a sense of existence in an illusion. Besides, after fighting you for this long, you should already understand my stance. ┐(´-｀)┌"
The masked man nodded, as if he had already predicted that answer. He sighed, feigning disappointment.
"That's a shame. ㄟ(▔,▔)ㄏ"
At that moment, the Raikage suddenly noticed something. His tone shot up, his voice trembling.
"Why didn't you mention Yugito when you talked about the Tailed Beasts just now?! (๑ʘ̅ д ʘ̅๑)!!!"
The masked man chuckled lightly, answering with ease.
"Because that kunoichi is currently in Akatsuki's secret base… undergoing Tailed Beast extraction. (ﾉ∇︎〃 )"
Shinju's expression stiffened upon hearing that.
(´°Δ°`)
What?!
He had just returned from Kumogakure with the Raikage—how could Yugito have been captured by Akatsuki so soon?!
The masked man wasn't done yet. He smirked at the furious Raikage.
"Come to think of it, you really haven't been protecting your jinchūriki very well. Just a few jōnin as guards? How could they possibly stop Akatsuki… (｡◝ᴗ◜｡)"
With that, the masked man stood.
"Alright, I've said what I needed to say, and asked what I needed to ask."
"Since none of you are willing to join my plan, there's nothing more to discuss."
"When I arrived, you Kage were preparing to form an alliance army—to completely wipe out Akatsuki, weren't you?"
"Then allow me, Uchiha Madara, to officially declare war upon you all!"
"The Fourth Great Ninja War begins!"
The masked man's gaze lingered deeply on Shinju.
"Next time we meet… it will be on the battlefield."
Whoosh—
Space rippled, and the masked man's figure vanished!
At the instant he disappeared, Shinju's expression changed slightly—he seemed to have sensed Sasuke's chakra for a fleeting moment.
Could it be…
...
After the masked man's departure, Mifune spoke gravely.
"This meeting place was chosen for its secrecy. I didn't expect Akatsuki to find it nonetheless."
"Now isn't the time to worry about that," said the old Tsuchikage, his hands clasped behind his back, voice heavy with years of fatigue. "Uchiha Madara has officially declared war… The world just found peace a few years ago, and now it's chaos again…"
Standing behind him, Kurotsuchi asked her grandfather,
"I've never experienced war before… What's a real, large-scale war like?"
The Tsuchikage shook his head slowly.
"It's something you'll never want to see…"
The Raikage, ever impatient, cut in.
"Enough talk. This isn't the time for chatting. We need to head back and prepare immediately!"
"The enemy hides in the shadows while we stand in the light. We must form the Allied Forces as soon as possible and act cautiously. ٩(๑`^´๑)۶"
And with that, the Five Kage Summit came to an end.
The Kage, their negotiations concluded, began to make their way home.
At that moment, the Raikage once again approached Shinju.
This time, Shinju already knew what he wanted before he even spoke.
"You want me to help find your Two-Tails jinchūriki, don't you?" Shinju asked.
The Raikage nodded, speaking frankly.
"I didn't expect Akatsuki to move so fast… As long as you can bring Yugito back alive, I'll double your commission!"
Double the pay was certainly tempting—but Shinju didn't accept the risky mission right away. He spoke honestly.
"I've fought Akatsuki several times before. They've developed methods to counter my chakra sensing. I can't guarantee I'll be able to find the Two-Tails for sure."
The Raikage shook his head.
"That's fine. I'm not asking you to bring back the Tailed Beast—just her, alive. I believe you're capable of that much."
Shinju nodded.
"Since you put it that way, Raikage-sama, I'll take this request."
After escorting Tsunade and the others back to Konoha, Shinju set out once again—toward Kumogakure.
...
Land of Rain — Within an ancient battlefield ruin.
Kabuto stood cloaked, his entire body hidden beneath his robe.
Before him, a bound and terrified ninja knelt within the ruins as Kabuto wove hand seals—performing a strange, forbidden technique.
A moment later, dust enveloped the living ninja's body, reshaping him into an entirely different person!
Kabuto's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"So, tell me—are you the former leader of Amegakure, Hanzo of the Salamander?"
The resurrected ninja scratched his head awkwardly.
"Uh… no, I'm not Lord Hanzo. I was Lord Hanzo's right-hand man… (個_個)"
Kabuto sighed but accepted the result. After all, when drawing cards, you can't expect a jackpot every time.
"Still, if you were Hanzo's right-hand man, you must be quite powerful, right?"
The resurrected ninja quickly added,
"I wasn't finished. I was the right-hand man of Lord Hanzo's right-hand man's right-hand man….
Kabuto's expression darkened immediately.
"Alright, alright, enough with the introductions… (ー_ー)!!"
Kabuto had already allied himself with the masked man, and he knew that the latter had likely now completely fallen out with the Five Great Villages—openly declaring war.
War was always merciless and cruel. Kabuto's goal before it began was simple—expand his own strength as fast as possible.
Training himself further wasn't enough in the short time left.
So he turned to Edo Tensei.
By using that technique to resurrect powerful dead shinobi, and binding them with special mental seals, Kabuto could command them freely—creating an immortal army of the reanimated dead!
However, Edo Tensei required physical remnants of the deceased. Thus, Kabuto began his grim journey to collect the remains of powerful shinobi.
Unfortunately, most of the great warriors of the past had died horribly—their bodies hidden away or reduced to fragments. So Kabuto began his endless cycle of trial and error… his "summoning lottery."
...
In another dimension.
Sasuke, Karin, and the others stepped back warily as the masked man appeared before them.
"You've imprisoned me here," Sasuke said coldly, gripping his sword. "What exactly do you want?"
The masked man ignored the question.
"I've already declared war on the Five Great Villages at the Kage Summit!"
"It won't be long before my Eye of the Moon Plan succeeds! (＾ワ＾)"
"Ha!" Karin snapped, stepping forward without fear.
"Keep dreaming! As long as Shinju's still in this world, your ridiculous plan will never succeed! (′д｀σ)σ"
The masked man chuckled, clearly in good spirits.
"Of course I know that. That's why I've already prepared a plan tailor-made for Shinju. ( ´▽` )"
"I can't wait to see the look in that arrogant kid's eyes when he dies. ≧∇≦"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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