Konoha: I have a clone in One Piece.

Chapter 235 A massive war is about to begin!

Is the Ninja World News a conspiracy?

The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was both surprised and took it for granted.

Whether it was the Great Toad Sage's prophecy before his death or the influence that seemingly small newspaper had on the ninja world, it all confirmed the extraordinary nature of the Ninja World News.

This was also a consensus he shared with many other leaders of various factions.

"Teacher, are you alright?"

Seeing Jiraiya's hurried expression, Minato first inquired about his teacher's injuries, then asked with concern:

"What happened to you in the Land of Waves?"

"What is the conspiracy behind the Ninja World News?"

"Phew, I'm fine."

Jiraiya let out a long breath and shook his head.

He strode to his desk, downed a glass of water in one gulp to calm the turmoil in his heart, and then, with a serious expression and lingering fear, spoke:

"Minato...you'd never guess what I saw in the Land of Waves..."

"There has never been a world recovery!"

"It was all a conspiracy by the Ninja World News!"

Jiraiya's words were like a bolt from the blue, instantly shocking Minato Namikaze, causing his pupils to dilate!

Such astonishing remarks, which even defied his common sense, were something he had never imagined.

Minato Namikaze originally thought that even if the Shinobi World News had some kind of conspiracy, it was nothing more than using public opinion to manipulate the situation in the Shinobi World and cause turmoil. This was something that he and a group of Konoha's high-ranking officials had seriously studied and analyzed.

But now!

My own teacher actually said that there has never been any world recovery?

Minato Namikaze couldn't help but instinctively retort:

"How is that possible?!"

"We saw the treasure and the mutated creatures with our own eyes!"

"Ha, why not?"

Jiraiya looked at his apprentice's stubborn appearance and understood him.

After all, Minato Namikaze isn't that old. The appearance of mutated creatures has been a constant feature of his life for over a decade, and he's become accustomed to it. The world's revival is already common knowledge for most people in the ninja world.

If someone suddenly told him that the hermits of Mount Myōboku were all fake, Jiraiya would definitely find it hard to accept and believe.

In fact, Jiraiya himself wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't actually uncovered the conspiracy behind the Ninja World News.

"Minato, take a closer look."

Jiraiya sighed, then opened a storage scroll and took out the evidence he had collected in the Land of Waves...

……

……

the other side.

The Land of Waves, the Base of Ark Maxims.

Suzuki sat in a chair, his expression gentle as he looked at the pharmacist, Nonou, who was wearing a white coat, glasses, and holding a book, and smiled:

"Jiraiya-senpai... he should have taken everything back by now, right?"

"Yes, Suzuki-kun."

Pharmacist Nonou nodded slightly, then reported to her supervisor with a serious expression:

"Apart from what you instructed, we did not allow him to take anything extra, nor did we allow him to take less of any of the 'evidence' you provided."

"good."

Suzuki nodded in satisfaction.

He then took out the button to control the army of metal robots from his pocket, handed it to Yakushi Nonou, and said calmly:

"I have buried 360,000 powerful puppets on the seabed nearby. Here is the button to control them. Take this."

"……yes!"

Yakushi Nonou frowned, puzzled, as she took the button.

Suzuki noticed her confusion, smiled, and slowly said:

"don’t worry."

"I just need to leave for a while."

"The final battle is about to begin, and there's no need to drag it out any longer."

"I understand, Suzuki-kun."

Yakushi Nonou nodded slightly again.

Suzuki glanced in the direction of the Land of Rain, then chuckled softly:

"Of course, you shouldn't be in too much of a hurry."

"Let that little guy test their cards first."

As he spoke, Suzuki took out another note from his pocket, handed it to Yakushi Nonou, and instructed her:

"If we declare war later, let's follow the actions outlined here."

"yes!"

Yakushi Nonou took the note, bowed respectfully, and quickly left the room with her books.

In the dimly lit room.

Suzuki looked at the clean and tidy metal tabletop beside him, free of any clutter, and a smile appeared in his eyes.

For several years.

Every so often, Kakuzu and the others would send over ability users who had eaten the secret treasure.

After years of devouring, Suzuki had already recovered no less than ten thousand Devil Fruits, and Otsutsuki Isshiki had long been completely digested. His strength was now so great that even he himself didn't know what level it had reached.

The Great Toad Sage, Gamamaru, who has lived for a thousand years, is arguably no less powerful than Madara Uchiha at his peak.

Even so, during the previous trip to Mount Myōboku, the Great Toad Sage couldn't even withstand his aura!

This is no longer a simple difference between the Six Paths and a monster level, but a vast chasm between heaven and earth, between gods and humans, between the vast starry sky and ants on the ground!

Therefore, having roughly grasped his own strength, Suzuki prepared to finish the job.

Isshiki's power is quite good, and the Otsutsuki are all very nutritious. As the only Otsutsuki in the ninja world who is still "alive" at present, Kaguya Otsutsuki is naturally not to be let go.

Moreover, after eating Kaguya, he might be able to collect chakra along with the Devil Fruit.

In that case, it would be most convenient to gather all the ninjas and ability users in advance.

"It's time to go."

Suzuki looked up at the faintly visible moon in the sky, and calmly walked towards the window.

呲~

A sudden burst of silvery-white lightning caused a giant wave to surge up on the sea outside the window!

High in the sky, a streak of light cut through the air and headed straight for the moon.

……

……

Konoha Village, Hokage Building.

Jiraiya, holding a shriveled corpse in his left hand and several photos and documents in his right, said with a look of apprehension in his eyes:

"This is the corpse of the ability user I found in the capital of the Wave Kingdom!"

"I personally witnessed this ability user being captured and brought into the palace, and then transformed into this state within minutes. I don't know what he went through in between, but during my later investigation, I saw thousands of similar corpses in a basement of the palace!"

"Furthermore... I also found evidence that the Ninja World News was spreading rumors."

As he spoke, Jiraiya handed the documents and photos in his right hand to Minato Namikaze, then said solemnly:

"These are the evidence of their spreading rumors!"

"Inside are the planning blueprints from ten years ago reported by the Ninja World News, the location of the laboratory that discovered the mutated creatures, the principles behind the creation of the secret treasure, and more..."

"..."

As Minato listened to Jiraiya's account, he looked at the documents and photos in his hands, his expression growing increasingly solemn.

Ninja World News Report...

They actually planned all of this more than a decade ago?!

It's truly alarming!

No wonder... No wonder when the Third Hokage sent Shinnosuke to the Land of Waves, Shinnosuke inexplicably appeared in Kumogakure and was captured by the Kumogakure ninja.

Wait, so you mean... when Pipa Juzo and Koto appeared at the Root Base, it wasn't Danzo who did it on his own?

Never mind, it's not important.

Minato Namikaze refocused his attention on the documents in his hands, and asked with a wary expression:

"Teacher...have you found out the identities and capabilities of their core members?"

"Well……"

Jiraiya, who was recounting how he fought bravely and cleverly infiltrated to obtain the documents and discover the conspiracy of the Ninja World News, was suddenly stunned.

He scratched the back of his head somewhat awkwardly and replied sheepishly:

"At the time, I was being chased so closely by a group of bloodshot-eyed men, and I was thinking that I had already obtained the documents, so I wanted to get back as quickly as possible..."

"...Okay, I understand."

Minato Namikaze looked somewhat helpless.

Although my teacher is sometimes very reliable, he always makes some minor mistakes.

After the initial awkwardness subsided, Jiraiya couldn't help but ask:

"Minato, should we declare war on the Land of Waves now?"

"No."

Minato Namikaze shook his head, frowned, and pondered for a while before slowly replying:

"Let's wait until after the Chunin Exams to discuss with them how to deal with the Ninja World News."

"After all... war also takes time to prepare."

"good!"

Jiraiya nodded.

Then, the master and apprentice looked at the document and the shriveled corpse with solemn expressions.

……

……

at the same time.

The Land of Rain, the base of the Akatsuki organization.

Beneath Kakuzu's mask, a strange smile played on his lips as he handed the 'treasure' to Konan, who had come to meet him.

"Is this... the legendary Mythical Zoan?"

Xiao Nan looked at the strangely shaped fruit in her hand, which seemed no different from other fruits, and sighed.

Then, she looked at Kakuzu, a hint of gratitude on her pretty face, and said earnestly:

"Thanks to you, Kakuzu, you managed to snatch this hard-won fruit from such a dangerous place."

"Now, Payne finally has a chance to unleash his full power!"

"Haha, you're too kind."

Kakuzu smiled憨厚ly, then pointed to the 'secret treasure' and said sincerely:

"We hope our leader can recover to his full strength!"

"An organization can't be without its leader, no matter who else it may be!"

"Only under the leadership of our leader can our Akatsuki organization develop better and have a brighter future!"

"good!!!"

At that moment, Konan's gaze toward Kakuzu was filled with admiration and affection.

"Don't worry, once Pain regains his strength, you'll be the second-in-command of our Akatsuki!"

"..."

Kakuzu remained silent, then gave another simple, honest smile.

……

Not long after.

Konan then took the Devil Fruit and went to Nagato's residence.

Inside a dimly lit cave.

Nagato sat in his wheelchair, leaning against the cave entrance, his eyes filled with anticipation as he watched Konan run towards him.

"Nagato~"

"You finally have a chance to stand up!"

Konan, her face beaming with joy, quickly approached Nagato and handed him the Devil Fruit.

"So this is... the legendary Mythical Zoan type, Yamata no Orochi Fruit?"

Nagato held the fruit in his hands with trembling hands, his expression filled with excitement.

God knows how frustrated he's been these past few years!

Despite being a chosen one with the Sage's Eyes, he was forced to cower in the shadows by a mere seventy- or eighty-year-old Hanzo of the Salamander, and was unable to avenge the destruction of the Akatsuki organization.

Yahiko's soul is wailing in his dreams!

Nagato took a deep breath, calming his inner excitement.

He looked down at the Devil Fruit in his hand, his eyes filled with barely suppressed excitement!

Not long ago, after searching desperately for the Nine-Tailed Fruit without any success, he learned about the Mythical Zoan type, Yamata no Orochi Fruit, from Sasori.

According to Sasori, unlike ordinary treasures that appear randomly, some special fruits will appear in specific places. For example, Hanzo's Mythical Zoan type, Gyuki-no-Kami, was found by a Rain Ninja from the former habitat of the Eight-Tails Gyuki.

Scorpion found the ancient lair of the Yamata no Orochi!

Unfortunately, the environment there is extremely dangerous, filled with lightning and unknown auras. As soon as Pain arrives there, he loses contact with his main body.

Left with no other choice, he could only issue a mission, sending Kakuzu to find the Yamata no Orochi fruit.

Fortunately, Kakuzu completed his mission perfectly!

"Once I recover, I'll make Kakuzu my deputy."

Nagato said happily to Konan beside him.

"I already told him."

Xiao Nan said with a smile on her pretty face.

"Hahaha, let's see just how far this fruit can take me!"

Nagato laughed loudly, then resolutely stuffed the Devil Fruit into his mouth.

"Ugh...this tastes awful..."

With a dry heave, a surge of powerful energy suddenly erupted!

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Nagato suddenly stood up!

The once withered and weak feet suddenly regained their flesh and blood.

Even his somewhat thin frame instantly became muscular.

Based on the characteristics of the Mythical Zoan species, Nagato Uzumaki felt an unprecedented surge of life force at this moment!

"Nagato...Nagato, are you...are you alright???"

Konan slightly raised her head, her beautiful eyes staring blankly at Nagato, who had suddenly transformed from a thin and frail figure into a tall and muscular man with bulging veins and muscles. She was instantly stunned!

"Ah, I'm fine."

Nagato carefully sensed the power within his body, then smiled excitedly:

"Hahaha...or rather, fantastic!"

"I've never felt this good!"

"This power...this power..."

Nagato grinned, clenched his fists, and his eyes suddenly sharpened.

In an instant, the cave collapsed!

Suddenly, a giant serpent, several tens of meters tall, appeared.

Bang!Bang!Bang!

The eight heads of the Yamata no Orochi swung wildly, smashing the nearby mountains as if they were tofu, sending earth and rocks flying everywhere.

"So strong! So strong! So strong!"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

"I have reached the pinnacle!"

"Hanzo the Salamander? Garbage! Trash!"

"Even Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, who were once formidable opponents, are no match for me now!"

"I am in no way inferior to those two mysterious figures from a few years ago!"

Nagato was incredibly excited.

Because of the existence of the Six Paths of Pain and his expertise in manipulating multiple consciousnesses, all eight of his heads were shouting simultaneously.

After a while.

After venting the pent-up gloom in his heart, Nagato transformed back into his human form and said to Konan in front of him with a confident expression:

"Konan, notify Kakuzu and the others to assemble. They don't need to hide anymore!"

"Isn't the Chunin Exams being held in Konoha Village right now? Aren't the Five Kage and the leaders of the major factions all there?"

"Tell Kakuzu and the others that I'm taking them to wipe out those so-called Kage!"

"Once those guys are dead, collecting the Tailed Beasts will be much easier."

"..."

Xiao Nan paused for a moment, then pursed her lips, hesitant to speak, yet still wanting to.

But in the end, she nodded.

……

Time passed.

As the Akatsuki members gradually assembled, Konoha Village had already begun the third round of the Chunin Exams.

……

……

A huge open-air arena was filled with spectators on both sides of the plaza.

People waved their hands and shouted enthusiastically and excitedly.

"Wow~ What an intense battle!"

"That's Ice Release, isn't it?"

"That girl is so pretty..."

"Go!"

"Go for it, cute black-haired girl!"

"Defeat those barbarians!"

"..."

Referee Kakashi Hatake stood at the edge of the ring, glancing speechlessly at Naruto sitting not far from the Raikage in the audience.

That's clearly a boy! Hey!

And... how could you call someone a barbarian in front of the Raikage? Is that how your master's wife taught you?

On the arena.

Upon hearing the shouts, Haku paused, then couldn't help but turn his head and glare fiercely at Naruto, who was shouting the loudest.

"Ice Release: Demonic Mirror Ice Crystals!"

Not wanting to waste any more time, Bai decisively unleashed the strongest move of his bloodline limit.

One after another, ice mirrors appeared out of thin air, surrounding the Cloud Ninja on the opposite side.

Then, her beautiful figure transformed into a phantom, moving nimbly and quickly within the mirror.

Before long, the Cloud Ninja, covered in wounds, raised their hands in surrender.

"Let's congratulate... the examinee from the Land of Waves—Shiro—once again, successfully securing tenth place!"

Kakashi Hatake held a megaphone and shouted weakly.

"Hey~ hurry up and change the host!"

"His voice is so soft, is he weak?"

"Can you believe I almost didn't hear him speak?"

"..."

The spectators on both sides of the square booed.

Minato Namikaze, sitting at the very front, had a dark expression on his face and couldn't help but glare at his lazy-looking disciple.

But replacing someone at the last minute? Sorry, Konoha Village can't do that!

On the arena.

After Haku and the defeated Cloud Ninja stepped down from the stage, Kakashi Hatake casually raised a megaphone to his mouth and shouted:

"Next row of contestants..."

"It's Itachi Uchiha from Konoha Village, and Law Otsutsuki from the Land of Waves~"

"Please welcome our two candidates to the stage!"

Accompanied by Kakashi Hatake's lazy and weak shout.

Itachi Uchiha stood up.

"Go for it, Itachi!"

"Keep it up, brother!"

"Itachi, I believe you can definitely win first place."

Mikoto Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha, and finally Fugaku Uchiha all spoke up to encourage each other.

"Um!"

Uchiha Itachi nodded, then walked resolutely onto the arena step by step.

At the same time, the instant he arrived at the ring.

Madara Uchiha suddenly appeared in the center of the arena!

(End of this chapter)