Naruto: I have an attribute panel

Chapter 448 Using Their Own Methods to Fight Them

Konoha naturally received the accusations from other ninja villages.

But if the Hidden Cloud Village wasn't afraid of these kinds of verbal battles back then, the Hidden Leaf Village naturally isn't afraid either.

Minato didn't even bother with it, leaving the whole matter to the Root leader, Mitokado Homura.

You know what, this kind of diplomatic wrangling is exactly what Mitokado Homura excels at.

For a period of time, the ninja hawks flying over Konoha became more frequent.

It's rare for the five great ninja villages to have such frequent exchanges as this year.

Of course, if there were fewer mutual accusations in these exchanges, the ninja world would at least appear to be quite peaceful.

The five great ninja villages only talked the talk but didn't walk the walk, and their accusations remained only on paper. Naturally, this did not satisfy Zetsu.

Then, a plan came to him.

Soon, another message began to circulate in the ninja world.

This time, however, the message wasn't directly about Konoha, but rather about the Byakugan, a bloodline limit.

The rumor states that the Byakugan can evolve into the Tenseigan. The fusion of the two Byakugan families will inevitably promote the perfection of the Byakugan bloodline of both families. In time, Konoha will surely give birth to a Tenseigan that can rival the Rinnegan of the Sage of Six Paths.

At that time, Konoha will use the power of the Tenseigan to sweep across all ninja villages and unify the entire ninja world.

The rumors even contained detailed descriptions of the Tenseigan's power. Although most of it was made up, the part that was true was enough to terrify the various ninja villages.

For a time, all the ninja hawks in the sky above the ninja world disappeared completely. All the ninja villages were pondering the truth of the rumor and what they should do if it were true.

Konoha, meeting room.

The sunlight outside the window was just right, but it did nothing to dispel the heavy gloom inside.

Minato Namikaze sat in the main seat, his azure eyes sweeping across the long table around him.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had smoke swirling between his fingers and a deep frown on his face; advisors Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane wore solemn expressions; Hiashi Hyuga had his eyes lowered, his emotions unreadable; and in the corner, Taichi unconsciously tapped his fingertips on the table, making a very faint tapping sound, as if measuring some kind of invisible crisis.

Katsuya Otsutsuki, sitting to the right of Minato, had his back ramrod straight, but his face was as stiff as a stone sculpture.

This is because one of the main characters in this incident is the Otsutsuki clan on the moon, which he represents.

Fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, silently dampening his temples. The gazes from the entire power core of Konoha weighed heavily on him, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

"Everyone is aware of the situation," Minato's voice broke the silence. "In just a few days, rumors have swept across the entire ninja world like a plague. At their core, they point to Konoha's taking in the Otsutsuki clan, and even portray the Tenseigan as a power capable of overthrowing the ninja world."

He picked up a scroll of intelligence from the table, lightly tapping on its contents; the dull thud resonated in everyone's hearts.

"Konoha intends to cultivate the Tenseigan, sweep across all nations, and unify the ninja world"—and so on, escalating into increasingly sinister schemes. Their malicious intentions are blatantly obvious.

Mitokado Homura slammed his fist on the table, his gray beard trembling slightly with rage: "Utterly shameless! This is a blatant frame-up! They're trying to put Konoha on the hot seat!"

His sharp gaze swept across the crowd. "Gentlemen, do not underestimate this! Such rumors could become the perfect pretext for other ninja villages to join forces and attack Konoha! Kumogakure and Iwagakure, which one is easy to deal with? If they use this opportunity to form an alliance, even Konoha will be placed in an unprecedentedly passive position!"

A heavy sense of crisis instantly spread. Koharu Utatane looked at Minato with worry: "Hokage-sama, we must clarify this as soon as possible and suppress the rumors!"

"Clarify?" Mitokado Homura scoffed, a fierce glint in his eyes. "Empty words won't convince anyone. Those restless wolves won't care about the truth!"

His gaze, intentionally or unintentionally, swept over the visibly agitated Katsuya Otsutsuki, scrutinizing and probing. "The key to the problem lies in that 'Tenseigan'! Is it truly as the rumors say—a world-destroying force?"

He emphasized the last few words, his gaze fixed on Katsuya's face like a hook.

Swish!

All eyes instantly focused on him. Katsuya felt his throat go dry, and his heart pounded wildly in his chest. He subconsciously clenched his hands on his knees, his knuckles turning white from the force.

He knew that this problem was unavoidable.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to raise his head to meet the scrutinizing, worried, or sharp gazes, his voice barely perceptible as he said, "Tenseigan—" He paused, as if recalling his battle with Taiichi, "its true power—is indeed not an exaggeration. In my previous battle with Lord Taiichi, under the brief enhancement of the giant Tenseigan, I sensed a trace of—the power of the pseudo-Tenseigan mode."

Everyone seemed to hold their breath, straining their ears to hear every word Katsuya uttered.

Katsuya closed his eyes, and that feeling of being able to destroy the world resurfaced in his mind: "At that moment, the power was like a vast ocean, endless! The vision was so sharp that it was as if the energy flow and chakra pathways of the entire space were laid out before my eyes in perfect detail!"

What's even more terrifying is that sense of control—the manipulation that was impossible before, was now completely effortless.

He opened his eyes, a deep sense of satisfaction and longing lingering in them. "That level of power—far surpasses that of an ordinary Kage!"

If—if it were the true Tenseigan—”

His voice was extremely hoarse, each word carrying the weight of a thousand pounds, "It will only get stronger! Moreover—I have a vague feeling that the true Tenseigan has its own unique eye techniques, but my level was not high enough to use them at the time."

Dead silence.

Absolute silence enveloped the Hokage's office. Only Katsuya's rapid breathing and the occasional chirping of birds from outside the window could be heard.

Mitokado Yan's face darkened completely, his eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he leaned forward slightly, like an old wolf that had smelled blood.

Such power should rightfully be in the hands of the top leadership, and even more so, in the hands of the grassroots.

He opened his mouth, as if about to make some earth-shattering decision.

"cough!"

A clear, cold cough suddenly rang out, like an icicle piercing the stagnant air; it was Taiyi.

He leaned forward slightly, his fingertips stopped tapping, and his calm gaze met Mitokado Homura's slightly displeased look after being interrupted. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Elder Yan, please calm down. Clan Chief Shengzai's words are true; the power of the Reincarnation Eye is indeed beyond imagination. But—"

He abruptly changed the subject, getting straight to the heart of the matter: "Have you all overlooked the most important point? Is the Tenseigan really that easy to create?"

Taiichi's gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Katsuya, carrying a hint of reminder: "Over a thousand years have passed. How many members did the Otsutsuki clan have during their heyday? Yet, to this day, has they ever produced even a single true Tenseigan user?"

He shook his head slightly, his tone carrying an almost cold clarity, "No! Not a single one! They exhausted their efforts and spent countless resources, and in the end, all they got was a giant Tenseigan that couldn't be easily moved!"

That was merely a tool, a powerful energy core and weapon, not a bloodline power that truly belonged to an individual and could be used at will!

"A giant Tenseigan?" Koharu Utatane keenly grasped the key phrase.

"That's right!" Taiyi immediately chimed in, his tone resolute. "This is the true reliance of the Moon lineage, and the foundation of the entire Moon Core world."

However, due to its enormous size and deep integration with the lunar core environment, this object simply cannot be taken away from the moon!

It's more like a stationary super fortress, its deterrent value outweighing its actual strategic mobility.

Mitomon En frowned. He naturally understood what Taiichi meant: he was telling him not to try anything with the Tenseigan.

Minato, of course, understood as well. Putting aside the possibility of the Tenseigan being born, the Will of Fire alone would not allow him to harm his comrades.

"All information regarding the giant Tenseigan—from this moment forward, shall be classified as Konoha's top secret!"

Clan Chief Katsuya, after you return, you must restrain all clan members from revealing anything about the Tenseigan!

Hiashi, the Hyuga clan must also classify this information as a secret, and clan members of insufficient status must never know it.

The contents of today's meeting, especially the information about the giant Tenseigan, are strictly prohibited from being leaked, not even a single word! Violators will be punished—"

Minato's voice suddenly turned cold, "Treat them as traitors! We know their threat is limited, but the outside world is unaware of the truth! If they are exploited by those with ulterior motives and their words are distorted and exaggerated, Konoha will be unable to defend itself and will be plunged into an even greater vortex!"

"Yes, Lord Hokage! I understand! I will certainly restrain my clansmen and keep quiet!" Katsuya immediately stood up and solemnly promised.

Hiashi nodded in agreement. This was indeed a hot potato; if word got out, the Hyuga clan would probably be in deep trouble.

Mitomon Homura opened his mouth, but in the end he only snorted coldly and didn't say anything more.

but----

"Lord Hokage," Mitokado Homura said, his face grim and his tone even more grave than before, "the information about the giant Tenseigan is certainly important, but the rumors haven't stopped. I've been dealing with various villages these past few days, and I've clearly sensed that the winds have shifted!"

"Although they accused each other before, it was ultimately just a war of words, an overt diplomatic maneuver. But ever since the rumors of the 'Ten-Reincarnation Eye destroying the world' spread like wildfire—"

He paused, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes, "The reactions of the other four great ninja villages, especially Kumogakure and Iwagakure, have suddenly become unusually quiet."

This unusual silence, rather than a warning sign, hinted at an impending storm! I fear they might already be conspiring among themselves!

Minato frowned deeply: "Where did it originate? Such precise and malicious rumors couldn't have appeared out of thin air. Are there any leads if we trace it back to its source?"

A hint of shame appeared on Mitomon Homura's face: "I am incompetent. Root has used all its channels and only found that the initial rumor came from underground gold exchange offices in various places. As for the rest—we have no clue yet."

"Gold Exchange Shop—" Taiyi leaned back in his chair, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the table again, making a rhythmic tapping sound.

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips, and a knowing glint flashed in his eyes.

"Heh," he chuckled softly, his voice not loud, but it clearly drew everyone's attention.

"Strength, motive, intelligence capabilities—possessing all three, being so familiar with the secrets of the moon, and even precisely seizing the opportunity to launch an attack immediately after Konoha absorbed the Otsutsuki—in the ninja world, who else could meet all these criteria?"

A brief silence fell over the office once more. Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly exhaled a thick plume of smoke, the flame of his pipe flickering in the dim light: "You mean—Akatsuki?"

"Who else could it be but them?" Taiichi's voice was resolute. "They want to use the power of the Tenseigan to stir up the fear and hostility of the entire ninja world towards Konoha, dragging us into a quagmire of being surrounded by enemies, so as to buy themselves time and space to develop."

This plan was incredibly shrewd.

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, his tone filled with certainty: "Unfortunately, they overlooked one thing. They wanted to use the elusive Tenseigan to smear us, but little did they know, they themselves carried a real 'target'—a target that would make the entire ninja world wary!"

"A target?" Minato's eyes narrowed sharply as he instantly grasped the key point in Taichi's words. "You mean—the Rinnegan?!"

"Not bad!" Taiichi's voice suddenly rose, carrying a confidence that he was in control of the game. "No one in the ninja world has ever truly seen the Tenseigan, but what about the Rinnegan?"

The Akatsuki's Rinnegan is genuine.

No matter how secretive Akatsuki's operation was, it would inevitably leave traces in the intelligence systems of each village!

Could a terrorist organization with a leader possessing the Rinnegan, dedicated to collecting tailed beasts, and operating with ruthless secrecy be less threatening than a "Tennegan threat" they themselves fabricated?

Like a thunderbolt splitting the chaos! Minato, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and even Hiashi Hyuga, everyone's eyes lit up instantly!

The gloom that had been troubling us for days was suddenly pierced by the beam of this reverse thinking!

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but clap his hands in admiration, his eyes gleaming. "Using their own methods against them! The Akatsuki wanted to hide in the shadows and launch a sneak attack, so we'll drag them into the spotlight!"

A dark organization possessing the legendary eyes of the Sage of Six Paths and plotting against the Tailed Beasts is enough to keep any ninja village on edge!

The gloom on Mitokado Yan's face vanished, replaced by excitement: "Good! What a brilliant move to divert trouble! In the past, we were hesitant to act because we were afraid of alerting the enemy and were also worried about the source and credibility of our intelligence."

Now, taking advantage of the "Tenshenggan" demonic wind they've stirred up, it's the perfect time to throw out the bombshell of "Rinnegan"!

A hidden axis of evil lurking in the shadows strikes at the nerves of every ninja village far more effectively than a Konoha village out in the open!

Shuimen suddenly stood up, his eyes burning with a resolute flame: "Taiyi's plan strikes at the heart of the matter! Elder Yan, you are in full charge of this matter!"

Immediately mobilize all the resources of Root, in conjunction with the intelligence department, to send the intelligence we have on the Akatsuki organization to the four great ninja villages, and even to all small countries and underground forces, as quickly as possible!

We must make the names of "Akatsuki" and "Rinnegan" replace "Tenseigan" as the most terrifying nightmare in the ninja world as quickly as possible!

"Yes, Lord Hokage! I will certainly live up to your expectations!" Mitokado Homura was in high spirits, his eyes gleaming with eagerness. After receiving the order, he immediately turned around and left the office with a brisk pace, as if he had become ten years younger.