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Kirigakure remained silent as usual and seemed to have no reaction, even when the Tailed Beasts in the village were kidnapped.
To be precise, it was not that Kirigakure had no reaction, but that the reaction was not significant. They responded after the Tailed Beasts were taken, but soon fell silent again.
As for the situation in the ninja world, it did not seem to affect Kirigakure. Even though the Daimyo of the Land of Water was already extremely fearful, he still maintained his rule without any change.
It was very strange, but in the eyes of other ninja villages, something seemed suspicious.
After all, with such a large commotion in the ninja world, why was Kirigakure so calm? Just because they were isolated overseas?
Almost subconsciously, Kumogakure sent people to infiltrate Kirigakure. After some investigation, they indeed found something amiss.
Kirigakure's Blood Mist Village was excessively cruel. It seemed that the Mizukage intended to do this to cleanse the bloodline clans in the village, and it had achieved considerable results.
But such actions had gone on for too long, and they seemed unreasonable and strange in every aspect.
When the news spread, Iwagakure and Sunagakure also took immediate action.
The current situation in the ninja world was indeed strange.
Konoha stood alone, while the others, including Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure, formed a three-party alliance, with Kirigakure excluded.
It was not that the three villages had not contacted Kirigakure in the past, but Kirigakure refused.
This refusal, combined with the current calmness of Kirigakure , seemed even stranger. Naturally, the three parties harbored suspicions.
We may not dare to challenge Konoha directly, but do we not dare to confront you, Kirigakure?
With this thought, the three villages united and sent enough people to Kirigakure to conduct further probing and gather intelligence.
Then… war broke out.
It was not a war between Kirigakure and the three allied parties, but a group of unique beings suddenly appeared from Kirigakure and landed directly in the Land of Lightning.
The subsequent development of events was somewhat beyond expectations. No one anticipated that the Land of Lightning, or Kumogakure, would struggle so much. They were attacked at their doorstep and repeatedly defeated.
At the same time, two other teams took a long detour and appeared in the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth.
The experiences of Sunagakure and Iwagakure were no different. Facing the attacks of those enemies, they had no way to counter them, especially given that the attackers possessed a special ability to hide and transform, making defense nearly impossible.
Konoha, Hokage's office.
Ishigami Hara looked at the information with a strange expression.
"So, whether it's Kumogakure, Sunagakure, or Iwagakure, they've been beaten to the point where they can hardly fight back?"
Nara Shikaku nodded solemnly. "That seems to be the case. At least, the information we've received confirms it. The three parties are indeed finding it difficult to resist."
"So, have you found out where the enemy came from?" Ishigami Hara asked.
Nara Shikaku replied, "It's White Zetsu!"
The existence of White Zetsu was not a secret among the top leaders. Although Ishigami Hara had not revealed the origin of White Zetsu, the top leaders were familiar with White Zetsu and knew there was a hidden power lurking in the shadows of the ninja world.
Obviously, this power has now emerged.
"I see."
Ishigami Hara nodded, already understanding. Uchiha Madara was now prepared.
"Understood. Pass down the order: the Land of Fire is to enter a state of war readiness. All shinobi are to cancel their vacations and suspend their missions. Additionally, notify the village and arrange for the villagers to begin evacuation drills, so they know the location of the nearest safe zones."
"Yes!"
Nara Shikaku responded immediately. It was rare for him to see the Hokage so serious.
"Notify Hatake Sakumo. All Anbu members are to enter combat mode, clear out the Land of Fire and its borders, and screen all intelligence personnel."
"Yes!"
"Also, inform Konoha Hospital to suspend all medical research, and have all medical ninjas take up their posts."
"Yes!"
"And notify Uchiha Fugaku, Hyuga Hiashi, and the other clan leaders that each clan must contribute at least 30% of their forces to the upcoming battle. This is an order, non-negotiable."
Gulp!
Nara Shikaku couldn't help swallowing. The Hokage's stern words gave him a sense of foreboding. He had never seen Ishigami Hara this firm, his previous warmth completely absent.
"Do you think I'm being too harsh?" Ishigami Hara asked.
Nara Shikaku shook his head, taking a deep breath and replying seriously, "Since Lord Hokage has made these arrangements, there must be a reason. I will follow the order."
Ishigami Hara chuckled and said, "It's not your fault, and you don't need to be nervous. However, the future of the ninja world will only grow more chaotic. The enemies we face will be far stronger than before. If we aren't careful, the progress we've achieved over these years will go up in flames."
Hiss!
Nara Shikaku took a deep breath and nodded solemnly. "Yes, Lord Hokage, I understand. I'll pass on the order."
"Thank you for your hard work, Shikaku."
"Yes!"
Nara Shikaku left quickly, his expression solemn.
After this, Ishigami Hara called out, "Notify Namikaze Minato and his wife to come over."
"Yes!"
An Anbu shinobi took the order and left.
Ishigami Hara got up and walked to the window, hands behind his back, gazing outside with a calm expression.
He spread out his hand, revealing an gem, half the size of his palm, emitting a colorful, glass-like luster, appearing magnificent.
"It's just the last step, but unfortunately, the key element is missing. This is a good opportunity. Uchiha Madara, don't let me down—you need to bring the God Tree here."
The reason he was so intent on tracking Uchiha Madara, aside from keeping an eye on his secret activities, was this magnificent gem.
This thing looked like a gem, but it was actually a chakra creation condensed to its utmost—essentially a semi-finished God Tree seed!
Of course, it wasn't the original God Tree seed.
After all, Ishigami Hara had never seen what the real God Tree seed looked like.
The seed in his hand was the result of his own research over recent years.
Using Wood Release, he had extracted certain special substances from White Zetsu's body, and after numerous experiments, had finally achieved this result.
Ishigami Hara didn't know if this God Tree seed could germinate, but if it could, it would transform the future of the ninja world.
Because the God Tree he envisioned was different from the one planted by the Ōtsutsuki. While it would absorb energy, it would draw cosmic energy, targeting any form of radiated energy for absorption.
And what it would emit was natural energy!
In Ishigami Hara's vision, he intended to transform the ninja world into one rich in natural energy through this God Tree seed.
Of course, this was only a vision. The key to success or failure rested on this God Tree seed. Ishigami Hara looked forward to it, but he knew that the seed lacked the key element: the technology to use it.