Long after Kazuyama Gekkō had left, Motoi, buried beneath the sand, slowly regained consciousness. The pounding waves made his head feel like it was splitting open.
He forced himself upright, but his legs gave out immediately, and he collapsed back onto the beach.
"Damn... those... Mist ninja..."
The enemy's power had far exceeded anything Motoi expected. Even if they had taken advantage of the terrain, that Water Release, vast enough to blot out the sky, still left him shaken to the core.
"Bee?"
"Samui, Mabui!"
As soon as his head cleared a little, he began frantically searching for his teammates.
The battle's aftermath had destroyed more than half the coastal village. Seeing this, Motoi didn't dare waste time. He combed the shoreline, but after scouring the beach, he still found no trace of his comrades.
With no choice left, he rushed toward the sea, hoping to find some sign of them. Before he'd blacked out, Killer Bee had still been locked in combat with the sea serpents—surely he would be fine. He was the Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki, nearly perfect at that.
"Killer Bee!"
"How could this be!"
After a long search, Motoi finally found him—only to see Killer Bee floating listlessly on the waves. Luckily, he was face-up; otherwise, he might have drowned.
But that wasn't the worst of it. His body was riddled with wounds, and the sight of a Jinchūriki in such a miserable state was almost unthinkable.
Most alarming of all was the blackened wound on his right chest—it looked grave.
Motoi didn't dare delay. He hoisted Killer Bee onto his back and ran, not just to the shore, but straight toward the hospital. Bee's condition was far too dire.
"What in the world happened..."
"Bee..."
"And Samui, Mabui... damn..."
Motoi's head throbbed from trying to piece it together. His blackout had left him with no memory of what occurred.
Kazuyama Gekkō: Heh, that's exactly what I wanted. If you remembered, now that would be trouble.
Meanwhile, Kazuyama Gekkō reaped his rewards.
[Ding! Host has abducted Kumogakure's young elites Samui and Mabui, causing significant losses. Reward: Taijutsu +5!]
[Ding! Host has defeated the Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki Killer Bee head-on and framed Kirigakure's Kisame Hoshigaki for the entire affair. So devious! Reward: Taijutsu +5!]
Kazuyama Gekkō found the rewards a bit stingy, but hey—better than nothing.
...
Outside Kumogakure.
"Whoa, not a bad haul."
"Rin, your initiative already outpaces the other three."
"But the mission has changed. It's been days, and I doubt Kumogakure can sit still any longer."
"Take these goods to the nearest city. Rent a shop. Start selling."
"And once Kumogakure ninja come to buy... you know what to do."
Kazuyama Gekkō grinned wickedly as he spoke.
His direct disciple Rin Nohara grinned back—she understood perfectly.
Steal the enemy's supplies, then sell it back to them! And at what price? Heh heh.
The other three quickly received new instructions as well. Kakashi and Shisui were a step slower, but they soon caught on.
As for Obito Uchiha, he was thrilled. Robbery was fine, but squeezing even more money out of the enemy—that was real joy.
The four of them moved fast. Kazuyama Gekkō had prepared for this from the start, handing each of them storage scrolls.
They split into four directions around Kumogakure—north, south, east, west—setting up trade with stolen goods.
During this time, Kumogakure did respond, sending out squad after squad. But none of them ever returned.
"Damn it! I can't stand it anymore!"
"I'll go myself and see who dares mess with Kumogakure!"
Days without results had finally driven the Fourth Raikage into a frenzy.
Even Dodai, who had tried to restrain him, was now restless. Supplies were running dangerously low—if this kept up, the village would starve.
"Dodai, take men west! I'll head south!"
"We move out now!"
"Crash!"
Another window shattered into shards beneath the Raikage's fury.
Dodai shook his head but still leapt out the window himself—it was faster than stairs.
But both were destined to fail. Long before they moved, the four young ones had already relocated.
"Damn it! No one here?"
"Those filthy bandits—do they have spies in the village?"
The Fourth Raikage's last thread of reason tried to piece it together. His suspicion wasn't entirely wrong.
Only, it wasn't spies—it was Kazuyama Gekkō, who had never stopped monitoring Kumogakure and had already mapped out their every move.
He had countermeasures prepared in advance.
As for the Kumogakure ninja caught in genjutsu and bound, Kazuyama Gekkō had simply dumped them all on a mountain not far from the village.
No need to waste further effort on them.
High above, watching the chaos, Kazuyama Gekkō nearly laughed himself sick as the Raikage returned empty-handed.
"Hehehe, even if he works himself to death, that Raikage will never find us."
"By now, those ninja should be waking from the genjutsu."
"The next step is crippling Kumogakure's economy."
His goal wasn't slaughter—it was collapse. Once Kumogakure's economy fell, the village would be finished. And honestly, tormenting others was far more satisfying than a quick kill.
Back in the village, the Fourth Raikage was at a loss. Soon, Dodai returned as well, reporting the same outcome.
"These bandits definitely have spies in the village! Dodai, search every corner! Arrest anyone suspicious!"
Dodai nodded, about to reply, when a voice shouted from outside.
"Lord Raikage! You're back!"
"Back? Damn it, I've been here!"
Already burning with rage, the Raikage roared. But the ninja who rushed in was gasping for breath, spilling everything at once.
"No, Lord Raikage—they're all back."
"All the reconnaissance squads you sent out... they've all returned!"
What? Returned?
The Raikage's fury vanished in an instant. His massive frame shot forward like a bolt of lightning.