https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-959-Ai-Jiraiya-I-Have-a-Bone-to-Pick-with-the-Akatsuki-/13078691/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-961-Earth-Style-Creation-Dead-Soil-Technique-/13078693/
Chapter 960: Daioku: I Didn't Do It, I Swear! Don't Spread False Rumors!
Chapter 960: Daioku: I Didn't Do It, I Swear! Don't Spread False Rumors!
"Damn you, Akatsuki!"
Daioku's voice boomed with rage as he regained his composure after receiving a massage from Kurotsuchi, his anger reaching a boiling point.
He seemed to harbor even more hatred towards Akatsuki than Jiraiya and Ai.
Whether it was due to the assassination of the two countries' leaders and nobles or the fact that the Rock Country's nobility was left untouched was another matter.
In truth, it was a matter of 'distance.'
Both the Lightning Country and the Fire Country were not too far from the battlefield, but the Earth Country was just too far away. The lack of a coordinated attack time only exacerbated the timing discrepancy.
A few hours later, the news Daioku had been eagerly awaiting arrived.
Upon learning that the leaders and nobles of the two countries had met with misfortune, the Earth Country's leaders and nobles who had fled Kyoto also fell victim to assassination.
"It's Akatsuki!"
"It must have been Akatsuki!"
"We, the Rock Ninja, have an irreconcilable feud with Akatsuki!"
...
Daioku put on a performance worthy of an Oscar, portraying the image of someone who, upon hearing of an ally's demise, was ready to inherit their will and seek vengeance for them.
The key word here was 'will.'
After inheriting the will, it was only natural to also inherit the legacy, wasn't it?
His act might have fooled others, but it didn't deceive the four Kage present.
Even Jiraiya and Ai suspected that Daioku might have been behind it.
Indeed, this news was somewhat different.
It didn't explicitly mention the involvement of the Impure World Reincarnation.
However, Daioku's insistence that Akatsuki was responsible could raise doubts.
In fact, Daioku had considered taking the credit.
But with all the strong ninja from the Rock Hidden Village by his side, there was no one in the village capable of carrying out such a task. Without the involvement of a powerful ninja, the bodyguards of the leaders would be a formidable challenge.
Any slip-up could have dire consequences.
Therefore, regardless of who was responsible, he would quickly shift the blame onto Akatsuki.
He already had his suspicions.
Others might also speculate that he was the culprit.
But Daioku was well aware that he had not taken any action; it had to be someone else.
According to the reports from the Intelligence Division, the leaders and nobles were caught off guard and swiftly slaughtered by the enemy.
Only he, Akatsuki, and the Scorch Sun Nation could have pulled off such a feat.
He was also aware that the Shell Organization was a front for the Scorch Sun Nation, as there were Rock Ninja among the delegation sent to the Scorch Sun Nation the previous day.
However, all the Kage present chose to turn a blind eye to this knowledge.
The grudge with the Shell Organization would be settled, but not now! The most pressing matter was dealing with Akatsuki.
Only by eliminating them first could they then turn their attention to the Scorch Sun Nation. This order of operations must not be mistaken.
Therefore, until then, they couldn't afford to antagonize the Scorch Sun Nation.
Even if they knew that the Shell Organization was a front for the Scorch Sun Nation, and that Hyuga Aozuki, the Shell Organization member responsible for numerous astonishing feats, was involved, they had to pretend they were 'unaware.'
Daioku was clear about this, which was why he didn't add the Shell Organization to his list of suspects.
Because the Scorch Sun Nation and the Shell Organization were one and the same.
Among the three possibilities, he first ruled out himself and then Akatsuki.
If it was indeed their doing, they wouldn't need to hide it. So, there was only one remaining possibility.
The Scorch Sun Nation, or more specifically, Hyuga Aozuki of the Shell Organization!
Not only was their strength formidable, but they also possessed unique stealth capabilities, allowing them to approach and assassinate without a trace.
After realizing this, Daioku didn't bother explaining himself.
It was pointless!
He could believe that he wasn't responsible, but others wouldn't.
They would only see his gain and conclude that he had sent the assassins, refusing to listen to any explanations.
In fact, that's exactly what happened! Despite Jiraiya and Ai's attempts to console Daioku, assuring him that they would stand united and seek vengeance for the leaders and nobles, their eyes betrayed their thoughts, conveying the message, 'I didn't realize you were this ruthless, Daioku.'
(Daioku: I didn't do it, I swear! Don't spread false rumors!)
Indeed, Daioku was capable of such an act, as the Third Tsuchikage was not one to be trifled with; he was a true force to be reckoned with.
But he genuinely didn't want to take the blame for something he didn't do.
Thus, the three Kage fell into a state of 'grief.'
They even retreated to their rooms for a brief moment to 'recover' (to avoid bursting into laughter) before returning to discuss their plans for vengeance.
Now, they had an additional reason to take down Akatsuki.
However, in the span of a day and a half, not much progress had been made.
After killing a few thousand White Death Army soldiers, the majority of the Earthly Resurrection warriors, except for those who chose to join the Allied Forces, went into a 'rampage' and lost control, leaving the battlefield.
(Kabuto had specifically arranged this, as if left unchecked, most of them would have willingly chosen to be sealed!)
Not to mention, those official members of Akatsuki had already hidden themselves who knows where.
When it came to hiding themselves and running away with the Tobi, the Akatsuki members were truly skilled.
"Next, we'll pursue and eliminate Akatsuki with all our might!"
Ai had no choice but to make this decision.
Currently, they didn't have a better option; they could only respond to changes as they came.
The key issue was that the Scorch Sun Army was also nearby, watching them like a tiger eyeing its prey, even though they had obtained promises, the other party's reputation was extremely high, but they still had their reservations.
Not a single mistake, not a single shot, not a single movement, not a single expression, not a single breath, not a single glance at the book!
Anyway, the Allied Forces currently had the advantage, so staying stable was the best choice.
Hearing the Allied Forces' decision almost made someone laugh out loud.
Scorch Sun Army Flagship Bridge!
"Hahaha!"
Tang Ping burst into laughter.
He had never expected that the Allied Forces would make such a foolish move.
This was exactly like that line, 'I'd rather do nothing than make a mistake.'
Hmm, it could only be said that the present moment was just like the past.
If he were the Allied Forces, he would definitely find a way to take a gamble. Either they would directly retreat, passing the blame to their Scorch Sun Army, after all, Akatsuki's enemies were the entire Ninja World, or they would ignore the defensive line and launch a full-scale attack to eliminate the Akatsuki Organization.
Unfortunately, the Allied Forces didn't choose either of these options; they only chose the most stable but actually the worst option.
Of course, he wouldn't look down on the Allied Forces because of this.
Since the Allied Forces' command layer wasn't a single person, such a situation could occur.
If any one of Ai, Daioku, or Jiraiya were to take full control, they would definitely make the right choice.
But the Allied Forces' command layer consisted of the Five Kage, and no single person could take full control.
Even if they knew which choice was right, they had to consider the others, especially whether choosing incorrectly would make the villages pay the price for their decision.
For example, if Ai made the wrong choice, it would definitely damage his prestige, and then Jiraiya would become the leader of the Allied Forces.
With these inside stories, it wasn't surprising that the Five Kage, despite their outstanding abilities, made the worst choice.
"By the way, you've worked hard, Aozuki!"
After laughing, Tang Ping praised Hyuga Aozuki, who had just returned.
Yes, she had rushed back to the Land of Earth, dealing with the daimyo and those nobles.
With the Reincarnation Eye, in terms of tracking and reconnaissance abilities, she was absolutely top-tier in the Ninja World, so she could silently find the fleeing daimyo's group from the Land of Earth, infiltrate them, and quickly eliminate them.
There was one thing that must be understood: Hyuga Aozuki didn't depart after the Earthly Resurrection bodies rioted after the surprise attack on Kabuto.
She departed at the same time as Shikamaru left.
Because the Land of Earth was too far away, it required quite some time.
It took more than a day to get there, but it took less than a few hours to return, also because she used a 'secret weapon' to achieve this.
Fighters!
The jets, starting at several Mach, rushed back from the Land of Earth. If they hadn't deliberately slowed down, their speed might have been even faster.
This was because the Rock Ninja had a special information channel; otherwise, the news might not have returned before Hyuga Aozuki.
Several Mach flight speed, take note.
At this time, the Scorch Sun Army was completely like a pack of wolves before a hunt, just waiting to strike.
Even though the situation currently seemed extremely unfavorable for the Akatsuki Organization, there was no opportunity for the Scorch Sun Army to take action.
But Tang Ping was very clear that the Akatsuki Organization would definitely win.
At the very least, they could force out the Rinnegan, allowing the Ten-Tails to be born and become its jinchuuriki, so that after using the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Kaguya could make her appearance.
Whether it was Tang Ping or the Sage of Six Paths, they couldn't allow the White Zetsu to fail before this.
The only question was when the other party would succeed.
With the cards in Tang Ping's hand, he could indeed manipulate the outcome, but he didn't intend to make any small moves.
After all, this was the goal of the Sage of Six Paths.
Even though it was also his goal, the Sage of Six Paths didn't know this, and might even think that Tang Ping would stop him.
Without waiting for the information, the other party would naturally care more than he did.
With an expectant mood, Tang Ping also witnessed the Sage of Six Paths' backup plan.
(End of Chapter)
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