— — — — — — —
"This Space-Time Gate... it's practically godlike."
Uchiha Izuna couldn't help but sigh in awe.
Senju Tobirama nodded and said, "In the Space-Time Gate, Kaito is really like a god. That much is undeniable."
— — —
"Hashirama! You can't stop me..."
"Madara! Turn back now! There's still time! Why leave? Haven't you already chosen the right path?"
"Hah! The right path? Are you joking? That was nothing more than a temporary compromise. I've been looking for a chance to break the seal on my body this whole time!"
"Now that I've achieved my goal, you can't stop me, Hashirama!"
"I will stop you, Madara!"
That day, Hashirama and Uchiha Madara clashed outside Konoha, engaging in a fierce battle of pursuit and escape.
In the end, the fight ended in a draw.
However, Madara seized an opportunity to retreat and successfully vanished without a trace.
This news quickly spread to the other great ninja villages through spies embedded within Konoha.
Of course, Konoha and Kaito were well aware of the spies lurking within their walls. They had simply chosen not to eliminate them all. These spies were intentionally left in place for moments like this.
Naturally, to maintain the illusion of normalcy and prevent suspicion, Konoha occasionally conducted purges, eliminating the more reckless and conspicuous informants.
— — —
Kumo Village
"What?! Uchiha Madara has turned against Konoha again? He even fought Senju Hashirama and managed to escape Konoha's grasp?!"
"Wasn't he revived through the Edo Tensei technique? Shouldn't he still be under Konoha's control? How could he possibly escape that level of restraint?"
The Fourth Raikage, A, was visibly stunned upon hearing the report.
Mabui, his secretary, responded calmly, "This is the intelligence we received. It's highly unlikely to be false. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that this is just a performance orchestrated by Konoha, a deception meant for us."
As the Raikage's trusted advisor, Mabui wasn't one to blindly believe every report. She voiced her doubts openly.
Hearing this, the Fourth Raikage furrowed his brows. "A show? And what would be the purpose of such an act?"
"That, I'm not sure of," Mabui admitted, shaking her head. "This is just my speculation. We'll need to observe Uchiha Madara's actions going forward to confirm the truth."
"Perhaps my suspicions are wrong, and he really didescape Konoha's control, once again standing in opposition to them."
"After all, every forbidden jutsu has a risk of failure. Especially when dealing with someone as formidable as Uchiha Madara."
"A proud man like him... after clashing with Hashirama and Konoha once before, would he really reconcile with them so easily? That, I find hard to believe."
"But ultimately, the decision lies with you, Lord Raikage. I urge you not to let my speculation alone influence your judgment."
As an advisor, her role was to provide different perspectives and help the Raikage see potential blind spots.
The Fourth Raikage nodded knowingly. "I understand. No matter which possibility is true, we must prepare for all outcomes."
Saying this, he suddenly let out a long sigh, his face heavy with concern. "To be honest, looking at Konoha's development over the years, I no longer see a future for the Hidden Cloud Village."
"I can foresee it now—sooner or later, the ninja world will be unified under Konoha."
"They have the strength to do it now, and even more so in the future."
"And their Fourth Hokage, Uchiha Kaito, has the ambition to see it through."
"It's clear from the policies he's enacted over the years—the economic invasion of other nations, the gradual entanglement of their economies with Konoha's."
The Fourth Raikage pressed his fingers against his temple, visibly distressed.
"I can see it all clearly now... but what can we do about it?"
"Unfortunately, we realized this too late."
"Konoha's economic infiltration into our lands—and the rest of the ninja world—is already mostly complete. We no longer have the ability to reverse it."
"That's not true!" Mabui immediately tried to reassure him. "We still have a chance. Please don't give up so easily, Lord Raikage."
"Haven't we already secretly allied with the other great villages to resist Konoha's expansion? And we've already seen some progress, haven't we?"
"Things will turn around."
"It's useless!" The Fourth Raikage shook his head, his tone filled with frustration. "I know all of this. But it's nothing more than a futile struggle!"
"Against absolute power, our resistance is laughable."
It wasn't that he wanted to be so pessimistic—he simply couldn't ignore the overwhelming gap in power between them and Konoha.
"So what? Are you just going to sit back and accept defeat?" Mabui snapped, her anger flaring.
"Accept defeat? Of course not!" The Fourth Raikage's demeanor suddenly shifted.
The somber look on his face disappeared, replaced by a confident, bold grin. "Hah! That's not my style, and it's certainly not the Kumo's way!"
"Even if we lose, we'll go down fighting with honor! We'll charge head-on and make our stand!"
"So no, I'm not just going to give up. And I definitely won't surrender without a fight!"
"When the time comes, we will face Konoha in battle. If we lose, at least I'll have no regrets. I'll accept defeat only when I've given everything I have!"
As for what would happen to Kumo and the ninja world after that—it would be up to fate.
"Lord Raikage!" Mabui's eyes shone with admiration as she looked at him, deeply moved.
This was the Raikage she had always respected.
"Hahaha!" The Fourth Raikage laughed heartily at her reaction. "Don't worry, Mabui! No matter what happens in the end, I'll do my best to give Kumo a proper send-off—to secure the best possible future for our ninjas and villagers."
He wouldn't send his people to their deaths in a pointless war. That wasn't the way of a true leader.
"This…" Mabui hesitated, sensing something deeper behind his words. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond.
At the same time, she understood. Perhaps this was truly the best choice they had left.
— — —
Iwagakure
"Uchiha Madara escaped Konoha's control? Fought Hashirama and fled?"
"Hah! What a joke. I admit that Madara is strong—he certainly lives up to his title as the 'Shura of the Ninja World.' He may have the ability to break free from Edo Tensei's control…"
"But escape from Uchiha Kaito, Naori, Mito, Tobirama, and Hashirama's grasp? That, I don't believe for a second. Especially Uchiha Kaito?"
"That brat is far more dangerous than Madara ever was."
"Just look at what he's accomplished over the years—nothing he does is simple."
"Right now, he controls almost the entire economic lifeline of the ninja world."
"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if even the Daimyōs have already been tied to him through sheer profit."
Onoki sneered coldly.
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