Old grudges resurface, hidden hands begin to move, and once again—war looms over the ninja world.
"Tsk tsk… things are getting lively in the shinobi world," Zetsu said lightly.
"Looks like another conflict is brewing."
"Obito… your plan might be going up in smoke."
Those words only made Obito's mood darker.
He was already irritated after reading the intelligence reports—
and now Zetsu was rubbing salt into the wound.
Out of nowhere, the world was sliding toward war again.
Everything he had so carefully arranged was being disrupted.
He had already taken revenge on Konoha once—
released the Nine-Tails, shattered Kirigakure from within,
and was preparing to advance the Eye of the Moon Plan,
to create a world where only Rin existed.
Yet boredom had led him astray.
He had reached out to Uchiha Itachi, intending to recruit him into Akatsuki—
only for Alaric Sarutobi to start throwing the entire board into chaos.
Because of Alaric's meddling, the Uchiha clan stabilized instead of collapsing.
Contact with Itachi was cut off completely.
That alone was infuriating enough.
And now?
The shinobi world was marching toward another large-scale conflict.
"Hmph. My plan is flawless," Obito said coldly.
"It's only a matter of sooner or later."
"But this—" his voice hardened,
"I'll remember this."
"I'll settle this debt with Alaric Sarutobi."
With that, Obito ignored Zetsu entirely.
To him, Zetsu was nothing more than a tool left behind by Madara—
useful, but insignificant.
He had no idea that this tool was the true mastermind lurking in the shadows.
Even so, Obito wasn't about to waste an opportunity.
War meant battlefields.
And battlefields meant Uchiha deaths.
Which also meant… fresh Sharingan.
It was the perfect time to replenish his collection.
And perhaps—
if fate allowed—
he could run into Itachi on the battlefield and finally pull him into Akatsuki.
The thought pleased him.
Space around Obito twisted violently.
A vortex formed.
And in the blink of an eye—
he vanished.
"Tsk tsk tsk…" White Zetsu muttered as he watched.
"Looks like Obito's heading to Konoha again."
Black Zetsu remained silent, staring into the distance.
No one knew what calculations were forming behind that dark, unreadable gaze.
Akatsuki Hideout
At this stage, Akatsuki was still little more than a prototype.
Aside from Pain and Konan,
there were only a handful of members—
Kisame, Kakuzu, Sasori, and Orochimaru.
Many future members—
like Itachi and Deidara—
had yet to join.
The base felt eerily empty.
Yet today, Pain had summoned everyone.
"The situation in the shinobi world," Pain said evenly.
"What are your thoughts?"
The reactions varied.
Kisame and Sasori showed little interest.
Kakuzu's eyes gleamed—already calculating battlefield profits.
Orochimaru, meanwhile, said nothing, his gaze flickering with unknown intent.
Seeing this, Pain gave a few brief instructions before dismissing the meeting.
Akatsuki still lacked manpower.
Exposing their true goal—collecting the Tailed Beasts—was unwise.
For now, they would observe.
But promising talents?
Those were worth keeping an eye on.
Fire Country – A Hot Spring Town
News of impending war had spread across the entire shinobi world.
Within the Fire Country, anxiety hung thick in the air.
After searching for a long time, Jiraiya finally found an open hot spring.
As he soaked in the steaming water, his expression remained grim.
"Ah… the shinobi world's about to fall into chaos again," he muttered.
"Looks like it's time to head back to Konoha."
For years, Jiraiya had wandered the world gathering intelligence—
especially about the masked man responsible for Minato's death during the Nine-Tails incident.
That mystery was the reason he stayed away for so long.
But now?
War was coming.
And if he didn't return, Konoha would suffer greatly.
Decision made, Jiraiya rose from the water.
Tanzaku Town
Once lively and crowded, Tanzaku Street had grown noticeably quieter under the shadow of war.
Yet one place remained as lively as ever—
The casino.
After all, gamblers feared nothing.
War?
That was nothing compared to addiction.
And at the center of it all—
The Legendary Sucker.
"All in! Big!"
"Open it already!"
"One! Two! Three! Small—six points!"
The chips vanished instantly.
Tsunade showed no reaction at all.
But Shizune nearly collapsed.
"Lady Tsunade! You can't keep gambling!"
"We're about to lose our last meal money!"
"Please—save at least something!"
Tsunade didn't even seem to hear her.
She pushed the remaining chips forward.
All in.
Again.
Lost.
Shizune stared at the empty table, soul crushed.
Following Lady Tsunade means starving nine days out of ten…
Debt collectors. Running. Hiding.
When would this end?
For Tsunade, gambling was simply a way to forget everything.
Years at the table had taught her one thing:
Going all-in was wisdom.
Shizune strongly disagreed.
As for the coming war?
Tsunade paid it no mind.
The two disappeared into the streets once more—
broke, fleeing, as always.
Konoha – Hokage's Office
"So… Kumogakure has already begun deploying troops to the border?"
Hiruzen asked quietly.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," an ANBU replied.
"And we've confirmed movement from their Jinchūriki as well."
"This time, Kumogakure is fully prepared."
Hiruzen's brow furrowed.
He drew slowly on his pipe, smoke curling through the room.
Silence stretched on.
Finally, he spoke.
"Summon the Advisor," he said.
"And the two new Councillors."
"This storm… can't be handled lightly."
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