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There is no need to elaborate on the relationship between the two. Hyūga Iroha is the undercover agent sent by Ishigami Hara to Uchiha Madara, naturally tasked with passing on any news about him.
"In addition, the attack just now was executed by Uchiha Madara through space-time ninjutsu, utilizing the power of the giant Tenseigan," Hyūga Iroha added.
Ishigami Hara narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "Is the space-time ninjutsu your technique?"
Hyūga Iroha opened his mouth to respond but ultimately remained silent, lowering his head.
"I see. Uchiha Madara really can't wait," Ishigami Hara sighed.
"Do... do you blame me?"
Hyūga Iroha, slightly nervous, asked, "After all… I can see there were some casualties in the attack just now."
Ishigami Hara shook his head and sighed. "There's nothing else we could do. You can't locate Uchiha Madara's hiding place, so I could only arrange it this way."
Hyūga Iroha's intelligence hasn't been limited to this time alone; there are more covert ways of contact. However, since the meeting on the moon, Hyūga Iroha has not seen Uchiha Madara again, and even the passage connecting to the moon has been closed. Now, Hyūga Iroha is unable to determine Uchiha Madara's location.
"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama. I failed."
Hyūga Iroha could only offer this apology.
Ishigami Hara shook his head. "It's not your fault. Uchiha Madara is more vigilant than we anticipated. It's remarkable that you've managed to gain his trust."
Hyūga Iroha took a deep breath and said, "I will do everything I can to deliver a fatal blow to Uchiha Madara on the day of the decisive battle."
Ishigami Hara glanced at him, thought for a moment, and then said, "Your primary responsibility now is to protect yourself. For the rest, decide based on the situation."
"Yes, Hokage!"
The two couldn't afford to talk for too long. After finishing, Hyūga Iroha fell silent. Without further words, he simply nodded and said, "Let's end here for today."
"Yes!"
Hyūga Iroha responded without hesitation, a spatial crack opening beside him as he stepped into it and vanished.
After Hyūga Iroha left, Ishigami Hara looked up at the moon again, his eyes narrowing slightly as he murmured to himself, "Uchiha Madara, please don't disappoint me."
"I have gone to great lengths to lure you out."
"Please don't let my preparations be in vain."
Two days may not be long, but for the ninja coalition, these two days were going to be difficult.
First of all, with the enemy hidden and the ninja coalition exposed, the coalition must maintain constant vigilance, which is no easy task.
Secondly, the coalition of over 30,000 shinobi is considerable, with members from across the ninja world. There are many who harbor grudges against one another, and even a small incident could easily ignite conflict.
Thus, gathering the ninja coalition is far from a simple matter.
Fortunately, with Ishigami Hara and the other Kage leading, orders are effectively communicated to stabilize morale. With unity at the top, those below naturally choose to follow, especially given the current circumstances, temporarily covering up many conflicts.
However, according to Ishigami Hara's estimate, if this situation continues for long, logistics aside, the gathering of over 30,000 here will consume considerable resources and patience.
Fortunately, Uchiha Madara has appeared.
This afternoon, the weather turned gloomy, with fierce winds and flashes of lightning across the sky, signaling an impending storm. Everyone felt the weight of the upcoming battle.
Led by Ishigami Hara, the upper echelons were already aware that the battle would be imminent, thanks to intelligence provided by Ishigami Hara. As to the source of his information, the Kage refrained from asking, choosing to remain silent.
With that, Ishigami Hara issued orders, notifying everyone about the advancement of the war.
Today was the day of the decisive battle.
"Here it comes!"
At the center of the ninja coalition, Ishigami Hara looked in one direction, sensing several powerful chakras approaching.
In that direction lay a barren mountaintop—not tall, but elevated above the plains where the ninja coalition had assembled. Nearby, another mountaintop ruin lay in ruins from previous battles.
Looking up, Ishigami Hara saw several figures standing on the mountaintop, the first being Uchiha Madara.
Dressed in red plate armor, with arms folded, he looked down calmly at the ninja coalition.
Though separated by more than ten miles, this distance was negligible in their eyes. In fact, Ishigami Hara and Uchiha Madara's eyes met, both of them smirking.
"Ishigami Hara!"
A shout rang out, not loud, yet it resonated through a special force, echoing in the ears of everyone in the coalition. The voice was filled with passionate fighting spirit, and an intense aura.
Ishigami Hara stepped forward, his smile widening as he responded.
"Uchiha Madara!"
His voice was also full of fighting spirit and exhilaration, as though meeting an old rival.
In the next instant, Uchiha Madara leaped down from the mountaintop and rushed toward the coalition.
Without hesitation, Ishigami Hara stepped forward from the crowd, charging forward like lightning.
"Hokage!?"
Several Kage were startled and instinctively tried to stop him, but Ishigami Hara was already hundreds of meters away.
At that moment, Hatake Sakumo spoke, his voice calm: "Begin the battle according to plan. Don't worry about the Hokage—this is his battlefield." With that, his body became lightning as he shot forward.
Though the distance was too far to see clearly, Hatake Sakumo could faintly make out other figures alongside Uchiha Madara. Anyone standing beside Uchiha Madara would certainly be formidable.
The others exchanged glances as Jiraiya clenched his fist, nudging Orochimaru with his arm and grinning.
"Let's go, too."
"Agreed."