Chapter 112: The Impending Great War Between the Empire and the Ninja World!

Chapter 112: The Impending Great War Between the Empire and the Ninja World!

"Oh dear! That was too close; my head almost got blown off. If that had happened, I would never have known what it feels like to have a bowel movement!"

The white-headed man screamed in terror.

"Calm down, Fourth Raikage," said the black-headed man helplessly.

"Damn you scumbags! Where have you hidden Bee?" The Fourth Raikage clenched his fists, ready to launch another attack at any moment.

"Who said we captured Killer B?" asked Heiju.

"What do you mean? If it wasn't you, then who did it?"

"The Empire. This is all a plot by the Empire," Heiju said seriously.

"The Empire..." The Fourth Raikage fell silent.

He wasn't sure which side was telling the truth.

"They said it wasn't them. Are they deceiving us?" asked a Yun ninja.

"Those guys are an external force that wants to unify the world by force and then destroy it. Why would you believe them? They're just trying to shift the blame to us because they fear the might of the Akatsuki," Heiju explained.

"Don't try to wriggle out of this! I'm certain that it was your Akatsuki who invaded Sunagakure and kidnapped me, not Deidara of the Empire!" Gaara glared at Heiju's attempt to deflect the blame.

"I admit that it was our doing at that time, but Killer B and Uzumaki Naruto were not kidnapped by us. It was the Empire! They are powerful, but they also fear us uniting because that's the only way to defeat them. So, they will try to drive a wedge between us. And naturally, our organization's past actions in capturing the tailed beasts became their target," Heiju said sincerely, his pitch-black face showing a rare moment of honesty.

Gaara's eyes flickered with uncertainty, and he remained silent for a moment.

"If you want to gain our trust, Akatsuki, then show us everything you have," Gaara demanded.

"I'm afraid that's not possible," Heiju shook his head.

"What? Then you're not worth trusting!" The Raikage shouted angrily.

"Look up into the distance," Heiju instructed.

Everyone looked up but frowned, seeing nothing. "Are you trying to trick us? There's nothing there."

"Look at the fifty-degree angle. Those birds over there—they're not ordinary birds; they're spiritual beasts used for surveillance," Heiju explained.

As a creation of Hagoromo Otsutsuki, Heiju might not have been a powerful fighter, but his perception and senses were exceptionally keen. He had even detected something unusual about the Empire's biomimetic reconnaissance drones.

However, the Kage and ninjas present couldn't make sense of what he was talking about.

"Spiritual beasts... I can't sense any chakra from them. How can you say they're spiritual beasts?" One of the ninjas expressed doubt.

"Ask the Byakugan user. He should be able to see something," Heiju said, turning to Ao.

"They're indeed different from ordinary birds. Their bodies have mechanical structures," Ao confirmed.

"It's true, then..." The ninjas' hearts sank as they unconsciously took a few steps back, wanting to move out of the surveillance birds' possible line of sight.

"Does this mean that all our actions, including our previous decisions, are under their control?" One of the ninjas asked worriedly.

"These surveillance beasts are quite rare in Konoha, mostly found in the other countries. But we still need to be extra cautious. This is also why I can't let you go to the organization. If they perceive us as united, and the Empire launches an attack, this world will truly be doomed," Heiju said gravely.

"Akatsuki isn't a benevolent organization, but to counter the Empire, we have no choice, everyone!" Jiraiya added.

"But can we really win against the Empire by uniting?" Tsunade voiced her doubts. "Even Kage seem insignificant compared to those powerful people from the Empire."

"Our organization's leader... possesses the Rinnegan," Heiju dropped a bombshell that would stun any ordinary ninja.

"Rinnegan? What's that?" The Raikage was perplexed.

"Rinnegan... Could it be that pair of eyes?" Oonoki furrowed his brows.

"Legend has it that the Sage of Six Paths, who created the world, possessed such a pair of eyes..." Gaara explained.

"Are you joking? How could those eyes possibly exist?" The Raikage remained skeptical.

"They do exist!" Jiraiya asserted firmly.

"Why are you so sure?"

"Because I've encountered the owner of the Rinnegan before!" Jiraiya revealed.

"What?! You've met him?!?" The ninjas' eyes widened in surprise.

"The owner of the Rinnegan you're talking about is Nagato, isn't it?" Jiraiya stared intently at Heiju.

"Yes, it's Nagato," Heiju nodded in agreement.

"So it was him... Is he the one who founded Akatsuki?" Jiraiya's expression grew complex.

"Yes, Nagato is the leader of Akatsuki. He wanted to change the ninja world and create a peaceful world. He originally planned to gather the tailed beasts to achieve his goal.

"However, the emergence of the Empire changed everything. Even with the strength of a leader, it's challenging to defeat some of their experts... which is why we have no choice but to cooperate with all of you."

Heiju's expression turned solemn.

Jiraiya muttered to himself, "Nagato... Rinnegan... Change the world, a peaceful world... Is this the prophecy dream of the Great Sage Toad, Jiraiya? If we win, will it be the beautiful world as it was in the beginning, and if we lose... will it be a world of purgatory?"

"Can't even the owner of the Sage of Six Paths' eyes defeat the Empire?" The group fell into a somber mood.

"The Empire is very powerful. We can't rely solely on the living. So, our organization, Akatsuki, has prepared another group of allies. With their help, we will have a chance to emerge victorious!" Heiju declared.

"Who do you refer to?"

"The deceased souls from the Yellow Springs!"

"What? You mean Impure World Reincarnation? The evil ninja technique developed by the Second Hokage of Konoha?" Oonoki exclaimed, his face involuntarily showing a hint of rejection.

The other ninjas also wore displeased expressions upon hearing this.

"Indeed, it's the Impure World Reincarnation. Only with this can we have a chance of winning!"

"But that's a desecration of the dead!"

"No! This ninja technique is the protection of our predecessors! They will stand with us! We will fight alongside our predecessors to protect our world and our villages!" Heiju explained.

The group of ninjas listened with wavering hearts.

"Fight alongside our predecessors to protect the world?"

"If we have the power of our predecessors... perhaps we can truly defeat the Empire!"

"That's right! With the strength of our predecessors, we cannot lose!"

"The First Kage, the Second Kage, and all the other legendary figures! We cannot lose!"

The ninjas murmured among themselves, their voices gradually filling with confidence.

"Before that, I need everyone to collect as many items containing the genes of our predecessors as possible. And as a show of goodwill, I will share the Impure World Reincarnation technique with all of you."

"For the peace of the world... this is the only way."

Several days passed quickly.

The people from the Empire and Konoha gathered together, frowning.

Tsunade looked at Gaara and asked, "Still no sign of Naruto?"

"We've searched most areas, but there's no trace of them on the ground... However, we've discovered some other unpleasant developments." Gaara replied, his brow furrowed in concern.

"What other unpleasant things? What do you mean?"

"The four great ninja villages—Cloud, Rock, Sand, and Mist—and the four great nations are mobilizing their forces... and now they've assembled together," Gaara explained, causing the people present to look surprised.

"What? Are they planning to rebel?"

"Have they gone mad? Didn't they realize the gap in power after the sparring a few days ago?"

"Those guys... they shouldn't be that stupid. What gave them this false hope and illusion?"

The Empire's group was perplexed and incredulous.

Tsunade, Kakashi, and Shikamaru from Konoha were also at a loss for words.

"Is it because they still haven't witnessed enough and continue to live in fantasy?"

"Tsk! They're a bunch of stubborn idiots! It seems we'll have to pay their villages a visit and teach them a thorough lesson so they understand the gap in power!" Deidara clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed.

"I heard that in the past, the old man also resisted His Majesty's unification efforts. In the end, His Majesty went to the Rock Village alone and had a friendly exchange with the entire village, after which they finally submitted. That 'exchange' was probably a thorough beating. Hmm... indeed, it seems the only way to make them behave is to have one person crush their entire village."

Haku added, "To crush a village with the power of one person is, to be honest, quite impressive. After all, those guys aren't fools or weaklings. The combined might of their ninja techniques is usually hard to withstand, but two or three people should be enough to handle it. So, shall we assign people from each state to deal with their corresponding villages?"

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't decide things so hastily! We people from the Fire State are not pushovers either. Let's discuss this properly and decide on the allocation of manpower." Ten Ten interjected.

"That's right! I also want to fight the people from other villages! I was so envious watching everyone burning with passion a few days ago. Ahhh! I can't take it anymore! I'm going to do one-mile frog jumps right here!" Rock Lee shouted.

The group from the Empire seemed to have an extremely fervent desire for battle.

"Everyone, stop arguing... Those guys have already started moving towards Konoha... It seems they're preparing to take the initiative... But apart from ordinary ninjas, there are some other entities among their ranks..." Gaara's voice trailed off.

In a certain outlying area, the four great ninja villages had gathered.

A dense crowd stood together, their eyes shining with excitement as they looked towards the front.

There... one figure after another slowly opened their eyes, revealing black sclera.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end