By now, the Hidden Cloud must have already realized that the Hidden Stone was attacked by a Tailed Beast Ball. They'll be locking down their defenses tight. If I want to use another Tailed Beast Ball on the Hidden Cloud, it's going to take a lot more effort than before.
Suddenly, a thought struck Gisei—his Storm Release.
As everyone knew, Storm Release was a Kekkei Genkai unique to the Hidden Cloud. If he used Storm Release exclusively while hunting down their Kekkei Genkai users, and then deliberately left a survivor to tell the tale...
The Hidden Cloud wouldn't be able to explain themselves even if they were covered in mouths. The relationship between the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning would deteriorate rapidly.
By then, they would definitely mass troops at the border for a standoff, giving him the perfect opportunity to slip into the Hidden Cloud and fish in troubled waters.
Gisei chuckled to himself, feeling more and more convinced that bombing the major villages with Tailed Beast Balls was the correct move.
Once he dropped a Tailed Beast Ball on the Hidden Cloud, it would be strange if they didn't explode in anger.
You Hidden Stone people got hit by a Tailed Beast, so you use a Tailed Beast to hit us back?
Coupled with the tense atmosphere at the border, there would be nothing left to discuss—they would go straight to war.
Of course, neither the Hidden Stone nor the Hidden Cloud were fools. Both villages being attacked by Tailed Beasts would definitely make them sense something was off.
But it didn't matter. As long as they couldn't find any hard evidence, they would be swept up by the public outrage within their own villages and forced into conflict.
Current events would push the two villages into war regardless of the truth. This was no longer a situation individuals could influence; even the Tsuchikage and Raikage wouldn't be able to stop the spiral.
"Is it really okay for you to do this?"
Shiro's voice suddenly rang in his ears.
Gisei paused. "What do you mean?"
"Provoking a Great Ninja War will kill many people. Once the flames are ignited, everything will spiral completely out of control. The entire ninja world will be dragged into it, and Konoha won't be an exception."
Entering his mental space, Gisei looked at Shiro with a strange expression. "I'm not even worried about that kind of thing. What wind is blowing you now?"
"I'm just reminding you that once things spiral, you won't be able to control the outcome. And do you know what your behavior is called? Terrorism."
Gisei rolled his eyes. "This world is different from my past life. Here, the strong are respected. Even if I am a terrorist, as long as I'm strong enough, no one can do anything about it."
Shiro smiled bitterly. "Almost none of the villains I saw in your memories had a good ending. You have to be careful; if you walk too many dark roads at night, you're bound to run into a ghost eventually."
"Hey, why are you cursing me for no reason? You're giving me the creeps."
Shiro was silent for a moment before sighing. "Once Konoha is dragged into the war, your clansmen and Anna Takemoto's clansmen will all be forced to join the fight."
The corner of Gisei's mouth twitched. "That has nothing to do with you. I'll take them to the battlefield myself and protect them as much as possible."
"Don't use lies to trick me," Shiro said, his tone meaningful. "I can perceive all your thoughts. You're just paying lip service. In reality, you don't care about them at all."
Gisei was left speechless.
"Not just your clansmen, even Anna... well, I know that when she confessed to you back then, you didn't like her at all. You only accepted her to appease the ninja clans. Fortunately, you've gotten along well these past few years, and you've gradually developed some real feelings for her. Am I right?"
Seeing that Gisei remained silent, Shiro continued, "You really are a hopeless person, selfish to the extreme."
Shamed into anger by Shiro's words, Gisei snapped, "You think you know everything! Then do you know how painful it was when they forced me into a corner with no way out?!"
Shiro shook his head. "I'm not arguing with you about right and wrong. I just want to tell you... at the end of this road, only endless loneliness remains."
Gisei sneered. "You don't need to tell me that. I've long since prepared for it. Doing bad things naturally comes with punishment."
Shiro smiled bitterly. "Why make things hard for yourself? Your pain is my pain. I hate that feeling. Actually, you can do better. Protect the people around you, and don't worry about the rest. While giving pain to your enemies, enjoy the taste of happiness yourself."
"You must be dreaming. Where in this world is there such a good thing? Hurting others is destined to bring hurt upon oneself eventually."
Shiro shook his head. "Precisely because it is a beautiful dream, it has value in being realized. I will help you realize this dream, so you can obtain happiness."
Hearing Shiro's words, Gisei's expression became complicated. "You... why..."
"I like the feeling of you lying on a deck chair, basking in the sun. The respectful gazes of others make my heart rejoice. I like the slightly sweet taste of when you are with Anna even more. In short, I like all your wonderful feelings."
"Like drinking mellow wine—slightly tipsy, floating on air, feeling pleasantly intoxicated between dream and wakefulness."
Hearing Shiro show off his poetic side, Gisei felt a strange mixture of awkwardness and emotion.
Shiro pointed at him with a smile. "That is the feeling. It's intoxicating."
Gisei stared at him for a long time, then suddenly laughed maniacally, laughing until he was out of breath.
Shiro also began to smile, though much more reservedly.
Looking at that face, identical to his own, wearing such a genuine smile, Gisei gently patted his shoulder. "Tell me honestly, do you like me?"
"Oh my, is it not okay to like oneself?"
"Well, I'm starting to like you too."
"You don't think insects are disgusting anymore?"
"I finally understand. You are me, and I am you. This is what's called a shared life form. It feels really good!"
Shiro patted his shoulder back. "Others' joys and sorrows cannot be shared, but our happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy are linked together."
"Your pain is my pain, and your happiness is also my happiness."
Gisei nodded with a smile. "Shiro, you know my plan. What is your opinion?"
"I don't have any opinion. I just feel that you are really too extreme, that's why I reminded you."
"Give pain to those guys who make you unhappy, but don't be buried with them. You must seek your own happiness; that is true life."
Gisei sighed. "How can one have both fish and bear's paw? Provoking a Great Ninja War now, regardless of the consequences, will definitely implicate my clansmen. Maybe Anna already knows I did it. Although she agreed with my methods before, when faced with the reality, it's inevitable she'll have second thoughts."
Shiro blinked. "Women need to be coaxed. If you don't tell the truth, even if she knows, she will pretend not to know."
"You... you really are wicked."
"This is a white lie I learned from you."
Gisei shook his head with a bitter smile.
Shuichi Takemoto had been dead for two years now, and Gisei had long since figured out some things.
The old man did indeed scheme against him. Perhaps Anna confessing to him back then was also under the old man's instruction.
He didn't deny that he had ulterior motives when he accepted Anna, mainly that gaining the support of the ninja clans would be beneficial for his revenge.
Now that things had progressed to this stage, and he wasn't at home, it was very likely that Anna had already guessed he was behind the attacks.
Would she really approve of his methods?