Naruto: I Traveled with a Max Level Account-Chapter 172 - 571: The Third Mizukage Wreaks Havoc in Iwagakure

The Rinnegan wasn't something easily found. Black Zetsu had already prepared himself for that reality.

What he hadn't anticipated, however, was just how extreme the secrecy surrounding it was in Iwagakure and Kumogakure.

Despite his and White Zetsu's formidable scouting and infiltration abilities, locating the Rinnegan was proving to be far more difficult than expected.

He had already scoured several hidden bases within both villages, yet not a single trace of the Rinnegan was found.

With no one else around and without Uchiha Madara looming over them, White Zetsu's usual playful demeanor had disappeared, seemingly influenced by Black Zetsu's brooding presence.

Black Zetsu still controlled Uchiha Obito's body.

His mission to infiltrate Iwagakure alongside White Zetsu had not gone smoothly.

Kumogakure yielded the same disappointing results, if not worse—its defenses were even tighter than Iwagakure's.

It was clear that the Third Raikage placed significant importance on the Rinnegan.

The more the Raikage valued it, the more troublesome things became for Black Zetsu. The tighter the security, the slimmer his chances of stealing it.

Fortunately, neither Iwagakure nor Kumogakure knew much about Black Zetsu, and Konoha hadn't publicly exposed too much information about him. If everything were laid bare, his situation would be even worse.

"So Konoha deliberately spread the rumors, but Iwagakure and Kumogakure really are hunting down the Uchiha?"

"That's right."

White Zetsu, devoid of his usual goofiness, responded grimly,

"Konoha may have been the one to spread the information, but their goal was obviously to make the other villages back off—or to let us know about it."

They were being used.

Yet, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu had no say in the matter. The Rinnegan wasn't in Konoha, and Konoha had far more intel on them than they had on Konoha. Even if they were being played, they had no choice but to go along with it.

Konoha had been wary of them for a long time.

Iwagakure and Kumogakure, on the other hand, were still in a state of suspicion rather than outright vigilance.

"It seems we need to create an opportunity—and find the right target."

Searching aimlessly was a waste of time.

Since Kumogakure's defenses were tighter, Iwagakure was the logical starting point. But even after scouring the entire village, they had found nothing. The Rinnegan must have been hidden elsewhere.

Finding something required strategy.

When there was no opportunity, sometimes you had to create one. A little chaos in Iwagakure should do the trick.

If Iwagakure truly valued the Rinnegan, then in the face of turmoil, they would not only focus on quelling the unrest but also assign more personnel to guard it.

For Black Zetsu, stealing the Rinnegan was far easier than locating it.

Once he knew where it was, taking it would be the simple part.

"The Third Mizukage is your problem. Also, get those parasitized hosts moving."

The sudden appearance of the Third Mizukage rampaging within Iwagakure would undoubtedly throw the village into high alert.

And with many of their own shinobi turning into enemies, their focus would be divided—a perfect opportunity.

To ensure nothing happened to the Rinnegan, Iwagakure would surely deploy more guards.

And that was when Black Zetsu would make his move.

"I can't wait."

White Zetsu's lips curled into a grin. His serious demeanor vanished in an instant, replaced by his usual foolish playfulness.

The plan to disrupt Iwagakure was officially underway.

What no one anticipated, however, was that an unexpected figure had already infiltrated Iwagakure without a trace.

Among the Five Great Shinobi Countries, the Land of Earth, much like the Land of Wind, had vast expanses of land.

But it had its flaws.

Most of the terrain consisted of barren, rocky landscapes, stretching endlessly in every direction, with hardly any greenery in sight.

Though it wasn't as extreme as the Land of Wind's desert climate, the conditions were still far from ideal compared to other nations.

Because of this, the temperature in the Land of Earth—and Iwagakure—was generally quite high.

Yet, without warning, an icy chill began creeping in.

The villagers of Iwagakure, who had thought winter was long over, suddenly found themselves shivering in the biting cold.

Thick layers of ice spread across the streets, climbing the walls of buildings.

Then, a piercing alarm echoed throughout the village.

The moment the Anbu noticed something was off, they rushed to the scene.

But the civilians caught in the rapidly freezing zone had no time to react.

"Ice Release: Frozen Snow Explosion!"

A mocking voice, laced with mischief, rang out.

Then—boom!

The ice coating the streets and buildings detonated, unleashing a deafening explosion.

Sharp ice shards, like deadly blades, shot outward in every direction.

Caught in the blast radius, both shinobi and civilians screamed in agony before collapsing to the ground.

What was happening?

What was going on?

Unlike Konoha, which had endured multiple wars, Iwagakure's civilians had never experienced anything like this.

Ever since the First Shinobi War, Iwagakure had enjoyed a prolonged period of peace.

War had never touched this village.

So when this sudden attack struck, panic spread like wildfire.

"Ice Release?!"

From the Tsuchikage's office, Ōnoki shot out of the window, flying toward the source of the explosion at full speed.

His eyes burned with fury as he surveyed the damage.

Since the time the Second Mizukage had come looking for trouble, Iwagakure had never faced an enemy infiltration like this—an indiscriminate assault right in the heart of the village.

Civilians had been caught in the crossfire.

Losing buildings was one thing, but seeing his people suffer—that enraged Ōnoki more than anything.

"There you are!"

Hovering in midair gave him an immediate advantage. In mere moments, he locked onto the attacker—an individual cloaked in black, darting through the village, trying to evade pursuit.

"Surround him! Take him down!"

With so many people around, Ōnoki didn't dare unleash his Dust Release.

If he killed the enemy outright, that was fine.

But if he missed and harmed innocent civilians? That would be disastrous.

"Yes, sir!"

Under his command, Iwagakure's shinobi swiftly closed in, encircling the black-robed figure.

More and more reinforcements arrived, prioritizing the evacuation of civilians while ensuring the battle didn't cause further casualties.

Buildings could be rebuilt.

But losing too many people? That would be a catastrophe.

"Ice Release..."

The black-robed figure had no intention of staying for a prolonged fight. Using Iwagakure's terrain to his advantage, he weaved through the village, hurling jutsu behind him to slow his pursuers.

Hmph! Let's see how long you can keep running!

With the civilians safely evacuated and the enemy surrounded, Ōnoki's shinobi tightened their formation.

Iwagakure had numbers on its side.

A single rogue shinobi, even one wielding Ice Release, was nothing in the face of their overwhelming forces.

Even if the Third Raikage himself showed up, Ōnoki would still dare to crush him under sheer manpower.

Iwagakure thrived on one thing—overwhelming numbers.

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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read the rest of the Chapter at Patreon com/ Emik01.

DO NOT FORGET POWER STONE AND CHATTING