Chapter 369: 347. Shadows in Dark
A/N:- Don't forget to vote with power stones. Also, if you have spare change; then sign up on my pa treon to read up to advance chapters of this series. Also, don't forget to check out my new series, 'The Pride of Favonius'. Also, there is a new early access series called 'The Rogue Demon of the Shinobi World' on my pa treon. It will be available to the rest after mid-december.
www.pa treon.com/ForgottenLife
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"Fourth Shinobi War?"
All the clan leaders stand up from their seats, stunned by the shocking revelation.
Cough… cough…
Tsunade coughs to calm them down. She gestures to Minato to continue.
"The possibility of Fourth Shinobi War is still a speculation…" Minato's words slightly ease the worry in their heart.
"However, Konoha and its allies should still prepare for the worst-case scenario."
Minato rolls the scroll and sits back.
Chitter… chatter…
The various clan leaders discuss the possibility of war among themselves. Minato and Tsunade close their eyes and calmly think of the situation. After discussing for a while, Hiashi Hyuga turns to the Tsunade.
"Hokage-sama, before this discussion reaches any conclusion, we would like to know more about the enemy. Konoha, Suna, and Kiri had an army of elite shinobis ready to deploy at any moment. Whereas Akatsuki is just an organization consisting of ten elite shinobis and Kabuto is just a single person with control over a few shinobis of the Land of Sound. Unless these people unite the small shinobi nations, they hardly stand a chance against the combined might of three shinobi nations." Hiashi voices the question that most clan heads are eager to get an answer to.
Hmm…
"Edo Tensei!" Minato voices out a word.
Silence… Utter silence spreads throughout the entire meeting hall.
"Orochimaru improved the forbidden jutsu of the Second Hokage. During the demon war, Kabuto seems to have improved this jutsu a step further. From our evaluation, the improved Edo Tensei can retain most of their peak strength and Kabuto seems to be capable of completely controlling their actions."
Minato recounts the previous encounter of Konoha 12 with the reincarnated Third Raikage.
Shock spread throughout the faces of the clan leader.
"No wonder… no wonder… there were multiple cases of grave robbery in the previous few years. At this rate, this Kabuto might have gathered the remains of almost all well-known shinobis." A chill spread through everyone's back.
The emotional and sentimental burden of fighting against their long-dead friends and family.
The clan leaders clutch their fists in anger.
"We can't allow that bastard to tarnish the honor of our friends and family.
Suddenly,
Whoosh…
A shadow appears in the meeting room, startling everyone presents in the hall. The shadow stands beside Minato and hands over a scroll to him. Minato grabs the scroll and unfurls it. His expression turns ugly. He passes the scroll to Tsunade.
Tsunade glances at the scroll, and her expression also turns foul. She turns towards Minato, who nods his head.
"EVERYONE!" Tsunade raises her voice to get everyone's attention.
"We have the latest intel regarding the Akatsuki!"
Swoosh…
Tsunade throws the scroll to the center of the table.
"Recently, in these past two years, the hidden members of the Akatsuki have surfaced again. They have captured multiple shinobis throughout the different nations."
The clan leaders attentively listen to her explanation.
"One and a half years ago, Yugito Nii of the Kumogakure was captured alive during a mission. A few days later, Kumo declared her MIA. Then, a year ago, Akatsuki targeted the resurrected three-tails. Kiri suffered multiple casualties and the members of the Akatsuki captured the new jinchuruki. Eleven months ago, just a month after the previous incident; Iwagakure confirmed the kidnapping of Four-tails.
Three months later, six members of Akatsuki broke through the encirclement of a hundred elite Iwagakure shinobis. They successfully captured the Jinchuriki of Five-tails and escaped. Onoki was quick to suppress the news, but our spies were able to dig it out…"
The expression of clan leaders turns grim.
"… Two months later, after the end of the chunnin exam; two Akatsuki members attacked an entourage from Takigakure. They wiped out all the members of the entourage. Later, Takigakure revealed that the Seven-tails jinchuruki was within the group. And now…"
Tsunade turns to the scroll in the center of the table.
"Yesterday, the rogue jinchuruki of Six-tails was kidnapped right under the nose of Kiri shinobis. Kiri suffered yet another loss. As our ally, it's an immense blow to our man force."
The faces of clan leaders turn pale.
"If the rumors regarding the forbidden jutsu of the tailed beast are correct, then the Akatsuki is very close to achieving it. If they capture the remaining three tailed beasts, then not even the combined forces of Five Great Nations will stand a chance against them."
The clan leaders recall a piece of information from history where a certain clan managed to capture eight-tailed beasts in the past. Using their powers and the help of an ancient relic, the clan almost managed to unify the entire shinobi world. In the end, the combined powers of all other clans prevented the tragedy. After the catastrophe, the greed of the clans took over. This led to the start of the Warring period of shinobi history. However, all records of that ambitious clan, including their name, were wiped out from the annals of history.
The meeting lasts for another hour. In the end,
"There is still a month before the start of the Konoha's annual sports festival. The festival will last for seven days. On the seventh day, we will hold a meeting with the important members of Suna and Kiri and will formulate a strategy and assess preparation for the possible upcoming war."
The meeting concludes. Only Tsunade, Minato, Jiraiya, and Sakumo are left behind in the meeting room.
Phew…
Tsunade heaves a sigh of relief. She turns to Jiraiya and asks him.
"Still no intel on Pain?"
Jiraiya shakes his head.
"It has been three years since Nagato disappeared from the shinobi world. Despite my efforts, I was unable to track his trace. It's like he disappeared into thin air." Jiraiya shakes his head.
"Even the members of In-Yō are unable to locate him." Minato shakes his head. Tsunade bites her lower lip in frustration.
"Akatsuki has captured six-tailed beasts as of the current moment. Their next target will be Konoha and Kumogakure. Konoha has one-tails and nine-tails residing in it, so the scale of the attack might be even bigger than the previous attacks. Akatsuki won't spare any effort in taking us down." Jiraiya clicks his tongue in frustration.
"If only he was here…" Tsunade's thoughts linger for a while as she mutters to herself.
The room turns silent as everyone is lost in their thoughts.
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Later in the Konoha Hospital,
Izumi is resting on a bed with multiple flowers around her. Almost half of the Yamanaka flower shop is present in her room.
"Get well soon, Sensei!" Yakumo decorates a bouquet of yellow roses and daisies.
"You girls should also take care." Izumi waves her hand to Yakumo as she leaves the room.
A few moments later,
Itachi and Ayaka enter the room. There is a dark expression on Itachi's face.
"Itachi… I…" Izumi stutters as she fails to respond.
"I… I… am sorry!" Her eyes turn teary.
Sigh…
Itachi sighs helplessly and embraces her in a hug.
"I am not mad at you for breaking our promise. You had no other choice. I am just… I am just mad at myself for my inability to help you."
They both hug each other for a while. After a few moments,
Cough… cough…
Ayaka coughs slightly to get their attention.
"I am still here, y'know!"
AH!
Izumi's face turns red in embarrassment and Itachi turns his head in another direction to avoid Ayaka's gaze.
Haha…
Sound of laughter and giggles sound from outside the room as the Uchiha family enters the room.
Whoosh…
Itachi immediately distances himself from Izumi like a spring. This leads to another series of laughter from the group.
"Ara… Itachi! It has been three years already. When will I get the fortune to become a Grandaunt?" Fumiko chuckles and teases Itachi.
"Aunt… I… Izumi… we…" Itachi is flustered by Fumiko's teasing.
Haha…
The group breaks out into a fit of yet another laughter.
"Alright! Alright! Give her a break y'all. She still needs to recover." Aiko comes to Itachi's rescue.
Itachi silently thanks Aiko in his mind.
'… Shisui and Yugao are already expecting. So, Itachi, you better not make us wait longer!' She smiles at Itachi.
Itachi's expression freezes. He walks beside his father and uncle, who gently pats his back with an expression of.
'We all have been through this, son. You have to manage it on your own.'
While the group was chattering among themselves, Ayaka takes out a small crystalline vial from her pocket. There is a glowing cyan color fluid in the vial. She hands it over to Izumi.
"Izumi Nii-san, this is a medicine from Shikkotsu Forest. Big Sister Tsunade uses this to recover from the loss of life force while using her Creation Rebirth technique. I hope this will help you recover from your previous life-force loss."
"Ayaka… this…" A smile blooms on Izumi's face as she accepts this.
'Grandmother… mother… I finally have a loving family.' She gulps down the content of the vial.
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Deep into Death Valley near the chaotic spatial rifts,
Fwoosh…
A gigantic rift in space opens up. A figure covered in black robes slowly steps into the shinobi world.
"This seems to be the place; I was looking for."
Hmm…
The figure raises his head and stares in a direction. A few seconds later, another figure in purple robes appears in front of him.
"Go back to where you came from. You don't belong in this place!"
Purple kaleidoscopic patterns revolve in the eyes of the newly arrived figure.
"That's what I should say to you prince *#@#*"
The black-clothed figure cracks his mouth open. The face of the purple-robed figure crumbles.
"No, you!"
Chapter 370: 348. Shocking Revelation
A/N:- Don't forget to vote with power stones. Also, if you have spare change; then sign up on my pa treon to read up to advance chapters of this series. Also, don't forget to check out my new series, 'The Pride of Favonius'. Also, there is a new early access series called 'The Rogue Demon of the Shinobi World' on my pa treon. It will be available to the rest after mid-december.
www.pa treon.com/ForgottenLife
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Somewhere In a secret hideout in the Land of Ancestors.
Swirl…
A swirling portal opens up. A yellow one-eye masked figure clad in black robes with a red cloud pattern walks out of it.
"How are the preparations?"
Swoosh… swoosh…
Multiple origami papers swarm the area. The papers coalesce together to form Konan.
"Pain is waiting inside for you!"
Konan turns around and enters the room. Tobi follows her.
Inside the room, Pain is sitting on a black rod throne with four other pains standing beside him.
"The preparations are complete. After three years of exploration, I retrieved what you asked."
Pain withdraws a scroll from his robe and tosses it toward Tobi.
Tobi grabs the scroll and glances at it.
"This should be enough to ensure our victory in the upcoming war. However, we still need time to prepare for war."
"How is the cooperation with Kabuto?" Pain asks him.
"Are you sure about the co-operation with that snake? What if he backstabs us, just like Master?" Konan voices her concern.
"That won't happen! I already have his weakness in my hands." A scroll appears in Tobi's hands.
"This is the thing that Kabuto desires the most. Fortunately, it happens to be in my hands. If he wants it, then he must have to work for me." Tobi closes his fist, and the scroll disappears.
"Also, it's about time for me to formally introduce myself to the rest of the Akatsuki members. Gone are the days when I was known as Tobi!" Tobi's demeanor changes as he speaks.
"Izuna Uchiha was a throne, stuck in the path of Akatsuki. Now, it has been two years since he disappeared from this world. So, after ample preparations, we can finally make a move on Konoha to capture the remaining One-tail and Nine-tails."
Tobi takes out two magatama beads and one circular glass bead from his pocket. He passes them to Pain.
"Even without Izuna Uchiha, Konoha still has multiple powerful shinobis within it. Sakumo Hatake, Tsunade Senju, Minato Namikaze, Fugaku Uchiha, Yagami Uchiha, Akira Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy…" Tobi continues to count the elite shinobis of Konoha.
"… and finally, your sensei Jiraiya." Konan's expression flinches slightly at the mention of Jiraiya.
Even Tobi himself is surprised by the sheer number of powerful shinobis present in Konoha.
'Current Konoha is a force to be reckoned with. Fortunately, I was able to get my hands on that thing or else…' He assures himself.
"Fighting a head-on battle against Konoha will be a mistake even with your Rinnegan." Tobi analyzes the current strength of Konoha.
"Summon the rest of the members to initiate our plan."
Pain taps the ring on his finger.
Half an hour later,
The projection of every Akatsuki member gathers inside the secret hideout.
"It has been a while since I last saw your face." Kakuzu glares into Pain's eyes.
"Hey man! I thought you were dead. Too bad, you would have made a great offering to Lord Jashin." Hidan clicks his tongue.
"I am not here to listen to the blabbering of a walking antique zombie and a lunatic cultist of a shady God. If there is nothing else, I will return." Sasori opens his mouth and mocks Hidan and Kakuzu.
"Looks like someone is itching to meet the death God." Kakuzu clenches his fist in anger.
"His soul will be a sacrifice to my Lord Jashin, not some death God!" Hidan readies his scythe.
Fufu…
Deidara chuckles slightly.
"Sasori my man! Looks like they have already planned a funeral and afterlife home for you."
"Shut up!" Sasori glares at him.
"Enough!"
Pain who has his eyes closed the entire time opens them and speaks, inducing fear in every Akatsuki member present.
"I haven't summoned you here for the useless blabbering." Pain glares at every member of Akatsuki.
"Before we begin, I have someone to introduce." Pain turns to a dark corner as a figure walks out of it.
The Akatsuki members recognize him.
"Tobi?!"
They are surprised to see Tobi.
"Before we begin, let me re-introduce myself…"
"… so, except for Fushin and Kisame who will attack the Eight-Tails, the rest will attack Konoha with me. Kabuto will also provide some backup to both teams. So, let's meet outside the Land of Fire in the next seven days." Pain concludes the meeting.
Swoosh… swoosh…
One by one, the projection of every Akatsuki member disappears from the room.
Tobi also retreats with Zetsu to meet with Kabuto to finalize their plan. Only Konan and Pain are left in the room.
"After removing the only obstacle in our path, the 'Eye of the Moon Plan' will finally come to fruition. I will bring peace to this forsaken world." Pain slowly walks out of the hideout.
"Nagato!" Konan has a hesitant expression on her face.
"Will this plan really bring peace to the world? Wouldn't we end up sacrificing hundred and thousands of people if a war starts now?" Konan clenches her fists as she murmurs.
"This is not what Yahiko envisioned Akatsuki to be… a terrorist organization responsible for mass murder." She questions Nagato's decision again as she recalls Izuna's words from the past.
"These hundred and thousands of people are the necessary sacrifice to propagate a new future. These heartless people… never even once… spared a glance when their nation attacked other nations for resources. We had to survive another day as they enjoyed their life. They brutally crushed our peaceful attempts to rise. They never showed mercy to us. So, why should we reciprocate? Konan… you can't change my mind."
Deva Path leaves the place with other paths.
Sigh…
Konan sighs helplessly.
"Nagato… you have changed… you have changed a lot. Your power has corrupted your mind. But I will still stand with you and see this to the end, for that is my promise to Yahiko." Konan closes her eyes as tears fall from them.
"Yahiko…"
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Somewhere in a forest outside the Land of Rice Paddies,
A figure in a black cloak is sitting on a rock. A white snake slithers around the figure. Kabuto gently pats the snake.
Swirl…
Tobi walks out of a swirling portal.
"I am not late, am I?"
"No! You are just on time." Kabuto raises his head and turns to Tobi.
"Have you brought it?" Kabuto has an eager expression on his face.
Swoosh…
Tobi summons a storage scroll.
"It will depend on your contribution." He tosses the scroll to Kabuto. Kabuto grabs the scroll and checks its content. His expression turns ugly.
"This is not what you promised?" A scary expression appears on Kabuto's face.
"You have yet to make any noteworthy contribution. So, this is all I can spare for now." Tobi calmly crosses his hands in front of his chest as he plays Kabuto on his fingertips.
"You!" Rage appears in Kabuto's eyes. However, it soon disappears, and a calm expression is on his face.
Kabuto smirks and speaks in a chilly tone.
"Contribution, it is!?"
Swish… swish…
He makes some quick hand signs and slams his palm on the ground.
"Edo Tensei!"
Poof… Poof…
Eight wooden coffins pop out of the ground. One of the coffins slightly differs from the rest.
BANG… BANG…
One by one, the lid of the six coffins falls to the ground.
"How is it for contribution?" Tobi's expression changes drastically as he stares at the summons.
"YOU?!" His eyes narrow as he stares at the summons in the coffin.
Kuku…
"I have perfected the technique which Orochimaru-sama failed to. With my modifications, each of these shinobis retained their peak strength… no, they are beyond their peak strength since they don't feel pain, hunger, and exhaustion. They can't die by normal means and will never run out of chakra."
Kabuto tickles the chin of the white snake wrapped around his body.
Hmm…
Tobi's expression turns normal.
"This should be more than enough. Once the war is over, I will give everything to you. That's the term of our agreement."
"NO!" Kabuto shakes his head.
"We need to slightly change the terms."
BANG…
The lid of the final two coffins falls to the ground.
"IMPOSSIBLE!"
For the first time, Tobi loses his calm as he glares at the two figures in the coffin. Tobi is shaken to his core as Kabuto calmly walks towards him.
"You know… while researching, I came across a shocking revelation. The rest was quite easy to figure out. I connected a few dots and…"
Kuku…
Kabuto smiles ominously as he mutters.
"Isn't that right, Mr. Obito Uchiha?"
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