Chapter 414: Ay: With Perfect Timing, Geography, and Unity, Can I Say the Advantage Is Mine?
Obito glanced at Haneda and, just as he had suspected, Haneda had awakened the Rinnegan!
A true prodigy, wasn't he?
Obito had long speculated this possibility, but seeing it in person still left him somewhat astonished.
The last Uchiha to awaken the Rinnegan, Madara, had only done so in his twilight years. Yet Haneda had managed to awaken it before the age of thirty!
A genius who had surpassed Uchiha Madara!
Obito's lips curled slightly upward as he struggled to suppress the joy rising in his heart, forcing himself to maintain a wary and solemn expression.
He kept reminding himself:
The stronger Haneda was, the greater the potential for complications in his plan.
Still, a Haneda wielding the Rinnegan would be the perfect counterbalance to a Madara with the same power. If the two stalemated, Obito could seize the opportunity to retrieve the Rinnegan from Nagato, gather the tailed beasts, and become the second Sage of Six Paths...
Despite his efforts, Obito couldn't hide the slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He stole a glance at Haneda, relieved to see that the latter hadn't noticed.
Yet when he turned back to look at Haneda, his gaze grew complex.
At that moment, Haneda wasn't paying any attention to Obito.
Instead, he was fully focused on using Bishamonten's large-scale teleportation ability, transferring the White Zetsu floating in mid-air into the dimension of Bishamonten's world.
One hundred thousand White Zetsu was not a small number, yet also not overwhelming.
Within mere minutes, one Zetsu after another was lifted from the depths of the earth, pulled skyward, and eventually absorbed by the swirling vortex of spatial energy.
As the Zetsu hovered mid-air, many noticed Obito below. Despite their low intelligence, it didn't take them long to piece together what had happened.
They'd been sold out. By Obito. To Uchiha Haneda.
They unleashed a torrent of curses at Obito, their voices full of venom.
But nothing could overturn Obito's decision. Ever since Black Zetsu began colluding with Kabuto to revive Madara, their fate had already been sealed.
What was the point of holding onto something that didn't truly belong to him?
Only what was firmly in his grasp could ever be considered his.
When the last White Zetsu disappeared into the sky, Haneda casually tossed a small sphere to Obito.
Inside the sphere was a miniature Shukaku, the One-Tail. Shukaku thrashed and raged, hurling a barrage of insults at Haneda—but to no avail. The seals within the sphere completely silenced any sound.
As half of Shukaku landed in Obito's hands, Haneda said, "The password is Kakashi's birthday. You remember it, right?"
Obito snorted. "I've long since forgotten that guy." With his prize in hand, Obito activated Kamui and disappeared.
Watching Obito vanish, Haneda rested his hand on his chin, chuckling. "He remembers it. Last time, he even gave Kakashi a gift for the occasion."
As Haneda departed, the massive sphere suspended in the sky began its descent.
BOOM!
It hit the ground with the force of a meteor, causing a cataclysmic quake that rippled across the Land of Rivers.
For a moment, the entire nation seemed to tremble as though struck by an earthquake.
Ninjas hidden throughout the Land of Rivers quickly rushed to the scene.
Staring at the enormous crater left behind, many were plunged into deep thought.
Among them was Black Zetsu, who arrived with Kabuto. Black Zetsu also stared at the crater, lost in contemplation.
If Black Zetsu had a human face, it would undoubtedly have been twisted into an expression of utter malice.
He speculated that Nagato had made a move and that Nagato had killed the 100,000 White Zetsu.
And who else knew the location of the White Zetsu but him and Obito?
It seemed Obito and Nagato had joined forces, an unexpected development that threw Black Zetsu's plans into disarray.
Kabuto broke the silence. "Edo Tensei requires living bodies as vessels. The better the vessels, the stronger the reanimation."
Black Zetsu understood what Kabuto was implying. His voice turned dark. "I'll find you some other alternatives."
"That would be ideal," Kabuto said, his gaze lingering on the massive crater. His eyes gleamed with intrigue, as if he were connecting dots that hadn't yet formed a picture.
"This is getting more interesting," he murmured to himself. "This war might just help me uncover the meaning of life..."
...…
Two and a half days later, within the borders of the Land of Wind.
The ninja alliance had gathered 50,000 troops.
Standing on high ground overlooking the Gobi Desert, the Fourth Raikage surveyed the endless sea of soldiers, his spirits soaring.
Through sheer force and negotiation, he had secured his position as Supreme Commander of the alliance, leading the combined forces of Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure.
Behind the scenes, he had made arrangements to ensure that Kumogakure would reap the most benefits from this war.
Regardless of how Konoha fared in the end, Kumogakure would emerge as the top ninja village in the world!
Unlike the Raikage, the ninja alliance below was a fragile coalition, formed under duress.
Iwagakure and Sunagakure were historical enemies. Kumogakure and Iwagakure bore deep grudges. Kirigakure and Sunagakure had clashed countless times.
The web of enmity among the four factions was complex, and skirmishes often broke out, escalating into physical altercations.
Still, the situation remained within the Raikage's control.
He had never expected a coalition born out of self-interest to be truly united.
As long as they could present a united front against Konoha, that was enough.
And in this respect, the four great ninja villages were aligned: their mutual animosity was set aside for their shared enmity against Konoha.
Except for Kirigakure, the other three villages and smaller allied nations had long been fostering anti-Konoha sentiment.
With the war looming, the factions within the anti-Konoha alliance were forced into compromises and cooperation.
The Raikage, observing the once-raucous alliance settling into quiet, knew the time had come. Standing tall, his voice resounded with fervor:
"I've said this at least three times before, but I'll emphasize it once more!"
"This war is ours to win!"
"Our anti-Konoha alliance has received the unanimous support of every nation except for the Land of Fire, Land of Rain, Land of Bears, and Land of Waves!"
"The daimyos themselves back us wholeheartedly!"
"For over half a year, they've been funneling treasure, chest after chest of wealth, to our villages to support our efforts!"
"Their support for our villages is unprecedented!"
"This is Timing!
"We're waging this war in the Lands of Wind and Rivers—territory of allied nations!"
"Look at this vast Gobi Desert, this endless expanse of sand! To the average ninja, it's impossible to navigate, but we've studied this terrain extensively!"
"The Land of Rivers has already provided every detail of their landscape to our alliance leaders. Every commander is intimately familiar with the terrain—we are fighting on home ground!"
"In such familiar environments, our strategies and battle plans will enhance our strength by 30%, while Konoha's unfamiliarity with the battlefield will weaken them by 30%!
"With our power rising and theirs falling, our alliance is guaranteed victory!"
"This is Geography!
"Our alliance has set aside differences to focus on our common enemy: Konoha!"
"Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, Sunagakure—now, more than ever, we are united!"
"We stand together here. There is no infighting or hostility as before. For the sake of our nations, we endure and cooperate. We stand as one!"
"This is Unity!
"With perfect timing, geography, and unity, and an eight-to-three advantage in troop numbers, this war is ours to win!"
"This time, the advantage is mine!!"
Standing before the 50,000-strong ninja alliance, the Fourth Raikage was filled with unshakable confidence.
The unscalable peak of the Hokage Mountain had become a thing of the past.
The so-called God of Shinobi was dead.
No one could stop him from leading the anti-Konoha alliance to crush Konoha and elevate Kumogakure to the pinnacle of the ninja world!
Not Konoha's Sannin, not even the Akatsuki!
As the Raikage's rousing speech echoed across the battlefield, the alliance troops erupted in cheers:
"Well said, Commander!"
...…