Inside a tavern in the capital of the Land of Fire, several heavily intoxicated samurai were still talking loudly and boastfully.
To those far removed from the center of power, the news of the shocking upheaval in Konoha felt more like a distant, thrilling theatrical play.
However, when a messenger stumbled into the tavern and shouted the latest news with a hoarse voice, it was as if someone had pressed the pause button on them.
"Lord Daimyo... Lord Daimyo has been assassinated!"
It was not just the Land of Fire. The Land of Lightning, the Land of Earth, the Land of Water, and the Land of Wind.
The supreme rulers of the five most powerful nations in the ninja world, along with their direct bloodlines, had been completely slaughtered in a single day.
This news spread to every corner of the ninja world in just one short day.
At first, people reacted with sheer disbelief, which was quickly followed by absolute panic.
The death of the Daimyos meant the complete collapse of the nations' political systems and the severing of the ninja villages' economic lifelines.
A nation without its supreme ruler was like a massive ship without a helmsman, left to drift aimlessly in the wind.
Both civilians and shinobi alike plunged into an unprecedented state of terror.
Kumogakure, the Raikage's office.
The Fourth Raikage, A, viciously slammed the newly received intelligence report onto the floor. Spinning around, he shattered his newly replaced desk with a single slap. The violent Lightning Release chakra stimulated his muscles, causing them to bulge immensely.
"Damn those Uchiha!"
His roar shook the entire Raikage building.
Iwagakure.
The elderly Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, stared blankly into the distance. For the first time, his weather-beaten face revealed an incredibly heavy expression.
He completely abandoned any illusions of negotiating peace with the Uchiha.
This was no longer a simple clan rebellion or a standard ninja war.
This was a war that would upend the entire world order.
The Kages of Kirigakure and Sunagakure made the exact same judgment the moment they received the intelligence.
The four great ninja villages immediately entered the highest state of combat readiness.
All shinobi out on missions were urgently recalled, and the villages began operating at maximum capacity.
They gathered all their forces and temporarily set aside their hostilities with Konoha.
The Five Great Ninja Villages had to unite to face this inevitable catastrophe.
The entire ninja world was shrouded in the dark clouds of war, and for a time, everyone feared for their lives.
...
Amegakure. Inside the Akatsuki base, the atmosphere was equally solemn.
Through the vision of the Six Paths of Pain, Nagato quietly watched the curtain of rain outside the window, the droplets tapping gently against the glass.
Konan stood behind him, holding the intelligence report that had just arrived.
She could clearly sense Nagato's emotions—a mixture of shock, astonishment, and even a hint of excitement.
"Truly... remarkable," Nagato finally spoke after a long silence, his voice hoarse but carrying a slight tremble.
"The Uchiha clan..."
They actually dared to do it.
This was something the Akatsuki had only ever dared to imagine but had never put into practice.
Not through Tailed Beast weapons, nor through lengthy scheming.
They simply used the most violent, overbearing method to flip the entire ninja world upside down.
This kind of audacity, this madness, gave Nagato a sense of kinship.
And the overwhelming strength of the Uchiha clan had also earned his acknowledgment.
He believed that the new clan head named Ian Uchiha was a kindred spirit.
Perhaps, they could cooperate.
Nagato slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the hesitation in his Rinnegan was gone.
"Konan."
"I am here."
"I need you to make a trip to the Land of Hot Water."
"Try to make contact with this powerful new Uchiha clan head."
...
Meanwhile, deep underground in the ninja world, inside a dark and damp cave.
Black Zetsu was experiencing unprecedented anxiety.
The black substance of his body churned continuously like boiling water, revealing his inner turmoil.
With Obito captured, the core executor of the Eye of the Moon Plan was gone.
This brought all his schemes to a dead end.
However, what truly terrified him was something else entirely.
The over one hundred pairs of Mangekyo Sharingan within the Uchiha clan.
And Ian Uchiha's bizarre eyes, which possessed the power of both the Mangekyo and the Tenseigan simultaneously.
In all his years of existence, he had never seen such power.
Suddenly, Black Zetsu recalled a hidden message left by his mother, Kaguya Otsutsuki, before she was sealed.
There was still another Otsutsuki in this world.
An entity that even his mother, Kaguya Otsutsuki, feared.
He had every reason to suspect that Ian Uchiha's emergence was the work of this very Otsutsuki.
He even suspected that Ian Uchiha himself was the reincarnation or the resurrection vessel of that Otsutsuki.
A profound sense of crisis welled up within him.
He could not wait any longer.
The Eye of the Moon Plan had to be accelerated.
Otherwise, once that other Otsutsuki fully revived, his mother would be reduced to a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
He needed a powerful combatant capable of standing against Ian Uchiha.
And the best choice was Madara Uchiha!
He decided to seek out Orochimaru immediately.
Only by utilizing that madman's perfected Edo Tensei could he summon Madara Uchiha back from the Pure Land.
The moment he made his decision, a White Zetsu clone silently emerged from the ground, bringing the exact intelligence he needed.
"Lord Black Zetsu, we found them!"
"The Uchiha clan's new compound is in the Land of Hot Water!"
...
Back in the Land of Hot Water, inside the new Uchiha compound constructed with Wood Release.
In stark contrast to the tense atmosphere of the outside world, this place was completely peaceful.
The clan members were leisurely enjoying a rare moment of tranquility before the war.
However, they were unaware that they had been exposed to the eyes of the entire ninja world—though, of course, even if they knew, they wouldn't care.
In the dense forest surrounding the compound, spies sent by the major ninja villages were carefully lying in wait.
Peering through the gaps in the branches, they gazed at the magnificent and bustling Wood Release city in the distance, their hearts filled with shock.
At the same time, several White Zetsu clones used the Mayfly technique to silently merge into the earth and trees of the new Uchiha compound.
They successfully infiltrated the core area of the Uchiha territory.
Their mission was to uncover the source of the Uchiha's power.
However, their infiltration did not escape the notice of one particular individual.
At this moment, Tobi was guarding the "New Toilet Shrine" he had built with his own hands, adopting an incredibly devout posture.
Suddenly, he keenly sensed the presence of his own kind.
But there was not a shred of joy in his heart; instead, a surge of intense anger welled up. They were definitely here to steal his sacred toilet!
This sacred toilet could only belong to him, Tobi!
This ultimate truth that permeated life could only belong to him, Tobi!
No one was allowed to steal his toilet!
Without hesitation, Tobi sounded the alarm to the Uchiha clan.
Shortly after, leading a squad of Uchiha members who had just mastered the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, he locked onto the infiltrating White Zetsus.
The battle erupted in an instant and ended just as quickly.
Before those White Zetsus could even put up a fight, they were captured alive.