Rumors Spread

The alliance between the Leaf and Sand Villages was established a week ago, a month before the chunin exams, and unbeknownst to them, there was a hidden witness. This witness remained undetectable to both the Kazekage and Hokage due to the use of a clone with the ability to merge with the environment.

Zetsu, the plant-based creature, possessed this unique technique called the mayfly technique, enabling the clones to travel underground without being sensed by traditional ninja methods, except for rare individuals capable of sensing emotions, who were scarce during this time.

Upon receiving news from his clone, Zetsu was astounded by the formation of an alliance between two major villages but saw it as an opportunity to further his and Madara's plans. Subsequently, a meeting took place in the Mountain Graveyard of the Land of Graves between Zetsu and Madara.

"Madara, one of my clones informed me that Konoha and the Sand Village formed an alliance a week ago, seemingly due to the Shigaraki Village," Zetsu relayed the information to Madara.

Madara, preoccupied with controlling the Fourth Mizukage and monitoring someone in the Land of Rain, hadn't kept up with the news from the Ninja World, thus genuinely surprised by this development.

"Hmm, and I assume Konoha initiated this alliance. We can exploit this to our advantage. Have you managed to gather any information about the Shigaraki Village?" Madara shared his thoughts while questioning Zetsu.

"Yes, Konoha initiated the alliance, but unfortunately, I only have limited information. I've only been able to gather intel on the ninja leaving the village. Gathering information about the village itself has proven difficult due to an Uzumaki," Zetsu responded. It was disturbed by the fact that it couldn't get close to the village due to Uzumaki's sensing abilities.

Madara was taken aback by Zetsu's lack of substantial information. He had full confidence in Zetsu's stealth and infiltration skills, believing it could spy on anyone in the world.

"Are you suggesting that this Uzumaki woman can sense you? We were aware of her before, and she didn't possess such abilities," Madara inquired, trying to grasp the situation, as he had previously not taken the Shigaraki Village seriously.

"That's why I stressed the importance of taking it more seriously earlier. The limited information I have gathered is quite concerning," Zetsu remarked, mentally reviewing the data collected over several months.

"Every ninja in Shigaraki possesses a new version of Sage Mode. However, the most alarming discovery is that this Sage Mode temporarily increases their strength by five times, and the more they use it, the stronger they become," Zetsu revealed, recalling how the former genin of the village had blossomed into low-level chunin in terms of power.

Not giving Madara a moment to absorb this information, Zetsu continued, "The Sage Mode also appears to permanently enhance their physical strength, as they are being augmented by Natural Energy."

This revelation was the most disconcerting of all. Even Madara couldn't remain silent, exclaiming "Impossible!" as disbelief washed over his face, concealed by a mask with an orange swirl.

"I wouldn't share this with you if it weren't true, but it is. If you don't believe me, go see for yourself. Just be cautious, as those ninjas are formidable. They are the only village where all the genin have reached chunin-level strength. Furthermore, I haven't seen any of their stronger ninjas leave since they delivered the declaration letters seven months ago," Zetsu defended the validity of the information, growing tired of Madara's doubt.

Being interrupted by Zetsu infuriated Madara, but now understanding the gravity of the situation, he knew they had to take action, or this could become a problem for their plans.

"Alright, since you're unable to infiltrate the village undetected, and their strength is growing at an alarming rate, to the point where the number of known Kage-level ninjas may be inaccurate, we can't engage them directly. So, why not leak all this information?" Madara proposed contemplating how to utilize this new information.

Zetsu, unimpressed by Madara's idea, revealed, "I've already initiated the process of spreading rumors, especially in the Lands of Lightning and Earth. They should also respond to the rumors. But how are we going to utilize this? Remember, we still need that person on our side," Zetsu informed Madara.

"Good. I had a plan to secure that person's allegiance after eliminating their friend. Unfortunately, my attempt to involve Danzo and his forces failed, as the Shigaraki Village neutralized many of their operatives, leaving him with few to spare," Madara responded to Zetsu's inquiry.

"I will require your assistance in spreading rumors in the Land of Rain. All you need to do is spread word that the Akatsuki intends to take over the rain. Knowing Hanzo the Salamander's paranoid nature, this should instigate a response from him," Madara explained, outlining Zetsu's role in their new plan.

"So, you plan to play the savior by warning them, even though you know they won't trust you. You're counting on Hanzo to kill the person closest to the one we need, guiding them away from us. It's a good plan if Danzo's men were involved, but now how do you plan to cover that?" Zetsu interrupted, deducing his part in the plan.

"I plan to use the Fourth Mizukage to send a squad to help under the guise of forging an alliance with the Mist Village and Rain Village," Madara replied to Zetsu's interruption, holding back his anger.

"I can see how that could work, but how would you convince the Village to ally with a smaller village in the middle of the continent, far from them? Even if you control the Mizukage, the other ninja in the village would grow suspicious, especially considering the bloodbath of bloodline ninja you caused these past few years," Zetsu questioned the success rate of Madara's plan.

"But they would act if they knew the most powerful doujutsu in the world was in the Rain Village," responded Madara with a confident tone.

"Are you truly willing to expose that? It's extremely risky for our plan. However, I can see the value of getting the Mist Village involved, making it easier to execute your plan. But you better make sure nothing goes wrong," warned Zetsu as Madara explained his plan.

"I don't need you warning me. No one wants our plan to succeed more than me, so you would do best to watch your tone, Zetsu," responded Madara with anger in his voice.

"Alright, I will have my clones near the Land of Rain transform and spread rumors near ninja from the Rain Village, so that way it makes it to Hanzo," said Zetsu, ignoring Madara's threat as he merged with the ground to leave.

Watching Zetsu ignore his warning and leave, Madara couldn't help but feel angry. He quickly calmed himself down, knowing that this was all for the Eye of the Moon Plan. He disappeared in a swirl in the air, leaving the area empty.

Three days later, shocking rumors started making their way throughout the entire ninja world, with two rumors causing the most shock. The first rumor being that the Leaf Village and the Sand Village had formed an alliance, which was the first ever between major villages.

Treaties didn't mean alliance, but this was different. This news was most shocking in the Lands of Earth and Lightning, considering the Land of Earth had animosity with the Land of Wind, while the Land of Lightning had animosity against the Land of Fire.

The second rumor, though, was the one that shocked the entire ninja world and made all the major villages concerned. It was about the Shigaraki ninja and their new sage mode, strengthening them permanently. Some even went as far as saying that all genin were at the chunin level in strength without sage mode.

This second rumor was the most concerning for those in Konoha because now they knew Orochimaru had a really capable force under him. Konoha was already in an early warning state for the Chunin Exams, which were less than a month away, and now even more so with these two circulating rumors.

Currently, it was three weeks away from the Chunin Exams, and in Konoha, yet another high-level meeting was taking place in the Hokage Tower. The Third Hokage sat in the center of the meeting room, a pensive expression on his face as he contemplated the frequency of these meetings. He looked around the room, observing everyone engaged in hushed conversations about Shigaraki Village and the alliance with the Sand Village.

Steeling himself, the Third Hokage called for everyone's attention, signaling the start of the meeting. "Thank you all for coming. I'm sure most of you have heard the rumors and can guess why we're gathered here today. Firstly, I want to make it clear that Konoha is in no way responsible for the alliance rumors," he announced, capturing the room's attention.

"Now, regarding the news about Shigaraki Village, it is indeed the most concerning. However, we already have a plan in place for the Chunin Exams, which will allow us to confirm these rumors ourselves," the Third Hokage continued, pausing to allow for any responses or questions.

Understanding the gravity of the situation, Danzo set aside his ambitions for a moment, realizing the need to prioritize the village's safety. "Hokage, I believe that confirming these rumors and being prepared to take action in case of any unforeseen events is the best course of action," he stated, acknowledging that getting caught up in petty squabbles with Hiruzen was futile at this critical juncture.

The Third Hokage, the elders, and nearly everyone present were taken aback by Danzo's unexpected sense of cooperation, but this only served to further underscore the urgency and seriousness of the situation.

Shikaku quickly gathered himself, his surprise fading as he decided to speak up. "I agree with Elder Danzo. And if I may ask, have we received a response from Shigaraki Village regarding the exam and the number of participants they're sending?" He was fishing for more information to better analyze the situation.

Hearing Shikaku's question, the Third Hokage could only sigh before responding. "I haven't received a reply yet, but I'm still confident that Orochimaru will come. Now, how are we going to deal with the Earth and Lightning Village's reactions to our alliance with the Sand?" Worry crept into his voice as he considered the possibility of another war.

Shikaku took in the concern and decided to share his thoughts. "How about we try to establish an alliance with them, focusing all our attention on the Shigaraki Village? We can use them as a common enemy, thus avoiding a major war between us." He offered his idea, fully aware that it would likely face opposition.

As predicted, the meeting room erupted in chatter, most of it being opposition to Shikaku's plan. However, the Third Hokage swiftly regained control of the meeting.

"Quiet!! Shikaku, thank you for the idea. I believe we should potentially explore that option after the Chunin Exams, once we have more information on Shigaraki. Speaking of the exams and Shigaraki, I believe we should have at least one Chunin hidden as a genin in the exam." The Third Hokage's voice boomed, reestablishing order in the room.

Seeing an opportunity to do some good rather than engaging in the usual dark work of Root, Danzo spoke up. "Hokage, I have Chunin-level operatives we could use for that." He intended to showcase his usefulness and potentially lay the groundwork for his future claim to the Hokage title.

The Third Hokage smiled softly, knowing that Danzo's ulterior motives were still at play but also acknowledging the value of his offer due to the shortage of Root personnel. "Alright, we will go with that, Danzo. Get me the list of Root ninja, and I will assign them to the teams, replacing the weakest members," he declared, content with the decision.

After discussing the important topics and addressing any pending issues, the meeting concluded. Everyone filed out of the room, leaving the Hokage alone who went to his office so he could search for his pipe. Once found he began smoking, lost in thought about the numerous challenges plaguing the ninja world. His mind wandered to his former student, now the greatest threat they faced.

Little did the Third Hokage or anyone else besides Kurogiri know that Orochimaru wasn't even in Shigaraki Village at the moment. He was undergoing his own transformation, while all the ninjas were being controlled by Velocity mind quirk, continuously improving as Kurogiri continued to evolve.