— — — — — —
Since Black Zetsu himself mentioned that Uchiha Naori and Uzumaki Mito might have surpassed ordinary Kage-level power, reaching the same tier as him back in the day…
It might actually be true.
Better safe than sorry!
"I think we can give it a try! If one isn't enough, we can use three!"
"One for Uzumaki Mito, another for Uchiha Naori, and…"
"We can totally use Uchiha Kaito as bait to lure out Uchiha Naori and Uzumaki Mito."
"Then take care of all of them at once!"
"Besides, doesn't Uchiha Kaito know the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
"If he realizes you've got your eyes on him, Madara-sama, and knows he can't beat you, he'll definitely use the Flying Thunder God to call for backup. He won't just run away alone, leaving everyone else behind…"
Black Zetsu, acting like a cunning strategist, offered advice to Madara.
"Oh?"
Madara raised an eyebrow, smirking. "How can you be so sure that he won't just run far away when he sees me, instead of going to get help?"
"Heh heh!"
Black Zetsu chuckled sinisterly. "That's where hostages and leverage come in!"
"You can use his teammates or even those Konoha shinobi stationed at the front-line camp as hostages and bargaining chips."
"There's no way he can teleport all of them away at once!"
"As long as he cares about those people, he'll come running to help."
"Especially since he seems to be aiming for the Hokage position after this war ends!"
"It looks like he's already made all the preparations. Sarutobi Hiruzen has been detained, and he's just waiting to rack up more achievements and build greater prestige to smoothly take over the role."
"He won't abandon his comrades and escape alone."
"If he does, it'll ruin his reputation!"
"Of course, Madara-sama, you should announce your name when you confront him. Scare him enough so that he'll bring Uzumaki Mito and Uchiha Naori as reinforcements. What do you think?"
If Madara agreed to this…
Even if he managed to kill all three of them, Black Zetsu would have enough time to uncover and destroy the secret behind the Uchiha Clan, leaving no trace behind.
This way, he could achieve multiple goals:
Eliminate the uncontrollable factors—Uchiha Naori, Uzumaki Mito, and Uchiha Kaito.Cut off Madara's chances of extending his life.And conveniently choose a suitable substitute for his plans.
Even if Madara used a shadow clone, achieving this would still cost significant chakra and life force.
One wrong move, and Madara might end up dead from overexertion.
At that point, Black Zetsu could take over selecting the substitute himself.
"We can give it a try!"
Madara thought for a moment, then nodded.
No matter what, dealing with Uchiha Naori and the others was something he had to do.
As for the substitute (proxy), he still preferred to choose and train someone himself.
"Alright, so it's settled?"
Black Zetsu's heart leapt with excitement as he asked.
"Good!"
Madara nodded. "Get everything ready. I'll bring my shadow clones over once I return."
Madara gave his approval, and Black Zetsu immediately left to make arrangements.
— — —
Meanwhile, at the Iwa-nin (Iwagakure Ninjas) camp near the border of the Land of Rain and the Land of Earth…
Onoki received a report from his elite team regarding the results of the battle between Kaito's group, Danzo, and Hanzo.
"What? Hanzo and Danzo are both dead?"
"Two thousand Ame-nin (Amegakure Ninjas) wiped out in an instant by just two lightning jutsu?"
"And Danzo, along with his thousand-strong force of Sarutobi and other clansmen, was somehow poisoned by Hanzo's toxins?"
"Wasn't Danzo working with Hanzo to deal with the Uchiha, Senju, and Uzumaki clans? How did he end up getting poisoned by Hanzo? This doesn't make any sense!"
Onoki was utterly baffled.
The leader of the sensory squad, Higashi Shibito, scratched his head awkwardly. "Honestly, we don't have many clear details about that."
"But I don't think it was internal conflict between Hanzo and Danzo."
"If they were going to turn on each other, it would've been after eliminating the Uchiha forces, not before!"
"There's no reason for them to fall out before the plan succeeded!"
"Our people even noticed that Danzo's troops used some kind of antidote when the poison fog spread. It should've protected them…"
"But somehow, it didn't work!"
"My team suspects that Tsunade might have tampered with Hanzo's poison."
"She could've added something to make the antidote useless. Given her skill in medical ninjutsu, that's entirely possible."
"That's the only explanation that fits."
As for Uchiha Kaito?
Until yesterday, no one in Iwa had even heard of him.
But after Kaito wiped out over 2,000 Ame-nin in a single battle and killed Hanzo, he'd left an unforgettable impression.
Onoki would remember that name for the rest of his life.
"That does make sense," Onoki said thoughtfully. "Danzo schemed and plotted for decades, only to be outplayed by a woman. How ironic."
"However…"
He furrowed his brow and looked at Higashi Shibito. "You wrote in the report that some kid named Uchiha Kaito used a terrifying lightning jutsu to annihilate 2,000 Ame-nin and then used the Flying Thunder God to kill Hanzo?"
"How is that possible?"
"Where the hell did this Uchiha Kaito come from?" Onoki furrowed his brow in disbelief. He'd never even heard of the guy before!
"It's true! I swear!"
Higashi Shibito raised his hand in a solemn vow. "To be honest, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe that someone who doesn't even look fully grown could have such terrifying power!"
"That was Hanzo we're talking about! Sure, I've always thought the 'Demi-God' title was a bit of an exaggeration—he might not be as strong as you, Lord Tsuchikage—but he's still leagues above your average Kage-level ninja! Especially with his salamander summon, the poison fog, and the rainy climate of Ame. His destructive capability is insane!"
"And yet, he was killed so easily. It doesn't sit right with me..."
Onoki's expression darkened. Hanzo, a ninja of that caliber, hadn't lasted even a single round against this so-called Kaito. If someone like Hanzo couldn't handle him, then what about Onoki himself?
"What the hell is that? That brat isn't even of age?"
Onoki's voice rose in shock as he processed this new information.
"Exactly!"
Higashi nodded firmly. "He's tall, sure—probably around 5'9" or 5'10"—but his face? No way he's even fifteen! He looks way too young!"
Onoki frowned. "Could he have one of those baby faces, like Yagura from Kirigakure? Looks young but isn't?"
"Highly unlikely." Higashi shook his head.
"After the battle, we tracked the Konoha troops to gather information. That's how we learned his name. Turns out, he's the son of Uchiha Naori, the current elder of the Uchiha clan."
"If he were older, someone that powerful wouldn't have stayed under the radar. There's no way he's been hiding in secret all this time."
"Hmph, that does make sense," Onoki muttered, his frown deepening.
"Naori's son, huh? I know her well—she's the one who single-handedly crushed the Uchiha clan's internal rebellion during the Eye Plundering Incident. Not exactly someone you'd call 'ordinary.' She might as well be the clan leader."
"If her son inherited her talent, it explains a lot. But even so, isn't this a little too much? Two strikes to take out 2,000 Ame ninjas? Tell me everything that happened. I want every detail."
"Yes, sir!" Higashi nodded and proceeded to recount the entire event in vivid detail.
By the time Higashi finished, Onoki's face was grim, his expression a mix of caution and fear.
"A genius like that... Why does someone so monstrous have to be born in Konoha of all places? Why can't Iwagakure have talents like this?!"
"This brat cannot be allowed to live!"
Onoki's eyes narrowed, gleaming with dangerous intent. "Konoha just wiped out Hanzo and over 2,000 Ame ninjas. They'll move quickly to capture Amegakure and wrap up the war in Amegakure Village. We can't let that happen."
"We should interfere."
"Besides, I want to test this Uchiha Kaito myself."
Onoki's tone was resolute. "Let's see if he's really as strong as the rumors say. And whether he is or not, I'll find a way to take him out."
Such a threat, if left unchecked, would undoubtedly become a nightmare in the future. Especially since Kaito had mastered Senju Tobirama's Flying Thunder God Technique. That alone made him far too dangerous to ignore.
"That's a solid plan! We could even bring Sunagakure into this!"
Higashi's voice carried a note of excitement. "I saw the Third Kazekage himself leading a team to scout the area. He must've seen the battle, too."
"Sunagakure won't want someone like Uchiha Kaito running around any more than we do. And they definitely won't want Konoha easily taking over Ame no Kuni."
"If we team up, we'll have a much better chance against Konoha. What do you think?"
Onoki stroked his chin, weighing the options. Higashi wasn't wrong. With Kaito's strength, even Onoki himself might struggle. Having another village as backup would certainly improve their odds.
"Hmm... That might just work." After a moment of deliberation, Onoki made up his mind. "Time is short. Konoha will move fast. I'll head to the Sunagakure camp myself and speak to the Kazekage."
Wasting no time, Onoki took off toward the Sunagakure forward camp. In less than half an hour, he crossed dozens of kilometers and hovered over the Sunagakure base, calling out for the Third Kazekage.
When he explained his proposal, the Kazekage didn't hesitate.
"Target Konoha and eliminate that monster Uchiha Kaito? I'm in."
The Kazekage's sharp eyes glinted as he added, "I've received intel that Konoha's forces are already preparing to move. They'll likely march soon. We need to act immediately or it'll be too late."
"So soon? Seems like Konoha knows the value of speed." Onoki smirked grimly. "They're trying to keep us out of this fight."
"Too bad for them. Now that we know, there's no way we're sitting back and letting them have their way."
"I'll head back to rally my troops. You do the same. Let's meet near Amegakure."
"Understood!"
The Third Kazekage nodded and turned to give orders to his own forces.
With that, the two leaders moved to prepare their respective armies, united in their goal of striking a blow against Konoha and eliminating Uchiha Kaito.
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