Chapter 710: Resurrection Ninjutsu
Land of Wind, Sunagakure.
The intelligence Yashamaru brought back immediately caused a stir among Sunagakure's higher-ups.
There was no other reason.
Not long ago, they had still been discussing how to launch an attack against Ninshū.
"Fortunately, Advisor Ebizō was cautious. Otherwise, our losses could have been enormous," praised a middle-aged Sunagakure official with a white cloth wrapped around his head.
"Indeed. Sōsuke's strength is far beyond what we expected. We must be extremely cautious when dealing with Ninshū," a burly, bald Sand ninja agreed.
The Sunagakure leadership felt both relieved and deeply shaken.
Even as one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Sunagakure would find it extremely difficult to endure the retaliation of someone comparable to the God of Shinobi.
If that happened, the village's decline would be almost inevitable.
"We also need to remain wary of Iwagakure," another official said.
"Judging from their previous actions, they obtained this intelligence long before we did, yet they deliberately kept it from us. Instead, they tried to steer Sunagakure into fighting Ninshū."
At those words, the expressions of the Sunagakure higher-ups darkened.
They had already found Iwagakure's earlier behavior suspicious.
Iwagakure had been willing to provide an enormous amount of money and supplies, but the moment Sunagakure asked them to contribute actual ninja, they refused.
Now everything made sense.
Iwagakure did not want Ninshū to continue expanding and taking a share of their influence, but they were equally unwilling to suffer Sōsuke's retaliation.
So they had tried to use Sunagakure, which also had geographical conflicts with Ninshū, to accomplish their goal.
"Of course we need to be cautious toward Iwagakure, but I still believe cooperation is necessary," Ebizō said after some thought.
The Ninja World appeared peaceful on the surface.
Underneath, however, the conflicts were even more dangerous than they had been during the Third Shinobi World War.
Sōsuke, currently believed to be the strongest ninja in the Ninja World, was leading the rapid rise of Ninshū and challenging the existing balance between the major powers.
Meanwhile, Mugetsu, who possessed the potential to reach the level of the God of Shinobi, had become Hokage and was strengthening relations with Kirigakure.
From the outside, it looked as though Konoha might ally with Kirigakure and sweep across the Ninja World.
To Ebizō, the current Ninja World resembled a wooden barrel packed full of explosive tags.
A single spark could cause everything to explode.
Even Iwagakure, despite possessing an intelligence advantage, had willingly shared such critical information.
That alone showed how tense the current situation had become.
"Advisor Ebizō is right," said the middle-aged official with the white headcloth.
"If we can truly unite with Iwagakure and Kumogakure, then whether we eventually move against Ninshū or confront Konoha and Kirigakure, we will have far more room to maneuver."
Iwagakure had tried to deceive Sunagakure before.
That was undeniable.
But from the broader strategic perspective, Sunagakure could not cut off cooperation with Iwagakure because of that incident.
For a long time to come, they could not even afford to retaliate openly.
"Then there are no objections to the alliance?" Rasa asked with a nod.
He also believed forming an alliance was necessary.
Seeing that none of the higher-ups objected, Rasa moved on to discussing the specific personnel who would be assigned to the Sōsuke assassination squad.
If Kumogakure also agreed to the alliance, then establishing the assassination unit would become the first major operation of their new shinobi alliance.
...
Land of Lightning, Kumogakure.
After listening to Dodai's report, the Third Raikage showed a rare expression of surprise.
Ever since news spread that Sōsuke had defeated Hiruzen, he had been extremely curious about Sōsuke's true strength.
Unfortunately, Kumogakure had never managed to obtain detailed combat intelligence, making an accurate judgment impossible.
Even so, the Third Raikage had never imagined Sōsuke might already possess strength comparable to the God of Shinobi.
Defeating Hiruzen and reaching Hashirama Senju's level were completely different concepts.
Powerful ninja like Hiruzen were undoubtedly rare.
Still, one or two might emerge every ten or twenty years.
Hashirama, however, was universally recognized as the strongest ninja to appear in the Ninja World for centuries.
As for even older history, it was simply too distant for most people to judge accurately.
"Could he have spent all these years cultivating in some hidden part of Ninshū?"
The Third Raikage silently speculated.
Normally, someone with such terrifying power should have left behind at least a few legends, even if they lived an extremely low-profile life.
When Sōsuke first became famous by defeating Hanzō, Kumogakure had conducted a preliminary investigation into his background.
They found nothing.
Later, when news spread throughout the Ninja World that Sōsuke had defeated Hiruzen, the Third Raikage ordered Kumogakure's Anbu to conduct a full investigation.
Still nothing.
Sōsuke seemed to have appeared out of thin air.
Before traveling through the Land of Rain and publicly giving lectures, there were practically no traces of his existence.
That only made the Third Raikage more wary.
A ninja did not normally become that powerful through isolated training alone.
Combat was a catalyst.
It accelerated growth, sharpened skills, and allowed ninja to break through the limits of their talent.
Even Hashirama had fought his way through the Warring States Period before becoming known as the God of Shinobi.
"No wonder Ōnoki was willing to share this intelligence so generously. Sōsuke really is an enormous threat."
The Third Raikage's expression became solemn.
The existence of a single God of Shinobi level fighter was enough to disrupt the current balance in which the Five Great Ninja Villages divided influence across the Ninja World.
If Sōsuke eventually surpassed even Hashirama's former level, the consequences would become impossible to predict.
"Raikage-sama, I believe we should accept Iwagakure's proposal," Dodai said.
"Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kumogakure should jointly establish an assassination squad specifically dedicated to studying Sōsuke."
"Even if we form the unit, as long as we don't actually attack, Kumogakure and Ninshū can continue minding their own affairs."
"But if we refuse to cooperate, no single Great Ninja Village will be able to eliminate Sōsuke alone. We would have no choice but to watch Ninshū grow stronger under his protection."
Dodai believed forming the assassination unit offered more advantages than disadvantages.
If the squad gathered enough intelligence and eventually found a genuine opportunity to kill Sōsuke, they could act.
If no such opportunity appeared, they could simply remain inactive.
The losses would be minimal.
"You're right, Dodai."
After thinking deeply for a while, the Third Raikage nodded heavily.
"It's time for us to unite."
Even someone as confident as the Third Raikage had to admit that Kumogakure's strength alone was no longer enough to comfortably handle the changing Ninja World.
After Sunagakure and Kumogakure both sent positive responses, the three Great Ninja Villages secretly held another joint meeting.
The location remained the western port town in the Land of Lightning because of its excellent secrecy.
They believed no one would expect Sunagakure representatives to travel through the Land of Earth, board a ship together with Iwagakure ninja, and then sail to an unremarkable coastal town in the Land of Lightning to hold their negotiations.
This time, however, the representatives had changed.
Iwagakure was still represented by Retsuishi, captain of the Explosion Corps.
Sunagakure and Kumogakure, however, sent figures with greater political weight to demonstrate how seriously they were taking the alliance.
Sunagakure's representative was Shakū, the burly, bald senior ninja.
Aside from serving as Sunagakure's Jonin Commander, Shakū was also the son of the Second Kazekage and a renowned master of Puppet Technique throughout the Ninja World.
Yashamaru, the previous representative, now served as his deputy.
Kumogakure's Third Raikage appointed his own son, A, as the village's primary representative.
Dodai served as A's deputy.
During this meeting, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure exchanged their positions in detail and officially established the Sōsuke assassination squad.
The assassination unit was divided into three major teams.
Each of the three Great Ninja Villages appointed one representative to serve as a team captain.
In addition, an elder from Iwagakure was appointed overall commander, while high-ranking ninja from Kumogakure and Sunagakure became deputy commanders.
Neither Sunagakure nor Kumogakure objected strongly to the arrangement.
At present, Iwagakure possessed the greatest amount of intelligence on Sōsuke and maintained the most direct channels of interaction with Ninshū.
That naturally made Iwagakure the primary intelligence contributor for the time being.
Moreover, compared to the team captains, the position of overall commander was largely ceremonial and did not carry overwhelming authority.
To make operations easier, the three Great Ninja Villages secretly established the main headquarters of the Sōsuke assassination squad near the border between the Land of Earth and the Land of Rain.
A secondary branch was also established near the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain.
Because the Land of Lightning was too far away, no branch was created there.
Instead, a third branch primarily staffed by Kumogakure ninja was established within the Land of Rivers.
The power produced when three Great Ninja Villages genuinely cooperated was terrifying.
Through the combined efforts of Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kumogakure, the largest and most powerful intelligence organization in the current Ninja World was quietly born.
The amount of intelligence manpower the Sōsuke assassination squad could mobilize was far beyond anything an ordinary ninja could imagine.
Many of the strongest intelligence specialists from all three villages were reassigned to the organization.
Although it was called the Sōsuke assassination squad, Ninshū was not its only target.
The organization also monitored Konoha and Kirigakure.
Still, the majority of its resources remained focused on Ninshū.
After all, this entire organization had been born because the three Great Ninja Villages felt increasingly pressured by the changing balance of the Ninja World.
...
While the three Great Ninja Villages were secretly deepening their cooperation, the public exchange meeting between Sunagakure and Iwagakure, which had originally been arranged to attract attention, also came to an end.
During this period, Chiyo sought Sasori out many times.
Every time, Sasori claimed he was too busy and could not be bothered to meet her.
Yet every time she actually requested a meeting, he still showed up.
Unfortunately for Chiyo, although Sasori was willing to see her, he refused to listen to her advice.
No matter what she said, he would not agree to leave Ninshū.
On the final day before Sunagakure's delegation departed Six Paths City, Chiyo went to see Sasori once again.
Despite being rejected mercilessly every previous time, she still refused to give up.
As one of Sunagakure's senior advisors and one of the village's pillars of stability, Chiyo was kept informed of major developments even while staying in Six Paths City.
She had already learned about Sōsuke's true strength and the secret alliance between the three Great Ninja Villages.
After reading that intelligence, Chiyo became even more determined to convince Sasori to leave Ninshū.
Facing the combined power of three Great Ninja Villages, Sōsuke might be able to protect himself and perhaps his closest disciples through sheer strength.
But protecting the entirety of Ninshū would be far more difficult.
Someone like Sasori, who had only joined Ninshū midway through its development, could easily die during the struggle between Ninshū and the three villages.
"Sasori, leave Ninshū."
Chiyo looked at him seriously.
"This place is about to become the most dangerous place in the entire Ninja World."
"The most dangerous?"
Sasori remained expressionless.
"Does that mean Sunagakure is preparing to go to war with Ninshū?"
"It will be even more dangerous than that."
Chiyo did not reveal the full truth.
She only emphasized the scale of the danger.
No matter what, she was still a ninja of Sunagakure.
She could not directly disclose classified intelligence to Sasori, who was currently connected to Ninshū.
"Oh."
Sasori's expression shifted slightly.
Then he gave the same answer as always.
"I'm not leaving."
A hint of pleading appeared in Chiyo's eyes.
If necessary, she would willingly sacrifice her own life for Sasori.
So why was he this determined?
Was the bond of blood between them truly less important than the one or two years he had spent in Ninshū?
"My answer hasn't changed," Sasori said calmly.
For a moment, Chiyo even wondered whether Ninshū possessed some kind of subtle hypnosis Ninjutsu that could influence people without them realizing it.
Otherwise, how could Sasori become willing to risk his life for Ninshū after such a short time?
Of course, she knew the idea was impossible.
If Sōsuke truly possessed a Ninjutsu capable of controlling people so completely, then with his strength he could simply capture powerful ninja from across the world and hypnotize them into serving him.
"Sasori changed during the years I wasn't beside him."
Chiyo sighed inwardly.
She did not know what Sasori had experienced after leaving Sunagakure.
She did not know how he had spent those years.
She did not know exactly how he ended up in Ninshū.
Nor did she understand how he had become such close friends with Nagato.
As his grandmother, perhaps she had failed him.
If that was true, then she could hardly blame him for refusing to listen to her now.
"I'm developing a Ninjutsu capable of reviving the dead."
Sasori's expression finally changed.
Chiyo continued.
"If it succeeds, Kōji and the others could return to your side."
"Even then, are you still unwilling to leave Ninshū and protect your own life?"
This was Chiyo's final trump card.
Originally, she had never intended to reveal the existence of One's Own Life Reincarnation.
First, the technique had not yet been successfully completed.
Second, its cost and restrictions would be extremely severe.
But Chiyo could no longer afford to worry about that.
She had developed One's Own Life Reincarnation because of Sasori.
If Sasori died, then the technique itself would lose much of its meaning.
The moment Sasori heard the long-unspoken name Kōji, his pupils contracted sharply.
Emotion flashed across his face.
Kōji was his father, who had died on the battlefield.
But the disturbance lasted only a moment.
"It seems this place really is going to become dangerous."
Sasori's expression returned to indifference.
"To make me leave, you're even willing to invent a story like that."
As a research-oriented ninja himself, Sasori understood exactly how difficult resurrection would be.
And the difficulty only increased with time.
Reviving someone who had just died was one thing.
Reviving someone who had been dead for ten years was something completely different.
"Sasori, I'm not lying!"
Seeing that he did not believe her, Chiyo became anxious.
"I truly am developing a Ninjutsu capable of reviving the dead, and I've already made progress."
"The technique will be completed soon."
Chiyo continued trying to persuade him.
She explained several more things, but Sasori's attitude remained unchanged.
"Let's stop here for today."
Sasori shook his head.
Chiyo's lips moved.
In the end, however, she could only release a deep sigh.
"Protect yourself, Sasori."
After leaving those final words, Chiyo turned and slowly walked toward the door.
Her figure suddenly seemed much more hunched than before.
"Grandma, goodbye," Sasori said softly.
He knew that everything Chiyo had done was for his sake.
But he could not abandon this place because of a vague promise of resurrection.
After Chiyo left, Nagato soon entered the room.
"You should all be more careful recently," Sasori said.
"A Great Ninja Village may be preparing to act against Ninshū."
He told Nagato part of what Chiyo had said during their recent conversations.
"Sasori, don't worry."
Nagato looked at him sincerely, gratitude in his expression.
"As long as I'm still here, I won't let any of you fall into danger."
Sasori clicked his tongue.
"What do you mean, 'you all'?"
"I'm not one of your Ninshū ninja."
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