"I don't think letting Iwagakure clash with the Akatsuki is a bad thing," Wen Lan said lightly, leaning back in his chair.
The sooner the Five Great Villages realized how dangerous the Akatsuki truly were, the sooner Obito would be forced into desperation.
And desperate enemies made mistakes.
Without Kabuto's Edo Tensei army in the future, Wen Lan was curious—
What tricks could Obito still pull off?
After all, the true threat had never been the resurrected dead.
It was the Ōtsutsuki beyond this world.
Shikaku shot Minato a look that clearly said, See?
Their thoughts aligned.
Minato simply hadn't committed to the decision yet.
"If there's nothing else, I'll head out," Wen Lan said, standing. "Contact me if needed."
Iwagakure Moves
As expected, Iwagakure mobilized.
One thousand shinobi marched toward Amegakure.
The sky above the Land of Rain was heavy with dark clouds. Wind drove sheets of rain against the high walls.
Ōnoki's goal wasn't full-scale war.
It was pressure.
He openly assembled troops and advanced toward Amegakure to demand "answers" from Hanzo of the Salamander.
In truth, he wanted compensation—resources to replenish Iwa's losses under the pretext that their jinchūriki had been attacked.
What he didn't know—
Hanzo was already dead.
A man calling himself "Afei" now ruled Amegakure.
Uchiha Obito.
Afei stood atop the tallest tower in the village, looking down emotionlessly at the battlefield.
Hanzo's former subordinates had already been absorbed into the Akatsuki.
They were now Obito's blades.
But life for the civilians of the Land of Rain was far worse than in the original timeline.
When Pain ruled, the nation wasn't prosperous—but it was stable.
Order was maintained. Civilians were protected.
They respected him.
Obito, however, didn't care.
He wanted the Moon's Eye Plan.
A world with Rin.
For that illusion, he would shoulder all the world's hatred.
Tragic.
Charismatic.
Mad.
And in Wen Lan's view—
He should have stayed a villain to the end.
Ambush at the Border
The Iwa vanguard had barely crossed into Rain territory when they were ambushed.
Prepared.
Surrounded.
Crushed into the border canyon before they could organize.
These Iwa shinobi looked impressive.
In truth, they were hollow.
The Third Great War had drained Iwa's strength. They were in recovery, not peak condition.
When Iwa regrouped for a second push—
Sasori appeared.
And one man became an army.
Hundreds of puppets poured out like a steel tide.
Human-shaped constructs wielding kunai and explosive tags advanced in perfect formation.
Their hollow eyes glowed with eerie blue chakra.
Iwa's defensive lines collapsed.
Explosions and screams echoed through the rain.
From a high vantage point, Sasori manipulated every thread with chilling precision.
Rain washed the blood.
It could not wash away defeat.
Iwagakure retreated in disgrace.
Ōnoki's face turned ashen with fury.
He had underestimated Amegakure.
And for a veteran fox of the mountains—
This miscalculation stung deeply.
The Shock
Spies were finally deployed.
Not just by Iwa—but by Kumo and Suna as well.
Something felt wrong.
Why was Hanzo suddenly so unyielding?
The answer stunned them.
Hanzo was dead.
Amegakure was controlled by an organization called Akatsuki.
Its leader—
Afei.
No confirmed identity.
No confirmed abilities.
No confirmed appearance.
And in shinobi warfare—
Information was everything.
Lacking it was like fighting blind.
The Akatsuki had turned Amegakure into a puppet regime.
They were recruiting missing-nin from various villages.
Beyond that—
Nothing was known.
Wen Lan wasn't surprised when he received the report.
In the original timeline, Obito's identity wasn't exposed until he revealed it himself.
A man who could scheme for over a decade wouldn't be exposed in mere days.
Preparations in Konoha
Wen Lan sat cross-legged in his home's corridor.
Uchiha Hikari sat to one side.
Pakura to the other.
Pakura poured tea.
Hikari munched snacks like a squirrel.
Footsteps approached.
"Third Elder!"
Naori entered and bowed respectfully.
"It's ready?" Wen Lan asked.
"Yes. The underground chamber is complete. Multiple defensive barriers are in place. The Hokage's wife can give birth there safely."
"I constructed it alone. No one else knows the location."
Wen Lan nodded.
"Well done."
He handed Naori a cup of tea.
Naori accepted it gratefully.
After finishing, he departed.
Silence returned.
Wen Lan's gaze lingered thoughtfully.
"Pakura," he said quietly, "during the delivery period, you and Hikari will stay at the clan head's residence."
"If the Uchiha compound is attacked, you respond immediately."
He looked at Hikari.
"From today onward, you do not leave the compound. Not even a step."
Hikari, cheeks stuffed with pastry, nodded firmly.
"Got it."
Pakura's expression turned serious.
She knew Wen Lan did nothing without reason.
What she didn't know—
Wen Lan wasn't afraid of the Akatsuki.
He was afraid of uncertainty.
He was certain the Akatsuki wouldn't kill Kushina.
But certainty wasn't the same as control.
And he would never gamble—
On her life.
—------------------------------
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