Soon, Izumi arrived with a large amount of fish.
Soma dug a pit next to the orange tree, then buried all the fish in it.
He covered it back with soil.
"It's complete now."
Soma looked at the orange tree and nodded in satisfaction.
"Even the growth speed seems to have increased."
"Based on this, it will bloom in about half a month."
"It's a bit out of season."
"But, this orange tree is no longer an ordinary one, so it's understandable."
"After it blooms, it will bear fruit."
Soma's eyes showed a hint of expectation.
...
...
"First the Kaguya Clan, now the Hozuki Clan. This Hidden Mist Village is practically a ninja killer."
"I wonder what the remaining ninja clans in Hidden Mist Village are thinking. Are they all feeling threatened…"
"Not necessarily. After all, the Kaguya Clan was wiped out by Kaguya Neko, and the Hozuki Clan was reportedly destroyed because of their rebellious actions."
"Kaguya Neko? One person, in one night, almost exterminated the entire Kaguya Clan. I don't believe it."
"As for the Hozuki Clan, it's a matter of survival. A ninja clan that rebels either disappears or takes over, with the previous village elders vanishing."
"One side must disappear to end the chaos."
Hidden Cloud Village.
The Fourth Raikage looked towards Hidden Mist Village.
"I wonder if this might be an opportunity."
"In the past, Hidden Mist Village had no valuable resources, but the Zanpakuto is worth taking action for."
Killer B looked over.
"Big brother, do you want to take action against Hidden Mist Village?"
The Fourth Raikage nodded.
"I'm considering it, but we should wait until Konoha is dealt with first. Konoha is close to surrendering."
"Once we get the compensation from Konoha, we can then look into Hidden Mist Village."
Hidden Rock Village and Hidden Cloud Village had similar thoughts.
The Zanpakuto made these ninja villages very eager.
It was even more valuable than Kekkei Genkai.
Meanwhile, Hidden Sand Village sent more ninjas to the battlefield to launch a fierce attack against the Hidden Mist Army led by Biwa Juzo.
For a time, the Hidden Mist Army was pushed back significantly.
...
Konoha.
Hiruzen stared intently at the ANBU ninja in front of him.
"What's the situation?"
"Lord Third, Hidden Mist Village has completely stabilized the situation."
Hiruzen showed a disappointed expression.
Hearing the news of the Hozuki Clan's extermination, Hiruzen had hoped it might be an opportunity.
But he didn't expect Hidden Mist Village to stabilize the situation so quickly and easily.
This meant that Konoha's situation was still as dire as before.
Hiruzen sighed.
"Now, it really seems that surrender is the only option left."
"Minato's actions have also failed."
Most people in Konoha were now caught in pessimism.
Minato returned to Konoha in a very depressed mood.
Jiraiya felt very guilty.
Orochimaru had a cold smile on his face.
But he was also worried about Konoha.
Even though he hadn't attained the position of Hokage, and even though he had suffered unfair treatment during the process.
But at this point, deep in Orochimaru's heart, there was still Konoha.
Orochimaru had not been expelled by Hiruzen and labeled as a rogue ninja.
Even with Konoha in his heart, Orochimaru still had his own thoughts.
Obito's expression was grim.
"Soma wasn't killed…"
"Hidden a good life-preserving technique."
"However, exterminating the Hozuki Clan is not a complete loss for me."
"The strength of Hidden Mist Village has been somewhat weakened."
Obito reassured himself a few times.
Then, Obito looked towards Konoha.
"For now, Hidden Mist Village won't take any more immediate actions. What I need to focus on next is the situation in Konoha. I absolutely cannot let Konoha surrender."
"The war cannot end like this."
Obito's figure appeared in Konoha.
Upon entering Konoha, Obito's expression grew even darker.
"Just as I expected, Konoha is already prepared to surrender."
"Surrender in exchange for peace."
"Compensation in exchange for the chance to recover."
"Minato-sensei and Kakashi have both returned to Konoha."
"Since they've returned, Kakashi will definitely visit Rin's grave."
Obito arrived at the cemetery, looking at Nohara Rin's gravestone.
"Rin, I'm sorry, I have to use you once again."
"But this is all for us."
"Don't blame me."
Obito felt a deep sense of guilt toward *Rin.
But when it came to Kakashi, Minato, or Kushina, Obito felt no such remorse.
Kakashi appeared.
Standing alone before Rin's gravestone.
As if she were still alive, he began talking to her.
About the events on the battlefield.
His own progress.
Minato's situation.
The state of the village.
...
Kakashi talked for a long time.
Only when night fell and the sky grew dim did Kakashi come back to his senses.
"Rin, goodbye."
Obito watched Kakashi's departing figure and smiled.
"Kushina-san's due date is in ten days?"
"That's wonderful!"
"There's plenty of time!"
"On Kushina-san's delivery day, the seal will weaken, and I'll be able to control the Nine-Tails, creating a massive disturbance in Konoha and further deteriorating their situation."
"In this case, Konoha might not even have the option to surrender."
"The war will continue!"
"The ninja villages eyeing the division of Konoha, like greedy jackals, will definitely not accept Konoha's surrender conditions but will crave more."
"Furthermore, if Konoha collapses completely, some elite ninjas will inevitably become like wandering ninjas."
"I can then persuade these people to become my pawns!"
"Let them join the Akatsuki Organization."
"Accelerate the realization of the Eye of the Moon Plan!"
Obito grew excited.
"Ten days…"
"I can hardly wait."
...
...
Soma sat beneath the orange tree, summarizing his situation.
[Name: Soma.]
[Comprehensive Strength: Jonin.]
[Swordsmanship: Good (13300).]
[Body Modification Technique: Familiar (2000).]
[Sage's Plant Cultivation Technique: Novice (1000).]
[Ability: Underwater Breathing.]
[Ability: Elemental Energy Absorption Technique.]
[Forging Technique: Excellent (Master—Forging Island bonus, God's Hand bonus).]
[Task Items: Thug Recruitment Token x8.]
[Blacksmith Reputation: 1586.]
[Evaluation: An Excellent Blacksmith. Due to having his own forging site and equipment, his Forging Technique benefits from bonuses, resulting in a higher chance of crafting high-quality ninja tools.]
[As a ninja, you have already reached a core level of proficiency.]
"The reputation from the Hozuki Clan's extermination isn't as high as that from the Kaguya Clan's extermination."
"Even though more people died and the reputation of the Hozuki Clan is stronger than that of the Kaguya Clan."
"The performance of Thunder God's Rage isn't worse than Dragon-Bone."
"Perhaps it's because it happened a second time."
"The first time, it attracted more attention."
"Imitators are naturally less noteworthy."
Soma shifted his gaze away from the reputation column.
"In terms of basic attributes, after so many lotteries for random attribute points and my personal efforts, the difference from elite Jonin is actually not very far."
"Within a hundred lotteries, I'll definitely be able to reach that level."
"Once my basic attributes reach the elite Jonin level, combined with various techniques, I'll be among the top ninjas in this world."
"And there's also the ultimate-level Water Release talent."
"Perfect-level Lightning Release talent."
"Good-level Taijutsu talent."
"Next, I need to focus on two directions."
Soma set his upcoming goals.
"First, elevate the Chakra Smelting Technique to Proficient level, which means I still need to learn Wind Release."
"I wonder if Kakuzu has recovered after all this time."
"If not, I'll have to find someone else to learn Wind Release from."
"Ninjas skilled in Wind Release are mainly from Konoha and Hidden Sand Village."
"Second, raise the breathing training method to Proficient level."
"Water Drop Hammer, Water Flow Hammer, Water Fall Hammer, River Flow Hammer—all need further enhancement."
"Third, improve the Sage's Polishing Technique to Proficient level."
"In other words, I need to learn Senjutsu."
"It can't just be basic usage anymore."
"Once these three areas are advanced, my Forging Technique will also reach Proficient level overall. This will grant me exclusive Blueprint rewards for Blacksmiths, which might be more valuable than Zudomon's Hammer."
Soma was very excited about this.
These three points essentially boil down to one thing: improving the Forging Technique.
"Fourth, the blue Blueprint increases my choices greatly with six options to choose from."
"The cost-effectiveness of forty pulls will be much higher than twenty or thirty pulls."
"I need to raise my reputation to 4000."
Soma looked at the two Blueprints he already had.
One was the Ranshoto Blueprint.
The other was the Soul Reaping Sword Blueprint.
"Comparatively, the chance of finding a match for the Soul Reaping Sword in Hidden Mist Village is higher."
"Absorbing Chakra, absorbing Ninjutsu, releasing Ninjutsu…"
"In other words, purely from the attribute perspective, the likelihood of a ninja who can use the Chakra Absorption Technique being a good match is higher."
"Within Hidden Mist Village, besides Kisame, there are other ninjas who can use the Chakra Absorption Technique."
Suddenly, Soma thought of something.
"I remember that in Hidden Mist Village, there is a special Kekkei Genkai called Dark Release."
"It can absorb Ninjutsu and return it to the attacker."
"This attribute is very similar to that of the Soul Reaping Sword."
"The ninja with Dark Release is named Chukichi."
"In the storyline, he was killed by Hiruko and absorbed using Chimera Jutsu. But this is the movie version."
"In the official version, Chukichi's ability is not Dark Release but a Sensory Ninjutsu."
Soma's eyes flashed.
"What kind of Ninja will this Hidden Mist Village's Chukichi be?"
"It's strange, though. A Kekkei Genkai ninja like Chukichi should have a notable presence in the village."
"But I've barely heard any information about this ninja."
"It's as if he hasn't made any notable moves or shown excellent performance in the war."
A figure walked in.
"Chief-sama."
It was Izumi.
She had completed the capture of the fish that Soma needed and had returned with the catch.
As before, Soma dug a hole next to the orange tree and buried the fish.
Izumi was very curious.
"Chief-sama, what is this?"
A few days ago, Izumi had suppressed her curiosity, but today she felt that Soma wouldn't mind her observing this process that seemed similar to "fertilizing."
So her curiosity got the better of her, and she asked.
"An orange tree."
Soma replied, "It's a special orange tree that might be used as forging materials in the future."
"By the way, Izumi, have you ever heard of a ninja named Chukichi?"
Izumi shook her head.
"No, I haven't heard of him."
She then asked,
"Chief-sama, would you like me to investigate?"
"Please investigate."
"Yes, Chief-sama."
Soma watched Izumi's departing figure with a slight furrow of his brow.
"This is the advantage of being in a higher position; there's no need to explain anything."
"Give an order, and the people below will act."
"Even if they have doubts, they will mostly guess rather than ask."
"I don't need to explain why I want to investigate Chukichi's information, so there's no need to make excuses."
"And excuses are often just lies."
Soma disliked lies.
The appearance of one lie might require many more to cover it up.
Eventually, the situation could become uncontrollable.
"If Chukichi's ability is indeed Dark Release, then I can forge the Soul Reaping Sword."
"With Thunder God's Rage and the reputation from the Soul Reaping Sword, I can definitely approach 4000."
"At that point, I can easily do other things to increase my reputation to 4000."
"Then I can conduct the second forty-pull!"
...
Ten days passed quickly.
Nighttime.
But it was not gloomy.
The bright moonlight cast a layer of white silk over the entire Konoha.
Most people were deep in sleep.
Even though Konoha's situation was dire, life had to go on.
Not eating, drinking, or resting wouldn't solve the problem; it would only make things worse.
In a hidden corner, a woman lay on a bed with a pained expression.
Two figures stood beside her.
One was a medical ninja, and the other was Hiruzen's wife, Sarutobi Biwako.
Minato stood anxiously at the door.
The day of the Hokage's wife's childbirth was supposed to be eagerly anticipated.
But due to the special nature of a Jinchuriki, only a few knew about it.
Kushina Uzumaki showed an expression of extreme pain.
Not only from the childbirth, but also from the agitation of the tailed beast.
Compared to an ordinary laboring person, Kushina had to endure much more.
But for Minato, Kushina didn't see it as pain.
Despite the intense agony, she even managed to smile.
Obito's expression was unreadable.
"Truly, how fortunate."
---
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