Chapter 297: Reanimated Soldiers, Zetsu Armies, and One Very Annoyed Obito

"Orochimaru is here, so that means we'll have an army of Impure World Reincarnation soldiers helping us, right?" Deidara asked, his tone laced with curiosity.

"That's right," Orochimaru said with a smile, clasping his hands together.

"Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation!"

[Bang! Bang! Bang!]

One coffin after another emerged from the ground. As the lids creaked open, familiar and unfamiliar figures appeared in front of the Akatsuki members.

Thousands of them.

The sight made the Akatsuki members take a deep breath.

Many of them stole uneasy glances at Orochimaru.

With an army of this size, sheer numbers alone could overwhelm them.

Sasori let out a cold chuckle. "At this point, Orochimaru is probably the most terrifying person in the shinobi world. If any nation has someone they truly need to kill, it's him. What's Uchiha Madara compared to this?"

"You're mistaken, Sasori," Orochimaru said, licking his lips. "There are no nations anymore. There is only one unified country—Konoha."

A heavy silence settled over the group.

They were rogue ninja, traitors to their villages. Yet even so, the thought of the villages they were born and raised in simply ceasing to exist left a bitter taste in their mouths.

"Hey, hey, hey! Orochimaru!" Deidara suddenly barked, irritated. "Why are there so few powerful shinobi in this reincarnated army?"

He scanned the summoned shinobi.

At best, the strongest among them were jonin with kekkei genkai.

But actual Kage-level shinobi?

None.

Well... perhaps not none.

The Akatsuki members standing in Amegakure all turned their gaze to a particular figure wearing a mask.

Hanzo of the Salamander.

Orochimaru sighed. "All the Kage-level shinobi were summoned and sealed during the last war. Konoha took care of them. This is all that's left."

Obito spoke in a low voice. "This is more than enough."

Thousands of soldiers, with the weakest among them being elite chunin and countless jonin in their ranks. What more could they ask for?

"Konoha's Kage-level shinobi will be left to you all."

Obito's gaze swept over the group. "Tomorrow, we will attack Konoha. The White Zetsu army and the Impure World Reincarnation forces will lead the charge. If their top fighters try to seal the reincarnated shinobi, it'll be your job to stop them."

"No problem."

Everyone nodded in agreement. It was their role to play.

"One hundred thousand White Zetsu, thousands of reincarnated shinobi, us, and..."

Obito's eyes flickered as he glanced behind him.

Six figures could be seen vaguely.

"We cannot lose. Even if our enemy is Konoha, we are destined to reshape the shinobi world!"

Obito clenched his fist.

"Exactly, meow!"

Everyone turned their heads sharply.

Uchiha Funan.

At some point, he had reappeared.

And those last words had come from him.

Obito's expression darkened, his fury palpable.

He gritted his teeth and shouted fiercely, "Uchiha Funan!"

"What's the matter, Uchiha Obito?"

"Don't call me that!" Obito growled.

Funan shrugged. "But I'm not wrong, am I? You don't have to worry—I'm very precise when it comes to these things. I would never call someone by the wrong name."

"Oh, right. Where were we?"

"You guys were planning to attack me, weren't you?"

"No problem!"

Funan said with a cheerful smile, "I welcome it! But..."

His gaze swept over everyone present. He let out a sigh and said, "Isn't it good to be alive? You're all grown men—why rush to die?"

"Funan-kun!" Orochimaru smiled and said, "Judging from your words, you seem pretty confident that you can defeat us."

"Of course!" Funan didn't hesitate. "I've never taken you seriously. You were never my real enemies."

My enemy is the family of the old man of the Six Paths!

And these guys?

They were nothing.

Just a particularly fast snake.

If he weren't worried about acting too soon and triggering something unforeseen, he would've already wiped them all out.

Orochimaru had things Funan found valuable, but in the grand scheme of things, what did it matter?

Everything was coming to an end.

"I just don't want unnecessary sacrifices." Funan turned his gaze toward Obito and said slowly, "Obito, stop living in that fake world. It's pointless."

"What do you know?!"

"You understand nothing!"

Obito suddenly roared, his voice filled with fury. Then, just as suddenly, he calmed down. A cold, sharp edge entered his tone.

"Uchiha Funan, this is my final warning. Hand over all the Tailed Beasts—"

Before he could finish, Funan was already gone.

Obito, staring at the void where Funan had once been, remained silent.

The others exchanged awkward glances.

"Everyone…"

"What now?!" Funan appeared again. "You couldn't just say everything in one go?"

Obito was silent for a moment.

He deeply regretted this. Uchiha Funan—this damn bastard—was the one who had recruited him into Akatsuki.

If only he could go back in time and slap himself.

"Everyone…"

"What now?"

Ignoring him, Obito turned to the others and said in a low voice, "We will win. You all know the power we possess."

"...I don't."

"So don't let external distractions shake us. Focus on what we must do."

"...And that is?"

"Understood?"

"Understood!!"

A deafening roar filled the space, startling several people.

"Uchiha Funan!!!"

"What do you want, Uchiha Obito?"

Obito was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling with anger. "After today, we will no longer hold meetings here. I'll decide on a new—"

"Aren't you worried?" Funan asked curiously. "What if I just take this thing?"

He pointed at the husk of the Ten-Tails.

Obito fell silent.

"Remember," Funan said, "from now on, meetings will still be held here, and I'd better be invited. Got it?"

And with that, he vanished again.

This time, silence lingered for a long, long time.

"Dismiss!" Obito said through gritted teeth. "We will attack Konoha tomorrow."

[Swish!]

He disappeared as well.

The others stared at one another.

...

[Bang! Bang! Bang!]

Black Zetsu watched wordlessly as Obito furiously smashed everything in sight.

"Alright, enough, Obito," Zetsu finally said. "If you keep this up, you'll have to rebuild this whole place."

Obito turned, his eyes ice-cold. "What did you just call me?"

"...Tobi."

"Hmph!" Obito snorted, his fists clenched. "I won't let Uchiha Funan get away with this. I'll kill him!"

Zetsu frowned. "I never expected Uchiha Funan to actually gather all nine Tailed Beasts."

Obito turned his head and looked at him with a fierce expression. "Oh, I'm sorry, was it my fault for not capturing the Eight-Tails? Am I useless in your eyes?"

Zetsu: "..."

I suddenly don't feel like talking to this guy.

No matter what I say, he'll take it as an insult.

Taking a deep breath, Zetsu asked in a serious tone, "Are you really confident about this war? Orochimaru is not someone we can trust."

The White Zetsu army alone wouldn't be enough to defeat Uchiha Funan.

They needed the reincarnated shinobi.

More than that, they needed the power of Uchiha Madara.

With Madara, this wouldn't be a battle.

It would be a massacre.

"It doesn't matter," Obito said coldly. "We'll start the war. If Orochimaru tries anything, we'll kill him and revive Uchiha Madara."

"That's an option." Zetsu chuckled. "If Uchiha Madara regains his full power, neither Uchiha Funan nor Senju Hashirama will be able to stand against him."

Obito's gaze darkened. "What are you implying? You think I'm not strong? You don't see me as a real threat?"

Zetsu: "..."

How did you twist my words into an insult?

With an imagination like that, you should be writing novels."

…

Akatsuki was in turmoil.

Aside from Kisame, who firmly supported Obito, Hiruko, Sasori, and Deidara all had their own agendas.

There was no other way!

Funan had caused such a scene that he shattered everyone's confidence.

It had been too long since he last attended an Akatsuki meeting, and they had almost forgotten the fear he once instilled in them.

Mocking, taunting, leaving them utterly defeated, as if caught between heaven and hell.

That was Uchiha Funan.

Once this war started, they had to tread carefully. No one knew what could happen.

They were all top-tier shinobi, but Konoha wasn't lacking in powerful fighters either.

More importantly, Konoha had Uchiha Funan.

From the very start of the battle, they needed to be ready to run.

That was Sasori and Deidara's plan.

...

Inside the Hokage's office, Funan opened his eyes.

"Yako!"

"Hokage-sama!"

"Itachi, Naoto!"

"We're here!"

His three aides immediately straightened up.

"Another war is about to begin!"

"War?" Itachi's expression darkened. "Who's the target?"

"The true mastermind behind Akatsuki. He's joined forces with Orochimaru." Funan's voice was calm. "You've seen White Zetsu before. You know what they're capable of. Now listen carefully—this time, we're facing one hundred thousand of them."

Yako and the others fell silent, absorbing the shocking intelligence.

Funan continued, "Orochimaru has resurrected thousands of shinobi. All of them are jonin or elite chunin. And in his hands… he has Uchiha Madara."

Itachi let out a sigh. "Even with Konoha's current strength, against a force like this…"

"It's overwhelming, isn't it?" Funan said evenly. "But what choice do we have? The enemy is already at our doorstep. Do we back down? Do we abandon our village?" He stood up. "Here's my order."

The three aides straightened instantly.

"Mobilize every shinobi in Konoha."

"Summon all the shinobi from Kirigakure and Sunagakure."

"Bring out every ounce of strength we have. No holding back."

"And one more thing—issue a command to every shinobi in the world. Tell them to gather in Konoha."

Yako hesitated. "They may not obey."

"Then we crush them first. The Tailed Beasts are ready to move."

"…Understood."

"Inform the Land of Iron. If they follow orders, I'll give them a chance. If not, I'll wipe them out myself."

"Yes, sir."

"One last thing—bring me Naruto and Sasuke."

"…Right away."

Orders spread rapidly.

One war had barely ended, and now another was beginning.

Many were frustrated.

Rumors even started circulating—The Uchiha truly are a clan of warmongers.

As long as they exist, the world will never know peace.

But this time, Funan made it clear—if they lost this war, the entire shinobi world would fall.

Everyone would die.

No exceptions.

Even against Iwagakure and Kumogakure's alliance, Funan had never spoken like this.

Even when facing Uchiha Madara, he laughed.

But now, he was serious.

And so, the world believed him.

In the end—

Konoha, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure gathered over forty thousand shinobi.

The allied villages, whether loyal or simply afraid, contributed another twenty thousand.

Mifune, the General of the Land of Iron, made a shocking decision.

He would lead five thousand samurai in a preemptive strike against the approaching White Zetsu army, halting their advance.

Mifune wanted to correct his mistakes and hope that with this, Funan would let go of the Land of Iron.

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