"You don't welcome me, huh?"
"Fourth Mizukage..."
Upon hearing this voice, Yagura realized that it didn't belong to anyone in Kirigakure's top management. Not even an Anbu member under him. He hadn't seen anyone coming.
Yagura immediately went on high alert. Through his gaze, he saw three figures emerging slowly from the shadows outside the door. It was a kid and a weird-looking person and an old man.
"Enemy attack!"
"How audacious! Three people dare to invade Kirikagakure alone!"
"The three of you won't leave here alive!"
At that moment, Yagura had no patience to listen to the nonsense of the intruders. Although he didn't know how the three managed to break in, the silence of the Anbu indicated that something had happened or the three possessed exceptional stealth abilities.
However, Yagura couldn't afford to worry about that anymore. He swiftly attacked the old man, who stood before him, with the weapon in his hand. According to Yagura's assessment, the old man in front of him was the most prominent threat among the three. If he could take down the old man, the other two would be manageable.
The elderly Madara frowned slightly as Yagura launched a sudden attack.
"Don't waste time talking, just do it! The current ninja world is becoming increasingly unruly!"
After the old man complained, a pair of Sharingan eyes with three tomoes appeared instantly. The Uchiha Kid fixated his gaze on Yagura, the power of his terrifying pupils froze Yagura in place, leaving him unable to move.
Yagura stared at the kid in horror.
'Damn it! I can't move my body!'
"Who are you?"
"Just one glance and I'm immobilized. And you possess the Sharingan," Yagura asked the old man, fear evident in his eyes.
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Madara walked slowly towards the Mizukage's seat and sat down. Looking at everything happening in Kirigakure below, he opened his mouth and said, "I am Uchiha Madara."
Yagura's pupils suddenly contracted upon hearing the name. He looked at Madara, who now sat in his seat, with disbelief.
"Impossible! Uchiha Madara is already dead! You can't be Uchiha Madara!"
"Who the hell are you people?"
Faced with Yagura's consecutive questions, Madara showed no interest in answering. As the three-tomoe Sharingan spun slightly in his own eyes, Yagura was immediately trapped in an illusion. Though Yagura couldn't see it anymore, Madara was well-versed in using the Sharingan.
Seeing Yagura's eyes gradually losing focus and his gaze becoming dull, Madara ceased his technique.
"Alright, from today onwards, you are the Uchiha Madara!"
"I will never reveal our follow-up plans!" the kid promised.
"That's enough," Uchiha Madara said as he slowly left the office. Though he didn't mention his destination, he knew it, and he didn't try to stop it. Since this could be Madara's final move, he looked at the departing figure for a while.
After a long silence in the office, Black Zetsu spoke again, "Alright, from today onwards, we will control the Fourth Mizukage to carry out our plan!"
"You can give the order to him to Cut off all external communication channels for the Mist Shinobi village!"
Under the control of the duo, Kirigakure was soon isolated from the outside world. Even the shinobi on missions were recalled to the village. There was no news about Kirigakure reaching the ninja world.
Kirigakure's actions quickly reached the ears of other ninja villages, leaving them completely puzzled by the situation.
Meanwhile, in Iwagakure...
"Tsuchikage-sama, messengers from the Konoha faction are here!"
"Um?"
Upon hearing the report from the Anbu, Onoki raised his eyebrows. In the previous war, Iwagakure had retreated without suffering significant losses. So, what did Konoha want by sending someone now?
Full of doubts, Onoki decided to summon them. Soon, a figure accompanied by Anbu arrived at the Tsuchikage's office. Upon seeing the person, Onoki raised his eyebrows again.
"Hmph, I didn't expect Konoha to send you."
"Aren't you afraid that I'll kill you right now?"
In response to Onoki's somewhat threatening words, Minato simply smiled.
"Third Tsuchikage, Lord Ryan sent me here because I possess the strength to prevent you from taking me into custody."
"And?"
"Are you sure you want to attack me? Once you do, it means you will face Konoha once again! By then, even if Kumo wants to rush to help, it will take too long."
As Minato spoke calmly, Onoki fell silent for a moment. He was well aware of the current situation in the Land of Earth, surrounded by the Leaf Village. The only route out was through a few small countries connected to Kumogakure.
Hearing Namikaze Minato's words, Onoki couldn't shake off the feeling that Kumo might sever ties with them at any moment. At that point, the Rock Shinobi would truly be alone. As he pondered this, a smile suddenly appeared on Onoki's face.
"Hahahaha, as expected of Konoha's Yellow Flash! Konoha truly is a cradle of geniuses," Onoki remarked, expressing his admiration. "Tell me the purpose of your visit."
Onoki couldn't help but feel envious of Konoha's location. The village consistently produced one genius after another. It was unlike Onoki's own field, which only yielded a potato or two after immense effort, while the neighboring field effortlessly grew a variety of rare treasures. Such things were bound to be envied.
Upon hearing this, Minato politely placed the prepared list of supplies in front of Onoki. "We need Iwagakure to provide these supplies. Of course, Konoha will also offer assistance to the Rock Shinobi," Minato said, gesturing toward the scroll containing the material list.
As Onoki looked at the scroll, his expression instantly changed. Lines of frustration covered his face. It was almost as if Konoha had come to blackmail them.
"The old man wants to know: what kind of assistance can Konoha provide?" Onoki asked, his irritation evident.
Minato had already anticipated Onoki's reaction when he received this task from Lord Ryan. Facing Onoki's rhetorical question, Minato pondered for a moment and then slowly responded, "Our assistance, as Konoha, is that we won't attack you in the short term."
Minato's words were met with a moment of silence in the office. Onoki and Minato exchanged glances, and the former wore an expression that said, "Are you joking with me?" Minato, on the other hand, had a serious look on his face, showing that he wasn't joking.
In an instant, Onoki's anger broke through his defenses. A loud noise resounded as the desk in front of Onoki was destroyed. Fueled by anger, Onoki used the Ultra-Light Rock Technique to fly directly towards Minato.
"Good, good, good!"
"Very good!"
"You Konohas really think you're the best in the ninja world? Go back and tell your Fourth Hokage!"
"You are underestimating Iwagakre too much!" Onoki exclaimed, his emotions running high.
As Onoki spoke, the Anbu members outside the office rushed in. Their gaze fixed on Minato, ready to act at Onoki's command. However, Onoki waved his hand, signaling them to leave.
Looking at Minato, Onoki said, "As an envoy, I will let you leave the palace today. Deliver a message to that brat, Ryan. We'll see each other on the battlefield. Iwagakure will never surrender!"
"As you say Tsuchikage!" Minato replied firmly, activating the Flying Thunder God Technique and leaving the Iwa directly. Long before he left, Minato knew that an agreement wouldn't be reached.
Returning to Konoha in an instant using the Flying Thunder God Technique, Minato immediately went to the Hokage's office.
"Onoki didn't agree," Minato reported.
"Thank you for your hard work," Ryan responded.
Ryan had already anticipated this outcome. Sending Minato was more of an inoculation, preparing for Onoki's rejection in advance. Iwagakure's confidence was solely dependent on an alliance with Kumogakure.
Compared to Onoki, the Third Raikage and the future Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure were the true powerhouses.
Negotiations were impossible; they could only resort to force. However, the situation with Iwagakure was different. Ryan believed that once they took down Kumogakure, Onoki would eventually agree to the merger, leaving him alone and defenseless.
After all, Ryan had no interest in carrying out absurd fantasies of a perfect world. His goal was to bring complete peace to the entire ninja world. Even if Onoki disagreed, they could still proceed.
"Okay, let's inform them! Prepare for Kumogakure! The army will march to the Land of Thunder!" Ryan declared.
Upon Ryan's order, the Konoha army quickly assembled once again. The current Konoha was much stronger than before. Soon, the army was fully gathered. In addition to the ninjas from major families, there were also ninjas sent by the Wind Ministry.
The scale of the operation was unusually large. After all, to conquer the entire Land of Lightning and the subsequent regions, they needed significant numbers. As for the high-end combat power, Ryan personally led the army, accompanied by the Sannin, Pakura, White Fang, Rasa, Minato, Fugaku, and other elite ninjas under his command.
"Set off!" Ryan commanded.
READ 42 CHAPTERS IN ADVANCE IN PATREON.COM/MARIONI