Five days later.
Kumogakure, Land of Lightning.
Inside the Raikage's Office, Fourth Raikage A braced his lone arm against his desk, listening to the reports of the two ninja before him who had returned from the Chunin Ninja Exams. His expression grew increasingly grim.
"Are you certain... that the 'Thousand Kills Ice Soaring' Haku used was exactly the same technique Genbu used back then?"
"Y-yes, Lord Raikage."
The jōnin leading the team knelt on one knee, cold sweat seeping from his forehead:
"Although its scale and power fell short of Genbu's back then, the technique's form and the way it used natural energy... were essentially identical. And Haku did indeed carry Genbu's presence."
The other envoy added:
"There are others in Dragon Release Village who have mastered similar senjutsu. That Kimimaro also used Sage Mode and defeated the One-Tail, Shukaku, head-on."
The Fourth Raikage closed his eyes.
Three years ago, he had sent a delegation to Dragon Release Village to establish diplomatic relations, offering lavish gifts and showing respect.
Lin Ze had received the delegation then and accepted the gifts without bringing up anything from the past, as though he had truly forgotten his enmity with Kumogakure.
The Fourth Raikage had once thought Lin Ze genuinely no longer cared.
After all, given Lin Ze's current strength and standing, Kumogakure might truly amount to nothing in his eyes.
But now...
If Genbu really belonged to Dragon Release Village, if the "Genbu" who had stolen the Two-Tails and killed dozens of Kumogakure elites back then was Lin Ze or one of his subordinates...
Then everything made sense.
No wonder he had found not a single clue after Yugito Nii's capture, despite sending so many ninja to search practically the entire Shinobi World.
She had been taken to Dragon Release Village!
"Lin Ze..."