Start with a Zanpakuto and build the strongest Mist Village

Then let's not fight anymore; there's no need to deliberately feed kills.

"What's there to be afraid of? It's just a tailed beast. Don't we have any in our village?"

"That's right, we also have the Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails. If we fight them head-on, why would we be afraid of Konoha?!"

"Excellent! Let's start a war against Konoha, Lord Raikage!"

"quiet!"

Everyone started to speak, and the Raikage's eyes flashed. The man in hemp clothing immediately shouted coldly, bringing the noisy Raikage's office back to silence.

Ai glanced around, then finally shook his head: "Yugito hasn't fully mastered the Two-Tails' power yet, and Hiya has already gone to the Cloud Thunder Gorge to train. We don't really have the power of a tailed beast to contend with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki at the moment..."

"Alright, let them fight it out this time. The war is far from over. Iwagakure, Kirigakure, Konoha, we can step in when they are all severely weakened. It's not too late then, is it?"

The group exchanged bewildered glances. They hadn't expected that Ai, known for her fiery temper, would choose to calm down at this moment, which truly surprised them.

However, they were not disappointed; instead, they showed signs of joy.

This way of thinking about things from multiple perspectives is more like a 'shadow', isn't it!

"Yes, Raikage-sama!"

……

"Why did this happen, Danzo? Why did things turn out this way?!"

Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at Danzo, whose body was mostly wrapped in bandages, his eyes filled with fury.

Thousands of Konoha ninja were wiped out, and countless elites from various bloodline limit and secret technique clans died in battle.

Even his son...

“I had no choice. Hiruzen, Kirigakure used the Three-Tails, and Mizukiyo even froze the entire Higashimatsuyama base. I could only…”

Danzo said in a low voice, but before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Hiruzen Sarutobi's sharp voice.

"So what if it's the Three-Tails? So what if it's Mizuki Yoru's Ice Release? You can use other methods, or even negotiate with it directly!"

"Aren't they a scarce resource? We can give them resources! Don't we have captured ninja swords? We can give them all to them! Why use this most foolish method!"

"Yes, Kirigakure has a small population and scarce fighting power, and we did indeed repel Kirigakure using this method. But what about us? Since the outbreak of the Third World War, how many troops do we still have available? Kirigakure can't withstand this level of loss, so how can we?!"

"If Kirigakure suffers a defeat, they can simply retreat overseas, but what about us?!"

"Now that Onoki has launched a full-scale attack, we only have the troops left from the Iwagakure battlefield. The remaining troops from the Sunagakure battlefield have also been sent up. Next, all that's left are the children from the village's ninja academy!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his pipe heavily onto the table, the force so great that it shattered into pieces, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

His anger was beyond words, yet he didn't utter a single word about his child who had died in battle.

Danzo lowered his head deeply; ultimately, the responsibility lay with him.

The entire Hokage's office remained silent for a long time before Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice slowly rang out.

"How many people are still alive on the front lines?"

"...less than a hundred people, but the situation in Kirigakure is not much different from ours..."

"boom!!!"

Chapter 76 He is old

A terrifying surge of chakra erupted from Hiruzen Sarutobi. The rage of this ninja hero, who was still at the very end of his prime, made Danzo consciously shut his mouth and lower his head.

After a long while, Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice slowly rang out.

"Where is Minazuki Yoto? Has his whereabouts been confirmed?!"

"……nor."

Feeling Hiruzen's almost murderous gaze, Danzo whispered, "We engaged in a full-scale battle with Kirigakure. After both sides' positions were completely annihilated, Minazuki Yoru and Minato Kushina exchanged blows and then disappeared."

"Based on current predictions, he should be covering the remnants of Kirigakure as they return to Kirigakure."

"Speculation?!"

A mobile natural disaster that possesses space-time ninjutsu and the ability to unleash massive ninjutsu attacks—you're telling me you can't even pinpoint its location and can only speculate?!

If the opponent appears in Konoha's territory in the Iwagakure battlefield, or even directly in Konoha Village, then what's the point of playing?

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt his three internal organs throbbing violently, and his high blood pressure was about to flare up.

Sensing that his old friend was about to go berserk, Danzo said repeatedly, "Minato left the Flying Thunder God mark on him, which allows him to sense the location of Minazuki Yoru to a certain extent."

What good is it? They have mastered space-time ninjutsu. By the time they sense it, disaster will probably have already struck!

"No, we can't keep fighting that guy."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a few deep breaths, forcibly suppressing his anger: "Given the current situation in Konoha, we can no longer muster more troops to face the other major ninja villages. Send the ninja swords back to them, tell them that we are willing to negotiate, and we can even compensate Kirigakure for their losses to some extent."

"Negotiations? Compensation for losses? No way!"

Danzo's voice suddenly rose: "Hiruzen, although we have suffered heavy losses, the situation in Kirigakure is even worse than ours. They have fewer troops available than we do! Why should we negotiate with them and even offer to compensate them for their losses? What about our own losses then!"

"Just because they have Minazuki Yoru!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi roared, "Do you think I don't want to fight? Do you think I don't feel anger and rage?! Do you understand now that Shinnosuke is dead?!"

"I wish I could slaughter every single Kirigakure ninja, but tell me how to restrain that guy, Mizuki Yoru! Konoha no longer has the resources to fight anymore, do you even know that?!"

His intense emotions caused the blood on Hiruzen Sarutobi's forehead to swell, but in the end, he could only deflate like a punctured balloon and sit back in his rightful Hokage position.

"The daimyo sent word yesterday that due to our defeats on the battlefield, bandits, thieves, and roving ninjas have appeared in many parts of the Land of Fire. The daimyo's guardian ninjas have suffered casualties. We cannot continue this war."

"We must stabilize the situation in Kirigakure. Only when Kirigakure is stable can we fully dedicate ourselves to the battlefield in Iwagakure and better deal with Onoki!"

"……I see."

In this world, the daimyo is not a figurehead who 'rules without governing,' but rather the de facto head of state.

Although it seems absurd to allow a useless nobleman to rule and have the power of life and death over a group of extraordinary individuals who can fly and dive, that's just how the world is.

The daimyo not only possesses supreme administrative and military power, but also holds the right to freely appoint 'shadows'.

In exchange, the daimyo would provide the ninja village with protection from attacks or invasions by other countries, as well as financial and material assistance.

Since the outbreak of the Ninja War, the Daimyo has supplied Konoha with a large amount of money and supplies, which is one of the reasons why Konoha has been able to hold out against a much larger force.

Danzo Shimura took a deep breath. If even the daimyo didn't support the war, then the only option left was to negotiate with Kirigakure.

"I will send an invitation to the Third Mizukage to negotiate a ceasefire and strive to reach an agreement as soon as possible." Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a deep voice, "How many people... do you still have in Root?"

"Less than a third..."

In order to hunt the night, Danzo took two-thirds of the elites with him, only to lose them all, and he almost ended up being left behind himself.

The once mighty Root is now reduced to just a handful of cats and dogs left behind in Konoha, a devastating blow to its vitality.

"Less than a third... Send it to the front lines and let Orochimaru command it to gather more intelligence."

"it is good."

"You're injured too, so take a couple of days to rest and recover."

"Yes."

This time, Danzo didn't make a fuss. He knew very well that if he hadn't misjudged Minazuki Yoru's fighting strength, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

After handing over control of Root, Danzo left the Hokage's office, leaning on his cane.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, sitting in the Hokage's seat, remained silent for a long time before raising his head and looking at a set of photo frames in the corner.

Inside the photo frame, Shinnosuke Sarutobi's smiling face shines brightly in the afterglow of the setting sun.

But as the sun set, that radiant smile was shrouded in gloom.

"Shinnosuke……"

A low murmur escaped Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips, weary and sorrowful. He slumped helplessly in the Hokage's seat, as if all his strength had been drained away. He didn't even have the courage to bring the photo frame back into the sunlight.

He is old.

……

"Hey, Obito~"

"I brought you some interesting news, Obito~"

Afei emerged from the rock wall, his strange tone like that of a mischievous child, and shouted at the boy who was constantly cultivating in the dim underground cave.

Obito Uchiha continued his training without turning his head until Tobi, chattering incessantly, stood right in front of him. The black rod that Obito had conjured in his hand almost touched Tobi's face before deeply embedding itself into the wall behind him.

"Wow! That was terrifying! That was terrifying! Damn it, Obito! I kindly brought you information, and you treat me like this..."

"Alright, Fei, now is not the time to joke around... If you have any new information, just tell me."

A chilling killing intent erupted from the blood-red Sharingan, causing Tobi's shouting voice to grow even softer. It was Madara Uchiha who stepped in to defuse the situation.

"Always wearing a sour face... Okay, okay, it's the situation on the battlefield between Konoha and Kirigakure."

"Minato Namikaze, along with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, directly engaged in combat with Yoru Minazuki, completely destroying each other's camps..."

After muttering a few complaints, a murderous intent surged forth, and A-Fei quickly shrank back, only daring to stick half his head out on the ground. Then, he very quickly recounted the latest intelligence he had gathered.

"A lose-lose situation? What an incredibly foolish strategy."

Obito Uchiha sneered, while Madara Uchiha, standing to the side, slightly raised his head, a hint of seriousness in his eyes.

"You just said that Mizuki Yoru single-handedly froze the entire Konoha fortress?"

"Yes, yes, Misawa Bridge, Kazama and Yagaya, and the Shirai mining area were all frozen by him. It's so cold, so cold, so cold! All the Konoha ninjas inside froze to death!"

Ah Fei shouted, shivering as he spoke, as if he were actually in that icy, snowy place.

"They actually killed so many people..."

Madara murmured, his three-tomoe Sharingan flashing red light beneath his pale hair.

"This is probably going to be a bit troublesome."

Chapter 77 Determination

"What's the trouble?"

Obito frowned slightly as he looked at the frail and elderly Uchiha Madara.

Having been here for a long time, in Obito's memory, Madara, though old, always had a calm and composed demeanor, as if nothing in the world could escape his grasp.

This is the first time the word "trouble" has appeared in his mouth.

Recalling the icy and snowy landscape of Mount Higashimatsu, Obito's expression turned solemn and serious: "You find Minazuki Yoru troublesome? Could it be that he has grown to the point where you are on par with, and even with, the First Hokage?"

"Don't joke around. How can someone who can't even suppress the mere Flying Thunder God Technique and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and is forced to change homes compare to me and Hasi Hot Mom?" Although weak, the pride in her words could not be concealed.

This is the absolute confidence of the person who brought an end to the Warring States period!

In Madara's view, if he were at his peak, he could have easily taken down a brat like Mizuki Yoru with a single strike using Susanoo.

Unfortunately, he was now very old and frail. Let alone fighting, he might die instantly if he were separated from the golem.

"However, although that kid can't compare to me and Jianjian, he is indeed an outstanding figure among the younger generation. Moreover, according to Bai Jue's research, he has mastered a method that allows him to devour the souls of those he kills and continuously increase his own power."

"Devouring souls?"

This chilling topic almost made Obito lose his composure.

“That’s right. So what you saw on Mount Higashimatsu, Minazuki Yoru, might not be the limit of his power, but rather the starting point of his power.”

Ban said in a deep voice, "Of course, you don't need to care too much. Even the power of the soul will inevitably have its limits in terms of improvement, because in this world, only by gathering the power of all things can one reach the true pinnacle of power!"

"Wha, what do you mean?"

"A deity, in pursuit of stability, divided Yin and Yang into two opposing forces, which interact with each other to create the myriad phenomena of the universe," Madara Uchiha said in a deep voice.

"You possess the power of the Senju and Uchiha clans. Although it cannot be considered the true power of all things in the universe, it already has a certain foundation."

"Of course, these things are too early for you. The Uchiha's ninjutsu and taijutsu, the control of the Sharingan, the use of Wood Release, and even Yin-Yang Release that surpasses the Five Elements Release... these are all things you need to learn."

"Of course I know!"

Obito Uchiha snorted coldly: "I will naturally learn these things, but I'm afraid your body won't be able to hold up until then!"

"madness."