Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 491 The Country That Strikes First in War

Unfortunately, Gaara didn't respond to him, because he didn't understand either. He just held him tightly and finally said, "Since you don't know why, then go ask him."

Gaara said this, but he knew in his heart that Obito had the Kamui dimension, and he didn't want anyone to find it, so no one else could.

Hearing this, Naruto wiped away his tears and finally regained his composure. "Then let's find Obito-papa."

So the two returned to Peach Blossom Village and began searching every inch of the land, but unfortunately, their search was bound to be fruitless.

Divine Power Space.

In a gray, void-like world, several enormous cubic structures floated silently. A set of advanced medical equipment, stolen from a ninja village in a certain country, was placed on the largest platform, complete with an operating table, life support system, and chakra monitoring device, standing out starkly from the surrounding deathly silence.

Obito Uchiha stood before the operating table, beside Sasuke Uchiha and Kyoko Yamamura, dressed in medical attire. Poor Kyoko, she was only alive because she still had some value.

"Let's begin." Obito's voice came from beneath the mask.

What? Eye transplant surgery? Me? Oh, not eye transplant surgery, but rather making holes in the palms of both hands and inserting a pair of precious eyes.

Is this kind of surgery really something I can control? I've only read about it in books.

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Kyoko Yamamura's mind, but they were all abruptly interrupted by a rebuke.

"Are you even capable of doing it? Do you even know why you survived?"

Kyoko Yamamura trembled. "I will, don't worry, I'm an ophthalmologist at the hospital."

She was talking, but her hands were actually trembling. But now she had no choice but to try anything. At least she had read some books on the subject, so she should be fine, since they were both ninjas.

In contrast, Sasuke Uchiha didn't seem to care at all. He didn't think there was any danger in the eye transplant surgery. He lay naturally on one of the operating tables, his hands fixed to his sides with his palms facing up.

"Doctor, let's begin!" she said, her eyes filled with an almost fanatical obsession.

Kyoko Yamamura put on white gloves to stop her trembling hands; she had never performed such a major operation before.

However, this is also a challenge. If he succeeds, he will be remembered in history.

The kaleidoscope isn't about transplanting it anywhere other than the eye socket. Admittedly, she only learned the theory in school, knowing that the nerve endings in the palm are dense enough to theoretically support visual organs, but that was just theory.

The actual difficulty of the operation far exceeded her expectations.

Forget it, even if we fail, it'll still be a contribution to peace in the ninja world.

Xingzi took a deep breath, picked up the scalpel, and began the kaleidoscope transplant.

As for why he didn't transplant the Rinnegan first, it's likely that Obito wouldn't have been lucky enough to need a doctor. Therefore, he needed someone to conduct experiments beforehand, and Sasuke Uchiha happened to be the perfect test subject; even if it failed, the loss wouldn't be significant.

Outside Peach Blossom Village, Naruto and Gaara searched through the last thatched hut, only to find it empty, covered in dust and cobwebs.

He walked out, stood at the village entrance, and looked at the grave mounds he had personally built.

"No," he said softly, "Obito's father isn't here."

Gaara returned from another path, his face now without any cracks, not because his injuries had healed, but because he had already let down all his guard so that Naruto could experience a more vulnerable side.

They have been searching for two days and two nights, from dawn to dusk, and from dusk to dawn.

He visited every house, every path, behind every big tree, and even the waterfall where Naruto used to train. It was as if Obito Uchiha had vanished completely, as if he had evaporated into thin air.

"Gurgle—" Naruto's stomach rumbled.

Gaara took out a few wild fruits from his pocket and handed them over, "Eat something first."

Naruto took the wild fruit and bit into it. The sour juice burst in his mouth, making him frown, but he still swallowed it.

"It doesn't taste good." Gaara saw his expression, immediately snatched the wild fruit, threw it on the ground, and said, "Don't eat it."

"Sigh, I'm still hungry!" Naruto wanted to pick it up again, but Gaara pulled him up.

"Okay, he's not here anymore. Let's leave and go somewhere else. Let's get out of the mountains; at least there'll be food outside."

Naruto fell silent instantly, lowered his head, and Gaara gently pulled him into his arms again, stroking his head softly.

"He doesn't want you anymore, but you still have me!"

Naruto's eyes instantly reddened, and he hugged him tightly, sobbing softly. After a long while, he finally said, "Okay, let's leave here and go out together."

Upon hearing him say those words, Gaara's lips curved into a smile.

Yes, that's it. Let go of Obito, forget Obito, and from now on, just rely on me. It would be best if you could only rely on me.

Gaara's eyes were deep as he hugged Naruto even tighter. The two looked towards Peach Blossom Village one last time, then held hands and walked into the mountains.

-

At the border of the Land of Iron, the army of the Land of Waterfall surged in like black water, without warning, without a declaration of war, and without even a letter of surrender.

They came here to kill people.

After the battle, the border city fell, and the swordsmen of Taki no Kami swept through the land like a whirlwind.

In the capital of the Iron Kingdom, two figures stood facing each other.

Dressed in a long green bamboo robe, holding a five-foot-long katana, and with an expressionless face, he was none other than Nanichi, the number one swordsman in Takigakure.

The other figure, with a full head of white hair, wearing the armor of a general from the Land of Iron, wielding a samurai sword, and with piercing eyes, was none other than Mifune, the general of the Land of Iron.

"Mr. Mifune, surrender." Nanichi slowly drew his katana. "You are no match for me."

Mifune gripped his sword tightly. "I will not surrender, much less surrender to invaders! A swordsman never admits defeat!"

"Then die." Nan Shi leaped forward, his body leaving trails of afterimages, as if his speed was so great that his three souls and six spirits manifested.

This wasn't slow; rather, it was a method of pausing, creating a distortion in our perspective. No one could clearly see how Nan Shi made the cut.

In a daze, the three boatmen saw a silvery-white arc flash past their eyes, and then their necks went cold.

"How is this possible..." Mifune's sword was still raised in mid-air, not falling.

He looked down and saw a thin red line on his chest. The line grew wider and redder until blood gushed out.

"Why..." Mifune swayed, his voice breaking, "Why attack neutral countries first..."

Nanshi sheathed his sword without answering, and Mifune's body collapsed with a thud. He died without understanding why the Land of Waterfall would attack the Land of Iron first when it was fighting the Land of Fire.