I will use the ninja world to aid my cultivation of immortality.

"Have you heard? There's news about Naraku, who has a bounty of 80 million ryo. It's said that he's not only an S-rank rogue ninja from Konoha, but he's also become the leader of Hoshigakure in the Land of Bears."

“I have also received this information, but such a person is not someone we can take down. According to the information from the exchange, this person is someone who was able to kill all of the 500 elite ninjas from Iwagakure when they were attacked.”

"You're overthinking it. I'm not that reckless. I just find it interesting. I had never heard of Naraku before the bounty was placed on him, but he was suddenly listed as an S-rank rogue ninja by Konoha. I wonder what he did in Konoha before."

"Well, now that you mention it, that's quite interesting. Tsk tsk, as expected of Konoha, the village with the title of the strongest ninja village, it's no wonder that such powerful beings can emerge so easily."

"That's not necessarily true. Perhaps even Konoha doesn't know how powerful this person is. After all, given how suddenly he appeared, he might have been working in some secret department in Konoha before."

"So, it's possible that Konoha might regret it now that they know how powerful this person is."

"Who knows? Let's just watch the show!"

"."

Conversations like this happen frequently at almost every location of the gold exchange.

Chapter 67 The Army Deploys

no way.

The bounty of 80 million taels may not be the highest bounty offered by the gold exchange, but its appeal is still enormous.

As information about Naraku emerged, even though the exchange initially offered very high prices, the relevant information gradually spread over time.

Information about Naraku.

Although the spread of the story did not reveal his secret as a member of the Root organization, it still sparked considerable discussion.

There was no shortage of ridicule.

The mockery wasn't directed at Naraku, but at Konoha.

Konoha is not only known as the strongest ninja village, but is also often hailed as a cradle of geniuses.

Now that a powerful figure like Naraku has defected from Konoha, regardless of the reasons, it undoubtedly gives people the impression that Konoha is unable to retain talent.

Konoha.

Inside the Hokage Building.

"You've all seen the intelligence, now tell me your thoughts!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a deep voice, puffing on his pipe.

Opposite him were Mitokado Homura, Koharu Utatane, and Danzo, all members of the Four Heavenly Kings of Konoha.

"There's nothing more to say. Organize manpower immediately and deal with Naraku as soon as possible," Koharu Utatane said in a deep voice.

Mitomon En nodded slightly: "I share the same attitude. Putting aside the fact that this person is a member of the Root organization, given the current situation, if we cannot deal with this person as soon as possible, it will undoubtedly affect the village's image in the outside world."

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of smoke, obscuring his face: "If only it could be resolved so easily. The problem is that the opponent's strength has clearly exceeded our expectations. It's not something that can be solved by simply sending a few people."

Because Naraku did not dispose of the bodies of Yamanaka Hayato and the others, as these bodies were discovered by the subsequent pursuit forces, information about the battle at that time was naturally extracted from the heads of the corpses by Konoha professionals.

Just as Naraku was listed as an S-rank rogue ninja, an 80 million bounty was even placed on him at the gold exchange.

The memories provided by Yamanaka Hayato and others alone were enough for Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others to determine that Naraku's strength had reached the level of an elite Jonin.

As for now.

The death of five hundred elite Iwa ninja further demonstrates Naraku's power and danger.

Upon hearing what Hiruzen Sarutobi said, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane understood each other's meaning and frowned slightly.

"The battle between Kumogakure and Sunagakure is fierce right now, and with the war between these two sides, other forces in the ninja world are also starting to stir. It is indeed not advisable to disperse too many forces at this time," Mitokado Homura analyzed.

Since the First Shinobi World War, the fertile Land of Fire has been coveted by various forces, and often has to deal with invasions from multiple ninja villages.

Now that the Third Shinobi World War has begun, Konoha is naturally on guard against other ninja villages targeting them again.

The troubles that Hiruzen Sarutobi and his two companions faced in dealing with Naraku stemmed from this.

With war looming, they were determined to eliminate Naraku, but they also feared that diverting too much of their strength would allow other ninja villages to launch a surprise attack.

"Let the Uchiha clan deal with this person!" Suddenly, Danzo, who had been silent until now, spoke up.

His sudden remark immediately caused the three of them, including Hiruzen Sarutobi, to look at each other in surprise.

"Didn't the Uchiha clan keep clamoring for me to hand over the person? Now that the person they want has appeared, let them go and capture him themselves if they want him." Danzo said with a smirk.

“The Uchiha clan.” Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered for a moment, his eyes flashing, and he quickly understood Danzo’s thoughts.

When two tigers fight, there must be one injury.

While not as outspoken as Danzo, it's impossible to say that Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't want to weaken the Uchiha clan.

Now is clearly a good opportunity.

Using the Uchiha clan to fight Naraku, regardless of who wins in the end, will undoubtedly benefit him.

If Uchiha wins, he can erase the stain of Naraku's name.

If Naraku wins, he can weaken the Uchiha clan and even use it to suppress them.

“Alright, Danzo, I’ll leave this matter to you,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said to Danzo.

“No problem!” Danzo readily accepted.

Whether it's Naraku the traitor or the evil Uchiha clan, he wants to eliminate them all.

He would be even happier if both of them perished together.

"Are you kidding me? Five hundred elite soldiers were wiped out just like that?"

Inside the Tsuchikage Building in Iwagakure, Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage, slammed his hand hard on the desk, his expression grim and unpleasant.

"What should we do next with Naraku? Should we continue sending troops to attack, or abandon the Land of Bears?"

Onoki wasn't alone in the office; his son, Koto, was also there. Seeing his father so angry, Koto couldn't help but ask what was wrong.

"nonsense!"

Onoki glared at his son: "How can we let this bastard off so easily after he killed so many of us?"

"You must immediately gather three thousand troops and set off to wipe Hoshigakure from the ninja world. I will also have Han assist you in taking down that bastard Naraku."

Compared to when he first appeared in the original story, Onoki, who was not yet sixty years old, was not only stronger, but also more stubborn and tough.

The deaths of Gangyan and the other five hundred Iwa ninja did not deter him; instead, they fueled his determination to wipe Hoshigakure out of the ninja world.

"Yes!"

Upon hearing his father's words, Huang Tu felt a chill run down his spine and immediately accepted the order.

Soon, Iwagakure was operating at high speed.

Led by Huang Tu, the army, consisting of three thousand Iwa ninja, and Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, set off for the Land of Kuma that very day.

At the window of the Earth Shadow Building.

Looking at the departing army, Onoki's eyes were deep and thoughtful.

His large-scale attack on Xingren Village was not an impulsive act, but a well-thought-out decision.

One purpose was to reverse the morale collapse caused by the deaths of Gangyan and others through victory in the war.

Secondly, it was to ensure the successful capture of Hoshinobi Village.

Since witnessing the rise of Amegakure during the last Shinobi World War, Onoki has clearly learned his lesson and does not want Hoshigakure to become a second Amegakure.

It seems to be intended to intimidate the outside world.

This time, the Iwagakure army did not infiltrate from a single outpost on the border of the Land of Bears, as it did last time when Gougan led the troops. Instead, they chose to eliminate all the border outposts between the two countries.

"According to the last news from the border, our border defenses against the Land of Earth have completely fallen." Inside the Star Shadow Tower, Nono reported the situation with a serious expression.

"The deterrence failed. It seems that Onoki has indeed perfectly inherited the Will of Stone of Iwagakure, just as rumored. Well then, I'll go to the border again and completely crush them!"

Sitting behind his desk, elbows propped on the table, arms crossed, Naraku spoke calmly to him.

"Aren't we going to wait for them to arrive before making a move this time?" Nono asked in surprise.

Chapter 68 Five-Tails Jinchuriki

Naraku shook his head and said, "Last time we couldn't determine the opponent's route, so we could only wait for them to come to us. But this time they've made such a big fuss that we can intercept them in advance."

Moreover, the forces that Iwagakure has deployed this time are definitely far greater than last time. If they get close to the village, even I cannot guarantee that I can stop everyone.

"Understood!"

Nonou thought for a moment, immediately understood Naraku's idea, and then asked, "Do you need to bring some people, like Sasori?"

Naraku withdrew his hands, stood up and said, "No need, it's more convenient for me to act alone, and besides, the village needs enough manpower to stay here."

With Iwagakure launching such a massive attack, there's no guarantee that others won't try to take advantage of the chaos. Your job, and Sasori's, is to defend the village.

"Okay, then remember to be careful. If things don't work out, don't push yourself too hard. After all, we still have other options." Nono nodded and then gave a reminder.

Naraku laughed and said, "Don't worry, I value my life more than anyone else. If Iwagakure is really so powerful that I can't resist, I promise to run away immediately."

Upon hearing this, Nono couldn't help but laugh.

While Hoshinobi Village is indeed a force they developed, it is clearly not so difficult to abandon it.

This is especially true for Naraku.