Internal Thunderclap, a Killing Scheme Using a Forged Seal

"Bang!"

The wooden door to the Hokage's Office was violently flung open. An Anbu member wearing a cat-face mask stumbled in, kneeling on one knee, his chest heaving, his voice hoarse.

"Fifth Hokage! Something's happened! The classified archives have been attacked, and the barrier holding the diplomatic seals has been breached!" The Anbu ripped a scroll from their backs and presented it with both hands. "All the guards have been wiped out. A forged secret order bearing the genuine seal has already been sent to the Land of Iron via express Ninja Hawk!"

Tsunade turned around abruptly. She didn't say anything, but simply pressed her five fingers heavily on the mahogany desk in front of her.

"Click--"

The sturdy solid wood tabletop shattered instantly, spiderweb-like cracks spreading outwards, and wood chips fell in a flurry.

"The Root have just dispersed, and yet someone dares to resort to such dirty tricks right under my nose!" Tsunade's voice was icy cold, her knuckles cracking as she clenched her fists.

If that forged edict falls into the hands of Admiral Mifune of the Land of Iron, regardless of whether its content is a declaration of war or a threat, Hidden Leaf will be branded as having "provoked a neutral country" before the Five Kage Summit. This would not only be a slap in the face, but would also force Hidden Leaf to become the public enemy of the entire Shinobi World.

Shikamaru rushed to the map, his finger rapidly tracing the route from Hidden Leaf to the Land of Iron, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "The 'Express Ninja Hawk' is incredibly fast. Ten minutes have passed since the attack; that bird has flown at least twenty miles. There are vast snowfields and interfering magnetic fields along the way; conventional methods simply cannot pinpoint its location."

The atmosphere in the office plummeted to freezing point.

Naruto stood in front of the broken French window, a gust of cold wind mixed with snowflakes ruffling his blond hair. He put his hands in the large pockets of his robe, without even turning his body, but just turned his head to glance at the fragments of the barrier presented by the Anbu.

"It's not Root remnants." Naruto's tone was calm, without the slightest hint of panic at being outmaneuvered. "The residual Chakra scent on the barrier is wrong. The other side deliberately used Root's old-fashioned forced dismantling methods, just to throw us into disarray and make us waste our energy on internal chakra."

Kakashi Opening Gate and walked in, pulling down his Forehead Protector to reveal his crimson Sharingan: "I'll take the First Anbu squad and give chase immediately. As long as it hasn't crossed the border of the Land of Fire, I can shoot it down."

"The Anbu can't catch up." Naruto shook his head and turned to his desk. "The Flying Thunder God can catch up, but only if someone forces that beast out of the clouds."

Sasuke had been leaning against the shadows in the corner, straightened up.

"I'll cut off its path." Sasuke's hand rested on the hilt of the Kusanagi Sword, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly rotating in the dim light, radiating a cold, aggressive gleam.

Naruto glanced at him. This kid had just finished going through Danzo's top-secret files and was full of anger with nowhere to vent it. Letting him bleed out a little would be good.

"Okay." Naruto walked up to Sasuke, his gaze sharp. "But remember, the letter is more important than the bird. The person who takes the letter is more important than the letter itself. I want him alive."

"Alive?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"The dead can't speak; only the living can fetch a good price on the table in the Land of Iron." Naruto grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth. "Go on, don't hold back."

Without a word, Sasuke stomped his foot and transformed into a black afterimage, rushing out of the window. The Lightning Release Chakra left a sharp crack in the air.

A blizzard raged on the northern border of the Land of Fire.

Atop a snow-covered pine forest, a figure in a greyish-white cloak stood on a treetop. His hands were in the "Yin" mudra, and he looked up at a tiny black dot in the sky, almost invisible to the naked eye, a strange smile playing on his lips.

"Fools. By the time you realize it, the secret order from Hidden Leaf demanding that the Land of Iron confiscate the weapons of all villages will already be on Mifune's desk."

The White Zetsu Clone grinned maliciously, just about to disappear underground and escape.

The dark clouds overhead were suddenly and violently torn apart by a blinding blue-white bolt of lightning!

"Chidori Sharp Spear!"

A five-meter-long lightning spear slashed down from above like divine punishment, instantly evaporating the snowflakes along its path in the intense heat. Before the White Zetsu Clone could even react, the century-old pine tree beneath his feet, along with a large section of its canopy, was cleaved in two by this violent Lightning Release!

"Boom!"

The broken tree trunk crashed into the snow, White Zetsu Clone tumbled awkwardly into a snow pit. He looked up sharply and saw Sasuke standing on half a tree trunk, his Kusanagi Sword half an inch from its sheath, arcs of electricity crackling on the blade.

"Remnants of the Uchiha?!" The White Zetsu Clone's pupils contracted, and he blurted out instinctively.

Sasuke's eyes were devoid of warmth, and he didn't bother to utter a single unnecessary word. His figure vanished abruptly, followed by a thunderous roar, and he reappeared in front of the White Zetsu Clone, delivering a powerful kick to its chest.

With a dull thud as bones broke, the White Zetsu Clone flew backward like a rag doll, crashing into three pine trees before coming to a stop.

"Cough..." White Zetsu Clone spat out a mouthful of pale green liquid. Seeing that there was no way to escape, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes, and his hands suddenly Hand Seals.

He was going to detonate the Chakra within his body, blowing the backup scroll hidden in his chest to smithereens!

"You want to die? Did you even ask me?"

A deep voice suddenly boomed in the ear of the White Zetsu Clone.

Before he could even unleash his Chakra, a golden lightning bolt appeared out of nowhere. Naruto stepped on the shoulder of the White Zetsu Clone, and the powerful Pure Yang Chakra pressed down like Mount Tai.

"Pfft!"

Four golden Uzumaki sealing chains shot out from Naruto's back, precisely piercing through the joints of the White Zetsu Clone's limbs. The runes on the chains instantly lit up, draining all the Chakra from the White Zetsu's body.

The White Zetsu Clone twitched in vain, like a dead fish nailed to a chopping board.

A mournful cry echoed from the sky as the urgent Ninja Hawk, struck by Sasuke's Lightning Release, fell to the snow, its secret cylinder strapped to its leg rolling out.

Sasuke walked over, used the tip of his sword to lift the scroll, crushed the seal with one hand, and pulled out the forged secret order bearing the Hokage's seal. After glancing at the contents, he sneered and threw the scroll at Naruto.

Naruto caught it with one hand and casually stuffed it into his pocket. He looked down at the White Zetsu Clone at his feet, his golden eyes filled with mockery.

"You... even if you capture me, it's useless!" The White Zetsu Clone gritted his teeth. "Once the Five Kage Summit begins, an army of 100,000 will be pressing in. Hidden Leaf will be isolated sooner or later..."

Naruto ignored his barking. He pulled a transparent glass dish from his ninja tool pouch, which contained a pool of dark, eerie slime. This was the remains of Black Zetsu that he had forced out from underground when he killed Danzo in Hidden Leaf.

"Smack!"

Naruto smashed a glass dish into the face of the White Zetsu Clone, the shards of glass mixed with slime cutting into the pale face.

"Using the old Root code to play tricks and sneakily stamp an official seal. That spineless dog Obito is only fit to play this kind of childish game in the sewers."

Naruto stomped on the White Zetsu Clone, causing its shoulder bones to crack and cry out in pain.

"You think this is a setup against Hidden Leaf?" Naruto leaned down, his voice brimming with undisguised arrogance and domineering power. "Go back and tell the Masked Man. I'll personally slam this fake secret order on the Raikage and Tsuchikage's desks. Tell them this is evidence of Akatsuki war."

Naruto straightened up, and his Pure Yang Chakra erupted, instantly clearing away the snow within a ten-meter radius.

"Anyone who dares to Jinchūriki or ordinary people as bargaining chips in this meeting, anyone who dares to pull dirty tricks behind the scenes, I, Naruto Uzumaki, will personally dig their grave. Do you understand?"

The White Zetsu Clone was so shocked by the terrifying pressure that its mind went blank, it trembled and couldn't utter a single word.

Naruto raised his Hand Seals. The Adamantine Sealing Chains quickly contracted, enveloping the White Zetsu Clone in an airtight golden cocoon, which he then tossed into the sealing scroll he carried with him.

"Let's go." Naruto turned to Sasuke. "The first gift is ready. It's time to warm things up in the Land of Iron."

Sasuke did not respond immediately.

He stood there, his gaze fixed on the empty shaft that had just fallen from Ninja Hawk's leg.

I didn't notice it when I pulled the letter, but now, under the residual light of the Lightning Release, a very faint dark pattern has appeared on the bottom inside the shaft.

It was a totem that had been burned on with fire-attribute Chakra.

A black Crow with its left wing missing.

Sasuke's fingers tightened suddenly, his knuckles cracking. This was a code only he recognized.

Itachi Uchiha is already in the Land of Iron.