I simultaneously traverse countless worlds

Chapter 73 Shocking the Ninja World

"What?! The Hidden Cloud Village and the Land of Lightning are finished just like that?!"

When news of the defeats of Kumogakure and the Land of Lightning spread, the increasingly aged Third Tsuchikage stared in disbelief at his scout in the Tsuchikage building of Iwagakure, and unusually lost his composure, loudly questioning his subordinate.

This was a very rare sight for the highly respected Third Tsuchikage. The Third Tsuchikage, who was over seventy years old, usually acted with a very serious demeanor in front of his subordinates. Occasionally, he would act out of line with close family members, but in front of most Iwa ninja, he had to put on a confident and composed appearance, otherwise the Iwa ninja would find it difficult to trust an overly active Tsuchikage.

Especially for Iwagakure, which lacks successors, the Third Tsuchikage used to have to handle all the major matters personally. Occasionally, a few outstanding junior ninjas could be appointed as Jonin commanders or in charge of some of the village's work, which was acceptable and they could be gradually trained. However, it was a stretch to make them candidates for Tsuchikage, let alone the next generation of Tsuchikage. Otherwise, the Third Tsuchikage wouldn't still be busy with the affairs of Iwagakure at the age of seventy.

This is different from the Third Hokage of Konoha. In the original Naruto storyline, the Third Hokage clung to his position for his own power. Otherwise, either Jiraiya or Tsunade could have become the Fifth Hokage, and Konoha would not have had its history of the Legendary Sannin gradually erased. On the other hand, there was really no suitable candidate for the Third Tsuchikage. At least a Kage-level shinobi would be qualified to serve as the Tsuchikage.

Unfortunately, while Iwagakure has several near-Kage level ninja, only the Third Tsuchikage and two Jinchuriki are Kage level ninja. They all reached Kage level by relying on external forces. Among the younger generation, only Deidara has the potential to become a Kage level ninja within ten years. The others are either too old or too young.

However, facing the predicament of having no successor, the Third Tsuchikage was not concerned about the succession of the Fourth Tsuchikage. He stared wide-eyed at the subordinate who reported this terrible news, hoping that what the subordinate said was a joke and not a cruel fact!

"Lord Tsuchikage, it has been confirmed that the border ninja forces of the Land of Lightning have been defeated and subjugated by the Shinobi Alliance. Spies from both the capital of the Land of Lightning and the Hidden Cloud Village have lost contact..."

Hearing the Third Tsuchikage's outburst and questioning him so irrationally, the Third Tsuchikage's trusted subordinate, who had quietly come in to report the news, was somewhat helpless, but still calmly spoke up and delivered the terrible news that he had just confirmed repeatedly.

After all, when he first received this terrible news, he thought he must have misheard. Just yesterday, he received news that the Ninja Alliance was attacking Kumogakure. Everyone was even estimating how long Kumogakure could resist and making plans to send the border ninja armies and other armed forces from the Land of Lightning to provide support. But the very next day, they received news that Kumogakure and the Land of Lightning had been completely defeated. This was beyond the comprehension of the remaining three major ninja villages and three major nations, who felt it was completely impossible.

It's important to understand that the Cloud Village is not the same as the Sand Village. The Cloud Village's current strength is comparable to three former Sand Villages, especially considering that they had made some preparations for battle beforehand. How could they still be defeated by the Shinobi Alliance in just one day?!

"...It seems that the Hidden Cloud Village is truly finished, and the Land of Lightning has also lost its capital and daimyo. The Shinobi Alliance has already achieved its strategic objectives!"

Upon hearing the certainty from his trusted subordinate, the Third Tsuchikage stood rooted to the spot for a long while before letting out a deep breath. His short, dwarf-like figure now seemed like an unbreakable rock, and his voice was exceptionally resolute and cold: "Pass on my orders! Immediately prepare the border ninja forces bordering the Land of Lightning for battle. Also, contact the Daimyo and the Fifth Hokage. We need to discuss how to counterattack the Land of Lightning!"

Well, having experienced three Shinobi World Wars, the Third Tsuchikage, who had witnessed countless wars and deaths, had his last shred of hope shattered. He naturally understood the complex situation of a major ninja village and its capital city. The fact that his spies had gone missing also proved that the situation in the Land of Lightning and the Rain Village was very bad.

In the entire ninja world, the intelligence work of Iwagakure is definitely top-notch. If not the best, it is definitely among the top three of all forces. During the three Shinobi World Wars, Iwagakure spies were planted in various ninja villages and even important cities of various countries, forming a very well-informed intelligence network. Otherwise, in the original Naruto storyline, while the other four major ninja villages had not yet realized the danger of Akatsuki, Iwagakure would have had some relatively accurate information.

Even though the various factions in the ninja world have joined forces to form a united front, the intelligence network of Iwagakure is still operating. Even the intelligence networks of other ninja villages and the daimyo are still transmitting intelligence about other forces in the united front. And the current news proves that the situation in the Land of Lightning has collapsed. Iwagakure and the Land of Earth, which do not want to be attacked from both sides, must take swift countermeasures.

Now, the Third Tsuchikage, harboring no illusions, was preparing to quickly join forces with Konoha and the Daimyo to launch an attack on the Shinobi Alliance occupying the Land of Lightning and the Hidden Cloud Village. Meanwhile, the Third Tsuchikage's subordinate knelt respectfully on one knee and obeyed his orders.

"Yes! Lord Tsuchikage!"

……

Compared to the Third Tsuchikage, who was the first to receive and confirm the news and was actively looking for others to launch an attack on the Land of Lightning, Konoha, whose intelligence gathering was a step behind, also received news that the Cloud Village and the Land of Lightning had been occupied by the Shinobi Alliance.

This is similar to the situation in Iwagakure. Konoha, which was attacked by other ninja villages three times during the three Shinobi World Wars, naturally invested a lot of manpower and resources in intelligence work. However, due to the existence of the first three Hokage and Root, Konoha's originally very good intelligence network was turned into several interconnected but distinct systems. Even though the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya, tried for several years, he was unable to regain all the power of the Hokage.

To be fair, Jiraiya wasn't a ruthless politician. While he was certainly dissatisfied with his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, he didn't go so far as to eliminate him outright. Even with Danzo Shimura of Root and the two elders of Konoha, he used pretexts to suppress them and then gradually reclaim their power. The reason was that he knew the current situation was such that Konoha couldn't afford any more internal turmoil. This salami-slicing tactic, though seemingly time-consuming, was actually a good thing for Konoha at this time.

Over the course of several years, Jiraiya secured his position as the Fifth Hokage, but he was still far from fully consolidating the Hokage's power. The previous three Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, and even the two Konoha elders still retained some power. As a result, Konoha's intelligence network became fragmented, and the information obtained might not reach Jiraiya immediately.

Upon receiving this bad news, Jiraiya immediately convened a meeting of all the high-ranking officials of Konoha Village, including the former three Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, and many elite Jonin, all of whom rushed to the Hokage Building to attend the meeting.

"...Up to an hour ago, we confirmed the situation in the Land of Lightning. The Shinobi Alliance has completed its occupation and is now launching a multi-pronged attack on us!"

In the conference room of the Hokage Building, Nara Shikaku, the leader of the Jonin team, stood in front of a blackboard displaying a map of the ninja world. With one hand, he pointed to the Land of Lightning region, which was originally designated as an ally, while with the other hand, he placed several black chess pieces symbolizing the enemy on it, and spoke very solemnly.

On the map of the entire ninja world, it is clear that the ninja factions are marked with colors: the Land of Fire is red, the Land of Earth is yellow, the Land of Lightning is blue, and other smaller countries are marked with white. The black of the Ninja Alliance is very conspicuous. It is located at the border of the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Rain, where more than a dozen black pieces are placed to confront the allied faction. In addition, several models of warships are placed in the ocean area near the Land of Fire.

Clearly, this map of the ninja world alone illustrates Konoha's assessment of the Allied Forces and the Ninja Alliance. The Allied Forces are still composed of multiple forces, and compared to the Ninja Alliance, which concentrates all its power, the Allied Forces are actually weaker in all aspects. However, their massive size makes them seem intimidating, and those in the know within the Allied Forces would not publicize such a thing.

However, Konoha Village received the news at this time, and upon seeing the map of the ninja world, they realized that the situation was not good. Originally, they were preventing attacks from the Shinobi Alliance in the former Land of Wind and at sea, but they did not expect the Land of Lightning to be so vulnerable, which directly put the Land of Fire in a situation where it was attacked from two sides and had to consider dealing with the threat from the sea!

"Did those useless bastards from Kumogakure really lose so easily?"

Upon seeing the rather ominous ninja world map, Shimura Danzo, who claimed to have recently transplanted an arm into himself and was wearing an eye patch, was the first to speak. His words were filled with hatred for Kumogakure, clearly indicating that he still remembered the arm he had lost in a battle with Kumogakure ninjas a few years ago.

"Based on the intelligence gathered so far, it's highly likely that both the Cloud Village and the Cloud Ninja Army on the border were wiped out by... Wood Release ninjutsu attacks!"

Upon hearing Shimura Danzo's words, Nara Shikaku glanced almost imperceptibly at Jiraiya, who was sitting at the head of the conference room. Having received the Hokage's approval, even though he had known about the news earlier, he had tried his best to calm the various thoughts rising in his mind before looking at all the Konoha ninjas present and speaking out the key information he held, word by word.

Well, Konoha's intelligence network proved its worth. While Iwagakure received the news earlier, their spies in Konoha were not as observant and did not gather the crucial information that the suspected Wood Release bloodline limit had reappeared!

"Wood Release? How is this possible?!"

"Wait a minute, maybe it's the one who's been missing ever since..."

"But the question is, what should we do now?"

Without a doubt, Nara Shikaku's words were like a heavy boulder thrown into a pond. The Konoha elders, elite Konoha Jonin, and ninja clan leaders who had been sitting quietly were all unable to remain seated. They all began to discuss the matter with expressions of astonishment.

Even the former Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had a particularly interesting expression at this moment. He had tacitly approved Konoha Village's secret research project to recreate the Wood Release bloodline limit, in order to give Konoha Village another top-tier ninja who could use Wood Release to suppress the ninja world. However, the experiment resulted in the deaths of countless people and the investment of countless resources, and in the end, it only produced Yamato, an ordinary Wood Release ninja.

At the very least, Yamato could only use the Wood Release: Three Rooms and One Hall Technique. While he could be considered a Wood Release ninja with some skill, and his combat strength was at the level of a full-fledged Jonin, compared to the First Hokage Hashirama Senju's awe-inspiring presence in the ninja world, Yamato's Wood Release ninja skills were a huge disappointment to everyone who knew about him. However, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi kept his existence hidden. Even Orochimaru, who conducted the experiments, was unaware of his existence. Only Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura knew the details of his abilities.

However, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, knew that another top-tier expert who had revived the Wood Release had emerged. Just from what Nara Shikaku had said, this expert who knew the Wood Release bloodline limit was far more formidable than Yamato, who had just reached the threshold of elite Jonin, in dealing with the Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Cloud Border Ninja Army. Moreover, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had even kept this information from Jiraiya.

At this point, even the former three Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, couldn't say anything. He and Danzo Shimura looked at each other, unsure how to discuss the topic. Even those who had guessed a possibility wouldn't be foolish enough to say it outright, or rather, they didn't know how to pursue the matter further.

"Alright! Everyone quiet down. We're going to discuss how to deal with the current situation!"

Seeing the meeting room become noisy, Jiraiya, who had been silently pondering the problem, frowned and spoke loudly, immediately calming the atmosphere. He then abandoned the topic of the [Wood Release] ninja that was bothering him, and went straight to the key issue: "Order the border ninja forces of the Land of Lightning to enter Level One combat readiness. The village ninjas should begin assembling and regrouping, and prepare for battle at any time..."

When Jiraiya issued these orders, his face turned exceptionally cold. He knew perfectly well what his orders meant; they could very well plunge Konoha back into a meat grinder of war, where countless ninjas would die.

Unfortunately, Jiraiya foresaw the prospect of a brutal war but was powerless to stop it from coming. Even as the Fifth Hokage, he had to be prepared to fight the enemy to the end, given the demands of the Fire Country Daimyo and the Shinobi World Alliance's decision to directly exterminate the ninja villages. Moreover, judging from the current situation, it would be a lie to say that the Shinobi World Alliance would not continue its offensive. Having lost the combined forces of the Lightning Country and the Cloud Village, it was impossible to simply wait for a terrible outcome.

From any perspective, the three great nations, the three great ninja villages, and a bunch of underlings joined forces, but the enemy successfully launched a surprise attack and occupied the Land of Lightning and the Hidden Cloud Village. What about the remaining two great nations, the two great ninja villages, and those opportunists? Are they just going to wait to die if they don't fight back?

"Yes, sir! Hokage!"

Upon hearing Jiraiya's order, the Konoha elders, who had countless thoughts running through their minds, all stood up and respectfully agreed. Even the former three Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, and the two Konoha elders had no objections. They couldn't offer any better suggestions, so they could only agree to Jiraiya's order, which at least seemed to be the most reliable proposal.

Following Jiraiya's orders, Konoha and Iwagakure quickly increased the defenses of their border ninja forces. The entire village rapidly transitioned from a semi-mobilized state to a fully mobilized state, ready to be deployed in the war against the Shinobi World Alliance!

……

"Damn it, damn it, Raizo is dead. We have to talk to the people of the Land of Earth and get those ninjas to join forces and launch an attack immediately, preferably to eliminate the threat of the Shinobi Alliance..."

Meanwhile, in the capital of the Land of Fire, the daimyo of the Land of Fire also received the news. He was no longer as calm and composed as before, watching the Ninja World War as if it were a play. Instead, he was filled with extreme irritability, fear, and unease.

The reason is very simple. The daimyo of the Land of Fire has received news from his spies stationed in the Land of Lightning that the capital of the Land of Lightning has been occupied by the Shinobi Alliance, and that the daimyo and many nobles of the Land of Lightning have become corpses. How could the arrogant daimyo of the Land of Fire accept this? He used to be a proud and noble daimyo, holding power in the Land of Fire and enjoying wealth and honor.

Even during the three Shinobi World Wars, which were filled with mountains of corpses and seas of blood, the daimyo of the Land of Fire and the daimyo and nobles of other countries sat calmly on the high ground and watched the show. No matter how fiercely the ninjas fought, they would at most cut down civilians and merchants. Except for a very few unlucky ones, nobles were not considered targets by ninjas at all, unless it was to carry out some intelligence-gathering activities against nobles of enemy countries. As for the daimyo, no ninja dared to openly provoke them.

Over time, the daimyo and nobles of various countries came to see themselves as players outside the game, and the ninjas who fought each other or carried out missions as hunting dogs. Otherwise, when the Ninja Alliance was established and threatened the interests of the daimyo, nobles, and even ninja villages, these guys would have jumped up like a jerk whose toe had been stepped on, contributing money, manpower, and effort to unite multiple forces and form a united front.

However, the fall of the Land of Lightning and the Hidden Cloud Village was a direct blow to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. In particular, the deaths of the Daimyo and nobles of the Land of Lightning made this arrogant Daimyo of the Land of Fire feel a strong threat from death, something he hadn't felt in a long time.

"Your Highness, urgent intelligence from the front lines!"

As the Fire Country Daimyo sat in his study, his agitated state finally subsiding with his fear, preparing to go out and have someone immediately contact the Earth Country Daimyo, a close attendant stumbled over, his voice filled with panic.

In the past, such rude behavior from a personal attendant would likely have earned him a reprimand or even a demotion from the Land of Fire, especially when the daimyo was in a bad mood. Such a person would become a target for his anger. However, upon hearing the personal attendant's words, the daimyo felt a jolt of unease. A very bad premonition made him immediately snatch the intelligence report.

When the Fire Country Daimyo read the urgent intelligence report that had just been delivered from the front lines, his face turned deathly pale. He disregarded all decorum he might have shown to his subordinates, and his shrill voice became as unpleasant and grating as a duck's.

"What?! The frontline ninja leaders who were confronting the Ninja Alliance in the former Land of Wind were all ambushed and wiped out by the people of Amegakure?! Even their defenses were breached?!"

Chapter 74 Nagato's Backstab

Rewinding to three hours earlier, in the command center of the joint defense line, Iwagakure's frontline commander, Huang Tu, and Konoha's frontline commander, Hatake Kakashi, both entered the conference room with their guards and sat down, waiting for the arrival of the Amegakure people.

It was, after all, a crucial defensive line of the Allied Forces against the former Land of Wind. While being called the "United Defense Line" by various forces, they still went to great lengths to strengthen its defenses. Apart from being unable to effectively coordinate the close alliance between the various forces, they did their best to coordinate command. This command center, for example, was the result of compromises among the various parties. In wartime, it would be used to coordinate the ninja armies of the various parties to carry out joint operations.

That's right. The purpose of the command center is to coordinate the ninja forces of all sides to carry out joint operations. No one can expect the various forces on the defensive line to abandon their past grievances and complex conflicts of interest and cooperate closely to deal with the Ninja World Alliance.

Without going into too much detail, just look at the various forces along the entire joint defense line. The border of the Land of Earth is guarded by the Iwagakure Ninja Army, the border of the Land of Fire is guarded by the Konoha Ninja Army, and the Land of Rain and a small area around it are a mixed coalition formed by various small ninja villages and the Land of Iron sending combat troops to join forces with the host village, Amegakure.

The main force included the Rain Ninja of the Land of Rain and the samurai of the Land of Iron, while smaller ninja villages such as Yugakure, Takigakure, and Kusagakure also contributed some troops. The grudges and conflicts between these various forces could probably fill a ten-million-word novel. To expect these forces, entangled in countless grudges and conflicts, to cooperate closely to deal with external enemies is simply wishful thinking and completely disregards the immense difficulty involved.

In any case, since the establishment of this joint defense line, there have been many conflicts between the various forces. It is not uncommon for arguments to escalate into fights. As long as no one is killed or seriously injured, including Iwagakure, Konoha and Amegakure, other minor incidents are ignored as much as possible.

For ninjas and even samurai, the life of living on the edge is no exaggeration. They follow the law of the strong being respected. Occasionally, when their subordinates quarrel or even fight, in the eyes of the ninja army commander, it is a way for them to vent some of the excessive emotions brought about by past grievances. Unless they really go too far and seriously injure or kill their opponents, being beaten or suffering minor injuries is nothing to be surprised about for ninjas and samurai who are about to go to the battlefield.

As for the joint defense line, the commanders of the various ninja armies certainly have sufficient judgment. In addition, facing the scorching pressure brought by the Ninja Alliance, they usually communicate daily in the command center. There are also personnel from various forces stationed there so that they can communicate with each other at any time. It can be said that there are no problems in daily life. The joint defense line gives people the feeling of being impregnable.

Now that they have learned that the Ninja Alliance launched a surprise attack on the Land of Lightning and the Hidden Cloud Village yesterday, the people of the Hidden Rain Village have taken the initiative to propose a meeting today. Whether it is the Hidden Stone Village, the Hidden Leaf Village, or other smaller forces, they all agree!

"Commander Hatake, does Konoha have any latest battle reports from the Land of Lightning and the Hidden Cloud Village?"

Seeing the commanders from various small ninja villages and the Land of Iron arriving one after another, Iwagakure's commander, Huang Tu, glanced at Kakashi Hatake sitting opposite him. After a few moments of distraction, he took the initiative to start a conversation, wanting to see what kind of insight this well-known Copy Ninja, whom Konoha had replaced as the defense commander a month ago, had, and also to gather more intelligence for his village.

This doesn't mean that Huang Tu considers Hatake Kakashi an enemy. It's purely due to the influence of past major battles between ninja villages. It's common for ninja villages to gather information on each other's strong members and even eliminate each other's geniuses. At most, they're just gathering information on each other now!

"No, Commander Huang Tu. Since receiving the information about the battle in the Land of Lightning yesterday, we haven't had any more accurate news yet. On the contrary, outside our front lines, the Shinobi Alliance's troops are constantly moving around and probing, which is really worrying..."

Kakashi Hatake calmly rejected Iwagakure Commander Huang Tu's probing attempt, shifting the topic to the other side, which was currently their biggest concern.

Unlike the Land of Lightning, which is separated from the Land of Fire or the Land of Earth by one or two smaller countries that serve as buffer zones, the joint defense line faces the combined forces of the Shinobi World Alliance directly. It can be said that the two sides have not fought a major war in recent years, but frictions often occur in private.

When Jiraiya transferred him to the position of commander of the Konoha Ninja Army on the Allied side, Kakashi Hatake originally wanted to refuse but to no avail. He and a group of newcomers from Konoha replaced the original Ninja Army commander and some others. He had naturally carefully studied the situation on the Allied defense line and understood how complicated and inexplicable this situation was. It could be said that the Allied Ninja Army was both a confrontation and a trade alliance, and ordinary ninjas would definitely not be able to handle it.

In the ninja world, it's not uncommon to see ninjas daring to risk their lives with ninja swords and kunai. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, even a few-year-old child who had only studied chakra refining techniques for a year was sent to the battlefield with kunai and explosive tags. It's said that ninjas are very skilled in combat and there are many excellent commanders who can lead ninja squads into battle. However, ninjas who can understand the meaning of politics, economics, and military affairs, and who are also proficient in these areas, are extremely rare, making them a rarer species than pandas.

As for Kakashi Hatake, he was a man of considerable experience, having witnessed his father's suicide and the Third Shinobi World War. With the added reminders from his grandmaster Jiraiya, he naturally understood that in addition to guarding the joint defense line within the Land of Fire, he had two main tasks: first, to conduct reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance against the Shinobi Alliance; and second, to control the rampant smuggling caravans controlled by nobles and even daimyo.

Even though Kakashi Hatake himself felt he wanted to exterminate those insects, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Otherwise, even though he was a high-ranking member of Konoha, offending the nobles and even the daimyo of the Land of Fire would ruin his reputation and make him a so-called rogue ninja.

In this regard, after witnessing how his idolized father had committed suicide out of despair due to a rumor that inexplicably spread throughout Konoha Village because he abandoned a mission for his comrades, Kakashi Hatake became extremely wary of dirty political struggles...

"Commander Nagato of Amegakure and Hanzo of the Salamander have arrived together!"

While Kakashi Hatake was casually chatting with Huang Tu, probing each other's thoughts and the ninja villages' strategies for the war against the Land of Lightning, one of the commanders from the other small ninja villages and the warriors of the Land of Iron, who were obediently staying to the side, suddenly spoke up.

Undoubtedly, his words attracted the attention of everyone in the conference room. Even Huang Tu, Hatake Kakashi, and the Four-Tails Jinchuriki Rōshi and Uchiha Shisui, who were acting as their guards, all looked at the opened door with very serious expressions. Commanders from other small ninja villages, including the Iron Country samurai who usually had a cold and aloof demeanor, stood up to greet him.

Unfortunately, in a one-on-one fight, the Land of Rain and Amegakure would definitely be no match for the Hidden Stone Village and the Leaf Village. Amegakure, which can be considered the top of the small ninja villages in the ninja world, was only inferior to the five great ninja villages in terms of strength and status in the past. If the Hidden Sand Village were to fight the Hidden Rain Village one-on-one, it would be hard to say whether it would end in mutual destruction. Moreover, the leader of the Hidden Rain Village, the demigod Hanzo of the Salamander, and the rising star Nagato who was brought to his side by "him" also made other ninja villages look at him with more respect.

That was a demigod who had defeated the combined attack of three Kage-level ninjas from Konoha. They only spared him due to Konoha's strength and were thus given the title of "Sannin". He had fought against Kage-level ninjas from the three great ninja villages of Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Konoha. It can be said that the five great ninja villages' fear of Amegakure was largely due to the former demigod Hanzo of the Salamander, who earned the respect of the five great ninja villages through his strength.

Looking at the entire ninja world, a ninja's strength does not necessarily mean that he or she has strong management skills. However, it is very easy for a strong ninja to gain power and respect. Even in Kirigakure, the village that was once known as the Village of the Blood Mist, strong ninjas could live quite well!

"Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for being late; I just received a message!"

With the slightly aged voice of "Hanzo the Salamander, the Demigod," the leader of the Rain Ninja, wearing a special respirator and protective clothing, entered the conference room. Nagato, whose hair was dyed black, followed closely behind. The conference room door was then closed by the guards again, and the mixed guards from various factions stood outside the conference room to prevent spies from the Shinobi Alliance from stealing intelligence.

At first glance, Nagato Uzumaki, who has recovered his health and is in disguise, is just a commander of the Rain Village who follows "Hanzo the Salamander, the Demigod". Given that "Hanzo the Salamander" is already very old, this is not surprising!

"Lord Hanzo is too kind!"

"We are waiting for the adults to arrive so we can discuss the current state of our defenses..."