War Clouds

When the machine called war starts, there's no stopping it until defeat and total unification.

In the ninja world, few nations are self-sufficient, or rather, their self-sufficient structures are fragile and can be shattered by any natural or man-made disaster.

Now, the Land of Lightning has encountered a man-made disaster.

With massive financial and material reparations owed to Sunagakure, domestic banks are on the verge of bankruptcy. The hawks in Kumogakure's faction are unstoppable, and the choices presented to the rulers have been systematically eliminated, leaving only war as the final option.

The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning now realizes he wasn't making a multiple-choice decision, but a fill-in-the-blanks one.

The Land of Lightning is no longer able to afford withdrawals for its depositors, nor can it provide sufficient military funds for Kumogakure.

Deposits, military funds – if you want them, go and seize them yourself!

Combined with the situation described by the Raikage, a bold idea emerges in the Daimyo's mind.

Not long ago, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, in his private capacity, invited a merchant caravan from the Land of Lightning to the Land of Fire for a major business deal. The Daimyo, with the initial intention of deepening friendly relations between the two countries, dispatched the caravan. However, when the caravan entered the Land of Fire with a large amount of cash, it mysteriously disappeared!

It is perfectly reasonable for the Land of Lightning to send Cloud Ninja to investigate, isn't it?

If they don't let us investigate, it means they are guilty!

Whether anyone believes this reason is unimportant; what matters is that it provides the Land of Lightning with a justification for deploying troops.

The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning knows this is madness, but compared to the potential riots among the middle and upper classes and within Kumogakure, the cost of starting a war is truly negligible.

The Raikage fell silent upon hearing the Daimyo's words.

As a highly militarized nation, the Land of Lightning shares many views and interests with the Daimyo, but they differ on one point: their perception of the Cloud Ninja.

To the Daimyo, the Cloud Ninja are the military might of the Land of Lightning, the shield that protects the Land of Lightning, and the sword that plunders other nations.

But to the Raikage, the Cloud Ninja are his brothers and sisters, his family. Many watched him grow up, grew up with him, and he watched them grow up.

The prisoners had only just returned to Kumogakure, and they were so weak that they were in no condition to fight.

In fact, when A saw his former comrades, he cursed them out.

He didn't believe the damn Hoshino Maki claimed they had abalone and lobster every meal, but he didn't expect him to be so inhuman. After charging such high fees, the Cloud Ninja were all skin and bones, looking like they'd blow away in the wind. It was a ghost of a chance they'd have combat effectiveness in such a short time.

The only healthy one was Samui. Not only was her complexion ruddy, but she had also grown taller. According to other prisoners, Hoshino Maki had taken special care of her, ensuring she indeed had abalone and lobster every meal, and even a comfortable private room.

Samui initially refused such special treatment. She hadn't eaten or drunk anything for three consecutive days. Finally, Hoshino Maki sent word that if she didn't eat, the Cloud Ninja would also go without food, which finally forced her to eat obediently.

This special treatment also brought her a lot of gossip. Some said she had traded the village's interests for preferential treatment, while others claimed Hoshino Maki was attracted to her beauty. There was all sorts of talk, but none of it was good.

But in the end, she chose to return to Kumogakure with the other prisoners, along with the scandalous rumors about her.

The Cloud Ninja also interrogated her and confirmed that she had done nothing to betray the village, but the effect seemed less than satisfactory.

Of course, such minor incidents were insignificant compared to the village's current predicament. The entire Kumogakure was embroiled in heated arguments about whether to fight or not.

To be precise, they were arguing about how to fight. Those who advocated for not fighting meant waiting for the village to recuperate for a while before going to war.

After all, if anyone dared to say they wouldn't fight Konoha now, they could very well be killed.

The pain brought by the Eight-Tails, instead of fading with time, had fermented into potent fuel, igniting Kumogakure's fury.

As the leader of the "pro-delay faction," the Raikage had hoped to use the Daimyo, an external force, to calm the villagers down a bit. But now, it seemed the Daimyo was even more radical than he had imagined, and the current Cloud Ninja had no right to refuse.

"Yes. Within a month, the Cloud Ninja will launch a surprise attack."

"Half a month."

"Yes!"

In just three days, the entire ninja world was in turmoil. Even the Mist Ninja, the protagonists of their own jokes, dispatched personnel to monitor the situation inland.

Under these circumstances, Hoshino Maki quietly returned to Sunagakure.

"To get rich, plant more trees."

Hoshino Maki sat on the windbreak rock of Sunagakure, sipping blood glutinous rice milk tea and swinging his legs as he looked down at the village devoid of any greenery, muttering to himself.

"Honestly, I still prefer Konoha's environment."

"What did you say?"

A sharp voice came from below Hoshino Maki.

He looked down and said to Pakura, whose expression was blank, "I said I love Sunagakure."

Pakura rolled her eyes at him, then said seriously, "The war is over. The Elder Council wants you to report next Monday."

"Understood, Elder Pakura."

Pakura nodded with satisfaction and turned to leave, but then heard Hoshino Maki speak from behind her, "What do you think the Elder Council is to Sunagakure?"

Pakura paused. "Don't talk about the Elders behind their backs."

After saying that, she seemed to recall something and added, "Especially in front of others."

With that, she flickered and disappeared.

Hoshino Maki smiled, turned to look at the endless yellow sand outside, then turned back to look at Sunagakure, where wisps of cooking smoke were rising. He clasped his hands behind his head, lay on the windbreak rock, facing the sky, his expression unreadable.

Without a Kazekage, the Elder Council's responsibilities, or rather, power, are growing, but the Elders do not feel happy.

Because when the Kazekage was around, their power was great, but their responsibilities were minimal. Now, without a Kazekage, they had to handle even the daily trivial matters of the village, and take responsibility when problems arose.

Although no one would hold them accountable, their moods were affected.

"Fights between two restaurants are being reported to the Kazekage Building. What do they think this place is!"

An Elder, looking at the documents before him, rubbed his temples and complained.

"Exactly! Granny Pear Blossom's cat has been missing for three days, and she's asking why I haven't dispatched ninjas to find it. Does she know how busy I am every day?"

Another Elder chimed in, but his pen didn't stop. He quickly found a Chunin to help her find the cat.

There was no choice. Her son was a famous Elite Jonin in the village, so it was an easy favor to grant. Besides, he wasn't the one doing the searching.

"I really miss the days when the Kazekage was here~"

An Elder sighed, and several voices immediately agreed.

The village had never experienced such a long period without a Kazekage. Now that the Kazekage's duties had fallen to the Elders, they realized how difficult the job was.

If every Elder shared the burden, it wouldn't be heavy. But Elders like Chiyo and Chōjūrō would never do such work. In the end, after much deliberation, only the five youngest Elders had to shoulder all the responsibilities.

"Finally done."

An Elder put down his pen and let out a long sigh. He picked up the cold tea on his desk and drank it down without hesitation. The other Elders were also finishing their tasks.

Moyuzi was the last to put down her pen. She raised her wrist and checked the time. "Let's go, it's time for the meeting."