That Gaara could already consider the pros and cons of a shinobi village alliance had somewhat exceeded Ebizō's expectations.
Ebizō was rather satisfied with Gaara's performance.
But satisfaction did not mean Ebizō agreed with Gaara's view.
"An alliance between Sunagakure and Kumogakure may look like a good idea on the surface, but it simply isn't realistic."
"Konoha sits right between us and Kumogakure. Because of that, an alliance between our two villages would be inherently unstable."
"Especially if something happens to one side — the other wouldn't be able to send reinforcements in time. Besides, why should we ally with Kumogakure in the first place?"
Ebizō spoke softly to Gaara, a gentle expression on his face.
"Why?" Gaara blinked, not quite following Ebizō's meaning.
"The situation in the Shinobi World has already become incredibly tense because Uchiha Madara suddenly joined Iwagakure. If we also form an alliance with Kumogakure—"
"—it would inevitably draw the attention of the other three great shinobi villages, which would actually work against us."
"The Raikage of Kumogakure may have a fiery temper, but he is absolutely no fool. If you could think of that problem, then naturally he could too."
"If the benefits of an alliance had outweighed the drawbacks, they would have contacted us a long time ago."
Ebizō picked up the teacup from the table, took a sip of tea, and explained in a calm voice.
A flash of realization crossed Gaara's eyes — he had been taking things for granted.
Something this monumental had happened in the Shinobi World.
It was not just Sunagakure analyzing the overall situation — every other shinobi village was doing the same.
But in the end, the conclusions reached by each village's strategists were all roughly the same.
A war would inevitably break out among Iwagakure, Konoha, and Kirigakure.
It was unavoidable!
And the key to this war — the factor that would determine its course — rested on three people: Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Madara, and Yuto.
In the blink of an eye.
About two months passed by.
The entire Shinobi World had been peaceful for those two months, yet everyone felt an inexplicable sense that a storm was coming.
Land of Birds.
A place known as the lakeside haven where migratory birds gathered.
Green stretched across the land, and the rivers and lakes shimmered with light.
Mountains and trees covered the landscape in every direction, radiating a serene and tranquil beauty.
But at this moment, that tranquility was shattered by a terrifying explosion.
Scorching lava erupted from beside a lake, splattering in all directions like a volcanic eruption.
The moment the lava touched the ground, it burned massive craters into the earth. The surrounding lake water evaporated at a visible rate, blanketing the area in white mist.
With a heavy, muffled boom, a figure wreathed in high-temperature lava burst out from beneath the lakeshore.
The moment this figure landed, before it could even steady itself, it leapt rapidly backward.
No sooner had it left the spot than a red crystal formation broke through the earth where it had just been standing, gleaming with a cold light beneath the sun.
A woman with sky-blue hair, dressed in green with a thick rope tied around her waist, appeared beside the crystal formation.
This woman was Guren, and the figure engulfed in lava-like flames was none other than the Four-Tails jinchūriki, Rōshi.
"You're not wearing an Iwagakure headband, nor a Kirigakure one. Who exactly are you?"
Rōshi's expression was ugly as he glared at the cold-faced Guren. The high-temperature lava radiating from his body caused the surrounding air to rapidly heat up.
"Too much talk!"
Guren had no time to waste on pleasantries with Rōshi. Her hands swiftly formed hand seals, then slammed onto the ground.
In an instant!
The ground before her began crystallizing at a visible speed, and crystalline pillars erupted from the earth, stabbing toward Rōshi's direction.
Seeing this, Rōshi's face tightened with gravity. He stomped hard on the ground and vanished from his position.
While dodging the jutsu's attack, he rapidly closed the distance toward Guren.
Powered by the Four-Tails' chakra, Rōshi's speed was extraordinary. In Guren's field of vision, she could only see a red blur charging straight at her.
Before he even reached her!
Guren could already feel the scorching heat rushing toward her face.
Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Prison!
Guren let out a low shout as she retreated backward.
Massive amounts of crystal erupted from beneath Guren's feet. In the span of a single breath, everything before her was engulfed in red crystal.
Even Rōshi was directly encased in crystal!
After completing this, Guren's expression showed not the slightest hint of relaxation. Her hands continued forming seals at high speed as chakra surged from her body into the ground.
Crystal Release: Crystal Five Seal Formation!
BOOM! BOOM!
A muffled roar erupted from the ground as a massive five-sided prism crystal rose from beneath the earth, enveloping the already-restrained Rōshi within it once more.
This five-sided crystal prism was far sturdier and more heat-resistant than the previous one!
Only after completing all of this did Guren let out a slight breath.
"Lord Orochimaru wants him alive. What a pain."
Guren muttered under her breath as she walked toward the crystal-sealed Rōshi.
Just as Guren was about to approach Rōshi, a thin crack suddenly appeared on the five-sided crystal prism!
Guren's pupils shrank sharply. Without the slightest hesitation, she leapt rapidly backward.
CRASH!
The massive five-sided crystal prism shattered completely, and simultaneously, a beast-like roar echoed from within.
At this moment, Rōshi had entered his partial Tailed Beast Mode. His entire body was cloaked in dark-red Tailed Beast chakra, radiating a terrifying aura.
Rōshi transformed into a red afterimage and charged toward Guren's position once more.
"Damn it! I let my guard down!"
"Crystal Release: God's Crossing!"
Guren's face was grim. Her hands flew through seals as she let out a sharp cry.
A massive amount of red crystal materialized out of thin air, forming barrages of crystal attacks that surged toward Rōshi like a tidal wave.
But unfortunately!
In his partial Tailed Beast Mode, Rōshi's speed was not just fast — he couldn't even be bothered to dodge. He simply let the crystal assaults slam into his body.
The crystal attacks failed to stop Rōshi. In the time it took to blink, he was already standing right in front of Guren.
Rōshi's fist, wrapped in dark-red Tailed Beast chakra, slammed directly into Guren's chest. The tremendous force erupted instantly.
"Gah!"
Guren had no time to form seals. Her face instantly went deathly pale as a mouthful of blood sprayed from her lips, and she was sent flying.
Just as Rōshi was about to press his advantage, a languid voice suddenly came from behind him.
At some unknown moment.
A figure had already appeared behind Rōshi.
"My, my, what a terrifying attack."
Yakushi Kabuto adjusted his glasses, looking at Guren being sent flying. A hint of amusement tinged his voice.
The relationship between Yakushi Kabuto and Guren had always been one of mutual disdain.
Now, seeing Guren take such a beating at Rōshi's hands, Yakushi Kabuto naturally could not resist a bit of schadenfreude.
Of course, while Yakushi Kabuto was enjoying her misfortune, his hands were not slow.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
A cold gleam flashed in Yakushi Kabuto's eyes. A massive stream of water materialized out of thin air, crashing down on Rōshi like a surging waterfall.
Having just finished attacking Guren, Rōshi had no time to dodge. He took the hit head-on and was slammed into the ground by the cascading water.
"ROAR!"
A beast-like roar thundered once more. Rōshi shook his head and climbed back to his feet from the water.
By this point, a hint of retreat had already entered Rōshi's mind.
It was not that Rōshi felt he could not beat the two people before him — rather, he was acutely aware of his current predicament.
Kirigakure was looking for him. Iwagakure was looking for him. And now there was yet another group.
Originally.
Rōshi had been considering returning to Iwagakure. But when he heard the news that Uchiha Madara had formed an alliance with Iwagakure—
Rōshi immediately abandoned that thought. No one understood that stubborn old man Ōnoki better than he did.
Cooperating with someone as dangerous as Uchiha Madara was like dancing on a tightrope. Moreover, Ōnoki was no fool.
In Rōshi's mind, something must have happened within Iwagakure!
This further discouraged any thought of returning, and prompted him to hide even deeper.
Only today, something went wrong somewhere.
He was actually found by this group that appeared out of nowhere, which led to the battle with Guren.
After climbing out of the water, Rōshi hesitated for only a moment before turning and bolting in another direction, intending to leave this place as quickly as possible.
But!
Neither Yakushi Kabuto nor the battered Guren were going to let Rōshi go so easily.
They had finally located the Four-Tails jinchūriki. If he escaped now, finding him again would be incredibly difficult!
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
"Crystal Release: Crystal Breaking Dragon Descent!"
Seeing Rōshi apparently attempting to flee, Yakushi Kabuto and the injured Guren both let out simultaneous battle cries.
A massive dragon formed from water and a dragon composed entirely of crystal both surged toward Rōshi at the same time.
Facing the pincer attack of two jutsu, Rōshi had no choice but to stop in his tracks. Scorching, high-temperature lava erupted from his entire body once more.
"Seabed Needle!"
Rōshi let out a low roar. Blazing lava surged from every part of his body, then gathered at a visible speed into a single hand.
It formed a terrifying, ultra-high-temperature attack!
With just one strike!
Both Yakushi Kabuto and Guren's attacks were simultaneously blown to pieces.
But precisely because of this, Rōshi's speed slowed considerably.
Seeing Yakushi Kabuto and Guren catching up, Rōshi's face darkened. He was starting to get desperate!
He had not wanted to use any large-scale techniques. Once the Tailed Beast's power was fully unleashed, it would inevitably attract everyone's attention.
That would be extremely disadvantageous for him!
But now, if he did not first shake off Yakushi Kabuto and Guren, his situation would become equally dangerous if things dragged on.
With this thought!
Rōshi's half-Tailed-Beast-Mode body swiftly turned around. He opened his mouth, aiming straight at Guren and Yakushi Kabuto.
Tailed Beast Ball!
High-density chakra began rapidly converging before Rōshi's mouth. A terrifying aura of death spread in all directions.
Seeing this!
"Guren!"
Yakushi Kabuto's expression shifted sharply. He turned his head and shouted at Guren.
Their people had gone to great lengths to draw away the Kirigakure and Iwagakure ninja. They absolutely could not let those two parties detect this now.
"Hmph!" Hearing Yakushi Kabuto's shout, Guren let out a cold snort.
If Yakushi Kabuto were not still useful to Lord Orochimaru, Guren would have made her move against this impure-minded individual long ago.
Under normal circumstances.
Guren would not have bothered to listen to Yakushi Kabuto at all. But right now, she knew this was no time to be willful.
"Crystal Release: One Path of Light!"
Guren channeled chakra throughout her entire body. After rapidly completing her hand seals, she slammed both palms onto the ground.
The entire earth surged wildly in that instant. Then the ground began to crystallize at an unimaginable speed.
One massive crystal after another rose from the earth, each easily seven to eight meters tall, forming an enormous arc-shaped crystal formation in front of Rōshi!
In the original story, Guren had used this very jutsu to block the Three-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball.
At the same moment!
Rōshi's Tailed Beast Ball had also fully condensed. He swallowed it into his mouth, then opened wide again, unleashing a straight-line barrage of violent energy!
The Tailed Beast Ball's attack struck the massive crystal formation head-on, causing the crystals to tremble and develop fine cracks.
Simultaneously, the massive amount of crystal began radiating a blinding crimson light under the assault of the violent energy, seemingly converting the Tailed Beast Ball's power.
More precisely, through refraction between the crystals, the Tailed Beast Ball's concentrated violent energy was being dispersed across the other crystals.
Guren's hands remained firmly pressed to the ground, her face deathly pale. The chakra within her body was draining at a rapid pace.
A full moment passed.
Rōshi's Tailed Beast Ball attack finally came to a complete stop.
Guren let out a heavy sigh of relief, feeling a sense of exhaustion wash over her entire body. The moment her hands left the ground, the massive arc-shaped crystal formation before her crumbled to dust.
On the opposite side, Rōshi was slightly stunned that his Tailed Beast Ball had not produced the result he had imagined.
His Tailed Beast Ball was actually blocked?
A flicker of disbelief crossed Rōshi's eyes. Even though he was only in his partial Tailed Beast Mode, the destructive power of his Tailed Beast Ball was not significantly weaker than a full transformation.
But it still should not have been blocked so easily!
Meanwhile!
Taking advantage of the brief moment of weakness Rōshi experienced after firing his Tailed Beast Ball.
Yakushi Kabuto had already been lying in wait, launching a jutsu ambush.
After a brief but intense exchange, Yakushi Kabuto coughed blood from his mouth. Looking at Rōshi, who had finally fallen unconscious, he let out a heavy sigh of relief.
"That's settled at last. Good thing he didn't go into a full Tailed Beast Mode, or we would have had to retreat."
Yakushi Kabuto wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and spoke with a bitter smile.
In a certain sense.
They had gotten lucky. Rōshi had been hiding and constantly on the move, which had already drained a portion of his stamina.
On top of that, Rōshi was worried that if he fully transformed into his Tailed Beast form, his enormous body would be impossible to hide from both the Kirigakure ninja and Uchiha Madara's forces.
Because of this, he had been extremely restrained.
Which was what gave Guren and Yakushi Kabuto the opening they needed.