Chapter 51 The Land of Wind, Let's Go! (Three-in-one...)

Let's rewind to the day the war ended.

The information was initially intercepted by Tobirama Senju's intelligence network—not through official channels, but through rumors he spread in black markets and underground gold exchange offices around the world.

Initially, the information was only vague, mentioning "border friction involving fire and mines" and "troop movements."

Of course, Uchiha Izuna's intelligence department also noticed these rumors. The two men were surprisingly in agreement: a real fight was impossible.

The reason is simple: how could war, especially large-scale war between nations, possibly bypass them? The Senju and Uchiha clans were not only the pillars of Konoha, but also the "ultimate weapon" that the Land of Fire relied on to deter other nations.

If the Daimyo of the Land of Fire had any sense, he would have conscripted them immediately if war were to break out. Without this action, there would be absolutely no fighting; at most, it would be a border conflict.

Therefore, when news of "the Land of Fire's great victory" and "the Land of Lightning's defeat" flooded Konoha through various channels like snowflakes, everyone was in a state of near-speechless shock.

That's too fast.

From the moment news of the border skirmishes arrived to the end of the war, it was incredibly fast; all told, the actual fighting lasted less than half a day.

And as more detailed information came in—

"A tailed beast...it's a tailed beast!" Tobirama Senju clutched the thin intelligence scroll in his office, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. For the first time, a look of shock and rage, almost cracking his face, appeared on his usually calm and composed expression.

The tailed beasts are all in Konoha's hands. The One-Tailed, Five-Tailed, and Seven-Tailed are in the hands of the Uchiha, while the tailed beast that appeared on the battlefield is the One-Tailed.

In conclusion, if it wasn't the Uchiha who did it, then who was? It couldn't have been someone who stole the One-Tailed Beast. If they had, the Uchiha wouldn't be so calm!

Bypassing Konoha, bypassing him and his elder brother Hashirama, and arbitrarily activating the Tailed Beasts, they participated in or led a war between nations... What exactly is the Uchiha clan trying to do? Exposing the power of the Tailed Beasts to the world, where does this leave Konoha? How will other major powers/ninja clans react?

Panic? Covetousness? Joint attack?

Countless bad outcomes and conspiracy theories churned in Tobirama's mind. He could no longer sit still and rushed out of the room like a gust of wind, heading straight for Uchiha Izuna's office.

"Bang!" The door slammed against the wall with a dull thud.

At that moment, Izuna was sitting at his desk with several intelligence reports in front of him that contained the same information as those in Tobirama Senju's hands. His brows were furrowed and his expression was grave.

He had only just pieced together the general outline of the truth, and his shock was no less than Tobirama's. However, before he could even go to Madara to verify the situation, Tobirama Senju came knocking on his door.

Izuna looked up, his annoyance at being interrupted in his thoughts. "Tobirama Senju, didn't anyone teach you to knock before entering a house? This is the kind of manners and upbringing you Senju people have."

Tobirama ignored his sarcasm, strode to the table, slammed the scroll in his hand onto the surface, and said in a voice so cold it could drip ice: "Uchiha Izuna, what exactly do you Uchiha people mean?"

Izuna wasn't surprised at all. It really was about this.

He maintained a calm demeanor and deliberately made his tone somewhat nonchalant: "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me!" Tobirama pointed at the scroll, his voice rising. "Tailed beasts! The war between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning involved the One-Tailed Beast. Don't tell me you didn't know. If this wasn't done by you Uchiha, I, Tobirama Senju, will change my name."

Izuna remained calm.

Although Tobirama's accusations were entirely valid, he would never show weakness in front of him, much less admit that his own people were wrong.

Izuna slowly pushed the intelligence scroll in front of him aside, then stood up, placed his hands on the table, leaned forward, and met Tobirama's sharp gaze head-on, his face showing his usual mocking indifference: "So what if it is? So what if it isn't? What's it to you?"

"What does this have to do with me?" Tobirama laughed angrily. "Uchiha Izuna, are you really stupid or just pretending? Not many people know about the Tailed Beasts in Konoha yet, but after this battle, do you think you can keep it a secret? Your Uchiha clan is using the Tailed Beasts to participate in the great power game. Then the entire ninja world will know that Konoha has such monsters in its hands! All the spearheads, all the fears, all the conspiracies will be directed at Konoha!"

He took a deep breath, trying to suppress his boiling anger, his words as sharp as a knife: "Don't forget, we are no longer the Senju and Uchiha clans fighting separately. We are Konoha Village. Your Uchiha's unauthorized actions will bring annihilation to the entire village. Do you understand what it means to have a domino effect? ​​Or do you Uchiha simply not care and are still as selfish and arrogant as before?"

Izuna's expression instantly darkened. He could tolerate criticism, but he would never allow Tobirama Senju to belittle the entire Uchiha clan in this way.

His face was as cold as frost, and the Mangekyou Sharingan appeared in his dark eyes, radiating a dangerous light: "Tobirama Senju, watch your words. It's none of your business to interfere with the Uchiha's actions. The Tailed Beasts were captured by the Uchiha through their own strength; how they are used is naturally up to us. As for causing trouble for Konoha? Hmph, if there's trouble, we'll deal with it. Did we establish Konoha to cower like turtles, afraid of trouble?"

Izuna sneered and retorted, "But you, who's in such a hurry to come and interrogate us, are you afraid that the power of the Uchiha is beyond your control? Tobirama Senju, don't you think you're meddling too much?"

***

The door to Hashirama Senju's office was pushed open forcefully and then quickly closed again.

Hashirama Senju, who was working on documents at his desk, looked up and saw his younger brother striding in with a frosty expression and an aura of low pressure that seemed to freeze over.

"Tobirama? What's wrong?" Hashirama put down his pen, somewhat surprised.

Tobirama succinctly recounted the battle of fire and lightning, the use of the tailed beasts, and his conflict with Uchiha Izuna, his tone filled with suppressed anger.

"...The situation is now very clear! The Uchiha clan abused their authority over the tailed beasts to participate in the war without authorization! I've said it before, the tailed beasts must not be given to the Uchiha clan!"

Hashirama hesitated for a moment, then tried to calm his agitated brother: "Tobirama, calm down. I'll talk to Madara later."

Tobirama: "You'd better not be someone who listens to everything Madara Uchiha says!"

Hashirama: "Eh, is it not allowed?"

Tobirama: "What do you think?! = =#"

Meanwhile, in the Uchiha clan compound, at the clan head's residence.

Izuna paused outside Madara's study for a moment before knocking on the door.

"Come in," came the deep voice of Ban.

Izuna pushed open the door and entered.

“Brother.” Izuna walked over and sat down opposite Madara.

Madara looked up: "Izuna? What's wrong?"

"The Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning fought a war today." Izuna stared intently at Madara's expression.

Madara frowned slightly: "War? When did this happen? The Daimyo of the Land of Fire did not issue any conscription order to us." His reaction was purely one of surprise and confusion, without any indication that he had known about it beforehand.

Izuna's heart sank; the worst had been confirmed.

He took a deep breath and said, "There was no conscription, and the war only lasted half a day. The reason it ended was... the Tailed Beasts. One-Tailed Beast appeared on the battlefield."

"What?" Madara was stunned. "How could the One-Tailed Beast appear on the battlefield?"

His shock and confusion seemed entirely genuine.

Izuna reaffirmed that his elder brother was indeed completely unaware of the matter.

"The news has been confirmed by multiple sources," Izuna said in a low voice. "The tailed beast is with Kokusatsu. Has something happened to Kokusatsu? Or was he lured away?"

The more I thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and Izuna's tone became anxious: "The capital is a place where powerful and wealthy people gather, and people's hearts are unpredictable. Moreover, Yan Sheng is now the guardian ninja of the daimyo. He looks glamorous on the surface, but he is actually at the center of the vortex. Those old foxes who play power games are best at using righteousness, responsibility... and sweet words to bewitch people's hearts."

At this point, Izuna could no longer sit still and suddenly stood up: "No, we can't let him stay in the capital any longer. I'm going to bring Yan Sheng back."

Just as Izuna turned to leave, a steady and powerful hand pressed down on his shoulder. The force was not domineering, but it carried an undeniable weight, freezing his movements in place.

"Don't panic, Izuna," Madara said calmly. "The situation is unclear, and rash action will only make things worse." He tightened his fingers slightly, conveying a reassuring signal: "I'll go to Kokusatsu's side."

Izuna looked at the unwavering look in Madara's eyes, opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't voice his worries. He simply nodded and said, "...I understand, brother. You must be careful too."

Madara patted Izuna on the shoulder, then vanished from the room in a flash. Izuna stared at the empty room and sighed with a headache.

My younger brother is too naive, and there's a reason I was worried he'd get scammed—and sure enough, he was.

Not long after, Hashirama Senju finished dealing with his affairs and arrived at the Uchiha clan's territory, intending to fulfill his promise to his younger brother Tobirama and have a serious talk with Madara about the tailed beasts.

However, the reply he received was a slightly wary message from the Uchiha clan: "Lord Madara has urgent business to attend to and has already left the village."

Hashirama stood at the entrance to the Uchiha clan compound, scratching his jet-black hair, a hint of distress on his face, which quickly turned into an expression of sudden realization.

"Left the village? At this time?" He stroked his chin and muttered to himself, "It must be related to the tailed beasts! Madara must have gone to find out the truth!"

He never considered the possibility that Madara Uchiha might be fleeing to escape punishment or plotting a larger conspiracy (Tobirama would definitely think so).

"Hmm..." Hashirama thought for a moment. There weren't many things going on in the village lately, and Tobirama and the elders were handling the daily affairs, so he wasn't too busy. Besides, the Tailed Beast incident concerned the safety of the village, and of course he had to follow up on such an important matter personally!

"Anyway, Tobirama is in the village, so nothing will go wrong." Hashirama made the decision happily, a relaxed smile on his face. "Alright! I'll go too! I'll work with Madara to figure out the problem."

As for how Hashirama came to the above conclusion—in his mind, this perfectly aligned with Tobirama's requirement: to find Madara and clarify the situation.

The only difference is that the location has changed from the village to another place.

This person seems completely oblivious to the risks that the departure of their two top combatants from the village at the same time might pose. Or perhaps, this person believes their capable assistant, their younger brother, can handle everything.

And so, Hashirama Senju, with great interest, followed the barely perceptible trace of Madara's chakra fluctuations as he left.

***

When news of Madara Uchiha's departure from the village reached Tobirama Senju, he remained calm, believing Madara had gone to deal with the mess caused by the tailed beasts. He secretly sneered, calculating that once Madara returned, regardless of the outcome, he would have a reason to limit the Uchiha's power.

However, when the second piece of news arrived immediately—"Lord Hashirama has also left the village, and it seems he has gone in the direction Madara Uchiha left in"—the string of reason in Tobirama's mind snapped.

With a sharp "snap," Tobirama accidentally broke the pen he was using to review documents, splashing ink all over his hand and staining the scroll he had only half-finished. But Tobirama didn't care; veins bulged on his forehead, and his red pupils burned with a fury that seemed capable of setting the entire office ablaze.

He knew it!

He knew this would happen!

That idiot brother of mine will definitely not prioritize again and will impulsively chase after Madara Uchiha! All this talk about investigating the truth and solving problems will just turn into another drama of "mutual understanding" between those two "best friends"! And all the village and all the trouble will be dumped on him!

"Two bastards!" Tobirama squeezed out the words through gritted teeth.

Madara Uchiha acted on his own initiative, and his elder brother followed him blindly, leaving him with a mess that could trigger an international crisis at any time due to the exposure of the tailed beasts!

The village's defense, diplomatic pressure, internal stability... all these heavy burdens suddenly fell on his shoulders.

Well, not entirely, there's also Izuna.

Tobirama took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his turbulent blood and qi, but to little avail.

He grabbed a towel and vigorously wiped the ink stains off his hands, his eyes turning cold and sharp. Since he couldn't rely on those two capricious individuals, the heavy responsibility of protecting Konoha would fall solely on his shoulders.

"Someone come here!" he shouted to the person outside the door.

A ninja appeared instantly.

"Pass on my orders," Tobirama said coldly. "Activate the village's highest alert plan. Increase patrols at all outposts. The intelligence department should closely monitor the movements of all major powers. Also, summon all department heads for an emergency meeting in half an hour."

The ninja accepted the order and left.

***

Deep within the dark underground cave, Black Zetsu huddled, his already unstable form, like a shadow, now appearing even more withered and thin, as if he might dissipate into the air at any moment.

—It did not lose an ordinary clone, but a split containing its original power. This loss is far more than a simple depletion of chakra; it truly damaged its foundation.

A deep-seated hatred churned within it.

Uchiha Kokusatsu! That despicable Uchiha Kokusatsu!

Actually, this wasn't the most devastating thing for it. What drove it almost insane was that the split body fell into the hands of Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju.

Damn it, Uchiha Kokushibo!

Black Zetsu roared silently in its heart. Its original plan was that even if the split entity was captured, as long as Yan Sheng completely destroyed it, although it would be damaged, at least the connection would be severed, and there would always be a chance to recover.

But Yan Sheng chose to seal it! A complete, active split entity, inseparable from its original body, was sealed in the scroll, like a wound that never healed, constantly eroding its power and preventing it from recovering its state by severing its tail.

It felt as if it were bound by an invisible chain, greatly reducing its range of movement and the power it could mobilize.

Originally, after Yan Sheng discovered its tracks, it no longer dared to cause trouble as recklessly as before, and could only operate more covertly. Now, things have only gotten worse.

—It did consider ambushing and killing the ninja cat that was delivering the message on the way.

It dispatched White Zetsu to try and intercept it. But that damned ninja cat didn't follow the usual path. It glanced contemptuously at the lurking White Zetsu, then with a flicker, it entered the spatial fold and vanished without a trace.

This is a unique talent of the Ninja Cat Clan, which has signed an ancient pact with the Uchiha Clan—time-space jump.

Their combat capabilities may not be top-notch, but in terms of support, especially in delivering important items and information, they are virtually unbeatable.

Of course, they are also proud and picky. Among this generation of Uchiha, only Madara Uchiha, whose strength and temperament were recognized by them, was qualified to sign a summoning contract with them.

"Never mind," Black Zetsu muttered listlessly, like a punctured balloon.

Throughout its long life, learning patience is an essential lesson. It forces itself to calm down.

"Anyway, it's not enough to affect the Eye of the Moon Project..." That's the only way it could console itself.

***

Two figures were moving at an astonishing speed through the dense forests of the Land of Fire, treading on trees as if walking on flat ground.

The figure ahead wore a dark blue high-collared robe, his long black hair flying in the wind—it was Uchiha Madara. He moved with incredible speed, his sharp eyes fixed on the distance, his heart set on returning home.

A massive and vibrant chakra was rapidly approaching from behind.

Ban frowned slightly, but did not stop walking.

Soon, Hashirama Senju's cheerful voice rang out: "Madara—! Wait for me!"

Before he finished speaking, Hashirama had already accelerated and easily caught up, walking alongside Madara with a bright smile on his face.

Ban glanced at him, her tone indifferent: "What are you doing here?"

"Haha, of course I'm here to help you!" Hashirama said matter-of-factly. "Your trip must be related to the Tailed Beasts, right? More people, more strength!"

"I don't need your help." Ban refused without any politeness, turning his gaze back to the front, and his speed increased slightly.

Hashirama Senju's smile froze instantly, and his entire demeanor darkened visibly, as if falling gray snowflakes appeared in the background.

If he weren't in such a hurry to get somewhere, he would definitely do something as depressing as immediately finding a tree hole to squat in and having mushrooms grow around him.

Ban, who was already used to his friend's unpredictable and gloomy behavior, silently withdrew his gaze, too lazy to pay attention to his dramatic behavior.

Sure enough, within a few breaths, Hashirama recovered his energy as if nothing had happened, as if his earlier dejection had never occurred. Maintaining the same speed as Madara with ease, he asked curiously, "This direction... Madara, are you heading to the capital?"

Ban still ignored him and remained silent.

Hashirama didn't mind and continued his analysis: "Alright, if you won't tell me, then I'll guess. Hmm... You wouldn't just entrust something as important as a Tailed Beast to someone else. Let me think... It's in your brother, Uchiha Mikatsu, right?"

His statement was not a question, but a statement made with certainty.

Despite his seemingly gentle, cheerful, and even somewhat eccentric personality, Hashirama Senju's reputation was built more on his formidable strength than on the terrifying aura of Madara Uchiha.

But this is only a facade. Hashirama's gentleness, in a sense, is a deeper kind of arrogance—stemming from absolute confidence in his own strength, not believing that most things in the world can truly threaten him, so he can maintain a detached and amiable demeanor.

Such people are often more dangerous than those who appear fierce on the surface.

It's impossible to say that Madara Uchiha was completely unaware of this side of Hashirama. They had fought each other for half their lives, and their understanding of each other ran deep.

Madara simply believed that Hashirama's dangerousness would never be used on him, and he was confident that he had enough strength to deal with any aspect of Hashirama.

Furthermore, with the added layer of "his only best friend" as a filter, Madara's tolerance and acceptance of Hashirama far exceeded that of ordinary people.

In a sense, the two of them were "going in the same direction"—Hashirama also saw through Madara's hard exterior and the core he didn't easily reveal, which is why he said Madara was "very gentle".

Madara rarely showed this unique gentleness to others. Hashirama was one of the very few who could sense it, understand it, and respond to it.

Therefore, Madara wasn't too surprised that Hashirama had accurately guessed that the Tailed Beast was in Mikoto's hands. He gave a faint hum, which was taken as tacit agreement.

***

The moment night fell, the two finally arrived in the capital.

Madara Uchiha rushed toward the chakra fluctuations of Masaki Uchiha.

The following scene then appeared—

The mansion was given to Kokukatsu by the daimyo after the war victory.

Madara Uchiha stood expressionless in the center of the room. He didn't need to release any killing intent; simply standing there, calmly watching Masaki Uchiha, was enough to make the air in the room stand still, as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on him. The papers stopped turning, the candlelight flickered and rose straight up, and even the finest dust seemed to sink to the ground in fear.

Uchiha Masaki felt a tightness in his throat.

And actually, the more oppressive presence emanating from Hashirama Senju beside him, with his gentle smile, was even greater. It was as if behind that smile lay a bottomless, deep forest, its tranquility concealing a danger capable of devouring one.

Yasuki steeled himself, forcing himself to straighten his spine and meet Ban's gaze. He had long anticipated this day and had rehearsed it countless times in his mind.

"Lord Madara, Lord Hashirama." He tried to keep his voice steady. "Young Master Yan Sheng... is not currently in the capital."

Ban's eyes remained unwavering, as if he already knew the answer and was waiting for what followed.

Ya Shu swallowed hard, knowing that ambiguity wouldn't work, so she steeled herself and frankly stated part of her position: "Young Master Yan Sheng has urgent matters that he needs to handle personally—alright, clan leader, please stop looking at me like that. As you know, I am now Young Master Yan Sheng's man. Logically and emotionally, I naturally... lean towards him and obey his orders more."

He pointed out the most crucial point. This was Uchiha Masaki's survival wisdom, and his accurate grasp of Uchiha Madara's personality.

—Facing Madara Uchiha, being honest about one's stance and loyalty is far more likely to offer a chance of survival than sophistry or betrayal. Madara admires loyalty and strength, especially loyalty to those he has chosen. If he were to betray Michikatsu now to protect himself, that would be a true path to death.

As expected, upon hearing Yasuki's blunt declaration that he was Miku's man, Madara Uchiha's icy aura softened slightly. He didn't get angry, but asked in a low voice, "What is he doing?"

Ya Shu gave a bitter smile, this time it wasn't a pretense: "Clan leader, please don't make things difficult for me. I can't say, and I won't say, about Young Master Yan Sheng's specific actions." His tone was pleading, and his eyes were very firm, indicating that this was indeed his bottom line.

Ban stared at him silently.

Just as Yaki felt his nerves were about to snap, Madara asked his third question: "Is it dangerous?"

This question caught Ya Shu off guard. He paused for a moment, then a strange light appeared in his eyes. It was trust and admiration for Yan Sheng. The wry smile on his face disappeared, replaced by pride.

"Danger?" Yasushi repeated, then shook his head. "Perhaps dangerous for others. But for Young Master Yan Sheng..."

His voice rose slightly, because he was convinced.

"I believe that no matter how many difficulties and obstacles lie ahead, Young Master Yan Sheng will eventually overcome them all and turn them into safety. What Young Master Yan Sheng wants to get, he will definitely get. What he wants to accomplish, he will definitely achieve."

At this point, Uchiha Masaki seemed to draw boundless courage from his faith in Mikatsu, all traces of the fear he had felt under the pressure of the two top-tier experts vanishing. He stood ramrod straight, his gaze burning, perhaps not even fully realizing the depth of his trust in Uchiha Mikatsu—a steadfastness that transcended fear and bordered on faith.

Hashirama Senju remained silent throughout, simply observing quietly from the sidelines. His smile did not change, but a deep contemplation flashed in his eyes.

He saw in Uchiha Masaki the absolute loyalty and faith in Uchiha Kokusatsu.

This was not merely a matter of awe for power, but rather a complete admiration for the leader's personality and abilities. This sparked his keen interest in Uchiha Kokusatsu—although he had met Kokusatsu and exchanged a few words with him, they were not actually close.

Madara Uchiha observed Yaki's changes but didn't press the matter further. Having obtained the two core pieces of information—"Yaki is unhindered" and "Yaki will not betray us"—was enough for him.

He gave Yashu a deep look, then turned and walked towards the door.

Seeing this, Hashirama Senju smiled at Masaki and followed. Masaki Uchiha was left alone, and in the air that began to flow again, he slowly breathed a sigh of relief, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

Sigh, this hurdle is over. Young Master Yan Sheng, this is all I can do to help you!

***

Yan Sheng was very anxious, extremely anxious.

This sense of urgency stemmed from two pressures: on the one hand, he was eager to accumulate merit; on the other hand, he was worried about Madara Uchiha investigating him.

Back in the Land of Fire, he could find excuses to stall for time. But not now.

He had to make the deed into a fait accompli before being caught by Madara, using the established facts to answer Madara's questions.

Therefore, in dealing with the affairs of the Land of Lightning, his methods became ruthless and his pace astonishingly fast, almost abandoning all unnecessary detours and cover-ups.

In any case, the Land of Lightning is not the Land of Fire, and it's not a place where he needs to worry about the influence of the Uchiha and Konoha.

Here, he was more like a pure conqueror, a ruthless chess player. The land and people of the Land of Thunder were merely chips and pieces on his chessboard. Factors such as "just cause," "international public opinion," and "long-term governance," which would have required some consideration in the Land of Fire, were all thrown to the back of his mind at this moment.

Thus, after Yan Sheng's will, through the mouthpiece of the Kurosawa family elder, completely controlled the decisions of the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning, a border conflict against the Land of Earth was ignited in a jaw-dropping manner.

The excuse was readily available, but it also existed all along: the Land of Earth harbored ill intentions towards the Land of Lightning's land. And they actually managed to steal a little of it.

However, under normal circumstances, friction of this level usually involves lengthy diplomatic wrangling and military standoffs, and does not escalate directly into a full-scale attack.

However, under Yan Sheng's impetus, the war machine of the Land of Lightning began to operate efficiently. The power vacuum left by the purging of the pro-war faction was quickly filled by his people, and his orders were carried out without hindrance. The army and the ninjas of Kumogakure also quickly assembled, their target being a strategically important location rich in resources on the border of the Land of Earth.

The Land of Lightning's mobilization speed and the Land of Earth's determination to attack far exceeded the Land of Earth's expectations. The Land of Earth's leadership had initially assumed that the Land of Lightning, fresh from its crushing defeat, would be forced to retreat and recuperate, having no capacity for proactive provocation. Therefore, when the Land of Lightning's cavalry and ninjas surged across the border like a burst dam, the Land of Earth's border troops were completely caught off guard, hastily engaging in battle and suffering a series of defeats.

—Yan Sheng didn’t even go to the front line in person. He just issued a few key tactical orders remotely through intelligence and maps, striking at the weak points of the Earth’s defense line.

The army of the Land of Lightning advanced with unstoppable momentum, capturing several important strongholds in just a few days.

When the news of the victory reached the Land of Lightning, just as Yan Sheng had predicted, it greatly boosted the morale and spirits that had been low due to the defeat. The brief, false joy of victory masked the deeper pain brought on by the war.

However, the Land of Earth was, after all, a great power. After the initial shock and chaos, this behemoth revealed its profound resources and formidable war potential.

The daimyo of the Land of Earth was furious, believing that the actions of the Land of Lightning were a serious provocation against the dignity of a great power, and immediately dispatched elite troops and ninjas from Iwagakure to the front lines.

The ninjas of the Land of Earth were skilled in Earth Release ninjutsu and defensive warfare. With their support, the rout lines gradually stabilized. Subsequently, the Land of Earth, utilizing its terrain and numerical superiority, began to organize a fierce counterattack.

The battle quickly transformed from a one-sided surprise attack into a brutal war of attrition and stalemate. Every day, carnage unfolded along the vast border, with soldiers and ninjas from both nations being consumed like cogs in a meat grinder.

The battlefield reached a stalemate. This was also part of Yan Sheng's plan, an inevitable result of his "impatient" strategy. He never expected the Land of Lightning to annex the Land of Earth in one fell swoop; that was simply unrealistic.

His goal was to incite the two countries to fight, to keep them locked in a protracted war, and to wear each other down, thus keeping the Land of Earth's attention and national strength bogged down in the quagmire of the northwestern border.

He stood in a room in a high-rise building in the capital of the Land of Thunder, gazing at the direction of the raging war in the northwest, his eyes calm and undisturbed.

The stalemate in the battle meant that time was being bought, that the Land of Earth had no time to spare, and that he had more reason and space to carry out the next step of infiltration and planning.

There are ways to fight when things are urgent. Since a quick victory is not possible, let the chaos spread.

Gathering his thoughts, Yan Sheng looked up at the map in front of him. His gaze briefly swept over the northern region marked as a fierce battle zone, his eyes showing no emotion. His fingertips slowly moved down, across the vast forests of the Land of Fire, finally settling on the southwestern corner of the continent—a yellowish-brown territory covered by a vast desert: the Land of Wind.

Although the Wind Kingdom is one of the five great powers, in the eyes of the other four great powers, due to its scarcity of resources and harsh natural environment, the Wind Kingdom has always been at the bottom of the five great powers, and is therefore often intentionally or unintentionally excluded from the core game circle.

This disregard creates a natural barrier, making it difficult for information within the Land of Wind to leak out and resulting in relatively little external interference.

For Yan Sheng, such a corner overlooked by the "mainstream eye" was just the right place for him to secretly manipulate and calmly make his plans.

...Let the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth, like two birds with one stone, continue to fight and wear each other down on the northern border until they are both exhausted and their national strength is depleted.

During this time, he planned to infiltrate the Land of Wind and take control of it by exploiting its internal difficulties (the hardship of people's livelihood caused by poverty and the internal conflicts caused by resource shortages) and its isolation from the outside world.

This process does not require the use of complex political puppets as in the Land of Thunder. Given the fragility of the Land of Wind, it is only necessary to find a key fulcrum and apply sufficient pressure or temptation to influence the direction of the entire country.

Once he successfully controlled the Land of Wind, he would have a hidden force lurking in the shadows.

When the northern kingdoms of Thunder and Earth are exhausted from their battle, he can then manipulate the unified power of the Wind Kingdom to intervene forcefully, like a cunning predator. By attacking the two exhausted giants with his own well-prepared forces and relatively complete national strength, the outcome is predictable.

"When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits."

In this way, he could bring the three great nations of Thunder, Earth, and Wind under his control in one fell swoop.

As for the last remaining great nation: the Land of Water.

They will then be facing a behemoth that integrates the vast majority of the continent's resources. Whether through diplomatic coercion, economic blockade, or direct military crushing, it will all be effortless. Unless the daimyo of the Land of Water is willing to annihilate his entire nation, he will have no choice but to submit.

The entire continent's map was now clear in Yan Sheng's eyes. The war in the north was bait, a expendable resource; the Wind Kingdom was a crucial springboard and a hidden blade; and the final destination was the unification path that no one could stop.

With the plan finalized, Yan Sheng didn't delay any longer. He transmitted the follow-up details from the Land of Lightning to Uchiha Masaki via an encrypted scroll. At the same time, to ensure everything went smoothly, he used his Sharingan to control a puppet within the Land of Lightning's high-ranking officials, specifically responsible for executing orders and transmitting intelligence.

After a moment of contemplation, he took out a creature from his pocket that was only the size of a palm, pure white, and resembled a combination of a dolphin and a horse—it was the shrunken Five-Tailed Beast.

"I'm entrusting this to you for safekeeping for now." Yan Sheng found Kurosawa and handed him the Five-Tails. "It can only be used in the event of an uncontrollable crisis or under my specific instructions."

Kurosawa elder held his breath, his hands trembling slightly as he carefully received the tailed beast. The warmth in his palms and the faintly pulsating, immense power made his heart pound, and his heart surge with turbulent emotions.

Shocked that this world-destroying power could be compressed into such a small space, handed to them like a toy; excited that they had such a terrifying trump card, which meant that the Land of Lightning could only win.

But more than anything, there was a sense of shock and a chilling cold, as if ice water had been poured over one's head.

He recalled that the reason the Land of Fire was able to win was because it relied on the power of the Tailed Beasts to defeat the army of the Land of Lightning in half a day.

A chilling thought suddenly popped into his head: Could it be that the tailed beast that appeared on the battlefield of the Land of Fire... was also created by Lord Mikusa?

The shock of this conjecture terrified him far more than the power of the tailed beast in his palm.

The elder of the Kurosawa family looked at Yan Sheng's still calm profile, his eyes becoming incredibly complex, filled with awe and an uncontrollable sense of horror.

***

After explaining everything, Yan Sheng left the Land of Thunder without alerting anyone, like a grain of sand in the desert, disappearing into the road leading southwest.

He donned a long robe to conceal his overly conspicuous appearance and hurried toward the land ruled by the scorching sun and yellow sand.

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Author's Note: —What I want, I get! [Hands clasped in prayer]