Chapter 334: Mobilize Troops and Generals, Prepare the Ambush!

Hashirama Senju wore a look of quiet certainty.

Although he knew he was one of the reincarnations of Asura’s chakra, he did not truly take this matter seriously.

Because he was fully aware that Asura’s influence on him existed, but in essence, it was not great.

Otherwise…

If I had truly inherited all of Asura’s thoughts, I could never have reached reconciliation with Uchiha Madara.

Even now, thinking back, Uchiha Madara was the same.

He trusted his companion—though their paths diverged, Uchiha Madara was certainly not Indra, or he could never have reached reconciliation with me.

So.

To him, this was merely a story he listened to, without stirring his heart in the slightest.

All he now thought about was how to plan the next move—to truly unify the ninja world.

“With your assurance, I am completely at ease.”

Uchiha Jin stared intently at Hashirama Senju, a faint smile slowly forming on his lips: “I will notify the other four war zones, excluding the Northern War Zone, to dispatch half their S-rank ninja secretly back to Konoha.”

“Combined with Konoha’s forces and the newly arrived Cloud ninja, all of them will be under your command.”

“The ordinary Chunin and below from the Cloud Village, along with their families and civilians, will be properly ‘protected’ alongside Konoha’s people—so our new Cloud allies won’t feel betrayed, right?”

Hashirama Senju nodded, instantly understanding.

Protection?

More like hostages.

But it was normal.

After all, the Cloud Village had just joined Konoha; no one could guarantee their loyalty.

Considering they were backed by the Sage of Six Paths, what if these newly joined Cloud ninja were ‘persuaded’ by Mount Myoboku and Jiraiya?

Having hostages makes things easier.

His gaze turned serious, carrying a cold, steady ruthlessness: “I will protect the Cloud civilians—no Cloud powerhouse will have any reason to worry.”

Yes.

Though ruthless, he did not care.

He might seem like a simpleton on the surface, but he had lived through the Warring States era—he was long accustomed to killing, death, and betrayal. As long as the final outcome was bright and good, a little blood on his hands was worth it.

“Hashirama!”

“Konoha is in your hands.”

After speaking,

Uchiha Jin pulled out his Flying Thunder God kunai, handed it to him, and spoke with grave seriousness: “If things turn critical, use the Flying Thunder God to summon me!”

Hashirama Senju gave a slight nod.

He knew full well that he was merely a reanimated corpse—if Mount Myoboku and Jiraiya possessed sealing techniques or other methods targeting him?

Though he was confident in his strength, the reanimated body was a weakness.

Must be guarded against.

“Don’t worry—everything is in my hands!”

…

The next morning, early.

Uchiha Jin, accompanied by Yamanaka Rin, Konan, and two Anbu squads, departed Konoha quietly, lightly equipped. Aside from a few Konoha high-ranking officials, no one else was informed of his departure.

Yet, unseen and unobserved, Uchiha Jin’s Hokage order had quietly reached all four war zones.

Eastern War Zone.

Kakashi sat in the command tent, studying the Hokage order. After discussing with Danzo, he immediately gave the command: “Anbu!”

“Commander!”

An Anbu member appeared, kneeling on one knee.

Kakashi’s face was stern: “Immediately assemble half the S-rank ninja and half the Anbu. Danzo will lead them back to Konoha at maximum speed!”

“Yes!”

The Anbu bowed and withdrew.

Southern War Zone.

Orochimaru stared at the order, unlike Kakashi, he did not obey immediately—he fell into deep thought.

“Fascinating. Truly fascinating.”

“Who in the entire ninja world could possibly warrant such caution from Konoha?”

“Half the forces summoned from all four war zones?”

“And Uchiha Jin, the Hokage—his process to unify the ninja world is far too slow.”

“This… doesn’t make sense.”

“Heheh… it’s becoming more interesting.”

Slowly setting down the order, Orochimaru summoned his Anbu.

But.

Looking at the Anbu kneeling before him, Orochimaru did not speak at once. After a moment’s thought, he said slowly: “Assemble half the Anbu and half the S-rank ninja. We return to Konoha immediately.”

“Commander, are Itachi leading this mission yourself?” the Anbu asked, startled.

Orochimaru offered no explanation.

He merely fixed the Anbu with his cold, serpentine gaze for a moment before speaking: “Carry out the order.”

No explanation. Only command.

The Anbu dared not reply. Wiping sweat from his brow, he quickly left the command tent.

Western War Zone: “…”

Central War Zone: “…”

Because both commanders of these two war zones were Uchiha—whether Fugaku or Shisui—their minds were simple. They did not understand what Uchiha Jin intended, nor did they care to think about it.

They simply followed orders.

So, upon receiving the command, they acted without hesitation.

In an instant,

Though the Land of Fire appeared calm on the surface, beneath it, turmoil had already erupted—countless S-rank ninja began streaming back toward Konoha.

In the past, such large-scale troop movements would have been detected by enemy spy networks.

But, unfortunately,

The Land of Fire had now been secured like an iron fortress.

The Cloud Village had joined Konoha; the other three ninja villages showed signs of alignment. No faction had any interest in monitoring these movements.

As for—Mount Myoboku?

Though their top-tier strength was formidable and they had ties with Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths, they did not reside within the ninja world.

Perhaps they sent some message toads into the ninja world, but these toads were far too weak, capable only of gathering the most basic intelligence.

Countless S-rank ninja, concealing their chakra, marched secretly toward Konoha—they could not possibly be detected.

Jiraiya, the master of intelligence, might have had a chance to notice.

But, unfortunately,

He remained at Mount Myoboku, where the toads were working to enhance his power—so he naturally could not detect this.

Konoha.

Hashirama Senju stood atop the Hokage Tower, hands resting on the railing as he gazed across the entire village, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

“How wonderful.”

“Such peace, such tranquility—I will not allow anyone to plunge this into bloodshed and slaughter.”

“Not even the Sage of Six Paths!”

His eyes opened and closed, revealing the lethal intent of a true master.

Even if the enemy were the legendary Sage of Six Paths, Hashirama Senju still possessed that unshakable confidence.