Chapter 411: Prelude
Large numbers had their advantages, and small numbers had theirs.
However, in the Ninja World, where extraordinary power existed, numbers did not guarantee absolute superiority. If a few people possessed strength beyond common sense, then a large army was little more than fodder in a musou-style battlefield.
Because of that, Amamiya Kenichi ultimately chose not to take the ninja maintaining order in the Land of Water with him to the Land of Fire.
"I never thought I would set foot on the Land of Fire again under circumstances like these," Danzo said with some emotion as he looked down at the dim ground beneath the airship.
Amamiya Kenichi also looked below.
There were no lights in sight.
Although electric lights existed in the Ninja World, the world often still looked like some retro medieval era. The one benefit was that the night sky remained bright with stars.
The only pity was that he could not see the Milky Way.
Then again, that was probably for the best. If he could see the Milky Way or some famous stars from his previous life, Amamiya Kenichi would only become more conflicted.
After all, if he could see the Milky Way or constellations he recognized, he would begin wondering where the Ninja World's planet was located in the universe.
And then, naturally, he would start thinking about whether he could develop interstellar spacecraft and return to his old home for a visit.
"Elder Shimura, the location you mentioned was correct. According to our intelligence, the Ninja Allied Forces are indeed stationed there," Minato said.
He had already returned from the area he had been sent to investigate, and the method of his return had been extremely simple.
Amamiya Kenichi released Minato from Edo Tensei, prepared a new living sacrifice for him, and then reanimated him again in the Land of Water.
The soul restraint device on Minato's head had also been retrieved by Uchiha Shiori.
This allowed them to avoid waiting for Minato to travel back normally.
It had to be said that Edo Tensei ninja, if they were willing to cooperate, were truly a powerful and flexible force. They could advance with an army without worrying about attacks on the rear. If the enemy wanted to strike the base camp, the user could simply release the Edo Tensei and then summon them again elsewhere.
Of course, Uchiha Madara seemed to know how to undo Edo Tensei himself, which made him a massive problem.
"This must have been suggested by Hiruzen. The town and the secret base you mentioned are not suitable enough. Both are too easy to expose. In that case, it is better to set up camp directly there. Concealment is guaranteed, and most importantly, there are no important strategic facilities in the area," Danzo said with his arms crossed.
This time, he had also been brought back through Amamiya Kenichi's Edo Tensei.
The main purpose of reanimating Danzo was to make him contribute to the upcoming war.
Although Danzo was unwilling to act against Konoha's ninja, he naturally had no psychological burden when it came to attacking the allied forces of the other three villages.
Amamiya Kenichi was not entirely sure how strong Danzo was, but at the very least, he should be an elite Jonin. On top of that, the nature of an Edo Tensei body meant Danzo could fight fearlessly, which would help avoid unnecessary casualties among Amamiya Kenichi's own ninja.
Danzo gazed at the distant lights. He did not know whether they belonged to Konoha or somewhere else.
For a moment, his emotions became complicated.
After contending with that old man Hiruzen for so long, he had never expected that Hiruzen would ultimately inherit his position as the leader of Root.
Would Konoha's light also begin to experience life in the shadows of Root?
He wondered what kind of ending his old friend Hiruzen would eventually meet.
Although he had never asked how Konoha treated him after his death, Danzo knew very well that many people had probably applauded.
"So, what is the plan for this operation?" Minato could not help asking.
He looked around and saw no one.
Not even a single extra person.
That made him feel somewhat uneasy.
There were not many people on the airship now. Only Amamiya Kenichi, Danzo, and Minato.
For three people to directly confront the allied forces of four ninja villages was truly insane.
Even Danzo could not help looking at Amamiya Kenichi strangely after hearing the plan, before directly calling him a madman for having such a deranged idea.
Amamiya Kenichi did not mind.
Strictly speaking, he did not even need to bring Minato and Danzo. He could have come alone.
All he had to do was use the Face Copying Technique on the outskirts, change his appearance, infiltrate the center of the Ninja Allied Forces, set up the atomic bomb, leave behind a Shadow Clone, and withdraw his main body.
Once the atomic bomb detonated, the Ninja Allied Forces would basically be wiped out.
Amamiya Kenichi now had a much clearer understanding of the atomic bomb's power.
He had to admit that the crystallization of technology from his previous life was truly extraordinary. It had torn through Hidden Mist Village with ease and even severely wounded a Tailed Beast.
If the Ninja Allied Forces had brought the Eight-Tails, Seven-Tails, or something similar, their casualties might be lower. But if they had not, then aside from a handful of high-level combatants, most of them would probably die.
Bringing Minato and Danzo was merely a precaution against possible crises.
Having backup would make things more convenient.
"This operation is simple. After I infiltrate, I'll detonate my weapon. After that..." Amamiya Kenichi stroked his chin.
He could already see firelight in the distance.
That meant the airship had to descend now.
With the development of airships during this period, the various ninja villages had certainly begun developing specialized detection and countermeasures against them. Amamiya Kenichi did not want to alert the enemy.
If the allied ninja discovered his airship, sneaking in would become much harder.
"Let's descend. If you see fireworks exploding in the sky, then I'll have to trouble you, Minato-nii and Danzo, to harass them from the outside and draw their attention," Amamiya Kenichi said as he controlled the airship downward.
He still decided to prepare a backup plan.
If any problem occurred, he would need Minato and Danzo to draw fire from the outside and create an opening for him.
But as he looked at the dark forest below, an inexplicable unease rose in Amamiya Kenichi's heart.
He scanned the surroundings, yet found nothing abnormal.
"What's wrong?" Amamiya Kenichi frowned in thought.
"This really is rare. It seems that bastard Amamiya Kenichi has truly provoked public anger this time."
In an unknown cave within the Land of Fire, Obito looked at the intelligence Black Zetsu had collected, revealing a gloomy smile.
"Hehehe. That guy killed the Three-Tails and destroyed Hidden Mist Village. Now he's provoked the Daimyo of the Four Great Nations into jointly issuing a mission. He brought this on himself," Black Zetsu laughed wildly.
He had been thinking about how to deal with Amamiya Kenichi before.
He had even considered directly using Edo Tensei to bring back Uchiha Madara for help.
But he had never expected Amamiya Kenichi to destroy Hidden Mist Village, conquer the Land of Water, and then draw out the Ninja Allied Forces of the Four Great Nations to attack him together.
In Black Zetsu's view, this was simply excellent news.
This way, he would not need to do anything himself. He could watch Amamiya Kenichi be attacked by the ninja of the four great villages. Then, he could use some tricks to temporarily restrict Amamiya Kenichi's movements and eliminate this troublesome man once and for all.
"That guy..." Obito's eye gleamed with hatred.
He still remembered how Amamiya Kenichi had desecrated Rin's remains back in Konoha.
That was something Obito absolutely could not tolerate.
"Hmph. But how exactly did that bastard kill the Three-Tails? I know Yagura's strength wasn't at its peak, and he was badly injured after breaking free from control, but there's no reason for him to be that weak." Obito still could not understand it.
He had once controlled Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage of Hidden Mist Village.
He knew Hidden Mist Village's strength very well.
Although Hidden Mist Village was considered relatively weak among the five great ninja villages, and although its strength had continued to decline because of Obito's Bloody Mist policy, causing many of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to defect, it was still a great ninja village.
It was not impossible for Obito to destroy Hidden Mist Village, but it would be extremely troublesome, difficult, and time-consuming.
It would also be impossible to prevent every spy from escaping.
"I don't know. But I think we need to be cautious. Considering Amamiya Kenichi's previous methods, I suspect he created something similar to that strange weapon from before, except with even greater power. Perhaps powerful enough to destroy the entire Hidden Mist Village," Black Zetsu said, thinking of the miserable state of the village.
He had arranged for White Zetsu to monitor and gather intelligence in Hidden Mist Village.
But on that day, not a single White Zetsu survived.
Those were White Zetsu.
Their concealment was extremely strong, and their ability to escape was not weak either. Even so, none of them had escaped.
"If that's the case, do you think it's possible that Amamiya Kenichi found the location of the Ninja Allied Forces and plans to detonate that weapon there?" Obito could no longer sit still.
He stood up, paced back and forth twice, then asked.
He was becoming less and less confident in dealing with Amamiya Kenichi.
That man's strength was growing more and more terrifying, and without a proper reason, Obito could not get Nagato to deal with him.
Now, the Ninja Allied Forces were the hope Obito considered most likely to succeed.
"...Possible. But I've already had..." Black Zetsu fell silent for a while.
Although he wanted to say that ninja should not be so useless, he still felt that this possibility existed.
As he spoke, Black Zetsu suddenly froze.
He stood up and looked into the distance.
"You guessed right. Someone has arrived near the allied forces." Black Zetsu rubbed his hands, then sank into the ground.
He needed to gather intelligence and confirm whether it was truly Amamiya Kenichi.
Obito also stood up.
So he really came?
But Amamiya Kenichi, you no longer have any chance to ambush the Ninja Allied Forces. I will expose your plan. Prepare to face the encirclement and pursuit of the powerhouses from the four great villages.
"Brother, when are Big Brother Shisui and the others coming back?"
In Magatama Village, Land of Rice Fields, Uchiha Sasuke could not help asking his older brother.
Itachi withdrew his gaze.
He looked at his younger brother, then reached out and ruffled Sasuke's hair. His eyes were filled with gentle affection.
"They'll come back once the mission is complete," Itachi said, looking at the village that had become much emptier. His mood was complicated.
The Uchiha clan had fled Konoha, leaving behind the village they had lived in for generations, and arrived in the Land of Rice Fields. Their original purpose had been to escape the threat of war and the cruelty of the Ninja World.
But with the arrival of that letter, the Uchiha clan once again stepped onto the road of conflict.
Magatama Village, once lively and noisy, had become much quieter.
Before leaving, Shisui had taken many of the clan's strong members with him. He had also come to see Uchiha Mikoto and the two brothers.
Itachi had seen the determination in Shisui's eyes, so he said nothing.
Just as Shisui had said, this was a debt the Uchiha clan owed and had to repay.
They did not want to live while owing favors. Otherwise, every night, whenever they thought of that debt, they would feel uneasy and unable to sleep.
"What kind of mission is it?" Sasuke asked curiously.
When Mikoto heard this, she walked over, fed Sasuke a piece of candy, then picked him up and looked at her eldest son.
Itachi's eyes were filled with complicated emotions.
There was hesitation.
There was also eagerness.
"If you want to go, then go," Mikoto said gently, holding Sasuke in her arms.
Mikoto now looked much older. There were more white strands in her hair, and the wrinkles on her face had become more obvious.
Ever since Fugaku died, Mikoto had aged greatly.
Itachi froze.
For a moment, he even wondered if he had misheard her.
"Mother, I..." Itachi looked conflicted.
Looking at his mother, who had aged before her time, and his young, innocent younger brother, Itachi felt pain twist inside him.
"Go, Itachi," Mikoto said with a gentle smile.
The tenderness in her eyes silenced Itachi completely.
Then Itachi nodded, pinched Sasuke's cheek, and told him to wait for the dango he would bring back. After that, Itachi picked up the backpack he had prepared long ago and left the house.
Watching his brother leave in such a hurry, Sasuke fell silent.
Although he was still very young, he knew that his brother seemed to be going to do something dangerous.
"Mother..." Sasuke gripped Mikoto's clothes.
He was a little scared.
"Sasuke, this is what it means to be a ninja," Mikoto said.
She still wore that gentle smile, but her eyes were filled with tears.
After losing her husband, Mikoto's only pillars left in this world were her two sons.
But she could not stop her sons.
In this terrible world, no one could stay out of the storm.
As long as they were ninja, they had to fight, kill, and risk their lives for all kinds of reasons.
This was what it meant to be a ninja.
.....
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