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Inside the bedchamber, the lights were blazing.
The daimyo of the Land of Lightning dismissed all his attendants.
In the vast palace, only he and the Raikage remained.
Stripped of the imperial dignity of the court, his face was filled with an unresolvable sorrow.
"A, do you also think we have no choice but to fight?"
A hint of uncertainty was in the daimyo's voice.
The Raikage did not answer immediately. He walked straight to the giant shinobi world map, his finger pressing heavily on the location of the Land of Fire.
After a moment, he spoke. "My lord, do you really think those three nations would fight us to the death just for trade shares?"
The daimyo pondered. "The Land of Wind and the Land of Earth might not, but the Land of Fire... the newly appointed daimyo is someone who fought his way to power, so it's hard to say!"
"No." The Raikage shook his head. "I don't think any of them will!"
"Cutting off someone's source of wealth is like killing their parents."
"The reverse is also true. No one will risk their own life for someone else's source of wealth!"
"The Land of Earth and the Land of Wind stationing troops on the border is just to protect the benefits they gained from the Land of Fire."
"As long as we don't touch their bowl, they will never actively pounce on us."
The Raikage's analysis was incisive.
The daimyo's brow twitched. "You mean..."
"Our enemy, from beginning to end, is only one!" The Raikage's voice deepened. "The Land of Fire!"
"As long as we use the fastest speed and the most ruthless methods to crush the Land of Fire in one fell swoop, making them unable to organize effective trade again."
"This so-called three-nation alliance will collapse without a fight!"
"By then, the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind, for new interests, might even turn around and ally with us!"
The daimyo was shocked by the Raikage's bold statement, his breathing quickening. "But the Land of Fire has already increased its troops by two thousand on the border. How can we quickly crush them?"
"This is why I came to see you tonight." The Raikage turned around, his eyes gleaming with madness and confidence. "The Land of Fire made a terrible move!"
"They moved two thousand elites to the border, which seems like they can advance or retreat, but they made a fatal mistake!"
"They put all their attention on that long border!"
The Raikage lowered his voice. "This means... Konoha is now an empty city!"
The daimyo's breathing suddenly hitched.
He abruptly stood up, staring intently at the Raikage, waiting for him to continue.
The Raikage's mouth slowly spread into a cruel and brutal smile, as he revealed a crazy plan that could overturn the entire shinobi world's pattern.
"We can feign peace talks."
"Send envoys to the capital, adopt a negotiating stance, and lull them into a false sense of security."
"At the same time, continue to create friction on the border, keeping everyone's eyes fixed there."
"And I..." The Raikage pointed to himself, his competitive spirit surging.
"Will personally lead an elite surprise attack unit, bypass the Land of Water, secretly infiltrate the Land of Fire, and hide!"
"Our team includes Kumogakure's shinobi most skilled in space-time ninjutsu."
"She has developed a new technique, a technique that allows for large-scale, ultra-long-distance teleportation."
"As long as an ultra-long-distance reverse teleportation array is established in the heartland of the Land of Fire!"
"Once the array is complete..."
The Raikage's chest heaved violently. "We will be able to silently send a shinobi army to Konoha's doorstep overnight!"
Boom!
The daimyo's mind buzzed and went blank instantly!
Decapitation strike!
Bypassing all defenses, ignoring all barriers, using an inconceivable method to directly stab the enemy in the heart!
Once Konoha is breached and the Hokage falls in battle, those few thousand border guards will be leaderless souls, collapsing without a fight.
The entire Land of Fire will completely become fish on a chopping block!
This plan was too crazy!
The daimyo quickly calmed down and asked the crucial question. "Will the Land of Water agree?"
"They certainly won't agree, but we can quietly borrow their path while they are in internal strife..."
"Hmm! This plan is feasible." After a moment of thought, the daimyo added, "But, A, you forgot someone."
"Minato!"
"As long as that man is still in Konoha, even if our army reaches their city gates, we may not be able to breach them!"
"Don't forget, you couldn't do anything against his Flying Thunder God Technique back then!"
Hearing that name, the Raikage's pupils suddenly contracted, and his muscles instantly tensed.
He gritted his teeth, making a clenching sound, as if recalling the humiliation of being dominated by that golden flash.
He was an opponent etched into his bones!
A man so fast that even he felt powerless!
"Of course I didn't forget!" The Raikage said fiercely. "Precisely because of him, I need to lead the team myself!"
"This time, I will bring B with me as well!"
"B?" The daimyo trembled.
"Yes! B can already perfectly control the Eight-Tails!" The Raikage's face showed a cruel smile, full of extreme confidence.
"Minato's speed is indeed very fast, but his destructive power is ultimately limited!"
"He can kill ten, kill a hundred, but does he have a Tailed Beast Ball to kill with?"
"Once we surround Konoha, I will have B directly release the Eight-Tails!"
"When Tailed Beast Balls explode one after another in Konoha, will Minato save the village, or come for me?!"
"I want to see whose is faster, his Flying Thunder God kills or B's Tailed Beast Ball explosions!"
These words were filled with unreasonable dominance.
Using absolute power to crush skill!
Using indiscriminate area destruction to nullify the opponent's precise point-to-point kills!
The fire in the daimyo's heart was completely ignited, but he still rationally asked the last question.
"What about the Land of Earth?" He pointed to the border on the other side of the map, full of worry. "The Land of Earth is not easy to deal with."
"If our main forces are all teleported to the Land of Fire, what if they stab us in the back?"
The Raikage, hearing this, showed a confident smile. "My lord, you overestimate the Land of Earth."
"I've dealt with Onoki!"
"He's just an opportunist, not a warrior."
"As long as we don't actively invade the Land of Earth, he would never dare to gamble the fate of the entire Iwagakure on a full-scale war with us."
"At most, he'll send some small units to harass us, put on a show, cause us some minor trouble, but it won't hurt."
The Raikage's gaze fell back on Konoha, his tone resolute!
"This plan has only one core word: fast!"
"Once we act, we must achieve a quick victory!"
"As long as our movements are fast enough, so fast that before Onoki makes up his mind, we will have already smashed Konoha!"
"When he sees a Land of Fire that has already been trampled under our feet!"
"Will he avenge the dead, or quickly send people to discuss how to divide the Land of Fire with us?"
"So the Land of Earth is not a problem at all!"
Every word the Raikage spoke was full of confidence.
And it dispelled all of the daimyo's concerns.
Yes, as long as the speed is fast enough to create a fait accompli, all threats will be resolved easily!
Fortune favors the bold!
The fate of a nation is also like this!
"Good!" The daimyo slammed the table and stood up. "It will be done as you say!"
"However much money, however many people are needed, the entire Land of Lightning will fully support you!"
"The fate of my Land of Lightning rests on you!"
"My lord, please rest assured, I will never let you down!" The Raikage nodded heavily, then turned and left.
The bedchamber door slowly closed behind him.
A massive conspiracy targeting Konoha, targeting the Land of Fire.
Thus, the curtain was drawn.