The Cloud Ninjas

The Cloud Ninja [Please Vote]

The Cloud Village was surrounded by mountains.

The village's tallest peak was almost hidden among the clouds.

This was the Hidden Cloud Ninja Village, at the heart of the Land of Lightning!

The buildings on that highest peak housed the strongest person in the Cloud Village—the Raikage's office!

The Cloud Village was a ninja village that prized strength. The strongest ninja of each generation inherited the title "A" and carried on the will of the Cloud Village.

Many dark-skinned ninja could be seen in the Cloud Village. It was one of the Cloud Ninja's distinctive traits.

The "If I'm dark enough, you won't be able to see me" jutsu!

Ahem...

Most Cloud Village ninja were skilled in swordsmanship and Lightning Style Ninjutsu. Nintaijutsu was also popular there, making it a hidden village that prized individual combat strength.

At this time, the Cloud Village was under the control of the Third Raikage A, who was in his prime.

At that moment, several ninja wearing white fox masks were kneeling on one knee in his office.

They were the Cloud Village's Anbu!

Bam!!

Third Raikage A slammed his fist down on the desk in front of him.

As his fist came down, the desk—which had not been in use for long—split in two. It was already impossible to say how many desks he had smashed.

But no one paid it any mind.

"What did you say?! The Two-Tails is missing?!"

A roared the words, his eyes bulging like a bull's.

The Anbu kneeling on one knee before him weren't frightened by the Third Raikage's outburst.

They were Anbu. Behind their masks, they were emotionless tools. Fear had no place in them.

Even if they were truly afraid, they couldn't show it. That was basic ninja discipline!

Of course, they would never admit that they were only keeping their composure because the Raikage was glaring at them.

"Yes, sir!"

The Anbu squad leader replied.

"When we arrived, we found that the former Two-Tails Jinchūriki's body had been burned to a crisp.

"After the medical team examined it, they confirmed that the fatal injury was a wound that had pierced through the chest. Our estimate is that there's a seventy percent chance it was caused by the Third Tsuchikage's Kekkei Tōta!"

The Anbu squad leader clearly laid out what he knew.

A's expression darkened further as he listened.

He had thought that since the Land of Earth was fighting the Land of Fire, it wouldn't have the time to deal with the Land of Lightning. If they attacked during this window, they should be able to gain quite a bit.

And there was no denying that they had gained something.

They had occupied part of the Land of Earth's territory!

That was the spoils they had claimed by starting this war.

But they had also lost the Two-Tails Jinchūriki. Now, even the Two-Tails itself had vanished.

For any ninja village, a Tailed Beast was a secret weapon on the level of a nuclear bomb. Having one meant the village could deter the others.

When the First distributed the Nine Tailed Beasts, the Cloud Village, which had a good relationship with Konoha, received the Eight-Tails, second only to the Nine-Tails, as well as the formidable Two-Tails.

Those two Tailed Beasts had been a major threat to other ninja villages, bringing considerable benefits to the Land of Lightning.

The Eight-Tails was powerful and proud, and difficult to tame. Its Jinchūriki often lost control, forcing him, the Raikage, to suppress it from time to time.

But the Two-Tails was different. Of all the Tailed Beasts, it had a relatively agreeable temperament.

The Two-Tails Jinchūriki in their Cloud Village couldn't claim to have completely mastered the Two-Tails, but she could maintain the Tailed Beast Cloak without losing her reason.

She was an extremely, extremely important high-level combat asset for the Cloud Village.

For this surprise attack to succeed.

For the sake of being fast, precise, and ruthless!

That was why the Raikage had sent the Two-Tails Jinchūriki into battle as their final safeguard.

It should have been a sure thing. Who could have guessed that the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure would use his ability to fly to appear on the battlefield at the very end of the fight?

He hadn't been able to sweep the battlefield, but the Two-Tails Jinchūriki had stepped in to stop him and ended up so badly wounded that she couldn't recover. In the end, she died on the way back to the Cloud Village.

"What about the Two-Tails? Did it disappear along with the Jinchūriki?!" the Raikage asked in a low voice.

They had seized some territory in the Land of Earth, but in exchange they had lost a Tailed Beast and a Two-Tails Jinchūriki who could reliably fight...

He didn't know whether they had come out ahead or lost.

"Although the Jinchūriki's body was in the ruins, and most of the traces had been burned away, judging by the circumstances and our investigation of the area, there should have been a child under ten in that house," the Anbu squad leader answered truthfully.

"So the Two-Tails is very likely inside that child, and you came back empty-handed, which means you didn't find the child!" the Raikage immediately understood the situation.

He continued, "Could the child be a ninja? Or a spy from some ninja village?"

"I've already sent Anbu members skilled in tracking to continue the pursuit. I believe they should be able to find the child."

The Anbu squad leader hesitated briefly before speaking again. "As for whether the child is a ninja or a spy, I can't be certain. We're still investigating.

"However, judging from the traces the child left behind, the child probably isn't a ninja. Following those traces, we found Konoha's... outpost in the town..."

Bam—

The Raikage once again slammed his fist into the desk, which had already split in two.

But this time, the desk—which might still have been repairable—shattered into dust!

Now the Raikage was truly furious!

"Konoha!!!"

Toneri had been traveling with the caravan for five days.

With so many supplies, they couldn't take many shortcuts. They also had to avoid bandits and robbers, so they were moving relatively slowly.

Still, no matter how slowly they went, in less than two more days they would pass through the Land of Hot Water and reach the Land of Fire. It would be much safer then.

For the past few days, Toneri had spent almost all his time in the carriage.

He only got out occasionally to take care of his bodily needs.

The old man brought him three meals a day. They weren't very nourishing, but they were still much better than when Toneri had gone hungry and cold.

Toneri hadn't been idle these past few days. He had been exercising in the carriage.

This was an extremely dangerous world. Whatever else happened, getting a little stronger would give him a little more protection.

Toneri didn't know much. He didn't know how to mold chakra or throw Kunai and other projectiles, let alone perform more advanced jutsu.

But he did know how to do basic physical training, like push-ups, sit-ups, and challenging gymnastics.

They were things he had learned in his previous life. He was simply picking them up again in this body.

Five days was neither a long time nor a short one.

In that time, Toneri had at least stopped looking so pale and gaunt. His complexion had become a little healthier, and he even had a hint of a rosy glow.

Handsome from every angle!

The carriage was cramped, but luckily Toneri was a child. After a little rearranging, he had enough room to exercise.

After finishing his workout and pushing his body to its limit, Toneri's consciousness would enter the sealed space where the Two-Tails was.

He went to chat with her.

Toneri wasn't sure if the sealing technique was weak or if the seal itself wasn't very secure, but as long as he wanted to, he could appear in front of the Two-Tails.

After several days, the Two-Tails was getting a little annoyed with Toneri, but he still happily kept at it.

Whenever he had more time, Toneri would quietly curl up in a corner of the carriage, holding the fragrant sachet in his hand.

As the saying went, "You could recognize a woman by her scent"...

A woman with a sachet that carried such a delicate fragrance was bound to be pretty.

And that was Toneri's only form of entertainment during this time!

Thank you to all the readers who sent gifts. Jin Mu's little notebook keeps getting fuller!

Thank you all for your precious votes! Jin Mu sends you a heartfelt thank-you... just kidding!