IMPORTANT: For every 30 POWER STONES there will be an extra chapter!
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Since the end of the Second Shinobi World War, all the major ninja villages, having suffered heavy losses, tacitly agreed to recuperate—not out of a desire for peace, but to prepare for the next inevitable conflict.
Those who possess power naturally develop desires. It's only normal to wield that power in pursuit of gain and ambition.
Konoha, with its prime environment, has been growing at a rapid pace, far ahead of the others, like a cradle nurturing all sorts of terrifying talents.
First came White Fang, the Sannin, and Dan Kato. Then there were figures like Ye Zi, Minato, and Kushina, all forces to be reckoned with.
Watching Konoha pull further and further ahead, showing signs of becoming dominant, the other ninja villages could no longer sit idly by.
The deaths of Ye Zi and Dan Kato were a blessing to them, but with Minato's appearance, mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique, he cast a new shadow over the other villages.
One person's power is limited, but one person's power can also be terrifying.
It seemed they could no longer wait…
If Konoha continued to grow unchecked, even if all the other ninja villages formed an alliance, they might not be able to defeat it in the future.
Their restless ambitions were now fully exposed. The goal of the ninja villages was clear: they didn't need a formal alliance; they simply had to press forward toward the borders of the Land of Fire.
Every village had its own intelligence network. Although they couldn't fully grasp the enemy's plans, they were able to gather some useful information.
However, when it came to intelligence, White Zetsu's network far surpassed that of any other village.
Over the years, White Zetsu had quietly observed the shinobi world, gathering information that no one else could. His artificial bodies scattered across the land diligently collected intelligence and reported back, making him keenly aware of the approaching storm.
"The Kazekage has gone missing."
After Ye Zi casually killed a rogue ninja from the Hidden Cloud Village, White Zetsu, who had been watching the scene, suddenly spoke.
A Kage-level ninja disappearing was a significant event, and White Zetsu, with his formidable information-gathering ability, knew about it before any other village.
"What's the reason?" Ye Zi asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.
At such a crucial moment, the Kazekage's disappearance was explosive news, though the consequences were still uncertain.
"I don't know," White Zetsu shook his head and continued, "Right now, the Hidden Sand Village is searching for the Kazekage with all its might. It's likely something has happened to him."
Ye Zi tossed flames onto the bodies of the rogue ninjas he had killed. The fierce fire consumed the corpses. These rogue ninjas were initially on Ye Zi's recruitment list, but since they attacked him, he dealt with them swiftly.
As the flames burned, Ye Zi looked toward the end of the road and said calmly, "Based on your information, all the villages were already on the verge of action. It seems the Hidden Sand Village is in serious trouble."
"Do you plan to act against the Hidden Sand Village now, even though the plan isn't fully in motion?" White Zetsu asked.
Ye Zi shook his head slightly. "The only target we can act on right now is the Jinchuriki of the Four-Tails. Nagato is still gathering strength. Even if we wanted to start the plan, we'd have to wait until after this war."
"So, are we just going to sit and wait for the war to end before collecting the Tailed Beasts?" White Zetsu asked.
"No," Ye Zi replied coldly. "This war is an opportunity to weaken the major ninja villages. To make it easier to collect the Tailed Beasts later, I won't let this war end quickly. At the very least, I'll make sure the major villages suffer enough to hurt their foundations. If the situation allows, we'll see to it that the Hidden Sand Village disappears."
Hearing Ye Zi's words, Black Zetsu, who had been silent with his eyes closed, slowly opened them. His eyes, fixed on Ye Zi's back, gleamed with a strange light, but after a moment, he closed them again.
White Zetsu, who shared the same body, didn't notice this. He looked at Ye Zi and sneered, "You think you alone can influence a war of this scale?"
"Isn't that why you're here?" Ye Zi responded calmly.
"..."
White Zetsu suddenly regretted speaking up.
"The battlefield is ever-changing. I don't want to end up dead," White Zetsu quickly rejected the idea.
Ye Zi gazed into the distance and said, "I'm not asking you to fight on the battlefield. I just need you to provide information. Every village will have both overt and covert operations. I can't interfere with the overt, but I can with the covert."
"What's your plan?" White Zetsu's eyes flickered with curiosity.
"Weaken the strong and aid the weak, maintaining a balance of power between the villages so the war drags on longer."
"Sounds easy," White Zetsu replied sarcastically.
Ye Zi lowered the black curtain on his mask and said calmly, "It might seem difficult, but how will I know if it's possible unless I try?"
Hearing this, White Zetsu realized Ye Zi was serious—he truly intended to influence the war from behind the scenes. The idea was utterly absurd. Even with White Zetsu's intelligence, one person could hardly change the course of a conflict involving the entire ninja world.
White Zetsu thought about the current power structure. Konoha was the strongest, followed by the Hidden Cloud, Hidden Stone, and Hidden Mist Villages, with the Hidden Sand Village being the weakest.
How could Ye Zi intervene or influence all of this? To White Zetsu, the idea seemed like madness.
"Do you really need to go to such lengths? Be careful not to get caught in the crossfire."
Ye Zi walked ahead and said seriously, "If it benefits the plan, I'll do whatever it takes…"
White Zetsu walked alongside him and asked, "Even if it means going against Konoha?"
"Of course," Ye Zi replied without hesitation.
White Zetsu grinned, his eyes narrowing, and suggested, "Konoha is strong right now, but it will undoubtedly be attacked by the other villages. To defend against them, Konoha will have to split its forces. That will leave the village poorly guarded. Instead of trying to manipulate the war, wouldn't it be better to take advantage of the situation?"
Ye Zi glanced at him but remained silent.
White Zetsu chuckled and continued, "Of course, this approach works for other villages too. Even if the Gedo Statue isn't ready, you could start by capturing the Jinchuriki—like the hardest one to deal with, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."
"At Akatsuki's current strength, we can't defend the Tailed Beasts we capture," Ye Zi replied.
"Ah," White Zetsu knocked his head playfully, "That's true. But my real concern is… you won't be able to go through with it."
Ye Zi snorted coldly, "I know my limits."
Hearing his response, White Zetsu grinned and wisely kept quiet.
As Ye Zi moved forward, he thought of all the obstacles he had to overcome, all the ties he had to sever to move forward without hesitation.
But despite his conviction, when the thought of targeting Kushina arose, the answer became uncertain.
If that day truly came, could he bring himself to do it?
As the question floated in his mind, he expected a firm answer—yet none came.
Even imagining it, he found himself unable to confidently say: "I can do it without hesitation."
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Currently on Chapter 224 - The Evil Hidden in the Darkness