Only three people knew the truth about his creation.
Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Kushina.
Aside from these three, everyone else believed that he was the biological son of Tsunade and Orochimaru.
Danzo was no exception.
This time, after receiving intel that Orochimaru had sent Mi over, Danzo made his move, arriving here to assist in the battle.
Hearing Mi's words, Danzo frowned.
"Infiltrating Kumogakure? What do you mean?"
"Danzo-sama, just follow me, and you'll understand."
With that, Mi turned and led the way.
Danzo hesitated for a moment before signaling his subordinates to follow.
"The plan, according to my mother's wishes, is a forced landing operation. We need to transport this army to the Land of Lightning."
"A pincer attack from both the front and rear?" Danzo said solemnly. "I see what you're aiming for, but the shinobi of Kumo aren't fools. Even a six-man team would be quickly detected and eliminated, let alone an army of this scale."
"Danzo-sama is correct, which is why we'll be utilizing some… external assistance."
"External assistance?"
"Yes, in the form of special technological advancements."
Under Mi's guidance, Danzo and his subordinates entered a massive factory near the coast.
Inside, they saw clones moving about, along with many citizens, all engaged in various tasks.
Some were welding, others were inspecting machinery, tightening screws, everyone was busy at work.
"This place is…"
"Amazing!"
"Unbelievable!"
"This is my father's shipyard."
"Shipyard?" Danzo glanced around. "Are you planning a naval assault?"
Although Kumogakure was situated at a high altitude, most of the Land of Lightning's borders faced the sea.
From a strategic standpoint, launching an attack from the sea was certainly possible.
However, that still didn't solve the most fundamental issue.
With an army of this size, avoiding detection would be nearly impossible no matter which route they took.
Yet, Mi and the others seemed unconcerned, leading them deeper into the shipyard…
---
Meanwhile, outside Sunagakure…
A small child with black eyes clutched a stuffed bear, standing before everyone.
The childhood of a Jinchuriki was rarely peaceful.
As the host of Shukaku, Gaara had faced nothing but cold indifference from the world since birth.
At this moment, only five years old, he trembled in fear, hiding behind Yashamaru as he faced the gathered shinobi of Sunagakure, including his distant, unfeeling father.
"Orochimaru, can you keep your promise?"
A voice filled with age and experience rang out.
Stepping forward from her reclusive life, Chiyo gazed at Orochimaru.
Having long since withdrawn from active duty, she now stood beside her younger brother, Ebizo.
Had it not been for the dire circumstances threatening the village, she would not have appeared here.
Hearing Chiyo's words, Orochimaru smirked.
"It's not like you have any other choice."
"Of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Sunagakure may have vast territory, but it is also the poorest. Were it not for certain considerations, I wouldn't have bothered coming here at all."
"Simply put, I have no interest in killing you. If you surrender, not only will casualties be kept to a minimum, but you will also gain access to better living conditions and resources. Consider it carefully."
"Of course, I advise you to think wisely. If you insist on resisting, I will have no choice but to slaughter you all."
"Do not doubt my words—I am fully capable of doing so."
The power of the Six Paths.
It was an ability more broken than any other ninjutsu.
Take the Truth-Seeking Orbs, for example. They negated all forms of ninjutsu, and ordinary shinobi would be injured simply by touching them.
An existence of such overwhelming power, how could anyone be allowed to challenge it?
At this moment, the shinobi of Sunagakure had no saviors like Naruto or Sasuke to rescue them.
Hearing Orochimaru's words, Chiyo, Rasa, Ebizo, and the other high-ranking officials of Sunagakure fell into deep thought.
Even the other shinobi present hesitated.
Bringing out a five-year-old Gaara was, in itself, a sign of surrender.
And it wasn't just because of Orochimaru's display of power.
He had summoned two coffins.
Inside one was the Third Kazekage.
Inside the other—the Second Tsuchikage.
The moment these two figures appeared, the truth became undeniable, Orochimaru had been the one responsible for using Edo Tensei during the Third Great Ninja War.
With such a powerful Edo Tensei army, along with Kyuubi and Orochimaru himself, Sunagakure stood no chance.
There was no option but surrender.
Whether their submission was genuine or merely temporary was another matter.
"Hand Gaara over to me," Orochimaru said.
"As for your formal surrender, discuss it with your daimyo. There's no rush."
He gestured toward Gaara with a slight motion of his fingers.
With tensions rising in Kumogakure, his forces and Tsunade's had their own battles to fight.
If Sunagakure surrendered now, Orochimaru had no available personnel to oversee the village.
With visible hesitation, Yashamaru watched as little Gaara, his forehead still unmarked by the word "love" timidly walked toward Orochimaru.
Orochimaru wasted no time.
Using the same method he had employed to extract Kyuubi, he began removing Shukaku.
It was a method both efficient and swift.
Its only drawback was that it required the Jinchuriki's cooperation along with some form of suppression for a fully realized tailed beast.
But with two pairs of Rinnegan present, there was no need to worry about subduing a tailed beast. The only requirement was Gaara's passive cooperation.
Why hadn't Orochimaru used this method on the Jinchuriki of other villages?
Because unlike Gaara, the others weren't so obedient.
Rasa knew exactly how terrifying Edo Tensei was.
He had witnessed the devastation Kyuubi could bring.
He had seen Orochimaru crush the Raikage and Bee.
He understood the situation.
And so, he compromised.
Because resisting would only lead to pointless deaths.
Rasa was a Kage-level shinobi.
And while Kage were strong, they paled in comparison to the Rinnegan.
Against Six Paths-level power, there was no comparison.
A fully realized Susanoo had allowed Madara to dominate all Five Kage.
What chance did they have against Orochimaru, who wielded even greater power?
For an ordinary shinobi, there were only two abilities capable of harming a Six Paths-level opponent, the Eight Gates and Senjutsu.
But unfortunately for them, both of those abilities belonged to Konoha.
—
"Want to catch up on old times?"
Pain's voice broke the silence, directed at Sasori.
Sasori glanced at Chiyo.
"There's no need."
"Then let's go."
With that, they departed.
***
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