Chapter 172: The Fourth Great Ninja War

A Sharingan eye doesn't necessarily have to be implanted into an eye socket; it can also be transplanted into other parts of the body.

For example, Danzō Shimura had Orochimaru customize an arm for him, using Hashirama's cells, where Sharingan eyes could be implanted on the back of the hand, the palm, and on both sides of the forearm, accommodating up to ten eyes.

Now, Dan plans to transplant Obito's Sharingan into his own left palm.

This kind of body modification surgery, in order to properly utilize the powers of the Mangekyō Sharingan, there's probably no one else in the entire shinobi world who could perform it other than Tsunade.

"Is this Uchiha Obito's left eye?"

Tsunade was taken aback, picked up the container and carefully examined it through the glass.

Although it was well-known throughout the entire shinobi world that Obito's right eye possessed the power known as Kamui, which allowed the user to become intangible and thus immune to harm, no one knew what the power of his left eye was. After all, even though Kakashi Hatake had Obito's eye for many years, he never used the Mangekyō's dōjutsu.

Could it be that the ability of the left eye is the same as the right, Kamui?

Tsunade speculated.

However, regardless of its ability, the fact that Dan was willing to risk transplanting it suggested one thing—

The left eye was not so simple.

Sure enough.

Dan's subsequent words confirmed Tsunade's suspicions.

"Indeed, the spatial manipulation ability of Kamui is too overpowered, almost unbeatable. Only Kamui can counter Kamui. So, I plan to use Obito's own left eye to deal with him. I hope you can help. Of course, name your price."

Dan said, looking at Tsunade.

On hearing this, Tsunade's eyes flashed. After a moment of silence, she responded:

"No need for a reward, I'll just help you."

Uchiha Obito was extremely evil. He was the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails' attack, causing the death of the Fourth Hokage and his wife. He also constantly caused trouble, wreaking havoc on Konoha and the shinobi world.

Over the years, the number of innocent people who died directly or indirectly at Obito's hands was in the thousands.

Any sane person wouldn't tolerate such a madman like Obito, and would wish him dead so that he could no longer cause harm.

If Dan could take down Obito, it would be a great relief, contributing to the peace of the shinobi world.

That's why Tsunade agreed to Dan's request without asking for a reward.

Both were people of action, not ones to dawdle. They immediately started preparing for the surgery.

The good news was—

The operation room in the Uchiha clan compound was still functional, so Tsunade summoned Shizune, and the teacher-student duo teamed up to perform the transplant surgery on Dan.

...

Time flies.

Half a month had passed in the blink of an eye.

Half a month ago, due to the internal strife in Konoha, it had attracted the covetous eyes of the major ninja villages, and they had all declared war on Konoha.

The Fourth Great Ninja War had thus erupted.

In the short span of just over ten days.

The frontline battlefields were in dire straits, and bad news kept coming back to Konoha, making the entire village feel a sense of despair.

Firstly, to the north.

The Fourth Raikage personally led an army of ten thousand southwards, including the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails jinchūriki. They easily overran the Hidden Hot Springs Village, taking the Daimyō of the Hot Springs Country captive.

This small country, sandwiched between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, was now under the control of Kumogakure.

Soon after, the Konoha ninja troops stationed at the border of the Hot Springs Country were also attacked by the Kumogakure forces and were easily defeated.

They were no match at all.

By the time Jiraiya of Konoha had a chance to provide support on the frontlines, the Kumogakure forces had already crossed the Hot Springs Country and invaded the Land of Fire.

On the other hand.

In comparison to Kumogakure, Iwagakure's forces were even larger, a whopping fifteen thousand strong.

This massive force stormed through the Hidden Grass Village, launching a surprise attack on Konoha's border troops, causing heavy losses on the Konoha side, with only a few survivors managing to escape.

The last time, Konoha had Minato Namikaze to contend with Iwagakure, not only instant killing dozens of enemy jōnin but also bombing the enemy's logistic supply route—the Kannabi Bridge, ultimately causing Iwagakure to retreat.

This time, without the Yellow Flash, Konoha could no longer pull off such a feat.

In addition to the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, Iwagakure also dispatched two of their own jinchūriki. Wherever the Iwagakure forces went, Konoha ninja fled in their wake.

On the western front.

Under the leadership of the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, Sunagakure deployed almost all their forces. The army of eight thousand, although smaller than that of Iwagakure and Kumogakure, was still considerable.

Starving Sunagakure was eyeing Konoha's lands and resources. They advanced eastwards and soon reached the vicinity of Kikyō Mountain.

It seemed like the Battle of Kikyō Mountain was about to be reenacted.

But this time, facing the formidable Sunagakure, Konoha was clearly overwhelmed.

And then there was the east.

Under Uchiha Obito's clandestine manipulation.

The Fourth Mizukage and jinchūriki of the Three-Tails, Yagura Karatachi, personally led five thousand elite Kirigakure ninja, left the Land of Water, crossed the sea, and landed on the eastern coast of the Land of Fire.

During the Third Great Ninja War, it was the Uchiha clan who had held off Kirigakure on the eastern front.

Now, without the Uchiha to stop them, the Kirigakure forces were unstoppable. They plundered and killed all the way, directly threatening the heartland of Konoha.

Finally, there was Amegakure.

Although Amegakure was a small village and seemed not on par with the Five Great Shinobi Countries, nobody in the shinobi world dared to underestimate it.

After all, not long ago, Pain, the leader of Amegakure, had single-handedly annihilated an army of three thousand from Konoha overnight.

Shocking the entire shinobi world.

However, this time.

Pain didn't personally join the battle as the other Kage did. Instead, he dispatched a force of over a thousand Amegakure ninja, secretly infiltrating the Land of Fire, launching attacks on various Konoha outposts

.

Later, the elite members of this force infiltrated the capital of the Land of Fire, attempting to assassinate the Daimyō.

Under the assassination of the Amegakure ninja.

The Daimyō of the Land of Fire narrowly escaped death. He was escorted by the Twelve Guardian Ninja, along with some of his family and ministers, and hurriedly fled to Konoha for refuge.

But by this time, Konoha was besieged on all sides and was in extreme danger.

To minimize unnecessary sacrifices, Konoha decided to abandon all front-line positions, withdraw all troops, and prepare for a final defense of the homeland.

At the same time.

Every ninja in Konoha, whether they were active duty, inactive due to injury or illness, retired due to old age, or just graduated from the Ninja Academy, was drafted without exception.

Even the students in the Ninja Academy, as long as they were over eight years old, all graduated early to join the battlefield.

In this dire situation, this drastic measure allowed the number of ninja in the village to reach an all-time high.

Nearly twenty thousand people.

But these twenty thousand people were Konoha's limit. Compared to the combined force of forty thousand from the shinobi alliance, they were still short by almost half.

What was worse.

At present, there were too few in Konoha who were qualified as "Kage-level" fighters, only the Third Hokage and Jiraiya were prominent, the rest were merely average.

Although they also had the Nine-Tails as a major weapon, Konoha couldn't control it. Especially after experiencing the painful lessons of the two Nine-Tails incidents, they dared not rashly use its power again.

No.

There was one person in the village who could perfectly control the Nine-Tails. He was Uchiha Dan, who possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan.

In the eyes of the Third Hokage and others, Dan was no different from an enemy, and under no circumstances could Konoha allow the Nine-Tails to fall into his hands.

Ever since he was dismissed from his role as Hokage's aide by the Daimyō, Dan had been staying in the Uchiha clan's compound and had not shown himself for half a month.

A person like him wouldn't be concerned about the survival of Konoha at all.

Hoping that Uchiha Dan would step up to save the village was less practical than dreaming.

On the other hand, there was the Shinobi Alliance.

The total number of Kage and jinchūriki from all villages had reached double digits, far more than what the Third Hokage and Jiraiya could handle alone.

In the world of the shinobi, the strong often determined the outcome of a war.

The role of a single Kage-level shinobi on the battlefield surpassed that of a thousand ordinary shinobi.

Outstanding individuals like the Fourth Raikage and the Third Tsuchikage were worth thousands of ninja troops.

And if it was Pain, the leader of Amegakure, then no matter how many enemies there were, they would be meaningless in front of him.

Therefore, no matter how you look at it, the situation was extremely unfavorable for Konoha.

Past Shinobi Wars often dragged on for years, with long periods of stalemate and chaotic fighting before the direction of the war gradually became clear.

This time it was different.

All the major shinobi villages were targeting Konoha, even if conflicts erupted among them, it would only be after Konoha was completely divided up.

At present, everyone had reached an unspoken agreement not to violate each other, joining forces to attack Konoha from all directions.

If this situation continues, it is estimated that in another half month, the Shinobi Alliance will be at Konoha's doorstep, encircling the homeland of Konoha.

At that time, a final decisive battle between the two sides will break out.

...

In the forest south of the Land of Fire.

The Uchiha clan traveled day and night, fleeing thousands of miles south in just over ten days, finally reaching the southernmost border of the Land of Fire.

There was a small port town with a population of tens of thousands by the coast.

The sky was gloomy, the air was stifling, and flocks of seagulls circled above the town, making loud "ou ou" sounds. At the horizon of the sea, thunderclouds rolled and thunder rumbled, as if a huge storm was brewing.

With the arrival of the Uchiha clan, the usual tranquility and peace of the town were broken.

At this time, Uchiha clan members such as Fugaku, Tetsuhi, and Itachi were walking down the streets of the town. Seeing this, the pedestrians on the street fled in panic, even running out of the town.

There were no ninjas in this town, so they couldn't pose any threat to the Uchiha.

"Who would have thought that the 'infamy' of our Uchiha clan would spread to such a remote place," Fugaku said, shaking his head with self-deprecation as he watched the fearful faces of the town's inhabitants.

Soon, Fugaku and others came to the mayor's house, politely inviting the old mayor, who was hiding in a cupboard, out. In the face of his astonishment, they proposed to buy a large ship.

And they paid the reward on the spot.

After some communication and interaction, the old mayor finally breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that the Uchiha clan meant no harm.

After that, facing the generous Uchiha clan, the expression of the old mayor quickly became enthusiastic.

"You guys want to go to sea?"

Upon hearing that the Uchiha clan intended to leave the Land of Fire and seek a new home on the ocean, he immediately promised that this was completely feasible.

Because someone had already done so.

During the Third Great Ninja War, several elite ninjas from all villages, tired of the fight and kill lifestyle, agreed to escape from the battlefield and head south in this sea area.

There, they found a place called Crescent Moon Island and established the Moon Ninja Village.

Crescent Moon Island has beautiful scenery and rich natural resources all year round, which is not only very suitable for living, but also has great development potential.

Therefore, in less than ten years, the Moon Ninja Village has grown rapidly and prospered, with a population of over 100,000, forming the wealthy Land of the Moon.

The old mayor told Fugaku and others.

There are still many unowned islands like Crescent Moon Island on the sea, but the sea is also very dangerous, often with pirates and sea monsters.

Of course, for the famous Uchiha clan, these are presumably not problems.

After hearing the old mayor's words, Fugaku and the others looked at each other, seeing the anticipation and excitement in each other's eyes.

The example of the Moon Ninja Village gave hope for the future of the Uchiha clan, who had been on the run.

So, with the enthusiastic help of the old mayor, the Uchiha smoothly bought a large ship that could accommodate more than six hundred people of the entire clan.

In addition, they also purchased a large amount of living supplies in the town.

As the news spread, the townsfolk who had originally hidden in their homes also came out one after another, watching curiously.

These ordinary people, far from the center of the shinobi world, didn't actually have any hatred towards the Uchiha. What did the conflict between Uchiha and Konoha have to do with them?

On the contrary, the Uchiha clan, with their generous spending of tens of millions, buying ships and supplies in the town, made the townsfolk very happy.

In this small port town, the Uchiha clan rested for three days, while also making detailed preparations for sailing.

During this time, the news of the various countries simultaneously declaring war on Konoha and the imminent encirclement of Konoha by the major shinobi villages also reached here.

Even this remote seaside town was shrouded in the shadow of war, causing panic among the people.

Inside the main tent of the Uchiha camp, the clan's senior members were gathered, discussing the news that had just come in.

"Konoha is surely doomed this time. Under the siege of the major shinobi villages, they are doomed to destruction," Tetsuhi said excitedly.

Konoha had tried everything to eliminate the Uchiha clan, but now the Uchiha were still alive and well, while Konoha was the one on the brink of collapse.

Thinking of this, Tetsuhi and many other Uchiha clan members were naturally gloating and felt very pleased.

"I wonder what action Dan will take? Anyway, I hope he returns safely soon," Fugaku pondered, worried about his brother-in-law.

Upon hearing this, Itachi volunteered, "I have sent the news that our clan is about to set sail to Konoha via a crow. I believe we will receive a reply from uncle soon."

In a corner of the tent, Uchiha Chiyo sat on the ground, hugging her knees,

burying her head deep into her knees.

Ever since her failed assassination attempt on Dan, she had been like this.

The others were no longer surprised by Chiyo's self-seclusion.

Luckily, since returning, she had been behaving herself, not doing anything out of the ordinary. Fugaku and Mikoto were always trying to talk to Chiyo, hoping to dissolve her inner hatred towards Dan.

Outside the tent.

In the distant forest, Kakashi and Tenzo quietly appeared.