Kumogakure

Amid towering peaks, clouds and mist swirled.

Bare giant rock faces blended perfectly with man-made buildings, rugged yet magnificent.

Beneath a cliff that echoed with deafening thunder stood a man quietly beneath a waterfall.

His dark skin gave him an air of resolve and ferocity, yet at that moment, he seemed lost in deep thought.

Water poured down from a thousand-meter cliff, crashing against his body with the force of a thousand pounds. He rolled his neck as though it merely helped loosen his muscles.

"Lord Raikage! There's new information..."

The hurried Cloud Shinobi dropped to one knee, though the delight in his voice was impossible to conceal.

"Mm..."

The Third Raikage's deep voice boomed. Lightning seemed to flash from his eyes as he slowly stepped out of the waterfall.

The muscles swelling across his body were as solid as blocks of stone. Water droplets clung to them, gleaming beneath the sunlight and radiating vigorous vitality.

"Reports from our spies in the Land of Wind confirm that the Third Kazekage of Sunagakure has indeed gone missing. A struggle for the position of Fourth Kazekage has already begun within Sunagakure..."

"Good!"

A deep scar crossed the Third Raikage's chest, standing out starkly against his body.

"Gather the Jonin class immediately... Assemble at Raikage Tower in ten minutes!"

"Yes!"

The Cloud Shinobi of the Land of Lightning excelled in Lightning Release ninjutsu. Their roaring thunderstorms were as swift and decisive as their temperament. By the time the Third Raikage had changed into his Raikage cloak, the elite Jonin of the Jonin class had already gathered in the conference hall of Raikage Tower.

"You all know already, don't you..."

The Third Raikage swept his gaze around the room. Everyone's eyes were fixed on him. No one spoke, but their gazes burned with fighting spirit.

"Sunagakure's spies have secretly reported that Sunagakure is now in complete chaos. This is an opportunity for us Cloud Shinobi..."

"Cloud Shinobi have lived in this bitterly cold land since ancient times. The mountains and cliffs are gifts from heaven, but they are also our shackles!"

"We need a place where we can advance to attack and retreat to defend, a bridgehead for Cloud Shinobi to enter the main battlefield!"

"For this operation, we will feign an attack on Konoha and launch a surprise assault on Sunagakure!"

The Raikage's voice resounded through the entire building. He slammed his palm onto the table with a tremendous bang, shattering the desk into pieces.

"Where Sand Shinobi cannot govern themselves, we will take over for them!"

The Third Raikage's son, A, was the leader of the Jonin class. Without relying on the Raikage's help, he had fought his way up one fist at a time. His face, eighty percent similar to the Third Raikage's, was likewise filled with fighting spirit.

Because of this, the title "A," the symbol of the Cloud Shinobi's honor, had gradually spread throughout the village. Nearly everyone had come to acknowledge him as the Raikage's successor.

Father and son sharing the same title was also regarded as a symbol of Kumogakure's rise.

"Dodai, contact the Stone Shinobi and discuss a joint deployment plan..."

"That old fellow Ōnoki has long coveted Konoha..."

"He certainly won't stand by this time..."

"A, you will be responsible for the Konoha front. If my prediction is correct, Hiruzen Sarutobi will definitely send his prized disciple, Jiraiya, as the commander-in-chief. Though it is only a feint, your responsibility is heavy."

"Yes!"

"Jiraiya, huh? I'd also like to see the legendary Sannin for myself..."

Fighting spirit flashed through A's eyes like lightning. He looked at Killer B beside him, raised his arm, and slowly bumped it against Killer B's raised arm.

The Cloud Shinobi Jonin seemed to be ignited by that fighting spirit as well, watching the pair of perfect partners with blazing eyes.

With the Third Raikage, A, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki Killer B, and the Two-Tails Jinchuriki Yugito Nii, Kumogakure was stronger than ever before.

"I want to fight too!"

The fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl with tea-brown hair carried an aloof chill about her. Her fair skin stood out sharply among everyone present as she looked at the Third Raikage with a trace of longing in her eyes.

"Yo! Listen to the Raikage, yo yo, don't make a fuss!"

"Hmph!"

Yugito snorted and punched Killer B in the ribs. Killer B twisted about dramatically.

"Yo, little girl, big strength, ow, ow, ow!"

"Hey! B! This is a Jonin class meeting. That's enough!"

A frowned, an intimidating aura radiating from his body. He punched B on the top of the head and smashed him into the floor.

"Yo, my big brother, so unreasonable..."

The other Jonin watched the scene with kindly smiles. Jinchuriki, once seen as terrifying and ominous, had now become figures respected and cherished by everyone in the village. All those changes had begun with this rap-loving boy.

"Enough..."

"Yugito, you still can't fully control the Two-Tails. Stay in the village this time..."

"Yes..."

"Yo, little brat looks miserable, yo yo, train hard, yo..."

"It's all your fault, your fault..."

Yugito's fists held little strength. She also knew it was because she still could not fully control the Tailed Beasts' power.

Perhaps because he had once endured dark and lonely days himself, Killer B always liked to ease Yugito's loneliness through such antics. Over the years, Yugito had gradually fully integrated into the Cloud Shinobi and become a qualified Cloud Shinobi warrior.

Perhaps most people dwelling in darkness only needed a hand. It did not need to do much; a gentle pull was enough to let them see long-lost light.

Kato Xu had never imagined that the blond man, his senior brother in name, would be such a gentle person.

After registering his ninja file, Kato Xu arrived at the appointed training ground. What greeted him was not one mission after another, but bright sunlight and a pleasant afternoon.

"Hey, brat, so it was you..."

Kushina Uzumaki was still as straightforward as when they had first met. Just as he had guessed, she possessed extraordinary sensory abilities and recognized Kato Xu at a glance.

"Kushina... sis..."

"Come on, hurry and try the meat I just grilled. It should be cooked by now, right..."

Kushina bustling around the grill gave Kato Xu an odd sense of dissonance. He had never imagined seeing such a scene at a training ground...

"Xu, Kushina has been busy all morning waiting for you..."

Minato Namikaze gently patted Kato Xu's shoulder, still wearing that warm smile.

"Yo, Minato, I never expected Kushina to cook herself..."

A middle-aged man with two streaks of face paint suddenly appeared beside Kushina, swiftly snatched a skewer of grilled meat from the rack, and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Wow... Kushina, how much chili did you put in this?!"

Jiraiya danced around from the heat, greatly overturning Kato Xu's expectations. He had never thought the legendary Sannin Jiraiya would be this "adorable" in private.

"Haha, I made that especially for Teacher Jiraiya!"

Kushina laughed so hard she doubled over.

"Serves you right..."

Tsunade approached from afar with a little girl. Before she even arrived, her voice had already carried over.

"Brother Xu?"

The little girl seemed somewhat shy, but her eyes sparkled as she stared unblinkingly at Kato Xu.

"Shizune? It's really been a long time..."

Kato Xu could not remember when he had last seen Shizune. Back then, she had only just learned to walk...

Tsunade's gaze also fell on Kato Xu.

"This kid... is Xu..."

Pain flickered in her eyes, as though she had remembered those who had already passed away.

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed as well. He did not want Tsunade to remain immersed in pain. He wanted her to face the things she had once known instead of endlessly running away from them, so he had come and invited her.

Yet clumsy as he was, he seemed only capable of using his clumsy way to help Tsunade escape those emotions and slowly try to let go.

He gently patted Tsunade's shoulder, his expression suddenly becoming exaggerated as he looked at her with a lecherous grin.

"Tsunade! It... it... it... got bigger again..."

Tsunade came back to her senses. Still somewhat dazed, she followed Jiraiya's line of sight and looked down.

Kato Xu felt as though some primordial beast had suddenly begun awakening in the once-empty training ground, emanating a terrifying aura. With her head lowered, Tsunade's face could not be seen.

"Jiraiya... this time, I definitely won't let you off..."

The smooth ground buckled like rolling waves, crumbling beneath Tsunade's furious kick.

"Tsunade, calm down..."

"Minato, I'm leaving first..."

Jiraiya's figure whistled past, snatching away the grilled meat Kushina held in her hand before vanishing from the training ground.

"Jiraiya, don't you run!"

With gusts of wind in her wake, every kick from Tsunade made the training ground seem as though it had suffered a devastating blow, cracking apart layer by layer.

"Teacher Jiraiya..."

Minato looked at the training ground in complete disarray and awkwardly scratched his head.

"Teacher Minato... cough, cough, wasn't there supposed to be a gathering..."

A voice suddenly sounded from the smoke. Uchiha Obito, his face obscured by mud and sand, slowly emerged from the dust with a baffled expression...