Menma Yulin’s voice was quiet, but his deep, steady voice carried to the ears of everyone on the plain.
The Grass shinobi raised their heads and stared solemnly at the sky. Their eyes were filled with the resolve of people bidding farewell.
"Long live the Land of Earth!"
They absolutely had to shout this.
They had to make it clear that this was a war between the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire.
But the words "Long live the Land of Grass!" could only be kept in their hearts.
A deafening roar swept across the land like a vast flood.
Under Menma Yulin’s command, the army of the Land of Grass charged toward the Hidden Whirlpool Village’s camp like an unstoppable tide.
At this moment, the people of the Hidden Whirlpool Village were immersed in a sea of celebration.
Barbecue, beer, singing, dancing, and street performances.
It was as though this wasn’t a military camp at all, but a bustling marketplace.
Everyone was indulging themselves in pleasure. For those who had lost their purpose in life, only entertainment was enough to fill the emptiness in their hearts.
Amidst the countless people, only Obito, who stood out like a sore thumb, noticed the changes outside the camp.
A sudden stabbing pain in his eyes caused Obito to unconsciously activate his Sharingan.
He immediately saw that the Stone shinobi, who should have already retreated, were charging toward them in formation.
Obito was startled. He hurried over to Mimura Yamakura and said:
"Lord Mimura! There’s an enemy! The Stone shinobi are attacking us!"
Mimura was startled as well.
He trusted Obito. The ability to detect things with their eyes was practically a racial talent of the Uchiha. In terms of reconnaissance, perhaps only the Hyūga in Konoha could surpass them.
However, the leader of the Mitokado faction, Mitokado Rō, had drunk too much and didn’t take it seriously.
Holding a wine bottle, he even patted Obito on the shoulder.
"Little Uchiha, don’t be so naive. The Stone shinobi definitely aren’t brave enough to launch an attack! You Uchiha are always like this, making a fuss over nothing!"
After leaving Konoha, many shinobi had developed the habit of making fun of the Uchiha for entertainment.
"If the Stone shinobi really came, then let’s give them a taste of us!"
A group of Mitokado-affiliated shinobi joined in the jeering.
But reality was always quick to slap people in the face.
"Whoosh!"
Dozens of enormous ghost lanterns shot into the sky.
Menma Yulin followed closely behind, with four more Stone shinobi dressed in earth-yellow clothing behind him.
"Fire Release: Ghost Lantern!"
The Ghost Lanterns spewed countless ghostly flames, attacking the Hidden Whirlpool Village’s camp from every direction.
Panic descended once again.
From the moment the first explosion sounded, chaos erupted throughout the camp.
Caught completely off guard by the sudden attack, the shinobi of the Hidden Whirlpool Village scattered like headless flies.
And when shinobi possessing enormous destructive power fell into a panic, the consequences were far more terrifying than an ordinary stampede.
This wasn’t simply a matter of people trampling one another.
The ghostly flames ignited the tents, set the barbecue fires ablaze, and detonated the equipment carried by the Hidden Whirlpool Village.
The entire Konoha camp descended into chaos.
Only moments ago, the camp had been filled with laughter and excitement.
Now, screams rang out from every direction.
"What happened?!"
The Konoha shinobi hadn’t even recovered from the revelry of the banquet when numerous people had already been killed.
"Don’t panic! Prepare to counterattack!"
Mimura Yamakura dragged Obito along with him, doing his best to prevent the panic from spreading.
But the effect was minimal.
"What happened? How could the Stone shinobi be here?!"
The merciless flames continued to burn and explode.
The former Konoha shinobi were once again experiencing the same kind of disaster they had faced before.
Yet even though they had gained experience from the previous incident, their performance remained terrible.
"Where are the Uchiha?! Where is Lord Minato?! Go ask them for help!"
Many commanders shouted at the top of their lungs.
But help from far away couldn’t put out a fire that was already burning at their doorstep.
There was enough time for Minato Namikaze to reach the battlefield in the Land of Grass.
The chaos within the Hidden Whirlpool Village’s camp, however, wasn’t going to improve simply because people shouted.
The first wave of attacks had now passed.
And the Konoha shinobi’s performance was actually even worse than that of the Grass Shinobi Village’s forces when they had been attacked by the Uchiha.
Menma Yulin stood with his hands behind his back, staring at the scene before him in disbelief.
"Did I somehow sleep through today? How can Konoha’s people possibly be this useless?!"
What was going on today?
There were surprises everywhere.
Menma felt as though the world itself was playing a joke on him.
If Konoha’s shinobi were really this weak, how had they managed to occupy the most fertile lands?
A Grass shinobi beside Menma hurriedly explained:
"My lord, these shinobi were ultimately abandoned by the current Konoha and the current Naka. It’s normal for them to be this vulnerable!"
Even so, Menma Yulin still couldn’t believe it.
Based on the historical battlefield records of small nations, they normally needed at least three times the enemy’s military strength to contend with shinobi from a Great Nation.
If they were facing shinobi from a powerful clan, they needed at least five times the numbers.
But right now—
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Grass shinobi were actually chasing groups of three or five Konoha shinobi at a time.
The sound of kunai tearing into flesh and bone echoed throughout the valley, while agonized screams shook the heavens and earth.
The Grass shinobi shouted excitedly, already forgetting their strategic objective and even forgetting about the uniforms they were wearing.
They no longer cared about exposing their identities.
"For the Land of Earth! For the Land of Grass! Kill Konoha!"
The Grass shinobi’s unique ninjutsu, the swaying Ghost Lanterns, began to expand.
They resembled stars suddenly illuminating an endless night.
"Boom!"
When the Ghost Lanterns condensed into an almost transparent form, a mass of white light containing tremendous energy began spreading horizontally.
Its momentum was overwhelming and unstoppable, as though it could annihilate everything in its path.
Seeing that the Konoha shinobi were about to suffer a devastating blow, Obito finally acted.
"Clang!"
The streak of white light that seemed to tear through space was released by Obito.
More than a thousand ghostly flames vanished like mud cows entering the sea the moment they plunged into the white light, without causing even the slightest ripple.
But clearly, the Ghost Lantern flames released by the Grass shinobi couldn’t be neutralized by a single beam of white light.
After the white light erased part of the flames, the remaining ghostly fire continued expanding outward, devouring everything it touched.
However, because the area it covered had increased dramatically, the flames’ rate of expansion slowed somewhat.
"Ha!"
Mimura Yamakura—wearing a blue shinobi cap, a full beard, a black close-fitting combat uniform, and a green jōnin flak jacket—abruptly brought his hands together.
The chaos among the Konoha forces had cost him his opportunity to command the battlefield.
Now, he could only rely on his own strength.
Fortunately, Obito had bought him some time.
Now it was his turn to act.
"Earth Release: Earth-Flow Cannon!"
In an instant, thousands upon thousands of enormous boulders, each more than ten meters in diameter, appeared.
They shot toward the ghostly flames with tremendous force.
The Ghost Lantern flames, which had already condensed into a hemispherical shield of light, collided with countless brown earthen boulders in midair.
Neither side gave way.
The scene was beautiful yet filled with murderous intent.
For the first time, the commanders of both sides faced one another directly.
And at last, the troops on both sides had found someone they could rally around.
"Get out of the way!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The ghostly flames collided with the massive rocks.
Chunks of earth and stone of various sizes rained down.
Fortunately, before the falling debris could strike the heads of the people below, the Konoha forces had already been scattered by the Grass shinobi.
For a moment, yellow sand filled the sky.
The heavens seemed to darken suddenly.
Even the raging white light was no longer dazzling and gradually began to contract inward.
The faces, bodies, and even hair of the Grass shinobi were covered in coarse yellow sand.
The sound of them shaking the sand from themselves rose one after another.
"What a mess..."
The black-and-white-faced figure hiding behind the Grass shinobi muttered under his breath.
The person standing beside Menma Yulin was naturally his own arm.
This was Black Zetsu.
"Two jōnin with that little chakra between them—how can they casually use such chakra-intensive ninjutsu?"
Black Zetsu unhappily stared at the white light that was about to disappear.
His eyes suddenly became sharp.
He swung one arm backward, his sleeve whipping through the air.
A tree suddenly rose from the ground.
"Wood Release: Cutting Seedling Technique!"
Countless rootless plants and vines erupted upward, blocking the fleeing Konoha shinobi.
Black Zetsu’s objective was to bury everyone from Konoha here.
The clash between the Stone shinobi and Konoha would keep Konoha occupied for quite some time.
And if one Uchiha disappeared on the battlefield, naturally, no one would care.
Black Zetsu’s little tricks weren’t hidden from anyone.
After all, the best way to keep a secret was to leave no survivors.
The Grass shinobi and Konoha shinobi would all die here.
So there was nothing left to conceal.
Black Zetsu had spent more than a thousand years maneuvering through the shinobi world.
He hadn’t survived all this time for nothing.
In order to resurrect his mother, Kaguya ōtsutsuki, he had extracted the humans from ancient times who had been trapped within the Infinite Tsukuyomi from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, turning them into Kaguya’s army.
The White Zetsu Army.
White Zetsu possessed countless clones.
Most of them had weak combat capabilities and could only be used for reconnaissance, but there were also powerful individuals like Zetsu’s combat-capable clone, Zetsu "Fly."
Yes.
There had already been an Infinite Tsukuyomi in ancient times.
Using a genuine historical example to deceive Madara would naturally make the lie more convincing.
As for who had cast that ancient Infinite Tsukuyomi, no one knew.
And as for why it had been cast, that too was simply part of the story.
As for why Black Zetsu, despite possessing enough power to kill both sides, had gone to such lengths instead, the reason was naturally to conceal the existence of the White Zetsu.
To conceal the existence of things that had once existed.
A thousand years was enough time to erase almost anything.
But it couldn’t erase the memories of someone who had also lived for a thousand years.
"Hmph! Those Uchiha lapdogs from Ryūchi Cave. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have had to work this hard today!"
If Madara weren’t so useless, Black Zetsu wouldn’t have to work nearly this hard.
There were two necessary conditions for resurrecting Kaguya ōtsutsuki.
The first was the God Tree.
The second was the Infinite Tsukuyomi cast through the Rinnegan.
But the chakra of Hagoromo that was necessary to awaken the Rinnegan—the chakra of the Sage of Six Paths—had been divided between Indra and Asura, as well as the Tailed Beasts that could ultimately form the Ten-Tails.
Those components had also been scattered throughout the world.
To resurrect Kaguya, every one of these elements had to be gathered.
Therefore, Black Zetsu needed an extremely long period of time.
The process had already taken far too long.
Even if Madara had proven useless, Black Zetsu no longer had the option of turning back.
Perhaps this was what people called the sunk-cost fallacy.
Black Zetsu had invested too much in Madara.
And capturing Obito this time was the key.
Only by allowing Madara to die would Indra’s chakra have a chance to reincarnate.
And the person who would succeed Madara had already been designated by Madara himself.
Black Zetsu had no choice in the matter.
Likewise, only after Indra reincarnated would Asura reincarnate as well.
Right now, if Madara didn’t die, Black Zetsu couldn’t sleep!
Who knew what Madara was thinking?
He had actually decided to use Obito’s hatred toward Konoha and the Hidden Whirlpool Village to stir up trouble.
Was this supposed to be the opportunity for the next stage of the plan?
The more Black Zetsu thought about it, the less reliable it seemed!
What?
Obito didn’t hate Konoha?
Don’t worry.
He would soon have plenty of reasons to.
In order to make Obito hate the Hidden Whirlpool Village, Madara had mobilized the Mist shinobi in the east.
And now, the person who had become the pillar supporting Obito’s life—the one who had carried his faith—Nohara Rin was about to have a story of her own.
As for why they had chosen Obito in the first place...
After all, there were so many Uchiha in Naka right now. There seemed to be plenty of possible choices.
Although Black Zetsu claimed to be the incarnation of Madara’s will, he had never been able to keep up with the way Madara’s mind worked.
"Naka really is better..."
The legend of someone cleaving a mountain to save his mother had spread throughout Naka.
Black Zetsu had heard it too.
He found it deeply relatable.
The road to saving one’s mother required many companions.
Unfortunately, the people of Naka all had their own stories.
Now, Black Zetsu was writing his own legend as well.
And the most important point was—
Black Zetsu raised the fingertips of his left hand slightly, stopping himself from continuing down this train of thought.
The road is long and arduous. Stay focused. Stay focused.
His robe fluttered.
A cluster of tiny white spores shot in every direction.
"Wood Release: Explosive Spores Technique!"
"Buzz!"
At some point, countless White Zetsu had appeared around them.
They all performed the same ninjutsu.
Even within the ranks of the Konoha and Grass shinobi, White Zetsu disguised with the Transformation Technique had infiltrated their ranks.
One hemispherical barrier after another spread outward before rapidly contracting inward.
In the end, they enclosed the entire camp of the Land of Whirlpools.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Just as Konoha’s counterattack had taken shape, it was struck by countless exploding spores.
The explosions sent ripples spreading outward, accompanied by faint tremors.
Whether it was the massive boulders charging forward or the terrifying ghostly flames, everything was reduced to dust.
A gentle breeze scattered the powder until nothing remained.
"This chakra... Something’s wrong!"
Menma Yulin’s pupils suddenly contracted.
As expected, a third force had finally appeared.
All the strange events of the day suddenly made sense with the arrival of this third force.
Yulin withdrew his hands and ignored the rapidly dissipating ghostly flames.
His sharp eyes fixed on the Grass shinobi standing beside him.
He slowly said:
"I knew there was something wrong with you from the beginning. Tell me. What exactly are you people trying to accomplish? As long as you give the Grass shinobi a way out, we’ll cooperate with you."
There was even a hint of pleading in Menma’s voice.
But the Grass shinobi looked him up and down with a probing gaze.
Then he suddenly threw his head back and laughed.
"As expected of Menma of the Hui Clan. You’re certainly perceptive. You don’t seem like a despicable Grass shinobi at all!"
Although the Grass shinobi wore a smile, his voice was ice-cold.
His gaze casually swept over Menma Yulin.
"Unfortunately, that’s not something I can decide."
As he spoke, the Grass shinobi suddenly froze.
He looked toward Black Zetsu in the distance with an expression of utter astonishment.
This Grass shinobi was naturally a White Zetsu using the Transformation Technique.
He had sensed a powerful individual nearby who wasn’t concealing his presence in the slightest.
That strange and overwhelming aura felt extremely familiar.
It seemed to carry the presence of Lord Madara.
Someone had awakened his eyes on the battlefield!
A shadow enveloped the heavens.
Brilliant sunlight streamed through the clouds and illuminated the gigantic figure below.
"Snap!"
The battlefield fell silent.
"Whoosh!"
Obito looked down from the sky.
The not-so-vast plain below was densely covered with countless tiny green dots and yellow dots.
Yellow and green intertwined, while red stained the earth.
For a moment, blood splattered everywhere and countless bodies overlapped.
"Boom!"
A bolt of lightning suddenly illuminated the heavens.
Under the reflection of the lightning, a black-haired, blue-clad youth stood between heaven and earth, his expression numb.
"Mangekyō Sharingan!"
Black Zetsu and the White Zetsu stared at the scene before them in disbelief.
"How is this possible?!"
And just as Black Zetsu was stunned by what he was seeing—
Obito swung his blade.
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