After receiving the intel, Uchiha Rokuro let Myorōkurō go eat his fish, then sat down across from Tsunade.
"I've received intel from the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth as well. But after thinking it over… with just the strength of these two nations, they normally wouldn't dare to start a war of invasion—unless they had a death wish. Which means… they must have another ally."
Rokuro pulled out a map of the shinobi world and pointed at the nations.
"In this entire world, the only ones capable of threatening the Land of Fire and Konoha are the other four Great Nations. After the Third Shinobi War, Wind Country and Sunagakure rank dead last among the Five Great Villages. If not for the fact that most of their land is worthless desert, they would've been invaded and wiped clean already."
"Eliminating Wind Country leaves only Water Country. So I asked Granny Cat to investigate—and surprise, I was right."
Tsunade and Jiraiya were both shaken. They were people who'd lived through countless battles and two Shinobi World Wars, yet their strategic insight still couldn't compare to Rokuro's. This made them feel ashamed—and deeply shocked.
He was already the strongest in Konoha, and now he also had this level of strategic vision. How could they compete with that?
Jiraiya didn't mind; he only cared about finding the Child of Prophecy and never intended to become Hokage.
Tsunade, however, was nervous. Though she didn't hate the Uchiha like Hiruzen Sarutobi did, the Senju and Uchiha had been enemies since their ancestors. Even after the clans reconciled, the relationship never went beyond "not strangling each other on sight."
Trust? Bonds? Impossible.
That was exactly why Tsunade returned to become the Fifth Hokage. If another clan were the strongest right now, she wouldn't have bothered returning. Whoever wanted to be Hokage could take it—as long as it wasn't an Uchiha.
But now…
"Facing simultaneous attacks from three Great Nations… this is going to be a brutal war." Jiraiya frowned at the map.
Rokuro pointed to the Land of Wind.
"I said earlier that Wind Country is the weakest among the Five, but a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. If the other four nations start fighting and Konoha is at a disadvantage, Wind Country will absolutely come out to scavenge. Then we won't be facing three nations—but four."
Tsunade and Jiraiya had fought Wind Country before—they knew exactly how shameless and opportunistic Sunagakure was.
When Konoha was strong, Suna acted like a polite lapdog. When Konoha weakened, that lapdog instantly turned into a gremlin that would slit your throat.
This was why Hiruzen refused to pull ninja from other fronts during the Lightning–Fire conflict—he feared Suna's backstab.
Back then Konoha fought only one major village. Now they might face three. Suna would definitely get greedy.
Tsunade's delicate brows furrowed tightly. Jiraiya took a sip of tea.
"Rokuro… what do you propose?"
Tsunade also looked up.
Rokuro picked up a pen and drew two lines: an eastern front and a northern front—the former for Kirigakure, the latter for Kumogakure.
"Facing four villages is the worst-case scenario. Suna will only act if Konoha begins to lose, so for now you just need to reinforce our borders—no need to deploy troops."
"As for Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage… he's the type who gets slipperier with age. A man who only takes advantage and never accepts losses."
"These people are annoying—but easy to deal with. They only fight winning battles. The moment things look unfavorable, they retreat. He'll never be the first to stick his head out. Meaning: at the start of the war, Iwagakure definitely won't send its main force. Only small probing units."
"That makes them easy to counter. Iwagakure can attack from three routes: Rain Country, Grass Country, and Waterfall Country."
Rokuro tapped the three smaller nations near Konoha.
"Waterfall Country isn't weak, and they have a tailed beast. Unless Iwa commits to a full invasion, they won't choose that route."
"Rain Country still has Hanzō, the so-called 'Demi-God' of the Shinobi World. You two know his power better than I do."
Jiraiya nodded. "Yes. That guy might be old, but he's nowhere near declining. With Onoki's cautious personality, he absolutely wouldn't march through Rain Country. Which means… Grass Country is the only realistic path."
Rokuro nodded.
"So the best approach is to ally with Grass Country to defend against Iwa's early probing attacks. That frontline should hold.
The real problems… are the east and north."
He pointed at the two lines again.
"Kirigakure has been isolationist for years, ruling with the Bloody Mist policy—many have died. I don't understand their insanity, but any shinobi who survives that environment is an elite among elites. Fighting them requires specialized preparation."
Rokuro glanced at Tsunade—testing whether she'd repeat Hiruzen's mistakes.
Tsunade listened quietly, fully agreeing. When Rokuro paused, she understood his meaning.
"To deal with Kirigakure, the best choice is the Hyūga clan. Their Byakugan can see through Mist Assassination Techniques. As for Water Style users—we must let them land before engaging, never fight them at sea. Jiraiya, you'll command that front. Hyūga Hizashi will be your second-in-command."
"No problem."
Jiraiya straightened up, dropping his usual playful demeanor.
Tsunade then pointed at the northern line—looking at Rokuro.
Rokuro smiled.
"Tsunade-dono wants the Uchiha to handle the northern front, correct? That works. We already have a blood feud with Kumogakure, so this is a good chance to settle it. And both the Fourth Raikage and their two Jinchūriki are already my defeated opponents. I know them well.
However…"
He pointed to Grass Country.
"There's a small possibility Onoki might choose to march with Kumogakure—by sea—bypassing the Iron Country and launching a joint invasion. If that happens, the Uchiha on the northern front will face two Great Villages at once. That's a heavy burden."
Tsunade and Jiraiya grew silent. It was a real possibility.
During the Third War, Iwa retreated partly because Minato destroyed Kannabi Bridge, cutting their supply lines. Onoki would never risk that again. A sea route was entirely possible—and would allow them to join forces with Kumo.
Tsunade hesitated.
"I'll assign the Ino–Shika–Chō trio to support you."
Rokuro smiled without answering. Tsunade understood immediately.
"You have conditions. Say them."
"I've heard the Third Hokage once researched the First Hokage's cells. So—"
"What?! You want to study my grandfather's cells?!"
Tsunade slammed the table—only for a massive black Susanoo hand to appear in front of Rokuro, blocking her strike.
A gust of wind shook the room.
Uchiha Izumi rushed in, Mangekyō spinning, glaring at Tsunade.
Her killing intent was palpable.
"Tsunade! What are you doing?! If you have something to say, say it properly!"
Jiraiya held her back, and Rokuro dispersed his skeletal Susanoo.
"Tsunade, why so upset? If the records are correct, the first to research Hashirama cells was the Second Hokage. After that, the Third and Danzō. Oh—and the third Sannin, my teacher Orochimaru. So many people have studied them, I thought you no longer cared."
"That is my grandfather's body! How could I not care?!"
Tsunade trembled with fury.
She had left Konoha partly because of the deaths in her family… but also because Hiruzen ignored her objections and allowed research on Hashirama's remains.
'Hashirama cells' sounded nice.
But it was cutting up the First Hokage's corpse.
In any culture, disturbing the dead is taboo—yet Konoha dug up Hashirama, cut into him, over and over.
Even if Tsunade had opposed it in the past, it wouldn't have mattered.
But now that she was the Fifth Hokage, she naturally would never allow such a thing to happen again.
Rokuro showed a confused, innocent expression, then apologized repeatedly.
"My mistake, Lady Tsunade. Since you don't agree… how about this instead—thirty percent of the Land of Hot Water's profits?"
Tsunade and Jiraiya stared blankly for a moment, completely unable to follow Rokuro's sudden shift.
"Given the current situation, the Land of Hot Water's buffer zone won't matter for much longer anyway. After this war, it will inevitably be absorbed into the Land of Fire. Their hot spring industry will become Fire Country property.
Since that's the case, the Uchiha taking thirty percent of the hot-spring profits isn't too much, is it?"
In the end, Tsunade agreed.
But after she stormed out of the Uchiha compound with Jiraiya, she suddenly stopped mid-road. Her head turned stiffly toward him, eyes narrowing.
Jiraiya felt a chill run down his back.
"Tsunade… what's with that look? I didn't provoke you. I held you back earlier because I didn't want you to get hurt. That brat Rokuro's Susanoo is already at a level where it moves exactly as he wills—there's no way you could beat him!"
"Shut up! That's not what I'm talking about!"
"Then what is it?"
Tsunade took a deep breath.
"Did… did I just fall into that brat's trap?
Was he aiming for thirty percent of the hot-spring profits from the very beginning?"
"Ah? Really? But didn't he want Grandfather's—"
Jiraiya suddenly stopped speaking.
The more Tsunade thought about it, the more wrong everything felt.
"Danzō stole plenty of Grandfather's cells years ago. The Uchiha took over Root's assets afterward—there must've been more in there. Even if there weren't, when Sarutobi-sensei died, the Uchiha must've taken quite a bit.
There's no reason for him to come to me for that!"
As for Hiruzen Sarutobi's death, everyone knew Orochimaru did it.
But the fact that not a single Uchiha stepped forward to intervene that day
not even to guard their own clan grounds—made everything obvious.
They had been warned in advance.
Anyone with political awareness understood what that implied.
That was also why the Uchiha obtained a massive portion of Hiruzen's inheritance afterward, and none of the other clans objected.
Jiraiya scratched his hair.
"So you're saying… Rokuro deliberately provoked you with the First Hokage's cells, then, while you were furious, offered a second condition that seemed much more reasonable—so you'd accept it more easily? What's that tactic called again… the house-demolition… something?"
"It's the House-Demolition Effect, you idiot!
I can't believe I got played by that brat!"
The more Tsunade thought about it, the angrier she became.
Normally, with her temper, she would've marched right back to beat Rokuro up to vent.
But this time she had to swallow it.
First—she couldn't beat Rokuro. That punch earlier was just an excuse to test him.
And the result?
Just his skeletal Susanoo alone gave her the feeling that she couldn't budge him at all.
Thinking of that one-hundred-meter-tall Complete Susanoo… she had to endure even more.
But most importantly—Konoha was about to face simultaneous invasion by three Great Nations.
If she started fighting Rokuro now, those nations would probably celebrate.
"That damned brat… I'll get him back for this someday. Just you wait!"
Tsunade stomped off angrily.
Jiraiya sighed, feeling mentally exhausted.
Meanwhile, back at Rokuro's home, the three of them washed dishes together.
While washing, Uchiha Izumi asked him about his negotiation tactics.
After her thoughts, she summarized:
"So basically… you wanted that thirty percent from the Land of Hot Water from the very beginning, right?"
"More or less. Most people would think so.
Tsunade and Jiraiya definitely would."
Izumi caught the hidden meaning.
"Then… you had another goal behind all of this?"
Rokuro glanced at her.
"I already said it—studying Hashirama's cells."
"Huh? You really want to study Hashirama's cells?!"
"I'm not the one studying them. We've tried these last few days too, remember?
How did that go?"
Izumi shook her head.
"It's far too complicated. And it's nothing like studying Uchiha or Hyūga genetics. Hashirama cells exist in only one form. With no other Senju genetics to compare them to, the difficulty is sky-high. I don't think we're capable of it."
Rokuro spread his hands helplessly.
"Exactly. That's why my real goal was to make Tsunade think about researching her grandfather's cells. In the entire shinobi world, only two people are capable of researching them—Orochimaru and Tsunade.
But because of her identity, Tsunade would never lower herself to do it. So I just needed to remind her."
"Will a reminder even work?"
Rokuro grinned.
"Of course not.
But when people are pushed into a corner, they'll throw away their pride, their dignity—and their bottom line drops, again and again.
I will force her to start researching."
Rokuro wanted the power of the Ōtsutsuki.
And that path inevitably passed through Hashirama cells—one of the strongest forces below the Sage of Six Paths, more potent than even tailed beasts.
Konoha guarding such a strategic resource without using it would be a colossal waste.
"Right now Orochimaru is researching the Uchiha thanks to my persuasion. If Tsunade starts researching Hashirama's cells, once their results merge—
it'll be perfect!"
As for Rokuro himself, he knew his limits.
He was, at heart, just a programmer.
Writing jutsu with curse-script was his strength, not human biology.
Such research was best left to professionals.
Rokuro headed to the basement alone to examine the Six Path tools and decipher the unknown curse-scripts on them.
Last time, even the Amber Purifying Bottle had script he couldn't read.
Now with the Seven-Star Sword and others added, he calculated that he couldn't read three-fifths of the characters.
A major problem.
So recently, he'd been looking for solutions. If nothing worked, he'd have to brute-force it—extremely time-consuming.
Three hours passed in the blink of an eye.
Rokuro rubbed his sore eyes and paused his research to reset his mind.
"Come to think of it… if this war ends up dragging all Five Great Nations into the conflict, it'll practically become another Shinobi World War.
In the original timeline, the Fourth Shinobi World War was triggered by Obito.
Could this one also be his doing?"
Rokuro thought for a moment.
It seemed very possible.
"From his perspective, his goal is the Eye of the Moon Plan.
To achieve that, he needs two things: become the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki, and awaken the Rinnegan."
"The Rinnegan already exists—it's currently growing in Nagato's eye sockets.
To become the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki, he needs to collect all nine tailed beasts.
But the tailed beasts are the prized assets of every village.
Strong-arming them would require weakening the villages first.
Meaning… this entire war is to weaken the Five Nations?"
The more Rokuro considered it, the more plausible it became.
"If that's true, Obito's plan is brilliant.
Whether Konoha wins or the alliance of Water–Earth–Lightning wins, all sides will suffer severe losses.
Then Obito or the Akatsuki can collect the tailed beasts much more easily.
Although… at this time, the Akatsuki isn't even fully formed. Their only real fighters are Nagato and Obito."
He mentally calculated the Akatsuki roster.
Kakuzu was already killed by him.
Hidan—being from Yugakure—might already be dead from the previous Lightning–Fire conflict.
The Immortal Duo was probably gone.
Orochimaru would never join now.
Sasori might have already joined.
Deidara was likely still too young.
Kisame was still working in Kirigakure.
Itachi had defected, so he might join.
All in all, the Akatsuki wasn't much yet—it needed a few more years.
"I don't oppose Black Zetsu wanting to revive his mother.
But putting me into Infinite Tsukuyomi and turning the world into walking corpses?
Absolutely not."
After planning everything out, Rokuro concluded that deciphering the curse-script was still the top priority.
Only by understanding the scripts behind Mangekyō abilities, Sage Arts, and even Rinnegan-level forces could he hope to fight Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
"Before I'm fully prepared, I can't let Obito succeed.
But I also can't kill him—otherwise Black Zetsu will just delay the plan.
…Guess I'll just kill a few tailed beasts first.
They revive in about three years.
That three-year buffer should be enough for me to decode most of this script."
The next morning, Tsunade completed her Fifth Hokage inauguration ceremony.
Because a massive war was imminent, everything was simplified.
Ceremony in the morning, war council in the afternoon.
Konoha decided to form two major armies:
Eastern Army —
Commander: Jiraiya
Deputy: Hyūga Hizashi
2,000 shinobi
Mission: intercept Kirigakure's forces.
Northern Army —
Commander: Uchiha Rokuro
Deputy: Nara Shikaku
3,000 shinobi
Mission: intercept Kumogakure's forces and any possible Iwagakure reinforcements.
Meanwhile, 2,000 additional shinobi were gathered as reserves.
The Fifth Hokage Tsunade herself would command them, ready to reinforce either battlefield.
This alone showed how much stronger Tsunade was compared to Hiruzen.
Aside from serving the Second Hokage in past wars, Hiruzen rarely stepped onto the battlefield.
Even during the Third War—when Konoha faced attacks from all four Great Villages—he sat safely in the rear.
No one knew how he earned the title "God of Shinobi."
Probably bought trending searches.
With the military situation dire, the two main armies set out immediately after preparations.
Meanwhile, Kumogakure had already stationed their forces at the border of the Land of Hot Water, ready to invade at any time.
During their war council, Mabui reported the intelligence gathered, concluding:
"The key to this war lies in Uchiha Rokuro and Uchiha Izumi—especially Uchiha Rokuro. His Complete Susanoo is overwhelmingly powerful.
If we do not kill him, we will lose this war without question.
Therefore, every plan I drafted revolves around eliminating Uchiha Rokuro.
Please understand this thoroughly."
"Any objections?"
The Fourth Raikage touched the massive scar on his chest as he addressed the high-ranking officers.
After carefully reviewing the plans, everyone nodded.
"Good. Send this battle plan to that old man Ōnoki immediately.
This strategy can only succeed if he cooperates."
Two days later, Ōnoki replied—agreeing to Kumogakure's plan, and immediately beginning preparations.
END OF CHAPTER
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