Black Zetsu silently watched the scene from the shadows nearby.
At the beginning of the conversation, it had been mocking Madara inwardly for putting on such an absurd act!
When you were young, you would've killed to have Wood Release. Your body simply wasn't capable of it, and you didn't know how it worked...
If I hadn't altered the stone tablet, would you ever have awakened the Rinnegan in your entire life?
But as the conversation continued, Black Zetsu grew serious.
Because the combined offensive of Hi-kun and Obito was genuinely producing far better results than Black Zetsu's thousand years of manipulating Indra!
They had completely integrated their approach into the atmosphere and the roles they played, to the point that even someone as stubborn as Madara had begun to soften...
'I underestimated the capable people of this world...'
'A lowly White Zetsu born from the Divine Tree actually managed to reach this level through sheer learning...'
'I can't afford to remain complacent either! It seems I haven't improved in a very long time...'
Black Zetsu realized there was a problem.
Objectively speaking, Black Zetsu knew that its mother, Kaguya, had some personality issues of her own. She wasn't particularly good at building alliances, and her combat instincts were lacking as well.
Black Zetsu was well aware of that much.
If Kaguya couldn't simply overwhelm her opponent with raw stats, her actual fighting skill might not even match Obito's right now...
'Infinite Tsukuyomi has basically been shelved by Madara. So even if Mother is revived, we'll most likely have to rely on Sarutobi Hiruzen following the stone tablet and training accordingly!'
'His body would serve as a degraded version of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, while small amounts of chakra from all nine tailed beasts would be fused together as a catalyst, allowing Mother's will to descend into his body...'
'But that would be nowhere near her full strength. And considering Mother's combat ability, once you account for unexpected variables, the chances of something going wrong would actually be quite high...'
Black Zetsu thought anxiously.
First and foremost was the Sage of Six Paths...
Just thinking about the Sage of Six Paths gave Black Zetsu a headache.
This elder brother of its—the rebellious son of Kaguya—had displayed talent that could only be described as an outright throwback to their ancestral bloodline!
Together with Hamura, he had actually managed to seal Kaguya after she had consumed the complete chakra fruit of the shinobi world...
The sealing techniques he created himself could even let someone fight above their level.
Senju Tobirama's Impure World Reincarnation, combined with Uchiha Madara's repeated use of it...
Had made Black Zetsu realize that the so-called Pure Land of the shinobi world seemed to have gathered the souls of every shinobi who had ever died...
Not just special cases like Asura and Indra. Every other shinobi seemed to have been accepted as well.
A domain like that clearly had some terrifyingly powerful figure behind it.
'That so-called Pure Land is probably a chakra-recycling system Hagoromo modeled after the Divine Tree...'
'He had already experimented with things like the Box of Ultimate Bliss, so he had a foundation to work from. He also became the complete Ten-Tails' jinchūriki. If the souls of a thousand years' worth of dead shinobi have all gathered in his hands, the amount of power he controls must be terrifying!'
'That bastard might even be able to manufacture Six Paths-level fighters...'
'I have to accept reality. I need to learn from those two inferior creatures, Hi-kun and Obito. Madara can already be abandoned. What I need to think about now is how to convince Mother to follow my plans after she's revived...'
'Otherwise, she's going to suffer for it!'
Black Zetsu dropped its usual aloof attitude and prepared to humble itself, intending to ask Hi-kun sincerely about everything he had learned in Konoha so that it could apply those methods to Kaguya...
...
Madara flipped through the documents in his hands again and frowned.
What was going on?
He still couldn't understand them!
"Hi-kun, take these next door and let them have a look. They're all powerful shinobi from the Warring States era, after all. Discuss it with them. Obito, you go learn too..."
"Got it, Madara-sama!" Something clicked in Hi-kun's mind.
Understood...
Madara-sama probably hadn't quite understood the material himself, so he wanted the think tank next door to break it down for him.
Obito and Hi-kun headed next door.
Madara quietly let out a breath of relief.
A moment ago, he had actually been a little afraid that Obito, who followed him around like a puppy, might ask him about Konoha's current policies.
What was he supposed to say then...?
Always putting on a cold face wouldn't work either. Even Madara understood that much.
Fortunately, he now had Hi-kun and those former Kage to interpret everything for him...
...
"Come on, everyone. Take a look. Fresh off the presses—Konoha's latest briefing..."
Hi-kun greeted them with a bright smile.
"Oh, Sasori-chan, you're here too? Long time no see. I've missed you! How've things been in Sunagakure lately? I saw Rōran split away. Your village doesn't seem very stable..."
"Have you thought about what you're going to do with the Third Kazekage and Rasa?"
Sasori had just finished chatting with his father and mother and couldn't suppress his smile even if he tried.
"Not really. Do you have any suggestions, Hi-kun?"
He had never cared much about Sunagakure anyway. He could just muddle through...
Forget the fact that the Third Kazekage had been crippled by Hanzō. Even if the Third Shinobi World War had never broken out, Sasori had already planned to find an opportunity to get rid of him!
"This isn't really my specialty. Tsuchikage-sama, Raikage-sama, do either of you have any good ideas?"
Hi-kun turned toward Mū and the Second Raikage, the only two among the six Kage who actually had functioning brains.
There was a reason Hi-kun asked them specifically.
Both the Raikage and Mū had privately approached him before.
Their meaning had been obvious: considering the connection between them, could Hi-kun lend them a hand and put in a few good words with Tobirama-sama? At the very least, don't let Kumogakure and Iwagakure end up like Kirigakure next door. That would be far too humiliating...
Mū and the Second Raikage no longer doubted Senju Tobirama's capabilities in the slightest.
With just the six of them and that terrifying White Zetsu intelligence network, no village other than Konoha could possibly withstand them...
And if they wanted Hi-kun to speak on their behalf, then naturally they had to do some work for Konoha.
"That's simple..."
A sharp gleam flashed through the Second Raikage's eyes.
"I suggest that when Sasori returns, he make the Third Kazekage publicly confess and apologize in front of the shinobi of Sunagakure. Stir up everyone's emotions..."
"Don't you use poison? While the Sunagakure shinobi are throwing stones at him and cursing this man who destroyed the peace, have him suddenly drop dead with a terrified expression after admitting his crimes. You can squeeze one last bit of value out of him."
"That way, he'll end up like Kiritori. Even in death, he'll never be able to rehabilitate his reputation."
"As for Rasa..."
The Second Tsuchikage smoothly picked up where the Raikage left off and offered his advice enthusiastically.
"There's no need to kill him. He still has talent when it comes to extracting gold, and gold reserves are extremely valuable."
"I've read his intelligence file. He cares quite a bit about his wife and children. Send his family to Konoha as hostages, then have him mine gold while writing public confessions. That would be best..."
"As for the remaining hawks, most of them seem to be dead already. Just make examples out of a few of them. For instance, when the Kazekage gives his confession, there'll definitely be some hardheaded fools who try to defend him..."
After seeing Hiruzen block even Dust Release, Mū had completely given up any thought of resistance.
Calling Sarutobi Hiruzen the "Demigod of the Shinobi World" could no longer even be considered exaggerated flattery.
Gengetsu burst out laughing.
Being captured and dragged back here had certainly annoyed him, but looking at Mū now with a sense of superiority felt pretty good.
Oh?
Someone's in quite a hurry...
Now why could that be?
What a mystery...
Mū's face darkened as he ignored Gengetsu's grating laughter, feeling that the whole situation was deeply unfair.
Judging purely by the results, Kiritori—the worst Kage in history—seemed to have somehow stumbled his way into leading his village down the correct path!
Where was the justice in that?
"I'd suggest making your reparations even more generous. Whether we're talking about techniques or gold, start by showing the greatest possible sincerity, then try to create some economic ties with Konoha."
Gengetsu spoke leisurely.
"I'm speaking from experience. Cooperating with Konoha won't leave you worse off. As long as Sarutobi Hiruzen remains Hokage, I think mutually beneficial cooperation will remain the norm."
"He's genuinely fair-minded."
Mū glanced at Gengetsu and curled his lip.
This bastard got carried to victory and now he won't shut up!
"I understand..."
Sasori carefully noted down the ideas offered by the various Kage, planning to return and make the Third Kazekage's death a little more valuable.
Then he would arrange Rasa's future nice and neatly.
As for negotiations with Konoha, he could simply give them the green light all the way. Pakura and Chiyo could handle the actual implementation...
He still had puppet research to work on!
These days, Chiyo had been immensely proud that her grandson possessed a "Kazekage mindset."
Before the war even began, he had accurately judged the situation and avoided following the Third Kazekage down the wrong path...
What the old woman didn't know was that Sasori's preferred approach in this area was to play the role of a puppet and avoid thinking for himself.
Just hand everything over to Hi-kun and these Kage and let them handle it...
"Let's look at Konoha's latest policies..."
The Second Raikage shook his head, while everyone else picked up the intelligence reports and started reading.
Madara next door began reading along at the same time, waiting for their explanations and discussion.
First came the new territorial structure, with Kirigakure and Amegakure forming the two wings, Rōran serving as a newly developed zone, and Konoha standing as the absolute core.
After this war, neutral Rōran had been incorporated into Konoha, though its treatment was slightly below that of Amegakure, which had already paid for its place in blood.
Amegakure as a whole now received eighty percent of the benefits enjoyed by Konoha shinobi.
Shinobi in Amegakure who had rendered distinguished service, like Nagato, had been formally incorporated into Konoha's official establishment.
More importantly, Hiruzen had used the momentum of the war to ensure that every shinobi in Amegakure now had a detailed personnel file registered with Konoha.
They had not formally merged completely into Konoha, but in practice they were already one village.
Kirigakure was different. The Third Mizukage had ultimately betrayed the alliance, and Kirigakure had also taken the initiative in launching hostilities, so they couldn't receive the same degree of integration as Amegakure.
Personnel files had likewise been established for every shinobi in Kirigakure.
But in terms of benefits, Kirigakure would first rely on its own internal economic cycle. Only after it had repaid its war reparations to Konoha would integration begin, starting at fifty percent of Konoha's standard.
During this period...
Hiruzen had clearly designated Iwagakure and Kumogakure as training grounds for Konoha's forces, with Konoha shifting as a whole from defense to offense.
He emphasized the use of "limited and controlled warfare" to strengthen the basic capabilities of Konoha's shinobi while minimizing casualties, with the process expected to last two years.
Konoha wasn't after territory.
It had already eaten its fill.
The immediate priority was digesting the benefits it had already gained, because there simply wasn't enough manpower to deal with the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning.
There also wasn't sufficient legal or political justification, and the cost of governing any conquered territory would be enormous.
Kirigakure shinobi would be mixed together with Amegakure shinobi and assigned to Konoha squads, using the fires of war to further erase the barriers between them and build a shared sense of identity.
"Still as steady as ever."
Mū sighed.
"He accounted for the core benefits and sense of superiority of Konoha shinobi, further integration of Amegakure, and the promises being held out to Kirigakure..."
"He established a tiered structure so Konoha will always maintain a developmental lead over Amegakure, Rōran, and Kirigakure, preserving its absolute position at the center while still ensuring that living standards in each region continue to improve..."
"At this rate, sooner or later every shinobi under heaven will end up in the Hokage's grasp!"
The Second Raikage remained silent for a long moment.
"As expected of the disciple of Senju Tobirama and the God of Shinobi. The Hokage learned the essence of both men."
"If Senju Hashirama were facing this situation, he might simply wave his hand and merge Kirigakure, Rōran, and even Amegakure directly into Konoha without creating any of these distinctions."
"If it were Senju Tobirama, then every region outside Konoha would be in for a miserable time. Just look at what the Konoha Military Police Force once meant for the Uchiha. He had no shortage of underhanded methods..."
"But Sarutobi Hiruzen inherited Senju Hashirama's ideals while mixing in Senju Tobirama's rationality..."
Hi-kun listened carefully. This was valuable learning for him as well.
Then something occurred to him.
Madara-sama next door probably still wouldn't understand all of this.
"Raikage-sama, could you explain it in a little more detail?"
The Second Raikage thought for quite a while.
"Put simply, Sarutobi Hiruzen is approaching the problem from four broad directions: legitimacy, tiers, interests, and integration. That lets him avoid either generational hatred building up under oppressive rule or pouring in so many resources that he ends up raising ingrates..."
"It's hard to believe he's a shinobi! No wonder he became the leader of the noble faction as well..."
"The key administrative positions in both the Land of Rain and the Land of Water are now filled with people from the Land of Fire. The overall direction has already been set. Iwagakure and Kumogakure are the ones about to suffer now. We're nothing more than whetstones!"
"Once Konoha fully digests all of these territories, Iwagakure and Kumogakure won't have any ability to resist them at all..."
Mū spoke heavily.
"Hōzuki Gengetsu and I personally watched everything Sarutobi Hiruzen did in the Land of Water..."
"A powerful individual can decide who wins a war, but what actually allows someone to hold territory and establish effective rule is a large body of lower- and mid-level shinobi loyal to Konoha, together with grassroots administrators..."
"Sarutobi Hiruzen is filling in every weakness Konoha still has."
At that explanation, Obito and Madara simultaneously showed expressions of realization.
So that was how it worked!
"As for the research projects..."
"The effort to reduce the aggressiveness of Hashirama cells has entered a new stage. They're probably close to making them broadly usable."
"Research into natural energy and Sage Mode has also entered its second round of trials. They're preparing to roll it out on a large scale within the next two or three years..."
Mū read from the intelligence report, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.
"Wait. What exactly is Sarutobi Hiruzen trying to do?"
"If he really succeeds, forget those Konoha Council Members. Even the ordinary frontline shinobi would be terrifying if every one of them had Senju Hashirama's cells in their bodies, even at very low purity..."
At that point, Konoha would basically have an army of miniature superhumans.
Forget Iwagakure and Kumogakure breaking through the line.
They'd better focus on not getting thrown straight back by Konoha's rank-and-file first...
And that wasn't all.
Mū suddenly thought of something even more terrifying.
Once elite shinobi from Kirigakure, Amegakure, and Rōran were absorbed into Konoha, what better way could there be to forge an ironclad shared identity than giving them Hashirama cells?
If everyone had Hashirama's cells inside them, there was nothing left to argue about.
They were all family...
"Uh..."
"At least, although Konoha is preparing to popularize cursed seals, it doesn't look like the Hokage himself plans to train with one."
"In the meeting minutes, he even joked that he couldn't practice Sage Mode. His unusual sealing constitution makes it inconvenient for him to carry a cursed seal right now. So I guess there are still things he isn't universally good at. He's not going to literally turn into Senju Hashirama..."
Kinkaku cleared his throat as he spoke.
Any Warring States-era shinobi who actually understood the subject knew that Sage Mode was the real core of Senju Hashirama's power...
He was basically the founder of the now-fashionable "second-phase" fighting style among Konoha's top experts.
"Hard to say."
Mū spoke darkly.
"You didn't see him dismantle my Dust Release. I strongly suspect the Hokage is hiding something. Even if he suddenly clasped his hands together one day and entered Sage Mode, I wouldn't be surprised..."
"Pretending to be an idiot was the First Hokage's specialty. Ishikawa-sama told me so himself!"
Ashina waved a hand.
"That probably won't happen. Sage Mode is extremely difficult to train. Someone practicing the Ten Thousand Seals Body Integration Seal wouldn't have enough time to split their attention that way."
"First you have to construct the Five Elements Sealing cycle, then fill in the four beams and eight pillars..."
"But it doesn't really matter. With my forbidden technique that's comparable to a Sage, missing one Sage Mode hardly makes a difference..."
Most of the others agreed with Ashina.
"There's also the development of the Dragon Vein. Sunagakure couldn't make anything of that region after all these years, and now they've practically handed it over to Konoha for free. I don't even know what to say!"
"With such a huge advantage, he can still restrain himself and leave Iwagakure and Kumogakure around to slowly wear down..."
The Second Raikage felt exhausted just thinking about it.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen is so cautious you'd think he'd already lost something once. Who exactly is the enemy he's preparing for? It feels like he wants every Konoha shinobi to be capable of participating in the next war..."
"Otherwise, there'd be no reason to pour this many resources into ordinary shinobi."
"But is all of this really meant for Iwagakure and Kumogakure?"
Mū actually laughed.
"Probably not. Our two villages aren't important enough to deserve this kind of preparation..."
"This looks more like they're getting ready to fight the Sage of Six Paths!"
"It really does..."
Ginkaku spoke solemnly.
"If you were preparing to fight the Sage of Six Paths, this is about what you'd do. Natural-energy cursed seals, Hashirama cells... They're trying to make sure every single person in Konoha has some ability to injure a top-tier enemy!"
'So Hiruzen has been thinking that far ahead?'
Madara nodded thoughtfully.
'Still, he reached the same conclusion I did. If the Will of Fire is going to remain alive, everyone has to become strong...'
The group continued talking.
Then, for some reason, their gazes suddenly landed on Obito!
Wait...
Among them, there seemed to be a young man who might actually become Hokage someday!
If they built a good relationship with this brat now, then in the future—whether it involved Kirigakure, Sunagakure, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, or his stance toward the Uzumaki and the Ten Thousand Seals Body Integration Seal...
At the very least, there would be a relatively friendly Hokage in charge.
Obito looked at the burning gazes several middle-aged men were directing at him and involuntarily shuddered.
"Wait..."
"Everyone, stop looking at me like that. You're scaring me. If you've got something to say, let's just talk normally..."
Madara, meanwhile, was thinking about something deeper.
His eyes fixed on one sentence Sarutobi Hiruzen had written in the briefing.
'A state with no loyal ministers and capable advisers within, and no rival states or external threats without, will invariably perish...'
'That makes sense. Hiruzen really is more educated than Hashirama.'
'Iwagakure and Kumogakure are playing the role of those so-called 'rival states and external threats,' but they're far too weak, and they aren't under my control.'
Madara narrowed his eyes.
'It's about time to find an opportunity for the Crimson Organization to make its appearance! Take control of Iwagakure and Kumogakure, then create a shinobi world divided into two opposing halves...'
'But we can't interfere with Hiruzen's military training. He earned that reward after clearing this stage.'
'A little over a year from now should do. Once the training is more or less complete, we'll use that Danzō as the opening. In one move, we'll take control of both villages and solve the issue of Obito's Mangekyō...'
'Mm. That's fair enough!'
At that very moment...
After Hiruzen returned to Konoha...
Isshiki followed him there as well.
He disguised himself as a border merchant from Amegakure, prepared a complete background for the identity, then strolled leisurely through the village.
The shinobi world was vast.
Who could possibly stop him?
But when he turned his head, his gaze met that of the shinobi world's Sage of Fairness—
who was now Konoha's Ramen Sage!
The two stared at each other.
Both their hearts skipped a beat!
Something was wrong...
The other man was nine parts suspicious out of ten!
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