Third, Ai

Land of Lightning, Kumogakure, Raikage's Office.

The Third Raikage, Ai, with his dark skin, long pale yellow hair, and a long beard, wore a stern expression.

He was holding the intelligence report prepared by the Anbu, examining it carefully in his hands.

As he looked at the Rocket Launcher in the intelligence images, the more he saw, the more he liked it.

Seeing this, the Jonin Dodai stepped forward and said, "Lord Raikage, as long as Kumogakure needs this small Rocket Launcher, we can spend the time to replicate it."

"Do not underestimate this Rocket Launcher; for such a small frame, it can fire an incredible distance."

"Just like our Chakra Cannon, which also started from a small prototype; the large-scale Chakra Cannon has not yet been successfully developed, and we haven't even begun to research the modular components."

Ai waved his hand and spoke.

A Genin trotted in and immediately stepped forward.

"Lord Raikage, an envoy from the Land of the Moon has arrived to request aid."

At this moment, the Third Raikage, Ai, sat in his chair and revealed a smile; everything was proceeding exactly as planned.

"Bring them in."

The Raikage's son, who was also nearby, immediately stepped forward and clamored, "We should just go and seize what we need directly. As a small nation, the Land of Whirlpools will know what to do."

The Third Raikage, Ai, possessed a rugged face, yet a kindly smile emerged upon those rough features.

"Son, your experience is still lacking. The Land of Whirlpools was at least capable of fighting a war against the Land of Water."

"The Land of Earth is currently mobilizing at the borders. If we negotiate directly and are refused, it would be equivalent to having the face of the Land of Lightning trampled into the dirt."

"But if we only send a small number of soldiers to coordinate with the Land of the Moon's forces to create a deterrent, we can obtain exactly what we need."

The Land of the Moon's envoy arrived at the Raikage's office and said in unison, "Lord Raikage, you must save our Land of the Moon. The Land of Whirlpools has bullied us too far; they have actually invaded us."

Upon hearing this, the Third Raikage, Ai's smile grew even brighter.

Shabadaba was indeed obedient enough; the trashy Ketsuryūgan was truly capable of being put to good use.

The Ketsuryūgan seized from the Chinoike Clan contained a secret sealing technique; after being used a few times, the user would explode.

In this way, once the Rocket Launchers were obtained from the Land of Whirlpools, he could also eliminate the Tsukikage of the Land of the Moon.

The Land of the Moon would then have no choice but to rely even more on the Land of Lightning.

"Easily done, easily done. I will immediately send men to the Land of the Moon. Since the Land of Whirlpools dares to invade the Land of the Moon, we in Kumogakure shall teach them a harsh lesson."

The plan was indeed moving in the direction I designed. The King of the Land of the Moon accepted my instructions to have the Land of Whirlpools' merchant caravan hijacked, and their counterattack against the Land of Whirlpools was within my expectations.

Even if the Land of Whirlpools hadn't invaded you, I would have found other excuses to force them to launch an attack on the Land of the Moon.

The Land of the Moon's envoy immediately bowed in gratitude.

"We are truly grateful for the Raikage's care. This is the reward from the King of the Land of the Moon for hiring the Raikage's ninjas, totaling one million ryo."

The Third Raikage's son immediately jumped out.

"Father, send me! I will definitely make the Land of Whirlpools pay."

As the son of the Third Raikage of Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning, he aspired to inherit the name "Ai," the strongest title in Kumogakure, which was currently held by his father, the Third.

He had to have an outstanding performance to compete for the position of the next Raikage.

"Very well. Get your men ready and depart for the Land of the Moon immediately," the Third Raikage, Ai, said with a smile.

Upon hearing his father agree to his request, he immediately burst through the door and rushed out.

"Still young, hot-headed, and getting excited over such a small matter," the Third Raikage, Ai, said, shaking his head.

"Lord Raikage, although the young master is young and impetuous, among his peers, his strength is the greatest," the Jonin Dodai replied.

After a while, a Genin rushed in hurriedly.

"Report, Lord Raikage! According to the ninjas Kumogakure has in the Land of the Moon..."

"The Land of the Moon's border was attacked by the Land of Whirlpools. In less than a day, the Land of the Moon's soldiers were completely defeated, and the Land of Whirlpools' army marched directly to the capital of the Land of the Moon."

"The capital was captured by the Land of Whirlpools in less than two hours. The King of the Land of the Moon has surrendered, and the Land of Whirlpools' troops are now stationed in the capital."

The Third Raikage, Ai's expression changed instantly.

He smashed the desk to pieces with a single punch. The Land of Whirlpools actually possessed such strength.

The fight against the Land of Water was merely the first public appearance of the Rocket Launchers, which displayed power far exceeding their original specifications.

After the Land of Water's defeat, they had a brief standoff with Kumogakure and suffered some losses, yet they still retained a relatively strong combat force.

"Immediately send men to chase down that brat of mine, and dispatch an envoy to communicate with the Land of Whirlpools."

The Jonin Dodai was also stunned upon hearing this; he had never realized the Land of the Moon's strength was so pathetic.

The soldiers of the Land of the Moon and the samurai of the Land of Iron were still somewhat evenly matched.

The jonin Dodai asked aloud.

"Is it true that there were collaborators from the Land of Whirlpools inside the Land of the Moon who opened the city gates?"

"Did they successfully assault the palace of the Land of the Moon and threaten their elite soldiers?"

The genin reporting the intelligence spoke with some difficulty.

"The Land of the Moon had deployed three defensive lines around the capital, but they were directly blanketed by the artillery fire of the Land of Whirlpools' Rocket Launchers; I heard the very earth was blasted down by three inches."

"The capital of the Land of the Moon had its barrier pierced by the new weapons of the Land of Whirlpools, known as 'Weasel Tanks,' and the city walls were torn to shreds."

"Outside the palace, those 'Weasel Tanks' could fire kunai at incredible speeds; the elite soldiers couldn't defend against them even with their shields raised, and they were completely wiped out in just a few minutes."

"Intelligence from inside the palace is impossible to gather, but explosions occurred within, and the architecture that had stood for generations in the Land of the Moon was destroyed in an instant."

After hearing this, the anger in the heart of the Third Raikage, Ai, began to subside.

It appeared the situation was the same as the war in the Land of Water; they were utilizing new types of weaponry.

The Land of Whirlpools was truly a nation with infinite potential.

He took a deep breath and spoke to his subordinates.

"Remain calm during the negotiations with the Land of Whirlpools. See if we can include their new weapons in the talks. If they are unwilling, do not force the issue; we shall make further plans once my son returns."

The jonin Dodai stepped forward.

"Lord Raikage, let me be the one to go as the envoy."

"Although the new weapons of the Land of Whirlpools are formidable, the ninja world is not something that can be dominated by weapons alone."

"Our Kumogakure's 'Strongest Lightning Release Armor' cannot be pierced by any number of their Rocket Launchers."

"I understand everything you say, but the Strongest Lightning Release Armor is something only a few of us old fogies can use; we can only treat it as a final trump card."

"That old man Uzumaki Ashina is still alive and well; the Land of Whirlpools can no longer be considered a small nation." The Third Raikage, Ai, waved his hand and continued.

"Our strategy must also change. You go as the envoy, keep an eye on my son, and handle other situations as you see fit."

"Lord Raikage, I guarantee I will complete the mission." After saying this, the jonin Dodai walked out.

The Third Raikage, Ai, sat back in his chair and fell into deep thought.