A few months later.
The Hidden Cloud Village.
The Third Raikage, Onoki, Hanzo...
These once renowned leaders and powerful figures of the Ninja World stood by like puppets, their eyes clouded.
Yet deep within their minds, they could still hear and see Isshiki's actions and voice due to Aomi's pre-arranged ocular powers, but they couldn't break free.
However, there were exceptions...
For example, Rasa, who was deeply entrenched in Isshiki's control, unable to extricate himself.
"These mortals still struggle against my control. As expected, this vessel holds too little power unless the Wedge state is activated..."
Otsutsuki Isshiki tapped the table, lost in thought.
After successfully controlling the leaders of each village, Isshiki initially intended to capture all the high ranks of the Hidden Villages in one fell swoop.
But Isshiki quickly realized he couldn't achieve that...
Even those like Onoki whom he had captured occasionally showed signs of breaking free, only Rasa from the Hidden Sand remained obedient.
In such circumstances, increasing the number of controlled people made Isshiki worry that the most crucial leaders might break free, resulting in unpredictable situations among his cannon-fodder troops.
"The Hidden Cloud and Hidden Rock hold intense grudge against Uchiha Aomi. If there is information about Uchiha Aomi being sealed, launching a war wouldn't raise much suspicion among them..."
Isshiki propped his feet on the Raikage's desk, idly glancing at the Third Raikage: "Your son is quite eager to avenge the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki... He'll be my greatest ally."
"Your son speaks of this Will of Stone, resisting against Uchiha Aomi's might. How comforting…"
Isshiki glanced at Onoki again, shaking his head: "A strong will is meaningful, but if one cannot see oneself clearly, it's pitiful, merely a puppet to be controlled…"
"Compared to you, Uchiha Aomi was an extraordinary mortal, but his heart was too soft to accomplish great things!"
Otsutsuki Isshiki slowly stood up, pacing before the leaders, muttering to himself:
"Why didn't he kill you all? Perhaps he was worried he couldn't entirely seal Kaguya and wanted to leave some resistance force for the Ninja World..."
"Not only you, but even the Second Hokage revived by Uchiha Aomi was another backup plan, in case he lost control. Such a sacrificial spirit for a planet, in my view…"
Isshiki let out a cold laugh: "Truly foolish!"
"He had talents comparable to gods, yet fought for ants. It disgusts me..."
"If he thought about enhancing himself like an Otsutsuki to continually strengthen, I'd be more cautious."
"This kind of weak mindset only adds countless shackles to oneself!"
Otsutsuki Isshiki looked at the unresponsive leaders, shaking his head with boredom, and laughed mockingly.
Given his nature, why would he speak so much to these puppets?
Perhaps he's been hiding behind the scenes for too long...
For millennia, the noble Otsutsuki clan played the role of a wandering monk, so much that upon returning to the stage, Isshiki unconsciously became more talkative.
"The Hidden Cloud and Hidden Rock are manageable, but the Hidden Sand surprisingly has a meddlesome kunoichi..."
"She's quite clever, knowing that battling against Konoha is futile, even when I released the information about Uchiha Aomi's disappearance. She continues to persuade other ninjas to abandon their delusions, treating it as another showcase of weakness..."
With a flick of his finger, Rasa's eyes flashed with red light, and he began to move on his own.
"Since she has a brain, let her die then..."
"Doesn't the Hidden Sand want to surrender? Let her, the leader of the surrender faction, offer herself to Konoha to quell their anger and also spy on Konoha's vulnerabilities for me."
The ninja Isshiki referred to was Pakura.
"These Hidden Villages, ravaged by Uchiha Aomi, don't have enough strength yet..."
Isshiki sat on the Raikage's desk, speaking softly:
"That Senju Tobirama seemed to have used a Jutsu to revive the dead? That's likely the woman's son's trick… Souls of the dead have no reason to gather without dissipating..."
"Looks like I should try it as well."
"If feasible, resurrect the former leaders of these Hidden Villages; they can surely serve as useful cannon fodder..."
For someone like Isshiki, the Reanimation Jutsu posed no difficulty.
It was just a matter of communicating with the Pure Land; there's no reason a mortal can accomplish something he can't...
But what Isshiki didn't realize was...
These supposedly unconscious puppet leaders were internally filled with rage!
The Third Raikage and Onoki, after months of passive exposure to Isshiki, had realized this was an alien invader...
Using their seals to brutally eliminate dissent in the village, now intending to mobilize their village ninjas to be cannon fodder, and declaring war on Konoha Village!
The reason for this war, naturally, was Aomi...
These leaders today, through Isshiki's monologue and previous observations, understood what Aomi had done...
In this Ninja World, Otsutsuki Isshiki wasn't the only Otsutsuki.
Aomi had sealed one with his flesh!
And at that time, why did Aomi spare their lives? The words he spoke were also quite strange.