Chapter 254: Special Event: Five Nations Fall (35k)

【You have joined the hidden faction: Akatsuki. Current Reputation: Friendly (15/100)】

【You have triggered the special event: Five Nations Fall (Large-scale, Special, Unique)】

【Event Description: Due to the influence of Reincarnator xx53562211 (Tao Baibai), Pain has decided to inflict pain upon the rulers of the world. Before this mission world ends, please complete the action of collapsing the current rulers of the Five Great Nations. This action is a special large-scale event; all Reincarnators in this world, excluding those belonging to the Five Great Nations faction, may participate.】

【Event Rewards: Obtain Singularity and Dimension Point rewards based on completion rate. If completion rate exceeds 20%, obtain an additional Special Item *1.】

【Event Failure Penalty: Reputation with the Five Great Nations and the Five Great Shinobi Villages will be permanently set to Hatred, and you will be hunted down for an additional seven days (cannot return during the duration).】

Catherine looked at the space prompt before her, took a deep breath, and then continued to use the 【Sacred Arm】 to heal Itachi. This special magic tool from the 【MÄR Heaven World】 possessed extremely strong functionality and adaptability. It was not only easy to use as long as one mastered the energy known as 【Magic Power】, but even Common Reincarnators could use this magic tool to come into contact with and control 【Magic Power】.

Therefore, Arm-type items were quite rare.

Catherine withdrew her gaze. She had actually noticed that the two silver rings on Tao Baibai's hands were also highly likely to be Arms, but it was clear that the other party had no intention of following the Magic Power sequence, especially since the other party had let her join this special event previously.

The two could be considered to have established initial trust; Catherine began to use her items boldly and confidently, no longer afraid that Tao Baibai would attack her at the slightest disagreement.

Her guess was not wrong; following a guy like Tao Baibai would not lack opportunities. Although she did not know what method the other party used, it was clear that Nagato had been persuaded and was going to begin the Konoha Collapse Plan.

"Aren't we going to conquer the Five Great Nations? With our strength, going directly to attack the royal capitals of the several great nations would be a better choice, right?"

Catherine spoke while healing Itachi. She actually had the answer in her heart, but she still asked this deliberately; in fact, this was also a communication strategy, a type of rhetoric commonly used by subordinates to "curry favor" with superiors.

Catherine mocked herself inwardly. She originally had a very strong personality, and in the duo of 【Chaos】, she also occupied the dominant position. But no matter how strong her personality was, walking with this kind of madman, she would still be reminded of her own weak essence.

She had to start trying to make herself get along more harmoniously with Tao Baibai in the way she once hated the most.

Bai Cangshu did not notice these little thoughts, or rather, he had no interest in wasting time thinking about what a Reincarnator like Catherine was thinking.

Now, the first step of his special trial had reached the fifth day. With the defeat of Shisui and the joining of 【Akatsuki】, the first stage of the special trial was basically confirmed to be completable.

In the current Ninja World, wanting to forcibly kill Ping Zhonghua in front of Pain and himself, other than the combined efforts of multiple Shadow Level ninjas, was absolutely impossible.

Therefore, he was thinking about what the second stage of this special trial would be. Judging from his experience with the Great Sin series of special trials, the second stage would have a certain correlation with the first stage.

The first stage of 【Seven Deadly Sins Trial: Sin and Punishment】 was to learn any specialization from Tao Baibai, and the second stage was to prevent Tao Baibai from being killed by a Reincarnator;

Then Bai Cangshu had reason to believe that the first stage of this 【Virtue Trial: Supreme Benevolence and Goodness】, protecting Ping Zhonghua, also absolutely had some kind of connection with the second stage.

Because the plot faction most deeply involved with Ping Zhonghua was Konoha Village. The reason the town where Ping Zhonghua lived was slaughtered was that her husband, Ping Zhongshi, had leaked a top-secret piece of intelligence from within Konoha Village: 【The discord between the Uchiha and Konoha's high-level officials】.

According to the usual nature of the space, the trial mission for the second stage would highly likely be related to Konoha.

This was a major incentive for Bai Cangshu to make the 【Konoha Collapse Plan】.

Of course, he would not tell anyone this reason.

Bai Cangshu just watched Itachi's calm expression with great interest. This mature-looking young man was clearly influenced by the information he had deliberately released about Danzō possessing the Sharingan; his 【Will of Fire】 had wavered.

People are often like this; clearly, both had seized the Sharingan, but when a guy like Bai Cangshu, whose background in Itachi's heart was "evil party" and "wicked person," did such a thing, it made Itachi feel it was a matter of course. There was disgust and hatred, but it was based on normal hostile psychology.

But when a Konoha high-level official like Danzō, whom he originally regarded as his own leader, did the thing of seizing the Sharingan for his own use, in Itachi's eyes, it was even more unforgivable.

Bai Cangshu curled his lips. He had to admit that sometimes, it was indeed easier to be a bad guy, although... he never felt that he was a bad guy.

"Konoha is currently being closely watched by other ninja villages because of the leak of that intelligence. At this time, if Konoha has even the slightest disturbance, it will trigger major actions from other ninja villages."

Deva Path Pain spoke up to explain. Although he had also realized under Tao Baibai's "seduction" that the true decision-makers of war were not those ninjas, he held reservations about the claim made by the other party that there existed a minion of someone hiding behind the scenes within the 【Akatsuki】 organization.

He sent 【Zetsu】 away but still explained the mission details to Konan. He could feel that ever since Tao Baibai joined 【Akatsuki】, Konan had been quite uneasy.

Konan lowered her eyelids, also understanding the truth of the so-called 【Konoha Collapse Plan】. As long as the 【Akatsuki】 organization dealt a heavy blow to Konoha at such a time, then regardless of whether the Uchiha Clan and Konoha's high-level officials had internal strife, Konoha's decline would already be a fact.

Other ninja villages would pounce over like jackals seeing blood.

And by that time, when 【Akatsuki】 withdrew to attack the royal capitals of the several great nations, the pressure they would face would be minimal.

This was an open scheme that could not be refused.

But at the same time, this action would kill far more people than she had previously anticipated.

And many of the people who died, I am afraid, were not ninjas.

Konan looked up at the sky of the Land of Rain, which was still drifting with rain and mist. She could no longer quite remember the warm dream she had when Yahiko was alive.

Perhaps that scene of peace and prosperity was destined to be unachievable in her generation; she only hoped that through the carnage created by people like them, the world would truly learn to fear war...

"I will become an Avatar of Asura, and only this can grant the future peace."

Konan's murmur, which sounded almost like sleep-talking, fell into Itachi's ears. This young man slowly sat up. His face was pale, looking like someone who had just recovered from a serious illness, but the clear Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes still made the others wary.

Orochimaru saw that Itachi possessed the Three-Tomoe Sharingan at such a young age. This genius of the Uchiha Clan, whom he had heard of a few times from his teacher, made him truly experience a strange feeling.

With such talent and intelligence, yet his eyes were as calm as stagnant water. The other party was different from those Uchiha whose arrogance could not be suppressed in their eyes; that calmness made one even more unable to see through him.

"I will become an Avatar of Asura..."

Itachi murmured Konan's words, but the image of his younger brother appeared before his eyes.

He learned many secrets of the Ninja World from this Tao Baibai and Orochimaru. It turned out that behind those glorious heroes, facts as dark as a tidal wave were hidden.

Kirigakure was, Sunagakure was, Cloud Hidden Village was, and Konoha could not escape it either.

Ninjas were not heroes in the dark night at all; ninjas were just handy blades in the hands of those high-level officials.

Catherine inadvertently made eye contact with Itachi. The calmness and decisiveness in the eyes of this twelve or thirteen-year-old boy shocked her. She began to understand a little why the other party would do the thing of slaughtering his own kin.

Itachi probably was not without arrogance, but rather a guy whose arrogance had reached the extreme. From the bottom of his heart, he only believed in his own judgment. When he believed that his clansmen had no future and that only by slaughtering the Uchiha could he preserve his younger brother, he went and did it.

He always firmly believed that his own judgment was the most correct...

Catherine turned her head and looked at Tao Baibai. In a sense, these two were probably the same kind. Coincidentally, she saw the undisguised smile on Tao Baibai's face.

"I cannot pretend I didn't hear the plan to collapse Konoha."

Itachi's hands hung down, and a strange aura began to radiate. The Three-Tomoe in his pupils rotated slightly. Orochimaru and Konan both lowered their bodies slightly; they felt a threat from this young man.

Deva Path Pain reached out his hand to stop the two, and Bai Cangshu also blocked in front of Itachi.

"What do you want to do?"

He also had his hands hanging naturally at his sides, but Itachi's Sharingan clearly perceived that although the other party's posture seemed relaxed, his muscles were abnormally tense. I am afraid that with just a single thought, that kind of God Speed attack would instantly pour down.

Itachi looked at Tao Baibai. In the other party's eyes, one could not see any awe for human life at all. This was a madman who had mastered absolute violence.

"To what extent is the so-called Konoha collapse supposed to go?"

"How many people to kill, how much infrastructure to destroy."

Uchiha Itachi asked calmly, his attitude no different from inquiring about the price of goods when buying groceries; hearing this, the smile on Bai Cangshu's face grew even wider.

"Is one-tenth enough? If not, how about one-eighth?"

Uchiha Itachi continued to speak, his tone growing increasingly cold.

Just like the moral dilemmas he had faced in the past, he once again made the most utilitarian choice; if some people had to be sacrificed, he could accept it, and furthermore, he hoped to choose who would be sacrificed.

Was this attitude not simply treating human lives as nothing more than numbers?

But he firmly believed that since Konoha itself was not exactly clean, perhaps clearing out some of the rot could actually make Konoha better.

"Tao Baibai, if possible, could you let me join this plan? I hope to gain the power to choose a portion of the quota."

Nagato watched Uchiha Itachi through the Rinnegan of Pain; in a certain sense, this young man's way of thinking was equally terrifyingly extreme, but at a time like this, he no longer cared—just as he had said, he was a god without good or evil.

He did not want to make moral considerations; he simply wanted to make this world feel pain.

"More than half of the high-level officials must be wiped out, and at the same time, Konoha's defenses must be completely shattered, and the combat capability of their ninja forces must be reduced by more than thirty percent."

Pain spoke thus, which could be considered an acceptance of Uchiha Itachi's participation.

Uchiha Itachi drew a blade from behind his back once more; he turned and sat down alone, wiping the blade, his eyes filled with coldness.

The massive Summoning Beast ran continuously, and the group soon left the Land of Rain and entered the territory of the Land of Fire; tomorrow would be the time the Konoha Collapse Plan commenced.

Bai Cangshu looked at the dense forest; the borders of the Land of Fire were now also beginning to see many patrolling samurai and ninjas, but before they could sound a warning, drifting white paper covered their mouths and noses, and they soon fell to the ground, dying in despair.

Bai Cangshu arrived at Orochimaru's side at this moment and said:

"Orochimaru, you truly have a destiny with the Konoha Collapse Plan."

Orochimaru did not understand the meaning, but he still maintained his guard.

Bai Cangshu did not continue to make jokes and stated his true purpose.

"You possess the forbidden technique of Edo Tensei, right? If possible, I hope you can do one thing for me..."

"I want you to cast Edo Tensei on me."

Orochimaru's pupils constricted, almost doubting he had heard correctly, but the madman before him still wore a terrifying smile on his face, as if he were embarking on a hearty and exhilarating adventure.

(End of this chapter)