Chapter 205: Infiltrating Iwagakure
Konoha Year 45.
Ever since Kyosuke emerged from his grief, he had shouldered the entire responsibility of defending against the Iwa invasion.
Over the following months, despite Iwagakure continuously sending reinforcements, the Northwestern Corps, led by Kyosuke, successfully drove them out of the Land of Fire. The two armies now faced each other across the plains south of the Land of Grass.
During this period, Kyosuke and the now-recovered Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han, engaged in several life-or-death battles. For the most part, Kyosuke found himself at a disadvantage.
This was because he had been fighting solely with Sage Mode, deliberately avoiding the use of his Mangekyo Sharingan.
After the canyon rescue mission, Kyosuke had noticed that the power in his eyes had dropped to a dangerous level. While it wasn't yet affecting his vision, the warning signs were there.
The war was far from over. He needed to conserve as much of his strength as possible for the inevitable confrontation with Uchiha Madara, hoping to eliminate that ultimate threat ahead of schedule.
Even so, the Iwa forces were still no match for the Northwestern Corps.
Without his Mangekyo Sharingan, Kyosuke's greatest strengths—his swordsmanship and speed—were suppressed by the taijutsu-focused Jinchuriki. But they had forgotten about the other powerhouse in their ranks, one who could not only match Han, but completely overwhelm him: Might Duy.
Against the Eight Inner Gates, Han's Boil Release was all but useless. His only option was to force a full Tailed Beast transformation and engage in a brutal slugfest.
However, Han was not a perfect Jinchuriki. Even if his Tailed Beast form could contend with Duy, the severe after-effects of the transformation were debilitating.
This was the primary reason the Iwa forces had suffered defeat after defeat.
As a result, Tsuchikage Onoki, whose resolve for the invasion had never been particularly strong, began to waver. This, combined with Danzo's persistent, behind-the-scenes persuasion, slowly started to change his mind.
From Onoki's perspective, a costly, drawn-out war with Konoha was far less appealing than shifting his focus to another target. For instance, the Cloud Village, which had committed the bulk of its forces elsewhere, was now a very tempting option.
Old grudges and the current reality were more than enough to convince Onoki to abandon his secret alliance and turn his forces against Kumogakure.
This was how events should have transpired according to the original timeline. But Kyosuke's actions had drastically altered the course of the war. The Northwestern Corps no longer needed Minato Namikaze's team for support. And under these new circumstances, how could the man pulling the strings from the shadows, Uchiha Madara, not intervene?
Night fell over the Land of Earth. Outside a hidden entrance to Iwagakure, the Village Hidden by Stone, a small group of figures approached.
"Halt!" A hidden guard emerged the moment he saw them, while his partner placed a hand on the alarm, ready to sound it at a moment's notice.
However, when the lead figure removed his mask, the two guards relaxed.
They both recognized him. It was the Chunin, Ippan, who had just left the village on a mission.
"You're back already? Mission complete?" one of the guards asked curiously, forming hand signs to open a gap in the sensory barrier.
Ippan glanced at him, a stiff smile on his face, but said nothing as he continued into the village.
"Uh..." The ignored guard felt a pang of awkwardness, but then remembered that the details of a ninja's mission were confidential. It made sense that he wouldn't answer. The thought eased his mind.
But as his eyes fell on the figure following Ippan, completely shrouded in a black cloak, he called out again.
"I remember you leaving the village alone. This person needs to show some identification or a mission directive before they can enter." He walked toward them.
"Sigh..."
A soft sigh echoed in the guards' ears. They looked toward the sound and saw a bizarre, white, spiraled mask beneath the dark hood.
Strange attire was common among shinobi, so the mask alone wasn't enough to alarm them. What made them freeze in terror was the crimson light that shone from the single eyehole.
"Sha..." The thought had barely formed in their minds before the world spun, and they collapsed, unconscious.
"White Zetsu, have your clones replace these two," a deep, raspy voice commanded from beneath the mask.
The motionless form of "Ippan" suddenly sprouted two white nodules, which rapidly expanded into two White Zetsu clones. It was the Spore Technique, White Zetsu's specialty, and the very method he had used to bypass the initial security and infiltrate the village.
Once the two "Iwa guards" were back at their posts, the cloaked figure turned to the waiting Ippan. "Let's go."
"So this is Iwagakure, the village renowned for its impenetrable defenses," a completely different, high-pitched voice chirped from the cloaked figure. "Doesn't look like much to me."
"That's not quite right, Tobi," White Zetsu said, emerging halfway from the ground to correct him before giving a brief overview of the village.
"Iwagakure is a natural fortress, formed by a series of rocky mountains. Its terrain makes it incredibly easy to defend and difficult to invade."
"However, that same terrain makes communication and transport with the outside world difficult, especially during wartime. Logistics has always been a major headache for every Tsuchikage."
"The First Tsuchikage, Ishikawa, was one of the five Kage who brought peace to the chaotic era and the founder of this village. His true strength is unknown, but he was undoubtedly powerful."
"The Second Tsuchikage, Mu, was Onoki's teacher and one of the few shinobi in the Five Great Nations who could fly. His Dust Release Kekkei Tota was incredibly powerful, but he died many years ago."
"The current Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, can also fly, and his mastery of Dust Release is said to be equal to his teacher's. Although he hasn't been in a real fight for many years, he is likely one of the strongest shinobi in the world right now."
After his brief history lesson, White Zetsu looked at the cloaked figure. "According to our intelligence, he is currently in the village. We must be extremely cautious."
"...Annoying," the raspy voice grumbled. Ignoring Zetsu's warning, the figure continued toward their destination.
The home of Onoki's son, Kitsuchi.
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