Chapter 47

"They should have been prime properties for business. I wonder if I should ask my clan to buy these properties," the second figure wondered aloud.

"Heh, you are too late, kid. The Senju and Uchiha clans snatched up these properties even before that dog, Danzo, could walk out of Hiruzen's office. You should have seen his face, hahaha. Well, that aside, you guys need to be careful. No matter how timid Danzo seems, he is dangerous. Even I don't know how many more secrets he is hiding. As for the other party, as long as they don't harm the village, leave them be." The first figure stood up and walked out, leaving the second figure to contemplate the next course of action.

It had been a week since Kazuki had a heartfelt talk with Naruto. Currently, Kazuki finds himself in the kitchen, assisting Yoshino in preparing a sumptuous breakfast for the entire family. As they laid out the dishes, the family gathered to enjoy their morning meal. Amidst the pleasant atmosphere, a white-clad ANBU suddenly appeared in front of their home. Shikaku stepped outside, engaging in a brief conversation with the ANBU, and returned with a scroll. After reading it, he safely stowed the scroll in his jacket.

Once breakfast was over, Kazuki approached his uncle, and Shikaku handed the scroll over to him. Kazuki swiftly perused the contents and, understanding the situation, promptly burned the scroll.

"So, they'll be here soon, huh? Are all the preparations ready, Uncle?" Kazuki inquired, aware that the Kumo delegation was expected to arrive in the village within a day or two.

"Yes, I'll be leaving soon as part of the welcoming team. My squad needs to escort them to Leaf Village. I've also informed every clan holding a Kekkei Genkai, especially the Uchiha and Hyuga clans. How about the preparations on your end? They're sure to look for the Fuin Grandmaster," Shikaku asked with concern, considering the delegation's likely hostile intentions, given the recent tensions and the loss of their Jinchuriki.

"Let them come, Uncle. I have a few surprises ready for them. Any idea who is leading the Kumo delegation?" Kazuki inquired, curious about the impending encounter, especially considering Kumo's current disadvantage after their Jinchuriki suffered significant setbacks.

"The Raikage himself will lead the delegation, accompanied by one of Kumo's esteemed elders. Whatever it is, something big is going to happen. I'm sure of that," Shikaku replied, his expression reflecting the gravity of the situation.

Kazuki delved into deep contemplation upon learning that the Raikage himself would lead the Kumo delegation. His mind churned through various scenarios and potential outcomes, considering the delicate political landscape. Shikaku, standing by his side, patiently awaited his nephew's thoughts. After a minute or so, Kazuki emerged from his contemplation and turned to his uncle.

"Uncle, we might need to prepare for Iwa's schemes. The Tsuchikage has been unusually quiet recently, and with the Raikage coming directly to the Leaf, it may prompt him to act. I suspect Iwa might attempt something during the meeting," Kazuki shared his concerns, having meticulously processed the available information.

The current state of the Shinobi world hung on the precipice of war, with a single significant move capable of sparking widespread conflict. Onoki, the Tsuchikage, known for his fence-sitting approach, was not one to pass up such a strategic opportunity. What troubled Kazuki the most was the possibility of Kumo and Iwa forming an alliance against the Leaf. If such an alliance had indeed taken shape, the upcoming meeting could prove perilous.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Takigakure (a village hidden by a waterfall)

"[Jinton: Genkai Hakuri no Jutsu]" (Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique) A bright beam of light ripped through the last line of Takigakure Jonin, who were holding ground against the Iwagakure Shinobi. The devastating attack left the Takigakure Shinobi in shambles. With their vast numerical superiority, the Iwa ninjas quickly overwhelmed the remaining Takigakure ninjas. Most of the Ninjas who continued resisting were killed, and the rest were captured.

The Takigakure village was completely caught off guard by the Iwa invasion, and the Iwa army had completely entered their village. None of the Taki defenses meant for early detection worked as intended. The whole battle scene was littered with bodies, and the entire Taki village was almost razed to the ground.

Onoki, who was flying in the air, landed next to the Iwa Jonin commander, who was passing down orders after the end of the battle. The moment Onoki landed, the Iwa commander turned to him with admiration in his eyes.

"Tsuchikage-sama, we have the entire village under control, but we were not able to capture everyone. A few Taki shinobi managed to slip past our ambush," the commander shared the current battle status with Onoki, who simply gazed at the surrounding battlefield.

"Have all our Ninjas secure a perimeter and build a forward base. The village is well fortified to suit our needs. Make sure that the package is delivered without delay. We don't have a lot of time. Now that the Taki Shinobi are on the run, the whole Shinobi world will not know about this, and it would only mean war. We cannot let go of this advantage. I have already made plans. Just get the package delivered safely as soon as possible. We only have two days at most before everyone gets wind of this news."

Onoki passed his orders down to his commander for him to follow. Onoki was making his first move, and he was planning to make a grand one. With the Raikage on his way to the Leaf for a peace talk, Onoki couldn't let go of such an opportunity.

Originally, even with Iwagakure's strength, taking down Takigakure so swiftly without anyone knowing was impossible. However, Onoki got the help of a Takigakure missing nin who had sold out the village along with all the details of its defenses, so the Iwa army could strike the heart of the village directly.

"Tsuchikage-sama, why don't we take it for ourselves? It will surely bolster our military might by a huge margin. And are you sure about paying that mercenary such a large amount? It's not like he can do anything if we defer payment," the Iwa Jonin commander couldn't help but question when he knew what Onoki's upcoming plans were.

"No, taking it for ourselves will make all the major villages target us. We would have been put in a similar position as the Leaf Village in the past three Shinobi wars. Every major village will come after us as one, and Takigakure was not meant to have it in the first place. Even I have no idea they had possession of it until recently." Although saying such words made Onoki feel somewhat bitter, he clearly knew that Iwa was not strong enough to face the combined might of all the major villages.

"Understood, Tsuchikage-sama. I will carry out your orders. What about the civilians and the captured Shinobi?" The commander asked, wanting to know the fate of the now-captured Takigakure prisoners.

"There is no point in keeping the ninjas who resist; kill them off. Use the rest as cannon fodder against our upcoming attack on Kumo. Make sure to plant explosive seals in case they get any bright ideas or try to run away. As for the civilians, screen them properly, keep them confined for about a week, and then release them. Make sure there are no Shinobi hiding among them."

Onoki made a quick and cruel decision about the fate of the Takigakure survivors. He very much wanted to slaughter everyone, but he knew that when a major ninja village killed too many civilians unnecessarily, it would only create a huge backlash.

"Transport every last bit of resource back to the village. We will need everything that we can take for the upcoming war. And as for the mercenary, pay him; he might be of some use in the future." Onoki flew away towards their rear line, leaving the Jonin commander to carry out his order. The elite Iwa Jonin quickly got to work to execute the Tsuchikage's order."

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Mountain's Graveyard

In an underground lab, A masked Uchiha was currently tinkering with a white Zetsu clone that lay on the operating table. Zetsu popped out of the wall with delight evident on his face. Obito stopped what he was doing and turned towards the newcomer.

"Zetsu, why are you here? Did I not ask you to keep an eye on Nagato along with Tobi?" Obito walked past Zetsu and reached a basin to wash his hands. Zetsu sank down into the wall and popped back out from the floor next to Obito.

"I know, Obito, but I have important news. As for Nagato, I am sure Tobi will be able to keep an eye on him in my absence." Zetsu shared with a creepy smile on his face.

"What important news? Stop posturing and tell me quickly. I have other important things to attend to," Obito said in a neutral tone, gesturing towards the white Zetsu that lay on the operating table.

Zetsu, understanding that Obito's patience was running thin, did not dawdle anymore. "Takigakure has fallen. Iwa has complete control of the village. Their army is moving towards Kumo as we speak," Zetsu shared as he danced around.

Obito, washing his hands, paused as he absorbed Zetsu's news. He showed more interest because this meant war, and a war was always welcome to further his goals.

"Do the other villages know? There is no point if the villages are already prepared." Obito's mind couldn't help but form various plans as he questioned Zetsu about the current status.

"Well, there were quite a few spies who slipped past the Iwagakure net, but I made sure to silence them all. So you can rest assured that the other villages won't know about it immediately," Zetsu shared, as if wanting to hear some praise from Obito.

"Any idea how Iwa was able to subdue Taki so fast? Their defenses should not have fallen so fast, and not without alerting the rest." Obito was now fully concentrating on Zetsu, waiting for his answer. Zetsu stopped dancing and answered Obito's question.

"It was a missing nin from Takigakure, Kakuzu, who helped Iwa completely bypass all of Takigakure's defenses and led them straight into the village. The Takigakure Shinobi were completely caught off guard." Zetsu then started explaining all the details that he had collected, and the more he shared, the more ecstatic Obito became. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"Guess it's time I get back to Kirigakure. I can't let them stay out of such a bloodbath. I still have to properly pay them back for causing Rin's death." Obito quickly walked towards a shelf and picked up a few scrolls, addressing Zetsu.

"Zetsu, I have a mission for you. Make the journey for the Iwa army as easy as possible by concealing yourself. I don't want the major villages pulling back out of the war at the last minute." Obito casually mentioned the upcoming mission for Zetsu.

"Say, Obito, what about the seven tails? Are we not going after it?" Zetsu wanted to know what their plans were going to be because, as it is, the war seemed inevitable.

"No, it's still too early to go after the bijuu. However, let Nagato know about the war and inform him about the Takigakure missing nin. He should be a nice addition to Akatsuki. Tell Nagato that it's time to start recruiting more members. We will have to move up our plans a bit." Obito passed his instructions on to Zetsu.

"What about the rain village, Obito? Are we going to take part in the coming war? Because I am sure the border countries will not be spared if a full-scale war breaks out." Zetsu shared his concern, as Akatsuki was still relatively new, and although they had a few members, they were still not strong enough to expose themselves to the Shinobi world.