Sand's Stance, the Fourth Raikage's Inner Knot

The ground cracked open, sending the Kumogakure Village group flying with a bang, and six coffins rose from the ground.

What is that?

"Coffin!"

"Oh no! It's that despicable trick!"

"Damn it! It's Impure World Reincarnation! Quick! Stop the person in the coffin from coming out!" The Fourth Raikage's bodyguard, Shi, shouted. "If that thing comes out, we're in trouble!"

Those present were all ninjas of the Kumogakure at the Jonin level or higher, and they had all heard of the Impure World Reincarnation Forbidden Jutsu of Konohagakure. Even if they hadn't seen it, they must have heard of it.

Just as they knew Konohagakure, above the Konoha White Fang and the Yellow Flash, there was an insurmountable war maniac, the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju.

Compared to the benevolent First Hokage Hashirama Senju, Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju was unexpectedly powerful, launching a relentless and fierce attack on Kumogakure. Therefore, his Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags combined with the Impure World Reincarnation was a true battlefield nightmare.

Just imagining your ancestors crawling out of the ground, stumbling and running towards you with high-explosive Explosive Tag, is an extremely hilarious scene.

The Fourth Raikage A, charged forward in a Body Flicker Technique, his powerful physique and extreme speed making him appear like an indestructible, sharp blade.

The Fourth Raikage concentrated his Chakra in his left foot and slammed it down on the six coffins with the force of a giant battle axe, unleashing the Raging Thunder Axe! But it was too late; the coffins didn't have sliding lids, they exploded open.

With a bang, black lightning suddenly appeared, blasting the Fourth Raikage back.

Upon seeing this, Darui shuddered.

This is bizarre! Black lightning! There's no mistake, it can only be that person!

Six coffins exploded simultaneously, and a burly middle-aged man emerged from the smoke and dust. He had a hideous scar on his chest, wore a black turban, and had a serious expression with sharp eyes. His disheveled, silver-white hair cascaded down his back, making him look like a white-maned lion king ready to devour its prey.

"The Third Raikage!" Darui gasped.

"Father?" The Fourth Raikage took a step back. His father's death had a great impact on him. Not wanting to lose his loved ones, he even went so far as to restrict Killer B's freedom.

"The Impure World Reincarnation of Tobirama Senju?" Another voice came, and a tall, thin, dark-skinned man walked out. "That guy's techniques are as shameless as ever!"

"The Second Raikage!" Xi gasped, speechless for a moment. "And the others!"

"The First Raikage- sama...!"

What is that?

"Gold and Silver Brothers! Why are even they...!"

"No way! That's the previous generation's B! Blue B?"

All five coffins were opened, and the First, Second, and Third Raikage emerged. The arrogant voices of Gold and Silver Brothers also rang out, chilling everyone to the bone. Blue B, remained somewhat silent.

"Them."

"Damn it, it's all that evil Uchiha's doing!!" The Fourth Raikage A, roared and leaped more than ten meters away in the blink of an eye, heading straight for his own father.

The Adamantine Sealing Chains activated again, and the Eight-Tails' painful howls rang out once more. The situation immediately reversed, Kumogakure, which had a numerical advantage, was instantly suppressed.

"This is legitimate Ninjutsu, what's with all this talk about evil? Watch your words." Naruto flicked his sword tip and said disdainfully, "This is barely one-on-one, so it's fair."

He slapped his hand hard, and with a snap, the six corpses Impure World Reincarnation were instantly frozen in place like puppets.

"Come on, say hello to your ancestors."

Upon hearing this, the Kumogakure of Jonin with hatred, and the Fourth Raikage was extremely agitated, shouting that he would kill him.

Naruto, however, seemed unconcerned; this Ninjutsu was a gift from the system. It required no sacrifices and could revive the corpses of powerful individuals within a certain range.

Compared to Uncle Jiu, Naruto was quite professional. With a clap of his hands, the ancestor truly woke up.

hope's face turned deathly pale. The other side had six corpses and one person, while they only had five people. What kind of one-on-one was this? It was shameless!

Worse still, the death of the Third Raikage has been a deep-seated regret for the Fourth Raikage, one he has been unable to let go of for many years. Now that guy has Impure World Reincarnation the Third Raikage using the Impure World Reincarnation technique, I'm afraid...

"Despicable and shameless!" hope said.

"Isn't it despicable for five of you to fight one?" Naruto curled his lip. He was in Sasuke's form now, so he could speak more freely, since it was Sasuke's merit that was being deducted anyway.

"I've already said I'm just passing through, and my request isn't unreasonable—I just want to leave safely. But you insist on not doing that. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered."

"Now that's settled, there's nothing to talk about." Naruto sneered. "What? Now that Impure World Reincarnation, you can't accept it anymore? Where were you before?"

The Fourth Raikage didn't listen to Naruto at all, his gaze fixed on the Third Raikage, Impure World Reincarnation through Edo Tensei and acted like a puppet, as if he were possessed.

Seeing this, Xi and the injured Darui exchanged a glance and nodded in tacit agreement.

"Why don't we just stop?" hope slowly stepped forward and said, "The village's reinforcements will be here soon. You can't win."

"Take back this Forbidden Jutsu, and you may leave Kumogakure at your leisure."

"It's too late to say this now. Don't think I don't know what you're up to," Naruto said. "You guys are all mobile and knew that I have other companions nearby, so you can't have gone far."

"What are you talking about stopping!" he sneered. "Your Kumogakure has always been domineering. Now that things have come to this, it's pointless to talk about who's right and who's wrong."

"I never expected you to agree from the beginning, and it turns out that's the case. Indeed, I have a companion hiding nearby, so it will be difficult for me to get away unscathed."

Naruto immediately became murderous.

"Since that's the case, then there's nothing more to say. Today, I'm going to Jonin your Kumogakure!"

With a loud bang, half of the platform collapsed!

In Konohagakure, Tsunade sat at the head of the long conference table, while several of Konohagakure's key high-ranking officials sat in a row, spaced apart.

On the other side, Temari and the Sand high-ranking officials sat in their chairs without saying a word.

The meeting was long, Tsunade seemed distracted, propping her hands up with her elbows. She hadn't wanted to attend this meeting in the first place; she hated meetings that were completely pointless.

Even if the meeting is of a higher standard, it is meaningless if the content is irrelevant or the overall situation is already decided.

As demonstrated at this meeting, Sand is indeed an ally of Konohagakure, but not an absolute monolith. Now, with the Nine-Tails gone, Konohagakure is without Tailed Beast, leaving it vulnerable.

This situation is akin to an ally not actually possessing deterrent weapons, but the alliance was signed under the assumption that both sides did. Now that the truth has come out, it's normal for the other side to send a delegation.

Given such a significant event, it wouldn't be surprising if Sand proposed modifying the treaty, or even dissolving the alliance altogether. However, considering the current predicament between Konohagakure and Sand, it's highly unlikely they will directly terminate their alliance.

Given this, Tsunade had no interest in attending such a meeting. It would simply be a matter of the Sand Village bringing up the Nine-Tails, proposing harsh treaty revisions, which the Konohagakure would then reject, until finally the two sides reached some kind of consensus.

How boring. There are professionals who can do this. There's no point in her sitting here except to be Danzo.

The meeting was still in disarray, and the emotionless voice of Konohagakure's strategist, Shikaku Nara, was making her drowsy. Suddenly, she heard a moment of silence from the Sand side, followed by the mention of the Nine-Tails' disappearance.

"Is the news truly accurate?" asked a representative from Sand.

"At present," Shikaku coughed, "There is no conclusive evidence. We can only say that there is no way to directly prove that the Nine-Tails is still sealed inside the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."

"Konohagakure is committed to peace in the Shinobi World and has been working towards eliminating the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, in order to build an image of a peace-loving ninja village."

The diplomats from Sand were stunned for a Shikaku Nara, who remained calm and collected while dodging the question.

So the result is?

"Konohagakure does not deny the veracity of the news, but there is no evidence to suggest that Konohagakure does not have Tailed Beast, and it is impossible for us to do anything that would be inappropriate, such as trying to prove our innocence."

Shikaku Nara after taking a tactical sip of water and then spoke.

"Things like that exist if you believe them, and don't if you don't."

Tsunade, quietly yawned, and looked exhausted. She thought to herself, "How long is this going to drag on? These Sand diplomats are hopeless; they just keep getting stuck on this one point."

They should quickly present the new treaty, discuss what needs to be discussed, and reject what needs to be rejected. But this was Shikaku's strategy, and Tsunade couldn't possibly undermine it.

After chatting for a while, Shikaku kept repeating the same old lines. He neither confirmed nor denied the news, leaving it to the reader to guess.

It's either there or it isn't. That's the situation right now. Konohagakure's in bad shape, Sand isn't much better off. Think about the consequences and decide what to do.

The Sand personnel were completely dumbfounded; what kind of people were these from Konohagakure?

After thinking it over, the person from Sand spoke up.

"In that case, there's no need to continue discussing this issue."

Danzo opened his eyes, glanced at the other person, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips. Tsunade pursed her lips, still looking listless.

The outcome was already predetermined; barring any unforeseen circumstances, the other side will begin proposing amendments to the details of the alliance treaty.

Shikaku sighed inwardly. There was no other way now. Reaching this point in the argument was already the best possible solution. Although the truth would eventually come out, the current predicament needed to be resolved first.

He approved of Tsunade's strategy.

The legacy of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki remains a ticking time bomb. Just because Naruto is still a minor doesn't mean we can treat him like a child and manipulate him at will.

In his early years, the Third Hokage was influenced by his old classmate Danzo, Koharu Utatane, and Utatane Koharu Mitokado Homura. In guiding Naruto's growth, he chose a less-than-ideal approach, which sowed the seeds of future problems for Konohagakure.

Shikaku Nara Danzo Danzo's stubbornness and the two advisors' distrust of Naruto. Times had changed; things were different now, and this could lead to serious problems.

The thought flashed through Shikaku before he came back to his senses.

"We have decided to reach a consensus on further strengthening cooperation with Konohagakure and deepening the relationship between the two villages," said the Sand resident. "What is your opinion?"

"Huh?" Shikaku Nara was taken aback. "What?"

So, the Sand diplomat repeated what he had just said with a complicated look in his eyes.

This time, Danzo was dumbfounded, and even Tsunade, who found the meeting extremely boring, was confused, her eyes scanning back and forth between the Sand members.

This isn't right. Shouldn't they be threatening Konohagakure with the fact that it doesn't have any Tailed Beast, and then proposing changes to the distribution of benefits and amendments to the alliance treaty?

When did Sand become so righteous? Something's not right. Tsunade frowned subconsciously, looking over there again and again, but couldn't figure it out.

Danzo's expression changed instantly, and his original plan fell apart. He was happy to see Sand put pressure on Konohagakure, so that Tsunade would have to bear all the pressure.

After all, it was she who insisted on and personally sent people to announce that Konohagakure would no longer have Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, so naturally, she must bear all the consequences of this action.

These mistakes and grievances, even if they can't force Tsunade to step down like the Third Hokage did, are enough to keep her busy. Danzo wants to break her down little by little, so that she can hand over her position to him at the right time in the future.

Furthermore, he could no longer tolerate Tsunade gradually elevating Naruto to that position. Kakashi alone was enough of a headache for him, and now there was Naruto as well. When would it be his turn to become Hokage Position?

But now! Sand is not taking this opportunity to revise the treaty that is more favorable to them, but instead wants to strengthen their alliance?

Are you crazy?

That's what he was thinking, and the two advisors felt the same way. Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged a glance, their expressions unusually serious.

"Why? Why is Sand suddenly suggesting strengthening cooperation at this time?"

Danzo couldn't help but ask, though he hadn't intended to speak. But knowing Shikaku as he did, he knew Shikaku wouldn't ask directly; he would only find an excuse to rest and then secretly send someone to inquire.

If you don't ask now, it won't be worth it if you have to go through a lot of trouble to ask Shikaku.

"Because..." The Sand diplomat was about to speak when he was suddenly interrupted by another clear voice.

"Because our Sunagakure is optimistic about the future development of our ally Konohagakure, to be precise, we did come here because of that news," Temari said.

"But regardless of whether the news is true or false, we are always optimistic about the future of Konohagakure, and we also have high hopes for your Genin Naruto Uzumaki."

"I think I've made myself clear now?" Temari smiled and asked politely.

"Ahem, yes." Shikaku Nara nodded, then added, "It's getting late, let's eat and rest first, and discuss it again this afternoon."

The meeting was adjourned. Before leaving, Tsunade glanced back at Temari and murmured to herself.

"Another princess. Naruto Uzumaki, what have you done?"

The outskirts of Kumogakure.

Naruto used the Flying Thunder God Technique to switch positions, forming a huge red phantom on his body. The phantom's exact shape was not visible, and he punched through the chest of a weaker Kumogakure Jonin!

Although the Kumogakure Jonin was not very strong, he was still a Jonin. However, he was still slashed several times by Naruto's unpredictable speed in just a few moves, and he was not only injured.

With a flick of his head, a fist melted and pierced his chest, instantly extinguishing his life force.

Darui couldn't bear it any longer; if the fighting continued like this, the Kumogakure's fighting force would be severely damaged. He swung black lightning with one hand, directly striking the Impure World Reincarnation Blue B and shattering her arm.

Blue B was the former Jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails, who died due to the Eight-Tails going out of control within him. At this moment, his movements were not exactly slow, but far less responsive than when he was alive.

The same applies to the six Impure World Reincarnation; their strength is less than one-tenth of their peak. But what's truly infuriating is that this group is extremely difficult to deal with, making it impossible to defeat them quickly.

Naruto, being a top-tier sixth member, constantly uses the Flying Thunder God Technique to launch sneak attacks on the five members of the Kumogakure.

The battle lasted less than five minutes before a Kumogakure, Jonin guard, lost his life at Naruto's hands. This scene instilled a strong sense of crisis in Darui and Hii.

Continuing the fight would be disadvantageous for them. The Fourth Raikage A, was fighting his father, the Third Raikage, but seemed to be holding his own.