Naruto: I get stronger by drawing lots

Chapter 356: Orochimaru's Demise

"According to the intelligence reports from the front lines, apart from Konoha, all the other ninja villages are being attacked at the same time, which is probably Akatsuki's attack. Because the timing is so sudden, almost every ninja village has been caught off guard. As for Sunagakure, we have only sent Tsukito, and he has not yet replied. He is probably also in the middle of the battle."

News of this reached the Hokage's headquarters in Konoha. Minato sat there, listening quietly to the reports.

That's exactly what Yue Shu told him back then, but he didn't expect it to be so fierce and rapid, and that the attack would even be launched at the same time.

"Have any of our people been injured?"

"Not yet. Our team hasn't gone up to help. It's hard to say for sure. Going up rashly would just be suicide."

"There is another piece of news: Akatsuki has united with most of the rogue ninja in the ninja world. These rogue ninja are notorious figures, and their strength is at least at the level of elite Jonin."

Minato frowned. The fact that Akatsuki could gather so many high-level fighters was completely unexpected. Even Tsukito was surprised; he hadn't anticipated Akatsuki having so many people.

"report!"

Minato and Shikaku were still talking when a voice came from outside—a rather anxious voice.

"Enter."

The water gate opened gently, and the door was pushed open the moment the words were spoken.

"Lord Tsuki-ki of Sunagakure has sent word back."

"Moon Tree? What did he say?"

Minato looked at the person in front of him, not expecting that the people who had just been discussing things would come back with a report at this very moment.

"Lord Tsukishu said."

He paused for a moment, as if a knot had been tied in his heart.

"The One-Tailed Beast was cleverly stolen, Gaara's life was in danger, and Granny Chiyo sacrificed her life for another, but the mission failed."

Minato fell silent. Sunagakure was the only ninja village they had a past defense against. Don't underestimate Tsukiki just because he was alone; Tsukiki alone was enough to withstand a thousand troops.

Even so.

Did Yue Shu also fail?

Minato shook his head. He could already picture the terrible scene that would unfold. If they couldn't even hold onto the Moon Tree, what good would more people do? They couldn't just let Kakashi and other pillars of the village be stationed in someone else's ninja village. Konoha itself still needed to defend itself.

"Where is the Moon Tree Man now? The Sand Village has already failed, there's no need for him to stay there."

Minato asked. The answer came quickly.

"Lord Yue Shu said he had some things to attend to, and then he disappeared without a trace."

"Alright then, thank you for your hard work."

Minato smiled and gestured for him to leave. Minato's affable manner made the other man nod excitedly and then retreat.

"I'm afraid this is bad, Hokage."

Shikaku chimed in from the side. He quickly understood what Minato was talking about.

If Akatsuki could cleverly seize the One-Tailed Beast right under Tsukuyomi's nose, then they could find a way to take it from other ninja villages.

If everything goes smoothly according to plan, then Konoha will face a great battle, a war for the Nine-Tails.

"Minato! We're back!"

Just when the atmosphere wasn't good, the door was suddenly pushed open forcefully, and a group of people walked in.

Minato and Shikaku looked over and saw Jiraiya and the others.

Team 7 brought Jiraiya and Tsunade back. In this preparation for battle, the fighting power of one of the Legendary Sannin should not be underestimated; they could even turn the tide of battle.

"Jiraiya-sensei, Tsunade-sama, we've been waiting for you for so long."

Minato stood up and greeted him with a smile.

"Kakashi, and Team 7, you did a great job, thank you for your hard work."

Minato praised that with the return of Jiraiya and Tsunade, Konoha's fighting strength had increased significantly, and their burden had been greatly reduced.

"No need to be so polite, Uncle Minato. I am the future Fifth Hokage."

Naruto, that lovable character, immediately brightened up the atmosphere.

"Idiot, with Itachi around, how could you possibly become the Fifth Hokage?"

Sasuke ruthlessly interrupted, directly slapping Naruto in the face. It seems that Itachi is far inferior to Naruto.

"Hahaha, I'm rooting for you, Naruto."

Minato chuckled twice and gave Kakashi a meaningful look. Kakashi understood, simply said a word, and led Team 7 out.

"We've heard about what happened. What should we do?"

As Jiraiya spoke, Minato gave a wry smile.

"I'm afraid you're too late, teacher. It's already happened."

"what?"

After a detailed explanation, Jiraiya and Tsunade understood the current situation.

What's done is done, and all they can do is watch how things unfold.

The rest of the time passed in Konoha as usual. The defensive fortifications continued as before, and as for the labor force, those who went out to do missions were now returning, so there was plenty of manpower.

And the outcome was finally revealed: Akatsuki emerged victorious. While not a complete victory, it was certainly a resounding triumph.

Apart from the Eight-Tails of Kumogakure, all the other tailed beasts in the ninja villages were taken away.

The situation was exactly the same as what happened to Tsukiki; it wasn't a direct robbery, but a clever seizure. This blitzkrieg itself was a smokescreen.

"That's really bad news."

Minato and his fellow members of his faction all shared the same sentiment.

"It probably won't be long. The last tailed beast is right here with us. Since they want to achieve their goal, they will definitely come over."

"In that case, we must protect the Nine-Tails, or even hide it. We don't know what the nine tailed beasts want to do, but it's definitely not going to be anything good. Even a single tailed beast can be called a calamity, so what about all nine?"

Minato sat in the main seat, while people in the office were discussing the matter.

"I'll go and talk to them."

Minato spoke, and all eyes turned to him.

"The Five Shadows Conference has not been held for some time now. I must pay a visit to these senior figures."

Minato spoke, and the others listened quietly.

"This shouldn't be a matter for one person or one ninja village. This is just the prelude. The real war is yet to come."

"Isn't it good? With this guy running around the ninja world, we shouldn't keep fighting amongst ourselves. It will only let others reap the benefits."

Jiraiya also spoke up, supporting Minato.

"The imposter Uchiha Madara is causing a ruckus. Whether he's real or not, I'm going to give him a good beating."

Tsunade also spoke up, expressing her support for Minato.

Since the three people with the highest status here all expressed this opinion, the matter was settled.

Konoha will hold a Five Kage Summit to unite with other ninja villages to fight against the upcoming enemy.

With the matter settled, Konoha has begun organizing people to convey the message of convening the Five Kage Summit.

The meeting was not held in a ninja village, but rather in a location outside the five great ninja villages. With the tailed beasts just stolen, the major ninja villages were still on high alert.

Meanwhile, Itachi and Onoshi also began searching for news about Kazama Un and Otsutsuki.

Yue Shu walked away alone, his purpose different from everyone else's. He was about to make a strange move, a move that no one would have expected.

As for Akatsuki, the battle for the Tailed Beasts has come to an end, with only the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails remaining. But now, their first priority is not Konoha, but Orochimaru.

"Ahem, it's truly an honor."

Orochimaru's frail body leaned against a tree, surrounded by ruins. As night fell, sparks burned in the darkness.

"So many people actually came looking for me?"

"Hahahahaha."

Orochimaru's snake-like pupils scanned his surroundings, taking in the people dressed in red auspicious cloud-patterned robes.

"Orochimaru, I'm here to seek your cooperation, as you should know."

Obito, who was in charge, stepped forward and stood in front of Orochimaru.

"They crippled my hands and started surrounding me from ten miles away. This collaboration is truly interesting."

Orochimaru showed no fear whatsoever; instead, he licked the blood off his face with his long tongue.

What is your choice?

Obito didn't bother with any nonsense and went straight to the point, completely disregarding what Orochimaru was saying.

Orochimaru smiled but did not answer.

"Your time is limited. You have ten more seconds to answer."

"Is your 'Xiao' truly dawn?"

"Time's up."

*Pfft*

The black iron rod was thrust directly into him, blood spurted out, Orochimaru's voice still echoed, but his hands fell limply to his sides.

"Lord Orochimaru."

Dou, who was being held up, cried out.

What is your choice?

"I will surpass Lord Orochimaru, so what's wrong with cooperating with Akatsuki?"

Dou spoke with a somber face, his expression very low, his eyes filled with too much emotion.

"A wise choice."

Obito turned around and said something.