Challenge Letter

Inside the windproof tent, the light was dim. Outside, the torrential rain pounded against the canvas, making a dense, muffled sound.

Raikage A sat in the main seat like an iron tower, his thick arms crossed over his chest, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

Kakashi, holding the accounting list, calmly reported the figures, "According to preliminary investigations, the reconstruction costs of the Eight-Code Station, the compensation for the commoners in the market, plus the repairs to the north wall of the Uzumaki stronghold and compensation for the shock, total one hundred and twenty million taels."

After Kakashi finished speaking, the corner of his mouth under his mask twitched involuntarily. This wasn't a claim; it was blatant robbery. Especially that "compensation for the shock from the Uzumaki Clan," which took up 70% of the claim.

Bang!

Raikage slammed his hand on the wooden table in front of him, and the half-palm-thick solid wood tabletop cracked open with a loud bang.

"Kakashi! Do you Hidden Leaf think Hidden Cloud is a piece of easy prey?" the Raikage roared, crackling blue arcs of electricity around him. "Eighty million ryo for a lousy courtyard?"

The surrounding Hidden Cloud ANBU tensed instantly, their veins bulging on the backs of their hands as they gripped the hilts of their Ninja Blade.

Naruto kicked away the broken pieces of wood at his feet, pulled over a perfectly good chair, and sat down with a flourish, placing his legs directly on the broken edge of the table.

"Old man, stop complaining about being poor." Naruto picked at his ear, completely ignoring the menacing aura. "That Lariat almost gave me internal injuries, and I haven't even paid for your medical bills yet. If you think it's too expensive, I'll take that scarred-face guy back to Hidden Leaf right now and have the Anbu investigate him thoroughly. Let's see how your Hidden Cloud Village's military Lightning Explosion Tag ended up on the black market."

This statement precisely hit the Raikage's weak point.

Samui stood to the side and slightly behind the Raikage, adjusted his glasses, and pushed forward a tattered seal blueprint.

"Lord Raikage, the evidence they have is very complete. Those Lightning Explosion Tag do indeed bear our village's special code." Samui's tone was calm, but he was frantically hinting to the Raikage to settle things as soon as possible.

Raikage's jaw clenched so tightly it made a grinding sound.

He, the Fourth Raikage, was completely outmaneuvered by a Genin. But the facts are clear: if this scandal were to be exposed by Hidden Leaf to the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning, or even made public, Hidden Cloud would not only face a massive political reshuffle, but its military budget for the following year would also be halved.

"Fine! Hidden Cloud accepts this money!" The Raikage grabbed a pen, roughly signed his name, then slammed the pen down. "Within three days, the money will be transferred to the Hokage's Office through the black market! Now, hand over that missing-nin!"

Raikage pointed to the scarred man in the corner, bound like a dead pig by golden chains and already unconscious.

"He's yours, but I have a condition." Naruto withdrew his leg, stood up, and walked to the Raikage. "Joint interrogation. The interrogation will take place in Hidden Leaf. You can send people to listen in, but no one can take him away alone until you get him to talk."

"You mean you don't trust me?!" Raikage's anger reignited.

"I don't trust the Hidden Cloud's security system." Naruto sneered, leaning forward and placing his hands on the table, staring aggressively at the Raikage. "Your own village's Jinchūriki can be sold by weight on the black market. Who knows if this bastard will 'accidentally die' on the way?"

Raikage was speechless for a moment.

Naruto didn't give the Raikage a chance to refute him. He casually picked up the calligraphy brush that had been slammed on the table and removed the cap.

"Since it's a joint processing document, the rules must be clearly established."

Naruto flicked his wrist and wrote a line of words in a wild, flowing style at the bottom of the document. The strokes were powerful and forceful, seemingly penetrating the paper.

He turned the scroll around and tapped the line of ink with the pen.

[No ninja village may use Kekkei Genkai, Tailed Beast, or Jinchūriki as bargaining chips. Violators will be executed.]

The short sentence, with its still-wet handwriting, exuded an extremely domineering and arrogant air.

The moment Kakashi saw the words, his eyelids twitched. The Five Great Nations Shinobi World nations' clandestine trade in Kekkei Genkai and experimental subjects was an open secret. Naruto's move essentially put the power to overturn the table in his own hands.

Raikage stared intently at the line of text, rubbing his thumb vigorously in his palm.

"Boy, do you think you can change the ironclad rules of the Shinobi World with just a few words?" the Raikage said in a deep voice.

"This isn't changing the ironclad rules." Naruto casually snapped the brush in half and tossed it into the wastebasket. "This is establishing new rules. You don't have to sign, but I guarantee that the moment you step out of Lightning Cloud Gorge, the information about the Hidden Cloud's sale of the Two-Tails will be on the desks of the daimyo of various countries."

"Lord Raikage, please sign."

The tent flap was lifted, and a drizzle of cold rain drifted in.

The Yugito Nii stepped in. She was still wearing Naruto's oversized, tattered coat, and her long, golden hair was wet from the rain and clung to her fair neck. Her earlier outburst had made her steps a little unsteady, but her eyes were clearer and colder than ever before.

As she walked from the Yugito to the wooden table, her gaze swept over the newly added clause, a complex emotion flickering in her eyes. As Perfect Jinchuriki, she knew better than anyone the tragedy of being used as a weapon. And now, a Hidden Leaf Genin had given her the strongest protective shield in the most ruthless way.

She raised her head and looked directly into Raikage's eyes.

"I accept this rule." A ghostly blue Cat Fire ignited at the Yugito's finger, its temperature frighteningly low. "From now on, if anyone in the village dares to even think of trading Jinchūriki, I'll be the first to burn their heart through."

This is a warning to the higher-ups within the Hidden Cloud Sect, and also a statement of their stance.

Samui remained silent, but unconsciously shifted his stance half a step closer to Yugito.

The Raikage glanced at Yugito, then at Naruto, Naruto on his face.

"Alright! I'll sign!"

Raikage a deep breath, dipped his thumb in ink, and pressed a bright red handprint heavily onto the arrogant clause. The table broke under the weight and fell apart completely.

"Boy, I'll remember this debt." Raikage said sternly as he put away his scroll.

"You're welcome to settle accounts anytime, just remember to bring enough money." Naruto snapped his fingers.

A massive crisis that could have triggered a border war was forcibly brought to an end with an extremely unequal treaty.

The rain outside the tent gradually subsided.

Killer B swayed his hips and approached, his tentacles expertly curling up a skewer and handing it to Naruto.

"Big Brother exudes domineering aura, and sees things much more clearly than Grandpa. Next time you visit Hidden Cloud, there will be plenty of takoyaki, yo!" Killer B, wearing crooked sunglasses, wildly twisted his hips.

Naruto leaned back in disgust, avoiding the skewer that was about to poke his nose.

"Stop rapping, or I'll beat you up too."

After the handover was completed, Kakashi directed Karin and Sakura to carry the scarred man, who was bound up like a pretzel, on their shoulders.

Sasuke leaned against a rock wall not far away, his head bowed, his black hair obscuring his eyes. He touched the back of his neck; the Three-Tomoe Sharingan Cursed Seal, which should have been throbbing, was now completely still. Naruto's extremely domineering Yang Release Chakra had not only suppressed Orochimaru's sinister aura but had also left an insurmountable mark of power within him.

In Sasuke's eyes, a flame called obsession was burning wildly.

"Let's go." Naruto didn't stop as he passed Yugito. "No need to return the coat, keep it for mopping the floor."

Yugito froze for a moment, instinctively clutching her collar, watching the golden figure recede into the distance, and muttered under her breath, "Arrogant bastard."

Just as the Hidden Leaf members were preparing to set off.

A pale white lightning bolt suddenly streaked across the sky. Immediately afterward, a pale white paper bird, no bigger than a palm, emerged abruptly from the depths of the rain, braving the lingering violent magnetic field of Lightning Cloud Gorge.

Its flight path was extremely strange; it didn't get wet at all, and the edges of its wings were as sharp as knives.

Naruto stopped in his tracks, his golden pupils narrowing slightly.

He didn't activate his Pure Byakugan, but the absolute perception brought by the Great Evolution Divine Soul Art instantly locked onto the paper bird. There was no Chakra fluctuation, only an extremely subtle spiritual attachment.

The paper bird circled halfway in the air before swooping down precisely towards Naruto.

"Watch out!" Kakashi instantly drew his Kunai, his Sharingan spinning rapidly.

Naruto raised his left hand and pressed it against Kakashi's wrist.

"Don't be nervous, we're on the same side."

He extended his right hand, palm up. The paper bird landed steadily in his hand, its wings quickly unfolding into a flat sheet of white paper.

On the white paper, there was only one line of neat, small characters written in black ink.

Kakashi leaned closer and glanced at it, his expression instantly changing.

Naruto stared at the words, a chilling smile slowly creeping onto his lips.

The handwriting was Konan's, but the message it conveyed came from that man who called himself a god.

[The three-day period has ended. Pain will arrive in the Land of Fire before the rain stops.]

Three days ago, in the secret underground room of the Uzumaki Estate, Naruto crushed a communication crane with his bare hands and asked Konan to deliver a message: the decisive battle will take place on the border of the Land of Fire in three days.

Now, the time has come.

"Big brother, what's wrong?" Sasuke stepped forward and noticed the change in Naruto's aura. The languor was gone, replaced by the extreme excitement of a hunter smelling the scent of top-quality blood.

Naruto clenched his five fingers.

With a soft hiss, the white paper covered in ultimatums spontaneously combusted in his palm, turning into ashes and dissipating in the wind.

He turned around and looked northeast. The thunderclouds in the distance were slowly dissipating, and the rain was gradually subsiding.

"Kakashi, the original plan is canceled." Naruto flicked the ashes from his palm. "You take Sasuke, Sakura, and Karin, and escort the prisoners back to the village immediately. Tell Tsunade that I've repaired the threshold of the Uzumaki New Residence, and have her prepare the medical team."

Kakashi frowned. "And what about you?"

"Me?" Naruto put his hands in his pockets, cracking his neck as he snapped it open. "I'm going to pick up a few old acquaintances."

"It's only polite to reciprocate. They've come all the way to the Land of Fire to cause trouble, so as the host, I have to go and greet them."

Before he could finish speaking, the rock beneath Naruto's feet shattered with a deafening crash.

A violent aura of gold and green shot into the sky, unleashing its full power, as the Eight Gates opened the Gate of Life. The gale tore apart the surrounding rain.

Swish!

Naruto's figure transformed into a golden streak of light that tore through the air, shooting off toward the border of the Land of Fire and disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.

Kakashi stood there, looking at the two deep dents in the ground, and took a deep breath.

"Full speed back to the village! Enter maximum combat readiness!"

A storm is brewing. The real upheaval in Hidden Leaf has only just begun.