"Yugito, are you ready?"
At the border where the Land of the Moon met the Land of Hot Water, the Kumogakure ninja led by the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii, had already circled around to the rear, standing atop the trees as they watched the distant encampment.
Because they feared being spotted by Konoha's Hyuga Clan, they kept a considerable distance from the camp.
At such a range, ordinary ninjutsu could not inflict meaningful damage unless one used a Tailed Beast Bomb.
But Yugito still could not achieve complete Tailed Beast Transformation like Killer B.
At present, only capable of partial transformation, she was unable to use a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Ironically enough, she had become the Two-Tails' Jinchūriki at the age of two.
Despite enduring rejection from the people of Kumogakure, she continued training tirelessly,
Yet she had still been surpassed by Killer B, who became the Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki later than her.
However, their purpose here was not to annihilate Konoha's forces in one strike with a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Such a thing was impossible to begin with.
"Fire Rat Flame Bullet."
Standing atop the tree, Yugito formed hand seals and spat out rat-shaped flames wrapped in the Two-Tails' chakra.
The moment they landed, they silently transformed into several flaming rats.
The fire rats moved at incredible speed, leaving blue afterimages behind them.
Under Yugito's control, they would infiltrate Konoha's supply warehouse and quietly burn everything to ashes.
Thanks to the unique nature of the Two-Tails' chakra, the flames would not be extinguished by Water Release until their chakra was exhausted.
"Scatter!"
Seeing this, the other Kumogakure ninja instantly dispersed, preparing to coordinate with Yugito's next assault.
Partly to draw Konoha's attention away and provide cover, and partly to capitalize on the chaos once the warehouses ignited.
The advantage gained by Hiruzen Sarutobi's swift declaration of war and rapid mobilization of Konoha's clans was that the battlefield had been pushed closer to the Land of Lightning, into the Land of the Moon.
Standing at the border of the Land of Lightning, one could practically see Konoha's encampment already.
That was precisely why the Fourth Raikage had been harshly scolded by the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning.
No one had expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to act so decisively this time.
Kumogakure had truly been caught off guard.
But the downside was equally obvious, Konoha's supply lines had become much longer.
If the current supplies inside the encampment were burned away, then before reinforcements arrived, Kumogakure could seize the initiative and push the battlefield back once again.
However, just as the Kumogakure ninja dispersed.
SCREEECH!
A piercing eagle cry suddenly rang through the air.
Everyone instinctively halted and looked upward.
An eagle was circling above them.
Noticing their gaze, it loosened its talons and dropped a scroll.
Yugito flashed forward, caught it, and frowned after reading its contents.
'The Land of Hot Water?'
'An underground palace?'
'What was all this?'
"Orders from the Raikage-sama."
She raised her head and addressed the others.
"This operation is suspended. Mission objective has changed. I'll explain on the way."
As she spoke, she extinguished the fire rats that had already raced away and immediately headed toward the direction marked in the scroll.
Although the others were equally confused, they followed without hesitation.
...
Meanwhile, inside Jiraiya's tent at Konoha's encampment in the Land of the Moon.
Poof!
A puff of smoke exploded, and a toad appeared before Jiraiya.
The content of its croaking report caused him to frown.
"Recall them."
Jiraiya turned toward a Yamanaka clan ninja nearby and spoke.
"What happened?"
Kakashi, standing beside him, asked curiously.
"Wasn't there supposed to be Kumogakure ninja detected behind our lines?"
"It's the Two-Tails Jinchūriki from Kumogakure."
Jiraiya's expression was equally solemn and puzzled.
"But they suddenly withdrew."
With Mount Myoboku backing him, Jiraiya's "eyes" were not limited to Konoha ninja alone,
Even ordinary-looking toads served as his scouts.
Kumogakure's little tricks could not easily escape his notice.
In fact, Jiraiya had already prepared an ambush after seeing through their scheme.
Yet unexpectedly, the Kumogakure forces abruptly aborted the operation for no apparent reason.
"Did they discover the trap?"
The Yamanaka ninja responsible for communication opened his eyes and asked.
"…Probably not."
After thinking for a moment, Jiraiya shook his head.
"According to the toads, they withdrew because they received new orders."
At that moment, Arata, who had remained silent behind Kakashi all this time, suddenly asked:
"What direction did they leave in?"
Kakashi's expression shifted slightly, as though he had realized something.
And after questioning the toad again, Jiraiya realized it too.
"South."
His tone carried disbelief.
"The Land of Hot Water? They actually changed the mission target and headed there?"
'That was no ordinary squad.'
'It included Kumogakure's Two-Tails Jinchūriki.
'And yet the Fourth Raikage had reassigned them to the Land of Hot Water?'
"This is bad."
Kakashi frowned deeply.
"The Fourth Raikage must have obtained some concrete information. There's probably something there they need."
Otherwise, the Raikage would never abruptly halt such an operation and redirect such a vital combat asset.
"Th-this…"
Naturally, Jiraiya understood the implication as well.
Truthfully, he had not paid much attention to the "abyss" Kakashi mentioned earlier.
After all, during his years wandering the ninja world, he had heard countless strange legends and mysterious tales.
Most turned out to be unverifiable rumors.
Only a handful, such as Jashin, Moryo, or various demons, had any tangible traces.
But even those usually brought no benefit and could instead cause disaster if recklessly approached.
Yet now, seeing Kumogakure making such a huge move over it, even Jiraiya began to feel uncertain.
Could there truly be some hidden treasure there?
At that moment, the flap of the tent was suddenly lifted.
"Jiraiya-sama."
A Konoha ninja entered the tent.
Seeing Jiraiya's complicated expression and the strange atmosphere, he froze momentarily before quickly recovering.
"With information from the black market, it appears someone has hired a large number of bounty ninja to head toward the Land of Hot Water…"
SCRREEECH!
Before he could finish speaking, Kakashi abruptly shot to his feet.
The chair scraped sharply across the ground.
"Jiraiya-sama, please excuse me."
As soon as he spoke, he grabbed Arata and prepared to leave, but Jiraiya suddenly stopped him.
"Wait."
No longer hesitating, Jiraiya said solemnly: "Take additional personnel with you."
Who didn't know that old man Onoki loved using bounty ninja behind the scenes?
Those bounty hunters were obviously connected to Iwagakure.
The Fourth Raikage was one thing, but Onoki was no fool.
He never acted without purpose.
Of course, Jiraiya failed to realize that Onoki was thinking the exact same thing.
Only Arata, observing from an omniscient perspective, knew the real reason behind everything.
Watching the scene unfold, he found it rather amusing.
"It's unfolding exactly as expected… actually, even better than anticipated."
This was the so-called "catfish effect."
Broadly speaking, it referred to introducing a strong competitor to stimulate weaker parties into action.
The moment one side, or even two sides, began moving, the others who viewed them as rivals would feel threatened and be forced to respond.
In Arata's eyes, if Kumogakure had reacted just a little slower, even Sunagakure, which had remained low-profile until now, would likely have joined the fray.
"Well, no point forcing it. Akatsuki, Kumogakure, Konoha, Iwagakure… that's enough for experimentation."
A faint gleam flashed through Arata's eyes as he silently recited inwardly:
"Manifestation, first floor of the underground palace. Activation condition: the chakra capacity of the Two-Tails Jinchūriki. Corpses that die within the palace shall retain both soul and flesh…"
He briefly described the layout, restrictions, and functions of the first floor.
Now that everyone was heading toward the underground palace.
It had become his home field.
But merely making the horses run without feeding them wouldn't do.
And giving them a few rewards would further increase the credibility of his fabricated identity.
Of course, the first floor didn't need to be too excessive.
Naturally, ultimate ownership would still remain in his hands.
He could reclaim everything whenever he wished.
"Hmm… Then let's manifest a Kusanagi sword named 'Ame-no-Murakumo Tsuguri.' Use text to imply all Kusanagi blades originate from it. Its shape should resemble a one-handed axe. Install Earth Release: Earth Release: Super Weighted Boulder Jutsu into it. Suitable for Earth chakra users…"
"Since the Sage of Six Paths created things like the Golden Canopy Rope, Crimson Gourd, Seven-Star Sword, and Banana Palm Fan, then it's not too much for me to make a 'God-Striking Whip,' right? Embed Adamantine Sealing Chains into it. Suitable for Lightning chakra users…"
He also needed three items specifically suited for "Otsutsuki Arashi," "Arata," and "Shadow," openly strengthening both his main body and alternate identities.
"For Otsutsuki Arata, I'll just make a useless sword that nobody else can use. Later, when that identity appears, it can respond to the summoning and unlock itself."
"For Shadow… let's imitate the Oni Masks from Jackie Chan Adventures that summon shadow ninja soldiers."
"And for Arata… flight ability would suit the persona best. The Winged Imperial Arm 'Incursio [Aversion]' from Akame ga Kill! is perfect."
After thinking for a moment, Arata suddenly smiled.
"And add a set of seven blades called the 'Seven Deadly Sins,' corresponding to Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust."
That made six.
Adding four ordinary chakra blades afterward would round the number up to ten.
[Spend 10,000 Reality Pointss. Manifest?]
"…Back below ten thousand again."
Arata twitched helplessly but still answered inwardly:
"Manifest."
[Remaining Reality Pointss: 8754]
Having inexplicably gained eight thousand points from the Great Toad Sage and Jiraiya, Arata felt no pain spending them now.
Besides, at least three of those rewards were essentially for himself anyway.
Only the number dropping below ten thousand made him uncomfortable.
Fundamentally, these ninja tools were not overwhelmingly powerful.
They were merely chakra metal weapons embedded with special ninjutsu.
Thus, their Reality Points cost was relatively low.
But to other ninja, weapons capable of channeling chakra attributes, like Asuma Sarutobi's chakra blades, "Flying Swallow", were priceless treasures.
Because in the current era, no one knew how to forge chakra blades anymore.
Even chakra metal itself had become a dwindling resource whose black-market value far exceeded its intrinsic worth.
As for Arata, as long as he possessed enough Reality Points, he could manifest limitless amounts of chakra metal.
So using such items as bait was undoubtedly the most cost-effective choice.
The truly expensive parts were the construction of the underground palace's first floor, the uniquely effective "Seven Deadly Sins" set, and the mask and wings prepared for himself.
"Arata, let's go."
At that moment, Kakashi finally finished selecting the personnel.
After calling out to him, he hurried out of the tent.
Arata withdrew his thoughts and followed behind.
At this moment, he too felt a trace of anticipation.
After spending ten thousand points,
What kind of return would he receive?
And what sort of waves would this stir?