Inside the bedchamber, the lights burned brightly.
The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning dismissed all attendants.
In the vast palace, only he and Raikage A remained.
Stripped of the dignity of the court, his face was filled with unresolvable sorrow.
"A, do you also think we have no choice but to fight?"
There was a trace of uncertainty in the Daimyo's voice.
A did not answer immediately. He walked straight to the giant map of the shinobi world, pressing his finger heavily on the location of the Land of Fire.
After a moment, he spoke. "Daimyo-sama, do you really think those three nations would fight us to the death just for trade shares?"
The Daimyo pondered. "The Lands of Wind and Earth might not, but the Land of Fire… their newly appointed Daimyo is a man who fought his way to power. It's hard to say."
"No." A 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 Lands of Earth and Wind stationed troops on the border only to protect the benefits they gained from the Land of Fire."
"As long as we don't touch their share, they will never actively attack us."
A's analysis was sharp and precise.
The Daimyo's brow furrowed. "You mean…"
"Our enemy, from beginning to end, is only one!" A's voice deepened. "The Land of Fire!"
"As long as we move fast and strike ruthlessly, crushing the Land of Fire in one fell swoop so that they can no longer organize effective trade…"
"This so-called Three-Nation Alliance will collapse without a fight!"
"By then, the Lands of Earth and Wind, for the sake of new profits, might even turn around and ally with us!"
The Daimyo was stunned by A's bold words. His breathing quickened. "But the Land of Fire has already sent two thousand more troops to the border. How can we crush them quickly?"
"This is exactly why I came to see you tonight." A 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 looks like they can advance or retreat, but it's their fatal mistake!"
"They put all their focus on that long border."
A lowered his voice. "That means… Konoha is now an empty city."
The Daimyo's breathing hitched.
He abruptly stood up, staring intently at A, waiting for him to continue.
A's mouth slowly twisted into a cruel, savage smile as he revealed a plan that could overturn the entire shinobi world.
"We can feign peace talks."
"Send envoys to the Fire Capital, pretend to negotiate, and lull them into a false sense of security."
"At the same time, we'll continue to provoke small conflicts on the border, keeping everyone's attention there."
"And I…" A pointed to himself, battle intent surging.
"I will personally lead an elite surprise attack unit, bypass the Land of Water, secretly infiltrate the Land of Fire, and hide!"
"Our team includes a shinobi from Kumo skilled in space-time ninjutsu."
"He's developed a new technique, one that allows large-scale, ultra-long-distance teleportation."
"As long as we establish an ultra-long-distance reverse teleportation array deep within the Land of Fire…"
"Once the formation is complete…"
A's chest heaved with excitement. "We'll be able to silently send an army of shinobi straight to Konoha's doorstep overnight!"
Boom!
The Daimyo's mind went blank.
A decapitation strike!
Bypassing all defenses, ignoring all barriers, and stabbing the enemy straight in the heart!
Once Konoha is breached and the Hokage falls in battle, those few thousand border troops will become leaderless souls, collapsing without a fight.
The entire Land of Fire will become fish on a chopping block!
The plan was insane.
The Daimyo quickly regained his composure and asked the key question. "Will the Land of Water agree?"
"They certainly won't," A said coldly, "but we can quietly borrow their route while they're mired in internal strife."
"Hmm. This plan is feasible." After a moment of thought, the Daimyo nodded, then added, "But A, you forgot someone."
"Minato Namikaze!"
"As long as that man is still in Konoha, even if our army reaches the 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."
At that name, A's pupils shrank sharply, his muscles tensing.
He gritted his teeth, the sound audible, as if recalling the humiliation of being dominated by that golden flash.
He was an opponent carved into his very bones.
A man so fast that even A had felt powerless.
"Of course I didn't forget!" A said fiercely. "Precisely because of him, I must lead the team myself!"
"This time, I'll bring B with me!"
"B?" The Daimyo trembled slightly.
"Yes. B can already perfectly control the Eight-Tails." A's face twisted into a cruel smile, overflowing with confidence.
"Minato's speed is indeed fast, but his destructive power is limited."
"He can kill ten, kill a hundred, but does he have a Tailed Beast Ball to kill with?"
"Once we surround Konoha, I'll have B unleash the Eight-Tails directly!"
"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 absolute dominance.
Using power to crush skill.
Using indiscriminate destruction to overwhelm precise killing.
The fire in the Daimyo's heart ignited completely, but he still asked rationally, "What about the Land of Earth?"
He pointed to the other side of the map, full of concern. "The Land of Earth isn't easy to deal with. If our main forces are all teleported to the Land of Fire, what if they stab us in the back?"
A smiled confidently. "Daimyo-sama, you overestimate the Land of Earth."
"I've dealt with Ōnoki."
"He's an opportunist, not a warrior."
"As long as we don't invade the Land of Earth, he won't dare gamble the fate of Iwa on a full-scale war with us."
"At most, he'll send a few small units to harass us, put on a show, cause minor trouble, but nothing serious."
A's gaze returned to Konoha's mark on the map, his tone resolute.
"This plan has only one key word: speed!"
"Once we act, we must achieve victory quickly!"
"As long as we move fast enough, before Ōnoki even makes a decision, we'll have already smashed Konoha!"
"When he sees the Land of Fire trampled under our feet, will he avenge the dead or come running to discuss how to divide the spoils?"
"So the Land of Earth isn't a problem at all."
Every word A spoke radiated confidence.
And they dispelled all of the Daimyo's doubts.
Yes, as long as they acted fast enough to create a fait accompli, every threat would resolve itself!
Fortune favors the bold.
The fate of a nation is no different.
"Good!" The Daimyo slammed the table and stood up. "It will be done as you say!"
"No matter the cost or manpower, the entire Land of Lightning will fully support you!"
"The fate of our nation rests on you!"
"Daimyo-sama, please rest assured, I will not fail you!" A nodded heavily, then turned and left.
The bedchamber door slowly closed behind him.
A massive conspiracy targeting Konoha, targeting the Land of Fire, was now set in motion.
(To be continued.)