Although Danzō felt that his behavior with Hiruzen was inappropriate, Hiruzen had begged him for a long time and even called him 'Little Zōzō'!
If he didn't agree, who knew what shocking words Hiruzen might say next! So, Shimura Danzō "reluctantly" (though his heart stirred) and inexplicably forked a piece of lobster meat and handed it to Hiruzen. His hand trembled slightly.
Hiruzen, however, was completely at ease. He bit into the lobster meat with a loud "Om nom!"
Danzō's pupils shrank. He looked at Hiruzen, who was eating happily, with a complicated expression. His lips quivered, and in the end, he gritted his teeth. 'Damn it, what have I done? How did it come to this!'
"Hmm, the taste really is different from usual. Danzō, here, you try it too!" With that, Hiruzen forked another piece and handed it to Danzō. Danzō's lips twitched.
Originally, he didn't want to eat it, but seeing Hiruzen's earnest expression, he couldn't bring himself to refuse. He closed his eyes and took a bite of the lobster meat, then nodded to indicate that the taste was acceptable.
Torifu, Koharu, and Homura were dumbfounded. They exchanged glances. 'Are we dreaming today?' Uchiha Ryun and Tsunade were a couple, so their feeding each other made sense. But what was this between the Third Hokage and Danzō?
Tsunade and Uchiha Ryun were also stunned. Ryun couldn't help but recall that in his previous life, there was a genre of fiction called 'yaoi'... Ahem, no, that couldn't be it. Their relationship must be brotherly camaraderie. Yes, camaraderie.
Just as Tsunade was watching with great interest, Ryun reached out and covered her eyes. Tsunade was puzzled. "Ryun, what are you doing? I'm studying my teacher's leadership skills!"
"There's no future between them. Don't look, don't look..." Ryun didn't want Tsunade to be led astray. This world didn't have 'fujoshi' yet, and couldn't Hiruzen and Danzō pay a little more attention to their image? It wasn't just the two of them here!
Meanwhile, in Kumogakure...
"Raikage-sama, the latest report from the frontlines: Konoha has achieved a great victory against Iwagakure, with losses of less than a thousand, while Iwagakure dispatched twelve thousand shinobi and lost over four thousand!" A scout rushed in and reported the latest news to the Raikage.
Raikage A burst into laughter. "That little potato is just a little potato after all. I thought he was a great strategist, but he got beaten so badly! A five-to-one casualty ratio, hahaha!"
A laughed heartily, as if he were the one who had defeated Iwagakure.
Yugito's face was pale, clearly still recovering from her previous battle with Ryun. She said softly, "Raikage-sama, Ōnoki is no ordinary opponent. There must be many details worth studying in this battle."
The young A nodded in agreement. "Father, let's hear the scout's detailed report first."
Raikage A nodded and motioned for the scout to explain the process. The scout recounted everything he had gathered, word for word.
The three of them fell into deep thought.
"You're saying Uchiha Ryun single-handedly held off twelve thousand shinobi, two jinchūriki, and the Tsuchikage Ōnoki?" The Third Raikage inhaled sharply. Even he wasn't confident of surviving such a battle.
He mentally simulated the scenario several times, but no matter how he approached it, the result was always death. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. 'Death, death, and more death.' No matter what tactics or techniques he used, even his Hell Stab: Four-Finger Nukite, it was futile.
"Sage Mode? Successor of Ryūchi Cave? Effortlessly deflecting Tailed Beast Bombs and controlling the tailed beasts to counterattack?" The young A's heart skipped a beat as he glanced at Yugito, the Two-Tails jinchūriki.
Yugito nodded. "Uchiha Ryun's Mangekyō Sharingan is the natural enemy of all tailed beasts. He can easily manipulate them for his own use. If not for you, young master A, last time, I..." Yugito bit her lip, her face pale.
Matatabi wailed in her mind. 'This is bad! This is bad! This is bad! Sage Mode of Ryūchi Cave, Sage Art: True Several Thousand Hands, Susanoo, Mangekyō Sharingan! This guy is cheating, right?'
Any one of these abilities alone would make someone a legendary figure, but stacking them all on one person? That was just monstrous, unnatural! True Several Thousand Hands could crush a tailed beast with one slap, and the Mangekyō Sharingan could knock one out with a single glance.
"Yugito, if we ever go to war with Konoha, you must not participate. You'll die!" Matatabi whimpered. She knew all too well the power of these abilities. She had personally experienced the Sage Regions, Hashirama's ultimate techniques, and Madara's Mangekyō.
Yugito remained silent, lowering her head with a sigh. Perhaps this era, and even the next three or four decades, would belong to Konoha. They had no chance of defeating them.
Yugito repeated Matatabi's words. The Third Raikage and the young A fell silent. The scout even pressed his forehead to the ground, unwilling to hear more. Facing a monster like Uchiha Ryun, even the Raikage at full power was far from a match.
"Spread the order: From now on, no one is to provoke Konoha!" The Third Raikage made the decision immediately, slamming the table to finalize the rule. The young A and Yugito bowed in acknowledgment.
"Good. Now that our policy toward Konoha is settled, we must discuss how to deal with Iwagakure of the Land of Earth. After all, they're our old neighbors! Since they've been beaten up, I should pay them a visit with gifts!" The Third Raikage chuckled.
"Father, are you abandoning our alliance?" The young A was shocked. The Third Raikage's face darkened. "Brat, if you weren't my son, I'd have killed you for that question."
"Let me ask you, what is an alliance? Do you think the resources of Kumogakure are just enough to sustain our villagers? Wrong! Dead wrong! The village must develop, and the people's standard of living must improve. Compared to these, an alliance is just a piece of scrap paper!"
"If we can conquer Iwagakure, Kumogakure will expand and become the village with the most territory and resources in the shinobi world! If we bide our time and wait for the right opportunity, this world might one day belong to the A clan!" The Third Raikage's eyes flashed with lightning.
His chakra surged, and the Lightning Armor enveloped him. He grinned, as if he had already conquered Iwagakure.
The young A opened his mouth but ultimately closed it. He knew his father was right. This was the best course of action for Kumogakure's growth and prosperity.
Ōnoki was severely injured, his spirit broken. Iwagakure had just suffered a crushing defeat, and morale was at an all-time low. Meanwhile, Kumogakure's shinobi were well-rested and ready for battle. Now was the perfect time to strike!
"Raikage-sama, Yugito requests to join the battle as the vanguard!" Yugito's eyes burned with fighting spirit. She might not be able to defeat Ryun, but she would gladly die for Kumogakure's future!
The Third Raikage glanced at his son, then patted Yugito's shoulder. "Good! I order you to lead five thousand troops as the advance force to attack Iwagakure!"
"Understood!" Yugito smirked.
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