Chapter 239: A Letter From Black Zetsu
"Tch. The Akatsuki, huh."
"Bunch of useless clowns."
Amid the countless black terracotta warriors, a lavish palanquin carried by thirty-six of them let out a man's disdainful mutter.
Sprawled comfortably inside the litter, robed all in white, was Yomi.
He'd assumed Mōryō — sealed away for a thousand years — would still be somewhat diminished, even accounting for the earth-shattering power the man had wielded a millennium ago.
So he'd gone out of his way to seek out the Akatsuki, hoping to work together.
After all, setting out from the Land of Bears, the first thing they'd have to deal with was Konoha, in the Land of Fire.
Who would've guessed that the shinobi world's famed number-one village was just a paper tiger.
Faced with an army of terracotta warriors, all they'd dared do was send someone to watch from a distance — not a single soul had dared close ranks and engage.
That's it?
This is the village that won four Great Ninja Wars?
Yomi's contempt for Konoha bled over into contempt for the entire shinobi world.
If a village that pathetic could be flattened by a force like his, then the rest of the villages went without saying.
The thought put him in a genuinely good mood.
As for cooperating with the Akatsuki?
Ridiculous.
He'd handed the Akatsuki his entire marching route, and what happened? Those two useless idiots never even showed their faces.
Was that his fault?
Help me, my ass.
Does an army of a hundred thousand need help from those Akatsuki washouts?
"Lord Yomi, the border of the Land of Fire is just ahead."
"Once we cross it, we'll be in the Land of Rain."
A white-robed, blue-haired man at Yomi's side spoke respectfully.
Not all of Yomi's subordinates were terracotta warriors — in truth, he had only four men under him.
The hundred thousand terracotta soldiers answered only to the will of Mōryō, whose soul now lived inside Yomi's flesh-and-blood body.
"Mm, understood."
"As planned, go on ahead of us. Head for the Land of Demons and capture this generation's Shrine Maiden."
Yomi gave a slight nod.
Once they were out of the Land of Fire, as far as he was concerned, there wasn't a single power left that could stand against him.
The great war three years ago had ground down every nation's strength — only Konoha, the victor, still held anything close to its full power.
If even Konoha was wary of provoking him now, the other nations weren't worth a second thought.
And besides, Yomi had no interest in stirring up trouble with Konoha of his own accord.
Reviving Mōryō was the priority above all else.
Picking a fight with Konoha over some meaningless slight would only invite chaos he didn't need.
For now, Konoha was letting him pass, and he wasn't provoking anyone, wasn't interfering with anyone.
Both sides turning a blind eye to the other — that was the best outcome Yomi could ask for.
"Understood, Lord Yomi."
The subordinate bowed respectfully and departed.
—
Amegakure, Land of Rain
Rain fell in a steady drizzle. Pain gazed up at the clouded sky overhead, his calm face betraying nothing.
But his hand, closed slightly into a fist, seemed to carry some unspoken meaning.
"Pain..."
Konan stood behind him and let out a soft sigh.
Word of Kakuzu and Hidan's deaths had already reached them.
The two of them hadn't just failed to rendezvous with Yomi's hundred thousand terracotta warriors — they'd run straight into a Konoha pursuit squad while en route, all because of Pain's own order.
If not for that, Kakuzu, with nearly a century of experience behind him, might well have found a way to survive.
Of course, Konan would never think to blame Pain for it.
"What now?"
"Kakuzu and Hidan are gone. And that Hokage seems to be ignoring Yomi's terracotta army entirely — letting them march straight across the Land of Fire."
"They'll reach the Land of Rain any moment now."
There was a trace of helplessness in Konan's voice.
Zetsu had already found out exactly how large Yomi's terracotta force was.
A hundred thousand.
A terrifying number.
Pick almost any one of the Five Great Villages, and its total number of combat-ready shinobi probably didn't top twenty thousand.
And that estimate was generous — counting only the wealthiest village, Konoha, and the most militarized, Kumogakure.
As for the other three — Iwa, Kiri, Suna — scraping together twenty thousand fighters there would mean counting academy students and freshly graduated genin.
"Heh. I underestimated this Hokage, it seems."
"I didn't expect her to turn a blind eye to a hundred-thousand-strong army marching through her own territory, just to hunt down Hidan and Kakuzu."
"Still, a mere—"
Before Pain could finish, a White Zetsu popped up out of a corner, cutting him off.
"Boss, word's just come in from Kumogakure."
The White Zetsu hurried forward, holding out a letter.
Pain's brow furrowed slightly at the sight.
Kumogakure? That one — Zetsu?
Pain, of course, knew about the Zetsu currently posing as the "Raikage's court minister" in Kumogakure.
If this Zetsu could influence Kumogakure's decisions, that was worth something.
But even if he couldn't — so what?
Pain looked at the letter in his hand.
To be opened by Pain personally.
Had Zetsu sent this himself?
Considering how much Zetsu had done for the Akatsuki's cause, Pain opened the letter.
To Pain, personally:
I am aware of the situation in the Land of Fire.
Yomi is marching a hundred thousand terracotta soldiers straight across the Land of Fire. The Hokage has ignored this entirely, instead forcefully sending pursuers after Hidan and Kakuzu.
This decision, while unexpected, is also entirely reasonable.
The Five Great Nations carry ancient traditions — records of the terracotta warriors must surely exist among them.
Now that Mōryō's terracotta army has awakened, its destination is unmistakably the Land of Demons.
Though the route passes through the Land of Rain, it will, like the Land of Fire, remain untouched — not a hair disturbed.
What's more, Boss already made his offer to Yomi. It failed, yes — but Yomi is desperate to revive Mōryō, and will not risk stirring up unnecessary trouble.
If the terracotta army crosses the Land of Rain unmolested and enters the Land of Earth, then it will stand only a single step from the Land of Demons.
At that point, the most desperate party will not be us — it will be the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki of the Two Scales.
The Land of Earth borders the Land of Demons directly. The moment Mōryō is revived, Earth Country will be the first to face his blade.
Earth Country alone cannot hope to withstand Mōryō and his forces — that's simply a fantasy.
At that point, the Tsuchikage will have no choice but to seek Konoha's aid.
And if the Hokage still refuses to act, I can persuade the Raikage to convene a Five Kage Summit — and force the Hokage's hand into joining the fight.
After all, once a demon like Mōryō walks the earth again, the entire shinobi world becomes his target.
I ask that Boss hold off on hunting the Kazekage for now, and instead use the "Hanzō the Salamander" identity to push, with everything at his disposal, for that Five Kage Summit.
At that point, the combined might of the Five Great Villages will be forced into a mutual slaughter with Mōryō.
And while the crane and the clam fight each other to exhaustion, the fisherman reaps the reward.
The Kazekage is young, inexperienced. Chiyo is already dead, and Ebizō's schemes are beneath notice.
Appeal to the greater good, and he'll throw his full weight behind forming a shinobi coalition.
That gives us the Tsuchikage, Kazekage, Raikage, and Amegakure as one bloc. As for the Mizukage — before she took the seat, she was a jinchūriki who spent her time wandering, sick of all this political nonsense. Her rise to Mizukage was practically forced on her.
With four votes against her, there's a good seventy percent chance the Mizukage simply goes along with the tide.
And beyond that — there's a man in Kirigakure named Genshi. Elderly, yes, but a rare strategic mind, one who has lived since the very founding of Kirigakure itself.
He understands well enough that when the nest falls, no egg survives intact.
At that point, if the Hokage doesn't want to stand against the entire shinobi world, she'll have no choice but to agree to join the coalition.
The full might of the Five Great Villages against a hundred thousand terracotta soldiers.
Let the terracotta army grind the villages down once more — then let the villages seal Mōryō away, as they did before.
Afterward, we intercept the Kazekage and Mizukage — both jinchūriki — on their journeys home.
I ask that Boss consider this carefully, and not let momentary pride cloud his judgment.
This plan requires Boss to bow to Yomi for a time — but it is a patience spent in service of our greater cause.
It is said the Sage of the Six Paths, in pursuit of peace for this world, once set an example himself — using his own body, without chakra, to help common villagers build bridges and pave roads.
Now, Boss carries the Sage's own eyes. For the peace of this world, to end the shinobi world's endless strife, for the sake of the common people's survival —
Even a god who wears the wrathful face of a guardian king carries, too, compassion for the suffering of mankind.
I ask that Boss set aside, for a moment, the dignity of a god, and look upon the world with mercy instead.
I know full well that Boss is unrivaled under heaven. But if there is a path that both weakens the Five Great Villages with far less effort, captures the One-Tail and Six-Tails jinchūriki in the process, and unravels Yomi's ambition to revive Mōryō —
Three gains from a single move. Why would you not take it?
I ask that Boss consider this carefully.
— Zetsu, respectfully.
...
Reading through the letter, Pain's eyes narrowed slightly.
This...
"Konan. Take a look."
Pain handed Konan the letter.
Konan took it and read through quickly, a spark of something new flickering in her eyes.
This Zetsu — since when did he have a mind like this?
"Pain. Zetsu's right."
The moment she finished reading, Konan sided with Zetsu without a moment's hesitation.
Using the threat of Mōryō's revival to make the Tsuchikage beg the Hokage for aid — this was something that required almost no direct intervention from the Akatsuki at all.
And the terracotta army's march had already caused such a stir that all Five Great Villages surely knew of it by now. The silence so far was simply everyone waiting to see how this young Hokage would handle it.
Now, with the terracotta army about to cross out of the Land of Fire, the most desperate party wouldn't be the Hokage, and it wouldn't be Amegakure either — it would be the Tsuchikage.
The moment Mōryō was revived in the Land of Demons, the Land of Earth would bear the brunt of it first.
Once the Tsuchikage came begging Konoha for help, all it would take was Zetsu successfully talking the current Fifth Raikage around, and the shinobi coalition would practically assemble itself.
Let Mōryō's power grind down the Five Great Villages.
As for whether Mōryō could actually win?
Who cared?
In the end, they'd intercept the Kazekage and Mizukage on their way home and seize both jinchūriki in one stroke.
Win or lose, the outcome favored the Akatsuki either way.
Even if Mōryō somehow beat the Five Great Villages, he'd surely be spent and weakened by then — leaving Pain to simply mop up whatever was left.
"That was my thinking as well."
"Zetsu's plan is a good one. Worth considering his input more going forward."
Pain gave a small nod.
He'd meant to reject Zetsu's proposal outright.
But then Zetsu had invoked the example of the Sage of the Six Paths — how even the Sage had humbled himself to personally help commoners build bridges and pave roads. You carry the same eyes as the Sage now. Your vision should be as broad as his.
And Pain, who fancied himself a second Sage of the Six Paths, could hardly admit his own vision fell short of the original's.
"Where are Itachi and the others now?"
Pain turned to the White Zetsu still waiting for orders nearby.
"Nearly at Sunagakure."
White Zetsu answered.
"Tell them to abort. Return to Amegakure immediately."
—
The border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain
Clad in full battle gear, Tsunade stood with her arms crossed, watching the massive army march past her in orderly ranks, heading steadily northwest.
"Terracotta warriors, huh..."
As a princess of the Senju clan, she had some memory of this.
The Senju, a clan with a thousand years of lineage behind them, kept records of countless strange and ancient tales even now, in their decline.
She remembered her mother telling her stories about terracotta warriors as a bedtime tale, back when she was small.
She'd never imagined that what she'd assumed was some fantastical legend — something out of a Dragon Quest storybook — would actually turn out to be real, standing right in front of her.
"Any orders from the Hokage?"
Tsunade turned to Shizune beside her.
Shizune, dressed in the same battle gear, shook her head.
"None."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed slightly at that.
None yet...
Won't be long, though.
Whatever happened with the Land of Rain, that stubborn old fossil Ōnoki would never be able to sit still through this.
Konoha, as Iwagakure's ally, would inevitably get dragged into it — and probably the entire shinobi world with it — even if Iwa itself couldn't stand against the terracotta army.
"Lady Tsunade, the stone soldiers are almost all past us."
"Should we start heading back?"
Shizune looked at Tsunade curiously.
Several days away from the village already, and she was starting to miss her cute little junior, that red-haired Karin.
"No need. We wait. New orders will come in a few days."
Tsunade shook her head and turned to head back toward camp.
Even if they went back to Konoha now, they'd just have to come right back out again — that was the better part of half a month wasted on travel alone.
She had no interest in walking any farther than she had to. Better to just wait here for the latest orders.
And Tsunade's instincts proved correct. Far away, Sakura had already received an urgent transmission from the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki.
In a room lined entirely with monitoring equipment, four screens glowed before Sakura.
One of them showed old man Ōnoki, along with Han, the Five-Tails jinchūriki she'd briefly crossed paths with back in the Land of Snow.
"Lord Hokage. It's been a while."
Sakura, draped in her Hokage's robes, sat distractedly in her chair, gazing at the screen.
As with the Tsuchikage's own setup, Kakashi stood behind her.
"Mm."
Ōnoki's face darkened slightly at Sakura's coolness.
He already knew this Hokage's attitude toward Kitsuchi and the rest of his delegation.
Understandable, perhaps — given how noncommittal Iwagakure had been toward Konoha, expecting warm treatment in return would be unreasonable.
But with a favor to ask now, he had no choice but to swallow his irritation.
"Lord Hokage. The shinobi world stands on the brink of crisis — are you aware of this?"
Watching the Tsuchikage's grim expression on the screen, Sakura crossed her arms, leaned back in her chair, and replied with open displeasure:
"What crisis, what shinobi world. Don't make a big deal out of nothing, old man."
Sakura knew exactly why Ōnoki had reached out.
Nothing more than the matter of the terracotta army.
He hadn't said a word about it before — but now that the army had left the Land of Fire and was about to reach the Land of Earth, suddenly he was in a panic to get in touch.
Truthfully, this part surprised even Sakura.
She hadn't expected that Pain — a man who looked down on practically everyone — would ignore the terracotta army just as she had, and let the hundred-thousand-strong force cross straight through his own territory.
Pain might look down on the world, but his standards for himself were sky-high, too.
Even if he couldn't handle the terracotta army outright, there was no way he'd let it cross the Land of Rain that easily.
One good Chibaku Tensei, one Shinra Tensei, and how many of that hundred thousand would even make it out of the Land of Rain? Twenty thousand, if that, and she'd call it generous.
(End of chapter)
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