abnabooks Chapter 222 The Third Shinobi World War, which was brought forward.
Chapter 222 The Third Shinobi World War, which was brought forward.
Inside the conference hall, Chiyo sat there, motionless.
In fact, Granny Chiyo already had the answer in her heart when she received the news on the first day.
But that was her grandson, the last bloodline she left in the world, and she never wanted to admit it.
"It wasn't him...it wasn't my grandson who did it!"
Faced with overwhelming evidence, Grandma Chiyo remained calm and, for the first time, lied based on her professional knowledge.
"There is a third person here, someone who is proficient in the Five Elements Escape Technique."
Pointing to the remains of the puppets, she said, "Look at these cuts, these burn marks—these are left by Wind Release, Fire Release, and Lightning Release. Tell me, how many ninjas in the world possess the mastery of all five elements and the ability to kill the Third Kazekage?"
These words immediately caused a stir in the meeting room.
Granny Chiyo continued her patient persuasion: "The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was known as the Professor of Ninjutsu, and was proficient in all five elemental ninjutsu. Besides him, there were two others: Kakuzu and Naoto from Takigakure. Kakuzu from Takigakure was an old monster who had survived since the time of the First Hokage, and his strength was unfathomable."
"With my antidote pills, the Third Kazekage won't be poisoned at all. This blood must have been left by the enemy to mislead us."
As for why those puppets were so thoroughly destroyed? Someone used a wide-range five-elemental ninjutsu. Why did my grandson escape? Because he witnessed a truth he shouldn't have seen and was framed!
Her voice rose higher and higher, until it was almost a shout: "Who the murderer is is self-evident!"
After a long silence, someone weakly spoke up: "But why did Kakuzu kill the Third Kazekage? They had no grudge against each other..."
"Because of interests!" Chiyo said decisively, "Have you forgotten that Kakuzu came twice and was rejected by the Third Kazekage both times? The water diversion project, the mission quota, internal mediation—aren't all of these things urgently needed by us? The Third Kazekage rejected them, and they hold a grudge!"
That's right, it's Kakuzu.
Kakuzu is the murderer, and Takigakure is the murderer!
That's them!
If Kakuzu hadn't failed in his lobbying efforts, how could the village have fallen into an economic crisis?
How could an economic crisis give rise to factional conflicts?
How could her grandson accidentally kill someone, only to have the truth exposed and be driven to a dead end?
It's all Takigakure's fault; they shouldn't have shown up in the first place. They promised aid and support, so why didn't they just send the supplies directly?
However, she knew in her heart that her logic was completely untenable.
But she had no way out.
If it is admitted that the grandson killed the Kazekage, not only will Sasori be sentenced to death, but the Chiyo family will also suffer eternal disgrace.
Her son and daughter-in-law died fighting for the village, but her grandson killed the Kazekage. How can such a family still have the face to stand in Sunagakure?
Therefore, there must be an enemy.
Everyone understood her unspoken message: none of this would have happened if it weren't for Takigakure. The atmosphere in the meeting room shifted from heavy to angry.
"Yes, it's all them!"
"If they hadn't come and caused trouble, why would Lord Kazekage be so overworked?"
"They talk about poverty alleviation and helping us, but in reality, they just want to cause trouble for us!"
"That's right, since the Wind Shadow refused to cooperate, they resorted to ruthless killing!"
Anger spread like wildfire, quickly consuming the reason of everyone present.
Finally, someone slammed their fist on the table and shouted, "Avenge Lord Kazekage!"
"Yes, attack! Defeat the three-nation alliance, seize the water source, and let those small countries know the consequences of offending Sunagakure!"
At this moment, Chiyo spoke again: "Gather all our forces to avenge our Kazekage and my grandson! Raise an army immediately, attack the Three Kingdoms Alliance, and seize the water source!"
At this point, Sunagakure no longer cared who killed the Third Kazekage.
What they care about is whether there is a goal that can completely resolve internal conflicts and unite all forces into one – whether it is resolving disputes or achieving mutual benefit, that would be enough.
Attacking and occupying the former territory of the Land of Fire was a good idea in itself.
The weak Three Kingdoms alliance, in particular, was easier for them to deal with.
Granny Chiyo looked at the increasingly loud calls for war before her. A bitter smile crossed her face; she was indeed protecting the village, through war.
Within a single day, the war machine of Sunagakure was running at full speed.
Ninjas were recalled from all directions, armories were opened, and war supplies were urgently allocated.
Those factions that had been arguing incessantly before are now more united than ever, with everyone sharing a single goal: revenge.
Less than half a day later, Sunagakure issued a declaration of war:
Kakuzu of Takigakure came to the Land of Wind to invest, but his efforts to persuade them failed. Harboring resentment, he assassinated the Third Kazekage of Sunagakure. Today, Sunagakure hereby declares war on the Three Kingdoms Alliance!
War! War! War!
In front of the battlefield tent, Chiyo sat in a corner, saying nothing.
Looking at the excited faces, she suddenly recalled the scene many years ago when Sunagakure and Konoha formed an alliance, when everyone said that peace had finally arrived.
Peace did come, but it lasted for less than twenty years. And now, the Third Shinobi World War is about to begin in Sunagakure.
She didn't know if she was doing the right thing. All she knew was that, as a mother and a grandmother, she had no other choice.
As for the truth—it may come to light someday, or it may never. But before that day arrives, the war has already begun.
-
Deep in the desert, a scorpion emerges from the sand, panting heavily.
Thousands of human puppets were easily destroyed, and he was also seriously injured. The battle just now seemed to be accusing him of his mistakes. He leaned against the sand dune, staring blankly at the darkening sky.
Suddenly, a voice came from behind: "Is it a pity?"
Scorpion whirled around and saw a black and white humanoid figure rise from the sand: "Who are you?"
"I'm here to help you."
Scorpion stared warily at his opponent, but Black Zetsu laughed, "Your puppets are all destroyed. But wouldn't you like to start over?"
"I happen to have a fine piece of material here," Black Zetsu said, placing the Third Kazekage's corpse in front of him.
Upon hearing this, Red Sand Scorpion immediately paused.
Because he couldn't believe that the Third Kazekage, who had been so lively just moments before, could die so easily at the hands of a black-and-white man whose very nature he didn't know.
He stepped forward to take a closer look and discovered that it was indeed the Third Kazekage.
Moreover, this body was sealed by an extremely powerful sealing technique, locking away all life force and preserving all chakra and meridians, which made him feel astonished.
At this moment, a ripple finally appeared in his lifeless eyes.
But he quickly calmed down and looked at the Black and White Path: "What's the price?"
"The price?" Black Zetsu asked with a smile. "How about joining our organization?"
After a long silence, Scorpion nodded gently: "Okay."