Kumogakure's Move

"That's normal. I bet a lot of them were forced by their families to write those letters."

Eiji imagined himself as a girl whose family thought a boy with a bright future was worth getting close to, so they forced her to write him a love letter. He could already feel how mortifying it would be.

They barely knew each other. How could a sudden love letter possibly be accepted? It would only make things awkward.

"Hmph. You're enjoying it, aren't you, Eiji? So many girls are writing you love letters."

Kushina had somehow fallen into step beside him. Arms folded, she watched him out of the corner of one eye.

He would be lying if he said it didn't make him happy, but getting letters every day was troubling too.

"I just don't want to throw them away. Confessing takes a lot of courage. It would be rude to toss them out."

"Oh?" Kushina darted in front of Eiji and asked mockingly, "Then why did you throw away the letters boys wrote you?"

Eiji was at a loss himself. Why was he even getting letters from boys? How could people in the Shinobi World have such varied tastes when just getting by was hard enough?

Letters from boys didn't make him happy at all.

Seeing that Eiji had no answer, Kushina mercifully let the subject drop.

"Let me try making dinner tonight?"

"All right."

"Honestly! You're supposed to say, 'I can't wait!' That's how you make a girl happy!"

"I can't wait."

"That's way too halfhearted!"

The next day.

A large group of cloaked Ninja wearing Kumogakure Forehead Protectors raced across the Land of Fire.

At their head was the Third Raikage, a heavily muscled man with wild white hair and a tattoo of the character for "lightning" on his bare right arm.

More than two hundred Kumogakure Ninja followed him in stern silence.

The Raikage had handpicked these elite Ninja from the village: over ten Jonin, more than a hundred Chunin, and over seventy Genin.

It was a formidable force even on a battlefield. But with a great war looming, the Third Raikage had chosen to take the risk for a critical mission in Konoha.

Ryuuzaki Eiji was improving too quickly. If they did nothing to stop him, what good would winning the Shinobi World War do Kumogakure? Once the boy grew stronger, he would likely become a serious threat.

The usually fearless Third Raikage had a growing sense that if he failed to eliminate Ryuuzaki Eiji, the boy would become someone truly terrifying.

As they raced onward, the Third Raikage glanced at the muscular man running half a step behind him. "B, this mission will put you through a terrible ordeal. You might not come back."

"The responsibility is mine. I'm making you shoulder a burden you shouldn't have to bear, even though you gave up being a Ninja to return to your family."

The man running beside him had a build much like the Third Raikage's, with thickly muscled arms.

He had dark skin, a deep scar on his right cheek, and a Kumogakure Forehead Protector. One look told you he was a powerful Ninja.

"Please don't say that. You're not just the Raikage. You're my brother. Whatever the reason, I have to do my part!"

The muscular man's voice was deep, without a trace of resentment.

"B..."

The Third Raikage A looked at his partner with mixed emotions.

Every Raikage was called "A," and at his side stood a partner as close as a brother, called "B." Kumogakure had maintained that pairing since its founding.

The man beside him was Warui, the formidable Ninja who had once made his name alongside him throughout the Shinobi World.

In Kumogakure, Warui was second only to him. Together, the two had been unbeatable. He was A's closest friend and brother.

But after reaching middle age and starting a family, Warui had no longer wanted them worrying about his safety. He had given up life as a Ninja to stay in the village and raise his children.

Now the Third Raikage had no better option. Sending anyone else to infiltrate Konoha would be sending them to their death. He could only swallow his pride and ask his brother to serve Kumogakure once more.

According to the intelligence passed along by Shimura Danzō, Konoha had been sending more and more personnel to Amegakure in recent years.

Konoha was beginning to look thinly defended, but infiltrating it and capturing Ryuuzaki Eiji and Kushina Uzumaki would still be far from easy.

First, they had to draw away Konoha's security force: the troublesome Uchiha Clan.

Then there was Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other powerful Ninja.

Fortunately, Shimura Danzō had said Konoha was preparing for the Shinobi World War and had already sent much of its fighting strength to the Land of Rain. Konoha was exceptionally vulnerable now. Otherwise, this mission would have been nothing but a death sentence.

The task of drawing Konoha's strongest fighters fell to the Third Raikage. Once he began wreaking havoc at the village gates, Hiruzen Sarutobi would surely come to stop him. That would be the moment Konoha was most exposed!

His partner B and the two hundred Kumogakure elites could then charge into Konoha, spread chaos, and seize its precious Kekkei Genkai!

He had to thank Shimura Danzō for helping them from the inside. If that traitor had been born in Kumogakure, he would have ground his bones to dust.

Shimura Danzō, don't disappoint me!

Konoha Forest.

After breakfast that morning, Eiji and Kushina went to Konoha Forest together for practical combat training.

Lately, Tsunade had been going to the Hokage Office Building whenever she had a spare moment. She came home full of complaints and pestered Eiji to cook more food as a reward for her hard work.

Part of it was Amegakure's recent unrest. Tsunade needed to take part in the military operation against it.

The other part was Hiruzen Sarutobi's plan to reinstate Shimura Danzō as an adviser, arguing that they couldn't go to war without him. Tsunade was deeply unhappy about it.

Eiji thought it was only natural. The Third couldn't keep Danzo locked up forever. Besides, Danzo was good at underhanded tactics. Making him an adviser put that talent to use.

According to the story, Kumogakure's attempt to abduct Kushina took place during the Second Shinobi World War.

They coveted Konoha's ability to perfectly control the Nine-Tails' power and had infiltrated the village in secret to kidnap her.

By then, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru had already gone to the battlefield. With only Hiruzen Sarutobi left in the village, there was no way he could watch over everything.

Eiji intended to use this time to train Kushina. Even if she couldn't defeat her enemies, he wanted her to have some way to protect herself.