A Stone Kills Two Birds

The young man who had suddenly arrived with an army was, of course, Nawaki. Behind him floated three black-robed ninjas as well—the trio of Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato.

To be honest, there had originally been very few ninjas in the entire Shinobi World capable of flight. Yet seven had appeared here all at once. This was all due to Nawaki, the transmigrator—everyone had come to place great importance on aerial combat, and the major ninja villages now had air forces numbering in the thousands. Among Akatsuki's trio, Konan's Paper Release and Nagato's Rinnegan had already granted them the ability to fly, while Nagato had also learned the Six Powers and could fly using Moon Step.

Facing the Third Raikage's question from the sky, Nawaki smiled warmly and said, "Forgive me for forgetting to introduce myself. I am Senju Nawaki of Konoha. These three behind me are the leaders of Amegakure, and also my juniors. We have long admired Lord Raikage from afar. Meeting you today is truly an honor!"

Though he had anticipated it, hearing Nawaki state his identity in person still gave the Third Raikage a shock. Combined with what Ōnoki had said earlier, it stirred an ominous feeling within him. He hurriedly asked, "Why did you appear from that direction? And what has happened to the Cloud Ninja under my command?"

"I was invited by the Tsuchikage to intercept Kumogakure's Shinobi Army," Nawaki answered bluntly. "As for the ninjas under your command, they are all safe. Rest assured, Lord Raikage—not one is missing. They are currently guests in my army. Would Lord Raikage like to see them?"

It turned out that, after learning Kumogakure's breakout route the previous night, Nawaki had led a combined army of 160,000 Rain Ninja and Grass Ninja on a secret detour, setting an