69novels Chapter 238: Ten Thousand Schemes.
Chapter 238: Ten Thousand Schemes.
"Hehe, Mr. Manji, you still have time to run away. We'll close our eyes and count to ten."
The leading Kirigakure Jonin let out a strange, mocking laugh, his tone deliberately sarcastic.
"Yeah, yeah, you're Konoha's number one genius, we don't want to bully you." Another Kirigakure ninja chimed in.
Seeing these guys who were too engrossed in their roles, Wan Ci's face immediately darkened, and his tone, though calm, carried an undeniable air of authority:
"You little brats, don't force this old man to take a dump."
As soon as the words were spoken, the expressions of the Kirigakure ninjas, who had been laughing and joking just moments before, changed drastically, and they all bowed deeply in unison.
"White Zetsu pays respects to the Great Sage!"
"White Zetsu pays respects to the Great Sage!"
"White Zetsu pays respects to the Great Sage!"
The unified shouts echoed through the woods.
These so-called Hidden Mist Ninjas are, of course, all clones of White Zetsu.
Wan nodded slightly.
At this time, Kirigakure was mired in internal strife, and the shadow of the Blood Mist Reign loomed over the entire village. They simply couldn't spare many troops to send towards the Land of Whirlpools; at most, they could only send out a few small teams.
All of these "Hidden Mist Ninjas" who appeared here were arranged in advance by Manji.
"Have you completed the tasks I assigned you?"
Thousands of times, getting straight to the point.
The White Zetsu at the head immediately bowed respectfully: "Reporting to the Great Immortal, it has been completed."
"All the babies of the Uzumaki clan have been gathered. As for Kushina, who has a special status, we did not touch her as you instructed."
Wan nodded slightly, a look of satisfaction on his face.
He had originally planned to select a group of babies with the Uzumaki bloodline to take back to Mount Myōboku for upbringing, so that they could grow up alongside the children of the Hyuga clan.
As for those who were not chosen, let them go to the Pure Land to rest in peace.
Wanci suddenly raised his chin without turning his head, his gaze sweeping indifferently over the bushes behind him: "Come out."
The white monsters turned their heads in confusion.
Before he finished speaking, a toad from Mount Myōboku hopped out of the grass, startling him so much that he trembled all over.
"Immortal, wait! Please let me explain!" the toad cried out hastily.
Wan raised an eyebrow slightly: "What are you doing here?"
"Reporting back to the Sage, it was Lord Jiraiya who instructed me to secretly follow you!"
The toad quickly explained, "He said you've been acting strangely lately. I originally wanted to report this to you first, but I didn't expect you to find out as soon as I arrived."
"Please, sage, punish me!"
Wan Ci didn't care at all when he heard this, and simply waved his hand.
"It's alright, go back and tell him everything is normal."
Jiraiya and the toads of Mount Myōboku are all on the same side.
"Yes, sir!"
The toad of Mount Myōboku immediately spoke respectfully.
Wanci turned his back to the crowd and said, "Alright, everyone has worked hard. Now, return to your posts and follow my instructions."
Wan looked at the group of people, then added with amusement.
"After the Fourth Shinobi World War, everyone can finish their work."
The voice just fell.
"It's no trouble at all, it's for the ninja world! It's for the Great Sage!"
The ninja from Kirigakure and the toads of Mount Myōboku spoke in unison.
Seeing this, Wan Ci smiled and said, "Applause for you underground workers!"
Inside the Six Paths Temple.
Tsunade stood at the door, her gaze frequently drifting outside, her brows furrowed with anxiety.
"Why hasn't Wanci come back yet? We've been here for so long, could something have happened to him?"
Tsunade couldn't help but turn around and say to the people behind her.
Sakumo Hatake reassured him in a deep voice, "Don't worry, with Manji's strength, nothing will happen."
Orochimaru narrowed his long, narrow eyes and nodded in agreement.
Jiraiya leaned against a pillar, twirling his headband with his fingertips, quietly waiting for the toad's message.
Before long, a toad, a magical beast, suddenly jumped onto his shoulder and whispered a few words in his ear.
Jiraiya was taken aback by these words, then a look of shame crossed his face as he thought to himself, "It seems I judged him by my own petty standards..."
After waiting a while longer, Tsunade, who was already impatient, could no longer contain herself and suddenly stood up: "No, I have to go and see for myself! What if something really happened to him?"
Just as she lifted her foot to rush out, a figure broke through the twilight and appeared at the temple gate.
"I'm back."
Wanci's voice rang out calmly.
Tsunade's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, suddenly settled, and her eyes instantly reddened.
Before he could say anything more, she quickly stepped forward and hugged him tightly.
"You're finally back!"
She buried her face in his shoulder and said in a muffled voice, her voice trembling slightly.
Wanci was taken aback by the sudden hug. He looked down at the blond hair buried in his shoulder with a strange expression.
"I'm fine, Tsunade."
He responded in a flat tone ten thousand times.
Tsunade then belatedly realized how inappropriate her actions had been, quickly releasing her grip, turning her back, clenching her fists, and saying haughtily, "It's alright."
Sakumo Hatake smiled slightly.
Manji suddenly composed himself and said in a deep voice, "I just received a secret letter from the Fifth Hokage."
Everyone's expression tightened, and they all straightened their posture.
Manji unfurled the scroll in his hand and said, word by word, "The Fifth Hokage has ordered an immediate halt to all missions outside the area. Amegakure and Sunagakure have joined forces to declare war on Konoha. The Fourth Shinobi World War has begun. We must return immediately."
"What?! The war has really started?!"
Sakumo Hatake's pupils shrank sharply, and Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya all changed their expressions.
They had already sensed the impending storm brewing in the ninja world.
I had already sensed it from the Konoha newspapers.
But when war actually struck in such an unexpected way, my heart sank.
Only Wanci remained unmoved, his heart undisturbed.
He possesses the most crucial intelligence in the ninja world and has absolute control over the course of battle.
Whether this great battle will continue or end is entirely up to him.
Even though the ninja world had long since entered an era of fragmentation among villages, Mount Myōboku's penetration and influence over the entire ninja world had never truly subsided.
Let alone stopping the war, even completely rewriting the course of this great war would be a piece of cake for me.
Kushina, standing to the side, gripped the hem of her clothes tightly and glanced anxiously at the tense faces of everyone present.
No one said anything more.
The group quickly packed their belongings and set off on their journey back to Konoha.
Before leaving, Wan Ci once again offered incense to his own portrait, the small one bowing to the large one.
After returning to Konoha.
The group arrived at the Hokage's office.
He then told Hiruzen Sarutobi about Kushina Uzumaki.
Afterwards, the group left.
Only Manji remained in the Hokage's office.
"This girl is too young; she's not old enough to be a Jonin-kyuu (senior ninja) yet."
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head slightly.
Wanci nodded.
Due to the progress of the event, Kushina Uzumaki was brought to Konoha ahead of schedule.
In the original work, Kushina was already quite old when she was brought here, but now she is still too young.
"Perhaps we should temporarily entrust her to the care of a reliable person."
Hiruzen Sarutobi, with a pipe in his mouth, pondered for a moment.