141. Passing The Blame After The War!

Without Yagami taking further action, the coalition forces could only watch helplessly as Obito activated Kamui and escaped with the Akatsuki members, disappearing before their eyes.

However, not all was lost. Of Pain's Six Paths, the Heavenly Path escaped, but the remaining five paths were left behind, one in each village.

Yagami's decision not to use Punishments to stop Obito wasn't due to an unwillingness to prevent the Akatsuki's retreat—it was simply because he was exhausted.

Though the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan avoids the drawbacks of its predecessor, it still consumes pupil power and chakra.

This time, the distance between Tendo and Nagato, the unprecedented range of the time-stop release, and the strain of fixing so many targets—including the coalition forces and Sannin—had pushed Yagami beyond his limits.

The immense pressure finally caught up with him, and after releasing the time stop, Yagami collapsed unconscious.

Ōnoki and the others were fully aware of the situation. They knew the Akatsuki had been on the verge of releasing an ultimate technique when Yagami's pupil ability forcibly interrupted it. His bleeding eyes were a testament to the cost of his intervention.

No one could argue that Yagami hadn't given his all. Even without summoning Susano'o, his Sharingan abilities had proven to be unimaginably powerful.

The apparent stillness of his technique belied its astonishing effect—stopping even the Immortal Eye.

Shortly afterwards, reinforcements from the villages arrived, tending to the ruins of Amegakure and assisting the seriously wounded.

Representatives and Kage from the allied villages gathered, their expressions heavy and grim.

The coalition's situation was devastating. Beyond any judgment of victory or defeat in the war, the sheer embarrassment of their losses was evident.

Except for Kirigakure, the other four villages had been decimated. The survivors numbered fewer than thirty, a stark contrast to the elite forces of several hundred they had mobilized. The disparity was a bitter pill to swallow.

"Damn it! I didn't expect the legendary Immortal Eye to be this terrifying! The strength and brutality of the Akatsuki organization surpassed all our expectations!" Fourth, Raikage slammed his fist on the table; his voice filled with frustration and resentment.

The extent of the Akatsuki's devastation was beyond what he could endure. If not for Yagami's timely use of his pupil technique, the losses might have been catastrophic.

This also marked a turning point for Raikage, who now officially deemed the Akatsuki organization a critical threat.

Beyond just the Rinnegan, their collective strength warranted the utmost vigilance from the five great villages.

Ōnoki and Terumi Mei remained silent. For Terumi Mei, Mist Shinobi had suffered substantial losses, yet they fared better than the other villages. However, the Akatsuki's overwhelming power left no room for complacency.

Despite their small numbers, the Akatsuki had demonstrated they could challenge even a great ninja village head-on.

The allied forces, arguably stronger than a single village, had still met such a disastrous end.

For Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Sand Shinobi's Baki, returning home posed an even graver dilemma.

Unlike the other villages, which had at least a few survivors, only the two leaders themselves had returned from Konoha and Sunagakure.

They could already anticipate the grim reception awaiting them upon their return.

"Actually, you were too reckless in this war!" one of the leaders finally broke the silence. "I hate to say this now, but your negligence led to this disaster.

You underestimated the Akatsuki and entered Amegakure without properly gathering intelligence. You didn't even have sensory ninjas thoroughly investigate the area.

That failure allowed the detonating tags to claim so many lives at the very beginning!"

Yagami's tone remained calm, though his words carried an air of subtle calculation. The failures of the coalition's commanders—Raikage, Tsuchikage, and Mizukage Terumi Mei—were glaring. Their decisions throughout the operation had betrayed a lack of the strategic insight expected of wartime leaders.

Perhaps the issue was conceptual. They had not treated the Akatsuki organization as a true opponent in a war but rather as a rogue ninja group to be eliminated.

Or perhaps their earlier victories had lulled them into a false sense of superiority, leading them to rely on brute force to crush the Akatsuki's resistance.

In the end, it was their contempt and prejudice that turned a promising situation into a stain on their legacies. 

The reality was almost unbelievable: the combined might of the five great villages' allied forces had descended on a single organization, yet not only had key Akatsuki members escaped, but their own troops had suffered near-total devastation in the small Rain Shinobi Village.

Ōnoki broke the silence, his voice sharp. "Regarding the Rinnegan—did you Uchiha really reveal all the information you had?"

The glaring lack of intelligence had been a pivotal factor in the coalition's failure. They had been blindsided at nearly every turn, from the hidden explosive tags to the puppet army.

Most concerning was the final Rinnegan technique Nagato had attempted to unleash—a technique that had radiated such immense chakra pressure even before activation.

While Yagami's intervention had saved the day, the fact that Uchiha might have withheld critical information stung.

Yagami, unfazed, responded steadily. "First of all, while Uchiha had been aware of the Akatsuki organization relatively early, we did not have the strength to investigate them thoroughly at the time. You all know the reason."

A heavy silence settled over the room. Everyone knew the truth behind Uchiha's struggles—Konoha's policies and actions had significantly weakened them in the past.

"When we did begin investigating the Akatsuki, it was not significantly earlier than when you started.

The reason we knew slightly more was largely due to Uchiha Obito," Yagami continued. "As for the so-called 'Immortal Eye,' before the Akatsuki leader emerged, it was nothing more than a legend. We had no way of studying it."

Yagami paused, letting his words sink in. "And let me remind you—each Mangekyō Sharingan manifests unique abilities. Who could guarantee that the Rinnegan would follow a predictable pattern? No one."

Finally, Yagami delivered the crux of his argument. "Moreover, I did not come here because of your coalition.

Uchiha had no part in this matter and no obligation to provide you with information. I mentioned the Akatsuki's existence only as a courtesy—to give you a warning. I never advised you to attack them, nor did I promise ongoing intelligence support."

He cast a pointed look around the room, his meaning unmistakable. "Your loss is not Uchiha's fault.

We are not your political or military allies, merely partners in a cooperative arrangement.

If you chose to engage in this war unprepared, do not lay the blame at our feet. The Uchiha had no stake in this conflict, so why should we accept responsibility for your failures?"

----------------

You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion