Undercurrents In The Ninja World (Part 1)

Apart from Uchiha Madara, the ninjas from the five great hidden villages who had previously been driven away by Fuma were also closely monitoring the situation in Hozuki Castle.

After all, this matter involved the Six Paths Treasures and was related to Fuma, the supernova of Konoha. It was certainly the kind of news that could top the headlines across the entire ninja world.

Unfortunately, due to Fuma's overwhelming power, no one dared to stay behind and witness the battle between Fuma and Madara firsthand.

However, a few days later, when scouts returned, they were bewildered and terrified by what they saw.

The once-majestic Hozuki Castle had completely vanished without a trace, leaving only a massive crater created by Chibaku Tensei and the Box of Ultimate Bliss standing silently in the desolate wilderness.

This apocalyptic scene filled the ninjas from the great villages with fear.

"What kind of battle could have turned Hozuki Castle into this?"

"A technique of this scale… if unleashed on a battlefield, it would be even more terrifying than a Tailed Beast Bomb, wouldn't it?"

The power of Chibaku Tensei had already surpassed the understanding of most ninjas, but it also stirred greed in their hearts.

"Could this be the power granted by the Box of Ultimate Bliss?"

But when they approached, the box suddenly opened its giant maw, releasing a powerful suction force that devoured all the ninjas who got too close.

Among those devoured were some seasoned and renowned jōnin, which scared everyone else away. No one dared to approach the seemingly unguarded treasure anymore, and they resorted to observing it from a distance.

The abnormality of the Box of Ultimate Bliss and Fuma's escape were both recorded by sensor ninjas and quickly reported back to their respective villages.

Interestingly, Konoha suffered the most casualties from these investigations, particularly among the Root Division…

.......

In Iwagakure~

The sturdy, honest Akatsuchi stood at attention, nervously waiting for his father's reprimand.

"Lord Tsuchikage, the intel regarding Uchiha Fuma and the Box of Ultimate Bliss is all here. Please review it."

Ōnoki floated in the air, his expression grave as he scanned the intelligence before him.

At this time, his back was still strong, not yet frail like it would be in two decades. He stood as straight as a steel beam.

"You failed this mission, but I don't blame you, Akatsuchi . Konoha is always like this. It's not unusual for the village founded by the God of Shinobi to occasionally produce a few geniuses, is it?"

"What's more, the Uchiha Clan, which once gave birth to a powerhouse equal to the God of Shinobi… You've done your best. Don't dwell on it."

Akatsuchi looked up in confusion, surprised by his father's words.

His father had always been a strict ruler, managing Iwagakure with an iron hand. Not even Akatsuchi, his son, received any special treatment.

So what was happening today?

"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage. I'll take my leave then."

He suppressed his curiosity and respectfully withdrew without asking further questions.

As Akatsuchi departed, Ōnoki watched his son's broad figure fade away, a trace of helplessness flickering in his eyes. He sighed softly:

"As expected of Konoha… Every generation produces a few exceptional talents."

"Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama at the village's founding, followed by Tobirama Senju, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Danzō Shimura…"

"Now, there's another group—Hiruzen's disciples, Hatake Sakumo, Uchiha Fuma. If these ninjas were in Iwagakure, any one of them would become a cornerstone of our village."

"And yet, here in Iwagakure, apart from myself, there isn't a single person with the potential to succeed me as Tsuchikage…"

Ōnoki sighed. If he had such powerful individuals at his disposal, Iwagakure would have long since unified the ninja world, rather than languishing in its current state of stagnation.

"Akatsuchi may have abundant chakra, but he has yet to even touch the threshold of Dust Release. Given the current state of the ninja world, he simply isn't suited to be Iwagakure's heir…"

"Mogura, Higashishinin, Daiseki, Sekidō, Fumiga, Kōhikari… It's no use…"

Ōnoki mentally ran through the names of Iwagakure's elite jōnin, feeling a growing headache.

Though the village had plenty of elite jōnin, Ōnoki was certain that none had the potential to reach the level of a Kage.

As for Roshi and Han, though they were beginning to master the powers of their Tailed Beasts, they were growing increasingly dissatisfied with Iwagakure's policies, and their relationship with Ōnoki was rapidly deteriorating.

"Those two fools don't understand how difficult it is to maintain Iwagakure's position in the ninja world!"

Ōnoki muttered under his breath, feeling helpless.

He knew his village's situation all too well. Once he realized the current generation of Iwagakure ninjas lacked extraordinary talent, he decisively opted for the path of "expanding the army," choosing to rely on numbers to compensate for quality.

Currently, Iwagakure had the largest number of ninjas among the five great villages, with two or three units of fully trained ninjas ready to deploy at any time.

But the downside was the strain on resources and the challenge of managing such a vast force.

Without a strong leader, Iwagakure could only rely on large-scale military formations in battle to maximize its numerical advantage.

But this required strict cooperation between all units, leading to extremely rigid management. This, in turn, caused great dissatisfaction among the village's Tailed Beast hosts, who resented the tight control.

After all, no one with great power likes being bound by strict rules.

To make matters worse, Iwagakure's rocky, mountainous terrain didn't produce enough resources to sustain such a large ninja population. They were forced to seek aid from the daimyo and dip into emergency reserves.

But ninjas were insatiable. The amount of resources available per capita was steadily dwindling, and no matter how much propaganda Ōnoki used, he couldn't hide this harsh reality.

And the name "Uchiha" stirred up Ōnoki's long-buried memories of humiliation.

"Is the ninja world about to suffer under the Uchiha clan once again?"

Ōnoki mused over Fuma's accomplishments, feeling a toothache coming on.

Judging by Fuma's age, he could hardly be considered a newcomer to the ninja world, but his meteoric rise to fame was undeniable. He had barely emerged into the public eye before achieving the feat of slaying a jinchūriki.

Now, he was associated with the Six Paths Treasures. To those unfamiliar with his background, his power seemed to be growing at a terrifying rate, as if skyrocketing without limit.

"Could he be the next Uchiha Madara? The Uchiha clan, with their penchant for violence and power, are truly a plague upon the ninja world…"

In Ōnoki's mind, a long-buried memory surfaced once more.

It was the image of a towering blue giant wielding an unstoppable katana, slicing through all of his master's pride. That moment had left an indelible scar on Ōnoki's young mind.

"Even those Uchiha who don't follow the path of their bloodline are bound to become troublemakers in this world. Eventually, Fuma will become a major threat to Iwagakure."

Ōnoki's gaze turned fierce as he formed a white cylindrical mass in his hand. It hummed with energy, and even the air around it seemed to be disintegrating.

"I will carry on the will of the previous Tsuchikages…"

"With Dust Release, I will make this ninja world understand that no one is invincible!"

After his master, Mu, had been crushed by Uchiha Madara, he had devoted years of his life to developing the Kekkei Tota, Dust Release, which had never before been seen in the ninja world.

Yet fate was cruel. Before he could even display Dust Release's full potential to Konoha and the rest of the ninja world, Mu had perished in mutual combat with a maniac from Kirigakure.

"Ishiwa-sama, Mu-sama, I will carry forward the Will of Stone, and Iwagakure will rise as the strongest village in the ninja world. Only then will I have repaid Iwagakure for nurturing me."

Ōnoki clasped his hands behind his back as he gazed at the map of the ninja world before him, deep in thought.

After a long silence, he let out a heavy sigh.

"It seems I must initiate a war sooner rather than later…"

Images of Iwagakure's many ninjas flashed through his mind—some honest and simple, others charming and cute. Many of them had loving families.

But in the current state of Iwagakure, the excess number of ninjas had become a burden that could only be alleviated through war.

All Ōnoki could do was try to secure greater benefits during the process.

Moreover, the patience of the two jinchūriki was wearing thin. Before they made any rash moves, he needed to send them to the battlefield.

"To be a Kage means to act decisively when necessary, even if it comes at a great cost…"

.....

Sunagakure~

In the upper echelons' meeting, the atmosphere was suffocatingly silent. Unlike Ōnoki, who still had cards left to play, Sunagakure was on its last legs.

Outwardly, they were still one of the Five Great Hidden Villages, but in truth, it was only because the smaller villages weren't strong enough to challenge them. If Hanzo's Amegakure still stood, it could easily have competed with Sunagakure at this point.

The resources in Sunagakure were more barren than those of many smaller villages. The Land of Wind was mostly sand and rocks, yielding few resources.

Meanwhile, the relationship between Sunagakure's leadership and the daimyo had deteriorated further, and without the financial support from the Land of Wind, Sunagakure was on the verge of collapse.

In terms of military strength, they were in just as bad a state. Their Tailed Beast, Shukaku, had been killed by Fuma, and both their lower-tier ninjas and upper leadership had suffered heavy losses.

The only reason Sunagakure hadn't completely fallen apart yet was likely due to fear of rebellion. The ninjas weren't getting much out of the current situation, so they were merely hanging on, struggling to survive.

"…That's the current situation."

The intelligence ninja reporting to the meeting was drenched in cold sweat, and the heavy, oppressive atmosphere in the room was unbearable.

"You did well. You may leave."

The Third Kazekage removed his hat, rubbing his temples as if to comfort himself, and said:

"It's fine. Our Sunagakure still has Rasa, who has inherited Magnet Release, and Pakura, who possesses Scorch Release. As long as these two grow, they'll be the foundation for our village's revival."

"And there's also the disciple of Master Bunpuku. He has already inherited his teachings and mastered the Spirit Exorcism Technique. He's a candidate to become the perfect jinchūriki for the One-Tail."

Chiyo sat silently beside him, her mind entirely focused on her grandson, Sasori, after losing her son and brother.

"Elder Chiyo, I've heard that your grandson Sasori has become the most talented puppet master in the village. To achieve such success at such a young age is truly remarkable."

The Third Kazekage complimented Chiyo, trying to draw her closer.

When Chiyo had traded her influence to allow Shukaku to be deployed, the Third Kazekage had been thrilled. After years of waiting, he had finally consolidated power in Sunagakure, giving him free rein to implement his plans.

But now, with the village in its current state, he was overwhelmed and had no choice but to swallow his pride and ask Chiyo to return to the upper ranks to stabilize the situation.

"Yes, Sasori is indeed a talented child."

A glimmer of hope flashed in Chiyo's eyes at the mention of Sasori's name, but it quickly faded, and she coldly replied:

"There may still be some talented ninjas in the village, but we need to provide them with an environment in which they can grow. In that regard, Lord Kazekage, you need to put in more effort."

"For example, take Rasa. Given the village's current financial situation, he probably has little time to train and is instead scouring the depths of the desert for gold mines, right? Wasting so much time—do you really think he'll become strong enough to bear the title of Kazekage in the future?"

"And as for Hoichi, the young monk, he harbors significant resentment over the death of Master Bunpuku. Whether he will even serve Sunagakure in the future remains uncertain…"

"Kazekage-sama, you really need to think carefully about the village's plans."

"I'm tired now, I'll go rest."

Chiyo turned and left without hesitation, making it clear she didn't want to engage with the Third Kazekage any further.

The Third Kazekage watched her leave, his expression flickering with a hint of anger.

"Rasa, Elder Chiyo's words may be harsh, but it's true that it's time for you to take on more responsibility for the village."

Rasa nodded respectfully and began discussing the gold mines he had already discovered in the desert of the Land of Wind.

As Chiyo walked home, her thoughts were not at peace. Sunagakure was already on the verge of splitting apart.

There were the puppet masters, the monks from the Temple of Wind, the Kazekage faction, the ninja clans, and the daimyo's faction. Each had their own interests, and none were willing to compromise.

Even in such poverty, they still clung to their ambitions, fighting to establish who would reign supreme.

Sasori's attitude towards the Third Kazekage and Rasa was especially troubling for Chiyo.

"Grandma, those worthless fools who caused the deaths of Uncle and Father—I'll turn them all into puppets someday and make them kneel at the gates of Sunagakure, atoning for a thousand years!"

"If I were in charge of Sunagakure, I'd spread the art of puppetry to every ninja. I wouldn't ever bow to those dog-like nobles!"

This was the first thing Sasori had said to Chiyo after locking himself away for over ten days following his father's death.

Unlike in the original timeline, Sasori still had his mother's love and hadn't developed a desire for immortality.

But the hatred born from the loss of his family had directed Sasori's resentment towards the village leadership, and he had developed an obsession with becoming Kazekage.

"Sasori, if that's what you truly want to do…"

"Then Grandma will fully support you…"

Rather than having the mediocre Third Kazekage barely keeping Sunagakure afloat, Chiyo would rather see her extraordinarily talented grandson lead the future of the Land of Wind.

Her pace quickened, a smile forming on her face as she hurried home.

........

Kumogakure~

"I've told you time and time again to focus on your training! Now look at you! The moment you faced an enemy, you ran back with your tail between your legs without even testing their strength!"

"How do you expect to become the Raikage at this rate? If this continues, don't ever tell anyone you're my son!"

The Third Raikage harshly rebuked his son.

A looked down, his face flushed with shame, unable to find the words to respond.

Meanwhile, Dodai, standing nearby, calmly interjected:

"Lord Raikage, Uchiha Fuma's combat prowess is already on par with yours. If A had fought him head-on, it would have led to unpredictable consequences."

"I was the one who issued the retreat order. Please don't be too hard on him."

The Third Raikage snorted, gesturing for A and Dodai to sit down as he spoke gravely:

"It's been barely a year since the skirmishes between Konoha, Sunagakure, and Amegakure, and yet the ninjas from the great villages are already getting restless again."

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