Kumogakure Ninja (2)

To be fair, all the things the Kumogakure Ninja mentioned earlier were supported by intelligence.

However, adding words like "hear" and "seems" to Raikage makes it seem very unserious and unprofessional.

What Xi wanted was his chance encounter with Sakura Haruno during the Chunin Ninja Exams —a chance encounter, really just a glimpse from afar.

At that time, Sakura Haruno was inspecting the exam venue with Kakashi, while Nozomi and the rest of the observation team were watching the Chunin Ninja Exams the viewing platform.

Neither the girl nor Kumogakure Ninja paid attention to the examination hall below; instead, they looked around. Then, several dozen meters apart, their eyes met.

He glanced at her indifferently. There was no glint in Sakura Haruno's eyes, no aura of Kage Level expert emanating from her body, no moment when a single glance from her would Kumogakure Ninja as if struck by lightning, causing them to collapse to the ground in despair.

"It's Sakura Haruno."

Almost the instant he saw the girl, hope recognized her.

Hair color, eyes, facial features, figure, and a unique aura that sets him apart from the crowd.

Everything matched the information he had memorized before.

What's more, the ninja standing next to the girl and chatting intimately with her is none other than the famous Kakashi Hatake.

So even though she had never seen her before, and even though she was just casually leaning against the railing with a serene smile on her face, her Chakra contained and her aura restrained, showing no trace of the fierceness she had displayed in her many battles with Akatsuki, Nozomi immediately recognized Sakura Haruno.

"I've remembered it, Sakura Haruno's Chakra texture."

hope subconsciously lowered her head, touched her nose, and concealed the glint in her eyes.

As one of the most outstanding sensory ninjas in Kumogakure Ninja, Hii was able to sense the Chakra of others with great precision, including several Konoha Anbu who were monitoring them from the sidelines and thought they were well hidden.

In his perception, the Fifth Hokage Tsunade's Chakra was like a torch, its flames burning Kakkō and brightly, overshadowing the light of most people present. The Fifth Kazekage's Chakra was deep and solid, while the Mizukage Mei Terumi's Chakra was the opposite—unrestrained and fiery. Apart from the three Kage—the old, middle-aged, and young— the Chakra of the others was much dimmer, and the Genin taking the exams were like candlelight in the night, insignificant.

Among the few people he cared about were Kakashi, Sakura Haruno, and others.

Kakashi was unique in Hi's perception. Two distinct streams of Chakra circulated within his body: one eerie and cold, the other refined and condensed. In terms of quality, they were no less than those of the Kage present, and perhaps even surpassed them, only in quantity.

"Could it be..." hope narrowed her eyes, her interest piqued, "That he crossed that line?"

Kakashi, known as the Konoha's Technician, has a very prestigious reputation throughout the ninja world. However, it is generally acknowledged that his strength is not yet at the level of a "Kage." Yet, this time, Hii could clearly sense that Kakashi's Chakra had significantly improved compared to before.

"Previously, Kakashi's two Chakra were mutually restrictive... Now they seem to complement each other. Kage Level? Kakashi's strength seems to have grown to a point where he must be a primary target!"

Xi lowered his eyelids, silently pondering: To deal with a ninja like Kakashi, would it be necessary to deploy several Jonin the Kumogakure Ninja?

The answer is probably not very optimistic.

"And what about Sakura Haruno?"

Nozomi turned her attention back to the girl next to Kakashi.

Her Chakra control was exceptional, the best Xi had ever seen. The girl's Chakra had a beautiful quality, flowing like water and clear and ethereal like ice. However, with Xi's abilities, she could only perceive the tip of the iceberg, with countless other secrets hidden beneath the surface.

The information that he is skilled in Water Release and Ice Release appears to be correct. He also possesses Yin Seal.

Xi then recalled how Konoha had openly displayed Sakura Haruno's achievements; this young female ninja's strength was probably even above Kakashi's.

There are other individuals with exceptional strength or great potential, such as Might Guy, whose Taijutsu is unparalleled in Konoha, and Hinata Hyuga and Sasuke Uchiha, Hinata Hyuga Sakura Haruno...

Hishi recounted the information recorded by the observation team to the Fourth Raikage in detail.

"Well done!" The burly, dark-faced man, Ai, slammed his hand on the chair and exclaimed gruffly, "To be able to gather such a wealth of intelligence from the heavily guarded Konoha, you truly live up to your reputation, Xi!"

Xi remained calm, gently shaking her head and saying, "No, Lord Raikage, I'm afraid Konoha is deliberately showing this to us!"

"Why would Konoha do this on purpose? Isn't that incredibly stupid?" The Raikage frowned.

"It's to show off their muscles and intimidate the other villages, isn't it?" said the dark-skinned woman standing to the side.

Her name is Mabui, and she is the Raikage's secretary. She has unique expertise in support-type Ninjutsu.

"The intelligence we brought back this time is all rough estimates of their strength; we don't have any actual combat data, nor do we know their weaknesses," Xi nodded in agreement. "Therefore, leaking this information won't have any negative impact on Konoha."

"That makes sense." The Raikage thought for a moment and realized, "Then... according to your intelligence, Konoha's top-tier fighting force is very strong. There's Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Sakura Haruno. There are also many promising newcomers among the younger generation. The Third Hokage still has some influence, and the strength of Elite Jonin like Might Guy is not to be underestimated. So, Konoha is no longer an easy target."

Raikage A was somewhat annoyed.

Over the years, the Kumogakure Ninja have been preparing for war, collecting and creating Ninjutsu, expanding their military, and sharpening their swords. They are ready for the next ninja world war.

To put it simply, it's preparation for attacking Konoha.

A few years ago, when Konoha Third Hokage was still the pillar of Konoha, the Raikage saw that Konoha was outwardly strong but inwardly weak, and that it was an easy target for the Kumogakure Ninja. The Konoha Crush was seen by the Raikage as a golden opportunity, and he immediately ordered secret war preparations to launch a surprise attack on the Land of Fire and catch Konoha off guard.

However, the Kumogakure Ninja never expected that the Sand Ninja's invasion of Konoha would not cause Konoha the huge losses they had imagined. On the contrary, Konoha, having welcomed back Jiraiya and Tsunade, quickly emerged from its lowest point. By the time the Kumogakure Ninja had prepared for war, Konoha had already recovered its strength. In the past two years, Tsunade and Jiraiya, and two more "Kage"-level figures had emerged from the middle and new generations.

Today, the soft persimmon has turned into a thorny hedgehog that's hard to eat.

The Kumogakure, which had been harboring ambitions, had no choice but to abandon its target, Konoha.

"Mabui, immediately halt all war preparations against Konoha." The burly man only hesitated for two seconds before regaining his composure as the Raikage. "Hiss, your Intelligence Division should focus some of its efforts on the Konoha Ninja. First, verify the authenticity of the intelligence brought back from this trip to Konoha. Second, focus on improving the data on Konoha's new generation of ninjas!"

"Especially..." Raikage's eyes flashed with a sharp light, "... that girl of yours named Sakura Haruno."

"Yes!" Mabui and Xi replied.

"So, how should we respond to the signal Konoha has released, Lord Raikage?" Mabui then asked.

Raikage had a headache. He pressed his temples hard with his large, bony hands and pondered for a moment.

Konoha has already allied with the Sand Ninja and the Mist Ninja. Regardless of the name under which they are united, and regardless of whether they are merely superficially united, at least the Raikage has no intention of opposing them—dealing with Konoha alone is already impossible.

Unless the remaining two major villages, Kumogakure Ninja and Iwagakure, also unite, they will have enough power to resist the three-village alliance; however, the two villages have a deep-seated blood feud, and the Kumogakure Ninja would rather join the Konoha alliance than team up with Stone Ninja.

The Stone Ninja probably think the same way.

So... do we really have to unite the five villages to deal with "Akatsuki"?

"Is there still no news about Yugito Nii Yugito Nii the Two-Tails Jinchūriki?" The Raikage didn't answer Mabui's question, but suddenly asked another one.

"The Intelligence Division has thoroughly searched the area where the two lords were last seen," Xi sighed. "No further valuable information has been found so far. The two lords disappeared after a fierce battle. I'm afraid..."

I'm afraid the two gentlemen have already met with misfortune.

hope didn't say it aloud, but everyone understood what he meant.

The expressions on everyone's faces turned serious.

In fact, after being solemnly warned by Konoha, the Raikage, though somewhat dismissive, still increased the level of protection and secrecy surrounding the Yugito Nii.

As Jinchūriki, Yugito had a fairly good relationship with Two-Tails, possessed a high degree of control over Matatabi Tailed Beast Transformation, and had a calm and composed personality. He was a true "Kage"-level fighter, protected by powerful allies, and was hiding in a secret location. Theoretically, the Raikage had taken the best precautions. Unexpectedly, despite such tight defenses, Akatsuki was still able to find the Jinchūriki, quickly resolve the battle, and abduct him!

How did Xiao manage to do that?

"Information about Jinchūriki is always top secret. Only a few people know the secret hiding place of the two lords. I have always suspected that there is a deeply hidden mole in the Intelligence Division. However, according to the latest intelligence shared by Konoha, their Jonin Sakura Haruno accidentally discovered that there was an extremely skilled person in Akatsuki who was very good at hiding and collecting intelligence when they fought against Akatsuki last month. This explains why the information about the two lords was leaked."

Hope continued.

"Despite being heavily guarded, Akatsuki was still able to abduct the Yugito Nii under the protection of numerous Anbu. It seems this organization is indeed quite powerful."

The Raikage admitted that he had witnessed Akatsuki's strength before. No matter how much Konoha gained, it was not as convincing as the abduction of Yugito.

He thought for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Then let's do it this way!"

Suddenly, the burly man stood up and swung his hand down sharply.

"Go and summon Darui!" The Raikage made a decisive decision. "Have him take a squad to Konoha with my letter and deliver it to Tsunade! That's right, we'll also invite Konoha Ninja to our village for that damn 'friendly exchange visit'!"

Eight-Tails Jinchuriki Killer B, was one of Akatsuki's targets, but he was also their younger brother!