As for those ninja from Root, their original mission had been to assassinate Hanzo in Amegakure. However, after Hanzo was killed by Pain, their new mission became to protect Naruto.
To Madara, whether it was Danzo or the entire Root organization didn't really matter.
But to Itachi, this was more than enough reason to abandon everything and seek vengeance. He hadn't even taken time to familiarize himself with his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, nor attempted to use it to decipher Danzo's tactics.
Now, he'd lost both of his spare Mangekyo Sharingan eyes—trapped inside Danzo's accursed jutsu!
And there was absolutely no way to get him out! Danzo's right arm had a full transplant of Sharingan eyes!
What made things worse was that this bastard actually obliterated Shisui's eyes before he died...
All he gained from this battle was Danzo's arm—and the Wood Release cells implanted within. Perhaps they would still prove useful.
This wasn't a victory—it was a Pyrrhic battle.
Madara had dispatched Zetsu to deliver Danzo's body to Pain.
That fool would definitely use [Outer Path: Rinne Reincarnation] to restore Danzo to his prime state. Madara had grown weary of hearing Pain complain about lacking spare bodies—he had waited long enough already.
It was time to move now. Pain and Konan were currently the only two capable of executing Madara's plans.
Alongside Danzo's corpse, Madara also gave Pain a new order.
One Pain could not possibly refuse—he was eager to test his new body in real battle.
Sasuke's group of brats were still roaming around, lamenting over their master's fate. This increasingly annoyed Madara, especially Suigetsu—who could become a formidable threat if armed with a proper blade.
As for Jugo, with a bit of encouragement, he could become a mindless beast...
Regarding Karin, aside from her chakra sensing and healing skills, she was practically ineffective. She was simply not built to be a true warrior—something Madara desperately needed.
Perhaps he should re-recruit Kabuto, someone they had grossly underestimated. He was supposed to be their trial opponent but was defeated far too easily.
Their haste ultimately led them right into Orochimaru's trap.
Maybe now was the time to recruit him? At the very least, he could help prevent Kabuto from causing further chaos.
Of course, he still had another option—a high-risk, audacious plan.
If successful, it wouldn't only buy him more time to regain his strength, but it might also diminish the strength of his final four targets.
##Amegakure - Pain's Tower##
Konan had long since learned how to tell when Pain was in a good mood.
Especially today, ever since their interrupted battle with Jiraiya and Naruto Uzumaki last month, Pain had seemed depressed. Even Jiraiya's corpse failed to bring a smile to his face...
And when Zetsu first brought back Danzo's corpse, she feared she might never see a genuine smile from him again.
Yet, as Danzo's body was placed at the feet of the Six Paths of Pain, he smiled—truly smiled—for the first time in weeks.
She had originally thought that seeing the man who conspired with Hanzo to kill so many of their comrades—and indirectly cause the death of her dear friend Yahiko—lying dead here would bring her a sense of satisfaction.
Yet all she felt was emptiness. Perhaps it was because she hadn't delivered vengeance herself. This feeling was nothing like the joy of victory she had imagined; they were nothing alike.
Zetsu said it was time for the next move. Once again, it was time to execute Madara's will...
But no matter what orders this man gave, they failed to quiet Pain's troubled thoughts.
"Konan," Pain—the one who bore the exact likeness of her late friend Yahiko—called out. "I will be temporarily leaving the village. During my absence, I want you to spread word to those small ninja villages that have suffered long enough under the oppression of the Five Great Countries."
Konan nodded. "Which villages do you want me to contact?" she asked.
"All of them," Pain replied, locking eyes with her using his rippling-patterned gaze. "Contact every small ninja village. Warn them to stay vigilant and tell them that the era of the Five Great Countries is coming to an end. They'll grasp the meaning soon enough. If they choose to join Amegakure, their suffering will finally find relief."
She caught his meaning and couldn't help widening her eyes. "You're trying to form an alliance."
"Precisely," Pain admitted without hesitation. Naturally, his closest teammate already understood his thinking. "The Five Great Countries are doing the exact same thing—they never even considered accepting these smaller villages to begin with, let alone cared about their plight."
That was the arrogance of the Five Great Nations... Naturally, they'd pay no heed to how their alliance would affect the smaller villages.
"They may have already realized this and will act preemptively. Eventually, they'll realize exactly what fate awaits them once this alliance solidifies. As the weaker side, they'll be slowly devoured until they cease to exist."
Small ninja villages already had very limited space to survive, squeezing through the cracks in fear that angering any great nation could ignite war.
Most could only survive along borderlands or within buffer zones between major powers.
Compared to the Five Great Countries, their income was meager, as they received far less funding from the daimyos than their larger counterparts.
Yet ever since the ninja village system was established decades ago, this model had sustained their survival.
If an alliance were formed, eliminating conflicts between major nations, then these small villages—who were once key factors in maintaining balance—would become expendable.
Therefore, as this alliance forms, all justifications for war would vanish…
Which would definitely not bode well for these smaller villages. Peace meant expansion for the great nations, which would mean annexing more small villages to secure greater and more plentiful ninja resources.
If things truly reached that point, the smaller villages would stand little chance of resistance.
After all, they could never hope to rival the Five Great Countries. History had already proven that only great nations could defeat other great nations.
Unless the war is fought on their own territory, small ninja villages generally suffer little harm when the Great Countries go to war—unless they choose sides and are used as cannon fodder in the conflict.
During wartime, small ninja villages see a surge in mission volume along with the battles between the Great Countries. The longer the war drags on, the stronger these smaller villages become.
Bound by treaties with the Five Great Countries, they are more or less oppressed. Many small ninja villages have been destroyed over the years simply for defying the authority of the Five Great Countries.
But bullying only works when the victims are afraid—and the Five Great Countries exploit this completely.
Due to their widespread and scattered distribution, these small villages remain isolated and fight alone when facing the Five Great Countries.
Although their combined numbers far exceed those of the Five Great Countries, they have never considered uniting.
Moreover, the quality of their ninja pales in comparison to that of the Five Great Countries.
What they need is a powerful force that can make them believe they still have hope.
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