Chapter 267 Naruto's Attack
"Speaking of which, that's indeed the case." Tobirama Senju nodded after pondering for a while.
Uchiha Touko was right. When Konoha was founded, the Senju and Uchiha made peace and then extended invitations to the ninja clans with which they had close ties.
Originally, he and his elder brother thought that persuading the clan leaders of those ninja clans would take some effort, since many of the ninja clans in Konoha at that time had ancestral feuds.
But at that time, Hashirama Senju simply visited each clan one by one and received affirmative answers from them.
Although this was partly due to the overwhelming power of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha in the ninja world, Tobirama Senju now thought that what Uchiha Touko said might make more sense. After the long wars of the Warring States period, the major ninja clans also urgently needed a period of peace to recuperate.
And this was probably the righteous cause that Uchiha Touko spoke of.
"With righteousness in our hands, the tide will naturally be on our side. I once heard a saying: 'When fortune smiles, heaven and earth lend their strength; when fortune turns, even heroes are powerless.' The so-called war is a struggle for this great tide." Uchiha Touko poured water into a teacup, the aroma of tea spreading throughout the staff headquarters.
"So, Fifth Hokage, you mean that even if we do nothing now, having the righteous cause, we will have an innate advantage in the future war with the Land of Lightning, right?" Senju Tobirama looked at the cup of tea placed before him, then looked up at the ninja world map hanging in the staff headquarters, densely covered with fine lines,
and asked. It was clear that although he had been in the staff headquarters for some time, Senju Tobirama still hadn't accepted the fact that an Uchiha had become Hokage. When communicating with Uchiha Touko, he preferred to call him the Fifth Hokage, rather than by his name like Senju Hashirama and Sarutobi Hiruzen, as if that made him feel better.
"That's both right and wrong," Uchiha Touko said. "If Konoha is no match for Kumogakure, then the existence of righteousness is useless. However, even if we don't gain the upper hand, but only reach a stalemate with Kumogakure, this righteousness will become a sharp blade piercing the heart of the Land of Lightning."
"And their Raikage is no match for me, which means they can't possibly gain the upper hand in this war," Uchiha Touko said. "At that time, this sharp blade of righteousness will inevitably pierce the heart of the Land of Lightning at a crucial moment. And right now, Konoha is at a critical period of reform. Developing ourselves is the top priority." Senju
Tobirama gave Uchiha Touko a deep look, remained silent for a while, and then revealed a relieved smile.
He was now very grateful that this naturally evil Uchiha brat in front of him was born in this era. If he had been born in the Warring States period, with his intelligence combined with Uchiha Madara's power, the Senju clan would probably have become history by then.
"It's good that you know what you're doing. But when do you plan to bring back that disciple of yours who's been wandering around?" Tobirama Senju said. "The Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, the Fourth Hokage's son, and the Fifth Hokage's personal disciple, bearing the title of a rogue ninja, doesn't that sound a bit unpleasant?" "
That doesn't seem like such a big problem, does it?" Touko Uchiha shrugged. It's a matter of perspective. For an older generation ninja like Tobirama Senju, betraying the village and becoming a rogue ninja was a very serious matter. But after the Third Hokage's three disciples set a good example, it didn't seem so serious about it anymore.
After all, of the Third Hokage's three disciples, one openly betrayed the village, and the other two, while not explicitly displaying their headbands, were practically no different from traitors. Moreover, one of them was the First Hokage's granddaughter.
Compared to the Third Hokage, the Fifth Hokage only had one disciple who ran away, which already showed his effective teaching.
"That's the Nine-Tails! The strongest tailed beast!" Tobirama Senju frowned. Although at his peak, he was confident he could defeat and seal the Nine-Tails, it was still the strongest tailed beast. If Naruto were to fall into enemy hands, it would cause them considerable trouble.
"Aside from that person who stole the Edo Tensei and is hiding in the shadows, no one in the ninja world has the guts to attack him, and anyone who could pose even the slightest threat wouldn't bother him unless they were in their right mind," Uchiha Touko said. "However, just in case, I've already sent a message to Jiraiya, telling him to keep an eye on that kid and make sure he doesn't head towards the Land of Lightning. Besides, he's carrying a backup plan I left behind, so there's no need to worry about his safety."
"Alright." Senju Tobirama sighed, picked up his teacup, and shook his head. "I really don't understand the rules of ninjas these days. I've only been dead for less than 50 years."
"That's natural." Uchiha Touko said with a smile. "The tides of time are constantly accelerating. Ninjas in the Warring States period might have followed the same rules for thousands of years, but now, after all, it's the era of the ninja villages. Everything is developing too fast in this era, and you can easily fall behind if you're not careful."
"I think you, Fifth Hokage, also played a significant role in this acceleration," Senju Tobirama said.
"Perhaps." Uchiha Touko smiled and shook his head, not directly answering the question.
...
"This is the Land of Rain!" Naruto, Gaara, Jiraiya, and their group looked up at the persistent dark clouds in the sky after crossing a large mountain range and sighed.
"Yes, because the mountain range we just crossed wraps around the entire Land of Rain like a pocket, the moisture from the north can't pass through, which is why it rains all year round. The Land of Wind on the other side of the mountain, however, has a continuous desert climate." Jiraiya gave Naruto a geographical lesson.
"The common people here must have a very hard life." Naruto looked at the dense rainforest around him and couldn't help but sigh.
The climate here makes it difficult to grow crops on a large scale, and the miasma and poisonous insects nurtured by the humid climate make life extremely difficult for the common people.
"That was indeed the case before," Jiraiya said. "Among the small countries between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, the Land of Rain was the poorest. The Second Shinobi World War used this area as a battlefield, severely weakening them. Coupled with the fact that the land was unsuitable for farming, they hadn't recovered until a few years ago." "
However, things have improved considerably in recent years. After your teacher reached an agreement with the current leader of Amegakure, he began providing aid to the Land of Rain. Every year, large quantities of grain are transported to the Land of Rain at extremely low prices. Furthermore, the Land of Rain, in cooperation with the Land of Fire, has begun to cultivate rain-loving cash crops on a large scale. Overall, the lives of ordinary people in the Land of Rain are much better now than before," Jiraiya said.
"Naruto, should we continue helping the common people build houses and roads here?" Gaara asked at this moment.
Having wandered for over half a year, the two had grown their hair quite long due to the lack of a place to get it trimmed. To avoid obstructing their vision, they tied it back. Their clothes, though clean, were tattered from daily labor and training.
However, compared to when they left Sunagakure, Gaara's entire demeanor was completely different. His dark circles had vanished, and the cold killing intent emanating from him had melted away. He looked like an ordinary young boy; if Temari were here, she probably wouldn't recognize him.
"That's right," Naruto nodded. "Although the living conditions of the common people here have improved a lot with Master's help, there are still many small details that require our assistance. Besides, the leader of Amegakure is from my clan, so it's only right that I, as the clan leader, help them."
...
Amegakure.
"Nagato, scouts from the south have reported that Jiraiya-sensei and two children are active in a southern village." Inside the tower of Amegakure, at the Akatsuki's routine meeting, Konan handed a report to Pain.
"Jiraiya-sensei and two children?" Pain glanced at the report and shook his head helplessly. "It's probably our Uzumaki clan's Jinchuriki chief and the One-Tailed Jinchuriki he kidnapped recently. Are they helping the southern civilians repair houses and build bridges? Let them be; it's ultimately beneficial to the Land of Rain."
"Those are two Jinchuriki! Are we really not going to bother with them?" Hidan, who had recently joined Akatsuki and become Kakuzu's long-term teammate, asked.
As Hidan spoke, a strange light shone in Kakuzu's eyes.
Although Naruto and Gaara only had symbolic bounties from Konoha and Sunagakure, less than a tenth of Asuma's, they both possessed Tailed Beasts! Capturing them and taking them to a major ninja village could probably fetch a large sum of money.
"Kakuzu, shut up your little schemes!" Konan, who had been squeezing money out of Kakuzu for years, knew from his eyes that he was up to no good, so she warned, "They're allies of the Land of Rain. Fine, you and Hidan shouldn't go on any missions for a while. Just stay in the village."
"Konan-nee!" Deidara suddenly raised his hand in the corner. "Can I go see my little brother?"
"No!" Konan glared at Deidara and refused outright. "If you dare to approach the southern part of the Land of Rain again without my and Pain's permission, I'll send you back to Iwagakure right now!" "Don't be
like that, I haven't seen my little brother in ages." Deidara said innocently.
"Are you sure you're going south to see your friends, and not to blow up the Wind and Rain Mountains?" Sasori, Deidara's mission partner in Akatsuki, but the two of them, one a mechanical dog and the other a chemical dog, didn't get along very well, spoke without any emotion.
"I just don't understand! Blowing that mountain would clearly normalize the climate in both the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind, so why won't you let me try? Give me two months to scout the blasting point, and another six months to manufacture the bomb. I'm 80% confident I can uproot that mountain that's hindering the Land of Rain's development!" Deidara argued.
"Besides, I heard you and the Hokage discussing blowing up the mountain! Why won't you let me try?" Deidara continued.
To be honest, if any other Akatsuki member had spoken to Nagato and Konan like this, Nagato would have already unleashed Shinra Tensei. But Deidara was entrusted to them by Uchiha Touko, so Nagato could only patiently explain, "Now is not the time to blow up the mountain. If we make too much noise in the Rain and Wind Mountains, it will easily trigger the Land of Wind's nerves, making them think we're declaring war on them."
"But blowing up the mountain would be a good thing for them too!" Deidara asked, puzzled.
"Deidara, it's not that simple," Konan joined in, trying to soothe him. "While everyone knows that the disappearance of the Wind and Rain Mountains would greatly benefit both our countries, you can't be sure what Sunagakure is thinking. Besides, it's not the right time for our Akatsuki to reveal our strength. If you show off your ability to destroy a mountain range now, our Akatsuki will attract the attention of the entire ninja world."
"What a nuisance!" Deidara muttered, pouting.
"If you want to blow something up, perfect timing. In a few days, Konoha's Yamato Construction Group will be developing an industrial area in our Rain Country. You can go and be in charge of the demolition there." After Konan finished speaking, she exchanged a helpless glance with Pain. They were now genuinely regretting bringing Deidara back.
They had initially thought that a teenager couldn't cause much trouble, but who knew this kid was full of grand projects!
After the meeting, having determined the attitude towards Naruto and his group operating in southern Rain Country and warned the more unruly members of the organization, Pain also ended the meeting.
After the meeting, Konan took food to the tower where Nagato's main body was located.
After a simple meal, Nagato glanced at Konan and said with a smile,
"Konan, why don't we go take a look south? After all, Jiraiya-sensei has come all this way; it wouldn't be right for us disciples not to go and see him."
"If you want to go, then let's go," Konan nodded with a smile. Since fully cooperating with Uchiha Touko, Nagato, no longer needing to constantly worry about capturing the Tailed Beasts, had looked much better in recent years.
"Hehe, speaking of which, this is the first time I've met the head of our Uzumaki clan. What kind of gift do you think we should bring?" Nagato looked at the smiling Konan, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face as well.
...
Two days later, Naruto used the Shadow Clone Technique to help a village in the Land of Rain build a bridge across a river, leaving the mark of the Ninja Clan there.
Having done all this, the three began their journey towards another village upstream.
Halfway there, the Nine-Tails' voice suddenly came to Naruto's ear.
"Kid, be careful, there's malice."
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(End of Chapter)