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

Chapter 92 Three Pieces of News

It was already 5 p.m. when I got back to my residence. The teachers, including Karura, who had been attending classes at the school, had already returned to their residences.

Ryuji casually greeted the people he met on the street before eagerly rushing into the newly built studio.

He first checked the cultivation status of the cactus cells before beginning his research on the necklace.

To maximize the value of this necklace, one should first thoroughly study the sealing technique that the First Hokage sealed inside, and then extract the chakra from it for research or to enhance the potential of Wood Release ninjas.

Finally, the necklace will be put up for auction.

but.

This newly built studio lacks cutting-edge technologies such as observation instruments and 3D printers, and it is even incomplete with the most advanced research equipment of this era, resulting in very slow research progress.

It's difficult to even see the specific details inside the necklace crystal.

In response, Long Er wished he could immediately return to Shayin.

But this is not possible.

He cannot leave until he has dealt with the Wood Release ninja.

He could only console himself while slowly beginning his research.

The revolutionary predecessors of my past life also created various miracles under difficult conditions, so why can't I?

"Ryuji, are you there?"

Suddenly, the voice of the Third Kazekage came through the spiritual ocean.

Long Er paused for a moment, then carefully sealed away the research progress in his hand before replying in his mind, "Yes, what's the matter?"

"Is it convenient for us to talk?"

"I'm in my studio, all alone."

"That's good." The Third Kazekage took a breath and continued, "The allied forces of Iwagakure, Kusagakure, and Kumogakure have launched an attack on Konoha."

"Oh, I think I had a guess."

"The allied forces, totaling over 20,000 men, launched an attack from two directions, starting from the Land of Grass and the Land of Rice Fields..."

At this point, the Third Kazekage's voice became somewhat hesitant.

"I'm thinking, if Sunagakure were to send troops to Konoha at this time, Konoha would be doomed."

"And then?" Ryuji replied calmly, "In a four-on-one situation, we can probably win without suffering many losses, and then we'll be wiped out by the allied forces with minimal losses, right?"

"..." The Third Generation Kazekage was speechless.

He had considered the risks that Long Er mentioned, and they were almost inevitable.

After all, the Allied Forces and Konoha were militarily vastly different, and Konoha lacked a natural barrier like the desert. From the Allied Forces' perspective, taking Konoha was a foregone conclusion; there was no possibility of any unforeseen events.

If outsiders come along to take advantage and share the spoils, it would be strange if they didn't take advantage of them.

But as the saying goes, if there is 100% profit, XX will dare to do XXX; if there is 200% profit, XX will dare to do XXX; if there is 300% utilization, then XX can do XXX.

Despite the enormous profits, the Third Kazekage was still tempted.

He thought it was worth a try.

What if the allied forces don't end up attacking us?

Or perhaps the coalition suffered too many losses in the war and ultimately couldn't handle the situation themselves?

Ryuji could guess some of the Third Kazekage's thoughts.

Yes, nothing in this world is absolute.

The situation could indeed develop in a positive direction, but it could also develop in a negative direction.

What if Konoha thinks it's doomed to lose, so it decides to go all out and try to take someone down with it before it dies, like Sunagakure?

What if Konoha concedes some benefits to stop the Allied Forces' attack, and then turns around to attack Sunagakure?

What if the Allied Forces wipe out Konoha in a crushing victory, and then also wipe out Sunagakure?

They had clearly made plans for future development beforehand, and the outside world was too busy with the war to care about their own development. Wouldn't it have been better to sit back and watch the tigers fight while developing themselves?

To take on risks that outweigh the gains for a small profit... What kind of idiot is that?

but.

Although Ryuji was so angry he wanted to curse, he still had to give face to the Third Kazekage, so he could only slowly explain the pros and cons to him and then persuade him to give up this unrealistic idea.

In reality, the Third Kazekage understood all of this. He had convened a meeting of Jonin to discuss it and knew that launching an attack at this time would do more harm than good to Sunagakure. He was simply tempted by the immediate benefits and found it difficult to make a decision.

The reason I consulted with Long Er was that I hoped he could stop me.

So, this matter was resolved very easily.

After the Third Kazekage agreed not to send troops to Konoha again, he continued, "Besides this matter, there are two other things I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"One thing is about the Grell Stone."

"Oh." Ryuji's eyes lit up, and he asked excitedly, "Have you found the Grell Stone vein?"

"No, it was the team I sent out to find the Grell Stone that went missing."

"Missing?"

Long Er paused for a moment, then fell into deep thought.

It's quite normal that someone would want to possess the powerful chakra contained within the Grell Stone.

Although the movie shows that the Grell Stone veins are still well preserved 17 years later, it doesn't mean that no one is looking for them now.

It's also possible that they searched for it but couldn't find it.

Now, due to his own reasons, it's highly likely that Sunagakure will send ninjas to search for the Grellstone mine, attracting the attention of those who covet the Grellstone and thus prompting them to take action.

After understanding the key points, Long Er asked, "Have you sent anyone to search?"

"I sent Yekura with ten squads to search. Even if we encounter unknown enemies, it won't be a problem."

"That's good." Long Er's expression softened slightly. "Report to me immediately if there are any new developments in this matter."

"Yes!" The Third Kazekage nodded and continued, "The last thing concerns the Land of Iron."

"The Land of Iron?"

"The Land of Iron sent people to Sunagakure, hoping to hire us to attack Amegakure."

"???"

Long Er blinked, looking puzzled.

The Land of Iron is to the east of the Land of Fire, and the Land of Rain is to the northwest of the Land of Fire. How did these two countries, which are completely unrelated, become enemies?

"When the Allied Forces launched their attack on Konoha, Hanzo also led the village's ninjas to invade the Land of Iron," the Third Kazekage explained.

What is Hanzo doing in the country of blacksmithing?

Long Er remembered that this happened in the original story.

The future shogun of the Land of Iron is currently a middle-aged samurai who will engage in a duel with Hanzo at a waterfall, ultimately suffering a crushing defeat.

But the Land of Iron is a neutral country with no ninja villages, so why would Amegakure attack it?

Are they going to steal chakra metal mines?

However, although the specific reasons are unknown, Hanzo's timing was indeed good.

The allied forces attacked Konoha, and the surrounding villages, except for Sunagakure, had no time to deal with it.

As for Sunagakure... he probably thinks Sunagakure will also participate in the war to besiege Konoha and divide up the spoils!

In that case, it would be perfectly reasonable for the Land of Iron to hire Sunagakure to attack Amegakure.

Whether it's forcing Hanzo to retreat or distracting him, both are ways to achieve the best of both worlds.

All done, time for bed. I've been having these days and nights all the time, and I'm so tired. I hope I can fall asleep as soon as I lie down and get my sleep schedule back on track.

(End of this chapter)