Start with a Zanpakuto and build the strongest Mist Village.

The Four-Tails and Five-Tails have been fighting against Kushina. The Nine-Tails' strength is beyond doubt. Neither of the two Jinchūriki is a match for Kushina. Only by joining forces can they fight against Kushina without being at a disadvantage.

Under these circumstances, Iwagakure would not be able to use a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki to launch a surprise attack on Konoha.

That is to say...

"Is it a third party?"

Upon receiving the notification, Fugaku immediately arrived at the main tent, where high-ranking officials such as Danzo, Orochimaru, and Koharu Utatane had already gathered.

"Have you confirmed the intelligence?"

Fugaku asked in a deep voice. Danzo glanced at him and shook his head: "I have already sent Minato Namikaze over, but the distance is quite far and he does not have the Flying Thunder God mark, so it will take some time."

"Actually, compared to reconnaissance, what we need to do now is to build up our defensive fortifications!"

Orochimaru's hoarse voice rang out: "The Four-Tails and Five-Tails just fought with Kushina and were both injured. Under these circumstances, Iwagakure cannot release them. Sunagakure has surrendered, and Kirigakure is our ally, so the person who came can only be Kumogakure."

"Some time ago, they were already showing up near the Land of Hot Water. Now that we've fought to this extent with Iwagakure, it's the perfect opportunity for them to take advantage of our conflict. They can't possibly stay out of it."

"indeed……"

Orochimaru's words weighed heavily on the hearts of everyone present.

They had only just begun to make progress in their fight against Iwagakure, having expended considerable manpower and resources to push the battle lines back from the Land of Fire to the Land of Grass. If Kumogakure were to launch an attack at this point...

"Oh no!"

The silence inside the tent was broken when a member of the Hyuga clan, looking flustered, lifted the curtain and spoke urgently.

"The message from the reverse summoning is that the position of Banya Town is under fierce attack by the Cloud Village ninja and is about to fall!"

"What?! So fast?!"

Danzo suddenly stood up and roared, "Damn Cloud Village, how could they do this at a time like this... Fine, then let this old man teach those ungrateful bastards another lesson!"

"No, let me go." Orochimaru suddenly spoke up: "The enemy may also have a Jinchuriki. Leave the battle against this kind of large monster to me."

"You."

Danzo looked at Orochimaru and took a deep breath: "Alright, then I'll leave it to you, Orochimaru. Don't hold back, you must teach those bastards a lesson they won't forget!"

"give it to me."

……

In the forest.

Holding a rhombus flower, Yagura gazed at the eight-tailed beast before him, which resembled a mountain.

The monster had already raised its eight tentacles, and its massive, mountain-like body began to spin wildly!

"This guy……"

With the immense chakra at its peak, a hurricane spread outwards, and powerful shockwaves began to attack indiscriminately in all directions.

The earth was lifted up, and under this chakra hurricane, towering rocks began to collapse, and even the celestial strata began to recede, as if to avoid this unparalleled and overwhelming onslaught!

This is precisely what makes the Tailed Beasts so powerful.

With their immense chakra reserves, this indiscriminate, high-intensity attack is the strongest force to deter other countries!

Yagura's physical body was completely unable to withstand this onslaught and was crushed into countless water droplets in the blink of an eye. However, the Eight-Tails' attack did not stop at all, as if it would not stop until the entire area was completely flattened.

And that's exactly what he did.

The eight-tailed monster completely destroyed and crushed most of the forest until not even a trace of gravel or wood chips could be seen in the surrounding area. Only then did the terrifying monster stop its rampage.

"Hey hey hey, you dare to go against me, I'll send you to your death, no thanks needed~ Oh yeah!"

As his tailed beast form gradually receded, Killer Bee's human form reappeared.

Looking at the completely flattened surroundings, Killer Bee scratched his head: "Oh dear, it seems we made a bit too much noise. The surprise attack plan is ruined."

"Never mind, those rampaging killer bees are better than me. Anyone who comes will be brought down, damn it, oh my god~"

Kirabi leaped into the air and raced towards Banye Town.

After it completely departed, the water in the air slowly gathered and condensed once again into a bright water mirror.

A figure appeared in the mirror, and the unharmed captain of the 13th Division stepped out.

"He really is like a monster..."

"But at least the mission was accomplished."

Looking at the surrounding scene, a sigh came from under the mask. Two special spiritual artifacts were thrown out, and under the control of spiritual power, they were drawn like brushstrokes, engraving folding patterns on his right arm.

The jet-black lines extended from the arm to the palm, spreading out and transforming into a square spiritual energy body.

"The Seventy-seventh Way of Binding: Tiantingkongluo."

"Lord Mizukage, the coordinates of the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki have been locked. Monitoring bacteria and spiritual seeds have been successfully deployed in his full tailed beast form, half-tailed beast form, and human form."

"Furthermore, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki was not among the raiding force..."

Chapter 118 Orochimaru and the Akatsuki: All for Konoha!

The Cloud Village's surprise attack plan was exposed, but with the power of the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, they still managed to achieve their goal.

The forces of Banya Town were simply no match for the elite squad of Kumogakure, especially since one of them was an Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.

By the time Orochimaru arrived, the entire Itaru Town had already been taken over by Kumogakure, and he could only return to Konoha's lines to relay the battle situation and intelligence.

The message was delivered to Konoha Village immediately.

The Hokage is furious!

Upon learning that the Cloud Village had taken action, even launching a surprise attack on Banya Town, he angrily overturned all the documents on his desk.

In the end, he could only slump in the Hokage's seat.

After a long while, he picked up the pipe on the table, took a deep drag, and felt the tobacco's stimulation on his mouth.

Within just one year.

His most cherished disciple died, his most proud son died, he suffered heavy losses in the battle with Kirigakure, signed a humiliating treaty, issued a 'self-reproach edict,' and was almost defeated by Iwagakure at his doorstep.

Now, the Hidden Cloud Village, which had long since withdrawn from the battlefield, has returned with a vengeance...

As Tobirama once said, a ninja is someone with a knife in their heart, which means that a ninja must be ruthless and suppress their own emotions.

Those in power should be even more so.

To become a qualified leader, one must be able to keep one's emotions in check.

But at this moment, he really couldn't hold back anymore.

"what do I do……"

On Hiruzen Sarutobi's slightly aged face, weariness and sorrow were evident. His slightly cloudy eyes seemed to show the scene of the Iwagakure and Kumogakure armies pressing in tomorrow and besieging the city!

"No, we can't do that, we absolutely can't do that."

"Konoha cannot be destroyed in my hands, absolutely not!"

But what can be done to break the current situation?

Hiruzen Sarutobi's body trembled slightly. He took a deep drag on his pipe, and several solutions came to mind.

With Onoki around, the combined tactics of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and Minato Namikaze would definitely fail, so...

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze fell on the 'Edict of Self-Reproach' that was deliberately framed, and he couldn't help but recall the spirited, arrogant, and confident young man he had seen in the Land of Iron that day.

He subconsciously wanted to pay a price to get that guy to help him relieve stress.

After all, Konoha and Kirigakure are currently allies, and Konoha has not yet fully paid the compensation to Kirigakure; there are still tens of millions of yen in outstanding payments.

If I were to ask that guy for help, there's a high chance that Kirigakure would agree.

But the thought only lasted for a moment before disappearing from his mind.

According to the information Minato received from the Great Toad Sage, that guy possessed a terrifying method of devouring souls to enhance his own strength, which is why he was able to grow into the Fourth Mizukage at such a young age.

Fortunately, he is currently immersed in the power of the Kage, and his strength will enter a long period of stagnation, which is the best thing for both Konoha and the entire ninja world.

If he were allowed to re-enter the battlefield and devour souls without restraint, no one could imagine how far he would grow.

We absolutely cannot let that guy get involved in the battle!

But how can Konoha solve its current predicament?

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, taking puffs of his pipe.

After a long while, he simply left the office as well.

After wandering around for a while, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally arrived at the secret library.

This place houses rare and out-of-print books from Konoha, forbidden techniques, secret techniques, and more.

All the secrets of Konoha, as well as most of his teacher Tobirama Senju's collection, are here.

With the frequent occurrence of wars in recent years, Hiruzen Sarutobi often comes here. He has even opened up access to a large number of high-level ninjutsu for Konoha ninjas to learn, all in order to improve the combat capabilities of Konoha ninjas.

Looking at the densely packed library, Hiruzen Sarutobi took out a book and began to read it.

He began to ponder this in his mind.

Can forbidden techniques solve the immediate problem?

Among the forbidden techniques left behind by the Second Hokage, there is indeed one that can easily break the predicament of Konoha.

But that move is too taboo. Once it is used, the entire Hidden Leaf Village will become the target of everyone's hatred. No matter how this war goes, the Hidden Leaf Village will become the public enemy of the entire ninja world in the future!

Unless there is truly no other way out, Hiruzen Sarutobi would never use that forbidden technique.

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up a scroll with some irritation.

This is not a forbidden spell or technique, but a record of secrets of the ninja world kept by Konoha. The one he picked up is the secret of the Land of Grass, where Konoha and Iwagakure are currently fighting.

This scroll contains detailed records of everything in the Land of Grass, including its terrain, environment, the number and strength of its ninjas, and assessments of the Hidden Grass Village.

Hiruzen Sarutobi brought him back to the Hokage's office and carefully examined the map on the scroll. He even used a pen to draw the three parties—Iwagakure, Konoha, and Kumogakure, who were about to join the battle—on the map.

No matter how much he studied it, Hiruzen Sarutobi still couldn't find a way to break the deadlock!

"Once Iwagakure and Kumogakure form a pincer movement, all of Konoha's current advantages will vanish."

"What should we do? Do we really have to use that forbidden technique? By concealing our identities and names, or even attacking Konoha, can we create the illusion of a third party appearing?"

But nobody's stupid. Everyone can recognize the signature ninjutsu. Hiding one's identity is just burying one's head in the sand!

But if the situation really gets out of control, there's nothing we can do. At that point, Konoha can just insist that it has nothing to do with them!

"Let's do it this way... Hmm?!"

Suddenly, Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze sharpened and fell on the corner of the scroll.

The line of text was short and the font was extremely ancient, different from the data updated annually thereafter. However, what was recorded on it greatly aroused Hiruzen Sarutobi's interest.

"The ultimate weapon from the era of the Sage of Six Paths, Kusagakure almost gained the whole world through it..."

"A mysterious box that can grant a wish by using a huge amount of chakra..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured, his eyes filled with an inscrutable expression.

After a long while, he closed the scroll, and a ruthless and decisive look appeared in his slightly cloudy eyes.

"Everything is for Konoha!"

……

"Lord Orochimaru, the intelligence has been confirmed; the Box of Bliss does indeed exist within the Hidden Grass Village!"

Two figures met on the trunk of a tall tree.

Minato Namikaze, who had just returned from gathering information, said with a solemn expression, "They regard the Box of Bliss as their most precious treasure, and dozens of Grass Ninja are guarding it. Moreover, due to the turmoil of war in recent years, the Grass Ninja are preparing to move the Box of Bliss to another location."

"Good information, but I don't know if that thing can really help us as the old man said..."

Orochimaru gazed at the village before him, his uniquely hoarse voice ringing out: "But it doesn't matter. I have a better harvest here. If that so-called Box of Bliss doesn't work, then using this should also have a good effect."

"it?"

"Ah, the Seven-Tailed Fox."

Orochimaru licked the corner of his mouth with his long tongue, his vertical pupils seeming to have his eyes fixed on some prey.