A Sage's Pursuit of Power

Mei Terumī ultimately didn't leave Konoha. And deep down, she knew that since she hadn't left this time, it would only become harder to leave in the future.

Konoha was like a deep abyss, slowly swallowing the refugees from Kirigakure. The scariest part was that she didn't feel much resistance to it deep inside.

She even knew that many of her subordinates had started considering settling in Konoha permanently.

With Konoha's continuous reforms, the benefits for their ninjas had become absurd.

Currently, Konoha's ninjas carried a ridiculous amount of equipment on missions.

From kunai and shuriken to explosive tags, sensory-enhancing tools, and specialized anti-genjutsu gear. Everything was provided.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that a Konoha genin, armed with all these tools, had the overall combat power of a chūnin from other villages.

And that was just what Mei and her people could see. It was said that higher-level ninjas had access to custom-made, high-grade tools, though those were strictly classified and out of reach for outsiders.

As a leader, Mei understood: if this was the standard for lower-level ninjas, the equipment for higher-ranking ones must be even more outrageous.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Konoha's ninja had a standard of living and resources far beyond those of other villages.

And then there was their raw combat ability. Take Konoha's advanced ninja academy, for example. For just a small number of credits, anyone could learn high-level jutsu there. Mei herself had even learned an A-rank water release jutsu from the academy.

When she mastered it, she found it almost unbelievable. She was, after all, a Kirigakure ninja, yet Konoha had willingly let her benefit this much.

In the ninja world, A-rank jutsu might seem commonplace among the protagonists, but for the average ninja, they were highly prized. Even most jōnin used them as trump cards, and ordinary ninjas couldn't learn them without extraordinary circumstances.

Except for S-rank and forbidden jutsu, Aoba had made nearly all five-element jutsu available to the advanced academy.

This policy had drastically raised Konoha's overall proficiency in ninjutsu, a change that Mei and her people could clearly perceive.

Mei herself was a top-tier ninja. While not quite Kage-level yet, she was at the peak of elite jōnin.

But in Konoha, she had encountered numerous ninjas who posed a fatal threat to her.

And these weren't even Konoha's famous geniuses, they were just unknown ninjas not listed in intelligence reports.

Mei often wondered how Aoba Kamikawa had managed to transform Konoha into what it was today in just a few short years.

Meanwhile, in Kirigakure, Ōnoki stood before the young Uchiha Madara, forcibly suppressing his fear.

"Lord Madara, we've come seeking a partnership to counter the growing threat of Konoha."

"Ōnoki, you know my personality. Do you really think you're qualified to talk about a partnership with me?"

Madara's tone was unkind, but Ōnoki wasn't angered. As the oldest of the Five Kage, even he was barely worthy of consideration in front of Madara Uchiha.

"With all due respect, Lord Madara, this is not the era it once was. From what I've heard, you did not defeat Aoba Kamikawa during your battle in the Land of Rain."

"That's correct. Strictly speaking, I was at a disadvantage. But do you think adding you to the mix would turn the tide?"

Ōnoki was momentarily silenced. He had often pondered Aoba Kamikawa's current strength.

According to Iwagakure's intelligence, Aoba had nearly perfected mastery over all five chakra natures, capable of rapidly deploying jutsu of any element.

He was also a top-tier practitioner of taijutsu and kenjutsu, able to face the Raikage head-on.

On top of that, Aoba possessed a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan. Their specific abilities were unknown, but during his last battle with Madara, the eyes had demonstrated immense destructive power.

No one in the outside world had yet uncovered the true abilities of Aoba's Mangekyō Sharingan.

And most importantly, Aoba also wielded the Flying Thunder God technique. By all accounts, he was the perfect ninja template.

A ninja unparalleled in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, with an immense chakra pool, combined with Flying Thunder God and Mangekyō Sharingan.

Ōnoki couldn't even imagine anyone in the current ninja world who could defeat Aoba.

"It seems you've figured it out as well. Even I have to admit that young man is a rare genius. If he had been born in my era, he might have stood alongside Hashirama as one of the top figures.

But that doesn't mean I can't beat him. The truth is, due to certain circumstances, I've lost my own eyes, they were stolen by another brat.

Ōnoki, if you want to cooperate, help me find that brat's location. Once I get what I want, then you can get what you want."

The loss of his eyes wasn't a huge setback for someone like Madara. However, after that battle, Obito had disappeared without a trace.

Madara had mobilized Kirigakure's forces to search, but the village, weakened and understaffed, lacked the resources of a Great Nation. They had found no clues to Obito's whereabouts.

So, when Ōnoki approached him, Madara didn't outright refuse. He firmly believed that once he reclaimed the Rinnegan, Aoba would no longer pose a threat.

Since his resurrection, Madara had been determined to push his plan forward. Finding the Rinnegan was his top priority, followed by the issue of the Tailed Beasts.

According to Black Zetsu's intelligence, Sunagakure had submitted to Konoha, meaning Konoha now controlled both the One-Tail and Nine-Tails.

After capturing the Two-Tails from the Cloud Village in the Land of Rain, Konoha now controlled three Tailed Beasts.

Iwagakure controlled two. The Eight-Tails had already been absorbed by the Ten-Tails. A small village called Takigakure held one, while Kirigakure, under Black Zetsu's influence, had taken control of the Three-Tails.

This was the current distribution of Tailed Beasts across the ninja world.

Undoubtedly, Konoha was leading for the moment. This forced Madara to consider the matter earlier than he had planned.

Though he was confident that once he reclaimed the Rinnegan, he could sweep through the ninja world, the two encounters with Aoba had left him with an unusual sense of uncertainty.

Madara was a deeply pragmatic individual. He was an Uchiha, but unlike many of his clan's successors, he didn't prattle on about the "glory of the Uchiha" or boast about how "everything you do has already been seen through by my Sharingan," or claim that "the Sharingan is invincible."

After thoroughly analyzing the information available on Aoba, Madara came to a realization.

Aoba's strength did not solely come from himself. It was also deeply tied to the power of the entire Konoha village behind him.

In the battle in the Land of Rain, the two other ninjas who knew the Flying Thunder God technique, along with the one who excelled in Five-Element ninjutsu, were all worthy of his respect.

On the other hand, his own side was woefully lacking. Black Zetsu had awakened a few high-level White Zetsu to bolster their forces temporarily, but Kirigakure's overall strength was nowhere near Konoha's level.

"It seems I need to find a way to strengthen Kirigakure," Madara mused.

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Currently on Chapter 282 - The Ninja Among Ninjas