A Blue Flash, a Thousand-Mile Deployment

The daimyō raised his face and forced out a smile. Both corners of his mouth trembled uncontrollably.

"As long as the Hidden Cloud sends troops, you can name your price."

"I told you to shut up!"

The roar echoed through the sealed chamber. The daimyō hunched his shoulders, the rest of his words stuck in his throat.

"Your lousy intelligence cost me a thousand-man vanguard! They were wiped out without making so much as a splash!"

"And you still dare bargain with me?!"

The Raikage swung his fist into the communication array. Cracks spread across the mirror, splitting his furious face into pieces.

"If you keep running your mouth and I hear one more word out of it, I'll come over there right now and snap your neck!"

Through the last unbroken patch of mirror, he pointed at the daimyō.

"I'll flatten that rotten palace of yours, too!"

The cracks ran across the entire mirror, and the lightning vanished. The connection to the Land of Lightning was severed.

The daimyō's outstretched hand dropped to his knee. He turned his neck twice before looking toward the Water Mirror connected to the Land of Wind.

Fourth Kazekage Rasa stood amid a sea of yellow sand, holding a torn scrap of paper between two fingers. For a long moment, he said nothing.

"Counterfeit Explosive Tags. Plant ash mixed into the fuses."

He let go. The shoddy Explosive Tag blew away, its scraps sweeping past the mirror.

"Fine work with those military supplies, Your Excellency."

Rasa looked at the daimyō on the floor, barely suppressing the murderous intent in his voice.

He still remembered every word of the insult that fat pig had hurled at him.

If they weren't facing a powerful enemy, he would take the daimyō's life right now.

"Sunagakure is poor.