From Naruto onwards, I've become a dreamer.

Chapter 488 The Prelude to the War!
As he watched Gaara, the Kazekage, being taken away, the same feeling of helplessness that Sasuke had felt two years ago when he watched Naruto leave swept over him once again.

Damn it! If I could be a little stronger, this wouldn't have happened!

Just then, Erii gently hugged Sasuke: "It's okay, don't blame yourself too much, it's not your fault."

"Phew, thank you so much, Erii." Sasuke forced a smile and said gratefully, "If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I..."

"We're good friends, aren't we?"

Erii smiled gently, her crimson eyes like crescent moons.

"Yes, you're right, we're friends." Sasuke felt a warmth in his heart, then, as if suddenly remembering something, asked, "By the way, how did you join the Akatsuki?"

"Well, because it's more fun!"

Erii touched her lips with her index finger, tilted her head and thought for a moment before giving a cute answer.

Sasuke paused for half a second, but then burst out laughing.

Indeed, it's Erii's style.
"I'm leaving, Sasuke." Erii gazed at the Konoha members gradually gathering in the distance and said, "See you next time~"

Although he was reluctant to part ways, Sasuke knew very well that the Akatsuki and Sunagakure were at odds, and that a meeting now might cause some trouble. So he nodded and said, "Okay, if you have the chance, next time you come to Konoha, I'll treat you to Ichiraku Ramen!"

Okay, I'll wait for you~

Erii smiled and waved, then her figure flickered and disappeared from sight.

Before long, Kakashi and Chiyo caught up with them.

Meanwhile, there were also Might Guy and others in the second echelon, but unfortunately the battle was already over, which left Might Guy somewhat regretful.

Sasuke gave a brief explanation of the situation, and then everyone fell silent.

Gaara Kazekage was not rescued and was kidnapped by the Aurora Society. There are also two major pieces of news!

"Let's send the intelligence back for now."

Kakashi was also helpless; he had never encountered such a thing.

Onoki and Iwagakure, along with the Aurora Society, are planning to declare war on the entire ninja world. Their purpose in kidnapping the Kazekage is undoubtedly to obtain the 'Tailed Beasts'!
"Do they want all the Tailed Beasts?" Sasuke bit his lip, clenched his fists, still feeling discouraged that he couldn't save Gaara.

Clearly, he has been cultivating for two years!

She became stronger, but why couldn't she catch up with Naruto or save her friends?

A deep sense of powerlessness and heavy pressure made Sasuke feel extremely bad.

Seemingly sensing Sasuke's thoughts, Chiyo walked over shakily and silently embraced her: "Child, I used to think that true friendship could not exist between villages, and that you were not truly sincere in saving that child. But now, I feel sincerity in you."

At that moment, everyone suddenly realized that, besides Chiyo, the person who was most heartbroken was Sasuke.

“I’ve heard about you, child.”

Chiyo gently stroked Sasuke's hair and whispered, "I can feel sincerity from you, something our generation lacks. Perhaps the future of the ninja world will truly change because of you, hehe~"

"Lady Tsunade, how's the mission going? Has the Kazekage been rescued?"

Shizune, holding Tonton, stood obediently to the side, looking at Tsunade's worried face and occasional serious expression, and asked.

"Well, it's hard to explain in a few words. Go see for yourself."

Tsunade, somewhat exasperated, rubbed her throbbing temples and tossed the mission briefing over.

Upon seeing the contents of the mission briefing, Shizune's pupils constricted sharply, revealing a horrified expression: "Iwagakure is declaring war on the ninja world?!"

Now she understood why Tsunade had that expression after receiving the mission briefing.

Anyone would be shocked if they came here!
The Hidden Stone Village, in collusion with the Aurora Society, intends to seize the Tailed Beasts and has declared war on the entire ninja world.

numb!

How long has it been since the Third Shinobi World War?

It was thought that the five great ninja villages would unite to fight against the increasingly powerful Aurora Society.

Unexpectedly, in the end, the most obscure of the five great ninja villages, Iwagakure, became the only 'traitor'!
What exactly is Onoki planning to do on the two-day slate?!

"It's not over yet, mute."

Tsunade pointed to the intelligence report with a headache and said, "Keep reading, there's one more."

Upon seeing the second message, Shizune nearly fainted from shock.

"No, impossible!" Shizune exclaimed in horror, "The First Hokage and the Second Hokage... were actually controlled by the Aurora Society!"

"I really hope this news is false."

Tsunade sighed, rubbing her forehead: "But unfortunately, reason tells me that since my great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather have been missing for so many years, Sasuke's information is very likely true."

This news is undoubtedly a huge blow to Konoha!
The First Hokage, who founded the village, and the Second Hokage, who was highly renowned, have actually been controlled by the Aurora Society. Could there be any worse news than this?

It's highly unlikely that it will happen again, right?
"Lady Tsunade, whether it's true or false, we have to take action!" Shizune quickly composed herself, looked at Tsunade, and said solemnly.

Whether this intelligence is true or false, they need to prepare in advance.

Otherwise, if the Fourth Shinobi World War really breaks out, and Konoha is invaded again, it will be something they cannot afford to do!
"I understand what you mean, mute."

Tsunade rose from her seat and looked out the window at the bustling Konoha: "I will not repeat the mistakes of the Third Hokage, and I will never allow anyone to set foot in Konoha again!"

The Third Hokage's greatest crime during his tenure was allowing the Hidden Cloud Village to invade Konoha.

"Silence, go and call Jiraiya."

After a moment of contemplation, Tsunade spoke slowly.

"Lady Tsunade, should we tell the two advisors?" After hesitating for a moment, Shizune decided to ask.

After all, the Hokage must obtain the approval of two advisors before making important decisions. This was a mechanism specifically established by the Second Hokage to curb the excessive power of the Hokage.

"No, there's no need to tell them yet."

Tsunade shook her head, her eyes flickering slightly: "To avoid unnecessary trouble, keep this matter a secret for now, and absolutely do not leak it out."

"Okay, I understand, Lady Tsunade!"

Shizune nodded, then hurriedly left with Tun Tun in her arms.

When Deidara and his group returned, Kurotsuchi was shocked to see their miserable appearances, with severed arms and pierced chests.

"What happened?!"

Hei Tu stared at them in shock and asked.

Even if Deidara is unreliable, his strength is still among the top in Iwagakure. Now, after going out to rescue someone, how come he only has one arm left?

Besides, this mission doesn't seem that difficult, does it?
Could it be that another genius has emerged in Konoha?

Hei Tu pondered for a moment, then immediately leaned over, his face full of gossip.

"Humph!"

Deidara, of course, wouldn't tell Kurotsuchi that he almost died at the hands of a woman because of his carelessness.

He snorted coldly, then clutched his severed arm and left alone.

"And you?" Seeing that he refused to answer, Heitu could only turn her attention to Chitu, staring at the piercing wound on his chest, somewhat astonished: "With your strength, you shouldn't be injured like this, right? Senior Brother Chitu!"

She is a female member of the Akatsuki organization.

Akatsuki gritted his teeth, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes: "I was careless. I didn't expect that little girl to be so powerful."

"Oh~ now that you mention it, I'm even more curious!" Kurotsuchi's eyes lit up, and she pressed, "Just how powerful is he that he could injure you and Deidara like this?"

She wasn't using ninjutsu.

At this moment, Black Zetsu suddenly interjected, saying, "It should be a power similar to yours, that power called 'Potion'?"

"No, it's not a potion!"

Akatsuki shook his head, his tone heavy: "I can sense that she doesn't seem to possess any extraordinary power from any magical potion. The abilities she displays include wide-range flames, explosions, slashes, and even the ability to control metal. I can't imagine how she could do all that!"

"Now that you mention it, it seems that none of the methods the teacher mentioned can achieve all of these things!"

Kurotsuchi frowned, sucking on her finger, a look of worry on her face: "I didn't expect the Akatsuki to have someone like this. It seems we have to speed things up."

"We'll talk about this later."

Chi Tu clutched his pierced chest, his brow furrowed. "I need to heal. You take the guests to see Master."

"Okay, I understand. Leave it to me, senior brother."

Kurotsuchi nodded, then looked at Kuroze, her expression suddenly becoming somewhat indifferent: "You, come with me."

Seeing the obvious disdain in Kurotsuchi's eyes, Black Zetsu could only grit his teeth and remain silent, following the girl's footsteps directly to the lower level of the Tsuchikage Building.

Soon, the two arrived at the secret room on the lower level.

"The teacher is just ahead. You can go there by yourself."

Heitu stepped aside to make way for him and said calmly.

"Humph."

Black Zetsu snorted coldly and strode over.

Pushing open the door, the interior space was enormous, resembling a mausoleum, and Onoki was sitting cross-legged on a chair carved from rock.

He simply sitting there exerted immense pressure on Blackie.

Onoki slowly opened his eyes, and the terrifying sense of oppression suddenly intensified several times. In a daze, Black Zetsu felt as if he were facing a supreme emperor who held the power of life and death!

His every word and deed will become an ironclad rule of order and law, to be practiced by the people and the nation!

"Black Zetsu, you've arrived?"

Onoki's voice was like an imperial edict thrown out by an emperor, filled with an imposing and irresistible aura.

For a fleeting moment, Black Zetsu even genuinely wanted to kneel before Onoki and submit to him!
Fortunately, Black Zetsu wasn't essentially a living being, but rather a product of Yin-Yang Release. So it quickly broke free from that strange thought, panting heavily, staring at him with some fear: "What...what did you do to me?!"

"I did nothing to you."

Onoki's expression remained calm, as if he were made of a hard, unyielding rock. He said indifferently, "Don't misunderstand. I have no interest in you whatsoever, except for the Divine Tree Fruit you mentioned!"

Although these words may sound hurtful, Black Zetsu had to admit that it was the truth.

"This time, your apprentice almost got me killed!"

Black Zetsu's face was full of complaints.

"But you came back alive, didn't you?"

Onoki tapped the armrest lightly with his index finger and said calmly, "You should thank me, Black Zetsu. If it weren't for cleaning up your mess, we wouldn't have needed to expose our plan so early!"

"This was an accident!" Black Zetsu could only offer a forced explanation.

Whether it was truly an accident or not is no longer important.

At this moment, Onoki slowly got up from his seat, and without making any move, suddenly appeared next to Black Zetsu.

He casually placed his hand on Black Zetsu's shoulder and said in a calm tone, "Now that our plan has begun, when do you plan to summon the Divine Tree?"

"To summon the Divine Tree, all the Tailed Beasts must be gathered."

Black Zetsu's heart pounded wildly. It hadn't even noticed how Onoki had gotten so close, but it remained calm and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, I'm ready. This Shinobi World War will definitely give them a big surprise!"

"No, you didn't understand me, Black Zetsu."

Onoki's eyes turned icy, and that inexplicable, terrifying pressure once again fell on Black Zetsu: "What I mean is that you need to demonstrate your value. Aside from being able to summon the Divine Tree, otherwise, I could have just cooperated with the Aurora Society directly. There's no need to bring along a piece of trash. What do you think?"

The threatening meaning behind this statement is self-evident!

If Black Zetsu can't offer anything of value, then both the Aurora Society and Onoki will abandon him without hesitation!

"No, I have value!"

Black Jue's pupils contracted slightly, and he forced a smile.

It has been painstakingly planning for this day for tens of thousands of years!
Having finally found hope of reviving his mother, Black Zetsu naturally wouldn't hold back. So, to appease Onoki, he said, "I will prepare 100,000 copies of White Zetsu. That way, we won't have to worry about manpower. Besides, we also have the resurrected dead powerhouses!"

"very good."

In the blink of an eye, Onoki returned to his seat, his eyelids lowered: "Then let's do as you say. I'll have Deidara, Akatsuchi, Yotsuchi, and Kurotsuchi capture a few tailed beasts."

"I'll go and extract the One-Tailed Beast's chakra."

Black Zetsu really didn't want to stay any longer, so he made an excuse and left.

Whether it was a misperception or not, it seemed to detect a terrifying madness in 'Onoki's' seemingly calm eyes!

Recalling Onoki's scarlet eyes, it inexplicably shuddered.

(End of this chapter)