Land of Lightning, Kumogakure.
Kumogakure is located among towering mountain peaks, surrounded by thunder and clouds all year round. Decorations symbolizing Inazuma can be seen everywhere.
The dark clouds of war also hang over this place. From time to time, the Ninja team quickly passes through the streets, heading to the mission center or hospital. The air is filled with a tense and depressing atmosphere.
Kumogakure center, inside the tallest Raikage office building.
Top layer, Raikage's Office.
An extremely tall and majestic man was facing the door, standing in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the entire village.
He had a thick black beard that looked like it was flying fiercely, his skin was dark, and his muscles were knotted. Just standing there, he exuded a terrifying aura that was as heavy as a mountain and as violent as thunder.
He is Third Raikage, Ai.
With its unparalleled physical strength, unparalleled speed, and Hell Stab·One-Finger Nukite known as "Strongest Spear" and Lightning Shield "Strongest Shield", it is a powerful figure in Shinobi World. It is one of the strongest men who truly stands at the top of Shinobi World.
At this moment, he had just returned briefly from the frontline battle with Iwagakure.
"Bang!"
The office door was pushed open, and a figure walked in quickly.
The person who came was about thirty years old, wearing a standard Kumogakure Jōnin vest, a calm face, and a strange dark hat.
He is Dodai, Third Raikage's right-hand assistant and think tank. Kekkei Genkai, who owns Lava Release, is powerful and deeply trusted by Raikage with his calm mind and excellent analytical skills.
"Lord Raikage." Dodai's voice was a little heavy.
Third Raikage didn't look back, and his voice sounded like thunder:
"It's Dodai. The pressure on the front line has temporarily eased. I'm back to take a breather. What's going on here in the village? Is there something wrong with the plan of the 'Thunderclap' unit, or is there something unusual going on over there at Kirigakure?"
The first thing he thought of was still the war.
Dodai walked to the side and behind Raikage, lowered his head slightly, and reported in a solemn tone:
"It's about the Crow Unit."
"'Crow'?"
Third Raikage then turned around and raised his thick black eyebrows:
"Weren't they ordered to eliminate Konoha Nezumi who was spying on 'Thunderclap'Supply Line? The operation failed?"
Dodai took a deep breath and responded:
"More than just failure..."
"The third Crow Unit team, with a total of twelve people, went to the southeast Valley supply point to perform a clearing mission. They encountered a four-member Konoha ANBU team. During the pursuit, only two people returned, and the remaining ten... all were confirmed dead."
"What?!"
Third Raikage's eyes suddenly widened, and a terrifying Chakra burst out uncontrollably.
"Twelve against four! Ten died? Only two came back? Where is Black Crow? He is Elite Jōnin!"
"Who did Konoha send? Sannin? Or did that old guy Hiruzen Sarutobi come in person?!"
Raikage's voice was filled with unbelievable rage. He thought that to be able to cause such heavy losses, he must have met the most powerful person Konoha.
Dodai shook his head, his expression equally ugly:
"The two people who escaped were the two Jōnin who were chasing the opponent's captain. They reported that the overall strength of the opponent's team was not particularly outstanding. They had already suppressed it due to their numerical advantage, but..."
He paused, glanced at Raikage's increasingly gloomy face, and continued:
"But one of them, wearing ANBU Aoda Mask, was recognized by Black Crow as the Konoha Ninja who was involved in the incident with Mr. Toroi at the Land of Wind border more than half a year ago."
"Aoda?!"
Third Raikage's fists were clenched instantly, and a terrifying killing intent burst out from his eyes:
"It's that kid! I remember him! Toroi's revenge has not been avenged yet! He actually dared to appear in Land of Lightning!"
Toroi was not only the Elite Jōnin of the village, but also his right-hand man. His death made Third Raikage furious, and he had already included "Aoda" on his must-kill list.
Dodai spoke faster and said:
"After Black Crow confirmed the target, he decided to give priority to arresting 'Aoda'. He personally led five team members to pursue 'Aoda', while the remaining six team members split up to pursue the other three Konoha ANBU."
"The team chasing the other three people encountered Elite Jōnin Minato Namikaze of Konoha, and suffered heavy losses, but the most important thing is..."
"The six-man team, led by Black Crow himself, pursued 'Aoda'... the entire army was wiped out, and no one survived."
There was deathly silence in the office.
Third Raikage's chest was heaving violently, obviously trying his best to suppress the overwhelming anger.
An elite team composed of one Elite Jōnin, two Jōnin, and three Special Jōnin went to chase a Konoha ANBU who was at the highest level of Special Jōnin, but the entire army was wiped out?
This is simply a fantasy!
"What the hell is going on?!"
Raikage's voice was terrifyingly deep, like the calm before the storm:
"Did those Kirigakure group of water-playing bastards intervene? That area is close to the coastline and is the most likely place for them to do mischief!"
Although he was angry, he did not completely lose his mind. He immediately suspected that other villages were involved, especially Kirigakure, who was equally hostile to Land of Fire and was good at water warfare and ambushes.
Dodai shook his head again:
"The team members who escaped reported that no trace of Kirigakure Ninja was found at that time. Moreover, the battle seemed to end very quickly... Black Crow used Secret Technique to forcefully transmit back extremely limited information at the last moment."
"What information?" Raikage asked immediately.
Dodai spread out his palms, as if the invisible information was lying in his palms:
"There are only two words-'Azure Dragon'."
"Azure Dragon?"
Third Raikage repeated the word, his eyes full of confusion and violence:
"What does this mean? Some kind of code name? Some kind of Ninjutsu? Or some kind of Summoning Beast? Or... refers to some kind of unit of Kirigakure?"
There is too little information to decipher.
The word Azure Dragon has no specific reference to Shinobi World, making it particularly mysterious.
Dodai then quickly reported his response measures and said:
"My subordinates have immediately ordered the activation of the spies lurking in Konoha, and investigate the detailed information of ANBU codenamed 'Aoda' at all costs, especially the possible connection with the word 'Azure Dragon'."
"At the same time, we also sent people to secretly investigate Kirigakure to see if there have been any unusual transfers or secret operations related to 'Azure Dragon' recently."
He paused and added:
"But judging from the trace traces of Chakra left at the scene and the scale of the battle, it doesn't look like a large-scale ambush, but more like... encountering an invincible strong man and being quickly defeated."
Third Raikage was silent for a moment, breathing heavily.
The pressure of the war and the anger over the death of his subordinates were intertwined, making him want to personally pull out the "Aoda" and tear it to pieces.
But he is Raikage after all and needs to coordinate the overall situation!
Although he has a violent personality and believes in the supremacy of strength, to be able to sit in the position of Raikage, he is by no means a mindless reckless man.