This puppeteer is a bit... well...

Chapter 233 Weren't they dead?

How so?

Although Black Zetsu had thought that he would definitely get a position in the Allied Forces before the meeting started, he never expected that he would become a peace ambassador.

It's important to understand that from the split between Ashura and Indra to the rise of various clans and the current chaos among the major ninja villages... while it can't be said that he orchestrated everything behind the scenes, he is certainly involved in every single event.

It's incredibly ironic that such a person was appointed as a "peace ambassador" by the Allied Shinobi Forces.

but……

"It's ironic that he got such a position, but Hiruzen Sarutobi is really a cunning old fox!" Black Zetsu quickly regained his composure from his desire to mock the ninja world and seriously considered the Third Hokage's intentions.

The peace ambassador's duty is to mediate internal conflicts within the coalition forces... Such a duty can give him considerable influence within the coalition, and if he performs well, it's not impossible for him to gain everyone's trust.

But it only makes people care about his opinion; whether they will agree with it or even take it seriously is another matter.

In other words, they have a certain degree of influence, but no real power.

As the initiator of the coalition and the provider of the Sky City blueprints, Jue made tremendous contributions, and he certainly deserves a place in the coalition.

However, although he claimed to be the successor of the Akatsuki, his origins were too mysterious. In addition, he produced the blueprints of the Sky City, which had been searched for by various countries in the ninja world but could not be found, and which were only found in the Sky Village. This made his origins even more mysterious.

Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally couldn't trust someone of such dubious origin, so he gave him this seemingly prestigious position that prevented him from interfering in the internal affairs of the Allied Forces—a perfect solution.

But instead of being annoyed by Sarutobi's actions, Kuro was actually delighted.

Because he was not interested in so-called power or even the distribution of benefits after the victory of the war, everything he did was to free his mother from the seal.

The position of peace ambassador is actually more suitable for him to wreak havoc on the ninja world.

After all, using information asymmetry and persuasive rhetoric to sway people's hearts is what he excels at.

These thoughts flashed through his mind. Zetsu turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi, nodded slightly, and said, "Since the Hokage recommends it, then I will accept it without hesitation."

"I'll leave the issue of harmony within the coalition forces to you."

"I've done my best."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction, then looked at the others and said, "Next is the strategic deployment, but before that, I want to introduce you to someone."

As he spoke, he turned around and looked behind him. A middle-aged man wearing a green vest and with a pineapple-shaped hairstyle walked up to him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded to him, then looked at the others again, "Nara Shikaku, he's our Konoha's strategist. You should all be familiar with him!"

"It's not just familiar, it's practically legendary!" Lei Ying said in a deep voice.

Back then, the three ninja villages of Iwa, Kumo, and Kusanagi attacked Konoha from two directions simultaneously... Facing an enemy with more than twice the strength of their own forces, Nara Shikaku used a clever trick to switch targets and secretly advance, allowing Konoha to escape the crisis with only half its forces lost.

Although the treachery from Iwagakure and Kusagakure was a factor, the outcome would have remained the same even without that incident.

This strategic thinking still makes the Raikage, who is now an enemy, feel lingering fear.

"No, it was just good luck!"

Upon hearing the renowned Raikage praise him so highly, Nara Shikaku humbly replied.

"If luck alone could defeat Kumogakure, then Kumogakure would have been wiped out in the previous war."

After saying that, the Raikage turned to look at Hiruzen Sarutobi and asked, "Hokage, do you want him to be the strategist for this operation? If so, I have no objection."

"Me too!"

Onoki rarely gives his opinion again.

Although he fought steadily and without revealing any flaws in the subsequent war with Konoha, Nara Shikaku's strategy still caused the Iwagakure forces a lot of headaches. What was originally an advantageous situation gradually turned into a disadvantageous one.

While the difference in overall strength between the two ninja villages is also a factor, the opponent's strategic acumen should not be underestimated.

Yagura, holding the coral staff, laughed and said, "Although I haven't experienced his power firsthand, I have no objection to him being able to convince the proud Raikage."

"Hmm!" Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly, then turned to Shikaku. "In that case, you'll be in charge of devising the strategy!"

"Yes, Hokage-sama!"

Nara Shikaku nodded, walked to the central strategic sand table, and pointed to the floating continent that clearly exceeded the area representing the four Sky Cities. "Before deploying the strategy, I want to explain to everyone the prerequisites for victory in this war..."

As he spoke, he looked around and, seeing that everyone was listening attentively, nodded slightly and continued, "The prerequisite for winning this war is to occupy the Mechanical City or the entire Floating Continent."

"Why can't it be 'destroy'?"

Someone asked, puzzled.

Even those who have no experience of war know that destruction is much easier than occupation.

Moreover, with seven Jinchūriki and four main cannons of the Sky City, even if the target is a floating continent of five thousand square kilometers, it is not impossible to destroy it.

"This brings us to the danger of objects falling from great heights..." Shikaku glanced at the person who asked the question and explained, "The higher the object falls, the more dangerous it is. Even a stone the size of a little finger falling from a thousand meters in the air can be enough to blow someone's head off, let alone a floating continent with an area of ​​five thousand square kilometers."

"So you mean an irreversible disaster would occur if the floating continent crashed from the sky, right?"

"That's right!" Shikaku nodded and said, "According to intelligence, Sunagakure completed its relocation half a year ago, and everyone moved to the Floating Continent. The floating continent has been suspended at an altitude of three thousand meters. A fall from such a height... although it cannot be calculated precisely, a rough calculation shows that the shockwave from the impact on the continent would be enough to cause the extinction of all life on this continent."

"hiss!"

Everyone present couldn't help but gasp.

Although many of them knew that the collapse of the floating continent would cause an irreparable disaster, they had never specifically calculated the extent of the disaster.

Listening to Lu Jiu's explanation now, I only feel a chill down my spine.

"If that's the case, then in the end, if Sunagakure sees the situation is bad and chooses to crash the floating continent and perish with everyone, wouldn't that mean the Allied Forces have no chance of winning?" said the leader of a small ninja village.

Upon hearing this, everyone else turned to look at Lu Jiu.

Shikaku then turned to look at the Third Hokage, nodded, and then faced the crowd again, "Therefore, in addition to the main battlefield, we must form a highly mobile, stealthy, and powerful squad to sneak in under the cover of the battlefield and take control of the control center of the Mechanical City."

"Where do you find a squad that's highly mobile, adept at stealth and reconnaissance, and also incredibly strong?"

"Even with such a small team, there would still be a great risk, after all, we know nothing about the Mechanical City."

"Yes, that's too risky!"

People discussed it amongst themselves, but most felt it was too risky.

They weren't against the idea, but they felt it wasn't safe enough and hoped that Shikaku could come up with a more secure solution.

"Gentlemen..."

At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly shouted.

The crowd stopped talking and looked up.

"Regarding the risk of the floating continent crashing... There's no need for everyone to worry so much about this. Since Shikaku formulated such a plan, he naturally considered the risks involved. If the risks were too great, he certainly wouldn't have made such a choice."

After saying that, he turned and looked at the Sky City of Konoha.

Following his gaze, everyone saw two men standing with their hands behind their backs at the entrance of Sky City.

They were wearing red and blue armor from the Warring States period, respectively.

One person had waist-length black hair, while the other had a white spiky hairstyle.

"This is!?"

Onoki initially thought he was seeing things, so he quickly rubbed his eyes and looked again. His expression immediately changed drastically. "The First Hokage, the Second Hokage... How could this be? Weren't you dead long ago? How come you're here?"

"Oh my, isn't this the little brat who used to follow Wu around? How come he's gotten older than me?"

Upon hearing this voice, Onoki trembled involuntarily, his pupils constricted sharply, and distant memories were stirred within him.

Ignoring Onoki, who was lost in some unpleasant memories, Hashirama and Tobirama slowly walked towards the central platform.

As Hashirama walked, he said, "Leave the risk of the floating continent crashing to me. An impact disaster capable of wiping out an entire continent... I've never faced anything so terrifying before!"

"The First Generation is mistaken; he is not as strong as you might imagine."

Shikaku explained, "The collapse of the floating continent would create a shockwave that would wipe out all life on the continent... This is a calculation based on ordinary people or creatures. In reality, the shockwave wouldn't even spread across half the continent; it would only cause secondary disasters that would lead to the extinction of life."

"In other words, as long as the first impact is stopped, there will be no second disaster."

As they spoke, Tobirama and Hashirama arrived at the high platform at the same time.

Tobirama looked at Hashirama beside him and asked, "Brother, can you withstand a falling object that can generate such a shockwave?"

"I don't know." Hashirama shook his head slightly. "However, although I don't know if I can withstand it, I will definitely reduce his speed to a level that will not cause any harm to the land."

"That's enough." Tobirama turned to the allied leaders. "Did you hear that? My brother said we can hold out, so you don't need to worry so much. Hmm? Why are you all standing there like idiots? Share your thoughts!"

Upon hearing this, everyone snapped out of their daze and stared at the two of them in disbelief.

"I'm not seeing things, am I? These are the First and Second Hokage!"

"It's true. I came to Konoha when I was a child and saw them from afar. I can't be mistaken about their imposing figures."

"But aren't they dead?"

As the year draws to a close, I'm getting busier and busier in real life, but I've been updating more frequently these past few days. So, I'm definitely not as careful with my writing as before, and it's normal to have more typos than before. It'll be fine after the New Year when my family leaves.

However, at this rate of update, it should have already ended by then.

(End of this chapter)