After Black Zetsu left the village with three Jashinists who possessed immortality, they quickly retreated through a secret passage.
The placed jutsu isolated sensory ninja, preventing them from locating them immediately, and by the time they pursued, the four had long since vanished.
Once he confirmed they had shaken off their pursuers, Black Zetsu led the three to the Land of Fire.
As long as it wasn't a large-scale operation or a rigorous search, the four could easily slip into the Land of Fire without being noticed by others, as the Hidden Leaf Village had no means to seal the border.
Upon entering the Land of Fire, Black Zetsu and his group quickly headed towards the capital.
He needed to meet with Uchiha Kokuya immediately to discuss their next steps.
Although he had anticipated a possible attack on the village by the Hidden Leaf Village and Uchiha Kokuya had prepared to abandon it, the suddenness of the Leaf's arrival meant that subsequent matters had not been properly handled.
Black Zetsu knew that some potential believers were imprisoned in rooms, and the Leaf ninja must have found them all.
He was sure they wouldn't miss the chance to gather intelligence from these individuals.
Near the capital, Black Zetsu, relying on his frequent visits, settled the three temporarily and then went to find Uchiha Kokuya, sending out his signal.
Uchiha Kokuya, upon receiving the signal, would make time to meet.
By the time these three became Jashinists, Uchiha Kokuya had already gone to the Land of Fire to serve as a Guardian Ninja.
Therefore, they had never met this legendary leader, only hearing about him repeatedly from others and experiencing the power they gained during rituals, which maintained their reverence for him.
"Lord Zetsu, what kind of person is the leader exactly?" one of the Jashinists asked.
"You'll know when he arrives," Black Zetsu said, uninterested in talking much with such people, maintaining a cool and aloof demeanor.
This only added to his mystique, inspiring awe in others.
"With the leader's divine power, he will surely help us get our revenge.
That hateful Hidden Leaf Village, disrupting our actions time and again, Lord Jashin will punish them sooner or later!" another Jashinist exclaimed excitedly.
"Indeed, the Hidden Leaf Village will get their just deserts," a strange voice suddenly interjected, causing the three Jashinists to immediately grab their weapons, but Black Zetsu gestured that it was alright.
Immediately, a masked Uchiha Kokuya appeared before them.
The mask also gave off a mysterious aura, and Black Zetsu walked up to Uchiha Kokuya, bowing and saying, "My Lord."
The three instantly realized that this masked man was the legendary leader, immediately put down their weapons, and knelt on the ground to bow to Uchiha Kokuya, showing utmost submission.
Uchiha Kokuya looked at the four.
He could tell that the three were Jashinists, and his power still resided within their bodies.
Their presence here likely meant something had happened.
After a moment of thought, he said, "The Hidden Leaf Village attacked the village, didn't they?
Where are the others?"
"They're all dead, killed by a youngster who can use the Flying Thunder God Jutsu," Black Zetsu replied.
"Also, some civilians who had taken the medicine and hadn't been fully controlled yet fell into the hands of the Leaf ninja."
"Flying Thunder God Jutsu?
Has an inheritor of this jutsu appeared?"
In the past, Uchiha Kokuya was a member of the hardline faction.
Uchiha Setsuna, to incite hatred towards the Hokage, had repeatedly brought up the incident where the Second Hokage severely wounded Uchiha Izuna.
The Second Hokage was able to successfully wound Uchiha Izuna, who was of similar strength, precisely because of the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, which even the Sharingan couldn't track.
"Yes, a very formidable young man, but he's too young.
His direct combat ability is far inferior to the Second Hokage's; relying solely on the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, he can't yet be considered a threat," Black Zetsu said.
"Oh, I see.
Then we don't need to concern ourselves with him.
A Flying Thunder God user who hasn't fully matured is not worth worrying about," Uchiha Kokuya nodded slightly.
Next, Uchiha Kokuya asked everyone to describe the entire attack in detail.
Only Black Zetsu had seen everything clearly, so only he answered.
He described a new type of ninja tool used by the Hidden Leaf Village, and the immense advantage it provided in aerial combat.
The Jashinists on the ground had no ability to retaliate.
The other three Jashinists had not witnessed it firsthand, and upon hearing Black Zetsu's description, they immediately showed expressions of surprise.
If they faced a group of enemies capable of aerial combat, they truly had no good solution.
Their abilities were primarily taijutsu, and even the special abilities granted by Jashin required close proximity to obtain the opponent's blood.
First, they would need to make contact with enemies fighting in the air; otherwise, everything would be futile.
"Heh, the Hidden Leaf Village, truly a troublesome bunch," Uchiha Kokuya's voice carried a hint of coldness.
"It seems the chakra samurai I've been tinkering with might not even be able to defeat these aerial combat ninja."
"However, these people shouldn't be numerous, so there might still be a chance of victory," Black Zetsu said.
"That's true.
If we develop more high-altitude projectile weapons, they should also pose a certain threat," Uchiha Kokuya considered.
"However, I never believed that the Daimyo's military power could completely suppress the Hidden Leaf Village; the highest chance of victory is only thirty percent."
After so many years of development, the Hidden Leaf Village has long borne the responsibility of maintaining national security.
Even with elite samurai legions maintaining training in vital border areas, and Uchiha Kokuya assisting in training chakra samurai all these years, it is still extremely difficult to close the gap in strength with the ninja village.
Of course, with the advantage of holding national resources, the Daimyo could slowly wear down the Hidden Leaf Village, and even if he couldn't win, he could severely cripple them.
This is also why the Hidden Leaf Village and the Daimyo have always been hesitant to engage in direct conflict.
However, the short-sighted Daimyo was completely deceived by the illusion created by Uchiha Kokuya, and in the end, he might truly be swept up in a moment of passion and initiate a direct conflict with the Hidden Leaf Village.
But this was also what Uchiha Kokuya hoped for.
Uchiha Kokuya had no intention of letting the Hidden Leaf Village off easy, and he himself could profit from the chaos, obtaining what he desired.
Once his strength increased, he could then go settle scores with the Hidden Leaf Village.
No, it should be Fumori masaki and Uchiha Kagami.
As long as the Daimyo and the Hidden Leaf Village engaged in direct conflict, regardless of the outcome, other countries would surely seize the opportunity.
At that time, the Hidden Leaf Village would certainly be preoccupied, and with the strength of high-level ninja, if they abandoned their home in the Hidden Leaf Village, leaving would not be a problem.
The world is so vast; if a small person hides within it, without large-scale manpower and resources to track them, how could anyone possibly find out where that person is?
Uchiha Kokuya felt that even if the Hidden Leaf Village was gone, Fumori masaki and the others wouldn't necessarily die, and his true targets for revenge were actually Fumori masaki and Uchiha Kagami; the Hidden Leaf Village was just a secondary concern.
"Lord Leader, the Hidden Leaf Village is going too far, what should we do?" After Uchiha Kokuya and Black Zetsu finished their discussion, one of the three Jashinists stepped forward and asked.
Uchiha Kokuya glanced at him, knowing that these individuals were the ones in the village with immortal bodies.
This ability was a test product he had developed during his research into secret medicines, and it wasn't something ordinary people could obtain; after all these years, there were only three.
"Well, better than nothing, I suppose.
Three is enough," Uchiha Kokuya thought.
He looked at the three and slowly said, "Of course we will retaliate against the Hidden Leaf Village, but not now.
Right now, we need to weaken the Hidden Leaf Village's power as much as possible."
"You mean?" the only remaining Jashinist who hadn't spoken asked.
"Heh heh, those civilians should have been taken back by the Hidden Leaf Village, and they might also discover the secret medicine.
Honestly, the Leaf ninja in the capital are also inquiring about the chakra samurai I've trained.
Although there's no evidence, I think they might have already obtained information about the secret medicine," Uchiha Kokuya said.
"So, the Hidden Leaf Village might know about the relationship between the village and you, my Lord?" Black Zetsu narrowed his eyes slightly and asked.
"Hmm, if I wait for them to bring the fire to my doorstep, although I'm confident the Daimyo will protect me, it would put me in a somewhat passive position," Uchiha Kokuya said.
"Therefore, we need to find a way to divert the trouble and pin the blame on the Hidden Leaf Village.
That would be beneficial to us."
"How should we do it?" Black Zetsu eagerly asked.
"Fortunately, I considered the possibility of the secret medicine being exposed.
Over the years, I've arranged for chakra samurai to have connections with other regional lords, so finding a scapegoat won't be a problem," Uchiha Kokuya smiled slightly.
"And since we're looking for a scapegoat, it might be good to find someone connected to the Hidden Leaf Village.
Then we can turn the tables, and the Hidden Leaf Village will be the one who needs to prove their innocence."
"My Lord is brilliant," Black Zetsu said, feigning a surprised expression and flattering him.
The other three Jashinists also wore the same expression.
"But the Hidden Leaf Village shouldn't be so passive.
Even if we succeed, the Hidden Leaf Village should still take the initiative to attack.
At that time..." Black Zetsu inquired after the flattery.
"That would be for the best.
An early outbreak of conflict might be better for us.
What if we give the Hidden Leaf Village more time, and even more powerful ninja tools than those aerial combat ones emerge?" Uchiha Kokuya snorted.
He had originally planned to delay for a while longer, but the aerial combat ninja tools used by the Leaf ninja had put a lot of pressure on him.
If the technological gap widened further, his trained chakra samurai wouldn't be able to close the distance, and the civil war would end sooner, which would be disadvantageous to him.
Uchiha Kokuya intended for the civil war to be as intense as possible.
The more people who died, the more souls he could collect, and thus increase his own chakra.
"Then what should we do, Lord Leader?" The three Jashinists were already somewhat impatient.
They didn't think as much as Uchiha Kokuya and Black Zetsu; their fanatical faith had simplified their minds, and they only wanted to get revenge.
"It just so happens I need you to run an errand," Uchiha Kokuya said, looking at the three with a strange smile, though no one saw his expression hidden behind the mask.
"Please command us!"
Uchiha Kokuya walked up to the three and said, "To better execute the mission, I will bestow upon you the power of Lord Jashin, making you even stronger, so you can become my right-hand men."
The three's expressions immediately turned to surprise, tinged with fanaticism, anticipating what kind of power the leader would bestow upon them.
They then saw an unusual purple chakra surge from Uchiha Kokuya.
They felt no fear, only watched with curiosity.
To be able to materialize chakra, what immense power!
Such was their only thought, and then they saw the purple chakra rush directly towards them, entering each of their bodies.
After the chakra surged into their bodies, the three immediately began to convulse, and bluish-black vein-like protrusions appeared on the surface of their skin.
They cried out involuntarily, seemingly in pain, yet also with a hint of pleasure.
Black Zetsu watched this scene, frowning slightly.
After the three's convulsions ceased, they became expressionless, with those bluish-black vein-like protrusions still on their faces, looking lifeless, yet still standing there.
"My Lord, this is..." Black Zetsu was somewhat unsure of their state; they looked as if they had died.
Uchiha Kokuya let out a soft breath and said, "To prevent these guys from acting on their own again, it's better to be cautious and remove their ability to think.
Now they are like puppets, completely obedient to commands, feeling no pain, no emotions, and can be used until their bodies are completely worn out."
Black Zetsu detected a slight weakness in Uchiha Kokuya's voice, knowing that such a method couldn't be casually performed.
Yet, this guy was truly formidable, possessing so many strange and wonderful abilities.
He had even previously claimed he would evolve the Rinnegan on his own.
Was it lucky or unlucky that he had stumbled upon this individual?
Black Zetsu himself couldn't be sure, but at least for now, he still needed to rely on this guy's power, so he would let him lead for the time being.
Uchiha Kokuya said, "Alright, now let's make a plan.
Who should we choose as the scapegoat, then I'll act within the capital, and you'll act with these guys, maintaining necessary contact, understood?"
"Yes," Black Zetsu nodded and began discussing with Uchiha Kokuya who to target, how to pin the blame on them, what the Hidden Leaf Village's reaction would be, and what Uchiha Kokuya and Black Zetsu would each do.
Once all the details were finalized, Uchiha Kokuya stood up, looked at the three Jashinists who had been turned into puppets, and let out a soft sigh, saying, "I hope everything goes smoothly.
I've put in a lot of effort this time, and I need to speed up progress in other areas as well."