Inside the office,
Ōnoki was actively preparing to wage war against Konoha.
Upon learning this, Kakuzu became anxious.
Kakuzu, in his haste, directly ran to Mu's home to complain about Ōnoki, hoping Mu would stop him.
However, Mu was also helpless and merely said to trust Ōnoki.
Kakuzu knew that Ōnoki's mind was set and had no choice but to accept reality.
He planned for a swift and decisive war, hoping to crush Konoha within a year to prevent Iwagakure from prolonged bleeding.
The longer the war dragged on, the more Iwagakure would spend.
"From here, we will directly penetrate Konoha, leading our main forces deep into Konoha, and Konoha's defenses will surely fall!"
"Then, by uniting with Amegakure and Kumogakure, we will form a pincer attack on Konoha, and Iwagakure will surely win!"
Ōnoki said, pointing at the map.
Kakuzu, meanwhile, reported the latest intelligence to Ōnoki.
"According to intelligence, after the war ended, Tsunade, one of Konoha's Sannin, left Konoha, Jiraiya reportedly found three apprentices and stayed in Amegakure, and Sakumo Hatake committed suicide. Konoha is currently vulnerable!"
Kakuzu reported all this intelligence to Ōnoki one by one.
Ōnoki's face lit up with joy.
"This is a heaven-sent opportunity!"
Ōnoki felt as if heaven itself was creating an opportunity for him.
"But... what if Amegakure and Kumogakure don't cooperate with us?"
Kakuzu asked with concern.
Ōnoki revealed a cunning smile: "We will use both coercion and enticement. Amegakure will not dare not to cooperate with Iwagakure. For Kumogakure, we will use benefits; after conquering the Land of Fire, we will give them the northern part of the Land of Fire."
"Kakuzu, send someone to contact the Raikage!"
...
"Ōnoki is truly a fox!"
"I thought he wanted to live in peace, but it turns out he was waiting for an opportunity. It seems Ōnoki is not content with peace either!"
Third Raikage pondered, resting his chin on his hand.
"Dad, should we do it!?"
Fourth Raikage A said excitedly.
He had been itching for a fight for a long time.
(Fourth Raikage A is also the Fourth Raikage. Although he hasn't taken office yet, to make it clear to everyone, I'll just call him the Fourth.)
Third Raikage narrowed his eyes, looking at the map of Iwagakure.
"Fight! But I want to change something..."
Third Raikage said meaningfully.
Fourth Raikage A scratched his head, not understanding.
...
"Brain-dead Ōnoki!"
"Now he wants me to risk my life again!"
"Before, he watched while I was sent to my death, and now he still wants me to risk my life!"
Hanzou saw the letter from Ōnoki and felt a surge of anger.
However, due to Amegakure's current economic and infrastructural reliance on Iwagakure, he had no choice but to comply.
...
"Hokage-sama, new intelligence!"
An Anbu handed a secret letter to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression changed!
"Hello? This is Village Committee Hiruzen Sarutobi! Connect me to the front lines!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up the Hokage's special telephone.
Konoha, influenced by Iwagakure, had adopted telephones and telegraphs.
Compared to Ninja hawk message delivery, telephones and telegraphs were significantly faster, but they were useless against Magnet Release.
Of course, extremely critical intelligence still needed to be delivered by hand.
"Hokage-sama, please give your instructions!"
A voice came from the other end of the line.
"I ask you, have the Fire Rock troops stationed in the west of the Land of Fire increased?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone was slightly anxious.
The war had just ended; don't start trouble again!
If they fought again, even Konoha's children might have to go to the battlefield.
Now, only Orochimaru among the Sannin was still present.
Orochimaru was currently like a ghost, researching who knows what.
"Reporting to Hokage-sama, Iwagakure's army has indeed increased, but Ōnoki said it's just an exercise and told us not to be nervous!"
After Hiruzen Sarutobi hung up the phone, he smoked with a deep frown.
Danzo Shimura's face was ashen.
"Hiruzen! We should quickly prepare for war! Ōnoki clearly intends to move against Konoha!"
Danzo Shimura said coldly.
Ring, ring, ring!!!
"Hello? This is Tsuchikage Ōnoki. Hiruzen Sarutobi, don't panic. My army is just conducting an exercise, with no ill intentions."
Ōnoki's voice came through the phone.
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled without humor: "Okay, I understand..."
....
Just as the Ninja World's situation became tense again,
News came from Iwagakure that Hōzuki Gengetsu had fallen ill and was bedridden.
Iwagakure used the best medical equipment on Hōzuki Gengetsu.
"Don't die, Gengetsu....."
Mu looked at Hōzuki Gengetsu with concern.
At the same time, he urged Iwagakure's research department to accelerate their cell research.
"What is Hōzuki Gengetsu's physical condition exactly?"
Mu anxiously asked the medical Ninja responsible for his treatment.
The medical Ninja quickly replied: "Nidaime(2nd)-sama, please rest assured, Hōzuki-sama's body is not in serious danger. However, his strength will likely be greatly weakened in the future. After all, as one gets older, various bodily functions will decline..."
Mu's expression instantly darkened. He gazed at Hōzuki Gengetsu on the sickbed, his heart filled with worry and unease.
In the original work, Hiruzen Sarutobi, in his sixties, couldn't even defeat Orochimaru. Now Hōzuki Gengetsu is also around sixty, so weakening is inevitable.
"Then, how long will it take for him to recover?"
Mu continued to press.
The medical Ninja hesitated, then said: "That depends on Hōzuki-sama's own body's recovery ability. However, given his current condition, it may take a considerable amount of time for him to fully recover."
After Mu listened to the medical Ninja's report,
Mu nodded silently.
The news of Hōzuki Gengetsu's illness was undoubtedly a heavy blow to him, making him feel the urgency of time.
Mu couldn't help but start worrying about his own physical condition. He felt that aging and physical decline were gradually eroding his strength.
If one day his strength also significantly dropped like Hōzuki Gengetsu's, would he still be able to maintain his current position and prestige?
Just as Mu was deep in thought, Hōzuki Gengetsu on the sickbed suddenly spoke: "Mu... I'm fine. I can still live, it's just that my strength is greatly reduced, and my Chakra has also weakened. This is how it is when one gets old; living a simple life as an ordinary person is also quite good."
Although Hōzuki Gengetsu's words revealed a hint of helplessness, his optimistic attitude still brought Mu some comfort.
"Get well, don't think about anything else. You'll get better, hold on!"
Mu leaned slightly closer and said.
"I know, I won't die that easily!"
Hōzuki Gengetsu smiled.
"I've prepared a TV series for you, a recent one about me. You can watch it, it's a hit show in Iwagakure right now."
Mu placed a disc on Hōzuki Gengetsu's table.
"Hmm, not bad. Sometimes, I really miss those glorious years. I hope the TV series doesn't tarnish my image!"
Hōzuki Gengetsu said jokingly.
"You're the top boss of the production studio, they wouldn't dare tarnish your image," Mu said.
...
Black Zetsu inserted the disc.
The TV series began to play.
Uchiha Madara watched the TV series with a critical eye.
Anyway, he had time, and binge-watching was a good way to rest, especially since this was the only historical drama available right now.