On April 8th, Konoha Year 54, a fierce argument erupted again at the Kumogakure camp on the border of the Land of Frost.
As night fell, Darui, with his white hair, stood outside the tent, listening to the Jonin's discussions with a bewildered expression. Beside him, a blond-haired man with a side-parted hairstyle whispered a reminder: "This isn't something we Genin should get involved in, Darui. Let's leave!"
" Lord Raikage can handle everything; we just need to follow orders."
Having graduated a year early, the two have been active on the battlefield for a year now. As a sensory-type medical-nin, Hii has always been highly valued, while Darui, possessing the Storm Release Kekkei Genkai, has also received considerable attention.
Although Nozomi, who had just celebrated his birthday, was only 12 years old, he keenly sensed the changes that had occurred recently. The capture of the Jinchuriki was merely the trigger.
Darui, however, didn't think that far ahead. He'd been saved by a Jinchuriki during the previous battle, and while he usually feared Yugito Nii, he now only wanted to repay her kindness. "What if the Lord Raikage chooses to give up?"
"It's said that the Konoha Ninja launched the war to extract the Tailed Beast, how can we admit defeat?"
"We must stop this evil behavior..."
The situation is roughly the same in each ninja village. Genin rarely know the truth about the war, and most ninjas are just tools. When the Kage issues an order, everyone goes to the battlefield to kill.
The Kumogakure Village is much better off than some Small Nations. They also emphasize ideological education and promote the Fourth Shinobi World War as a righteous act internally.
According to Darui's education at the Ninja Academy, the Konoha Ninja began collecting Tailed Beast in order to dominate the Shinobi World, Kumogakure) refused to accept this oppression and rose up in retaliation.
Now that the tide of battle has turned, the young ninja cannot accept it. To compromise with evil? The righteous Kumogakure will never allow it!
Xi glanced at his furious companion, not interrupting his complaints, until a look of confusion returned to Darui's face. Only then did he pull his companion aside and whisper, "Defeating evil obviously requires more power. Don't forget you're just a Genin!"
"Even if we return to the village and are promoted to Chunin, that's not something we should be thinking about."
" Lord Raikage won't abandon his comrades, so don't go and cause trouble at this time!"
The two left with mixed feelings. Inside the tent, Tsuchikage, who would be forty in a few months, calmly watched the Raikage Dodai. Taking advantage of the Raikage's silence, he continued, "The intelligence we received from Iwagakure has been confirmed. The looting of supplies and personnel at some bases was definitely not done by Konoha Ninja."
" Lord Raikage, we reached the same conclusion a year ago: the war should end sooner."
"Someone is using this war to achieve some unknown purpose; what needs to be done now is to strengthen the village's defenses."
The Fourth Raikage A had been venting his anger for a while, had now completely calmed down. He stared at Dodai and retorted angrily, "A ninja who has mastered Space-Time Ninjutsu is disrupting the battle?"
"Are you saying the other side also possesses the Heavenly Transfer Technique and moved all our supplies away?"
" Lord Raikage, there are always Ninjutsu we haven't seen before. Perhaps the opponent has mastered this power, accomplishing something that multiple teams couldn't do alone."
Dodai's face turned serious as he reminded him again. Killer B now, finally spoke up, saying in a strange tone, "Idiot brother! We need to bring Yugito Nii back now."
"Hachi told me that the evil Konoha Ninja might eat the Two-Tails Matatabi."
"Losing Chakra can be recovered, but losing life will kill Yugito Nii and the Tailed Beast."
"An evil entity is instigating war; it wants to devour all the Tailed Beast!"
After a rap performance, the ninjas in the tent fell silent. It was simply too awful to listen to; despite his age, Killer B's musical skills remained unchanged.
Six months ago, the Kumogakure had already pushed the battle line to the border of the Land of Fire, and the Land of Rice Fields were also under their control, cutting off Konoha's trade routes and some supply lines in one fell swoop.
Not only that, on the main battlefield, the Kumogakure also surrounded and killed many of Konoha's older generation of ninjas. Although the losses were considerable, the results greatly boosted the morale of the troops.
The Fourth Raikage A, knew that Dodai made sense, but recalling the changes of the past six months, he still couldn't swallow his anger.
Withdrawing from the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Hot Water would mean surrendering the gains made over two years. The Fourth Raikage A, ultimately rejected Dodai's proposal, forcefully ordering everyone, "Even if Yugito Nii sacrifices himself, we must reclaim control of the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Hot Water."
"Stretch out the battle lines and continue the offensive! Prepare some more funds to keep the Kirigakure Ninja on the payroll."
Each time, he would launch into a long explanation, only to have it directly rejected by the Fourth Raikage. Dodai sighed inwardly, but maintained a respectful expression, loudly replying, "Yes, Lord Raikage!"
Seeing the bowed head of the Dodai, the other Jonin swallowed their differing opinions, for the Raikage was the highest authority, and they could only obey his orders unconditionally.
Hearing the crowd's response, the Fourth Raikage A, was secretly making calculations in his mind.
Yugito Nii did not undergo Perfect Jinchuriki, and the Sealing Jutsu he used were obtained from Sunagakure. Konoha would not get much useful information if they wanted to gather intelligence.
As for the Eight-Tails' mention of "devouring," A didn't take it to heart. As long as the gains were maintained, losing Tailed Beast was worthwhile.
"Do a good job of intelligence gathering; if necessary, the Tailed Beast can be reborn."
After the meeting, the Fourth Raikage A, whispered to Dodai that as long as Yugito Nii died, Konoha would gain nothing. The Tailed Beast would be reborn, Kumogakure could take them back then.
Dodai nodded silently. This was indeed a good idea, but opportunities were hard to come by. The rebuilt Konoha's defenses were too tight, and sacrificing intelligence personnel would not be in the long-term interest of the village.
Late at night, in the Konoha camp, Kushina led the Sealing Division to sever the connection Yugito Nii and the Two-Tails, thus completing the capture of the Jinchuriki.
Seeing the 14-year-old girl bound hand and foot, Kushina sighed inwardly. She could Jinchuriki, and if possible, she still hoped the girl could live.
Minato Namikaze by the campfire, showed no sympathy for his wife. During missions, he always prioritized the village's interests. At this moment, he was more worried about the unknown enemy. " Madara Uchiha has disappeared again in the past six months; it's very likely they're plotting something again."
"His Space-Time Ninjutsu seems to be getting stronger and stronger, making it very difficult to track him on the battlefield."
"The last place it appeared was at the border between the Land of Frost and the Land of Hot Water, but I haven't found any useful information about it yet."
Kakashi, though he had gathered some information, was still confused. He looked at his serious-looking teacher and asked in a low voice, " Minato-sensei, what exactly is that guy trying to do?"
"Is the purpose of constantly provoking wars to collect the Tailed Beast later?"
Even if one collects the Tailed Beast, it is difficult to utilize their power. For example, Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki of Iwagakure, frequently Tailed Beast Transformation and is currently on the verge of losing control, making him unable to participate in the war again.
Kakashi didn't believe the other party was unaware of these things; he felt that they were still lacking useful information, which was why they had been completely fooled.
"If the goal was to weaken the ninja village, then the enemy has already achieved their objective."
" Kumogakure is still persisting. The Fourth Raikage is too stubborn. We just hope they can protect the Tailed Beast and participate in the subsequent encirclement and suppression efforts."
As Minato spoke, he rubbed his forehead. Konoha couldn't admit that they had lost the Nine-Tails; they had to pretend to have mastered Nine-Tails power.
Kushina's presence on the battlefield was a deterrent in itself. Konoha's use of the mysterious Nine-Tails Jinchuriki demonstrated their determination to end the war, which frightened Iwagakure into surrendering. The strategy was a great success.
The Kumogakure have been locked in a stalemate for a week without making any major moves. As for whether the war here can end, Minato still can't figure out what the Fourth Raikage is thinking.
Seeing her husband's weary expression, Kushina immediately took his hand. She also wanted to catch that " Madara Uchiha," and softly replied to Minato, "After seeing that information, Kumogakure will definitely realize what's going on."
"Besides, I can still use the Tailed Beast Cloak now, which is enough to handle a few battles. As long as the war is over, we can watch Naruto grow up in peace."
Over two years, the residual Nine-Tails Chakra within Kushina's body slowly increased, granting her the ability to Tailed Beast Cloak. Ninjas unaware of the inside story would be terrified upon seeing this.
There's no need to worry about the Tailed Beast going berserk. Kushina's special physique, a trait of the Uzumaki Clan, has greatly increased her strength. She focuses on developing Sealing Jutsu and has now become the leader of the Sealing Division and Barrier Division.
Although she still rarely goes on missions to take care of Naruto, Kushina is no longer hidden and goes on missions with her husband, which can be considered as fulfilling her long-cherished dream.
The three discussed Madara Uchiha, while Shu Furukawa sat quietly to the side playing with a "snake." The silver snake that the Kusanagi Sword had transformed into kept coiling around his body, as if it were truly alive.
As the "mastermind," Shu Furukawa was also troubled. Despite Obito's efforts, he was still unable to control the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
In just over two years, Amegakure has developed rapidly, and the Akatsuki has expanded at an alarming rate. Black Zetsu seems to have guessed something and has recently begun to reduce the number of times White Zetsu "charges".
There was no sign of Indra and Ashura Chakra fusing, and the memories in Shu Furukawa's mind were of no help either; "born with the Rinnegan on the verge of death" was far too difficult for him...
"Shu, do you think we have a chance to unite with the major ninja villages and act together?"
" Sunagakure and Iwagakure will support us. If we can persuade Kumogakure, perhaps we can find Madara Uchiha's trail directly."
Kushina turned to ask, and after a moment's thought, Shu Furukawa replied in a low voice with a helpless expression, " The Fourth Raikage won't agree. Right now, he's probably preoccupied with the land issues between the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Hot Water."
"The buffer zone between the three countries is what he's after; even after bordering the Land of Fire, the Kumogakure's ambitions won't stop."
With the Tailed Beast joining the battle, the daimyo of the Small Nations have become mere echo chambers. The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning has repeatedly refused the peace talks proposed by the daimyo of the Land of Fire, revealing his true ambitions.
Minato, aware of the situation, also didn't believe the stubborn Raikage would end the war so easily. Both sides would have to continue at a cost until one side conceded defeat, "It seems we'll need several more months. Kushina, if the Kumogakure launches an attack, you should return with the Jinchuriki as soon as possible!"
Hearing her husband's words, Kushina nodded obediently. Thinking of Naruto at home, she suddenly teased Kakashi, who was standing beside her, " Kakashi, don't let Rin down. Be a good husband!"
Kakashi turned his head away embarrassedly, but remembering Rin Nohara's happy expression as she agreed, he finally whispered a promise, "I'll take good care of Rin."
Looking up at the night sky, Kakashi seemed to see Obito giving him a thumbs-up, and his father beside him with a contented smile, " Obito, Father, I will live happily with your blessings."
After a week of standoff, the Kumogakure launched another attack. As planned, Kushina led the Sealing Division to retreat quickly and, under the protection of the Anbu, transported the Jinchuriki back to Konoha.
The Fourth Raikage seemed to have no intention of having any "mastermind" behind the scenes. During this time, he sent a group of ninjas by sea to land in the eastern part of the Land of Hot Water and head straight for the Konoha border troops.
As the war resumed, the Cloud Kumogakure, who had stretched their supply lines, displayed tenacious fighting spirit, with the Fourth Raikage A, leading the charge and always at the forefront.
Fearing that Killer B's power would be damaged, the Fourth Raikage, with the help of sensory ninjas, was responsible for keeping Shu Furukawa's team occupied.
Xi is about to become Chunin and will also participate in this glorious mission, just like her predecessors, responsible for Genjutsu disruption and location work.
Contrary to expectations, in several encounters, Xi and the others could only move away from the battleground, as Genjutsu interference proved completely ineffective...
"Boom!"
Another loud crash echoed through the dense forest. Xi could feel two massive Chakra clashing. Seeing the tense expressions on his seniors' faces, the boy instinctively swallowed hard, then asked in a low voice, "Seniors, aren't we going to support Lord Raikage?"
"Kid, that's a battle between monsters. We just need to take care of ourselves."
"Hey, don't get distracted!"
The dark-skinned leader of the four-man squad at the front turned and shouted a warning. As soon as he finished speaking, everyone felt a chill run down their spines. Those with experience immediately screamed in terror, "Run!"
Xi didn't expect that taking care of himself would be "running away." The boy was a step too slow and his pupils shrank when he saw Shu Furukawa suddenly appear not far away.
The black arc of light appeared before him in the blink of an eye. He felt the breath of death until the Fourth Raikage stood in front of him, and the boy knelt on the ground in fear.
"Sizzle..."
"You wicked brat, you only ever attack ordinary ninjas!"
The Fourth Raikage A, felt the heavy metal armband on his left arm being cut. He roared and increased the power of his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, causing his hair to explode instantly.
"These sensory ninjas are your 'eyes,' so naturally, they'll first make you blind."
With his left hand still holding the Shu Furukawa Chidori Blade and his right hand hanging down, the silver serpent instantly transformed into the Kusanagi Sword. As the Fourth Raikage roared wildly, the two disappeared simultaneously and collided again.
hope only saw black and blue lightning flashing continuously, and in the blink of an eye, the ground in front of him shattered.
"Boom!"
After a loud bang, the Fourth Raikage roared again. The metal armband on his right arm was mostly shattered. Even with the added Lightning Release Chakra, he couldn't withstand Shu Furukawa's sharp blade.
"Get out of here!"
Upon hearing Raikage's warning, Xi turned and fled. At that moment, he finally understood the looks his seniors had given him when he accepted the mission.
"Ah!!"
Suddenly, screams rang out from afar. Xi had just stepped into the dense forest when he saw another Shu Furukawa moving through the trees. Many of his seniors lay dead in pools of blood, and only a few were still fleeing at breakneck speed.
Shu Furukawa's Shadow Clone didn't care about the number of people; they just trailed behind and occasionally threw out Shuriken imbued with Wind Release.
Occasionally, the ninja tools he throws out are imbued with Chakra Threads. The Shuriken controlled by Shu Furukawa have become like "boomerangs," and if you're not careful, a slow-moving Kumogakure will be cut in two.
hope covered his mouth and stared wide-eyed, afraid to make a sound, even though he knew it was useless, but his body was completely out of control due to extreme fear.
There's another one here!
"Don't let him get away..."
The Konoha Ninja had already surrounded the area, and in his panic, Hii could only flee in the opposite direction. The boy thought he was doomed, but he encountered the Fourth Raikage again halfway there. "Kid, you did a good job. You were able to calmly choose your route even at a time like this."
"Stay by my side from now on!"
The Fourth Raikage was covered in wounds, with black arcs of electricity still coursing across his body. After muttering something, he hoisted Shiki onto his shoulder and sped away.
Xi didn't know what to say. Just then, another loud bang came from behind, and a giant purple-striped Giant Snake suddenly appeared. Seemingly sensing the boy's fear, the Fourth Raikage A, muttered in anguish, "The mission is complete. Bi will go to the eastern region to destroy Konoha's supply lines."
"Remember, the most important thing for a ninja is teamwork..."
Perhaps from talking too much, the Fourth Raikage coughed up blood again as he moved swiftly through the dense forest. Seeing the blood droplets fall, Nozomi replied in a tearful voice, "Yes, Lord Raikage."
In the distance, the eyes of the Manda darted about wildly. Shu Furukawa, seated atop its massive head, discerned its thoughts and casually ordered, "Assist the Konoha Ninja in killing the enemy here."
"You'll receive a secret medicine after completing the mission."
In the two years since, Manda has changed a bit; the horns on its head have grown a little longer. However, compared to the shameless Aoda, its strength has fallen behind. "Yes, Lord Xiu!"
"That good-for-nothing Orochimaru was recently active in the Land of Rain, Master Shu. My men have any new information, I'll report back immediately."