First Arrival in Kumogakure

Kumogakure.

After traversing towering mountains and ridges, the Hidden Kumogakure, nestled among towering peaks and open hills, comes into view before Sakura Haruno.

"Is this the Kumogakure?"

The girl stopped in her tracks, gazing into the distance, taking in the entire Kumogakure shrouded in mist.

Mountains are like blades, cliffs steep and precipitous; clouds and mist are like banners, ethereal and misty.

The scenery is picturesque, like a secluded paradise hidden deep in the mountains.

The Konoha Ninjas following behind Sakura couldn't help but hold their breath, finding it hard to imagine how the ninjas had managed to build so many magnificent structures in such terrain.

Of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Konoha is the most open, built on a vast plain, allowing ordinary people to enter in large numbers and live among the ninjas.

Thanks to the First's grand vision, the village was built on a plain, which facilitated Konoha's subsequent expansion and development; convenient transportation attracted a large number of ordinary people to settle and travel, creating Konoha's prosperity. However, on the other hand, the undefended plain terrain and dense population also posed a huge hidden danger to Konoha.

That's why the immense destruction caused by Pain's attack on Konoha was so shocking.

In contrast, the Kumogakure Ninja and Stone Ninja, which are located among the peaks, the Sand Ninja, which is built in the valley, and the Mist Ninja Village, which hides in a secret place behind a waterfall, are rarely attacked because of their treacherous and rugged terrain.

These ninja villages were relatively closed off, and their information was not as easily leaked as that of the open Konoha. Therefore, even Sakura Haruno was seeing the true face of Kumogakure for the first time.

The magnificent sight moved her to exclamation.

"That's right, this is our Kumogakure..." The Kumogakure Ninja leading the way pointed to the scene in front of the girl, his tone tinged with pride. He smiled, then pointed to the highest mountain in the distance, saying, "That's the highest mountain in Kumogakure Ninja, Raikage Peak. The Raikage's office building is built on Raikage Peak, also known as the Funnel Building."

"Lord Raikage will meet you there."

The ninja who led the way had the bronze skin and strong physique common to men from the Kumogakure Ninja. His name was Omoi. Sakura Haruno had happened to visit Konoha a month ago, and she still remembered him somewhat.

Before Sakura could say anything, the slightly talkative man muttered again, "You're taking longer than expected. Lord Raikage A has been waiting for a long time. He's a bit short-tempered and hates waiting. I'm going to get yelled at again soon..."

The girl sneered.

"We encountered some issues on the way... we discovered someone was following us, so we were delayed a little," she explained.

They were spotted by White Zetsu almost as soon as they left the village.

In order to get rid of these watchers, Sakura Haruno had to enter Sage Mode and use her keen senses to catch these rats that liked to hide in the ground one by one.

Some time was wasted along the way.

"Okay." Omoi shrugged, mumbling through a lollipop in his mouth, "Let's go, watch your step."

He led the Konoha delegation through rugged mountain paths and across towering bridges to the Raikage Building, which pierced the clouds.

"Please."

Omoi stood at the door and bowed.

Sakura Haruno paused for a moment, smiled slightly, and began to ascend the steps.

The Fourth Raikage A, sat with a white shirt draped over his shoulders, his muscular chest exposed, and a thick belt around his waist.

Wearing heavy arm guards that hung naturally at his sides, he simply sat there casually. With a wide-open gaze and a furrowed brow, a majestic, mountain-like aura naturally arose within him.

No... it should be an active volcano with turbulent undercurrents.

"Hello, Lord Raikage."

With a barely perceptible smile on her face, Sakura Haruno stepped forward, walked up to the Raikage, and nodded.

Compared to the towering, majestic man, the girl's slender figure looked as insignificant as an ant at the foot of the mountain.

The stark contrast even made the Cloud Ninja present wonder if the Konoha envoy would be unable to withstand the pressure and kneel down in disgrace when facing the Raikage's imposing aura.

However, Sakura Haruno's performance disappointed them.

Despite the heavy and oppressive aura of the Raikage, the girl remained calm and composed. Her faint smile only became more pronounced, as if Ai's intimidating presence was nothing more than a gentle breeze in her presence.

"Interesting."

Seeing Sakura Haruno's performance, Raikage A developed a bit of interest in her.

He may look frail, but he is indeed a master. He truly deserves his reputation as the leader of the new generation of Konoha ninjas.

He didn't continue probing, but instead said in a deep voice, "The envoy from Konoha... Sakura Haruno?"

"Yes, I am Sakura Haruno." The girl nodded in agreement.

You're late.

"We were spied on by Akatsuki on the way here, and it took some time to deal with them," Sakura Haruno explained briefly, then took a scroll from her robes and handed it to the ninja beside the Raikage. "This is a handwritten letter from the Fifth Hokage, Lady Tsunade. Please accept it."

Xi took the scroll, checked it and found no traps or mechanisms, then handed it to the Raikage.

The scroll bore Tsunade's elegant yet dignified handwriting. "Fourth Raikage A."

Ai unfurled the scroll; inside was a letter.

The Fourth Raikage:

"..."

"... It is evident that the Akatsuki is currently growing increasingly arrogant and reckless. Under Akatsuki's watchful eye, the Jinchūriki and Tailed Beasts of various villages have either been captured or become targets; the strength of each village is constantly being weakened, and everyone is living in fear. Currently, no single ninja village can withstand the threat of Akatsuki alone, hence the previous proposal for an alliance."

"The Fourth Raikage, a man of profound wisdom and seemingly foolish yet possessing great insight, must surely see the current crisis facing the Shinobi World. On the eve of this impending storm, if our Five Great Shinobi Villages cannot unite and work together, we risk being defeated one by one, and the Shinobi World will be overthrown. This statement is not an exaggeration, but rather a callous crisis that is imminent for the Shinobi World! Therefore, in this time of crisis, Konohagakure is willing to set aside all past grudges and prejudices, and unite with Kumogakure and the other ninja villages to form an army and fight side by side against the threat of Akatsuki!"

"The Fourth Raikage should know: Akatsuki's fighting strength far surpasses that of any of the Five Great Villages; Akatsuki's conspiracy must be earth-shattering. If the Five Great Shinobi Villages do not put aside their prejudices and hatred and join forces to fight against the enemy, I fear that under such circumstances, no one will be spared!"

"For the benefit of Kumogakure and the safety of the Shinobi World, Konohagakure, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure sincerely invite Kumogakure to join the Shinobi Village Alliance to discuss important matters and unite against our common enemy. We urge the Fourth Raikage to make a careful decision."

Note: This letter has also been copied and sent to the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki of the Two Scales of Iwagakure, Onoki.

"The Fourth Raikage A, Edamame."

"September 8th, Konoha Year 6."

The signature was that of Sakura's master, Long Fenfengwu, in a dashing and elegant style.

Fifth Hokage Tsunade.

"Tsunade...?"

Raikage A read the letter and pondered for a moment.

[First update. Second update around 9 PM. Third update will be posted whenever it's finished.]