Starting as the mastermind behind Naruto

Chapter 277 The Alliance Talks: Uehara Naraku from Amegakure is absent...

A war is about to break out.

Konoha began an emergency mobilization of personnel to prepare for war, and Tsunade sent people to Sunagakure and Kirigakure to seek allies and reinforcements, and even planned to unite the five great ninja villages.

According to Tsunade's idea, the five great ninja villages could even launch a siege against Amegakure from all directions by joining forces, and could even gather a large number of troops or even have the five Kage unite to besiege and destroy the Akatsuki.

Unfortunately, only Sunagakure and Kirigakure responded.

Because Iwagakure suffered heavy losses, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, was unwilling to see Konoha safe and sound. This is what they mean by "not worrying about scarcity but worrying about inequality."

A, the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure, perhaps out of confidence in his own power, protected Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, in layers of protection after receiving information from Konoha, simply out of concern for the Akatsuki organization.

alliance?

The Hidden Cloud Village has never needed allies!

Tsunade was almost driven mad by the inhabitants of Iwagakure and Kumogakure. When she received the reply, she was so angry that she threw her table off the Hokage Building on the spot.

"Two bastards!"

Tsunade clenched her fists, gritting her teeth as she cursed, "Those two short-sighted fools, still only thinking about their own village! Don't they realize that if Akatsuki's plan succeeds, the entire ninja world will be plunged into crisis?"

"That's quite normal, isn't it?"

Jiraiya's injuries were gradually healing, but his mood grew heavier day by day, because the Akatsuki organization had not yet made a move, and those monsters were like a Damocles' sword hanging over his head.

This sword will fall sooner or later, but the waiting time will be the most unsettling.

Jiraiya, seeing Tsunade's agitation, spoke to soothe her: "Even if they witness Akatsuki's terror firsthand, they'll probably only choose to form an alliance with us after inflicting significant losses on Konoha!"

Jiraiya sighed and continued, "After all, this is the first alliance of the five great ninja villages; something like this has never happened before..."

"Hmph, by then it will be too late!"

Tsunade clenched her fist and said coldly, "Forget it, I never expected their reinforcements anyway. Let's ask them to convene the Five Kage Summit after we defeat Nagato!"

"Um."

Jiraiya slowly nodded.

During this period, reinforcements began to gather in Konoha.

Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure, was a staunch ally of Konoha. Upon receiving Tsunade's plea for help, he immediately led the village's elite ninja to the scene.

Mei Terumi, the Fifth Mizukage of Kirigakure, came to provide support because she knew that the Akatsuki organization posed too great a threat. Kirigakure was currently extremely weak and had no chance of defeating Akatsuki. The only hope was to unite with other ninja villages.

However, when they held the alliance meeting in the Hokage Building, Mei Terumi and Gaara looked slightly surprised. Why didn't they summon Amegakure this time?

Gaara looked up at Tsunade and asked directly, "Why haven't I seen Uehara Naraku-senpai? Amegakure is a force to be reckoned with, isn't it?"

"No, the reason we didn't summon Amegakure..."

Tsunade's brows furrowed involuntarily. She thought of how Uehara Naraku would always be present at the alliance meetings against Akatsuki, watching the three Kage discuss how to wipe out Akatsuki as if they were watching a monkey show.

That's really disgusting!

Just thinking about it makes me feel so frustrated!

Seeing the puzzled looks on Mei Terumi's and Gaara's faces, Tsunade gritted her teeth and said, "Because Amegakure was already taken over by the Akatsuki, and the demigod ninja, the Salamander, was killed by that brat Uehara Naraku, who was also a member of Akatsuki!"

"Oh?"

Mei Terumi's expression shifted slightly.

As someone who often received information from Hozuki Mangetsu, Terumi Mei had vaguely guessed that this was the case. Although she was quite surprised, she could not accept it.

Perhaps Uehara Naraku was also an undercover agent?

Upon hearing Tsunade's words, Gaara's expression immediately faltered: "Your Hokage must be joking, right? How could this be?"

"I'm not joking."

Tsunade slowly closed her hands and whispered, "I know that the Fifth Kazekage survived because of that brat's help, but Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure were all destroyed by that guy Uehara Naraku!"

After saying this, Tsunade, ignoring the shocked looks of the two, continued in a deep voice, "This is information that Jiraiya from our village obtained from Amegakure, and that Uehara Naraku is the next leader of Akatsuki!"

"..."

Tsunade's words were like a powerful dose of medicine.

Gaara immediately pressed his forehead, his face turning extremely pale: "So, we've been treating our enemies as friends all along?"

The Hidden Sand Village has always been deeply grateful to Uehara Naraku…

Because Uehara Naraku chose to disregard past grievances and help Sunagakure regain their Fifth Kazekage during the village's most difficult time, Sunagakure was able to survive.

It turns out that the mastermind behind the destruction of Sunagakure was none other than Uehara Naraku himself.

Has that guy been treating the entire Sand Village like a monkey all along?

Back when Sunagakure invaded the Land of Rain, Uehara Naraku killed his father, the Fourth Kazekage, and chased after him and Baki, toying with them. Later, during the Chunin Exams, Uehara Naraku bullied him and his siblings Temari and Kankuro, behaving extremely arrogantly.

It wasn't until Uehara Naraku intervened to save Gaara when he was in the most danger that he first helped him find the so-called Akatsuki base, and then fought desperately against several Akatsuki members to retrieve Gaara's body.

From then on, Gaara forgave Uehara Naraku.

Not only that, but in the subsequent times they met, Gaara almost always showed respect and friendliness towards Uehara Naraku.

Gaara believes their relationship has changed.

Change my ass! That bastard is even worse than before!

Gaara recalled how he always greeted Uehara Naraku warmly, and how he often mentioned that if he encountered any trouble, everyone in Sunagakure would definitely offer their help.

Where's that bastard Uehara Naraku's expression?

Yes, always with a kind, squinting smile.

Was that guy actually mocking their stupidity?

Gaara was absolutely furious. The yellow sand behind him swirled around him, and his face gradually darkened. "That guy... he's still the same bastard I knew when I first met him as a kid!"

"That's truly astonishing..."

Mei Terumi also rubbed her temples.

To be honest, Mei Terumi's thoughts were more complicated.

If Uehara Naraku really becomes the next leader of the Akatsuki organization, then what is his relationship with Hozuki Mangetsu?

Has Hozuki Mangetsu been deceiving her all along?

Mei Terumi originally thought that Hozuki Mangetsu was a spy planted by Kirigakure in Akatsuki, but who would have thought that Hozuki Mangetsu was actually a double agent who had been hypnotizing her with information all along, while secretly laughing at her!

That's going too far!

Mei Terumi slowly bit her lip, her fingers digging into her palms, her face turning icy cold: "Bastards... I have to kill them!"

"..."

Tsunade glanced at the expressions of the Fifth Kazekage and the Fifth Mizukage, and sighed helplessly. Uehara Naraku had done too many bad things.

"alright."

Tsunade waited until they had calmed down before speaking softly, "Now let's discuss the specific battle plan! We've already dispatched ANBU and reconnaissance units to scout the border of the Land of Rain. If there's any unusual activity within the Land of Rain..."

"It's no use."

Mei Terumi and Gaara both shook their heads.

After exchanging a glance, Gaara coughed a few times and explained, "If Akatsuki attacks Konoha, they will definitely choose to launch a full-scale attack, because Akatsuki has a terrifying summoning beast that can break through any defenses from the sky and land directly in Konoha Village..."

At this point, Gaara frowned again and continued, "Moreover, that summoning beast can even use a terrifying technique that can destroy an entire ninja village in one strike, so we must first evacuate the civilians and ordinary ninjas from the village."

"Um."

Tsunade nodded and said in a deep voice, "We have done our best to assign refuge areas to the villagers. If fighting breaks out in the village, we will immediately organize them to go to their respective designated refuge areas."

After finishing speaking, Tsunade frowned and continued, "As for high-altitude defense, we have also considered continuing to install anti-aircraft weapons recently..."

"The ground also needs to be defended..."

Mei Terumi gritted her teeth and continued in a deep voice, "Back then, Kirigakure was almost destroyed by an Akatsuki member wearing a hood, because he released a series of flames erupting from the ground, catching us off guard."

"Um."

Tsunade nodded again and continued softly, "Besides that, we have also gathered more than five thousand ninjas, which is enough for ground operations..."

"The more people, the better..."

Mei Terumi frowned and continued to offer her suggestion: "Only by gathering enough manpower can we be confident in dealing with Akatsuki's actions of destroying ninja villages everywhere."

This is based on Mei Terumi's experience.

Because of the sudden fire that broke out in Kirigakure, the village lacked enough ninjas to provide assistance. If it weren't for the heavy snow and hail, Kirigakure would have been burned to the ground long ago.

"No, the fewer people, the better..."

Gaara shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Because with more people, not only will our powerful ninjas be hampered by the sheer number of people, making it impossible for them to unleash powerful techniques, but we will also waste chakra because we need to rescue our weaker ninjas..."

Gaara is truly exhausted by the situation in Sunagakure.

When Sunagakure assembled and rebuilt its ninja forces, tens of thousands of ninjas gathered here, but none of them were able to play a significant role, and they even suffered heavy casualties, wasting resources in vain.

Seeing the expressions on both sides' faces, Tsunade decided to take a compromise approach: "Then I will arrange for the elite squad to fight in the village first, and the other ninjas will be stationed outside the village, ready to be called in to help or sent out to take refuge at any time."

"Can."

"Can."

Gaara and Mei Terumi each nodded.

The two men didn't hesitate and took the initiative to lead their subordinates to participate in the defense of Konoha. They were two strong allies, and every bit of extra strength they added was a chance for Konoha to win.

The only point of contention is regarding the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Tsunade believed that Naruto Uzumaki was one of the few powerful ninjas in Konoha, and that he had even mastered Sage Mode, so he should participate in the battle, which was also Naruto's own wish.

However, Gaara and Mei Terumi do not think so.

They both believed that Naruto should be protected so that if the defense of Konoha failed, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki would also be sacrificed.

Unfortunately, Tsunade did not agree with this opinion.

"Naruto Uzumaki is first and foremost a ninja of Konoha. In this respect, he is no different from the Hokage of Konoha. Both of them are willing to die to protect Konoha. Moreover, this is also Naruto's own wish. He must participate in the battle."

Tsunade clenched her fists, glanced at Gaara, and said in a deep voice, "Wasn't the Fifth Kazekage the same? He stood up to protect the village in the most dangerous time..."

"..."

Gaara could only manage a wry smile at this.

There's no one left in Sunagakure who can step forward!

There's still three more episodes to go, we'll continue tonight!

I can pay it off today!

(End of this chapter)