Ten days later, Otogakure issued a stern proclamation to the ninja world, and the Land of Rice also announced it was formally declaring war on the Land of Rain.
Otogakure publicly stated that their village had no connection with Amegakure, and called upon certain countries whose Tailed Beasts had been stolen to join them in attacking Amegakure.
Thus, the relationship between the two villages, which outsiders had suspected was one of primary and subordinate, instantly became hostile. Amegakure's conspiracy to frame Otogakure was thus exposed.
"What does everyone think about the Land of Rice and Land of Rain going to war."
The four nations, Water, Earth, Wind, and Lightning, once again initiated an online conference.
For this Four Kage Summit, the representative from the Land of Wind had changed again.
Rasa's capture meant it was unlikely he would return alive. Therefore, out of necessity, the Land of Wind was forced to select a Fifth Kazekage.
The Fifth Kazekage was a woman, a relatively renowned figure among the younger generation in Sunagakure. Her name was Pakura, and she possessed the Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai.
Because of Ryun's existence in this world, the fates of many people had changed. Scorch Release Pakura was one of them.
"Could this be a scheme orchestrated by Otogakure themselves?" Pakura asked with a furrowed brow.
"It does not seem likely. That guy, Uchiha Ryun, he is accustomed to being arrogant and domineering. If he truly ordered Amegakure to do those things, his follow up strategy would not be to attack the Land of Rain. It also seems unnecessary for him to stage such a scheme."
The Third Tsuchikage, though he wished for Ryun's death, would not talk nonsense at the Four Kage Summit.
"Moreover, I have carefully considered the words of your surviving jonin. We cannot rule out the possibility that the enemy intentionally revealed that information to misdirect the blame."
"This also perfectly explains why the Land of Rice would be so furious as to declare war on the Land of Rain."
After the Third Tsuchikage finished speaking, the Raikage and Mizukage both nodded imperceptibly in agreement.
"That possibility indeed cannot be ruled out," the Mizukage offered his opinion. Even though their village's Six-Tails was also gone, identifying the true enemy was crucial.
Acting blindly and impulsively would only make them someone else's pawn, especially when the pawn was meant to target Uchiha Ryun.
"Then why didn't Otogakure explain? If it wasn't them, they should have stepped forward to clarify, right? Instead, they publicly insulted our four nations as a bunch of fools." Pakura's face showed dissatisfaction and confusion.
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Raikage and Fourth Mizukage looked at her with expressions full of speechlessness.
Women will be women, always expecting others to reason with them first in any situation. Didn't she see who they were dealing with? Was Uchiha Ryun the kind of person to reason with others?
"Kazekage, you should not expect that guy to explain anything to us. Great Nations hold no special weight in his eyes." The Tsuchikage rubbed his temples, his face full of helplessness. His allies were really proving to be more troublesome than the enemy.
In the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki's view, the Kazekage was not very bright, severely lacking in experience, and unaware of her own limitations. The Fourth Raikage had suffered a major defeat on the main battlefield, leading to a complete reversal for the allied nations in the war against Konoha. The Mizukage faced constant internal conflicts, with Sunagakure frequently plagued by scandals of Kekkei Genkai families defying the Mizukage's rule.
His allies were all, without exception, 'exceptional' in their own ways. Ōnoki felt truly weary. He wanted to disband the alliance, but knew doing so would not be beneficial for him.
"Aside from the testimony of Sunagakure's surviving jonin, does anyone have any intelligence that can prove Otogakure is the mastermind behind this?"
"Let's hear it. If not, then it's highly likely Amegakure maliciously misled us, wanting us to continue fighting Uchiha Ryun to the death."
The Third Tsuchikage let out a sigh before actively asking.
"No."
The other three Kage all shook their heads upon hearing this.
"The Land of Lightning will withdraw from the war against Konoha first. I need to arrange for someone to rescue my brother from Amegakure's hands." The Fourth Raikage announced this decision after a period of silence.
The Land of Lightning no longer had the strength to fight.
"Can't you hold on a little longer? Konoha is almost at its limit." The Third Tsuchikage's expression turned particularly grim.
"The Land of Lightning has already done its best."
The Fourth Raikage shook his head. At this moment, he gave off a feeling of being dispirited. The capture of his brother and the Land of Lightning's crushing defeat had hit him hard. He even lost his temper less often now.
"Sunagakure also needs to settle accounts with Amegakure. After all, it concerns the Fourth Kazekage and the One-Tail. We will not let this matter rest."
Pakura subsequently indicated they would temporarily cease hostilities. Judging by her demeanor, it wasn't out of the question for Sunagakure to withdraw from this protracted war altogether.
"Kirigakure also needs to rescue our Six-Tails Jinchuriki. Moreover, anti-war sentiment among the citizens of the Land of Water is rising daily. I'm afraid it will be very difficult for us to persist as well."
The Fourth Mizukage did not mention the conflicts within his own village. After all, one shouldn't air their dirty laundry in public, nor let these people know how weak Kirigakure currently was.
Yagura needed to stop the war to deal with the internal issues first. Only then could the Land of Water muster the energy to handle external conflicts. One must secure internal order before resisting external threats.
"What is the meaning of this? After fighting for so long, with so many dead and so much invested, before we've even won, you all just decide to stop?" Ōnoki rarely slammed the table in anger.
Unfortunately, his outburst could not change the decisions or the resolve of the other three nations. To protect what little assets they had left, the Lands of Lightning, Water, and Wind were all clearly planning to cut their losses.
Fire-Water Battlefront.
"Lord Third, do you still have no news about Shisui?"
Uchiha Itachi sought out Sarutobi Hiruzen again, tirelessly asking the same question.
"No."
Sarutobi Hiruzen still sighed and shook his head.
"Itachi, he is probably dead. Forget about this matter."
"Impossible! He is 'Shunshin no Shisui'. How could he die so easily? And, and he has to bear so much infamy!"
Uchiha Itachi's emotions seemed on the verge of collapse.
He could actually accept Shisui's death. What he absolutely could not accept was that while Shisui was a great hero who sacrificed himself for the village, everyone instead cursed him as a Konoha traitor, a coward who fled from battle.
"I'm sorry, Itachi. It's all my fault for not being able to dissuade him at the time." Sarutobi Hiruzen looked despondent and ashamed.
"Shisui was such a good boy."
Every time he thought of this matter, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt great pain. That was, after all, a perfect successor of the 'Will of Fire'. Shisui's sacrifice was utterly meaningless, and after death, he had to bear the stigma of being a rogue ninja. A ninja like him should not have met such an end.
It was just that Konoha could not, and dared not, offend Uchiha Ryun at such a time. Sacrificing one Konoha hero was to prevent Uchiha Ryun from using this incident to retaliate against Konoha.
"I don't believe it! Shisui isn't dead. I will go find him!" Uchiha Itachi stepped back repeatedly, tears streaming down his face.
"Halt! Where will you find him? Will you go to Otogakure to die as well? Are you trying to become the second Shisui by deserting your post?" Sarutobi Hiruzen used the Body Flicker Technique to appear before him instantly, grabbing his collar and scolding him angrily.
"Itachi, you and I both know Shisui was a great hero. But we cannot clear his name. You know why he went to Otogakure. Konoha will not risk offending Uchiha Ryun. Do you understand the gravity of this situation?"
When Uchiha Itachi returned to his own tent, dejected and in low spirits, another Uchiha clansmember brought him yet more devastating news.
"Itachi, Izumi was severely injured on a mission. Her teammates brought her back. Go see her quickly!"
"What!!!"
Hearing that the girl he loved was severely injured, for a moment, Uchiha Itachi felt as if the sky were falling.
Soon after, when the gravely injured Uchiha Izumi closed her eyes for the last time, Uchiha Itachi's Three Tomoe Sharingan abruptly evolved into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Heh heh, Itachi, you truly did not disappoint me!"
When Uchiha Obito learned this news from White Zetsu, a satisfied smile immediately appeared on his face.