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I'll take action privately first!
If private action doesn't resolve the issue, then I'll start a war—and I'll drag the other villages into it, declaring war and launching an attack against you!
Ōnoki and A are definitely that kind of people. They're capable of such things and have the guts and confidence to do it.
All of this is built upon the foundation of their villages' formidable military strength.
If it were Konoha, Tsunade would rather swallow some minor losses and prioritize stable development first.
As for Sunagakure and Kirigakure? They're even worse off than Konoha.
They have no choice but to silently endure the losses.
Konoha's situation is already a mess, and Tsunade lacks the strength to wage a real war even if she wanted to.
Unless pushed to the brink—but by that point, who would care about the mess?
They'd just fight outright.
As for Sunagakure and Kirigakure…
These two struggling brothers aren't even worth mentioning. They lack both manpower and funds, making them far worse off than Konoha.
"So, it seems a war might be unavoidable?"
Tsunade narrowed her eyes, already calculating the possibilities.
After a moment of thought, Kazuki replied, "It's almost certain. As long as the Akatsuki refuse to withdraw from Amegakure, the likelihood is extremely high."
Among the Akatsuki, the other members might leave Amegakure and the Land of Rain without hesitation.
But Konan and Nagato wouldn't!
To be precise, Nagato would never easily abandon Amegakure.
Only if they were truly cornered, forced to go underground, would they even consider retreating.
As long as the Akatsuki remain, the other villages will continue sending people—only to suffer losses again and again.
One or two waves of casualties might be tolerable, but if this keeps happening, even Iwagakure and Kumogakure will snap.
After all, even the Five Great Shinobi Villages would feel the sting of losing numerous jōnin and elite jōnin.
And if among the dead in Amegakure, there happens to be one or two particularly important figures—just watch how Ōnoki and A react.
In fact, Kazuki's speculation wasn't baseless. It had already come true.
Kumogakure was still holding on. Though they had lost some people, the Fourth Raikage, A, was managing to restrain his anger for now.
But Iwagakure… Ōnoki's son, Tsuchi, had gone to Amegakure and never returned.
One could only imagine how devastated Ōnoki must feel.
Not everyone could be like the Third Hokage, remaining indifferent even after his son's death.
---
Iwagakure, Tsuchikage's Office.
The atmosphere was heavy.
The high-ranking officials watched as Ōnoki sat silently at the head of the table, his face unreadable.
They all knew—the Tsuchikage was furious.
Because Tsuchi was likely already dead.
As part of the first group sent to Amegakure, there had been no word from him since.
Strangely, the subsequent teams Iwagakure dispatched had also vanished without a trace.
No news, no bodies—just complete disappearance.
"So, there's still no word from them?"
After a long silence, Ōnoki finally spoke.
A member of the Intelligence Division quickly stood up and bowed.
"Lord Tsuchikage, there's been no communication. I suspect…"
"It seems I underestimated the Akatsuki's strength… and the power of the Rinnegan."
Ōnoki sighed, his tone calm—but his clenched fists betrayed his rage.
"Iwagakure has suffered significant losses. I imagine the other villages are in a similar state—even Konoha must have lost people. Konoha played a clever move."
Though they had shared crucial intelligence, Ōnoki had to admit—Konoha's strategy was brilliant.
He had underestimated Tsunade. She had more audacity than the Third Hokage.
Had it been the Third in charge, no matter how severe the losses, he would've kept them hidden—swallowing the humiliation rather than revealing anything.
Let alone sharing and even 'selling' intelligence to drag the other villages into the fight against the Akatsuki!
On the surface, Konoha appeared to be at a disadvantage, but in reality, they were the biggest winners.
Just look at Iwagakure's losses—they were staggering.
In less than ten days, nine jōnin and five special jōnin had vanished without a trace.
"What's the situation in Kumogakure?"
Iwagakure and Kumogakure had been rivals for decades, and both had numerous spies embedded in each other's ranks.
Though these spies hadn't infiltrated the highest levels, they could still gather basic intel—such as the happenings in the Raikage's office.
The intelligence officer stood again.
"Lord Tsuchikage, according to our spies, the Raikage's office has replaced its windows twice and at least five desks. From this, we can deduce that the Raikage is in a state of fury. Their situation is likely similar to ours—they've suffered heavy losses in Amegakure."
"So, we're not the only ones taking losses."
Ōnoki couldn't help but smirk.
"Since the Raikage is angry, we can afford to wait. I suspect he'll be the first to lose his temper."
As long as the Raikage was seething, Ōnoki could remain patient.
He was certain—A would be the first to snap.
'Akatsuki… the Rinnegan… just how many secrets are you hiding?'
Ōnoki's gaze turned toward Amegakure.
---
Sunagakure & Kirigakure.
The situations in Sunagakure and Kirigakure were similar.
They had both sent operatives into Amegakure, but after those operatives disappeared, they stopped further deployments.
Unlike Iwagakure and Kumogakure, these two villages—ravaged by war and other crises—lacked the resources to keep throwing lives away.
Amegakure remained unchanged.
Despite infiltration attempts by Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure, none of their operatives escaped Nagato's surveillance.
The result?
Total annihilation.
---
Akatsuki Hideout.
"The Leader sent these to you. He wants them turned into puppets as soon as possible. The Five Great Villages might make a real move, and these puppets will be crucial when that happens."
Kakuzu was heartbroken.
He 'really' wanted to sell these elite shinobi corpses to the bounty exchange!
So many strong individuals—just imagine the profit!
But Nagato had forbidden it.
After extracting intelligence, Nagato had the bodies delivered to Sasori for puppet conversion.
With these corpses, Sasori could expand his arsenal, significantly boosting his combat power.
As a master puppeteer, the more powerful puppets he controlled, the stronger he became—capable of single-handedly waging war.
This was a force not to be underestimated.
If utilized well, it could deliver a nasty surprise to the Five Great Villages.
So Nagato had outright rejected Kakuzu's request, sending every corpse to Sasori for puppet conversion.
"It seems my collection of art will grow considerably."
If not for the fact that he had already turned himself into a puppet, Sasori's eyes would've gleamed with excitement.
Elite jōnin, jōnin, special jōnin—even the weakest were among the stronger chūnin.
Converting all these corpses into puppets would grant him a massive leap in strength.
'This is painful to watch…'
Kakuzu sighed.
'Whatever. It's the Leader's decision.'
Despite his fearless reputation, Kakuzu knew better than to provoke Nagato.
Every time he met Pain's gaze, he felt a chill.
*****
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