Sasuke watched Naruto fall in the distance, his fists unconsciously clenching. A complex expression crossed his face.
Madara had clearly paid no attention to his request.
Sasuke could sense Naruto's life force growing weaker. A Jinchuriki who had their Tailed Beast extracted had virtually no chance of survival.
Was this the end?
After extracting the Nine-Tails' chakra, the Gedo Statue reverted to a massive plume of white smoke and vanished.
Madara turned to leave in the opposite direction. With the Tailed Beast secured, there was no reason to linger.
Next on his agenda were the Tailed Beasts still in Yuto's possession.
A sharp gleam flickered in Madara's eyes. This matter would require careful planning.
Having just finished his battle with Senju Hashirama, Madara had no intention of immediately starting a war with Yuto.
He understood clearly that fighting Hashirama and fighting Yuto were two entirely different things.
Without sufficient preparation, if the conflict dragged on, Madara was not confident he could defeat Yuto.
The Uchiha Clan's Sharingan possessed the powerful Izanagi, but Yuto's immortality was far too troublesome.
That ability naturally placed Yuto in a state of invincibility.
"What an irritating power."
Madara's eyes flickered as his figure appeared beside Uchiha Obito.
In the next instant.
A spatial vortex opened, enveloping Madara, Obito, and Sasuke before pulling them from the battlefield.
With Madara's group departed.
The figure Madara had kicked away–Jiraiya–struggled to his feet and coughed out a mouthful of blood.
Ignoring the blood at the corner of his mouth, Jiraiya stumbled hurriedly toward Naruto.
When he reached Naruto and found that his breath was weak but still present, Jiraiya let out a deep, relieved sigh.
When an ordinary Jinchuriki lost their Tailed Beast, the survival rate was essentially zero.
But Naruto possessed the bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan. Under the power of that robust vitality, Naruto had not died immediately after the extraction.
"Thankfully, I prepared for this."
Jiraiya wiped the blood from his lips and placed his hand on the ground.
A puff of white smoke cleared to reveal a palm-sized frog beneath his hand.
The frog opened its mouth wide and produced a massive scroll nearly a meter in length.
Jiraiya endured the searing pain throughout his body and unrolled the scroll quickly. He moved the increasingly weak Naruto to its center.
This scroll was the very one Jiraiya had used to have the reanimated Namikaze Minato extract the Yin-natured Nine-Tails chakra from his body.
"Hang on, Naruto. You can't die here!"
Jiraiya coughed up another mouthful of blood while his hands rapidly formed seals.
In Jiraiya's heart, Naruto was not merely his student–he was the future hope of the shinobi world.
The Toad Sage's prophecy had convinced Jiraiya beyond doubt that Naruto was the one destined to save the world.
And of course, he was Konoha's hope as well.
Under Jiraiya's rapid hand seals, the dense, mysterious inscriptions carved into the scroll began glowing with a pale crimson light.
A massive amount of Yin-natured Nine-Tails chakra overflowed from the center of the scroll and began flowing into Naruto's body.
As time passed, the speed of the Nine-Tails' chakra transfer grew faster, as if the chakra had adapted to Naruto's body.
This was expected, since Naruto was the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki.
Even so, it took nearly five minutes for all the Yin-natured Nine-Tails chakra to be sealed within Naruto's body.
When it was done.
Jiraiya watched as Naruto gradually calmed and let out a heavy breath.
"We need to get out of here quickly."
Without hesitation, Jiraiya rose and scooped Naruto up with one arm.
Before departing, he cast one last deep look toward the Hokage Rock, gritted his teeth, and turned north.
Jiraiya knew that after today, the shinobi world would no longer have a Konoha.
Within the Land of Fire.
A vast, lavishly decorated private estate.
Rather than a private estate, it was better described as a semi-open luxury resort.
But this was not a place ordinary people could simply enter. It typically catered to nobles and important dignitaries.
Beyond the standard amenities of a high-end resort, this estate was most famous for its hot springs.
Rumor had it that the springs had been constructed using shinobi techniques and possessed healing and longevity properties.
They rivaled the celebrated hot springs of the Land of Hot Water in every regard.
A faint white mist hung in the air.
The bubbling sound of water flowing from the pool's outlet was a constant, soothing murmur.
A somewhat thin middle-aged man with an air of authority soaked in the spring, his face relaxed with pleasure.
"Soaking in a hot spring really is wonderful."
"After staying on that island for so long, a good soak drives the chill right out of you."
The man smiled as he spoke, clearly in an excellent mood.
"If Your Excellency enjoys it, you can come here every day from now on."
An impeccably dressed elderly man knelt on both knees at the pool's edge, his voice filled with deference.
The man soaking in the hot spring was none other than the Daimyo of the Land of Water!
The most powerful lord of the Land of Water had appeared within the Land of Fire, and from the looks of it, had been staying here for some time.
"Kitagawa, you're right. With nothing else to do, I can certainly come here every day."
The Water Daimyo smiled, a calculating gleam in his eyes.
Just then.
Hurried footsteps sounded from outside, approaching rapidly.
"He has arrived."
Kitagawa bowed slightly and spoke softly to the Water Daimyo in the pool.
The Water Daimyo's lips curved slightly, but his face quickly settled into an expression of calm composure.
The footsteps grew closer!
A furious, imposing elderly man in an exquisitely embroidered robe burst through the partition and strode in.
Kitagawa, who had been kneeling by the pool, quickly rose and bowed deeply to the newcomer: "Greetings, Your Excellency."
The Water Daimyo opened his eyes with a look of feigned confusion, regarding the arriving Fire Daimyo with apparent puzzlement.
"I didn't expect you to have so much free time today that you'd come here for a soak as well."
The Water Daimyo looked at the enraged Fire Daimyo, his voice carrying genuine-seeming confusion and amusement.
"Drop the act, Saitou!"
"This is what you called a 'minor shinobi conflict' three days ago?!"
"Do you have any idea what your Hidden Mist Village and the Hidden Stone Village have done together?"
"End this shinobi war immediately! You are destroying the balance between the Five Great Nations!"
The Fire Daimyo had abandoned all pretense of diplomatic courtesy and was practically roaring.
He felt utterly deceived!
The Fire Daimyo had assumed this was just an ordinary shinobi skirmish, no different from the countless wars of the past.
Shinobi wielded extraordinary power. Whenever peace lasted too long, the accumulated strength of these warriors threatened the authority of the Daimyo's offices.
So periodically exhausting some shinobi resources was, in the Daimyo's eyes, actually beneficial.
But this situation was clearly different from anything before!
Facing the Fire Daimyo's barrage of accusations.
The Water Daimyo was momentarily stunned, then his face also displayed an expression of disbelief.
"Impossible!"
"Our Hidden Mist Village has always been at the bottom. Even allied with the Hidden Stone, we couldn't possibly destroy your Konoha."
The Water Daimyo furrowed his brow and shook his head.
The Fire Daimyo gritted his teeth and fixed the Water Daimyo with a murderous stare: "You think I'm joking?!"
Reading the expression on the Fire Daimyo's face, the Water Daimyo finally grasped the gravity of the situation. He quickly rose from the pool and stepped onto the shore.
Kitagawa, who had been prepared, promptly brought a clean white robe from the side and draped it over the Water Daimyo's shoulders as he emerged from the water.
"I truly had no knowledge of this. I will find out the details immediately."
The Water Daimyo stood before the Fire Daimyo, bowing slightly, his face arranged in an expression of anger.
Though the Daimyos of the Five Great Nations were technically equal in status, that was not the reality. Nations like the Land of Water and the Land of Wind could never truly match the standing of the Land of Fire.
A sharp slap rang out!
The Water Daimyo struck Kitagawa across the cheek.
"What are you standing there for? Contact Terumi Mei immediately! I want to know exactly what's going on!"
The Water Daimyo shouted at Kitagawa in dissatisfaction.
A clear handprint bloomed on Kitagawa's cheek. The Water Daimyo had not held back.
But Kitagawa showed no resentment whatsoever. His expression remained respectful as he nodded and hurried away.
Kitagawa hadn't taken more than a few steps before two figures dressed as warriors blocked his path.
These two warriors were naturally among the Fire Daimyo's entourage.
The Fire Daimyo narrowed his eyes at the Water Daimyo. The atmosphere grew tense and frozen in an instant.
But after a brief moment, the Fire Daimyo raised his hand and waved toward the rear.
At his signal, the two warriors blocking Kitagawa stepped aside.
Kitagawa wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly departed.
"I will give you a satisfactory answer regarding this matter."
The Water Daimyo's tone was humble, his face also covered in beads of sweat–whether from the hot spring or the suffocating tension was unclear.
"I hope so."
A cold gleam flashed through the Fire Daimyo's clouded eyes. He flung his long sleeve and turned to leave.
The several warriors trailing behind the Fire Daimyo followed him out.
"Your Excellency, could the Water Daimyo truly be unaware of this?"
"There must be more to it…"
A minister following the Fire Daimyo ventured cautiously.
"Hmph!"
"If he's truly harboring some little scheme, then he can stay here permanently."
The Fire Daimyo let out a cold snort, his voice dripping with arrogance and contempt.
The Land of Water's territory didn't even amount to one-fifth of the Land of Fire. In the Fire Daimyo's eyes, the Water Daimyo was beneath his notice.
He wasn't worried about the Water Daimyo playing any tricks. The entire estate was already surrounded by his forces.
Moreover, knowing the Water Daimyo's character, the man was terrified of death.
Saitou would never put himself in a dangerous position.
And the current situation was more than just dangerous–it was using himself as bait!
Unfortunately.
The Fire Daimyo did not know that when the potential rewards of something far outweighed the risks, even the most cowardly man would be willing to take the chance.
Elsewhere.
After the Fire Daimyo departed, the humble expression on the Water Daimyo's face vanished without a trace, replaced by a cold, sinister gleam in his eyes.
The Water Daimyo walked around the hot spring pool behind him, following a corridor to a room in the far corner.
He slid open the shōji door and entered.
Kitagawa, who had just left, was already standing respectfully inside.
Of course, the room held more than just Kitagawa. Terumi Mei, Ao, and two jonin were also present.
"Your Excellency."
Seeing the Water Daimyo enter, Terumi Mei and the others bowed.
The Water Daimyo paid no attention to these formalities, waving his hand dismissively.
"How are things proceeding? I don't want any surprises."
He narrowed his eyes and looked at Terumi Mei and the others, speaking softly.
"Rest assured, Your Excellency. The situation is firmly under control."
"Starting tomorrow, the shinobi world will have only four great villages."
Terumi Mei wore a confident smile, her voice calm and assured.
The Water Daimyo's heart settled at her words.
"If that's the case, then I…"
The Water Daimyo suddenly recalled the Fire Daimyo's veiled threat, and a note of concern crept into his voice.
"We will remain here to ensure Your Excellency's safety."
Before the Water Daimyo could finish, Terumi Mei cut in smoothly.
[
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