The Remaining Nine

"So, the Cloud Ninja are finished?"

"Pretty much! Kumogakure is destroyed. The spies who escaped said that all the dozens of mountains in Kumogakure were smashed, and there were probably over 100,000 dead! The exact number is impossible to count. The Fourth Raikage is dead, and most of the elders are dead too. In short, almost everyone is dead."

"Oh! It's so miserable."

Katsuki offered a nonchalant remark, then, holding the chess piece, carefully considered how to place it.

"Kid, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki has also been taken away by those thieves. Next, it'll be the Nine-Tails' turn inside you."

Seeing Katsuki's lazy demeanor, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

He didn't come to the Uzumaki Clan today specifically to play chess with Katsuki; he'd rather stay home and teach his grandson.

"Kid, get serious, we're talking business here!"

"Say it! It doesn't have any impact, damn it, why is shogi so troublesome?" Katsuki grumbled unhappily. With his level of brain development, shogi should be a piece of cake for him, but he just can't play it. He's a real shogi dunce.

"Alright! Just say what your question is!"

Katsuki placed her chess piece down, looking helplessly at the former Third Hokage who was glaring at her.

"You brat, I've been talking to you for ages, and you're just pretending to be deaf and dumb!" Hiruzen Sarutobi up in anger. If he weren't outmatched by Katsuki, he would have definitely taught this brat what it means to respect elders.

"Take your time, why are you in such a hurry? We're not those useless cowards from the Cloud Ninja. If Senju Zen and Uchiha Genso dare to cause trouble, I'll make sure they never leave alive."

Katsuki said with a smile.

"Hiss! Kid, are you really confident? Just hearing about the devastation in Kumogakure makes me panic. If Konoha were to suffer the same fate, my old bones couldn't take it," Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at Katsuki.

"Certainly."

Raising an eyebrow, Katsuki said decisively.

A week has passed since the destruction of Kumogakure. This earth-shattering news has spread far and wide, and all forces, large and small, have learned of the destruction of Kumogakure. The Shinobi World is in an uproar.

When they received this news, 99% of them didn't believe it, thinking that their intelligence agency had made a mistake, and wondering if they should call back the subordinate who brought back such brainless information and give him a good beating.

However, the news was quickly confirmed: the Kumogakure was doomed.

The Land of Lightning is in chaos, but the remaining Cloud Ninja still possess considerable strength. The border guards, along with the skilled fighters around the nobles, the ninjas on missions, and some survivors of the Kumogakure catastrophe, together form a formidable force.

However, this force is completely incomparable to the behemoth that once suppressed the entire Land of Lightning.

The Cloud Ninja are not all dead, but the Kumogakure is already defunct in name only.

First, chaos erupted within the Land of Lightning. Previously, the system of one village per country ensured the rule of the Kage and the Daimyo. Now that there was no Kage, nobles dissatisfied with the rule of the Lightning Daimyo raised the banner of rebellion and rallied the ninja clans within the country, starting a chaotic war with the remnants of the Cloud Ninja who were affiliated with the Lightning Daimyo.

To be honest, this development surprised even Katsuki.

I never imagined that the Cloud Ninja would fall to such a state of destitution.

Fortunately, he didn't care at all how badly the Land of Lightning was fighting. He was just waiting for Senju Zen and Uchiha Genso to come to him so he could hand over the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and revive the Ten-Tails.

"As long as you're confident, that's enough. The future of the village now depends on you young people."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and spoke earnestly to Katsuki.

Is 36 years old considered young?

Katsuki blinked. He didn't seem very old. At this age, and with the combined benefits of the Hito Hito no Mi and the Uzumaki Bloodline, he looked to be only in his early twenties.

"Rest assured, no matter how powerful Senju Zen and Uchiha Genso are, it's useless. I will teach them a lesson in how to be human."

Katsuki wiggled her fingers, a smile on her face.

Hokage Building.

Orochimaru, however, was not as confident as Katsuki. When he learned that Senju Zen and Uchiha Genso had joined forces to destroy Kumogakure, he was immediately shocked.

They underestimated the power of Senju Zen and Uchiha Genso.

Although the strength of the Cloud Ninja is not as great as that of the Konoha Village, the fact that just two of them wiped out the entire Kumogakure is a force to be reckoned with. Even if they couldn't destroy the Konoha Village in the same way they destroyed the Kumogakure, they were still enough to cause great damage to the village, which is something Orochimaru did not want to see.

Standing by the window, watching the sky filled with falling snowflakes, he felt melancholy. After learning about the events in Kumogakure from the spy, he felt no joy at the sight of the pure white snow, only a deep sense of vigilance and fear.

"Minato, what do you think would happen if the Akatsuki Organization attacked Konoha?"

Minato, sitting on the sofa drinking Minato, remained calm, not at all surprised by Orochimaru's question, because he was also pondering the same matter.

"According to the intelligence sent back from Kumogakure, it's a very troublesome situation. The destruction of Kumogakure was largely due to the power of natural disasters. Yes, I mean real disasters. This kind of wide-area, high-intensity attack is terrifying. I can't think of any way to deal with this kind of disaster."

"Simply put, Senju Zen and Uchiha Genso's individual combat strength isn't that formidable; the village's skilled fighters can easily handle them."

Minato spoke slowly, revealing the conclusion he had reached after careful consideration.

"A natural disaster? I knew it! The most terrifying thing isn't how strong an individual is in combat, but the means by which they cause widespread calamities?"

Orochimaru turned around, leaned against the windowsill, and put on a thoughtful expression.

"Natural disaster, natural disaster, Minato, do you think our natural disasters can handle this kind of natural disaster?"

"Hmm, it's hard to say." Minato frowned. This was indeed a difficult question to answer. "Over the years, Katsuki hasn't really fought much. The few times he has, it's only been the tip of the iceberg. I can only say he's very strong, but I have no idea how strong he is exactly. By the way, during the last Chunin Ninja Exams, Katsuki fought against the Impure World Reincarnation First and Second Hokage and held his own."

Snowflakes are falling in the wind outside the window.

Orochimaru pinched his chin, a fleeting glint of light flashing in his golden snake eyes.

"A natural disaster? Let me see if our natural disasters can withstand an external one. I hope you won't disappoint me!" Orochimaru sighed, a helpless smile on his face.

These past few years have been busy with government affairs. Although I haven't neglected my spiritual practice, it can never compare to the state of complete immersion in it. In addition, as I get older, my body has begun to decline from its peak condition.

We can only rely on Katsuki and Minato now! (To be continued)