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Upon hearing the words "Hidden Mist Village," Tsunade was initially stunned, but then she immediately grasped the full implication.
The Hidden Mist Village had endured two catastrophic events in succession: the Third Great Ninja War and the era known as the Bloody Mist. Not only had a vast number of shinobi perished, but a significant portion of their mid-ranking forces had also defected and become rogue ninja. Kisame was a textbook example of this. All of these factors had severely drained the Hidden Mist's vitality and strength.
As of this moment, the village's core fighting force, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, had yet to see new shinobi step up to fill its vacant ranks. Furthermore, Ringo Ameyuri and Mangetsu Hozuki were both still recuperating within the Hidden Leaf Village, which made the Hidden Mist's military strength appear even more fragile and thin.
More critically, Midorima was a shinobi of the Hidden Mist. If one wanted to force him out of hiding, the Hidden Mist Village was undeniably the most suitable target.
After hearing Hiruzen's pointed reminder, sweat began to bead on Tsunade's forehead.
"Lord Hokage, what is your opinion on this?" Tsunade asked.
"Naruto is still in the hands of the Akatsuki. According to Midorima's assessment, because Midorima himself has not yet been captured, Naruto's life is not in immediate danger. However, the moment Midorima also falls into the Akatsuki's clutches, both Naruto and the Nine-Tails within him will perish. Therefore, we cannot simply stand by and do nothing," Hiruzen declared.
Tsunade swallowed hard, her eyes fixed on Hiruzen. "So, what exactly can we do?"
"There are two paths before us... The first is to reinforce the Hidden Mist Village and settle the score with the Akatsuki there, on Mist soil. The second option is to assemble a force and launch a proactive assault against the Akatsuki ourselves, leaving them with no time to focus on anything else."
"The Hidden Rain Village?" Tsunade asked.
"Correct."
"But if we do that, wouldn't our actions perfectly align with the criticism they've leveled against us before?" Tsunade asked, a note of surprise in her voice.
"Forbearance will not buy us peace. Moreover, this war was instigated by the Akatsuki. Since they were the ones who started this war, they must bear the consequences. And besides... to whom should the fallen shinobi and villagers of the Leaf Village tell their tragic stories?" Hiruzen countered, his voice heavy with resolve.
Tsunade felt the weight pressing down on her heart, yet she could see no alternative. In the end, she could only let out a deep, heavy sigh.
"However, there is still another possibility. They could split their forces. Or perhaps, they might move faster than we do and reach the Hidden Mist Village ahead of us. In that case, even if we were to annihilate the Hidden Rain Village, it would be futile..." Jiraiya mused, rubbing his chin. Even though he had already formulated the answer in his mind, it was better to have Hiruzen speak it aloud.
"We are the side with abundant manpower. We can handle both the Hidden Rain Village and the Hidden Mist Village simultaneously. If they truly mobilize their full strength and launch an offensive against the Mist, then we can both rescue Naruto, whom the Akatsuki is holding prisoner, and assist the Hidden Mist Village in repelling the Akatsuki's assault."
Having said this, Hiruzen paused, his gaze shifting between Tsunade and Jiraiya. "We will first communicate with the Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Mist Village, and then make our decision. As for the Hidden Rain Village... that task will fall to the Leaf, the Hidden Sand, and the Hidden Stone."
Tsunade nodded slowly.
This was practically the best possible course of action.
First, coordinate with the other shinobi villages, then divide the forces and launch the war effort.
As long as the Akatsuki could not capture the Six-Tails and were unable to fuse the Ten-Tails, the Five Great Shinobi Nations still had a chance to eliminate the Akatsuki entirely.
Once the Ten-Tails appeared, there would be no more peace throughout the entire shinobi world.
Considering this point, Midorima's disappearance might not necessarily be a bad thing.
Ideally, he should not emerge again until the war was over.
Tsunade made this silent wish deep within her heart.
...
In the Hidden Rain Village, the relentless downpour rarely ever ceased, and this time was no exception.
Pain stood atop the highest tower, sensing the information conveyed through the falling rain. For a long time now, no familiar chakra signatures had entered the Hidden Rain Village.
Konan approached Pain's side, hesitating as if she wanted to speak but was holding back.
"What is it?" Pain asked.
"After Kisame's death, the Akatsuki's strength has diminished further. Mui has also temporarily returned to the Land of Grass..."
"He should be coming back," Pain stated.
"Yes, but he wouldn't run away, would he?" Konan questioned.
"Where could he possibly flee to? The Box of Ultimate Bliss requires an immense amount of chakra, and virtually all of the tailed beasts are here with us. To resurrect his son, he must rely on the power of the tailed beasts. Therefore, he has no choice but to return," Pain explained.
"That's true. Madara is with him, so he will likely bring Mui back," Pain added.
"What are you saying about me now?"
Konan was startled. She had no idea when "Madara" had suddenly appeared standing by the railing. She quickly looked towards Pain, only to find that he did not seem surprised at all.
The rain falling over the Hidden Rain Village was infused with Pain's chakra. The moment any stranger set foot inside the village, he would be able to sense them.
When Madara and Mui had entered the Hidden Rain Village, Pain had been aware of it. That was precisely why he had spoken those earlier words.
"Where is Mui?" Pain inquired.
"He went to rest first. Honestly, these people are becoming harder and harder to deceive," Obito remarked, stretching lazily.
"You're deceiving him?"
"Of course. He's different from the others. He joined the Akatsuki against his will. His goal is to rescue his son. Once that objective is accomplished, he could leave the Akatsuki at any moment."
"So that's why you lied to him, telling him that only the power of the Ten-Tails could revive his son?"
"He's nothing more than cannon fodder. His sole purpose is to divert the attention of those shinobi villages. By the way, when I was entering the village, I ran into Zetsu. He informed me of something—it seems the other shinobi villages are stirring restlessly and appear to be plotting something," Obito reported.
"Did he mention where Midorima is?" Konan asked, a hint of urgency creeping into her voice.
"No," Obito shrugged. "It's as if he's vanished completely. Highly suspicious."
"Those shinobi villages want to make a move, but we still don't have the Six-Tails. What do we do?" Konan asked, turning to Pain.
Given their current strength, trying to simultaneously contend with all Five Great Shinobi Villages would be nearly impossible.
"Force him out," Pain said, his brow furrowing.
"Force him? How?" Konan asked, bewildered.
"He is a shinobi of the Hidden Mist Village..."
"And what about the Seven-Tails and the Nine-Tails?" Konan pressed.
"That doesn't matter. Don't we still have the Amber Purifying Pot? We can simply seal them inside it," Pain explained.
"But there's still the Eight-Tails' chakra inside that pot..."
"Then make sure the Eight-Tails' chakra doesn't escape," Pain commanded.
Obito rubbed his chin as he listened to the exchange between the two. A thought suddenly popped into his mind, and he spoke up. "Aren't you afraid that while you're off attacking the Hidden Mist Village, the other shinobi villages might destroy the Hidden Rain Village?"
"Hmph! They wouldn't dare."
"What wouldn't they dare to do? Your warnings mean nothing to them now, they're completely optional. However, something else does come to mind. Since Midorima can't be located for the time being, why don't we send someone to the Hidden Mist Village first? The Six-Tails was, after all, the tailed beast of that village. Perhaps it left behind some kind of clue there. A piece of flesh, for example. If we could find something related to the Six-Tails, even if we can't locate Midorima, we might still be able to fuse the Ten-Tails," Obito suggested.
"How could something like that possibly exist?" Konan said coldly.
"Who knows? You haven't forgotten about Igawa Bu, have you? He had direct contact with the Six-Tails." Obito touched his mask lightly. "In any case, it won't take much time. I'll make a trip to the Hidden Mist Village myself."