Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 496 The Allied Shinobi Forces Assemble!

The largest ninja force in history is gathering across the vast lands of the Land of Clouds.

Through the integration of intelligence from various countries, the allied forces had essentially pinpointed the enemy's approximate location. The Frost Kingdom, a small and insignificant nation sandwiched between the three great powers, was indeed an ideal prey. The allied advance reconnaissance teams were the first to be dispatched, narrowing down the search area by following subtle clues. Only when they reached a location with very clear traces did the five great powers issue a war notification to the Frost Kingdom.

This was partly due to concerns that someone within the Frost Country's ruling system might leak information prematurely, causing the investigation to fail. It was also partly due to the usual practice in large-scale wars. They had always acted this way; the impact on smaller countries was a last resort, as opportunities in war are fleeting, leaving little time for such considerations. Fortunately, these smaller countries were generally not well-developed, with populations concentrated near towns and large uninhabited areas. Ninjas tended to avoid urban areas to some extent; otherwise, given the intensity of the previous three wars, many civilians would likely have been caught in the crossfire.

The investigation team was sent by Konoha to pinpoint the enemy's exact location. However, although the team determined the approximate location, they lost Mitarashi Anko.

Next came the surprise attack team, led by Kankuro. This unit was composed of half reconnaissance ninja and half combat units, precisely to avoid a repeat of the previous tragedy. Almost all of Konoha's diverse reconnaissance ninjas were present. However, even with such an exaggerated configuration, they were still able to be reconnoitered. They ran into a team entirely reanimated by Edo Tensei, and by sheer coincidence, they encountered the former Blue Jade Duo, Sasori of the Red Sand and Deidara.

Despite the perilous circumstances, they managed to defeat these two formidable opponents at the cost of several casualties. Fortunately, Sasori was a puppeteer, and fighting without a puppeteer significantly limited his effectiveness. And, by sheer coincidence, the puppet Sasori had created for himself wasn't completely destroyed in the explosion. Kankuro returned and painstakingly collected all the parts, restoring Sasori to his original form. Later, Granny Chiyo gifted "Father and Mother" to Kankuro as well. These three puppets became crucial tools in breaking down Sasori's psychological defenses, allowing them to seize the opportunity to capture two former Akatsuki members.

Having relinquished his obsession with immortality, Scorpion entrusted his puppet and future to his successor, then vanished in a burst of white light, turning into dust and leaving behind only a pitiful sacrifice.

Although they were aware of the dangers of the advance team, running into an Edo Tensei was not an expected outcome. They had already alerted the enemy, meaning the enemy was likely nearby, and the main force had to move out immediately!

Also, the crucial information about the Impure World Reincarnation must be conveyed immediately! Who knows just how many troublesome ninjas the enemy can pull out!

Before the advance team set off, a large crowd had already gathered in the largest open space outside Kumogakure. Their clothing was generally divided into five categories, clearly reflecting the styles of the five major ninja villages, but the headbands on each person's head did not bear the insignia of their respective ninja village; instead, they were all uniformly engraved with the character "忍" (ninja).

Ninjas who have fought for decades might stand together for orders, but conflict is inevitable. Hatred cannot be eliminated overnight; it's only because the ninja world has been at peace for decades that they haven't broken out into a fight the moment they gather.

Four ninjas and one samurai had already taken up positions on the platform above; they were the captains of the five major forces. Among these renowned ninjas, Gaara, the Kazekage, still seemed too young. People from other villages, especially the Iwagakure people who were at odds with Sunagakure, disliked him intensely.

"Is it really okay to let a brat like that be the unit captain?" a Hidden Stone Ninja scoffed.

Unfortunately, a Sand Village resident was standing next to him, who immediately retorted, "Lord Gaara is no brat! You don't know anything, so don't talk nonsense!"

The Iwagakure ninja immediately retorted, clearly annoyed: "Of course I don't know! Who told him to be our enemy before?"

"These are my words! Whether you believe them or not is another matter, so watch your mouth!"

While the argument raged on, the onlookers were also busy. A Byakugan ninja from Konoha agreed, saying, "To be honest, I think so too."

His good companion habitually echoed "Yes," then, realizing what he had said, asked in surprise, "What did you just say?"

"Although they were misled by Orochimaru, Sunagakure was essentially the mastermind behind the Konoha Crush. If it weren't for them, Lord Hiruzen would have..." The Byakugan ninja clenched his fists, his eyes filled with undisguised hatred.

However, his companions, looking rather frantic, tried to stop him, because they belonged to a raiding squad, and their captain was a Sand Villager who was standing not far in front of them.

"I know, I'm a ninja too." The Byakugan ninja barely calmed his anger and said, "This is a decision made by the country and the village. I don't want to oppose it; it's just my personal emotion."

Then a Cloud Village ninja behind him added fuel to the fire, saying, "Konoha's ninjas, stop being so arrogant! In the end, weren't the ninjas who started this war your Konoha's rogue ninjas? How do you plan to compensate us?"

"What!" The Byakugan user was about to explode. No one could blame Kumogakure! He still remembered how those guys sent envoys to attack the Hyuga main clan and shamelessly tried to pin the blame on Konoha!

"Want to fight? Cloud Village!"

While the argument raged on one side, a Kirigakure ninja watching the scene remarked, "That's why I hate Iwagakure the most."

"Hey, Kirigakure, what did you say?" There happened to be an Iwagakure person behind him who overheard him.

“There’s nothing I can do about it since you heard it.” This Kirigakure ninja was also a man of strong character, and he turned around and said formally, “You Iwagakure people are all barbarians who don’t know manners.”

"What did you say!" The Iwagakure ninja suddenly grabbed the other man by the collar, startling his Konoha companions who were trying to break up the fight, causing them to turn around and look.

"We still remember the tragedy of Yuanfeng Pass and the betrayal of Iwagakure."

"Yuanfeng? You really have the nerve to bring up such an old story." The Iwagakure ninja's tone softened slightly; indeed, Iwagakure was in the wrong for this old grudge.

"It was because of Yanliu's yearning for peace while he was alone in prison that I accepted this military organization." The Kirigakure ninja was clearly a man with a story. His former master was a ninja who had worked to bring about the alliance between Enkaku and Iwagakure, but was imprisoned for treason because of Iwagakure's betrayal.

"However, it seems that Kirigakure is still unable to join forces with Iwagakure."

The 80,000-strong army was filled with incessant arguments, which could be heard even by the captains on the high platform. If no intervention was made to stop it, it might really escalate into a brawl.