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Three years passed in the blink of an eye.
Now, Kaito was ten years old.
In those years, his strength had grown at an astonishing pace.
He had truly reached the peak of Kage-level power.
And not just any Kage-level—it was a dual mastery of both physical strength and chakra.
Within the realm of Kage-level strength, he had advanced significantly.
Over these years, Kaito also held ideological training sessions for Uchiha children and teens, helping them in their training and boosting his favorability with them.
He successfully secured favorability above 80 points from over a hundred Uchiha ninjas, contracting them one by one.
Then, he trained them intensively.
Some of the older ones were even sent to the world of pirates to train, gain battle experience, and improve their skills.
At the same time, this conveniently expanded his influence in the pirate world.
Apart from the Uchiha clan, Kaito also contracted figures like Nawaki, Perona, Zoro, Ace, Sabo, Nami, Nojiko, Bell-mère, Kaya, Conis, Rossi, Gan Fall, and others, turning them into his loyal allies.
Those contracted earlier had already grown quite strong under his guidance and were advancing rapidly.
The more recent recruits showed great promise for the future.
---
[Profile: Uchiha Kaito]
Talents: Space-Time Gate, Heaven Rewards Diligence
Lifespan: 612 years, 4 months, and 21 days
Level: Kage-level Peak (Dual Mastery of Chakra and Body)
Chakra Amount: 567 units
Chakra Nature: Water, Wind, Lightning, Fire, Earth, Yin, Yang
Kekkei Genkai: Three Tomoe Sharingan
Skills:
—→Primal Chakra Refinement Technique: (950,341/1,000,000, nearing mastery)
—→Medical Ninjutsu: (221,133/1,000,000, nearing mastery)
—→Eternal Life Technique: (384,536/1,000,000, nearing mastery)
—→Sharingan Meditation Technique: (1,000,000/1,000,000, perfected)
—→Advanced Taijutsu: (53,346/1,000,000, nearing mastery)
—→Chakra Control: (MAX)
—→Hand Seals and Seal-less Casting: (MAX)
—→Observation Haki: (273,782/1,000,000, nearing mastery)
—→Armament Haki: (12,325/100,000, advanced)
—→Conqueror's Haki: (6,783/10,000, novice)
—→Rumble-Rumble Fruit: (326,334/1,000,000, nearing mastery)
—→Swordsmanship Intent: (230,784/1,000,000)
—→True One-Hearted Sword Style (Isshin-ryu): (236,543/1,000,000, nearing mastery)
---
---
Even though Kaito had trained in a vast array of techniques and skills, he managed to bring most of his primary skills close to mastery or even perfection.
His basic taijutsu had evolved into advanced taijutsu, which provided an even more terrifying boost to his physical strength.
His basic swordsmanship had advanced into "Sword Intent."
Chakra control and hand seals had reached their absolute limits, achieving true mastery.
It was at this point that Kaito realized not all skills could transcend their limits.
To break past a limit, the skill needed the potential and possibility for evolution.
After his body reached a certain level of strength, he also successfully grasped Armament Haki.
As his resolve grew firmer and his spirit more transparent, he managed to awaken Conqueror's Haki under his teacher's intense pressure.
Currently, he could even wield advanced techniques like Conqueror's Haki infusion.
He fully mastered the Navy Six Styles, achieving a qualitative leap in his control over his body and unlocking Life Return.
In short, Kaito was now terrifyingly strong.
At the same time, the Uchiha clan had changed dramatically from a few years ago.
Their strength had steadily recovered and improved.
The Senju clan had also regained some of its vitality and strength.
The Uzumaki clan was no exception.
But this resurgence only made the Third Hokage and his allies more wary of the Uchiha, Senju, and Uzumaki clans.
They wished to eliminate them entirely.
Unfortunately for them, the three clans had united over the years, secretly allying with other smaller clans.
This made it impossible for the Third Hokage and his allies to act against them.
Meanwhile, the tensions in the ninja world grew worse.
Conflicts escalated steadily.
In the Land of Rain, a figure known as Hanzo the Salamander—hailed as a "demigod"—emerged with growing ambitions.
Hanzo sought to expand the Land of Rain's influence, aiming to make it the sixth great nation and elevate the Hidden Rain Village into a major power.
---
In the Hokage's office:
"Hiruzen, our chance has come!"
"This time, Hanzo from the Hidden Rain attacked the Land of Fire and seized our territory. Even the daimyo has sent a letter demanding we retaliate! We can't miss this opportunity!"
Danzo spoke with excitement, urging the Third Hokage.
"Tap, tap."
The Third Hokage puffed on his pipe and glanced at Danzo. "Don't think I don't know. You're the one pulling strings behind the scenes."
"Hanzo isn't an idiot. His real targets for expansion right now are the Land of Iron and the Land of Wind—not the Land of Fire."
They were old friends, after all. How could one not know the other's true intentions?
To All Old Friends, No Secrets Between Us!
Danzo's intentions were crystal clear.
"What's the difference?"
Danzo shrugged nonchalantly. "Even without my nudging and scheming, this was bound to happen sooner or later."
"With Hanzo's ambitions, he'd never settle for just the Land of Iron and the Land of Wind!"
"Those two places? One's full of rocks, and the other's just sand. Anyone with half a brain knows that if the Rain Village wants to become the sixth great ninja village, and the Land of Rain the sixth great nation, invading the Land of Fire is the only real option!"
"All I did was move the timeline up a bit!"
"And let's not forget, this isn't just my doing. The Hidden Rock and the Hidden Sand are also playing a role behind the scenes!"
"For years now, the major ninja villages have been recuperating, and their jinchūriki have matured and stabilized. They've been itching for expansion and looking for ways to grab more resources."
"And tell me, is there a better target than the rich and fertile Land of Fire and Konoha?"
"So really, this whole situation was inevitable!"
Danzo's words weren't just baseless bravado.
Both the Hidden Rock and Hidden Sand had been pulling strings behind the scenes.
Hanzo likely knew this too, but for his own interests and ambitions, he chose to play along.
At the same time, he wanted to test Konoha's response and gauge its strength.
If Konoha proved too strong, he could always retreat, apologize, and negotiate.
But if Konoha showed any signs of weakness, he'd gladly carve out a big chunk of the Land of Fire for himself.
"The Hidden Rock and Hidden Sand are involved too? That makes things a real headache."
The Third Hokage furrowed his brows, a worried expression on his face.
But a closer look revealed a flicker of excitement and anticipation in his eyes.
He'd been waiting for this moment for years.
Watching the Uchiha grow stronger, the Senju and Uzumaki recover, it had been a constant source of stress.
But during peacetime, there was no valid excuse to target those clans.
Especially since they now avoided taking dangerous missions and weren't dependent on them for survival.
Even setting traps to slowly chip away at their strength was no longer an option.
To make matters worse, more and more smaller clans were aligning themselves with the Uchiha, Senju, and Uzumaki, deepening their connections.
But now, with the war he'd been waiting for on the horizon, everything was about to change.
Only in war could he regain the upper hand!
"Then let's declare war on the Hidden Rain!"
"I'll convene a meeting of all the jōnin in Konoha shortly to discuss our deployment to the Land of Rain!"
The Third Hokage made his decision with a determined nod.
"This time, coordination will be key!"
Danzo grinned slyly. "Don't worry, I won't oppose letting the Uchiha or even the Senju participate this time."
"In fact, I'll do my best to encourage them to take part voluntarily—to deplete their forces."
"Don't go overboard right away," the Third cautioned, narrowing his eyes. "If you push too hard from the start, I'm afraid Uzumaki Mito and Uchiha Naori might outright refuse."
"So here's the plan: aside from the village's registered ninja forces, I'll have each clan contribute a squad to the frontlines in the Land of Rain."
"And as for the commander of the Hidden Rain campaign… Danzo, I'll leave that to you. What do you think?"
It was only fitting for Danzo to handle the dirty work—he excelled at it.
"No problem! Leave it to me. I'll make sure everything goes smoothly!"
Danzo's grin widened.
This was exactly what he wanted.
Not only would this weaken the Uchiha, Senju, and Uzumaki clans, but he also aimed to secure victory on the Hidden Rain battlefield, earning enough merit to boost his reputation.
If everything went according to plan, by the end of the Second Shinobi War, he'd have the leverage to overthrow Hiruzen and take the position of Fourth Hokage for himself.
Merely acting as Hiruzen's lackey, taking the fall for controversial decisions, and targeting powerful clans wasn't enough for his ambitions.
Of course, he didn't share any of this with the Third.
"Are you sure this will work? Won't they catch on?"
Utatane Koharu furrowed her brows in concern.
It wasn't that she underestimated Hiruzen or Danzo, but Uchiha Naori and Uzumaki Mito were no pushovers.
Over the years, the two had repeatedly outmaneuvered and outplayed them.
"That's true. Better to proceed cautiously, Danzo, Hiruzen," Mitokado Homura added. "We don't want this backfiring. If they catch wind of what we're doing, they won't hold back."
Danzo snorted, crossing his arms. "What are you worried about? I've already taken precautions. Trust me, there won't be any problems! Or are you doubting my abilities?"
Koharu and Homura quickly waved their hands, trying to smooth things over. "Of course not! We're just concerned. We want to make sure everything goes smoothly!"
"Enough talking!" the Third Hokage interrupted. "Now that the decision's made, let's start organizing. I'll summon the jōnin and clan representatives to finalize everything."
With a nod, the Third called for the Anbu captain, issuing orders to inform the village's leaders and high-ranking ninjas about the upcoming war council.
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