Chapter 417 — Him? Really?
The Fourth Raikage woke up early that morning.
He headed straight to a patch of forest beside the Kumogakure military camp and began his daily training.
Everything that had happened recently had put him in an extremely foul mood.
First, he had lost twice in a row to Uchiha Fugaku on the battlefield, causing two carefully planned assaults to fail.
Then he received confirmation that Tsuchidai's unit had been discovered.
And finally, his younger brother Killer B had been tricked by the Third Hokage.
Even if that old bastard was now probably on the brink of death, he had still dragged more than 1,300 Kumogakure ninja down with him.
His younger brother's emotional state was terrible.
Killer B still blamed himself for the decision he had made back then.
However, there was at least one piece of good news.
The incident seemed to have forced his brother to mature considerably.
Although his spirits were low, the Fourth Raikage could clearly see the hatred burning in his brother's eyes.
He wanted revenge.
He wanted revenge against Konoha.
Hatred had always been a powerful catalyst for growth.
Of course, it could also become the poison that dragged someone into darkness.
But if guided properly—if the person could still see hope and feel the warmth of love—then hatred would remain medicine, not poison.
---
"Even though the losses were heavy, strictly speaking, it's not a disaster," the Raikage muttered.
He threw a punch.
The air exploded with a sharp cracking sound.
"A perfect Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, once he matures a bit more, will become invaluable."
"His worth will far surpass the loss of those thousand men… as long as he grows strong enough."
The thought was undeniably cold-blooded.
But the truth was that Jinchūriki were simply too important.
Especially a perfect Jinchūriki.
Once they unleashed their full power, destroying a small nation would be effortless.
Killer B's personality had always been somewhat problematic.
As his older brother, the Fourth Raikage understood that better than anyone.
He had always worried that B's carefree nature might hold him back.
Before this war, however, it hadn't seemed like a big issue.
After all, he had never encountered an opponent like Uchiha Fugaku, someone who could completely stall him on the battlefield.
In his mind, he would simply protect his younger brother himself.
Letting B live a carefree life wasn't a bad thing.
But reality had slapped him hard.
Now he was anxious.
He feared that B's compassion and hesitation might cause serious problems.
This time, more than a thousand Kumogakure ninja had died.
And in order to save a few hundred survivors, they had given up the chance to wipe out Konoha's covert forces behind enemy lines.
What about next time?
The Fourth Raikage had no intention of allowing such a situation to happen again.
---
"I can only guide him," the Raikage muttered.
"The rest depends on him."
He drew back his fist and punched again.
The shockwave from the strike snapped a large tree in half several meters away.
"The reinforcements should arrive soon."
"This time we're sending about two thousand additional troops. I didn't expect we'd need to commit such a large force."
"We have to end this war quickly."
So far, Kumogakure had already deployed more than ten thousand ninja in this conflict.
After subtracting the dead and the severely wounded who had been sent back, the frontline still maintained over eight thousand soldiers.
To be honest, the Raikage felt incredibly frustrated.
Their strategy simply couldn't unfold as planned.
The long supply lines, combined with Uchiha Fugaku personally blocking their advance, had completely stalled their offensive.
For nearly three months, the Kumogakure army had been stuck fighting along a narrow front roughly ten kilometers wide.
They could only fight back and forth over small strategic points.
Not a single step deeper into the Land of Fire had been achieved.
It had to be said—
Konoha truly deserved its reputation as the village that had once fought four great nations at once and survived.
Now small skirmishes between squads broke out every day.
The endless forest had turned into a grinding battlefield, devouring soldiers from both sides.
At this rate, who knew how long the war would drag on?
---
"Once the reinforcements arrive, we'll launch a direct assault on Konoha's camp," the Raikage said grimly.
"B and I will attack together."
"I'll give him a chance to vent his anger—and at the same time break through into the Land of Fire."
Uchiha Fugaku was terrifying.
But from what intelligence suggested, he was currently the only top-tier fighter on Konoha's frontlines.
Whether Konoha had already decided on a new commander remained unclear.
But it would probably happen soon.
According to intelligence reports, Konoha had already held two major meetings.
What amused the Raikage most was the political turmoil happening inside Konoha.
Apparently Minato Namikaze was trying to seize more power from the ninja clans.
And to stabilize his position, he was even courting civilian ninja.
The Raikage found the idea both laughable and alarming.
As a Kage himself, he naturally wanted his village to grow stronger.
But ninja clans were the foundation of a village's stability.
Did Minato really think nothing would go wrong by weakening them?
Sure, the current war helped redirect internal conflicts.
But what would happen if Konoha lost?
And even if they won, once the clans regained their footing, did Minato really believe civilian ninja could compete with them?
The Raikage shook his head.
Whatever happened inside Konoha wasn't his concern.
If that village weakened itself, all the better.
---
"Forget it," he muttered.
"I'm not in the mood today."
He stopped his training.
His mind was already focused on one thing:
Launching a massive surprise assault on Konoha's camp.
Even though the Fourth Raikage knew that any surprise attack he launched would inevitably turn into a frontal assault once those damned Byakugan users spotted it.
Still, his injuries had mostly healed.
And he had already gathered considerable intelligence on Uchiha Fugaku.
With an enraged Killer B fighting alongside him, he saw no reason to worry.
But just as he took a step forward, he suddenly stopped.
Turning his head, he frowned.
Not far away, three figures stood on a tree branch.
They were dressed in black cloaks and wore strange spiral-patterned masks.
That attire—those distinctive masks—immediately reminded him of something.
According to intelligence reports, the Nine-Tails incident in Konoha had been caused by human interference.
And the culprit had been someone dressed exactly like this.
There had also been the mysterious chaos in Kirigakure, which seemed connected to the same group.
"Who are you people?" the Fourth Raikage asked calmly, though his mind was already racing.
"Why are you inside Kumogakure's battlefield perimeter? Are you looking to die?"
"Us?" One of the masked men with short black hair stepped forward.
His voice was hoarse and low—like something crawling up from the depths of hell.
"We came looking for the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki."
"You must be the Fourth Raikage, correct? Interesting."
"We have no intention of fighting you."
"So…"
"Could you hand the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki over to us?"
---
Hand over the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki?
The words were spoken casually.
But to the Fourth Raikage, they struck like thunder.
So these people had come for the Jinchūriki.
Or rather—
For the Tailed Beast sealed inside him, a creature possessing terrifying chakra.
The Raikage's expression darkened.
From Konoha to Kirigakure, and now Kumogakure…
These people had set their sights on his village as well?
He hadn't expected them to reappear after disappearing for over a year.
Although in previous incidents the Jinchūriki hadn't actually died, that had likely been pure luck.
The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki had almost died when the beast was released.
Once a Tailed Beast was extracted, the Jinchūriki had only one fate: death.
The Three-Tails Jinchūriki had been luckier, but still ended up controlled by genjutsu, attacking their own forces.
Those two incidents had occurred only months apart.
Perhaps the group had laid low because their actions had been too conspicuous.
Or perhaps they had spent that time researching Tailed Beast chakra, and were now beginning to collect it in earnest.
Realizing this, the Fourth Raikage suddenly felt a hint of danger.
Killer B was currently nearby.
Even though several powerful ninja guarded him, these masked figures probably didn't fear numbers.
After all, one of them was clearly an Uchiha, capable of summoning a chakra giant similar to the one used by Uchiha Kei.
Still, a thought flashed through the Raikage's mind.
He didn't know whether this man was stronger than Uchiha Fugaku.
But there was no harm in testing him.
Fugaku had caused him endless trouble.
But the Raikage believed he had already discovered a way to deal with such opponents.
Now he would test that theory.
---
"So you want the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki?" the Raikage sneered.
"Yes." The masked man nodded casually.
"If you hand him over, I could even help you attack Konoha's frontline forces."
"Hah."
The Raikage's grin widened.
Suddenly, an enormous surge of chakra exploded from his body.
His hair shot upward like a Saiyan transformation, crackling with lightning!
In an instant, his figure vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already behind the masked man.
"You think I need your help? Die!"
"Foolish."
The masked man sighed softly.
The moment the Raikage released his chakra, his eyes had already turned crimson.
Within those eyes, a strange pattern flickered—faint overlapping shadows forming within the pupil.
The Raikage's terrifying speed suddenly slowed.
Moments earlier he had been like a bolt of lightning.
Now he moved only at the speed of an ordinary ninja.
The masked man lowered his head slightly, dodging the lightning-wreathed strike.
Then he lashed out with a kick.
BOOM!
The Fourth Raikage's body flew away like a cannonball.
His impact carved a deep trench through the ground.
Trees shattered.
Rocks exploded.
Dust billowed into the sky as flocks of birds scattered in panic.
---
"Kei, that kick didn't kill him, did it?" another masked man asked teasingly.
"If he died that easily, we wouldn't even need to keep fighting."
"He's not dead," Uchiha Kei replied calmly.
"Did your sensing fail you, Kenta?"
"And change your voice. I don't want any accidents."
The three masked figures were none other than Uchiha Kei, Imai Kenta, and Hyūga Ayaka.
They had set out early that morning, eliminating several Kumogakure patrol squads along the way.
But even they were surprised.
They had accidentally encountered the Fourth Raikage himself.
Still, that saved them some trouble.
What surprised Kei most was just how powerful the Raikage actually was.
That speed had far exceeded his expectations.
If Kei hadn't sensed danger and immediately activated Time Reversal, forcibly slowing him down—
That strike might have forced him to summon Susanoo.
What shocked him even more was that the Raikage could still move so quickly even under the effects of Time Reversal.
Most ninja would have been reduced to a crawl.
Yet the Raikage still moved at nearly normal speed.
"His physical strength really is ridiculous," Kei thought to himself.
When his kick connected earlier, his own foot had gone slightly numb.
Normally, Kei had struck at steady speed while the Raikage had been moving at extreme velocity—the force difference should have favored Kei.
Yet it felt like kicking solid steel.
Even after taking such a hit at high speed, the Raikage wasn't seriously injured.
That kind of durability made Kei genuinely envious.
---
"Fourth Raikage," Kei said as the dust began to settle.
"Seems you're not that impressive after all."
"Because you attacked first, I've changed my mind."
"Hand over the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki."
"And I won't kill you."
"What do you think?"
"In your dreams!" the Raikage roared.
But this time he didn't rush forward recklessly.
Even at full speed he had been tracked and kicked away effortlessly.
This opponent was far more dangerous than Uchiha Fugaku, who lacked strong taijutsu.
---
"I see." Kei sounded almost disappointed.
Then he turned his head.
"Brown. White."
"Go find the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki."
"I'll deal with this one and meet you afterward."
Brown?
White?
Kenta and Ayaka nearly rolled their eyes.
Still, they controlled themselves.
Ayaka spoke first.
"Alright. Hurry up, Black."
"Don't enjoy yourself so much that you end up dying here."
"Don't worry," Kei replied with a faint smile.
"Of course there are people capable of killing me."
"But…"
He glanced at the Raikage.
"Him?"
"Not a chance."
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