"If things had gone this way from the beginning, things wouldn't have gotten so tense. Now that business is over, let's talk about personal matters. You're the mastermind behind this farce, aren't you, attacking my subordinate?"
A sense of Mabui washed over him, and he instinctively met the gaze of the Mangekyō in his linen clothes. The exquisite and intricate eyes seemed to rotate slightly, like the patterns on Mangekyō.
"I'm taking the culprit with me. If you want to come after me, go ahead. I'm leaving."
The lightning flashed a deep blue, instantly piercing through Huayue's figure, but the spot where she had stood was now deserted.
Not far away, Mabui's figure also disappeared along with Huayue, leaving only the Fourth Raikage with a grim expression and the Cloud Kumogakure in ruins.
"Lord Killer Bee, Lord Killer B, what's wrong?"
"Chakra depleted! Could it be the Sealing Jutsu from earlier? Damn it, Uchiha! Medical team! Go find the medical team!"
The brief silence was broken by the noise. Looking towards Konoha, the Fourth Raikage's forehead veins bulged, and he wished he could just charge into Konoha.
Only then did he realize what it meant to try to steal a chicken but lose the rice instead. The hunter who hunted geese all day long never expected that today he would have his eyes pecked out by a goose and his brain taken away as well!
"Hiss, Darui, immediately take men to Konoha and rescue Mabui from that damned Uchiha brat. If absolutely necessary, kill Mabui."
The two had already realized the seriousness of the matter. As the Fourth Raikage's personal secretary, Mabui not only possessed many village secrets but also had the Heavenly Transfer Technique and was an outstanding strategist in Kumogakure.
"Yes."
The Fourth Raikage sighed deeply, his face as black as the bottom of a pot. Hishi was a sensory ninja, Darui even possessed the Kekkei Genkai Storm Release, but the two of them alone were simply no match for the Body Flicker Gengetsu to snatch the Mabui from its hands.
Hopefully, Konoha will severely punish the Uchiha's actions, but it remains to be seen whether that brat will care about the Hokage's attitude.
"You damn Ōnoki, you old bastard, you knew all along, didn't you...?"
At the same moment, on the highest peak not far from Kumogakure, Hizashi Hyuga was sweating profusely and had not yet recovered from the shock.
The view from this spot was superb, allowing Hizashi Hyuga to witness a battle that was enough to overturn the entire Ninja World.
"Now, think it over carefully. Your answer will determine the fate of the Hyuga Branch House... and the entire Hyuga Clan. You can come to me anytime."
A chill Hizashi through him. With difficulty, he turned around and saw a familiar figure standing behind him, carrying a slender, unfamiliar woman on his back.
The key point is the woman's skin color...
"Lord Huayue, may I ask who this woman is...?"
Hizashi had already changed the way he addressed people to respectful terms, and he unconsciously lowered his head, fearing that he might displease the young man in front of him.
"Her? A gift from the Fourth Raikage. I plan to have her temporarily serve as my secretary; that's part of her job, hehehe..."
"She's from Kumogakure, and she's unwilling to be loyal and wholeheartedly share your burdens. Perhaps we should choose someone from the Hyuga Clan..."
Before he could finish speaking, Hizashi Hyuga a chill run down his spine as he was stared at by those blood-red eyes. He didn't know what he had said wrong, so he simply kept quiet.
"Are you questioning the Uchiha's eye power? Never mind, no matter who she served before or how steadfast she was, she serves me now."
"Let's go, don't keep your family waiting."
In the dead of night, all was quiet. In Hiruzen Sarutobi Hiruzen's home in Konoha.
Unable to fall asleep for a long time Sarutobi Hiruzen felt uneasy and could only calm his mind with the scent of tobacco.
"What exactly was overlooked?"
Knock, knock, knock. The door was knocked softly. Seeing the arrival of the Anbu, the unease in his heart intensified to the extreme.
"What happened?"
"It's truly astonishing. I'm sorry, I don't know how to describe it. Please watch this videotape and you'll understand. The scenes inside are simply..."
Realizing he had spoken out of turn, the Anbu quickly handed over the videotape with both hands. Sarutobi Hiruzen picked it up suspiciously, stuffed it under the television, and stared at the image on it.
After a brief period of static, the terrain and landforms displayed on the screen surprised Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"If I remember correctly, this should be in front of Kumogakure. I remember going to Kumogakure with the Second Hokage back then, and it was then that the Kinkaku and Ginkaku Brothers... um!"
His pupils contracted, Sarutobi Hiruzen's body stiffened. In an instant, the thousands of mountain peaks in the scene were swallowed up by the intense light.
The final scene freezes on the pure Karasu Tengu walking through the lava, awakening Sarutobi Hiruzen's childhood memories.
"This is..."
"Yes, this is the source of the earthquake in Konoha this morning. It was taken by a spy lurking in Kumogakure, using equipment from a surveillance point hidden several years ago. Fortunately, the equipment there was not buried in the earthquake."
Realizing something, Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed deeply. If the Uchiha Konoha could stop them?
Nine-Tails? Little Naruto hasn't grown up yet, and besides, Nine-Tails- Tails isn't good at dealing with Sharingan.
If the Nine-Tails is used to resist, will that day reappear, with the figure riding a fox from the other side of the river to fight all the way to Konoha?
" Susanoo, you've gone too far. Give this videotape to Danzo and tell him to tone it down so that Uchiha Huayue doesn't have any ammunition against him."
As he solemnly recounted each word, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt himself grow much older in that instant, as the storm brewing against Konoha was lurking in the shadows, ready to strike.
Konoha, Root Headquarters.
The Hokage's direct Anbu are anxiously waiting. Such valuable information should naturally be sent to the database for safekeeping, and it is best that it is never taken out to study countermeasures.
After a short while, the Root ninja returned the data to his direct Anbu. After he left, Danzo was heard lowering his voice and giving a low command.
"Quickly, where are the men we sent out earlier?"
"We are currently lying in ambush near the residence of Yūhi Shin Kurenai, observing the situation. Is it too hasty to make a move now? Forgive my impertinence, but isn't it a bit too hasty?"
"I told you to call them back right now!"
The Root ninjas stood frozen in place, and even the other Anbu Ninja were taken aback. When did Root ever have a mission they dared not carry out?
It's not like the Hokage's Anbu always dared to do what the Root dared to do, and even dared to do what the Root didn't dare to do. Why would they suddenly decide to cancel the mission?
Filled with questions, the Root ninjas, bound by regulations, hurriedly left and notified nearby Root members to cease their actions.
In the shadows, Danzo his teeth, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.
"Damn the Uchiha, they had to let a brat..."
On the border between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire, Huayue suddenly sneezed.
Achoo! Who's talking about me?
"Lord Huayue, how about having the Hyuga Branch House arrange for someone to attend to your daily needs? Having only one secretary, especially a ninja from an enemy country, is really..."
Hizashi Hyuga whispered something to him, Huayue smiled and waved his hand.
"No need. There's a saying that goes, 'When there's work, the secretary does it; when there's nothing, there's nothing to do'... I don't think that saying applies here. So, what's your decision? Do you agree or refuse?"