Konoha Village, Senju Tobirama's residence.
Black Zetsu saw Renya still lying in the courtyard sunbathing and nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad, the cook really knows how to enjoy life."
As long as he stayed in a good mood, living to a hundred years old would be no problem at all.
However, after so many years, the cook's appearance didn't seem to have changed.
Black Zetsu stared closely at Renya's face and couldn't help feeling a bit surprised.
Counting it up, it had been seven or eight years since it last saw the cook.
Yet the cook's appearance was almost the same as back then, as if time had left no trace on his face.
This made Black Zetsu even more satisfied.
Although it didn't know how the cook achieved this anti-aging effect, it was a good thing for it.
The longer Renya lived, the more food he could continue making for Mother.
It absolutely didn't want Mother to emerge only to find that the cook had already become an old man.
Otherwise, wouldn't Mother only get to enjoy good food for a few years?
But it had once slipped into Senju Tobirama's laboratory and knew there was a jutsu capable of summoning the dead.
If Renya ever actually died, it could still use the jutsu to summon him back.
After that, it would find a way to revive him…
Renya, who was currently enjoying his sunbath, had no idea that his benefactor was busy calculating how to make him work hard in the future.
Uchiha Madara had awakened the Rinnegan, and the cook's body was still in peak condition.
Mother's revival was only a matter of time.
Good. Everything was progressing exactly according to plan.
Seeing this, Black Zetsu left in satisfaction.
It still needed to gather the White Zetsu created by Madara using the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Black Zetsu was Kaguya's will, so naturally it could directly command these White Zetsu.
Mother's original White Zetsu were limited in number, and many had been consumed over the millennia.
They urgently needed to replenish their forces.
And anyway, Madara had created so many White Zetsu that losing a few hundred wouldn't even be noticed.
"Mother, I will rescue you soon!"
Renya had no idea that Madara had awakened the Rinnegan, nor that the mastermind Black Zetsu had personally come to check on him earlier.
...
After this small interlude, life returned to its usual rhythm.
These past years, the Land of Water, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Lightning—
Because of what happened back then, the three sides held grudges against each other and frequently clashed along the borders.
After Kirigakure shinobi once again died at the border,
The Third Mizukage could no longer sit still and immediately declared war on the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning!
Troops were stationed in the Land of Rain, treating it as the battlefield.
Seeing this, the Third Tsuchikage and the Second Tsuchikage refused to back down.
They likewise dispatched troops to the Land of Rain.
When Hanzō of the Salamander, leader of Amegakure, learned of this, he was completely dumbfounded.
These big-nation shinobi didn't care at all whether a small nation lived or died!
No—he had to resist the oppression of the great nations!
He would make them understand that a small nation wasn't something they could trample at will.
So Hanzō immediately launched a counterattack against the shinobi forces stationed within the borders of the Land of Rain.
The three great nations were fighting intensely when they suddenly discovered that the Amegakure natives were launching surprise attacks!
Utterly reckless!
So the three great nations temporarily halted their war and directed all their aggression at Amegakure.
Hanzō dared to strike at three nations at once, so naturally he had his trump cards.
Back then, he had lost to the "Konoha Poison Master" and had narrowly escaped with his life.
Ever since then, he began researching powerful toxins and implanted them into venom sacs inside his body.
Their potency was several times greater than before.
That was why he dared to declare war on three nations at once!
At first, the three great nations didn't take tiny Amegakure seriously at all.
To them, it was merely a small country.
If the three nations joined forces, they could wipe it out in less than a day.
But what they didn't expect was that Hanzō's poisons were terrifying.
One careless touch and a shinobi would instantly lose combat ability.
Hanzō alone could make the armies of three nations suffer miserably.
...
Kumogakure, Raikage's office.
When the Second Raikage received the latest reports from the front lines, his expression darkened.
In his mind appeared the figure of the "Konoha Poison Master."
Why was the leader of a small nation so skilled in using poison?
Damn it—if he had known, he would have chosen a different battlefield.
Now they had kicked an iron wall.
Blame that idiot Third Mizukage—he couldn't even choose a decent battleground!
Once the situation in the Land of Rain was resolved, he absolutely wouldn't let the Land of Water off the hook!
Three nations united—how could they possibly fail to deal with a single small nation?
Just as the Raikage predicted—
Even though Hanzō's poison was strong, there was still only one of him.
Facing three great nations at once, he was quickly pushed into disadvantage.
So this was the sorrow of small nations?
...
Sunagakure, Kazekage's office.
The Second Kazekage Shamon looked at the intelligence reports in his hands, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"They finally started fighting!"
The Mizukage, Tsuchikage, and Raikage had quarreled for years—and now they were at war!
For the Land of Wind, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
As long as they emerged victorious, they could obtain an enormous amount of wealth.
The Land of Wind was far too poor.
Even if they squeezed the Daimyō's estate dry, the annual budget was still pitiful.
Compared to the other nations, they were hopelessly outmatched.
Only through war could they obtain abundant resources and wealth.
All they needed to do was watch the great nations tear each other apart and swoop in when the time was right to seize the spoils.
"Victory in this war will belong to the Land of Wind."
A glint flashed in Shamon's eyes, and his lips curved into a smile.
Fight, fight—fight as fiercely as possible.
...
Konoha Village, Hokage's office.
"So they really started fighting?"
Shimura Danzō stared at the information sent back, his eyes gleaming.
"Danzō, you're not thinking of joining, are you?" Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned.
He felt that the war among the three nations had nothing to do with Konoha. There was no need for them to get involved.
Compared to the death and suffering war would bring, the money gained was meaningless.
"That's right—this war will show the world Konoha's power!"
Danzō said excitedly.
Only by striking them hard with overwhelming strength would they fear Konoha and stop coveting the Land of Fire.
And besides, after decades of development, the village indeed needed a war to prove itself to the shinobi world.
"Danzō, doing this will only cause needless casualties. This war has nothing to do with us—why should we participate?!"
Hiruzen said unhappily.
He believed Danzō shouldn't join and should cherish their hard-won peace.
"Enough, Hiruzen!"
Hiruzen wanted to continue persuading him, but Danzō cut him off coldly.
"Remember—I am the Hokage!"
"Danzō, you'll regret this!"
Furious, Hiruzen stood up and left, intending to calm himself down.
Every time he disagreed with Danzō's ideology, he had to step out to breathe.
Especially whenever Danzō used that classic line.
Sometimes Hiruzen wondered—if he were Hokage, could he use that line to suppress Danzō instead?
Unfortunately… he wasn't the Hokage.
"Since he left, have Renya come in."
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "…"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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