News of what had happened that night soon spread throughout the entire ninja world.
The Third Raikage led an elite squad and released the Two-Tails to launch a surprise attack on Iwagakure's main force.
Onoki was ambushed, injured, and fell unconscious.
The Third Raikage broke through the encirclement of the Stone shinobi alone.
All kinds of rumors flew across the ninja world.
The smaller ninja villages had been waiting to watch the grand spectacle of a four-village ninja coalition crusading against Amegakure.
In the end, Kumogakure and Iwagakure started fighting each other first.
But paper could not wrap fire.
The reason behind this conflict was soon dug up.
Reportedly, Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure had worked together to set a trap for Kumogakure.
Konoha's sickle, Hatake Sakumo, struck once again.
With the combined strength of three villages, he created a shocking scam. From top to bottom, all of Kumogakure had been harvested by a fraudulent company, suffering disastrous losses.
In the end, with no other choice, Kumogakure shattered the jar and launched a retaliatory operation.
The victims of the Land of Fire futures scam and the victims of the Land of Lightning Ponzi scheme immediately resonated with one another.
So the mastermind, Hatake Sakumo, had committed monstrous crimes in the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire!
This damned bastard had to be eliminated!
Hatake Sakumo's reputation rose like a rocket, soaring higher and higher.
More and more victims learned of his deeds.
His bounty also surged again.
Even Hanzo of the Salamander could only stare at his back.
The entire ninja world began eating melons.
Kumogakure seized the opportunity and immediately made a public statement across the ninja world, condemning Iwagakure's shameless actions.
Iwagakure had allied with Kumogakure, only to stab its ally in the back.
They deserved this calamity!
Kumogakure was the victim!
Of course, Kumogakure also condemned Konoha and Sunagakure in passing.
Their wording was fierce, and their emotions were intense.
The Kumogakure spokesperson even choked up and cried halfway through the statement.
No acting.
Pure emotion.
He must have invested a lot of money into Blue Sky Project Corporation.
Konoha responded without hesitation by issuing an equal statement across the ninja world.
Everything was Kumogakure's slander.
What Ponzi scheme?
What Blue Sky Project Corporation?
All slander!
Konoha was pure and innocent. How could it possibly do such a thing?
What is Konoha's White Fang?
What is Konoha's Sickle?
What Mr. Ponzi?
No, brother.
Does Konoha even have a shinobi called White Fang or Mr. Ponzi?
Not only that, Konoha even bit back.
The Third Raikage had embezzled village funds, illegally raised money inside his village, and finally failed in business investments.
Konoha activated its own channel advantages.
Television, magazines, and even erotic short films all began speaking out.
Every kind of public voice moved together, continuously fabricating scandals about Kumogakure.
They began attacking from trivial chicken-feather and garlic-skin matters, then dragged out the old case of Senju Tobirama being ambushed and killed during negotiations, aggressively farming another wave of traffic.
The criticism and attacks eventually escalated all the way to skin color.
You black-skinned people were born bad!
You actually launched a sneak attack at the negotiation table!
Rough and treacherous by nature.
Simple-minded and physically developed.
The mouthpieces Konoha had cultivated throughout the ninja world also spoke up together.
These people, funded by Konoha, spared no effort in whitewashing Konoha and praising everything about the village.
At the same time, they lifted one side while trampling the other, fiercely belittling and smearing Kumogakure.
Konoha was far, far ahead in public opinion guidance.
Far ahead, family!
Sunagakure was amazed by Konoha's shamelessness—
Cough, cough.
By Konoha's powerful public relations ability.
They followed Konoha in condemning Kumogakure's slanderous behavior.
As for Iwagakure, Onoki had fallen unconscious for an entire day.
Afterward, he dragged his injured body along to gather the Stone forces and clean up the aftermath, causing their public relations response to fall one step behind.
By the time Onoki reacted, ninja world public opinion had already nailed Iwagakure to the pillar of shame.
The ninja world was full of social Darwinists.
They could accept the strong bullying the weak.
But their attitude toward backstabbers was shockingly consistent.
Just like how prisoners treated rapists in prison.
Backstabbers deserved death from everyone!
At this point, Iwagakure could only follow Konoha's lead and issue a condemnation statement.
Since their reputation was already ruined, no one else should expect to have an easy time either.
For a time, the ninja world situation once again became foggy and difficult to predict.
The Third Mizukage, Suito, had only just brought Kirigakure's vanguard forces to the coastal port when the situation on the continent startled him.
This script wasn't right!
Why did it look like another Great Ninja War was about to break out?
Thus, Third Mizukage Suito immediately ordered the Kirigakure forces to set up camp on the spot.
Stay still for now.
Wait.
Observe the ninja world's situation first.
Konoha's Third Hokage might have set a trap for Kirigakure too!
Far away in Amegakure, Hanzo of the Salamander received the latest news from the ninja world.
He was so excited he couldn't sleep the entire night.
The Rain Village finally had a chance to breathe!
Although killing the Daimyo and those nobles had indeed felt wonderful, with those annoying mosquitoes no longer buzzing above his head, the severe consequences of doing all this had far exceeded Hanzo's imagination.
The counterattack from the ninja world's daimyō and nobles had come fast and fierce.
Economic sanctions had already begun.
All foreign trade had been cut off.
The mere inability to import grain from other countries had already left Hanzo scrambling.
With the Land of Rain's weather, large-scale grain cultivation was unsuitable.
The grain produced each year was definitely not enough to feed the population.
Therefore, they relied heavily on grain imports.
Now, the Land of Rain's grain trade had been suspended.
They could only rely on Konoha's support and the activities of smugglers who didn't fear death.
The grain sold by those smugglers was priced no differently from robbery.
Yet Hanzo could only grit his teeth and buy it.
The few grain channels they still had could not be allowed to break.
The Hokage of Konoha was still an honest man.
The grain price had only tripled.
That was practically a conscience price.
Moreover, the Rain Village had only focused on feeling good at the time.
The nobles had either been killed or fled to other countries.
Although those parasites were greedy and weak, in the end, managing a country and keeping it running smoothly was their profession.
The Rain shinobi were complete amateurs.
The domestic management structure of the Land of Rain was in chaos.
Externally, the four great ninja villages had mobilized together to attack Amegakure.
The internal and external turmoil pressed down on Hanzo's heart like a mountain, leaving him unable to breathe.
Now—
The situation had finally improved.
At the very least, the ninja coalition definitely could not be formed for the time being.
The threat of external enemies had been greatly reduced.
What remained was solving the country's internal administration.
Although the situation was still terrible, it was definitely much better than before.
"Was all of this within Konoha's control?"
Hanzo analyzed the ninja world's situation.
Konoha's Third Hokage had written to warn him long ago.
Nothing could be rushed.
He had to endure.
Lie dormant.
He could replace the Daimyo with someone obedient and willing to cooperate, but he should not exterminate all the daimyō and nobles.
A bad order was always better than no order.
If one wanted to overthrow everything and begin anew, then one had to be fully prepared.
Unfortunately, I didn't listen to the Hokage's words back then.
My reckless actions caused everything in the Land of Rain to collapse.
Could the Hokage have predicted my actions long ago?
Could he have planted the pieces in Kumogakure early, arranging this scam in advance?
Then, when the Rain Village was under siege, he seized the opportunity to detonate the scam.
With a single move, he shattered the ninja coalition formed by the four great villages.
Truly terrifying.
Everything was too coincidental.
So coincidental that Hanzo found it unbelievable.
Then Hanzo looked at the little red book that had always been placed on his desk and suddenly laughed silently.
Where in the world were there so many coincidences?
As expected of the great man who wrote the new Will of Fire.
Such far-sighted vision.
Such a deep strategy.
It was truly beyond his reach.
Somewhere in a forest in the Land of Fire.
"Otouto, are you certain the Two-Tails cat fled into the Land of Fire?"
"Of course, Elder Brother. I had White Zetsu tracking the Two-Tails the entire time!"
Black Zetsu's tone was extremely certain.
Tailed beasts were extremely important to Otsutsuki Kaguya's resurrection.
After Black Zetsu discovered that the Two-Tails had escaped the Stone shinobi encirclement and become a wild tailed beast, he immediately returned to Konoha to notify Uchiha Ren.
They had to capture the Two-Tails quickly!
Uchiha Ren was naturally overjoyed by this news.
Another free generator had come to his power plant!
After arranging his work, Uchiha Ren immediately followed Black Zetsu to capture the tailed beast.
After two days of high-intensity travel, Uchiha Ren decided to stop and rest.
He had Black Zetsu scout the Two-Tails' exact location.
He no longer wanted to keep taking detours.
"Elder Brother, hold on just a little longer. We're almost there!"
"Fine."
Uchiha Ren took three soldier pills from his pocket and ate them while walking.
These were special soldier pills made for him by Senju Tobirama.
Chocolate-flavored.
"Meowww!"
"That's the smell!"
"So good!"
Uchiha Ren soon heard the Two-Tails making noise.
He sped up and arrived at a wide field nearby.
The Two-Tails cat was rolling around in a pile of grass, eating mouthfuls of it.
"Is that catnip?"
Uchiha Ren looked at the Two-Tails cat's tongue hanging out, its eyes gradually losing focus.
This expression was exactly the same as Manji after taking catnip.
As expected of a cat.
They all loved this stuff.
"Who is it?!"
"Meow roar!"
The Two-Tails cat had been enjoying happiness it had not felt in decades when it suddenly sensed someone approaching.
"The Two-Tails cat is quite vigilant."
"Stronger than my stupid cat at home."
"Ever since I became Hokage, that cat has completely fallen into corruption and decadence."
"Every day, it has nothing to do and wanders the streets of Konoha."
Uchiha Ren sighed as he walked toward the Two-Tails cat.
"Elder Brother, be careful."
Black Zetsu hid in the ground and reminded Uchiha Ren not to underestimate the enemy.
"Relax."
"A wild tailed beast before the Mangekyō Sharingan is as obedient as a house cat."
Uchiha Ren did not take the Two-Tails seriously.
Tailed beasts inside jinchūriki could not be easily controlled by the Sharingan's ocular power.
But the Two-Tails was currently a wild tailed beast.
"Human!"
"Detestable human!"
Upon seeing Uchiha Ren, the Two-Tails cat instantly bristled all over.
With a roar, it charged toward him.
"Although I like cats, disobedient cats need to be disciplined."
Sickle-shaped patterns appeared in Uchiha Ren's eyes.
The instant their gazes met, the powerful ocular force of the Mangekyō Sharingan invaded the Two-Tails cat's mental space.
The Two-Tails cat's mental space.
"Hello, cat."
Uchiha Ren looked at the motionless Two-Tails cat and greeted it kindly.
In the mental space, the Two-Tails cat's body was not enormous.
It was only a little over ten meters tall.
But it still looked arrogant and untamed.
"Mangekyō Sharingan?"
"You're Uchiha!"
The Two-Tails cat felt its body lose control.
This powerful, domineering ocular force reminded it of some unpleasant memories.
Long ago, two black-haired men had come looking for it shoulder-to-shoulder.
One kind and gentle.
One cold and stern.
But neither man had been good!
It hadn't done anything, yet the two of them captured it!
"Two-Tails cat, your name is Matatabi, right?"
"Become my cat!"
Uchiha Ren directly stated his position.
Since this adorable big cat had been caught by him, then it had to become his cat.
"Impossible!"
"I am a powerful tailed beast! How could I become your pet?!"
The Two-Tails cat roared and immediately rejected Uchiha Ren's proposal.
"Looks like the cat needs to be trained."
Uchiha Ren grinned.
A phantom of Susanoo appeared around him.
In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a hundred-meter-tall giant.
One hand lifted the Two-Tails cat by the scruff of its neck.
"Cat, you'd better listen to me."
"Otherwise, your ending will be sealed again."
"You tailed beasts have their own communication methods. You should have heard the term jinchūriki, right?"
"Several of your tailed beast siblings have already been locked in dark rooms and turned into power sources for jinchūriki."
"Then they'll be passed down generation after generation, never having another chance at freedom."
"For example, the Nine-Tails."
"It's already been locked up for more than ten years."
"Every day, it gets tied into an S-shape with chains by its jinchūriki, then has its backside whipped."
"Even its mouth is bound shut, so it can't even cry out."
Uchiha Ren threatened the Two-Tails cat.
The Two-Tails cat's limbs hung weakly.
Listening to Uchiha Ren's words, it couldn't help imagining the miserable state of the Nine-Tails being tortured.
That arrogant Nine-Tails had actually fallen so low.
Hadn't the Nine-Tails said it lived very well in Konoha?
Foxes truly didn't speak a single honest word.
They only knew how to brag!
Would I have to live like that too if I go to Konoha?
No!
I just obtained freedom!
I only ate a few mouthfuls of catnip!
The Two-Tails cat considered Uchiha Ren's words.
It no longer had a chance to escape.
This ocular force was the natural enemy of tailed beasts.
Although agreeing to Uchiha Ren's conditions would shame its dignity as a tailed beast, it was still better than living like the Nine-Tails!
"If I become your cat, what benefits do I get?"
"Konoha can establish a dedicated conservation zone for you."
"I'll give you a large forest as your home."
"I won't restrict your freedom."
"Of course, you'll have to pay rent every month. Your chakra."
"Your chakra recovers anyway."
"Anything else?"
"Hmm…"
"Unlimited catnip supply!"
"I'll send people to plant a huge field of catnip in your forest."
Uchiha Ren rubbed his chin and said experimentally.
"Then it's settled."
"I'll go back to Konoha with you."
"You're not allowed to mistreat me."
"You must guarantee my safety."
"You can't restrict my freedom."
"And I can eat as much catnip as I want every day!"
The Two-Tails cat compromised and accepted its fate.
It was willing to become Uchiha Ren's cat.
"Deal!"
"You're my cat. I'll protect you."
"Then let's sign a summoning contract."
Uchiha Ren nodded in satisfaction and put the cat down.
He lifted the cat's belly and carved a mark onto it, feeling a connection form between himself and the Two-Tails cat.
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