All Sides Stirring, Friend or Foe?

The same scene was unfolding within Sunagakure.

In the Kazekage's office, the Third Kazekage sat at the head of the table, stroking his chin as if lost in deep thought.

Elder Chiyo and Ebizo sat on either side of him, both staring blankly at a piece of intelligence.

Furthermore, the most powerful figures in Sunagakure were all gathered together today.

"Brother, is this intelligence authentic?" Chiyo raised her head and asked first.

"Sister, even the Third Kazekage hasn't questioned it, yet you are the first to do so."

Chiyo knew that Ebizo controlled the largest intelligence network in Sunagakure. Since this report had been presented, it must have undergone rigorous verification.

The Third Kazekage looked up at the siblings. "What do you two think of this matter?"

Chiyo was about to speak, but Ebizo hurriedly shot her a subtle look, causing her to swallow her words back down.

Ebizo looked at the Third Kazekage. "How does the Third Kazekage intend to handle this? My sister and I will certainly give our all."

Seeing that he could not bait them into speaking their minds, the Third Kazekage stopped holding back and declared aloud, "Orochimaru slaughtered many of our ninja during the Second Shinobi World War; his crimes are monstrous! Uchiha Lihuo killed one Jonin and two Chunin in succession during the Oniichiro incident; he is also beyond redemption. Now that a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has finally arrived, I believe we should assemble the Anbu and wait for the chance to assassinate them."

With that, a powerful aura erupted from the Third Kazekage—the sharp, peerless pressure possessed only by a Kage-level powerhouse. It was as if he would brook no refusal of his decision.

Ebizo stood up and bowed slightly. "We are willing to serve the Third Kazekage with all our hearts!"

Afterward, ignoring the look of fury on Chiyo's face, he forcibly pulled his sister away.

Once they were out of the Kazekage building, Chiyo could no longer suppress her anxiety and broke free from Ebizo. "Brother! Can't you see it? This is a..."

"Shh!" Ebizo pressed a finger to his lips, signaling for silence, and cast a subtle glance upward.

Sure enough, the Third Kazekage was watching them from the massive glass window of his office.

"We'll talk when we get home!"

Chiyo also sensed that her brother's reaction was strange, so she followed him home, half-doubting.

Ebizo closed the door, carefully sensed that no one was around, and looked Chiyo in the eyes. "You wanted to say this is a blatant trap, didn't you?"

Chiyo spoke clearly, "Otherwise what? It is absolutely a scheme by Konoha to intentionally leak the intelligence on Orochimaru and Uchiha Lihuo; this is highly likely a vicious plot to use our hands to kill their enemies!"

Ebizo's expression was grave as he stared directly at his sister. "It isn't just you; the Third Kazekage and I both saw that this is a blatant trap."

"Then why did you..."

"But you didn't notice that the Third Kazekage set an invisible trap for the two of us." Ebizo continued, "The Oniichiro incident is already spreading through the village, and villagers are already accusing us of being weak and incompetent in this matter!"

Chiyo retorted, "That was the Third Kazekage's decision, and besides, the situation at the time was not suitable for deploying troops."

"And so what? The Third Kazekage wants the unanimous approval of the villagers."

Hearing this, Chiyo suddenly realized the truth. "So..."

Ebizo nodded. "So the Third Kazekage asked us repeatedly, all to induce us to speak out against deploying troops. That way, he can preserve Sunagakure's strength while shifting all the blame onto us."

Having heard this, Chiyo collapsed into her chair.

"How did I not think of that?"

She said, looking utterly dejected.

"But brother, once we dispatch troops, facing the Sand Village will most likely bring more harm than good."

Ebizo heard his sister's words, his eyes narrowing slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he said leisurely:

"Not necessarily. If we choose the right moment, it is not impossible to achieve success in a single stroke!"

Land of Lightning, Cloud Village, Unraikyo.

BOOM!!!

BANG!!!

A series of thunderous roars echoed throughout the entire canyon.

A dark-skinned man, his entire body flashing with dazzling lightning, was locked in battle with the Eight-Tails, a beast ten thousand times his size!

The Eight-Tails, which struck fear into the hearts of the entire ninja world, was being firmly held in check by this man, and was even showing signs of defeat!

That dark-skinned man was none other than the Third Raikage, Ai!

ROAR!

The Eight-Tails let out a furious, unwilling bellow as a pitch-black Tailed Beast Bomb instantly condensed in its maw!

The Cloud ninjas watching from outside Unraikyo gazed at the Tailed Beast Bomb, which radiated an aura of death, and could not help but break into a cold sweat for their Raikage.

Yet at this moment, Ai was unable to move due to the strain of the high-intensity battle!

WHOOSH!

The Tailed Beast Bomb shot from the Eight-Tails' mouth like lightning, slamming fiercely into the resting Ai!

BOOM!

In an instant, the world seemed to lose its color as the Tailed Beast Bomb expanded into a growing sphere.

Wherever this sphere touched, nothing remained; the very earth crumbled and disintegrated!

A few seconds later, color returned to the world. When everyone looked toward the spot where the Tailed Beast Bomb had struck, they gasped in shock!

Within the massive crater, thick smoke billowed, and a robust figure stood tall like an iron tower!

Though his body was charred black, his aura continued to climb steadily. It was the strongest shield: the Third Raikage!

Ai slowly spread his legs, assuming a sprinting stance. Lightning erupted from his body, and he extended a single finger on his right hand, endless lightning-attribute chakra condensing upon it.

The Raikage's rough voice rang out:

"Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite!"

Before the words had even faded, Ai shot forward like a bolt of lightning, rushing toward the massive Eight-Tails.

BOOM!

Following the final clash between the Eight-Tails and the Raikage, the Eight-Tails was defeated once again!

The members of the sealing team rushed over, quickly utilizing the Iron Armor Seal to lock the Eight-Tails back inside Blue B.

As the dust settled, the Cloud ninjas scrambled toward Unraikyo to assist.

The Raikage, having just finished his battle with the Tailed Beast, was currently receiving treatment from the medical team while handling official business.

"Lord Raikage, we need to send someone to the Mizukage's inauguration ceremony. What do you think..."

The Raikage's secretary spoke quickly.

The Raikage pondered for a moment upon hearing this.

"Have that brat Ai lead a team to Kirigakure to observe the ceremony."

"Understood. There is one more thing: Orochimaru and the newly emerged genius from Konoha, Uchiha Lihuo, will also be attending. Should we..."

As the secretary spoke, he made a throat-slitting gesture.

The Raikage flexed his arm, thinking it over briefly.

"Hold your position for now. Let's see what the others intend to do!"

The secretary nodded slightly and hurried away, leaving only the members of the medical team to quickly tend to the Raikage's wounds.

Land of Water, Kirigakure.

At this moment, Kirigakure had moved past its previous isolationist policies, and many new faces could be seen everywhere.

The sole purpose of their arrival was to witness the inauguration of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi.

Although he had not yet officially taken office, Yagura was already handling official business in the Mizukage's office ahead of schedule.

"Lord Mizukage, here is a piece of intelligence for your review."

Genji, the most respected elder in Kirigakure, handed a report to Yagura with his aged hands.

Yagura scanned the document quickly before looking toward Genji.

"So, you're saying the Konoha envoys are very likely to become a target for everyone?"

Genji nodded slowly.

"Precisely. Orochimaru and Uchiha Lihuo made enemies of the Sand Village a year ago, so the Sand Village will likely seize this opportunity to strike."

"And with Onoki's cunning and treacherous nature, it is impossible that he won't try to get a piece of the action."

Yagura set down the intelligence report, stood up slowly, and began to pace around the office.

He knew that this incident was a crucial test of his capabilities as the new Mizukage; if he handled it poorly, it could very well lead to negative repercussions.

Furthermore, Yagura understood that he could not rely on Genji too much; he had to make this decision himself!

After a moment of thought, Yagura spoke slowly.

"Orochimaru and Uchiha Lihuo cannot be harmed! At the very least, they cannot be harmed on the territory of the Land of Water!"

"Otherwise, it would severely damage the reputation of Kirigakure."

Upon hearing this, Genji nodded in satisfaction and then asked, "Then what should be done?"

Yagura said decisively, "Seal off parts of the ports under the pretext of security, and dispatch the Seven Ninja Swordsmen to provide an escort!"

Hearing this, Genji hesitated.

"Wouldn't that be making too much of a fuss? You know that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen are usually tasked with assassinations and other high-priority missions."

Yagura looked at Genji and said in an unquestionable tone, "I said, the Konoha envoys cannot be harmed! Who knows what kind of trouble the other hidden villages might stir up?"

Seeing that the Mizukage had made up his mind, Genji said no more. As he was leaving, he added, "Do you need them to be eliminated after they leave Kirigakure?"

"You must realize this is an excellent opportunity to weaken Konoha."

Yagura shook his head at these words.

"I have just taken office and my foundation is not yet stable; it is not the time for major conflict. Besides, if so many hidden villages combined cannot kill them, adding us to the mix won't make a difference. This matter is settled."

Genji nodded and took his leave.

And just like that, all the hidden villages began to mobilize at the very same moment!