Just as the dust was settling on the Iwagakure battlefield, Kaito quietly arrived at the border of the Land of Wind.
As he had told Ruri, he was not alone. There were three of him.
The other two looked identical to Kaito; they were his Plate Clones, one with the Poison attribute and the other with the Ground attribute. Kaito had specifically summoned them back to deal with the Village Hidden in the Sand.
Besides these two, he had other clones elsewhere—a Fighting-type and a Water-type.
Over the past three years, Kaito had successively created the Ground, Fighting, Water, and Poison Plates, manufacturing their corresponding clones and sending them out to stir up trouble across the shinobi world.
Including the Chakra Clone and the Ice-Fire Clone, he now had a total of six clones.
As for his main body, he had also learned new techniques covering the Electric, Rock, Dark, Ghost, Grass, Steel, Flying, and Psychic types. Only the Fairy and Dragon types remained untouched.
With his wide range of skills and an increasingly formidable physical body, Kaito's power had truly reached the pinnacle of the shinobi world.
If he were to gather the power of all his clones, he could even go toe-to-toe with Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Under these circumstances, there was no longer any need for him to keep a low profile, which was why he had begun his large-scale expansion.
The Land of Earth was the first. The Land of Wind would be the second, followed by the surrounding smaller nations.
By the time Konoha, the Cloud, and the Mist had worn each other down, Kaito would have finished integrating his forces, forming a new grand army.
At that point, even if they were to unite against him, they would be no match for Kaito.
His ambition to unify the shinobi world could be realized within a few short years—provided the old geezers of the Six Paths didn't all come out to cause trouble.
Oh, and I forgot about Isshiki and Jigen. The day my Psychic-type clone is created will be the day he dies.
Kaito stretched, a faint smile playing on his lips, and stepped into the Land of Wind with his two clones.
After walking for a while, a light rain began to fall.
Nowadays, the humidity in the Land of Wind's air was much higher than before, thanks to Kaito leveling the mountain range that once stood between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain two years ago.
Well, to be precise, it was the work of his Ground-type clone.
He had used the power of his Plate to slowly influence the mountain's tectonic plates, causing a large section of it to sink.
Without the mountain range as a barrier, the moisture from the Land of Rain no longer just circulated within its own borders but now drifted into the Land of Wind.
Thanks to this, the climate on the side of the Land of Wind bordering the Land of Rain began to improve. The original desert gradually started to show more and more greenery.
It was believed that in just a few years, a large oasis suitable for habitation would form in the Land of Wind, which was a godsend for a nation with a large population and little land.
To commemorate the friendship between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain, the bisected mountain range was named the "Wind-Rain Mountain Range."
Land of Wind, Village Hidden in the Sand, Council Chamber.
Before the sand statues of the past Kazekage, the influential elders of the Sand Village sat on either side of a long table, their gazes fixed on the Third Kazekage seated at the head.
Chiyo and Ebizo were among them.
"Recently, the shinobi world has been far from peaceful. To the east, Konoha and the Cloud have started a war, and it's possible the Land of Water will also get involved. The neighboring Land of Rain has also mobilized its forces and has already invaded the Land of Earth. In this international climate, what role should we, the Land of Wind, play?"
"Let's brainstorm. Speak freely."
An impatient elder immediately raised his hand. "We are allies with the Land of Rain. I believe we should dispatch a portion of our forces to support them. If we can seize this opportunity to take down the Land of Earth, we can also reap some benefits."
"Mm, I had the same thought, which is why I sent a personal letter. However, I have yet to receive a reply," the Third Kazekage responded.
"Should we begin preparations anyway?"
"I don't think so. Since the Land of Rain didn't inform us beforehand, it means they don't want us to participate."
Someone held a different opinion. "Why don't we take this opportunity to focus on our own development? As you know, our finances are not yet sufficient."
"Mmm, there's some sense in that, but isn't it a bit too conservative?"
"Before, we didn't have enough land, so we had to go out and plunder. Now that the situation at the Wind-Rain Mountain Range is improving, there's no need for us to stir up more trouble. Focusing on agriculture is the right path."
His words convinced many. The Third Kazekage glanced at the silent Chiyo and her brother, then nodded. "For now, let's remain on standby. We'll continue this discussion when we receive a reply from Leader Kaito."
"Aside from that, there is another important matter. Our Anbu have detected some unusual movements in the Land of Rivers. It seems they are secretly amassing troops."
"What? The Land of Rivers wants to join the war? Could it be they've accepted benefits from Konoha and want to help them?"
Many elders showed expressions of surprise. "Is the Village Hidden in the Silver River that reckless? A mere small village dares to involve itself in the struggles of the great nations? Aren't they afraid of being crushed to pieces?"
"No, there is currently no intelligence indicating who their target is."
The Third Kazekage said gravely, "It could be the Land of Rain, whose homeland is currently undefended, or it could be us."
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" someone waved their hand with a laugh. "How could they dare to attack us? They don't have the guts, do they? If their target is the Land of Wind, I'll eat this table right here."
As soon as his voice fell, an unfamiliar voice replied, "Sorry, but it looks like you'll get to chew on that table after all."
"Who's there?!" The council members were shocked, jumping to their feet and looking towards the source of the voice. They saw three figures wearing different masks standing atop the sand statues, looking down on them.
"How audacious! How dare you desecrate the likenesses of our Kazekage!"
Someone shouted sternly, "Get down from there at once!"
Hearing the commotion in the council chamber, many of the Sand-nin guarding outside rushed in, surrounding the masked figures.
Kaito, standing on the central sand statue, let out a soft chuckle. "They're just sand statues. Isn't 'desecration' a bit of an overstatement?"
The Third Kazekage stared at them, his voice low. "Enough nonsense. Who are you?"
"We are shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Silver River, from the Land of Rivers. By order of our leader, we are here to crush the Village Hidden in the Sand."
Kaito smiled and replied, "I'll give you one chance. Surrender now. I'd rather not waste my energy."
"What a joke! The mere Land of Rivers dares to demand our surrender? Get them! Seize them!"
At the command, the Sand-nin swarmed forward. But the Poison Clone simply snapped his fingers. Everyone present clutched their chests and collapsed to the ground, their faces turning a deathly pale.
"Poison? When? I didn't even notice..." Chiyo was utterly shocked.
"My apologies. You were all poisoned from the very beginning."
Kaito leaped down onto the table, looking down at the Third Kazekage. "As of now, I declare that the Village Hidden in the Sand belongs to the Land of Rivers! Who agrees? Who objects?!"