"I don't know."
Hiruzen said, "Minato, there's no need to be so anxious right now; it's not yet the worst time."
"Anxiety makes it easy to lose clarity and make wrong decisions."
"In the past, Konoha has faced even worse situations."
"Back then, the Ninja armies of Hidden Rock Village and Hidden Mist Village not only reached the Land of Fire but even reached Konoha, breaking through Konoha's barrier and walls."
"At that time, the Second Mizukage and Second Tsuchikage fought fiercely over Konoha's resources and both perished."
"We got through that situation."
"The current situation is not worse than back then."
"If they really attack Konoha, think about it, Minato. Is there any Ninja village that can withstand attacks from me, you, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Danzo all at once?"
"They wouldn't dare risk being the Ninja village chosen for our retaliation."
Minato thought about it and realized it was indeed the case.
Just like Konoha's current action against Hidden Mist Village, it only aims to defeat the Mist army, never intending to attack Hidden Mist Village or destroy it.
On the other hand, other Ninja villages targeting Konoha would definitely be cautious.
With so many Kage-level Ninjas, if they are not killed on the spot, the subsequent retaliation is extremely terrifying.
Which Ninja village can withstand that?
A Ninja village with so many people is bound to have some who cannot remain hidden forever within the village.
Would they stop all interactions and trade with the outside world?
Would they stop taking on mission requests?
"As long as we few are still alive, Konoha will definitely continue to exist," Hiruzen said.
Minato nodded.
"Lord Third, I understand."
"So this time, the goal of those Ninja villages is still the same as before; they want to gain benefits from us Konoha, right?"
"Yes, more benefits."
Hiruzen said, "This time, our village's plan has failed, so their demands will undoubtedly be greater. We need to be mentally prepared for significant losses."
After speaking, Hiruzen rubbed his brow.
"Minato, you must grow faster in the position of Hokage."
"I will do my best to help you."
"But with age, my energy is not what it used to be."
...
The entire ninja world is discussing this great war.
"Konoha's strength is still very strong; their foundation is too deep."
"When they truly go all out, Hidden Mist Village is no match."
"But Konoha's position is both a blessing and a curse."
"Because of its good location, it has abundant resources."
"But because of its good location, it is more susceptible to envy from other Ninja villages."
"Hidden Sand Village and Hidden Mist Village do not have such concerns."
"If it weren't for the threats from Hidden Rock Village and Hidden Cloud Village, Konoha would not need to retreat at all."
"After this battle, it's uncertain which direction the situation in the ninja world will take; it seems like it will be a turning point."
Some are discussing specific ninjas.
"I didn't expect that among the Sannin, the strongest is actually Jiraiya."
"I remember that when Jiraiya was young, he had the nickname of 'underachiever.'"
"Yet now, his strength far surpasses Orochimaru's."
"A youth who couldn't do anything to Jiraiya managed to severely injure Orochimaru."
"Among the Three Sannin, Orochimaru's strength must be the weakest now, right?"
"That Ao was not heard of before; he suddenly appeared with such great strength."
Someone on the opposite side countered.
"It's not Ao who's strong; it's the Sword of the Darkness Flame."
"That Great Blacksmith is terrifying; he forged such a powerful Zanpakuto."
"Ao is just a petty person relying on the Zanpakuto. Once he got it and gained strength, he exposed his hidden nature."
"In battle, he says all sorts of nonsensical things."
"Like 'At the peak of the sword, I dominate the world,' and 'I am invincible under the Sage'..."
"If he's not embarrassed, I'm embarrassed for him."
The people of the Land of Fire have a strong dislike for Ao
However, there are also people who like him.
"I think he's not bad."
"He's just a bit arrogant, but hasn't done anything else."
"He sounds quite imposing and is interesting."
"In comparison, Kurosuki Raiga is far more disgusting."
"Despite having such strong power, he always hides in corners, sneakily attacking others."
"He's quite sinister."
A person from the Land of Water sneered.
"Even the most sinister is no match for Konoha's Shimura Danzo!"
At this, a dispute nearly broke out between the people from the Land of Fire and the Land of Water.
"By the way, Hoshigaki Kisame's growth is really terrifying."
"He was just an ordinary genius before. After getting Kiriichimonji, he immediately became the top of the younger generation, and now, he has managed to hold out so long against Orochimaru and Jiraiya."
"Most elite Jonin wouldn't be able to reach this level."
"Speaking of young ninjas, it seems Hidden Mist Village has another impressive young ninja."
"Her name is Terumi Mei."
"She doesn't use a Ninjato, but already possesses elite Jonin-level strength and has a powerful Kekkei Genkai ability."
"If Terumi Mei could get a Ninjato, she would probably be even stronger."
"One must admit that among the old, Konoha holds the advantage, but among the younger generation, Hidden Mist Village has an absolute advantage. In the future, how terrifyingly strong will Hidden Mist Village become?"
"With so many geniuses, there might be even more Zanpakuto, Great Grade Swords, and Skillful Grade Swords."
Some people from the Land of Fire countered.
"Konoha's Hatake Kakashi is also very strong."
"After losing the Sharingan, he didn't just not weaken; he became even stronger."
"By combining Lightning Release, he developed his own Hatake Style Kenjutsu."
"Among the younger generation, no one can match Hatake Kakashi except Hoshigaki Kisame."
"Even Hoshigaki Kisame might not necessarily be a match."
"While the Sword of Wisdom's abilities are indeed strong, Hatake Kakashi's swordsmanship just happens to counter the Sword of Wisdom's abilities."
The people from the Land of Water responded expressionlessly.
"Then, where was Hatake Kakashi in this battle?"
"Did he fight against Hoshigaki Kisame?"
"He only took on the younger Hozuki Mangetsu and the already exhausted Kohachi Kuriarare, and then fought Hoshigaki Ryukame until the end of the war."
"Has anyone heard of Hoshigaki Ryukame?"
Hoshigaki Ryukame is quite unknown.
In fact, most ninjas are not well-known.
To become a 'celebrity' ninja requires several conditions.
Either they must have outstanding strength,
or they need to have appeared in significant events,
or they must have defeated a well-known 'celebrity' ninja.
Before this war, not only were there few people in the Land of Water and the Land of Fire who knew of Hoshigaki Ryukame, but even within Hidden Mist Village, he was not widely known.
However, after this battle, things changed.
Hoshigaki Ryukame's name had become known to many.
Some Ninjato enthusiasts pulled out a blueprint featuring many Ninjato designs.
"Unhealable Blade, Kiriichimonji!"
"Ice Blade, Blue Rose Sword."
"Curse Blade, Dragon-Bone."
"Stiffening Blade, Nikkari Ao'e."
"Blood Blade, Water Dragon Possession."
"Thunder Swords, Lightning Blade."
"Ninjutsu Nemesis Blade, Sword of Wisdom."
"Fire Blade, Sword of the Darkness Flame."
A large crowd gathered around.
"These Ninjato are really impressive. Not only are their abilities strong and capable of bringing drastic changes to the user, but they also look quite beautiful, said to be like works of art."
"That Blue Rose Sword is crystal-clear, like high-quality jade."
"Nikkari Ao'e also looks very good."
"I wonder what the name of the Great Blacksmith from Hidden Mist Village is. Such an existence is worth more than an ordinary Kage-level ninja; it could be considered Hidden Mist Village's greatest treasure right now."
"Because it's so important, Hidden Mist Village has kept the identity of that Great Blacksmith hidden."
"If other Ninja villages find out, they will definitely target him."
"Who knows when the identity of this Great Blacksmith will be revealed."
"Perhaps it will be after the war ends."
One person looked outside.
"Speaking of which, the ninja world war is nearing its end. At this point, most Ninja villages are on the brink of collapse, with immense losses in ninjas and resources."
"And it seems the final outcome is close to being determined."
"Just like the first and second ninja world wars."
"This ninja world war has already lasted for a long time."
"I hope peace can come soon."
With Konoha facing the siege of three Ninja villages simultaneously, the situation is very bleak.
A figure stood on a high vantage point, overlooking the battlefield.
Uchiha Obito's eyes flickered.
"These people are even more foolish than I expected."
"I only made a slight design, and they fell for it."
"It seems that completing the Eye of the Moon Plan is not as difficult as Madara-sama said."
"Am I too clever?"
"Or is Madara-sama not up to the task?"
Uchiha Obito pondered to himself.
"By intensifying the conflicts between Ninja villages, making their wars more severe and causing more casualties, the overall strength of the Ninja villages will decrease, making it easier for me to act."
"Besides that, I need detailed information about the Jinchuriki in each Ninja village."
"One-Tail of Hidden Sand Village."
"Three-Tails and Six-Tails of Hidden Mist Village, though the Three-Tails has not yet been revived."
"Four-Tails and Five-Tails of Hidden Rock Village."
"Two-Tails and Eight-Tails of Hidden Cloud Village."
"Nine-Tails of Konoha."
"Among them, I have already invited Kaguya Neko from Hidden Mist Village to join the Akatsuki Organization, which will make it much easier and more convenient to obtain information about the Three-Tails and Six-Tails."
"I remember there's a wandering rogue ninja named Kakuzu from Hidden Waterfall Village."
"From Hidden Sand Village, Konan reported that Sasori of the Red Sand's information has been obtained. Sasori of the Red Sand is not dead but has simply left Hidden Sand Village. Given that Hidden Sand Village is currently at war, Sasori of the Red Sand's departure is notable."
"This implies that Sasori of the Red Sand must harbor resentment toward Hidden Sand Village."
"Inviting Sasori of the Red Sand to join the Akatsuki Organization would also make acquiring the One-Tail much easier."
"The remaining ones are Hidden Cloud Village, Konoha, and Hidden Rock Village."
A figure appeared in Uchiha Obito's mind.
Kushina Uzumaki's figure.
To be fair, Uchiha Obito knew that Kushina Uzumaki had been very good to him.
Good to him, to Kakashi, and to Rin.
"Kushina-san, there's no way around it."
"I have great respect for you and am very grateful."
"But for Rin, and for this dirty world, I must do this."
"However, please rest assured."
"Once I complete the Eye of the Moon Plan and transform the entire world into a place where everyone can live in peace and happiness, you will be able to return from death just like Rin."
"You will be able to live happily with Minato-sensei once again."
"This will be my compensation to you."
Uchiha Obito made his decision.
No matter what his feelings had been toward Minato and Kushina before.
No matter whether his plan would cause harm to Minato and Kushina, Obito no longer cared about that.
For the current Obito, the Eye of the Moon Plan was everything.
Everything needed to make way for the Eye of the Moon Plan.
"I never expected that Kakashi, after losing his Sharingan, didn't become weaker but instead grew stronger."
"The combination of Lightning Release and swordsmanship."
"New Hatake Style Kenjutsu."
"Compared to me, it's still a bit lacking."
"But it is already fully deserving of the title of genius."
Obito sighed.
"Things in the world change so rapidly."
"In the past, I could never have imagined that my future would be like this."
"I just wanted to become stronger, to grow alongside Kakashi and Rin."
"Constant training, completing missions, defeating enemies... becoming an excellent ninja."
"And when I grew up, I wanted to marry Rin."
"Have Kakashi as my best man."
"Have Minato-sensei officiate the wedding for Rin and me."
"Spend my life happily with Rin."
"Now, I have become the leader of the Eye of the Moon Plan."
"Kakashi has become the second most prominent young ninja in the ninja world."
"Only Rin remains in eternal sleep."
"But, Rin, rest assured, I won't make you wait too long."
"I miss you."
Obito's figure flickered.
In the next moment, he entered Konoha.
Konoha has a barrier.
But it has no effect on him.
One reason is Obito's strength here.
Another reason is that Obito is originally from Konoha.
Obito, disguised, made his way to the village cemetery.
He headed straight for Rin's gravestone.
A stone tablet with Nohara Rin's name.
And a photo of Rin. In the photo, Rin is smiling happily.
"Rin..."
Obito showed a nostalgic expression and couldn't help but reach out to touch her.
At that moment, a figure approached.
Obito quickly concealed himself.
"Kakashi?"
---
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