Immortality begins with the ninjas of Konoha.

Chapter 182 The Invisible Mastermind

On April 8th, Konoha Year 54, a fierce argument erupted again at the Cloud Village ninja camp on the border of the Land of Frost.

As night fell, Darui, with his white hair, stood outside the tent, listening to the Jonin's discussions with a bewildered expression. Beside him, a blond-haired man with a side-parted hairstyle whispered a reminder: "This isn't something we Genin should get involved in, Darui. Let's leave!"

"Lord Raikage can handle everything; we just need to follow orders."

Having graduated a year early, the two have been active on the battlefield for a year now. As a sensory-type medical ninja, hope has always been highly valued, while Darui, possessing the Storm Release bloodline limit, has also received considerable attention.

Although Nozomi, who had just celebrated his birthday, was only 12 years old, he keenly sensed the changes that had occurred during this period. The capture of the Jinchuriki was merely the trigger.

Darui, however, didn't think that far ahead. He had been saved by a Jinchuriki during the previous battle, and while he usually feared Yugito, he now only wanted to repay her kindness: "What if the Raikage chooses to give up?"

"It's said that the Konoha ninja launched the war to extract the tailed beasts. How can we admit defeat?"

"We must stop this evil behavior..."

The situation is roughly the same in each ninja village. Genin rarely know the truth about the war, and most ninjas are just tools. When the Kage issues an order, everyone goes to the battlefield to kill.

The Hidden Cloud Village is much better off than some small countries. It also emphasizes ideological education and promotes the Fourth Shinobi World War as a righteous act internally.

According to Darui's education at the Ninja Academy, the Konoha ninjas began collecting tailed beasts in order to dominate the ninja world, and the Kumogakure refused to accept the oppression, which is why they rose up in retaliation.

Now that the tide of battle has turned, the young ninja cannot accept it. To compromise with evil? The righteous Cloud Village ninjas will never allow it!

hope glanced at his furious companion, not interrupting his complaints, until a look of confusion returned to Darui's face. Only then did he pull his companion aside and whisper, "Defeating evil obviously requires more power. Don't forget you're just a low-level ninja!"

"Even if we return to the village and are promoted to Chunin, that's not something we should be thinking about."

"Lord Raikage won't abandon his comrades, so don't go and cause trouble now!"

The two left with mixed feelings. Inside the tent, Tsuchida, who would be forty in a few months, calmly watched the furious Raikage. Taking advantage of the Raikage's silence, he continued to explain: "The intelligence we received from Iwagakure has been confirmed. The looting of supplies and personnel at some bases was definitely not done by Konoha ninjas."

"Lord Raikage, we reached the same conclusion a year ago: the war should end sooner rather than later."

"Someone is using this war to achieve some unknown purpose; what needs to be done now is to strengthen the village's defenses."

The Fourth Raikage, A, who had been venting his anger for a while, had now completely calmed down and stared at Tsuchikage, responding angrily: "A ninja who has mastered space-time ninjutsu is disrupting the battle?"

"Are you saying the other side also possesses the art of teleportation and moved all our supplies away?"

"Lord Raikage, there are always ninjutsu we haven't seen before. Perhaps the opponent has mastered this power and accomplished something that multiple squads couldn't do."

Tsuchida's face turned serious as he reminded him again. Killer Bee, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up, saying in a strange tone, "You idiot brother! We need to bring Yugito back now."

"Hachi told me that the evil Konoha ninja might eat the Two-Tails Matatabi."

"Losing chakra can be recovered, but losing life will kill both Yugito and the tailed beast."

"An evil entity is instigating a war; he wants to devour all the tailed beasts!"

After his rap, the ninjas in the tent fell silent. It was simply too awful to listen to; despite his age, Killer Bee's musical skills remained unchanged.

Six months ago, the Cloud Village ninja had already pushed the battle line to the border of the Land of Fire, and the Land of Rice Fields were also under their control, cutting off Konoha's trade routes and some supply lines in one fell swoop.

Not only that, on the main battlefield, the Cloud Village ninjas also surrounded and killed many of Konoha's older generation of ninjas. Although the losses were considerable, the results greatly boosted the morale of the troops.

The Fourth Raikage, A, knew that Tsuchikage made sense, but recalling the changes of the past six months, he still couldn't swallow his anger.

Withdrawing from the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Hot Springs would mean giving up the gains made over two years. The Fourth Raikage, A, ultimately rejected Tsuchida's proposal, forcefully ordering everyone, "Even if Yugito sacrifices himself as a result, we must regain control of the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Hot Springs."

"Stretch out the battle lines and continue the offensive! Prepare some more funds so that the Hidden Mist ninja can continue to accept employment."

Each time, he would give a long explanation, only to have it directly rejected by the Fourth Raikage. Tsuchida sighed inwardly, but maintained a respectful expression on his face, and led the way in loudly replying, "Yes, Raikage-sama!"

Looking at the bowed earthen platform, the other Jonin swallowed their differing opinions, for the Raikage was the highest authority and they could only obey orders unconditionally.

Hearing the responses from the crowd, the Fourth Raikage, A, was secretly making calculations in his mind.

Yugito did not undergo perfect Jinchuriki training, and the sealing techniques he used were obtained from Sunagakure. Konoha would not get much useful information if they wanted to gather intelligence.

As for the Eight-Tails' mention of "devouring," A didn't take it to heart. As long as the gains were maintained, losing a tailed beast was worthwhile.

"Do a good job of intelligence gathering; if necessary, we can resurrect the tailed beasts."

After the meeting, the Fourth Raikage, A, whispered to Tsuchikage that as long as Yugito died, Konoha would gain nothing. The tailed beasts would be reborn, and Kumogakure could take them back then.

Tsuchida nodded silently. This was indeed a good idea, but opportunities were hard to come by. The rebuilt Konoha's defenses were too tight, and sacrificing intelligence personnel would not be in the long-term interest of the village.

Late at night, in the Konoha camp, Kushina and the sealing team severed the connection between Yugito and the Two-Tails, thus completing the capture of the Jinchuriki.

Seeing the 14-year-old girl "bound hand and foot," Kushina sighed inwardly. She could empathize with the Jinchuriki, and if possible, she still hoped the girl could live.

Minato Namikaze, standing by the campfire, showed no sympathy for his wife. During missions, he always prioritized the village's interests. At this moment, he was more worried about the unknown enemy: "Uchiha Madara has disappeared again in the past six months; it's very likely they're plotting something again."

"His space-time ninjutsu seems to be getting stronger and stronger, making it very difficult to track him on the battlefield."

"The last place it appeared was at the border between the Land of Frost and the Land of Hot Springs. I haven't found any useful information about it yet."

Kakashi, though he had gathered some information, was still confused. He looked at his serious-looking teacher and asked in a low voice, "Minato-sensei, what exactly is that guy trying to do?"

"Is the constant provocation of war all for the purpose of collecting the Tailed Beasts later?"

Even if one collects the tailed beasts, it is difficult to utilize their power. For example, Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki of Iwagakure, frequently transforms into a tailed beast and is currently on the verge of losing control, making it impossible for him to participate in the war again.

Kakashi didn't believe the other party was unaware of these things. He felt that they were still lacking useful information, which was why they had been completely fooled by the other party.

"If the goal was to weaken the ninja village, then the other side has already achieved its objective."

"Kumakure is still persisting. The Fourth Raikage is too stubborn. We just hope that they can protect the Tailed Beasts and participate in the subsequent encirclement and suppression efforts."

As Minato spoke, he rubbed his forehead. Konoha couldn't admit that they had lost the Nine-Tails; they had to pretend to have mastered its power.

Kushina's appearance on the battlefield was a deterrent in itself. Konoha used the mysterious Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to demonstrate its determination to end the war, and Iwagakure was so frightened that it surrendered. The strategy was very successful.

The Cloud Village ninjas have been locked in a stalemate for a week without making any major moves. As for whether the war here can end, Minato still can't figure out what the Fourth Raikage is thinking.

Seeing her husband's weary expression, Kushina immediately took his hand. She also wanted to catch that "Uchiha Madara." At this moment, she looked at Minato and softly replied, "After seeing those intelligence reports, Kumogakure will definitely realize what's going on."

"Besides, I can still use the Tailed Beast Cloak now, which is enough to handle a few battles. As long as the war ends, we can watch Naruto grow up in peace."

Over two years, the residual Nine-Tails chakra within Kushina's body slowly increased, granting her the ability to cloak the tailed beast. Ninjas unaware of the inside story would be terrified upon seeing this.

There's no need to worry about the tailed beasts going berserk. Kushina's special physique, a trait of the Uzumaki clan, has greatly increased her strength. She focuses on developing sealing techniques and has now become the leader of the sealing and barrier teams.

Although she still rarely goes on missions to take care of Naruto, Kushina is no longer hidden and goes on missions with her husband, which can be considered as fulfilling her long-cherished dream.

The three discussed Madara Uchiha's purpose in hushed tones, while Osamu Furukawa sat quietly to the side playing with a "snake." The silver snake that the Kusanagi sword had transformed into kept coiling around his body, as if it were truly alive.

As the "mastermind," Osamu Furukawa was also troubled. Although Obito tried his best, he was still unable to control the Gedo Mazo.

In just over two years, Amegakure has developed rapidly, and the Akatsuki organization has expanded at an alarming rate. Black Zetsu seems to have guessed something and has recently begun to reduce the number of times White Zetsu "charges".

There was no sign of Indra and Ashura's chakra fusing, and the memories in Furukawa Osamu's mind were of no help either; "birth of the Rinnegan on the verge of death" was far too difficult for him...

"Shu, do you think we have a chance to unite with the major ninja villages and act together?"

"Both Sunagakure and Iwagakure will support us. If we can persuade Kumogakure, perhaps we can find Madara Uchiha's trail directly."

Kushina turned to ask, and after a moment of thought, Furukawa Osamu replied in a low voice with a helpless expression, "The Fourth Raikage won't agree. Right now, he's probably preoccupied with the land issues between the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Hot Springs."

"The buffer zone between the three countries is what he's after. Even after bordering the Land of Fire, the Cloud Village ninja's ambitions won't stop."

With the Tailed Beasts joining the battle, the daimyo of the small country have become mere echo chambers. The daimyo of the Land of Lightning has repeatedly refused the peace talks proposed by the daimyo of the Land of Fire, revealing his true ambitions.

Minato, aware of the situation, didn't believe the stubborn Raikage would end the war so easily. He thought both sides would have to continue at a loss until one side conceded defeat: "It seems we'll need several more months. Kushina, if the Cloud Village ninja launch an attack, you should return with your Jinchuriki as soon as possible!"

Hearing her husband's words, Kushina nodded obediently. Thinking of Naruto at home, she suddenly teased Kakashi, who was standing beside her, "Kakashi, don't let Rin down. Be a good husband!"

Kakashi turned his head away embarrassedly, but thinking of Rin's happy face as she agreed, he finally whispered a promise: "I will take good care of Rin."

Looking up at the night sky, Kakashi seemed to see Obito giving him a thumbs-up and his father beside him with a relieved smile: "Obito, Father, I will live happily with your blessings."

After a week of standoff, the Cloud Village ninja launched another attack. As planned, Kushina led the sealing team to retreat quickly and, under the protection of the Anbu, transported the Jinchuriki back to Konoha.

The Fourth Raikage seemed to have no intention of having any "mastermind" behind the scenes. During this time, he sent a group of ninjas by sea to land in the eastern part of the Land of Hot Springs and head straight for the Konoha border troops.

As the war resumed, the Cloud Village ninjas, who had stretched their supply lines, displayed tenacious fighting spirit, with the Fourth Raikage, A, leading the charge and always at the forefront.

Fearing that Killer Bee's power would be damaged, the Fourth Raikage, with the help of sensory ninjas, was responsible for keeping Osamu Furukawa's team occupied.

hope is about to become a Chunin and will also participate in this glorious mission, just like her predecessors, responsible for genjutsu disruption and location work.

Contrary to expectations, in several encounters, hope and the others could only move away from the battleground, as illusionary interference proved completely ineffective...

"boom!"

Another loud crash echoed through the dense forest. Xin could feel two massive chakra clashing. Seeing the tense expressions on his seniors' faces, the boy instinctively swallowed hard, then whispered, "Seniors, aren't we going to support Raikage-sama?"

"Kid, that's a battle between monsters. We just need to take care of ourselves."

"Hey, don't get distracted!"

The dark-skinned leader of the four-man squad at the front turned and shouted a warning. As soon as he finished speaking, a chill ran down everyone's spines. Those with experience immediately yelled in terror, "Run!"

hope didn't expect that taking care of himself was "running away." The boy was a step too slow and his pupils shrank when he saw Furukawa Osamu suddenly appear not far away.

The black arc of light appeared before him in the blink of an eye. He felt the breath of death until the Fourth Raikage stood in front of him, and the boy knelt on the ground in fear.

"Sizzle..."

"You evil brat, you only ever attack ordinary ninjas!"

The Fourth Raikage, A, felt the heavy metal armband on his left arm being cut. He roared and increased the power of his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, causing his hair to explode instantly.

"These sensory ninjas are your 'eyes,' so naturally, we'll first make you blind."

With his left hand holding the Chidori Blade and his right hand hanging down, the silver serpent instantly transformed into the Kusanagi Sword. As the Fourth Raikage roared wildly, the two disappeared simultaneously and collided again.

hope only saw black and blue lightning flashing continuously, and in the blink of an eye, the ground in front of him shattered.

"boom!"

After a loud bang, the Fourth Raikage roared again. The metal armband on his right arm was mostly shattered. Even with the added Lightning Release chakra, he couldn't deal with Furukawa Osamu's sharp blade.

"Get out of here!"

Upon hearing Raikage's reminder, hope turned and fled. At that moment, he finally understood the looks in his seniors' eyes when he accepted the mission.

"ah!!"

Suddenly, screams came from afar. As soon as hope stepped into the dense forest, he saw another Furukawa Osamu moving through the forest. Many of his seniors were lying in pools of blood, and only a few were still fleeing at full speed.

Furukawa Osamu's shadow clones didn't care about the number of people; they just trailed behind and occasionally threw out shuriken imbued with wind-style techniques.

Occasionally, the ninja tools he throws out are even imbued with chakra threads. The shuriken controlled by Furukawa Osamu has become a "boomerang," and if you're not careful, a slow-moving Cloud Village ninja will be cut in two.

hope covered his mouth and stared wide-eyed, not daring to make a sound. Although he knew it was useless, his body was completely out of control due to extreme fear.

"There's another one here!"

"Don't let him get away..."

The Konoha ninja had already surrounded the area, and in his panic, Hii ​​could only flee in the opposite direction. The boy thought he was going to die, but he encountered the Fourth Raikage again on the way: "Kid, you did a good job. You were able to calmly choose your route at a time like this."

"Stay by my side from now on!"

The Fourth Raikage was covered in wounds, with black arcs of electricity still coursing across his body. After muttering something, he hoisted Shiki onto his shoulder and sped away.

hope didn't know what to say. Just then, another loud noise came from behind. A giant purple-striped snake suddenly appeared. As if sensing the boy's fear, the Fourth Raikage, A, whispered in anguish, "The mission is complete. I will go to the eastern region to destroy Konoha's supply lines."

"Remember, the most important thing for a ninja is teamwork..."

Perhaps from talking too much, the Fourth Raikage coughed up blood again as he moved swiftly through the dense forest. Seeing the blood droplets fall, Nozomi replied in a tearful voice, "Yes, Raikage-sama."

In the distance, the eyes of the giant snake darted about wildly. Sitting atop its massive head, Furukawa Osamu discerned its thoughts and casually ordered, "Assist the Konoha ninja in killing the enemy here."

"You'll receive a secret medicine after completing the mission."

In the two years since, Wan She has changed somewhat; the horns on its head have grown a little longer. However, compared to the shameless Qing She, its strength has fallen behind: "Yes, Lord Xiu!"

"That good-for-nothing Orochimaru was recently active in the Land of Rain, Master Shu. I'll report back as soon as my men have any new information."

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