Chapter 174: Madara, It Must Be You!

“Would you indulge this old man’s tiny bit of curiosity?” “You’re probably wondering—what does Konoha gain from all this, right?” Kyoichi chuckled. “I’ve told you about Konoha’s history. Ever since the First Hokage, we’ve strived for peace in the shinobi world. If you form a trade alliance with the smaller villages and Konoha, our existing alliance will only deepen further.” Ebizō fell into a long silence. Commerce… That wasn’t something he truly understood. But he could tell Kyoichi’s words weren’t wrong. A trade network. The term was novel to him, but it precisely conveyed the future Kyoichi envisioned—a tri-nation economic web that would tie them together, reducing the likelihood of conflict. Of course... There’s no such thing as absolute certainty in the world, but this kind of connection was clearly far stronger than a fragile alliance. Thinking of it that way... Konoha did have a valid reason to push for this. And yet, it wasn’t enough. Ebizō felt that Kyoichi had deeper intentions—he just couldn’t guess what they were. “You must be wondering what more I want out of this,” Kyoichi said with a smile. “I wouldn’t presume to hide anything from a wise elder like yourself. And since Yahiko is here too, I imagine you share the same curiosity?” “Indeed…” Yahiko had no clue what Kyoichi was about to say, but he played along perfectly. Whatever it was—he was ready to listen. Kyoichi continued with a calm smile. “Sunagakure has many unique specialties that are highly prized in the Land of Fire, the Land of Lightning, and other countries. And we, Konoha, have already opened a trade route with the Land of Lightning.” “You’re proposing we sell our goods to the Land of Lightning?” Could it really be that simple? Both Ebizō and Yahiko were skeptical. But… Kyoichi didn’t follow up with the answer they expected. “As I’ve told you both before, my ambition is peace in the shinobi world. Everything I’m pushing for is to help bring the nations closer together through commerce, so that someday, large-scale war becomes a thing of the past.” “Through trade and shared interests, our nations can grow wealthier. One day, we might even shed the titles of ‘Konoha’ or ‘Sunagakure,’ and instead become members of a united Shinobi Allied Forces—fighting together for peace across the world.” Kyoichi’s tone wasn’t particularly passionate, but Yahiko felt his blood stir with excitement. He believed every word. Because... This blueprint felt like a grand-scale version of the small shinobi village alliance they had discussed before. No wonder! Kyoichi had used the opportunity with Amegakure and the smaller villages to test the feasibility of this idea—now he was moving on to the next step. As expected of him. Yahiko was deeply impressed. “Uh…” Ebizō went quiet. To be honest… He didn’t believe anyone could be so idealistic—so purely devoted to peace. Even among the famous Senju brothers, only Hashirama had been that naïve. Tobirama had taken a big bite out of the world when he had the chance. “The success with the smaller villages gave me hope,” Kyoichi said. “This trade network is another trial run. If it works, then a broad peace may no longer be a mere dream.” Ebizō, in his fifties, hadn’t felt such a rush of inspiration in a long time. Yet, those few short words painted a vision so vivid that he couldn’t help but be stirred. However… As an elder, he quickly reined himself in. “‘Broad peace,’ you say?” “Right. True, lasting peace is impossible. Even if some great power could suppress the whole world for a time—eventually, that power would fade. The same goes for any system. But future wars might take on different forms.” “Like what?” “Alternative forms,” Kyoichi replied. “Take the Chūnin Exams, for example. Maybe one day, they’ll evolve into a permanent, continent-wide competition.” He smiled. Like an Olympics. It wouldn’t be hard to replicate. As for the deeper layers beneath it—that, of course, wasn’t something he’d say out loud. Things like economic warfare. If they figured it out themselves, so be it. If not, well—it wasn’t his fault for keeping it close to the vest. They weren’t from the same village, after all. “I see… so this Chūnin Exam you’re organizing—it’s part of that long-term thinking.” Ebizō frowned. He didn’t fully believe it, but it made a strange kind of sense. Kyoichi waved a hand casually. “No, just a coincidence. Initially, I only meant for a few of the smaller villages to participate. But enthusiasm was high, and it ended up growing into what you see now.” “Is that so?” Ebizō nodded thoughtfully. This man before him… His wisdom and strategy seemed to lie somewhere between Hashirama and Tobirama—making him all the harder to read. No… perhaps the talk of commerce and peace was all genuine—but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a deeper agenda at play. A man like Ebizō could never bring himself to trust someone easily. “In that case… let us do our part for the future peace of the shinobi world!” Ebizō raised his cup with Kyoichi and took a small sip. He didn’t touch the food. After the drink, he excused himself, citing ill health. Ebizō was filled with questions—but no one could answer them. Commerce… The vision Kanda Kyoichi had painted was vast, and even he couldn’t help but be tempted. Whether or not peace ever truly came… The prosperity brought by trade was tangible. If Sunagakure could secure a place in this massive undertaking, perhaps it could one day change its standing among the Hidden Villages. But what truly gave him pause was— If Kanda Kyoichi really achieved such a future, then a nation’s strength would no longer lie solely in its Hidden Village, but also in its economy and commerce. Moreover… If the entire shinobi world elevated its trade together, the consequences would likely be interlinked and systemic. This was something Kyoichi hadn’t mentioned. If that kind of world came to pass, then what form would ninja take? Would they really be out digging irrigation ditches and building infrastructure? Ebizō found the idea absurd—but at the same time, completely logical. After all, in the past, even the proud samurai never imagined they’d one day be replaced by shinobi. No profession lasts forever. “At this age… do I now need to start learning how to run a business and govern a nation?” Tonight, he had a feeling he wouldn’t be sleeping well. That kind of future— So strange, so terrifying—and yet, it thrilled him. And if the Chūnin Exams really became the new battlefield of great powers, then this exam might be the most brutal in history. --- “According to what you’re saying, Kyoichi, won’t this Chūnin Exam be extremely intense?” “I never intended for it to be like this,” Kyoichi said. “But everyone seems eager to gauge Konoha’s next generation. Things just escalated from there.” Sёarch* The nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After Ebizō left, Kyoichi and Yahiko dropped their pretense. After a long discussion— Yahiko looked deeply concerned. In terms of raw power, Amegakure’s genin were nowhere near the level of the larger Hidden Villages. “Make sure your Amegakure shinobi prioritize survival. Don’t go for rankings. Avoid Sunagakure altogether. From what I know, Kirigakure is making a big push this time, and the team is being led by Yagura—he’s very likely the next Mizukage.” “They’re going that far?!” Yahiko was stunned. The next Mizukage himself was leading the team—that was terrifying. Truthfully… Even Kyoichi hadn’t expected Yagura to show up in person. And what he didn’t tell Yahiko… was that someone else in Yagura’s team was the future Fifth Mizukage. At the same time... There was also the Genin who had inherited Hiramekarei—Hōzuki Mangetsu, Zabuza Momochi who had been pulled off his original path to become a true ninja, and Ringo Ameyuri, now without the Thunder Sword. The second generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had shown up after all. Only Kisame was missing. This lineup was clearly aggressive, obviously gunning for the rankings—and likely to target Sunagakure directly. Yahiko mulled it over and didn’t refute Kyoichi’s advice. Amegakure wasn’t in a position to compete for glory right now. If it was time to retreat, then retreat they must. The way things had developed, this Chūnin Exam was no longer what it used to be. To compete would be to die. Small villages were fragile—they couldn’t afford that kind of gamble. After saying farewell to Yahiko, Kyoichi returned to the ANBU quarters, where Gekkō Hayate immediately handed him a scroll. “Captain, here’s the intel you requested on Kirigakure.” “Thanks…” Kyoichi took the scroll and unrolled it to read. It was intel gathered by Mukai during his reconnaissance. When he finished reading, his expression turned grim. Among Kirigakure’s ranks, one individual indeed showed signs of being under genjutsu control—but it wasn’t Yagura. It was just an ordinary Genin. Most likely Madara, huh? Kyoichi silently speculated. That bastard just couldn’t sit still. And now it seemed Madara really did have a hand in Kirigakure. No wonder it was so easy for him to eventually have the Three-Tails sealed into Rin. Wait a second! With Madara’s abilities, there's no way he wouldn’t have accounted for the possibility of his genjutsu being detected! Zetsu's here too? Kyoichi immediately became more alert. Whether it was Black Zetsu or White Zetsu, neither could be seen through by the Byakugan. And now, with ninja from across the world converging, it was impossible to scan every single one of them. “Captain, should we investigate that Genin under genjutsu?” Gekkō Hayate asked. A Genin under mind control—it couldn’t be anything but suspicious. “Let me think…” Kyoichi narrowed his eyes, running through strategies in his head. There was no doubt about it— This had Madara written all over it. And since it was impossible to be sure if there were other traps in play… Then it was better to beat the grass and scare the snake. Whether there was a snake or not didn’t matter. They wouldn’t be able to catch it anyway. With that in mind, he handed the scroll back to Gekkō Hayate and said, “Give this to Yagura. Let Kirigakure handle it themselves. Be careful not to expose yourself.” “Yes!” Gekkō Hayate took the scroll and vanished with a shunshin. He didn’t understand why Kyoichi had made that decision—but he knew one thing very well… Ask less. Do more. “There’s definitely someone else lurking behind the scenes. Most likely Black Zetsu… what a pity.” Kyoichi frowned. With such a big commotion, it would be impossible for Madara not to notice. Given his strength, there was no way he’d send just a White Zetsu— Genjutsu couldn’t be directly traced to Madara, but White Zetsu… that thing was practically a signature. And in today’s shinobi world, there were still living beings who knew the origins of those creatures. Madara couldn’t be that careless. As for Black Zetsu… Kyoichi knew that at his current level, he couldn’t capture Black Zetsu, or even locate him. So… The best move was to eliminate the surface-level threat and raise Kirigakure’s internal vigilance. That was already the most optimal outcome. However… If Madara was already setting traps at this stage, could his true target be the Uchiha? Would Obito be his top candidate right now? No… Madara might be observing this Chūnin Exam. Kyoichi furrowed his brow. If that were the case… Then Shisui could very well become Madara’s next target. Of course… That was all speculation, Kyoichi projecting his own thoughts onto the situation. In truth, he understood one thing— No one could truly predict what Madara was thinking. He was a man who could hunker down and bide his time for decades just to see his plan succeed. Talent, potential, even personality—none of those were necessarily part of his criteria. So could it be that… After all the twists and turns, it would still be Obito in the end?