Of course.
With his mutant Black Emperor ability, Yuto was likely going to disappoint Senju Hashirama.
Trying to wait Yuto out was far less effective than simply settling things with a decisive battle.
A few days prior, Yuto had already been considering whether to join forces with Uchiha Madara against Konoha.
The current Konoha was wedged right between Iwagakure and Kirigakure. Leaving aside the elements of timing and morale, the geographical disadvantage alone was enough to give Konoha a serious headache.
And now Uchiha Madara had actually reached out to him first — this felt like a pillow being handed to him right when he was feeling drowsy.
Uchiha Madara's current situation was vastly different from the original story.
Setting aside the two evenly-matched opponents in Senju Hashirama and Yuto, the number of Tailed Beasts Uchiha Madara had managed to collect was nowhere near enough for him to act without restraint.
Besides, when Uchiha Madara was revived in the original timeline, he had a hundred thousand White Zetsu at his command, along with the entire Edo Tensei army!
What did Uchiha Madara have now?
Only a handful of remaining former Akatsuki members.
As long as Uchiha Madara wasn't completely out of his mind, he would know that forming an alliance with one side was his best option.
Orochimaru's abduction of the Four-Tails Jinchuriki had been carried out with extreme secrecy. But in Uchiha Madara's hands, it was possible that some traces could still be found.
Since Orochimaru had gone to such lengths, it was clear he had no intention of handing the Four-Tails Jinchuriki over to either Yuto or Uchiha Madara.
In Yuto's estimation, Orochimaru would most likely bring the Four-Tails Jinchuriki straight to Konoha.
After all, Orochimaru had just managed to offend both Yuto and Uchiha Madara simultaneously. And neither of them was known for their generosity.
Others might not be capable of such a move, but given Orochimaru's notoriously fickle nature, the possibility was extremely high.
Moreover, within Konoha's upper echelons, there were still Tsunade and Jiraiya — two of Orochimaru's oldest comrades.
The things Orochimaru had done in the past might have earned him the enmity of some in Konoha. But as long as Jiraiya and Tsunade were around, Orochimaru's life was unlikely to be in any real danger.
Following this line of reasoning, every Tailed Beast in the entire Shinobi World was now concentrated in the hands of just three parties — Uchiha Madara, Senju Hashirama, and Yuto.
"Lord Yuto, do you think Uchiha Madara's proposal for cooperation might be a trap?"
Terumi Mei's voice was soft, her expression carrying a trace of gravity and suspicion.
The reasoning was sound — Kirigakure currently held the most Tailed Beasts. If Uchiha Madara wanted to acquire more, Terumi Mei felt that partnering with Konoha to attack Kirigakure would yield the greatest benefit.
A trap?
A faint, inexplicable smile appeared on Yuto's face as he gently shook his head.
He naturally understood the source of Terumi Mei's hesitation.
"Although Uchiha Madara and I don't exactly see eye to eye, there is one thing we both wholeheartedly agree on — Senju Hashirama's decision back then was wrong."
Yuto's expression was calm, his voice measured and even as he spoke.
"That's the only reason?"
Terumi Mei looked stunned, momentarily lost for words.
Yuto didn't elaborate. He simply gave a calm, deliberate nod.
Some things lost their meaning the moment they were spoken aloud.
Right now, the only thing on Yuto's mind was how to annihilate Konoha!
So it was finally beginning.
A cold gleam flashed through Yuto's eyes. His previous plan to destroy Konoha had been too crude — once Konoha had weathered the first wave, the follow-up attacks had lost their momentum.
Furthermore, the so-called "alliance of four great Shinobi Villages attacking Konoha" was nothing more than a nice-sounding label. The forces each village had dispatched were far too small to wage a proper war.
The reason Konoha had been driven back so easily at the start was simply because they had been caught completely unprepared.
The shinobi from those villages had all come hoping to pick up easy spoils.
Of course, Yuto himself bore some responsibility for that as well.
Without knowing what kind of trump cards Senju Hashirama had left behind, Yuto naturally wouldn't have pushed too aggressively.
But now!
Yuto wasn't about to give Konoha any chances. This time, he would thoroughly obliterate them — crushing the enemy in a single, overwhelming blow!
"Mobilize all of Kirigakure's shinobi. Prepare for war!"
Yuto slowly raised his head, gazing out through the office window. His voice was calm yet resolute.
"Yes, Lord Yuto!"
Terumi Mei gave a firm nod, excitement evident on her face.
Kirigakure had been waiting for this war for a very long time. Shinobi from other villages might fear war — might even dread it.
But the majority of Kirigakure's shinobi felt a intense thrill of anticipation at the prospect of battle.
In a way, this was perhaps a lingering aftereffect of the "Village of the Bloody Mist" era and its policies.
Moreover, the Land of Water was surrounded by ocean and small islands. Resources were far too limited — if Kirigakure wanted to grow, it had to expand beyond these waters.
Even without Yuto's order, Terumi Mei had long been contemplating how to secure the village's future.
With Yuto and Terumi Mei — the two de facto rulers of Kirigakure — firmly in place, the entire village sprang into action.
Meanwhile.
On the other side, in Iwagakure.
Upon receiving the White Zetsu's report, Uchiha Madara — though slightly surprised by how readily Yuto had agreed — didn't hesitate for even a moment.
He simultaneously mobilized Iwagakure's shinobi as well.
However!
Unlike Kirigakure, there were some in Iwagakure who opposed this war. But their voices were simply too weak to affect the bigger picture.
At this point, Iwagakure was firmly under the control of Uchiha Madara and his allies.
On the surface.
The White Zetsu impersonating Onoki continued to lead the village. Combined with the stubborn, obstinate persona Onoki had always projected, very few in the village harbored suspicions about him.
Even if a handful did, with Uchiha Madara and his people watching over everything, no one dared to make too much noise.
Besides, in Uchiha Madara's eyes, the entirety of Iwagakure was nothing more than a tool for achieving his goals.
The Shinobi World, which had been peaceful for quite some time now, had settled into an eerie stillness — with Iwagakure and Kirigakure both making quiet, continuous moves beneath the surface.
Everyone could feel it — this was the calm before the storm!
Sunagakure and Kumogakure were the first to sense the pre-war atmosphere.
Within just a few days, market prices across the region had more than doubled — especially for military supplies.
Both Iwagakure and Kirigakure had begun purchasing enormous quantities of ninja tools — kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, military ration pills, and more!