HSU: Ch. 333

Masashi quickly lost interest in whether Minato wanted to jump out the window or not. Before long, he was so busy he barely had time to touch the ground.

The shinobi world was a place forever full of unexpected twists and uncontrollable forces. After all, there were very few people who could crush anyone they met.

Although he wasn't on the front lines now, his role holding down the fort in the village's nerve center was no easier than being in the field.

Honestly, he even wanted to go personally. Of course, that was only wishful thinking.

As operations unfolded, feedback from Suna soon arrived.

No matter how carefree Suna's ninjas were, they couldn't tolerate a traitor who had chopped up their own Kazekage and then openly joined another ninja village, especially one that used to be a second-rate village.

Nagato truly didn't see Suna as anything special.

When Suna formally demanded the extradition of Sasori, he responded to the envoy in person: "He's right here. If you can catch him, go ahead."

The envoy wasn't a jonin. Suna's supply of jonin wasn't as plentiful as Konoha's, and Rasa didn't want to throw away a top ninja like a bone to a dog.

And he guessed right.

The envoy never made it back. Sasori killed him on the spot.

This kind of act naturally made Suna and Ame the first pair to start fighting after the Fourth Great Ninja War.

This melodrama was quite a show for everyone to enjoy.

"In this round, Ame's got a lot of spirit," one ANBU reported in the Hokage Building's ANBU conference room.

In the room with Masashi were the heads of the intelligence, secretariat, and special operations divisions.

"Hanzō was full of spirit too back then. Let's hope Ame performs better this time. Tell me the details," he tapped the table. "For example, has Akatsuki joined the fight? How? And what are Ame and Suna's arrangements?"

"Yes," the ANBU replied, switching to another file. "Akatsuki hasn't joined yet. It seems they haven't agreed on a price. Also, Suna hasn't concentrated its forces. They're mainly targeting the Land of Rain itself. Ame doesn't have as many troops and can't use the same tactics, so they're on the defensive."

"They've got high morale then?" someone asked.

"Yes. Despite that, they're not falling behind in the fighting," the ANBU answered promptly. "But Suna hasn't deployed its elite units yet. They're trying to wear down Ame's manpower first."

"Has Nagato left the village?" Masashi asked.

"Not yet. We can't confirm his movements."

"Then keep monitoring. Don't just focus on Ame. Watch Akatsuki as well. Even if they've split up, they won't be fully separated overnight."

After giving his instructions, Masashi signaled the ANBU to leave.

The operative bowed and quickly exited to carry out the orders.

"This kid's done a solid job," he praised the field operatives' work, then turned to Terai. "At the end of the year, give the team handling this case some extra bonuses. Make the report look good. Don't be shy about it."

Terai nodded happily.

This was what he was best at, after all. Back in the day, he'd even talked himself into spending years stirring up trouble in the Land of Earth.

Now he was a passionate middle-aged man, the high-blood-pressure kind.

"Alright, let's get back to Akatsuki," Masashi continued. "If Madara really takes control of Akatsuki, their strength will increase dramatically, and we'll face some very unexpected enemies. I want everyone to be mentally prepared."

"Commander, I've got a question," someone said. "Everyone knows how strong Madara is. If we run into him, we'll obviously retreat. But Akatsuki would be down four Kage-level fighters if they lose Nagato and the others. Even if Madara's there, we still have the First, Second, and Fourth Hokage, plus you. What kind of mental preparation are you talking about?"

"What I mean is: Madara can also use Edo Tensei. When he left the village, it's unlikely he didn't make some preparations."

"Commander, with Madara's personality, I doubt he'd use Edo Tensei," someone said.

"You've got a point," Masashi gave the speaker a thumbs-up. "But have you forgotten there's an old friend of ours in Akatsuki? If Madara isn't interested, that guy certainly is."

At the mention of Orochimaru, the entire room instantly grew solemn.

In this shinobi world, no one doubted Orochimaru's ability to stir up trouble, and he could use Edo Tensei too. He'd already proven that during the joint Chunin Exams.

But just thinking about how this troublemaker was trained by Konoha made everyone's teeth ache.

They just couldn't understand why someone at the top of Konoha would abandon everything and dive into that kind of madness.

"The Third Hokage really picked the wrong guy," someone sighed.

"How was it 'the wrong guy'?" Masashi caught another serious flaw in their thinking. "Orochimaru contributed more to Konoha than Konoha gave him. The Third Hokage had sharp eyes for talent. He didn't 'pick wrong.'"

He watched the subtle changes in everyone's expressions.

"Merits are merits, mistakes are mistakes. Merits cannot cancel out mistakes, and mistakes cannot erase merits. I've noticed this kind of one-size-fits-all evaluation happening during assessments. That's completely unfair to the people risking their lives on the front lines. Should they have to worry, while fighting for their lives, about whether one mistake will make all their efforts meaningless? From now on, this must be stopped."

"Yes, Commander..."

No one disagreed with this point.

After all, they'd all experienced such treatment before, and it had directly weakened the ANBU's operational power and combat effectiveness.

After dealing with that tangent, Masashi clapped his hands lightly, signaling everyone to get back on topic.

"Alright. For the next stage of work, I'll set out a few key targets. These few, everyone must focus on closely. The rest, you can handle flexibly as needed."

Masashi began counting on his fingers.

"First, Rasa and Gaara. The two of them are crucial to whether Suna can play the role we expect. Nothing can happen to them, and I need to know where they are at all times. Next, Nagato. Keep watch on both the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind. He'll have to appear eventually. Finally, Orochimaru."

When he suddenly mentioned Orochimaru, everyone found it a little surprising.

It wasn't their fault. This generation didn't truly understand Edo Tensei, so they had no idea just how insane Orochimaru's modified version of the jutsu was.

Tobirama and Madara's own first-round usage of it was focused on creating "soldiers," at most, elite troops.

Orochimaru, however, was creating hero units.

The reanimated Hashirama, Tobirama, Muzo and Madara were clearly products of Orochimaru's modified Edo Tensei. In this timeline, his progress in modifying the jutsu was faster than in the original.

As for the massive Edo army that appeared in the original Fourth Ninja War, whether he collected them or Kabuto did, that was hard to say. But it certainly wasn't something gathered in a short time.

At the very least, all those previous Kage from different villages, Masashi felt they were most likely Orochimaru's "stockpile."

Rasa, for example. In the original timeline, Orochimaru personally killed him.

When it came to grave robbing, he had to admit Orochimaru outclassed him.

---

Meanwhile, as Masashi sat in Konoha acting as the "brain" and deploying intelligence networks toward the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind, on the lands of the Land of Earth, an uninvited guest had arrived.

Madara walked through the desert.

This place had once been grassland, but war had destroyed it. Nature would heal it in time, but that required time.

The damage caused by the Edo Tensei army of Muzo's soldiers and the "refugee tactics" was fundamental.

To him, this outcome was pleasing.

On the one hand, it reminded every nation how terrifying Edo Tensei was. On the other, Masashi, who had inherited Muzo's Edo Tensei techniques, naturally became the number-one name on every country's watchlist.

He had become the most dangerous ninja in the world.

Under such circumstances, if he left the village, every side would notice. It was getting harder for him to do anything in secret. That was why he was inevitably being pushed toward becoming Hokage.

If he couldn't go out, someone else who could would go out. Madara was certain there were many people in Konoha who thought exactly that.

Everything for the sake of the village's maximum interest. That was the so-called "Will of Fire."

A Hokage with the name Uchiha. He never thought he'd live to see the day.

He found it deeply ironic.

He stopped walking, because in the distance lay the ruins of a town.

In the scarred Land of Earth, such a sight was all too common.

"Madara," came Nagato's voice from behind him, "you brought me out of the Land of Rain just to let me admire Konoha's power?"

He still maintained his composure.

The war between Ame and Suna had begun. This was a necessary step to showcase Ame's strength and elevate the Land of Rain into a great power.

If the Land of Rain wanted to become a great nation, it had to defeat another great nation.

Even if the opponent had changed to Suna, that didn't matter.

A mere Kazekage was no match for him.

"I brought you here simply because it's quiet," Madara said, turning to face Nagato. "Dancing among ants, does that satisfy you? The enemies you should face are not ants."

"Oh? So you can't bring yourself to strike at the Uchiha clan, and now you want me to do it?" Nagato mocked. "So you can't ignore your own bloodline after all."

"Provocation won't work on me," Madara replied, expression unchanged. "I'm going to fight Hashirama. Do you think you can? Enough talk. Your training begins now. Time is limited, so you'd better take this seriously."

Traveling all the way to the Land of Earth for training. Nagato felt it was completely unnecessary.

But there was that cursed seal inside his body.

He'd tried everything. It wasn't easy to remove, and so far, he hadn't found a way. Worse, the seal was connected to his heart, and it had an auto-triggering function. If he tried to tamper with it, it would go off.

Destroying it physically might work if he had two hearts. Because this one definitely wouldn't survive.

So, he endured it.

"What exactly are you trying to train me for? Let me make it clear first. I'm in a hurry. I need to defeat Suna as soon as possible."

Nagato had been born in the Land of Rain. He still had feelings for his homeland, or at least for the land itself.

He hadn't intended to go to war with any of the major countries that directly bordered Rain.

His original target had been Kumo. But Sasori had acted too fast. To prevent the Land of Rain from repeating its tragic past, he needed to end the war quickly, crush Suna with overwhelming force, and capture the One-Tail.

"You don't get to decide the timing. Don't get ahead of yourself. You're not strong enough," Madara said coolly. As someone who had seen every Great Ninja War from the First to the Fourth, a true veteran, he understood exactly what Nagato was thinking.

People from small countries like the Land of Rain always had this kind of naive idea.

"In the era that Hashirama built, it's impossible for the Land of Rain to become a great nation. If you want to secure peace for your country, you need the power to stand against Masashi. You can't match him with ninjutsu. I'm going to train you to properly use the Rinnegan."

"I've used these eyes for years. I'm good at it. I don't need your help," Nagato shot back.

No power to oppose Masashi? What a joke.

The Land of Rain's current peace was built by his hands. With him there, Masashi wouldn't go too far.

"You know very little about these eyes. After all, they're not truly yours. You've never been able to draw out their full power." Madara was growing impatient. "If you interrupt me again, you'll pay the price."

As he spoke, he formed a hand seal Nagato knew all too well.

"...Hmph."

Madara ignored the other man's frustrated grunt and began explaining the fundamental uses of the Rinnegan.

This time, Nagato didn't interrupt.

First, because he couldn't shake off the cursed seal. Second, because he was curious to hear Madara's version.

As Madara spoke, Nagato started to hear something very different from what Jiraiya had once told him.

Among the Three Great Dōjutsu, the Rinnegan alone was revered as "sublime," the source of all ninjutsu, and thus immune to all ninjutsu.

Its abilities were divided into two parts: power and skills.

The "skills" referred to the Inner and Outer Paths he was already familiar with.

The "power" was the inherent chakra and ocular force of the Rinnegan.

While he poured enormous chakra into controlling the eyes, they also fed chakra back to him.

The moment he awakened the Rinnegan, he gained mastery of all five chakra natures, a kind of starter gift package from the eyes themselves.

"So your biggest weakness right now is ocular power. You have no idea how to use it," Madara summarized. "My training for you will be about teaching you to harness your ocular power."

"If I learn to use it, can I kill Masashi?" Nagato asked.

"You wish. This will only help you narrow the gap."

"I'm already on the same level as him," Nagato replied stiffly. "We've fought many times."

"That's only because he didn't have the Rinnegan back then," Madara's patience was wearing thin. "He understands the true essence of the Uchiha's power. You don't even know how to use the Rinnegan's exclusive techniques."

"Exclusive techniques? You didn't mention that before."

"You don't have them, so what's the point of talking about it?" Madara finally lost patience.

The cursed seal locked Nagato in place, forcing his eyes wide open. Madara met his gaze. Full genjutsu power unleashed.

The next moment, Nagato fell into a surreal world. He had never experienced anything like this. He'd never been caught in a genjutsu before. And to be honest, he wasn't a tactical fighter.

With the Rinnegan, most battles for him had been simple: sense with chakra, rush in, and smash everything.

Tactics? What's that?

But now, within this illusion, that flaw was laid bare before Madara's eyes.

When Madara finally withdrew the genjutsu and he returned to reality, the first thing he saw was Madara looking at him with an expression like he was staring at a pile of crap.

"The way you deal with genjutsu isn't just wrong," Madara said dryly, "it's completely wrong. Honestly, you reacted like a newborn baby." He paused, recalling the annoying kids from the Uchiha clan. "No, even those brats do better than you."

Nagato's face went dark.

"I admit I've never trained to resist genjutsu," he replied sharply. "But does belittling others make you feel proud?"

"Interrupt me again," Madara replied casually, "and I'll make you eat rocks off the ground."

"Anyway, to resist genjutsu, the first thing you need is to understand what it feels like to be caught in one. Awareness and timely reaction are the key to breaking out of it."

Before Nagato could protest, he had already dragged him back into the illusion again.

Of course, he wasn't planning to train Nagato in any sophisticated skills. After all, Nagato was just his tool for resurrection. A Nagato who couldn't even use the Rinnegan's exclusive abilities had very limited potential anyway.

Besides, even the Rinnegan's basic abilities weren't that cost-effective at their level.

But below their level, fighting with the Rinnegan was extremely forgiving, almost environment-proof. All you needed was enough chakra.

In his eyes, Nagato was just a "skilled fighter" who'd gotten used to brute-force combat.

And while Madara was putting Nagato through one round of illusory hell after another, a pair of eyes was secretly watching from nearby.

Has he noticed me, or not?

The owner of those eyes wondered silently.

It was an Iwa kunoichi.

Iwa wasn't doing well these days. The Land of Earth had been devastated. The daimyō's funding was greatly reduced. On top of that, they owed Konoha a huge debt, so mission payments were under strict supervision.

The village was forced to downsize for the first time in its history.

Many genin were reclassified as civilian laborers and no longer served as ninjas. But genin were always a mixed bag: some could save the world, some were basically thugs.

Not everyone was willing to pick up a hoe and farm or open a shop.

So to deal with these drifters and minimize their damage to Iwa's reputation, the village had to handle them itself.

The girl had been tracking a group of missing-nin, but instead of finding them, she found him.

She recognized both Madara and Nagato.

Madara here with Nagato? This had to be some kind of Konoha conspiracy.

She didn't get closer. If she did, she wouldn't be able to convince herself she hadn't been discovered. So she carefully turned around on her knees, only to see a pair of feet step right in front of her face.

She froze for a moment, then, clinging to a sliver of hope, slowly lifted her head.

Madara was looking down at her.

"So it's a brat from Iwa," he remarked when he saw the forehead protector.

This kid was weak, definitely not anyone important. But her gaze caught his attention.

"You know me?" he said with mild interest. "State your name."

The girl hesitated, then stood up. She tried to puff out her chest bravely, but for some reason, her knees and waist felt weak.

"You're the Madara my grandfather told me about?" she asked nervously. "We've already made peace with Konoha."

And what does that have to do with me? Madara thought.

He wasn't interested in arguing with children. But the mention of "grandfather" caught his attention. There weren't many old acquaintances in the Land of Earth.

"Who's your grandfather, brat?"

"My grandfather is the greatest Tsuchikage!" she shouted, cheeks flushing. "Ōnoki of Both Scales!"

"Oh." Madara nodded.

No wonder. He remembered that face.

But so what? Just because a brat remembered his name didn't mean anything to him.

"Well then, perfect timing. Your Tsuchikage is the Fourth now, right? Tell him to come see me. I'll only see him, no one else."

"He won't meet you," the girl blurted. "You're from Konoha. You're dangerous."

"Kid," Madara said flatly, "my patience is limited. Tell your Tsuchikage this: whether Iwa continues to exist depends on whether he can satisfy me. Now, go."

He waved his hand.

An invisible force yanked the girl into the air and flung her far away.

He clasped his hands behind his back and turned to walk away.

"Wait!"

He turned expressionlessly. The girl was already running back toward him.

"Ōnoki may be weak, but he's got guts. Looks like you inherited that courage," he said calmly.

She froze to a stop in panic, gasping for breath. Then she gathered her courage again and shouted up at him:

"I just want to tell you, I'm not 'brat.' My name is Kurotsuchi. I'm already a jonin!"

Kurotsuchi, no longer a child. As the granddaughter of Ōnoki, she too wanted to state her name proudly before a legend like Madara.

Madara said nothing. He simply looked at her.

"I'll tell Deidara-nii about this!" she stammered, her courage crumbling again.

Then she turned and ran off obediently.

Too scary. She'd better find him and figure out what to do.