Mastermind of the Akatsuki

At the Border of the Land of Fire.

The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, stood on a cliff, looking down at the distant forest below. His eyes gleamed with an unmistakable ambition.

Due to the arid nature of the Land of Earth and the wealth of the Land of Fire, Iwagakure had attempted to invade the Land of Fire during the era of the Second Tsuchikage. However, because Konoha was so deeply entrenched and well-fortified, every military campaign aimed at the Land of Fire had ended in failure.

This, of course, was inevitable.

Although the Land of Fire was surrounded by enemies and became the primary target for many ninja villages, it was never short of powerful and determined ninjas. Even when besieged by several villages, Konoha was able to secure victories through its deep roots and strong foundation.

But those were things of the past.

With the Third Great Ninja War, the Nine-Tails' attack, and the Uchiha Rebellion, Konoha had weakened to an unprecedented state. This presented a rare opportunity for Iwagakure to seize a great deal of land and power.

Of course, all of this hinged on the assumption that the Uchiha really had staged a coup. Otherwise, Onoki's personal military action would likely end in failure.

While Onoki was worrying about the future, his son, Kitsuchi, walked up beside him, excitedly speaking.

"Father, you were right. Konoha erupted in chaos a few days ago. The genius of the Uchiha clan, Itachi Uchiha, killed all his clan members and defected from Konoha!"

Upon hearing this, Onoki was slightly taken aback and thought to himself, "Wasn't the Uchiha clan supposed to stage a coup? Why does this news say that Itachi killed the whole clan and then fled Konoha? This doesn't match what we were told..."

 Just then, Onoki came to a realization.

The claim that Itachi wiped out his entire clan was likely Konoha's official statement. The truth of the matter was far more complex. A young man like Itachi Uchiha, no matter how talented, couldn't possibly have wiped out his entire clan on his own.

Furthermore, Uchiha ninjas valued family bonds highly. It was unthinkable for Itachi to kill those closest to him.

After some thought, Onoki began to piece together the likely scenario. It was highly probable that Konoha's higher-ups discovered the Uchiha clan's plans for a coup, and they had sent hundreds of ninjas to encircle the Uchiha compound, crushing the rebellion before it could even begin.

Itachi, the young Uchiha, was most likely the only survivor and was branded as the murderer, with a bounty placed on his head.

Onoki couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. He knew Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura well. He understood that if those two old foxes found out that anyone in the village was stirring up trouble, they would resort to such extreme measures.

And the poor Uchiha youth had become the scapegoat, losing his entire clan and carrying such a heavy burden of guilt.

After calming himself, Onoki began to think about his next military move against Konoha.

In the past few days, his Iwagakure forces had captured more than ten border outposts and several military camps in the Land of Fire. Once they broke through the next pass, they would be deep into the heart of the Land of Fire.

If everything went according to plan, they would reach the outskirts of Konoha within just a few days.

This was an unprecedented opportunity for Iwagakure. Once they reached the outskirts of Konoha, the myth of Konoha's invincibility would be shattered.

Iwagakure would replace Konoha as the number one ninja village in the world.

Kitsuchi noticed the excited gleam in his father's eyes and said with enthusiasm, "Father, your prediction was truly accurate. After this war, when we take the Land of Fire's territory, both Ao and Han will surely be in awe of you."

Upon hearing this, Onoki's inflated ego was quickly deflated.

Was he the one who made the crucial judgment about Konoha's situation? Of course not. The real expert on Konoha's state of affairs was none other than Byakuya from Amegakure.

As far back as six months ago, Byakuya had predicted the Uchiha would stage a coup, and just recently, that prediction had been confirmed.

Thinking about Byakuya's terrifying power, which rivaled the First Hokage, as well as his almost prophetic analytical abilities, Onoki couldn't help but shiver. He felt an unease creep over him.

Realizing this, Onoki patted Kitsuchi on the shoulder and said, "Our goal this time isn't the Land of Fire's territory, nor are we planning to attack Konoha."

Kitsuchi froze, looking at his father in disbelief.

Wasn't his father always the one most interested in acquiring territory? His espionage activities against the Stone and Grass countries had never ceased. Why had he suddenly shown no interest in land at all?

Onoki spoke cryptically, "Our goal is for Konoha to abandon its military alliances with the smaller nations and to relinquish its position as the strongest ninja village. Everything else can wait for later."

Hearing this, Kitsuchi understood his father's intent.

The current attack on Konoha was taking advantage of the internal chaos within the village. Once Konoha recovered, it would undoubtedly pull Iwagakure into a prolonged war.

Although Iwagakure had a large number of ninjas, Konoha's ninja force was no smaller and, in fact, of superior quality.

The current internal turmoil in Konoha gave Iwagakure a unique opportunity to seize a significant advantage early on. However, if the conflict dragged on for too long, the situation would change drastically.

For one, neighboring villages like Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure would not remain passive. That was something both he and his father wanted to avoid.

What Kitsuchi didn't know, however, was that Onoki's biggest concern was still Amegakure.

If Iwagakure truly absorbed the Land of Fire's territory, it would form a surrounding circle around Amegakure. The two villages, which had once worked together in secret, would likely come into conflict over their interests.

In terms of overall village strength, Amegakure was no match for Iwagakure.

However, Amegakure had too many powerful individuals. If these experts decided to attack Iwagakure, the village would find itself in a precarious situation, unable to continue executing its missions as before.

Especially when it came to Amegakure's Byakuya, Onoki felt nothing but dread.

In Onoki's eyes, Byakuya was a younger version of Madara Uchiha, but with the cunning and malice of Tobirama. He was, in Onoki's mind, the most terrifying ninja of the present era.

In the face of such a formidable opponent, Onoki knew that if Iwagakure didn't cooperate now, they would only have one option left in the future—submission. After all, there was no longer a Senju Hashirama in the world.

After a few more moments of staring at Kitsuchi, Onoki left the cliff and descended into the crowd below.

His gaze shifted toward the direction of Konoha, and he called out to the Iwagakure ninjas around him, "Iwagakure ninjas, we must seize the next pass today and push straight into the heart of the Land of Fire! Iwagakure will become the strongest ninja village in the world!"