The news of the formation of the Ninja Alliance sent shockwaves not only through the major ninja villages but also the Akatsuki organization!
Inside the base in Rain Country.
Upon hearing the intelligence from Yahiko, Ruiga was astonished. "No wonder they managed to relocate everyone overnight. They've silently formed an alliance!"
Sasori spoke grimly, "From Obito's betrayal to the alliance's formation, less than a day passed. This level of efficiency is truly terrifying!"
Kisame expressed his amazement, "Only someone like Seiki Shimaseki could possibly have such influence over the entire shinobi world!"
"I'm not telling you this just to impress you!" Yahiko said helplessly. "The final battle is about to begin. At least show a bit of seriousness!"
"Haha, isn't it just the same whether I'm here or not?" Ruiga's laughter sounded somewhat bitter.
He had a clear understanding of his status. Even though he was already at the bottom before, his position had plummeted even further with the return of so many powerful figures via the Impure World Reincarnation. The only reason he remained in the inner circle was mostly due to his status as a founding member of the organization.
Kisame shrugged, "In the upcoming war, our contribution will indeed be minimal. All I can say is that I will fight with all my strength!"
Yahiko scratched his head, "No way, everyone's still super important..."
At this moment, Nagato spoke up, "For this war, I'll lead the Impure World Reincarnation army into battle. If we win, great. If we lose, you all should just escape and save yourselves!"
"Nagato, why are you saying such defeatist words?" Konan was startled and hurriedly said, "We haven't lost yet! Together, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha are sure to take them down!"
Yahiko wore a dissatisfied look, "I'm the leader of Akatsuki. Even if we need someone to show off, it shouldn't be your turn!"
Nagato shook his head slightly, "The Impure World Reincarnation cannot fully display their full strength, let alone that I also need to suppress Hashirama Senju's consciousness. Even though it's called a team-up, they can only hit about seventy percent at best!"
"Although their combined seventy percent strength is already terrifying, I still have little confidence in stopping Seiki Shimaseki... Because I suspect he didn't even use his full strength last night!"
Everyone looked at him in disbelief, asking, "That wasn't even his full strength?"
Nagato's expression was heavy, "Although it's just a guess, it's not impossible for him. After all, he is someone who can create miracles!"
"That's all the more reason you need us in this fight!" Yahiko said solemnly. "Moreover, we don't need to defeat Shimaseki. As long as we can capture the Jinchuriki, it counts as victory!"
Konan nodded continuously, "As long as you can hold him off for a while, we can capture the Jinchuriki!"
Ruiga rubbed his hands and chuckled nervously, "If you're really that worried, you can leave the Animal Path here at the base. If things really get to an irreversible point, use [Kuchiyose no Jutsu] to summon us back!"
Nagato frowned, "I need to control the Impure World Reincarnation army and at the same time suppress Hashirama Senju's will. In such a situation, I'll find it hard to react quickly, and a few seconds' delay in battle could very likely change the entire outcome!"
"Since it's a war, we can't avoid taking risks! That's settled then. When the time comes, you just pull people in as needed!" Ruiga waved his hand vigorously, exuding a bold and heroic aura.
It's not that he didn't want to run, but the problem was—where could he run to?
If the *Akatsuki* lost, the entire *shinobi no sekai* (ninja world) would unite. If that happened, the only way to escape capture would be hiding forever deep in remote mountains and forests.
He didn't want that, so he had decided to fight with everything he had—just this once!
Seeing that the others didn't object, Nagato took a deep breath. "Fine, we'll go with your plan!"
Back to the main topic, Yahiko asked, "It seems the Alliance plans to mobilize seventy or eighty thousand ninja to set up the barrier. Nagato, do you think there's a possibility of bypassing the barrier using the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique, directly teleporting inside?"
Nagato shook his head. "I've already tested this by controlling Tobirama Senju's body. All the Flying Thunder God Technique Forms he left behind have vanished. They must have been specifically located and erased by Minato Namikaze and Seiki Shimaseki!"
"They're indeed cautious, leaving us not a single opening!" Yahiko sighed. "Then we'll have no choice but to launch a frontal assault..."
Just as he finished speaking, Yahiko suddenly perked up and turned toward Aizen. "You sir, do you think that spy of yours might be able to break through the barrier from the inside?"
Aizen shook his head too. "Although his status in Konoha is relatively high, a super-large-scale barrier involving seventy or eighty thousand people is beyond what one person could destroy!"
"Right, I was thinking too optimistically!"
"While he may not be capable, I might have a plan of my own."
Yahiko immediately looked up, "What do you mean, you sir?"
Aizen smiled softly. "I can try infiltrating the barrier using Genjutsu, and then at the critical moment, use an extremely wide-range Genjutsu to control the surrounding people, temporarily disabling the barrier!"
Hearing Aizen's explanation, Yahiko suddenly recalled his past feat of controlling hundreds of people with Genjutsu in an instant. Overjoyed, he said, "Great! The key to capturing the *Jinchuriki* will depend on you, you sir!"
Aizen nodded slightly. "Leave it to me!"
Outside the building.
"Forming a Ninja Alliance!" Hashirama exclaimed. Then he sighed, "Your student truly is amazing, Lady Tsunade—achieving effortlessly what we couldn't!"
"Brother, you don't need to be so humble!" Tobirama rarely offered comfort. "If it weren't for you establishing the age of ninja villages, ending the hatred between clans and elevating the framework from clan to village, he wouldn't have succeeded so easily either!"
"It could be said that this result is the culmination of two generations of effort!"
Hashirama shook his head. "Turning everyone into one big family is much harder than simply getting them to the negotiation table!"
Beside them, Madara listened calmly to their conversation, his expression composed, completely hiding the fury and humiliation he had displayed the previous night.
"A Ninja Alliance? Interesting... But to think that mere Impure World Reincarnation could actually trap me? How laughable!" He had indeed been upset last night, but to say he had lost his head to anger was underestimating him too much!
He had endured decades of silence after Hashirama's death, even placing his bets firmly on the future. His patience had long been tempered like unbreakable stone!
"You've actually kept that Black Receiver I gave you all this time. Greedy or foolish—who should I call you?" Madara mused silently as he recalled the power he had sensed emanating from Obito's body the previous night.
"That Black Receiver is an entity formed from my consciousness at peak power. Once I reclaim it, I can use the [Six Paths Technique] to break free from the [Impure World Reincarnation]... Wait, instead of relying on Obito to undo the [Impure World Reincarnation], why not use him at the last second to seize control of the Jinchuriki? However, controlling him will still be somewhat troublesome!"
Although the Black Receiver can interfere with the Chakra flow within Obito's body, even allowing me to control his physical movements, that's only effective when his resistance is weak.
"Perhaps I could take the chance to injure him severely... Hmph, consider it a little bonus revenge!"
P.S. I'll be posting three chapters tomorrow night.
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