Hearing the secretary's question, the Two-Tails jinchūriki hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell the truth.
"No. It wasn't the Hokage. It was Arata Itsuki. He took all of us down—by himself…"
Even if she wanted to hide it, there was no point. News like this would spread through the shinobi world soon enough, and they'd end up humiliated anyway. Better to admit it early and start figuring out how to respond.
And the woman questioning her—Mabui—was not someone you could fool. Her clan was legendary in the Land of Lightning for its intelligence. Many of the country's major decisions were drafted or refined by the Mabui clan, which was one of the key reasons the Land of Lightning managed to survive the chaotic Warring States era and steadily rise.
In fact, among the Five Great Nations, Kumogakure was perhaps the least internally divided. In the original work and nearly every fan-written story, they were portrayed as a tightly unified village.
It made sense—unlike other nations, they didn't have countless bloodline clans with overwhelming power. What they did have was taijutsu honed to the extreme and mastery of Lightning Release, built through experience rather than inherited blood.
When Mabui heard Yugito Nii's explanation, she frowned.
"Arata? Isn't he just that kid with Lightning Armor? Early-Kage level at best? He shouldn't be that strong."
But what Yugito said next left the room speechless.
She explained how Arata wasn't using Lightning Armor at all, but something beyond it—something akin to a unique bloodline ability. Then she described how Arata outsped the Raikage himself in a head-on clash, fought one against four, crippled the Raikage, killed the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki, and likely finished off their elite jonin Doell as well—who still hadn't returned.
Everyone listening—Mabui included—felt their first instinct was disbelief.
Even a small child spoke up: a four- or five-year-old boy whose face unmistakably resembled the Third Raikage. The future Fourth Raikage.
"That's impossible! My father is the strongest Raikage in history. His speed is the fastest in the whole shinobi world! How could he lose to some brat!?"
His outrage was so intense you'd think he had lost the title of fastest shinobi, not his father.
And the other high-ranking members of the village began to stir, preparing to demand a more detailed explanation—
—but Mabui raised one elegant hand.
The room fell silent instantly.
She may have only been a jonin in rank, but her mind was the sharpest in Kumogakure.
"Order a full retreat. Immediately. Maintain discipline. And above all—do not let anyone speak of Arata. Don't even let the troops know the Raikage is unconscious."
Her words stunned everyone.
But Mabui's past strategies had saved the village more than once, and in a moment like this, no one dared object.
Only the future Fourth Raikage reacted, protesting instantly:
"Why retreat!? The Land of Lightning still has ten thousand troops, several elite jonin—there's still plenty of strength to keep fighting! If we retreat now, all our earlier efforts—"
Before he could finish, Mabui snapped at him coldly:
"If you want the Land of Lightning destroyed, then by all means—keep fighting."
She wasn't like the others who blindly trusted the Raikage. Her mind weighed everything with icy clarity.
The current Raikage was powerful, yes—but also impulsive. Reckless. He had even ignored her advice regarding this entire campaign. When he heard Arata stole the Lightning Style technique, he had marched out in anger instead of sticking to the long-term strategy she had crafted: lie low during the Second Shinobi War and quietly build strength.
Arata's sudden rise shocked her, yes—but he was from Konoha. And Konoha was the center of the shinobi world, home to ancient clans and overwhelming talent. It wasn't surprising that a monster like Arata appeared there.
Truthfully, she believed even if it wasn't Arata, one of Hiruzen Sarutobi's famed students could have stopped their advance.
That was why Mabui immediately accepted Yugito's testimony—there was no point doubting it.
If Arata was on the battlefield, they could not continue fighting.
She had already been wary of the Land of Iron and the Land of Fields, whose behavior had been suspiciously cooperative. Not resisting Kumogakure's request for passage? Clearly, something was brewing behind the scenes.
Continuing this invasion with an enemy super-Kage present was reckless in the extreme.
If their ten thousand elite troops were wiped out, the Land of Lightning would fall. Simple.
Even the young future Raikage fell silent when she spoke of their nation's destruction. What was personal pride compared to the survival of the entire country?
And so—under Mabui's command—they began an orderly retreat.
None of the rank-and-file knew about Arata's power; they'd only heard that the Raikage was ambushed. Mabui kept it that way—if news spread that another shinobi had surpassed the speed of the Raikage, morale would collapse. The memory of Uchiha Madara's assault still haunted their village. Another monster appearing now could break them entirely.
Retreating was the only sane option.
...
Ironically, they were lucky.
Hiruzen had originally planned to pursue them, but when Arata's troops refused to follow him, the Third Hokage—true to his cautious nature—lost his nerve and stopped the chase. If he had followed through, Kumogakure's retreat would've been far bloodier.
Instead, they only suffered harassment from traps and ambushes as they crossed the borders—losing about two hundred men neutralizing the hazards, and nearly losing their supply lines.
And at the very end, near the edge of the Land of Lightning, they ran into the leaders of the Land of Iron—Mifune and his samurai—along with their elite forces.
If not for Yugito and the barely conscious Raikage defending them, the losses would have been catastrophic.
Even so—they lost nearly two thousand men just making it back home.
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