Naruto: I get stronger by drawing lots

Tsukiki was taken aback; he hadn't expected such a thing to happen. Not only him, but everyone else was also stunned. The one with the strongest reaction was Kushina, who was standing next to Tsukiki, and her body trembled.

Tsukiki grasped Kushina's hand and looked at her, which calmed Kushina down. Her eyes no longer held so much fear and helplessness, which pained Tsukiki to see.

Everyone remained silent, waiting for Minato to continue. Minato glanced at Tsukiki and then continued speaking.

"I suspect that Kirigakure's voluntary withdrawal this time is related to the movements of Amegakure and Uzuki Country, but this is just my guess, and I can't guarantee it."

After Minato finished speaking, the others nodded in agreement; this was the most likely explanation.

"report!"

Everything has been said, but news from outside indicates that the situation has changed again!

Minato was called in directly, and since everyone was there, they could all listen.

"Greetings, sirs. The intelligence units at the front have sent some information."

"This letter was received from a summoning beast."

The ninja soldier who entered had a sorrowful expression on his face. Everyone was silent, knowing that the intelligence unit he spoke of might no longer exist.

The ninja soldier took out a letter, still stained with blood and not yet completely dry.

"The Third Raikage has been confirmed to be seriously injured. Iwagakure has already prepared its troops, and its target is Kumogakure, which is also seriously injured. Sunagakure has not made any moves, and Kirigakure has assembled all its troops, but its target does not seem to be to start a war with the major ninja villages."

"We've been discovered! There are outsiders in this war! Red Auspicious—"

After the words were spoken, the air fell silent.

"How did you bring this back?"

Tsukiki asked the question, and Minato glanced at him, understanding what he meant.

"We got it from the intelligence unit's spirit beast; it was a white dove, but it was covered in blood."

Tsukiki nodded and exchanged another glance with Minato.

This was probably deliberately released by the enemy to distract them.

Red auspiciousness? Yue Shu knew what this meant.

The red auspicious cloud signifies the Akatsuki organization!

They are the so-called outsiders in this war, and now that they have taken action, the movements of the Land of Whirlpools are very likely to involve the Divine Tree. The movements of the Rain Village are currently unknown, but they may also be related to the movements of the Land of Whirlpools.

"Let's call it a day. I'll plan out the details properly."

With a wave of his hand, the meeting came to an end.

Outside, the bodies of his teammates had been almost completely collected. The war had only just begun, yet countless people had already died, a heartbreaking sight, especially when hearing reports of the number of casualties.

What do you think?

Minato looked at Tsukiki, who hadn't left, and the others, including Kushina, Nami, and Koto.

The entire Jiraiya squad remained huddled together, taking no action.

"Xiao is deliberately leading us there, and the reason is probably quite simple."

Yue Shu has always had a good mind and has been thinking about these things, but she just doesn't like to express it.

Minato knew this and often asked him for advice, because Tsukiki always came up with some good ideas.

"Is that what you think too?"

Minato breathed a sigh of relief; sure enough, the two of them had the same idea.

"How to do?"

Minato glanced at Tsuki, and then at Kushina beside him.

Tsukiki opened his mouth, but Kushina spoke up first: "We're going!"

"I'm going!"

Her voice was firm, as was Kushina's gaze.

Seeing Kushina like this, Tsukiki breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then let's go."

"I'll accompany you."

Tsukiki grabbed Kushina's hand and quieted down. Mikoto and Minato, who were standing nearby, also glanced at her but didn't say anything.

"That--"

"I'll go with Kushina."

Minato was about to say that Jiraiya's team was together, but he was interrupted by Tsuki.

"Believe me."

Tsukiki didn't say much, just one sentence, but that one sentence was enough. Minato and Mikoto also sighed.

They had no choice but to believe Yue Shu whenever he said that, no matter what.

"When?"

"The sooner the better."

With Minato's question and Tsukiki's answer, the matter was decided.

Tsuki and Kushina went to the Land of Whirlpools, while Minato and Mikoto stayed behind in Konoha to deal with the impending war.

Chapter 200: The Youth

"Be careful, Kushina, you must come back safely."

Mikoto and Kushina were talking and hugging each other, while Minato and Tsukiki stood to the side.

"You too, come back here properly, brother."

Minato extended his fist, and Tsukiki smiled and bumped fists with him.

"Ok!"

"You absolutely, positively must bring Kushina back to me!"

After Mikoto and Kushina finished talking to each other, they turned to Tsukiki and said something.

Yue Shu smiled and agreed.

The only troops left in the Land of Whirlpools were Tsukuyomi and Kushina; the rest remained in Konoha. This was Minato's decision. There wasn't much opposition, although some members of Root voiced their dissent. After all, Kushina was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, and they couldn't let her run wild. However, Minato's side was the undisputed leader, and not only Minato, but all three legendary Sannin were on his side, so their objections were of little use.

"Let's go."

Tsukiki took Kushina's hand and began to leave the area, embarking on the road to the Land of Whirlpools.

Minato and Mikoto watched as Tsukiki and Kushina departed.

"Mikoto, is this okay?"

Minato suddenly blurted out something, and Mikoto responded to him.

"That's enough. That would be too greedy."

"If you think it's good, then it's good."

Minato turned and walked away; they all knew what they were talking about.

Greedy?

Mikoto looked ahead; the figures of Tsuki and Kushina had faded and disappeared—

Mikoto watched for a while before leaving. There were too many things to do right now, and as an elite Jonin, she had a lot to do, especially since Konoha had already lost a lot of fighting power.

Time passed gradually, and a week had gone by.

As the intelligence indicated, Iwagakure launched an attack on Kumogakure. Sunagakure remained in seclusion, and Konoha clashed with Kirigakure several times. Regarding the situation in Uzushiogakure, Kirigakure's actions seemed significant, but their actual military strength was not that great.

Minato also received the news that the time was right and Konoha would switch from defense to offense and take the initiative to seek opportunities.

This refers to the so-called act of invading and occupying territory under the guise of war.

Like the Hidden Cloud Village, which advocates military expansion, development achieved through military expansion is essentially aggression.

Minato immediately recognized Danzo's handiwork. Seeing that Danzo was losing his fighting strength in a few moves but gaining nothing and holding his ground, Minato was getting anxious.

Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi also began to decline, as Danzo began to take the initiative and Hiruzen slowly lost control of Danzo.

The Hidden Stone Village and the Hidden Mist Village were engaged in a fierce battle right outside the Hidden Cloud Village. The Hidden Stone Village had practically moved out most of its territory, determined to take down the Hidden Cloud Village.

Meanwhile, in Konoha, the radical faction led by Danzo is becoming increasingly powerful. Now, whether it's Iwagakure, Sunagakure, or even Kirigakure, their hometowns are all poorly defended. A surprise attack at this moment could allow them to make a huge leap forward.

Even if they were to intervene in the conflict between Kumogakure and Iwagakure, Konoha's military strength and the advantage of intervening midway would still allow them to gain considerable benefits while also inflicting damage on the enemy.

With such a huge temptation right in front of them, these radicals had no choice but to step forward.

As a result, Konoha began to split, with the conservative faction represented by Minato, who did not advocate aggression and war, and the radical faction represented by Danzo's Root. Many Jonin also belonged to the radical faction, but well-known forces such as the Legendary Sannin, Kurenai Yuhi, Might Guy, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio all stood on Minato's side.

The intervention of radicals in the conflict between Kumogakure and Iwagakure gave Kumogakure a chance to recover. Konoha's attack forced Iwagakure to retreat some of its forces, which relieved Kumogakure's pressure considerably.

The Hidden Mist forces also frequently harassed Konoha, and in addition, they also harassed the Hidden Stone Village and the Hidden Cloud Village, making the conflict less intense.

The main battlefield of the war is currently between Kumogakure and Iwagakure. Konoha's radical faction has bought some time for the war, giving Kumogakure a chance to catch its breath. Kirigakure has also taken this opportunity to prolong the war. Otherwise, if things continue like this, Iwagakure will eventually defeat Kumogakure and Kumogakure will be forced to withdraw from the battlefield. This war will then enter a heated phase prematurely, and Konoha will likely be the one to suffer the consequences.

In short, due to various factors, the war has reached a stalemate again, at least not as tense as before. Meanwhile, Tsuki and Kushina have already arrived in the Land of Whirlpools.

There was not a sound around, not even the chirping of birds, only complete silence. Everything around seemed so dark, as if demons and monsters were about to emerge at any moment.

Kushina's expression was not good. Looking around, she seemed to be lost in memories of the past.

Tsukiki walked alongside Kushina, holding her hand; he could feel the trembling in her hand.

It's been over a decade since she last returned here. Ever since she was escorted away by everyone, Kushina has never come back.

Kushina walked softly and slowly, her steps light and slow, yet the eerie atmosphere made her feel warm.

The Land of Whirlpools is next to Konoha, surrounded by the sea on three sides, and the Whirlpool Village is located in that area.

As they walked, it was as if they had traveled through a time tunnel. Kushina and Tsukiki walked hand in hand to Uzushiogakure.

The surrounding seawater was now in sight, so beautiful and lovely; it was the most beautiful view Kushina had ever seen in her life.

Her home—Uzumaki Village—has vanished, reduced to a patch of yellow mud, completely absorbed into the earth. All that remains is a tombstone, bearing the inscription: Uzumaki Clan Tomb!

Kushina walked in, stood in front of it, and quietly looked at the tombstone. The sea breeze blew around her, making her red hair flutter.