A Sage's Pursuit of Power

The destruction of Kusagakure caused a stir, but it wasn't as big as expected.

For Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage struggling to maintain Iwagakure's independence, it only served to highlight Konoha's overwhelming strength. He couldn't help but think: If Iwagakure had Konoha's current power, I'd have already conquered every small ninja village around us.

Konoha had remained dormant for so long, and now, they had only wiped out Kusagakure. This led other villages to feel a strange sense of anticlimax: Is that it?

Moreover, Ōnoki noticed something peculiar. Although the woman who attacked Kusagakure, Yumi Uzumaki, was undeniably connected to Konoha, she was Aoba Kamikawa's lover, after all, Konoha officially denied involvement in the attack.

The reasoning? Yumi Uzumaki was not a registered ninja of Konoha!

This explanation left Ōnoki feeling insulted. A ninja capable of single-handedly annihilating a village wasn't officially a ninja? How much more ridiculous could it get?

Yet Konoha offered no further explanation, because it was the truth.

Yumi had never been registered as a ninja of Konoha. Her official status had always been that of a civilian.

In fact, she wasn't even considered a native of Konoha, she was an immigrant.

Even within Konoha, very few people knew the extent of Yumi's power. As such, her display of strength during the attack shocked Konoha more than anyone else.

Tobirama Senju observed the battle from afar and concluded that Yumi's power gave him a sense of déjà vu, she reminded him of his brother, Hashirama, in his usual state.

Of course, Yumi lacked Sage Mode, so there was still a considerable gap between her and the true Hashirama. But realistically, how many people in the ninja world could force Hashirama to use Sage Mode?

Madara also received the report but barely glanced at it before returning to his duties, much to Black Zetsu's frustration.

Black Zetsu had deliberately placed the information before Madara, hoping to provoke him into taking action against Aoba.

By now, Black Zetsu was acutely aware of the danger posed by Aoba. It had the unsettling feeling that it was losing its grasp on this world, a world it had manipulated for so long.

In the past, Black Zetsu wasn't in such a hurry. Being effectively immortal, it could afford to wait for the next opportunity if its plans failed.

But now, Black Zetsu feared there might not be a next time.

Konoha had become a no-go zone for it. The village's barrier team had begun monitoring underground as well, making infiltration nearly impossible, even with the Mayfly Technique.

Worse, Konoha's sealing division now possessed techniques that posed a real threat to Black Zetsu.

The prospect of another encounter with Aoba terrified Black Zetsu. It feared that next time, it might not escape alive.

Thus, Black Zetsu had been lying low, trying to push Madara into action.

If Madara could confront Aoba directly, it might at least slow down Aoba's reforms.

But Madara, for some reason, seemed utterly uninterested in opposing Aoba. Instead, he was burying himself in reforms of his own, attempting to build a village that could surpass Konoha.

When Black Zetsu presented the report on Yumi, Madara had muttered under his breath:

"Where should we build the new school? There's not enough money… And the port in the Land of Water needs repairs and expansion; otherwise, those merchant ships won't have anywhere to dock. The roads around the village also need improvement… Ugh, there's just never enough money. How does Konoha always seem so well-funded? How does Aoba manage it?"

Black Zetsu was at a loss for words. In its eyes, this pawn was already half-useless.

If Madara still had the Rinnegan, Black Zetsu might have killed him already and started searching for the next pawn.

But the Rinnegan was now with Obito, and Black Zetsu suspected that the "old man" had set his sights on Obito.

This made Black Zetsu wary of acting rashly. Although it knew the old man's ability to interfere with the ninja world was limited, it couldn't take that risk.

After much thought, Black Zetsu realized that Madara was still its most viable pawn, but this pawn wasn't playing its role.

Helpless, Black Zetsu made a decision:

If I have to, I'll help Madara fulfill his dreams first… and then get back to the real plan!

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Currently on Chapter 312 - The New Generation's Shinobi War