The Kumogakure and Sunagakures' long-plotted plan to destroy Konoha ended in such an anticlimactic fashion.
The joint invasion force ford by the two villages was completely wiped out by Konoha shinobi led by Sakumo and Kuugetsu. The more than two hundred and seventy captured shinobi ultimately beca casualties after negotiations broke down.
In this upheaval, Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails jinchūriki of Kumogakure, escaped. anwhile, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa of Sunagakure, chose to face Konoha alone for the sake of his village's future. The so-called "Destruction of Konoha" plan ended with Rasa's death.
The losses suffered by Kumo and Sand were nothing short of catastrophic. Konoha's casualty rate, by contrast, was nearly zero—not a single renowned veteran shinobi had fallen.
When news of this battle spread, it shocked the entire world.
What truly stunned the major ninja villages wasn't how powerful Konoha had beco, but rather a single piece of information:
Konoha's Silver Moon, Gekko Hoshiyomi, had made a forceful return.
The great powers of shinobi world had long assud that Gekko Hoshiyomi was dead, and many had quietly begun harboring ambitions they never should have had.
The old man Ōnoki, for instance, had been itching with excitent when he first heard of the Kumo–Suna alliance. But once news of Hoshiyomi's return reached him, the old fox imdiately behaved himself again.
He truly had been terrified by Gekko Hoshiyomi back in the day. Even now, recalling the fear of being surrounded by Konoha's all-star lineup still sent chills down his spine.
After all, when the opponent is an existence like Gekkō Hoshiyomi, who can't be asured by common sense, just lying low and playing dumb isn't shaful.
...
After the Destruction of Konoha plan died before it could be born, Kumogakure remained silent, but within Sunagakure, the entire village was in mourning.
The death of the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, was a devastating blow to Sunagakure. He had been their only true top-tier combatant among the leadership.
As ntioned before, due to Rasa's purges in his youth, Sunagakure had developed a massive power gap. Now that Rasa was dead, there wasn't a single person in all of Sunagakure capable of succeeding him as the Fifth Kazekage.
There was another equally critical issue: Rasa had been the economic backbone of the village.
Sunagakure had suffered the heaviest losses during the Third Great Ninja War, yet managed to recover in just over a decade—thanks almost entirely to Rasa's work as a "gold miner."
If not for his tireless extraction of gold dust to provide extra funding, Sunagakure could never have recovered so quickly.
Now that Rasa was dead, Sunagakure had effectively lost both its nuclear weapon and its core export product.
A once-great village was thrown into turmoil almost overnight.
As Sunagakure teetered on the brink of survival, the reclusive elders Chiyo and Ebizō finally could no longer remain uninvolved. At Baki's desperate urging, they reluctantly chose to co out of retirent.
Ebizō temporarily assud the position of Kazekage, while Chiyo replaced Baki as the instructor of Gaara and his siblings, aiming to cultivate a viable Fifth Kazekage within three years.
With Sunagakure reduced to such a state, they naturally couldn't afford to remain arrogant. Following Temari's suggestion, the terms for a Suna-Konoha alliance were finally placed on Minato's desk.
To be honest, Konoha no longer thought much of Sunagakure. Frankly speaking, in its current condition, Konoha could wipe out Sunagakure with barely any effort.
But Konoha's leadership happened to be a group of idealistic pacifists.
Thus, the alliance between Konoha and Sunagakure was ultimately approved without issue. The terms were essentially the sa as those with Kirigakure, and from that point on, Sunagakure fully beca Konoha's subordinate.
...
Agakure, deep within the Akatsuki base.
Black Zetsu looked at Konan and Deva Path Pain before him. His face still wore that sa mocking, half-smile, but the volcano in his heart was on the verge of erupting.
"Lord Madara has already said that the tailed beast capture plan is postponed," Black Zetsu said calmly.
"So why are you in such a hurry, Nagato?"
Deva Path Pain swept a cold glance at Black Zetsu and spoke indifferently:
"Give a reason. And while you're in the organization, you are to address as 'Leader.'"
Black Zetsu ignored the latter part of Nagato's words and said directly:
"Gekko Hoshiyomi isn't dead. Isn't that reason enough?"
Hearing this, Deva Path suddenly raised his head, the oppressive presence of the Rinnegan erupting without restraint:
"So what if it's Gekkō Hoshiyomi? Can he possibly defy the will of a God?"
At that mont, strange ripples of spatial distortion appeared, and a masked man in a black robe suddenly materialized in the room.
"Nagato, calm down. Everything must be considered from the greater picture."
Seeing the sudden appearance of the masked man, a trace of wariness flashed through Nagato's eyes, and his tone finally softened sowhat:
"I don't believe Gekko Hoshiyomi will affect the overall plan."
Upon hearing this, the masked man's voice turned cold:
"Are you defying ?"
Killing intent flickered in Nagato's eyes, the power of his Rinnegan surging uncontrollably. Just then, Konan beside him gently tugged at his sleeve.
Her action worked. After a mont of silence, Nagato finally regained control of his emotions and spoke stiffly:
"The Akatsuki is already mature enough. We now have no fewer than ten Kage-level fighters, and we've already collected quite a number of tailed beasts. With these eyes of mine as well, I see no reason to continue hiding."
"Shallow!"
The masked man barked sharply in response.
"Do you have any idea what we are opposing? To realize our plan, we must beco enemies of the entire world. For the absolute success of the great plan, what does a little patience amount to?
"If Gekko Hoshiyomi did not exist, then doing as you suggest might be acceptable. But Gekko Hoshiyomi is not an existence that can be judged by common sense.
"His presence disrupts the balance of shinobi world. At present, the shinobi world may be divided and acting independently, but have you considered what will happen once we step into the open?
"The Five Great Ninja Villages can tolerate the current status quo, but they will never accept a sixth major power rising up to swallow them. If we erge now, Gekko Hoshiyomi—the acknowledged strongest shinobi of shinobi world—need only raise his banner, and the Five Great Villages would likely unite almost imdiately.
"When that happens, do you really think collecting the remaining tailed beasts would still be as easy as it is now?"
At these words, Deva Path's expression darkened considerably. Seeing this, Konan nervously tightened her grip on his sleeve.
In the end, Nagato did not choose to refute the so-called "Madara" before him.
"Then tell —how much longer must we endure?"
"Three years. Wait another three years. Let our power grow even stronger, and let everyone in the organization beco more familiar with our plan. After three years, we will sweep across the entire ninja world."
Nagato stared fixedly at the masked man before him and replied stiffly:
"This is the final deadline."
The masked man gave Nagato one last look without speaking. The strange vortex appeared once more, and he vanished just like that, as if he had never been there at all.
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