Chapter 78: Attacking Konoha.

"Come stay at my house? No." "Your identity is too sensitive right now. I have to keep my distance," Tsunade said flatly, rejecting Zenkichi's proposal. "After all, your relationship with Konoha isn't exactly... warm." Terumi Mei let out a small smile, while Zenkichi responded dramatically, "Women really are heartless." "If I can't stay at your house, at least treat me to a meal. Let's celebrate the decades since Konoha was founded with a bowl of longevity noodles!" He smirked. "Long life to the Hidden Leaf, and long life to everyone in it." Tsunade's face darkened. "You..." She glared at him helplessly, then sighed and led him—alongside Mei Terumi—to Ichiraku Ramen. It was there that Zenkichi encountered the so-called legendary Ichiraku. But reality was disappointing—The chef was just an ordinary ramen maker. Meanwhile, members of the Hyuga clan were monitoring the situation closely. "Besides Zenkichi and the one named Hoshigaki Kisame, there's something off about the chakra signatures of the other Kirigakure ninjas." "They're radiating immense chakra—special chakra, likely tailed beast chakra." "Uzumaki Kushina. Kumogakure's Blue B, and Iwagakure's Roshi... the pattern is similar to what we're seeing in most of the Kirigakure team." A Hyuga Anbu knelt before Sarutobi Hiruzen and the other Konoha elders, reporting calmly. "You're joking," muttered one of the council. "If they're all jinchūriki... that would mean Kirigakure controls six tailed beasts. That's impossible." Hiruzen shook his head. "Whether or not they are jinchūriki, this is serious." "Think about it—if those six from Kirigakure really are jinchūriki, then all nine tailed beasts are currently gathered in Konoha." "If anything happens, the entire village could be wiped out in a flash." Akimichi Torifu said gravely, eyes wide. Shimura Danzo scoffed. "If you ask me, negotiations should never have taken place here in Konoha." "You knew Kirigakure might use the Chūnin Exams as cover to sabotage us—why host them here?" He glared at Hiruzen. "If anything goes wrong, you'll be the one held accountable." "This isn't the time to point fingers," Hiruzen replied coolly, shooting a sharp look at Danzo. "We need to coordinate with the other three major villages and come up with a way to eliminate Zenkichi." "They've likely made preparations of their own. If we work together, we might just pull this off." Koharu Utatane nodded from beside Homura, both still key figures among Konoha's leadership. --- At that very moment, while the high council discussed how to eliminate him, Zenkichi had already finished his meal at Ichiraku and returned to the guesthouse with Mei Terumi. Behind closed doors, his disciples and subordinates were already gathered. With a faint smile, Zenkichi asked, "You've had time to look around Konoha. What did you learn?" Ao stepped forward. "As a sensory-type ninja, I've detected an abnormal concentration of chakra throughout the village. There's also a heavy presence of chakra signatures around our guesthouse. It's clear they've assigned people to monitor us." Zenkichi nodded. "Don't worry about them. They won't attack us—not here." Momochi Zabuza grinned. "Maybe not here... but they'll probably strike during the Chūnin Exams." Hoshigaki Kisame shook his head. "If we can guess that, don't you think the Leaf can too?" Mangetsu chimed in, "Exactly. During the exams, Konoha will be on high alert. It's more likely they'll act beforehand." Mizunashi Yukine frowned. "That gives us a window of about seven or eight days before the exams begin." Terumi Mei added, "That's too long. The longer they wait, the more likely we are to lower our guard." Zenkichi smirked. "You're all overthinking this. Who says we have to wait for them to make the first move?" "If the other villages didn't give Kirigakure any respect by excluding us from the planning of these joint exams, then we don't need to give them any either." Zabuza's eyes lit up. "So when do we strike?" Zenkichi chuckled. "Soon. Once they're all in one room, trying to figure out how to deal with me—that'll be the perfect time." --- The following night... After much back and forth, Konoha's top brass and the three other great village leaders finally reached a consensus. They convened at the Hokage Building to finalize their plan. Hiruzen, acting as Hokage's advisor, stood to address the room and spoke at length for over half an hour before getting to the point. But before any decisions could be made, a blinding golden light erupted in the distance. A massive beam shot into the sky—brilliant gold and silver streaks cutting through the night. All of Konoha lit up as if it were daytime. Leaders scrambled, shielding their eyes with sunglasses or chakra-infused gear. "That's Zenkichi's ability! What is he doing?!" "Prepare for battle!" "Get ANBU on the scene—now!" "Move! Someone check it out!" Commanders from the four great villages immediately deployed their shinobi to investigate. --- Meanwhile, far outside Konoha, Kirigakure's main force lay in wait. Elder Genji, accompanied by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and a host of elite troops, stood ready. "Sir! Movement from the direction of Konoha!" one of the scouts shouted. Genji looked toward the horizon. "That golden light... unmistakable. That's the signal Zenkichi and I agreed upon." A smile broke across his face. "Mobilize the entire force! We attack Konoha now!" --- Support me by becoming patrons, or Join to get access to chapters in advance. [email protected]/Zphyr_