"Is the information true?"
Third Mizukage's eyes lit up.
This was incredibly good news!
"It's true."
Genji nodded and said, "I have already confirmed it."
"Due to the large number of casualties among the ninja, Konoha can no longer compete with us in terms of mid-level ninja."
"In terms of top-tier ninja, Konoha still has Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, Jiraiya, Orochimaru..."
As Genji continued counting, his tone gradually slowed.
Because Genji realized that despite the deaths of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, Konoha still had quite a few top-tier ninja left, especially Orochimaru and Jiraiya.
"In a one-on-one fight, Kisame's squad would have no pressure facing Sarutobi Hiruzen."
"Fuguki and Ao could hold off Jiraiya."
"Raiga and Izumo can restrain Orochimaru without much problem."
"Shimura Danzo may not even be a match for Mei."
"In terms of young ninja, we have an absolute advantage!"
After calculating all this, Genji felt more confident.
The Third Mizukage pondered for a moment and asked,
"What does Yagura think?"
Genji replied,
"Yagura's thinking is even more aggressive than mine. He wants to completely crush Konoha, but I feel that doesn't hold much meaning. If we completely break them, their ninja will just give up and become desperate."
"Getting benefits is far more important."
Genji didn't want Hidden Mist Village to face Orochimaru and Jiraiya lurking in the shadows, constantly seeking revenge on Hidden Mist Village.
Top-tier ninja like them, hiding in the dark, are very difficult to track down and kill.
The ninja world is vast, and both of them possess powerful Summoning Jutsu.
If Konoha were truly destroyed, and these two focused on taking revenge on Hidden Mist Village, entering the Land of Water but avoiding direct confrontation with Hidden Mist's top ninja, instead targeting Hidden Mist's young ninja, it would make things very difficult for the village.
Moreover, the benefits gained from conquering Konoha might not be greater.
At that point, Hidden Mist would face not just Konoha as an enemy but also Hidden Cloud Village and Hidden Rock Village.
The Third Mizukage said, "This matter cannot go according to Yagura's plan."
"If Yagura insists, Genji, arrange for some of our ninja to be injured and create the illusion that we don't have the strength to break through Konoha."
"That person behind the scenes is too extreme!"
"They just want to see the war escalate."
"I didn't expect that they would harbor such deep hatred toward Konoha."
"Given this, that person behind the scenes could very well be a member of the Akatsuki Organization, the same one Kaguya Neko joined."
"After all, Uchiha Madara has a reason to hate Konoha."
"However, I still think it's unlikely that he's the real Uchiha Madara."
"With Uchiha Madara's personality, he wouldn't act like this."
"Unless there was some major unforeseen event."
"Also, given Uchiha Madara's age, even if he survived the battle with Senju Hashirama, he shouldn't be alive now. Strength is one thing, but in the end, he's still human."
"A human's lifespan only lasts so long."
After the Third Mizukage confirmed the future plan.
Soma escorted Genji to the dock.
He only withdrew his gaze after Genji's figure disappeared.
"In the original storyline, the Third Great Ninja War had already ended before the Nine-Tails incident."
"Because the Nine-Tails incident greatly weakened Konoha's strength, both Hidden Rock Village and Hidden Cloud Village took action against Konoha once again, leading to Yakushi Kabuto's infiltration plan as a Hidden Rock Village spy."
"And the Hyuga Hinata incident."
"Speaking of undermining Konoha, Yakushi Kabuto would be a good target."
Yakushi Kabuto's talent is not lacking.
Even before inheriting Orochimaru's 'legacy,' he was already a powerful ninja.
After receiving Orochimaru's 'legacy,' he learned Senjutsu and gained the strength of a top-tier ninja.
"Moreover, to secure Yakushi Kabuto's loyalty, I only need to control Yakushi Nono."
"Yakushi Kabuto himself doesn't have much loyalty to Konoha."
"However, I wonder which ninjato would be compatible with Yakushi Kabuto."
Soma looked in the direction of the Land of Fire.
"Speaking of which, by now, the state of the ninja world has changed significantly compared to the original storyline."
"What will Konoha look like after the Nine-Tails incident?"
...
The entire Konoha was immersed in an atmosphere of grief.
"Dead Demon Consuming Seal Jutsu!"
Minato Namikaze, at the cost of his own life, sealed the Nine-Tails.
It was divided into two parts:
One part was connected to himself, sealed within the belly of the Shinigami.
The other part was sealed within Naruto Uzumaki's body.
Kushina Uzumaki died.
Sarutobi Biwako died.
Countless chunin and genin, such as Iruka's parents and Uchiha Izumi's father, also perished.
What the Uchiha Clan did not expect was that on the very first day after the Nine-Tails incident ended, the village immediately took action against the Uchiha Clan, forcibly relocating their settlement.
"Why?"
The members of the Uchiha Clan were stunned upon hearing the news.
"What did we do wrong?"
"We weren't the ones who released the Nine-Tails."
"It was clearly Kushina Uzumaki's fault."
The village's investigation hadn't found any evidence connecting the Nine-Tails rampage to the current members of the Uchiha Clan.
However, the change in the Nine-Tails' eyes that night made Danzo and others firmly believe that an Uchiha must have been involved.
Regarding the Uchiha Clan's protests, Danzo scoffed inwardly.
"You should be thankful there's no direct evidence proving that your clan members controlled the Nine-Tails. Otherwise, it wouldn't just be about relocating your settlement—it would be about exterminating your entire clan."
In fact, Danzo and Hiruzen had a fierce discussion on this matter.
"Hiruzen, we must eliminate the Uchiha Clan. You saw the change in the Nine-Tails; it's definitely connected to them. A ninja clan like this brings nothing but harm to Konoha."
That night, Danzo impatiently said,
"Danzo, I know you're eager, but don't rush. Think carefully first," Hiruzen replied. "The village is already in a bad state. If we start an internal conflict with the Uchiha now, it will only further weaken the village's strength and give the other ninja villages an opportunity."
Danzo countered,
"But the Uchiha Clan's existence brings no benefit to the village. I don't like the Hidden Mist Village, but I have to admit that their actions against the Hozuki Clan were absolutely right."
"When they noticed something was wrong with the Hozuki Clan, they wiped them out immediately."
"And I suspect the same was done to the Kaguya Clan earlier."
"It's exactly this decisiveness that has allowed the Hidden Mist Village to grow stronger."
Danzo had always believed that Hiruzen was too indecisive, completely unlike himself, who was much more resolute.
It was this indecisiveness that led to many wrong decisions.
If he had been Hokage, Konoha would never have reached this situation.
"No, extermination is absolutely out of the question."
Danzo wanted to continue speaking, but Hiruzen interrupted him.
"Enough, Danzo. Don't say any more. I am the Hokage."
These words made the veins on Danzo's forehead bulge in frustration. He had lost count of how many times this phrase had been used to suppress him. But this time, Danzo felt he could push back.
"Hiruzen, you're no longer the Hokage. You've stepped down from that position."
Hiruzen shook his head.
"No, the Fourth Hokage Minato is dead, so as the Third Hokage, I will temporarily assume the role again until the village stabilizes and a new Hokage is chosen."
Once again, Danzo was forced to compromise.
The plan to exterminate the Uchiha Clan was reduced to merely relocating the Uchiha Compound to the outskirts of the village.
However, to the people of Konoha, this was no different from openly declaring that the Uchiha Clan was connected to the Nine-Tails incident. The reasoning was simple:
If they did nothing wrong, why are they being punished?
The Uchiha must have been involved in the Nine-Tails incident to deserve such punishment.
As Uchiha Itachi walked along, he looked at the ruins on either side, feeling the eyes of the villagers on his back, filled with resistance and disgust, as if they were looking at a criminal.
In the past, the villagers' gazes toward the Uchiha had never been friendly, but it was nothing compared to now.
"Could the Nine-Tails incident really have something to do with the clan?"
"The conflict and tension between the clan and the village are getting worse and worse."
"What should be done next?"
Uchiha Itachi couldn't help but think of the Kaguya Clan and the Hozuki Clan in the Hidden Mist Village.
"I wonder what Hozuki Izumo's feelings were at that time."
"And Kaguya Neko—was there another reason behind his actions against the Kaguya Clan?"
And then there was Hozuki Mangetsu, who had become a "rogue ninja."
The news of the Nine-Tails incident quickly overshadowed the extermination of the Hozuki Clan.
The entire ninja world, no, the whole world, was discussing it.
"The Yellow Flash... What a pity."
Even the enemy ninjas couldn't help but feel regret over the death of Minato Namikaze, such a young Kage-level ninja who had just recently assumed the role of Hokage.
Of course, other ninja villages only expressed their regret verbally. With Minato Namikaze gone, Konoha's strength had significantly decreased, and the other ninja villages were undoubtedly pleased to see that, especially the Hidden Mist Village, Hidden Rock Village, and Hidden Cloud Village, which were currently hostile to Konoha.
Though they hadn't coordinated, it felt as if they had practiced countless times together, moving in perfect harmony like "brothers" as they exerted even greater pressure on Konoha.
It was like three lone wolves circling around an already injured old buffalo, all eager to gnaw at its flesh.
Konoha has an abundance of resources, far too many.
They are incredibly tempting.
At the Hokage Building, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru gathered together.
"Does anyone have any thoughts?" Hiruzen asked, his face full of worry.
Hiruzen had initially believed that, no matter what happened, the worst outcome for Konoha would be to end the war by surrendering, much like other ninja villages had done in the past. While that would incur significant losses for the village, with time and effort, its strength would surely be restored.
After the Second Ninja World War, Konoha had also faced considerable losses, yet it managed to recover. He had been slowly training Asuma, planning to push him to succeed the Hokage position once Minato stepped down.
However, Hiruzen did not expect that the situation would deviate completely from his plans. The sudden outbreak of the Nine-Tails incident provided other ninja villages with an opportunity to refuse Konoha's surrender.
Everyone fell silent. No one could think of a better solution.
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were limited by their abilities.
Both were just ordinary elite Jonin, and with age, it was uncertain if their strength still matched that of elite Jonin.
Jiraiya was utterly exhausted.
Faced with the Hidden Cloud army, he had poured all his efforts into the battle.
However, he was defeated.
In a one-on-one fight, Jiraiya feared no one, but the ninjas below were no match for the enemy.
In terms of both quantity and quality, the Hidden Cloud Village held the advantage.
Moreover, he suddenly received the news of the Nine-Tails incident.
His beloved disciple, Minato Namikaze, had died.
Jiraiya felt completely drained, both physically and mentally.
Orochimaru glanced at Hiruzen with a calm expression.
Ever since he had unreasonably lost in the competition for the Hokage position, his mindset had changed.
In subsequent encounters with the Hidden Rock army, he had adopted a more conservative approach to combat.
He fought while retreating, far less desperate and committed than Jiraiya.
Hiruzen's gaze swept back and forth.
Suddenly, he sensed that Danzo seemed to be preparing for some action, prompting him to speak first.
Originally, he wanted to ask Jiraiya, but seeing Jiraiya's condition, Hiruzen realized that Jiraiya was at a loss and in a terrible mood.
"Orochimaru, you speak."
Hiruzen had no choice but to look at this disciple he generally liked less.
But he was still a disciple.
Orochimaru was a bit surprised, seemingly not expecting Hiruzen to call on him.
After pondering for a moment, Orochimaru said,
"The Nine-Tails incident has caused tremendous losses to Konoha. While we might consider bringing back Tsunade to replace Minato's loss, the deaths of our core ninjas cannot be compensated for by just one or two ninjas."
"Konoha's situation is dire."
"If you ask me, I can only think of one solution."
Hiruzen didn't expect Orochimaru to actually have an idea. His eyes brightened slightly, and he hurriedly asked,
"What is it?"
Orochimaru replied, "I remember that the Second Hokage created a technique called Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, which can bring the souls of the deceased back and retain much of their former power."
"If we could use Impure World Reincarnation to bring back the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, or even Uchiha Madara, then Konoha would have a chance to get through this crisis."
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