The 49th Year of Konoha: The Shinobi World in Turmoil.
Since the four great ninja villages joined forces to wage war against Konoha, they had always held the upper hand. The combined forces of the four villages had deployed over 40,000 ninja troops, making it the largest war in the history of the shinobi world.
Konoha, the leader of the Five Great Ninja Villages, had a total of just over 30,000 ninjas across the entire village.
Despite this unfavorable situation, Konoha managed to hold out for five years. And this fall, they achieved a shocking reversal.
After five years of attritional warfare against the four great ninja villages, Konoha sounded the horn for a counteroffensive for the first time.
Not only did they reclaim lost territory in one swift move, but Konoha ninjas also destroyed the Kannabi Bridge, crushing the morale of the Iwagakure forces and driving them deep into the heart of the Land of Grass.
When Kumogakure retreated to the Land of Frost, Konoha threatened to cut off their retreat, ready to repeat the Kannabi Bridge scenario. This enraged the Third Raikage, who had no choice but to reluctantly recall his troops.
As for the Sunagakure forces led by Ebizō, after retreating to the border of the Land of Rain, they voluntarily merged with forces in the Land of Rivers even before Konoha could make a move.
After all, the terrain of the Land of Rain put the Sand Ninjas at a great disadvantage.
Land of the Moon, Kumogakure Camp.
"Father!"
Seeing his son return, the Third Raikage showed a look of satisfaction and nodded approvingly.
"The battlefield is where men are forged. In these five years, you've grown a lot. This way, I can rest assured when the village is handed over to you in the future."
However, facing his father, the candidate for Fourth Raikage, A, was visibly frustrated.
"Father, even though Konoha has launched a counterattack, our alliance of four great ninja villages shouldn't fear them! Why did you order me to withdraw from the Land of Frost? Konoha's greatest disadvantage is their smaller number of ninjas compared to us…"
Having fought for five years, the Fourth Raikage candidate, A, naturally felt a deep sense of dissatisfaction at being forced to retreat.
The Third Raikage, A, frowned at this and spoke in a heavy tone:
"You are not only my son! You are also the future Fourth Raikage. You must understand one thing: war is never just about the battlefield. Over the years, you have led a ninja army, but you haven't been exposed much to the internal affairs of the village…
You are right! Konoha's greatest disadvantage is its lack of manpower. But now, look at the state of our village. Can we still sustain fighting on two fronts?"
As he opened a confidential Kumogakure scroll, the Fourth Raikage candidate, A, stepped forward to read it. The more he read, the darker his expression became.
"Father! How is this possible? How could Kumogakure have become so weakened? How could we have suffered such massive losses in manpower on the battlefield?"
The candidate for Fourth Raikage, A, was in utter disbelief as he looked at his father in shock.
The confidential scroll detailed Kumogakure's current reserves and resources. Line after line of red text was alarming, especially the severe depletion of their ninja forces, which left him stunned.
"How could this be?"
The Third Raikage shook his head, his eyes heavy with sorrow, and said hoarsely:
"Why did the four great ninja villages declare war on Konoha? Wasn't it because of the wealth of the Land of Fire? Over the years, we've indeed worn Konoha down, but we've also been pushed to the brink ourselves!"
The alliance of the four great ninja villages and Konoha's prolonged battle of attrition had resulted in a stalemate, revealing just how deep Konoha's reserves were.
"You only see the ninjas fighting on the front lines, but you don't see those who are injured, forced to retire, or unable to continue as ninjas. Over the five years of war, our next generation of ninjas has also been heavily depleted…
And that's not even mentioning the conflicts orchestrated by Konoha's Root. During this war, the Daimyō's court has already made its choice, and so have we…"
As the Third Raikage's grave voice reverberated, the Fourth Raikage candidate, A, who bore a small mustache, looked increasingly grim.
Racial conflicts!
The economy nearing collapse!
Massive losses in military strength!
At this moment, the Fourth Raikage candidate, A, was in a daze. He could still vividly recall how powerful Kumogakure was before the war began, competing with Iwagakure for the title of the second-strongest ninja village.
Now, Kumogakure had fallen to such a dire state… almost at the bottom.
"Shimura Danzō truly is ruthless. This is an invisible war on another front. Over these years, our internal conflicts have caused countless white ninjas to defect, which has had a massive impact on our economy.
Especially under the guidance of Konoha's Root, these defectors have mostly settled in the Lands of Hot Water, Fields, and Frost, forming numerous factions…"
Cultivating enemy forces was a common tactic among the great ninja villages. For example, the various ninja factions within the Land of Rain would not have survived without the secret support of the great villages. How else could Hanzō of the Salamander have failed to unify the Land of Rain for so many years?
The most typical example was the Akatsuki organization, which Iwagakure had heavily funded to sow chaos in the Land of Rain.
Similarly, with Kumogakure's racial conflicts so apparent, there was no way Konoha's Root would miss such an opportunity.
"I understand now, Father!"
At this moment, the Fourth Raikage candidate, A, felt the weight of leadership crushing his fighting spirit. For the first time, he experienced the immense pressure of being a Raikage.
"Don't worry. Even though the village has suffered heavy losses, Konoha is no better off!"
Seeing his son finally understand the burden of leadership, the Third Raikage smiled in satisfaction.
"This war has also weakened Konoha. Although the Land of Fire is wealthy, Konoha's internal conflicts are no longer concealable. The Mangekyō, the Uchiha, and the various clans—all of these are inevitable points of contention!"
"Now, we will focus our forces on the Land of Hot Water, eliminating the factions there while continuing our battle against Konoha!"
As he said this, the Third Raikage's expression turned decisive.
If they allowed Konoha to continue as they were, kumo ninja defector factions would soon surround the Land of Lightning.
He had to carve out a path for Kumogakure through this war.
...
Land of Whirlpools
"Shirou, Kushina stayed with Tsunade."
As they arrived in the war-torn island nation of the Land of Whirlpools, Uchiha Mikoto couldn't help but comment softly.
Shirou nodded lightly after hearing this.
"Kushina's status as the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is well-known in the ninja world. She's too conspicuous. At the same time, being with Tsunade on the battlefield in the Land of Grass allows them to support two other fronts."
The power of Kushina as the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki was most effective on the frontlines.
Especially since the main battlefield had to face three great ninja villages, while the rear only had to deal with Kirigakure, which was less threatening.
"Shirou, this time, Minato Namikaze and Sarutobi Shinnosuke's two reserve squads are also heading to the Kirigakure front…"
Mikoto's face was filled with a gentle smile, but her eyes held a chilling glint. Seeing this, Shirou chuckled softly, fully aware of Mikoto's discontent.
"Mikoto, it's all for the sake of the village."
However, hearing Shirou's words, Mikoto gave a rare faint smile and mocked:
"For the sake of the village? Then why is the Third Hokage's son, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, safely stationed in the rear while we're sent to the frontlines?"
Not only Mikoto but many ninjas in the army were also dissatisfied upon learning that while they were sent to the frontlines, the Hokage's son was conveniently stationed in the back.
"Mikoto, sometimes we need to look forward. Perhaps there is fortune ahead, and looking back might not necessarily bring us merit."
After seeing Shirou's mysterious smile, Mikoto was momentarily stunned, and then, as if realizing something, she lowered her voice and said:
"Shirou! Are you saying...?"
Mikoto seemed to have thought of something, but Shirou just smiled and gently tapped her forehead.
"Think from a different angle. After five years of war, the pressure on Kirigakure is far greater than on other villages. After all, the various Kekkei Genkai clans in Kirigakure wield significant power.
At this point, if Kirigakure wants to create a breakthrough on the battlefield, it's far too difficult. They will inevitably choose another route. What do you think they'll do?"
With Shirou's reminder, Mikoto seemed to suddenly realize something.
"Of course, the village has considered this too, which is why they stationed Sarutobi Shinnosuke in the rear. But sometimes, occupying a high position still requires matching strength."
Shirou smirked coldly with a mocking tone. He understood Kirigakure's actions better than anyone else.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist directly infiltrating the Land of Fire's territory… While in the later stages of the original story, their performance under Edo Tensei was somewhat underwhelming, their actual combat strength was undeniably formidable.
In the original story, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist hold off an entire ninja alliance unit. This fact alone demonstrates their terrifying power.
It's just that their strength wasn't showcased properly, possibly due to the limitations of Edo Tensei.
In truth, individuals like Juzo Biwa, Fuguki Suikazan, and Raiga Kurosuki—who were defeated by Might Duy were incredibly strong. The first two, wielding their ninja swords, were undoubtedly Kage-level in strength.
Raiga Kurosuki might have been slightly weaker, but he was definitely at the level of an elite Jonin, or at least close to Kage-level in ability.
The reason for their later decline likely stems from factors such as defection, loss of conviction, injuries, and more. After all, even a demi-god-level ninja's combat power can plummet when their faith collapses.
During their initial clash, Shirou had already experienced Raiga Kurosuki's strength, which was far from weak.
As for the other four members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, their strength was undoubtedly elite Jonin-level. After all, the competition to wield the swords in the Bloody Mist was not based on seniority.
When combined with the enhancements provided by their famed swords, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were a terrifying force. Otherwise, how could Kirigakure dare to send just seven individuals to infiltrate the Land of Fire and launch a terror attack?
"If they're just seven elite Jonin coming to the Land of Fire, it's nothing more than a suicide mission."
Shirou shook his head silently. This was a real, tangible world with flesh-and-blood characters.
"And it's not just about this incident—there's also the matter of the Three-Tails!"
At this moment, Shirou narrowed his eyes. While he wasn't certain if the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist incident would unfold, he was sure that the Three-Tails event would.
After all, that was the work of Madara—there was no way it would go wrong.
This is also my opportunity!
Thinking of this, a mysterious smile appeared in Shirou's eyes.
At this point, Madara should be reaching his limit. Perhaps he needs me to give him a push.
With this in mind, Shirou squinted his eyes and looked back in a certain direction, muttering to himself:
"Perhaps you don't want to fade away alone in the darkness either…"
When Rin was surrounded by Mist ninjas and Obito rushed over so quickly, it proved Madara's hiding place was most likely in the Land of Whirlpools. After all, he had to manipulate Kirigakure from the shadows.
...
Inside a dimly lit cave.
"Lord Madara, Obito's body is fusing well…"
Within the massive cave, Obito, with half his body pieced together, was undergoing rigorous adaptation training. With persistent effort, the other half of his body was slowly absorbing and merging with the cells of White Zetsu.
Meanwhile, White Zetsu tilted his head and spoke jokingly. For him, human emotions were still hard to comprehend.
However, as Uchiha Madara watched Obito's persistence, his gaze rested on Obito's neck, and he seemed to notice something.
"This is…!?"
Following Madara's gaze, White Zetsu also noticed something, his face showing surprise.
"This is a space-time ninjutsu mark!"
"Lord Madara!" Just as White Zetsu was about to call out to Obito, he was stopped by Madara, who wore a puzzled expression.
"It's just a space-time ninjutsu mark. Within a certain range, it can be sensed."
Madara's calm voice echoed as he formed hand seals to release a barrier technique. Instantly, the cave was completely isolated, making it impossible for even the Flying Thunder God Technique to sense it easily.
"Is this a coincidence, or has someone discovered something?"
Sitting regally on his stone chair, Madara's lips curved into an intrigued smile.
He hadn't expected that this detestable white-haired man's space-time ninjutsu would be learned by a Uchiha. Now, he was growing even more excited for the grand events to come.
He imagined the white-haired man witnessing a Uchiha embracing a Senju woman, having children with Sharingan, and then using the Flying Thunder God Technique himself. The more Madara thought about it, the more exhilarated he became.
"Heh heh, it seems Shirou has discovered something over the years. After all, White Zetsu, your clones have already made him aware that someone is watching them from the shadows…"
Madara's raspy voice echoed, while White Zetsu tilted his head in confusion and asked, "Lord Madara, will this affect our plans?"
"Plans!?"
Hearing this, Madara revealed a bizarre smile.
"Our ambitions and plans have never conflicted. However, White Zetsu, you may need to take on a different identity."
As he said this, Madara swept a commanding gaze at the white tubes connecting to his body, his eyes filled with disdain.
"My body has deteriorated to this extent? No matter. Let me, Uchiha Madara, test Uchiha Shirou's capabilities and see if he has what it takes to reach the end!"
The lone Sharingan in his eye socket gleamed with excitement. Even though he had a perfect resurrection plan in place, he would never willingly resign himself to dying alone in the dark.
Before, no one in the ninja world had piqued his interest. But now, things were different!
Uchiha Shirou had come to the battlefield near Kirigakure. Madara could take his leave in a climactic fashion at the final moment.
"White Zetsu, the original plan remains unchanged. But since you've been exposed, let's take this opportunity to give you a suitable identity!"
More importantly, his long-rusted body was itching to stretch its muscles.
"Lord Madara, are you suggesting…?"
White Zetsu looked confused, but Madara, sitting regally on his stone chair, wore a smile of excitement and anticipation.
PS: The author keeps calling Madara as Joe Biden lmao.