Born in Sunagakure, dedicated to antagonizing Konoha for decades

While everyone was thinking about how to incite hatred between Konoha and Hanzo of the Salamander, Shinto had a sudden inspiration. Kakuzu's image suddenly appeared in his mind and wouldn't leave, as if saying, "I'll take this job!"

202. This guy is always unreliable.

"As long as the problem can be solved, the amount of money is not an issue. As long as you, my friend, are reliable, I'll cover the cost!"

No sooner had Zhen Dou finished speaking than the old man Mei Chuan, who had been hanging on by a thread waiting for him, suddenly sprang to his feet. He patted his chest loudly, as if money could solve any problem, and exuded an air of great pride. He seemed to be the one to pay the bill again tonight, and no one could take it from him.

Don't talk to him about money!

Their Land of Wind is so poor they have money to burn!

"Brother, you're not talking about Kakuzu, are you? But we haven't heard from him for years."

Handsome Sasori's father suddenly remembered who his older brother was talking about. He had spent some time with Kakuzu back then and knew the guy's love of money. After that, he became famous for a while, but he hadn't heard from him for the past few years. His older brother didn't even remember that there was such a person in the ninja world.

"He's been active in remote parts of the ninja world for the past few years, so it's normal that you haven't heard from him. What do you think? Elder Meichuan, a bounty hunter who assassinated Hashirama Senju, is reliable enough to do this job, right? But you've also heard about his price; his appearance fee isn't low! However, you don't need to worry about his reputation. Although Kakuzu is a rogue ninja, his credibility is definitely better than most people."

After explaining to Sasori's father, Masato spoke to Old Man Meichuan.

"If it's him, no problem. Contact him and then come to me for the money!"

Upon hearing that this friend was none other than the infamous bounty hunter and rogue ninja Kakuzu from a few years ago, Old Man Meichuan patted his chest in relief and said.

After all, he is a "seed player" who attempted to assassinate Hashirama Senju and is still alive. He lived through the era of Hashirama Senju and naturally knows how powerful Hashirama Senju was back then. There were at least 800 or 1,000 people who tried to assassinate him, but only this guy was able to survive to this day. Just for that ability alone, he is worth a high price.

After Old Man Meichuan finished speaking, everyone nodded in agreement. This bastard was finally reliable for once. They had thought he was going to say that the friend was himself. If that were the case, they wouldn't be at ease. This bastard always makes a big fuss when he takes action. It's obvious to everyone that it was him.

Moreover, having faced off against Konoha's White Fang for so many years, he was very familiar with Konoha's killing techniques. And given his abilities, it would be incredibly easy for him to fool Hanzo of the Salamander. However, for some reason, they still couldn't shake their unease about him...

......

"Lord Madara, the atmosphere in the ninja world has reached a fever pitch, yet not a single village has made a move. Konoha's strength is now unprecedented!"

In a basement somewhere in the ninja world, the outlaw Whitebeard was giving a disrespectful report to Madara.

"Whoa...! They're all a bunch of useless trash. Black Zetsu, how's Nagato's situation?"

Madara, who had already replaced his Sharingan with a new one, looked several years older. The Sharingan was his signature weapon, and after replacing it, his life force was drained even more severely. If it weren't for the ugly monster behind him keeping him alive, he would have already died. However, it didn't affect his arrogant tone of voice.

Ever since that older single woman, whom his two younger brothers had brought back to him years ago, became pregnant with a child after they found her a good family in the Land of Rain, his concern for the child has never waned. Although he hasn't personally overseen the process, his younger brothers are even more attentive than he is. So, before his monthly report at the end-of-month meeting, they routinely inquire about Nagato's health—whether she's eating well, sleeping soundly, and so on—treating her more affectionately than his own son...

This time was no different; he asked about Nagato's situation before he could even speak.

"Lord Madara, although Nagato inherited the Uzumaki clan's bloodline and his chakra and vitality are quite strong, the Rinnegan is not his, and he is still too young. Even if he activates the Rinnegan, he cannot withstand such powerful energy... Besides, we haven't found a suitable candidate from the Uchiha clan yet."

"Nagato isn't quite what we expected. Perhaps it's because his parents are still alive, but he seems a bit... cowardly?"

Black has a very good understanding of Madara, and he cares about Nagato's healthy growth.

Stop joking, this guy is just too impatient. He can't wait for Nagato to immediately enter the darkness, activate the Rinnegan, turn the ninja world upside down, and then have the tailed beasts revive him so he can dance again... After all, he hasn't danced in decades, and he's got the urge...

However, Nagato's situation was indeed not good for them. Perhaps due to his parents' overprotective nature, he became very timid. Even when he was bullied by other children because his eyes were different, his first reaction was not to raise his fists in retaliation, but to go home and find his parents. This troubled Black Zetsu greatly. What they needed was an eye inheritor who was a brave and courageous warrior, not a brat who only cried and looked for his parents. Having lived for thousands of years, Black Zetsu deeply understood the meaning of the saying that character determines achievement. Therefore, he believed that they could not wait any longer. Letting Nagato enjoy the warmth of his parents for a few more years would be useless, even if he gave him his mother's nine-tomoe Rinnegan.

"Ha...! Very well, those good-for-nothings just need a reason to start a war with Konoha, so we'll give them one..."

Since getting his eyes changed, Madara himself doesn't know why his temper has improved so much. If he had known Nagato was weak-willed before, he would have been furious, and his unintentional killing intent would have made the white-clad henchmen on the periphery go weak in the knees. But now, he is clearly very angry that this useless little bastard is being bullied by his peers even though he has Madara's Rinnegan.

Even without the Rinnegan, the labor force is already at the age of three and the age of eight!

What a load of crap...

Stare at them! (▼へ▼メ)

But he just couldn't get angry. It seemed that he was gradually finding a bit of the composure that a military strategist could maintain even when a mountain was about to collapse.

.....

Thirty-four years into the history of Konoha, the tense atmosphere in the ninja world had built up to a point where everyone was competing to see who had more patience. However, Hanzo of the Salamander from the Land of Rain could no longer hold back and directly declared war on Konoha. His reason was that when Konoha ninjas passed through their Land of Rain, they went berserk, committing all sorts of atrocities, including rape, kidnapping, and other heinous acts. They were so despicable that they didn't even spare an eighty-year-old grandmother. If he continued to tolerate this, he would become the "God of Shinobi"!

Then, just as everyone was shocked that the Konoha ninjas, who always spoke of benevolence and morality, would do such a thing, Onoki from Iwagakure also entered the fray and declared war on Konoha. His reason was almost the same as Hanzo's: the Konoha ninjas had infiltrated their Land of Earth and then, driven by their bestial nature, committed rape, kidnapping, and all sorts of atrocities. Most despicable of all, they had even laid hands on eighty-year-old grandmothers from the Land of Rain, yet they didn't even look at the younger, uglier, and stronger women from their Land of Earth...

To protect the last shred of dignity left for the girls of the Land of Earth, Onoki could no longer tolerate it!

203. Has Kakuzu gone mad? He's even doing it to his own people?

Just as some people were confused about whether Onoki was just following the trend or if Konoha had actually done it, the Raikage of Kumogakure suddenly announced that Konoha ninjas had infiltrated their Land of Lightning and committed all sorts of atrocities. What's even more hateful is that they couldn't see the uglier or stronger young women in the Land of Earth, but instead took a fancy to the eighty-year-old women in the Land of Lightning, all for the sake of those eighty-year-old women's chastity!

The Raikage declares war on Konoha!

Confused!

Everyone was completely dumbfounded.

Following Hanzo the Salamander and Onoki, the Raikage also announced a war against Konoha, and the reasons were almost identical. If the first time was an accident and the second time was a coincidence, what about the third time?

Will there be a fourth time, a fifth time...?

All eyes immediately turned to the still silent Sand Village and Kirigakure Village. If Sand Village and Kirigakure Village were also concerned about the dignity of a young woman or the chastity of an eighty-year-old woman, then... Konoha would really do it...

...

"Damn it! Didn't we agree that Kakuzu would only go to the Land of Rain? Why is this guy even killing people from our Land of Wind?! I paid him! (▼he▼メ)"

Meanwhile, in the Kazekage Tower meeting hall of Sunagakure, Umekawa Hakuchi, like a raging little tiger, bared his teeth and claws and unleashed a torrent of abuse at Shinto.

This time, even those present looked at him. Although they didn't speak, they could feel a trace of resentment in their eyes. Some time ago, when the Land of Rain received news of the attack by the Konoha ninja and when Hanzo of the Salamander announced the start of war with Konoha, they were overjoyed. Kakuzu, this bounty rogue ninja, is indeed worthy of his reputation. He is expensive, but he is really reliable.

Then Onoki suddenly declared war on Konoha, also citing Konoha ninja causing trouble in their Land of Earth. Upon first hearing this news, they were amazed that Kakuzu was so shrewd, offering buy-one-get-one-free deals, and that they could do more business with him in the future...

When trouble broke out in the Land of Lightning, they were overjoyed! They never expected that their village's unreliable top performer would actually have such a dedicated friend—he was incredibly loyal! They only asked Kakuzu to take care of the Land of Rain, but he actually did it all!

Where can you find friends like these? Give them a dozen!

Lian Ebizo said that he could get closer to Kakuzu more often in the future. Although Kakuzu was a rogue ninja, he wasn't a rogue ninja from their village, so what did they have to do with each other?

But their joy was short-lived. News came from the border that one of their small villages had been massacred. When their men arrived, the ground was littered with corpses, but the crude methods used confirmed that it was Konoha ninja who had done it.

Everyone was completely dumbfounded!

Is that bastard Kakuzu out of his mind?

When everyone saw the horrific intelligence brought back by the Dark Division, Mei Chuan Baidi was so angry he almost vomited blood. He immediately ordered someone to drag Zhen Dou to the Wind Shadow Pavilion and gave him a good scolding. Sure enough, he was an unreliable person and none of his friends were reliable either!

"(⊙_⊙)?....That shouldn't be the case, Kakuzu isn't the type to get so easily impulsive..."

Shindou dodged left and right, avoiding the spittle that the old man Meichuan was spraying at him with unknown viruses. He was no longer in the mood to exchange insults with the old man Meichuan. He was scratching his messy hair, looking completely bewildered.

Others may not understand Kakuzu, but he has been hanging out with Kakuzu for several years and knows Kakuzu's abilities very well. If Kakuzu is unreliable, then there is probably no one more reliable in the entire ninja world.

They make a living based on their reputation, and they're always an old-fashioned, traditional ninja—calm-headed and clear-thinking. How could they possibly get so easily impulsive?

"Enough with the talk. Just contact Kakuzu and ask what's going on. Kakuzu has been in the ninja world longer than us, so he shouldn't have made such a mistake. I've investigated, and his reputation has been the best on the black market for decades."

"With both Iwagakure and Kumogakure declaring war on Konoha, it's inevitable that Sunagakure will be looked down upon if we remain silent."

Sunagawa rubbed his temples, looking troubled, and interrupted the old man Meichuan, who was about to launch into a tirade.

It's pointless to talk about this now. They invited Kakuzu in the first place so that Hanzo of the Salamander would be the one to take the lead. Now that their goal has been achieved, even though a village was inexplicably stolen, Sunagakure can still afford it. The most important thing now is to start a war against Konoha. Everyone's eyes are on him, the Kazekage. If he doesn't do something, people will think he's a coward who can be bullied.

Furthermore, he didn't believe that Kakuzu was responsible for this, nor did he think that Iwagakure or Kumogakure were involved. After all, although Kakuzu had a good reputation in the black market, he always did what he was paid for. Even if he was friends with Shinto, he would only give him a 20% discount at most. Although he was a big shot, even big shots need to make a living.

Therefore, he felt that either Iwagakure and Kumogakure were being sabotaged by someone else, or they were staging their own drama. The ninja world was in chaos, and who knew if Kumogakure and Iwagakure had done the same to those small villages and countries as they had? Perhaps they had united to take revenge on them, just like Frost Village, Hot Spring Village, and Smoke Village, and then shift the blame to Konoha. All of these were possible. He had Shinto contact Kakuzu to verify this only to ease the tension between the kid and the old man Meikawa. Besides, it wasn't good for them to be fighting all the time.

"That's right. There's no point in investigating this now. Although a village was killed, the objective has been achieved. All clans, go and prepare. This war will be led by... Masato, with Jie and Saori leading the puppeteer force as assistants. Each clan should leave half of their personnel to guard the village, and the rest will be under Masato's command. This time, your route will still go through the Land of Rain. It's estimated that the Land of Rain and Konoha will start fighting soon. It's good to first demoralize Konoha in the Land of Rain."

After Sunagawa finished speaking, Ebizo, the Grand Councilor, immediately stepped forward to make important strategic deployments. However, when it came to appointing the commander, he originally wanted to appoint his nephew, since Masato was not very reliable and he was a little worried about him. But considering that his nephew's reputation was not as impressive as that of the bastard, and his presence might not be enough to keep so many underlings in check, he decided to let the bastard lead the team.

Thinking about it, Ebizo felt a bit pathetic. Although their village was strong and well-equipped, even to the point of being unable to support its soldiers, they were desperately lacking in leadership. His sister was too preoccupied with her precious grandson to lead the troops, Sunagawa had to stay behind to prevent a breach in their defenses, and the remaining clan leaders were all scoundrels. Yusaori's father was all show and no substance; in a fight, he was even weaker than old man Umekawa...

204. I, Danzo Shimura, lived a life of integrity and uprightness.

"Miss Slug, what's going on? Has Kakuzu gone mad? He's even messing with us."

After Ebizo finished arranging the details and everyone went back to their own business, Shinto summoned the slug clone. He had previously left a slug clone on Kakuzu for easier communication, and since the slug had been living in Shikkotsu Forest for many years, it was inevitable that she would be out of touch with the times. It would be good for her to travel around with Kakuzu.

"It wasn't Kakuzu who did it. When Kakuzu went to the Land of Rain, he already saw a group of Konoha ninjas committing massacres. Later, in order not to break his promise, Kakuzu killed those Konoha ninjas and then deliberately went and killed many Amegakure ninjas!"

I wonder where Kakuzu has been taking the slug to have fun lately and what benefits he's given her, because the slug is actually speaking up for Kakuzu.

"......"

Masato remained silent. Kakuzu was indeed incredibly dedicated. No wonder Hanzo of the Salamander was so popular; even knowing he couldn't defeat Konoha, he still went for it. Apparently, not only was the village raided, but Kakuzu also took down a bunch of his underlings...

"So, it really is Konoha that's causing trouble in our countries?"

Ebizo and Sunagawa frowned. Based on their understanding of Konoha, although Konoha was somewhat hypocritical and its constant talk of morality was annoying, it was true that they were a peace-loving village. This was the ideology established by Hashirama Senju. Mito Uzumaki was still alive, and Hiruzen Sarutobi certainly wouldn't dare to cause trouble. Wasn't he afraid of being beaten up by the Senju brothers later?

But Miss Slug definitely wouldn't say that. She's an immortal who can outmaneuver even the Sage of Six Paths; their immortal aura is so strong they can smell it from this far away, how could she possibly be so blind...?

"I don't know, but those ninjas in the Land of Rain were definitely wearing Konoha ninja headbands. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now!"

I guess Kakuzu was having fun at some amusement park with Miss Slug. After Miss Slug finished speaking, she turned into a puff of smoke and disappeared with a bang.

"...Did I sign this or did Kakuzu sign it?"

Shinto looked blankly at the remaining smoke and asked Ebizo and the other two.

"........."

Ebizo and Sunagawa were still pondering why the Konoha ninja were doing this, and they couldn't be bothered to pay him any attention.

......

Sunagakure did not disappoint the expectations of the ninja world. Although it was unclear whether the ninjas wearing Konoha headbands were actually from Konoha, it was no longer important to Sunagakure. The desired effect had been achieved. The next day, Sunagakure immediately declared war on Konoha, citing the same reason: Konoha ninjas had violated the peace treaty and committed atrocities in their Land of Earth. Fortunately, thanks to the lessons learned from the Land of Rain, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Lightning, the women of their Land of Wind had already evacuated to large towns and thus escaped the disaster. However, the men who remained at home suffered the consequences and had to bear the wrath of these beasts.

So, for the sake of those withered chrysanthemums, Fengying couldn't help but announce that they should start fighting!

The news of Sunagakure's declaration of war caused an uproar in the ninja world. Whether Konoha had actually done it or not was no longer important, nor was the situation in Kirigakure. Three of the four major ninja villages besides Konoha had already declared war, and there was also Amegakure, which had developed well in recent years and was poised to become the sixth major ninja village.

Another world war is about to break out!

Those who witnessed World War I have children who are now parents and young men who are now grandparents, but the devastation of the war is still vivid in their minds. Putting aside the war between the Land of Earth and the Uchiha clan, the fact that all the second-generation Kage of the five great ninja villages died was already sensational enough. Now, another great war is about to begin.

So... how many Third Hokage will die this time?

Tell them to be on high alert....

...

"Danzo, keep confessing, did you do this or not?"

In the Konoha Hokage Building, also in the conference room, apart from the super bigwig Mito Uzumaki, all the village's high-ranking officials were present. Their expressions were all quite solemn. The entire conference room was quiet, except for Hiruzen Sarutobi in the center, who asked his best friend next to him with unusual seriousness.