In the Tsuchikage's office at Iwagakure, the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki sat behind his desk after ending the video call, while his granddaughter, Kurotsuchi, stood before him with her short black hair.
"Gramps, Deidara-senpai really went all out this time. He completely destroyed the daimyo's palace. Apparently, the daimyo is furious. Honestly, why didn't he just finish him off?" Kurotsuchi's tone showed no respect for the Land of Earth's daimyo, as if she would have preferred Deidara to eliminate him altogether.
Ōnoki's face darkened before he could respond, but Kurotsuchi continued, "Send me to Akatsuki Nation next! Going against the whole ninja world—how exciting!"
"Kurotsuchi, enough nonsense," her father scolded from the side, shooting her a warning glance. Even if they disrespected the daimyo, it was something that should remain unspoken.
"That brat..." Ōnoki sighed deeply. He wasn't concerned about the daimyo being attacked; he was more worried about Deidara.
Ōnoki had once placed high hopes on his apprentice, Deidara, even grooming him as a potential Fourth Tsuchikage. But Deidara had no interest in such a role, consumed by his obsession with "art." Ōnoki had tried to guide him slowly, but while he wasn't paying attention, Deidara had been lured away by Akatsuki, nearly causing the Third Tsuchikage to cough up blood in frustration.
Iwagakure, much like Sunagakure, didn't have many strong young ninja to replace its aging leadership. Although Kurotsuchi had her sights on the Tsuchikage position, she was still too young for Ōnoki to take her seriously. The other two, Kitsuchi and Akatsuchi, were strong but lacked the wisdom needed for leadership.
"Kitsuchi, go check on the daimyo's palace," Ōnoki finally ordered after a long silence.
"What if we encounter Deidara?" Kitsuchi asked.
"If you do, kill him. That brat has no idea what kind of trouble he's caused," Ōnoki replied coldly, frustrated that such a simple question even needed to be asked. How could Kitsuchi ever be suited for the Tsuchikage role with such indecisiveness?
"I understand." Kitsuchi nodded and left.
"You understand nothing," Ōnoki muttered under his breath as he watched his son leave.
"Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi, prepare yourselves. You're going to Akatsuki Nation," Ōnoki added after Kitsuchi left.
"Yes," Akatsuchi replied dutifully.
"Alright!" Kurotsuchi shouted excitedly.
Ōnoki had his reasons for sending Kurotsuchi to Akatsuki Nation. Thanks to her close relationship with Deidara, he knew she would be safe, and he also planned to use her position to gather information on Akatsuki's true strength. Although Ōnoki had cooperated with Akatsuki in the past, he remained uncertain about their full capabilities. The recent establishment of Akatsuki Nation and their public announcement of members didn't sit right with him. He was convinced they had hidden forces they hadn't revealed yet.
On top of that, the powers of the Six Paths Sage and his Rinnegan were deeply unsettling. These factors made Ōnoki reluctant to provoke Akatsuki too soon.
The tradition among Tsuchikage was to seize opportunities where they presented themselves and retreat when no advantage could be gained. During the Fourth Ninja War in the original timeline, the Second Tsuchikage had left Ōnoki with similar advice: after any victory, immediately seize the spoils. This approach was why Iwagakure had once attacked and killed the Third Raikage after seeing the opportunity during his village's battles with Konoha.
This cautious approach had also led to the mutual destruction of the Second Tsuchikage and the Second Mizukage, even though there wasn't much territorial conflict between Iwa and Kiri.
To Iwagakure, Konoha was their primary enemy, while the other villages were rivals or threats, but certainly not friends—just like the feuding states surrounding the Qin Kingdom in ancient China.
---
"Sasori, you're really slipping up. I caused all that chaos, and you still couldn't finish off the daimyo," Deidara said, excitedly riding his giant clay bird in the sky, having just completed his spectacular destruction of the daimyo's palace.
"If killing the daimyos of the five great nations were that easy, they'd have been dead a long time ago. Do you think they're like the daimyos of smaller countries?" Sasori replied coldly from behind Deidara.
Initially, Deidara and Sasori had planned for Sasori to infiltrate on the ground while Deidara created chaos from the air, giving Sasori the chance to assassinate the daimyo of the Land of Earth. However, Sasori found himself facing nearly twenty jōnin bodyguards, several of whom possessed kekkei genkai. After killing five of the guards, the daimyo managed to escape, forcing Sasori to withdraw.
"I wonder if the others managed to take out their daimyos," Deidara mused.
"It's doubtful. Even the leader would struggle to pull it off."
---
"Damn, so close." In the Land of Lightning, Kisame had just disengaged from his fusion with Samehada, breathing heavily as he pounded the ground in frustration.
Unlike Deidara and Sasori, who didn't care much about whether they succeeded in killing the daimyo, Kisame had truly aimed for success. Not trusting Itachi to assist, he had relied solely on his own power to flood the daimyo's palace with a massive Water Prison, trapping the entire building within it. Kisame, in his fishman form, had dominated the water-filled space, slaughtering the daimyo's guards. However, the daimyo's remaining bodyguards had managed to help him escape before Kisame could land the final blow.
All Kisame wanted was to end the cycle of betrayal and killing that plagued the ninja world, no matter the cost.
Had this mission taken place before Akatsuki Nation's formal announcement, Kisame might have succeeded. But since the announcement, the five great nations had dramatically increased security around their daimyos, making assassination attempts much more difficult.
---
"The daimyo isn't here. He's gone into hiding because of the Iron Country situation," Konan reported in a low voice from behind Nagato as she landed on a mountain near the Fire Daimyo's palace. Small paper butterflies fluttered back into her form as she spoke.
Unlike Deidara, Sasori, Kisame, and Itachi, Konan and Nagato had scouted for intelligence before making their move. They always aimed to complete their missions with precision.
"Can you track him down?" Nagato asked.
"It's possible, but it will take time."
"Forget it, then. Let's focus on acquiring supplies," Nagato replied.
Through her Paper Style abilities, Konan could trace the daimyo if he remained within the palace, but it wasn't guaranteed to be quick. Nagato and Konan couldn't afford to stay near the Fire Daimyo's palace for long, so they shifted their focus to their secondary objective.
Nagato floated into the air, forming hand signs as the Six Paths of Pain materialized and descended toward the palace.
"Intruders!" The moment the Six Paths entered the palace grounds, a barrier activated, and a battle broke out.
While the Six Paths fought below, Konan transformed into countless paper butterflies, which fluttered into the treasury, equipped with a storage device that Daniel had provided. As she ransacked the Fire Daimyo's vault, collecting valuable resources, Nagato hovered overhead.
"All done," Konan whispered, reappearing at Nagato's side about ten minutes later.
Nagato nodded, dismissing the Six Paths before raising his hands toward the palace and intoning, "Chibaku Tensei."
A massive shockwave followed as the entire palace complex was reduced to rubble, leaving only a massive crater in its place.
"Water Style: Giant Waterfall Jutsu." With a single hand sign, Nagato unleashed a torrent of water, transforming the former palace grounds into a large lake.
"Let's go," Nagato said, his voice calm as ever.
---
"Damn Rain Village! How dare they?" Fourth Raikage yelled, furiously kicking his desk across the room after receiving news that the daimyo of the Land of Lightning had been attacked. The newly repaired windows shattered again.
"The daimyo is demanding we send more skilled ninjas to protect him," Mabui informed him.
"Enough! Mabui, contact the others immediately. We can't let this go on any longer," Raikage ordered, calming slightly after his outburst.
"The situation is clear. You all must make a decision. If we allow this to continue, we'll be picked off one by one," he said fiercely to the other Kage during the next summit. Once again, the other Kage remained silent.
"Do you want the ninja villages to fall under your watch? You know Rain Village won't allow us to exist if they succeed."
"Agreed. I support Raikage's position. What about the rest of you?"
"I'm in."
This time, the Kage quickly reached an agreement. In truth, it was the daimyos' demands that had pushed them into action. Even Tsunade, who was reluctant to start a war, had no
choice. Danzō, the two advisors, and the Fire Daimyo had been pressuring her from behind the scenes. The quick agreement among the Kage was in no small part due to the influence of the five great daimyos.
The attacks on the daimyos of the Land of Earth, the Land of Lightning, and the Land of Fire had also alarmed the daimyos of the Land of Wind and the Land of Water. Even the daimyos of smaller nations like the Land of Frost, the Land of Rice Fields, the Land of Hot Water, and the Land of the Moon had become involved. After all, Akatsuki's stated goal was to eliminate all daimyos, making them prime targets.
---
"Is Grass Ninja Village really making a desperate move?" While the five great villages reached an agreement, Daniel Davis, in Akatsuki Nation, was discussing the situation regarding Grass Ninja Village. He chuckled as he reviewed recent intelligence.
After the Rain Village rebranded itself as Akatsuki Nation and announced its policies, Grass Ninja Village fell into a state of panic. Being Akatsuki's closest neighbor, they were the first likely target. Grass Ninja Village, which had survived three great ninja wars by playing both sides, found their usual strategies useless this time.
Despite being weak, Grass Ninja Village wasn't willing to go down without a fight. When they realized that the five great nations wouldn't come to their aid, they decided to move all the prisoners from Hōzuki Castle to Grass Ninja Village in a last-ditch effort.
Hōzuki Castle was a prison city jointly established by the five great nations and managed by Grass Ninja Village. Its purpose was to hold rogue ninjas from smaller nations, although a few ninjas from the great nations were also imprisoned there under ambiguous circumstances.
With the Akatsuki's ultimatum demanding their surrender and integration into the new nation, Grass Ninja Village's new leader sought help from Hōzuki Castle's warden, Muku, offering him amnesty if he helped them in the upcoming battle. This had been approved by the daimyos of the five great nations.
"A pitiful rebellion," Daniel said dismissively. He had never taken Grass Ninja Village seriously. Akatsuki could wipe them out effortlessly. The only reason they hadn't done so yet was to set an example. But now that Grass Ninja Village had chosen to resist, Daniel had no reason to hold back.
"It seems trying to intimidate people into submission through negotiation is unrealistic," Daniel mused. "If even a village like Grass Ninja resists so fiercely, there's no telling what the five great nations will do. They're filled with suspicion now, but once they make up their minds, they'll come at us with full force."
In truth, Daniel didn't particularly want a full-scale war with Konoha. War meant casualties, and this time, it wouldn't just be Akatsuki who suffered losses.
"Get ready to move," Daniel ordered. Since Grass Ninja Village had made their decision, Akatsuki would respond accordingly. Given the village's proximity, the entire Akatsuki group would move out.
"What's in that box?" someone asked as the group arrived at Grass Ninja Village. The village's ninjas and prisoners were gathered together, standing guard around a strange, large, cube-like container.
"Could it be that thing? But even if it is, it won't change the outcome," Daniel muttered as he eyed the box with a bemused smile.
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