The Konoha elders sat in silence, staring at the message from kusagakure. They had just brushed off an advisor over such a serious issue? The move felt all too familiar. And that last part about selling intelligence?
They simply ignored it, Grass's so-called intel was laughable, even dogs would turn their noses up at it. Just recently, they had praised their lord, but now this? A bunch of useless jerks.
There was no doubt Kusa Shinobi had guided the Iwa shinobi through their lands. Otherwise, how else could they have passed so smoothly?
Before Konoha could even react, the Iwa shinobi had crossed the Land of Grass and reached the border of the Land of Fire. According to Konoha's Anbu investigation, the Iwa shinobi seemed incredibly familiar with Kannabi Bridge, not just the main road above, but also the messy, rock-filled tunnels below.
They navigated it as easily as if it were their own home, moving without any resistance. Without Land of Grass's help, that would have been nearly impossible.
Konoha had hoped Land of Grass would stand firm and resist, but instead, it was clear they had already sided with Iwagakure. And all the while, they kept talking about the deep friendship between allies, what a joke.
Everyone's lips twitched in disbelief. As expected, Land of Grass was just Land of Grass, useless as ever. And they still expected Konoha to buy intelligence from them Dream on.
Mitokado, Konoha's strategist, raised an eyebrow, momentarily at a loss for words. He finally sighed and said, "The only relief is that Land of Grass hasn't officially sided with Iwagakure or declared war on Konoha." After a pause, he added, "But that's also the only regret."
Everyone nodded in agreement. If those fools had truly joined Iwagakure against Konoha, they probably would have sold them even more sensitive information. kusagakure never hesitated to sell out their allies.
"At this point, we have no choice but to accept it. Thankfully, Konoha never fully trusted kusagakure," Hiruzen said with a sigh, shaking his head.
He took a long drag from his cigarette, fell silent for a moment, then spoke firmly, "Make sure the shinobi stationed at the border hold their ground."
"We absolutely cannot let Iwagakure into the Land of Fire!" the command rang out firmly.
"Understood!" came the quick response.
Meanwhile, beneath the Land of Grass, deep inside a cave, Uzumaki White Zetsu approached Madara with a wide grin, admiration shining in his eyes.
"Lord Madara, just like you said, war is here!" he announced. "Right now, Konoha is fighting on three fronts, against Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure. Things aren't looking good."
Madara slowly opened his eyes and fell silent for a moment. A faint, meaningful sadness flickered across his aged face before he snorted coldly.
"That fool Hashirama... so war has really come," he muttered, frowning. "Iwagakure's involved too? So the Land of Grass will be a battlefield again?" He glanced at White Zetsu.
White Zetsu replied with a sly smile. "No lord madara. kusagakure sold out Konoha long ago, they gave up Kannabi Bridge, which let Iwagakure slip through the Land of Grass and catch Konoha off guard."
Madara raised an eyebrow, fell silent again, then said lightly, "As expected, kusagakure is just kusagakure. A bunch of useless jerks! I saw this coming long ago." He suddenly changed the subject. "By the way, where's White Zetsu's main body?"
"Oh, him? He's already out gathering intelligence, sent many White Zetsu out too. He left me here to look after you, Lord Madara."
White Zetsu scratched his head, suddenly remembering something. "Oh, right! In a few days, kusagakure academy's first class will graduate after six years of compulsory education. Lord Madara, do you want to see it for yourself?
Although, I guess you probably can't leave!" Like a little bird, he chirped nonstop, "Maybe I should check on it for Lord Madara! Should I take some photos? Eh? Wait, I don't even have a camera!"
"Shut up and scram!" Madara snapped.
"Okay, okay! I'm off to prepare!" White Zetsu chirped cheerfully as he bounced away.
Madara watched him go, speechless, then shook his head. "This... idiot!"
"I already told you not to ask about such trivial matters! Useless fool!" he snapped. Then, slowly closing his eyes, his expression softened and he murmured so quietly that only he could hear, "They're… already graduating?"
Back to the surface, the first-ever class of the kusagakure shinobi Academy was celebrating their graduation. Despite the shinobi world being engulfed in the fires of war and the tension growing heavier with every battle, the Land of Grass seemed to relax just a little, offering a rare moment of peace. Smiles were more common than usual, and the atmosphere felt lighter.
Early in the morning, parents eagerly arrived to witness their children's graduation ceremony. Although graduating only meant becoming a Genin of the kusagakure, the nation's lord had spent the past few years emphasizing the importance of education.
Thanks to this, the entire country now held education in high regard, and parents swelled with pride as their kids reached this milestone. the shinobi Academy was bustling with excitement, with many parents bringing flowers to wish their children well on their new journey.
Meanwhile, in the early hours, White Zetsu had quietly slipped into "KusaWood" and borrowed a camera. After disguising himself, he made his way into the academy. His mission today was to check on the progress of Lord Madara's "eyes."
Though Madara often dismissed him as a useless fool and told him not to waste time gathering trivial things, White Zetsu knew that deep down, Madara was curious. Madara just didn't want to admit it or trouble him with questions. It was the same as when White Zetsu brought back those tri-colored dango, Madara would curse them at first, claiming they tasted bad, yet he always ended up finishing them, grumbling the whole time.
Madara hadn't seen the outside world in ages. Though he heard about it from White Zetsu, after all these years, he must have wondered what it really looked like.
So, if White Zetsu recorded the graduation and showed it to him, maybe Madara wouldn't be upset about him sneaking out. Carrying the camera on his shoulder and wearing a hat to blend in, White Zetsu smiled as he took in the lively scene.
"Hehe, look at all these people! It's just a shinobi student graduation, yet the Land of Grass is making such a big fuss over it!" he chuckled to himself.
Just then... Yahiko's eyes suddenly brightened as he spotted something nearby. He quickly hoisted the borrowed camera and dashed toward the spot. "Excuse me, please clear the way! I'm here with KusaWood for an interview, make some room, please!"
Later, frustration overtook him. "Damn it! I still haven't figured out a single one of the academy's three great mysteries!" Yahiko gritted his teeth, wearing the distinct Land of Grass labor uniform, the graduation edition.