Shiki's actions made Ay feel utterly underestimated.
From beginning to end, Shiki hadn't even bothered to use the sword art he was best at.
That alone was humiliating.
"It seems your overconfidence will be the cause of your death today!" Ay roared.
"Death?" Shiki replied casually. "What are you talking about?"
With mocking eyes, Shiki clenched his fist, Armament Haki surging as another layer of deepened hue wrapped around it—the clear sign of advanced Armament. Power meant for internal destruction.
He stepped forward to face Ay, whose body crackled violently with raging lightning.
"Boom!"
The clash didn't last even a second.
The moment their arms met, Ay felt an overwhelming, terrifying force surge through him—so violent it felt as if his arm were being torn apart from the inside.
"Nani?!"
Before he could even process it, Ay's body was blasted backward.
"Boom!"
He slammed into the ground at Killer B's feet, the impact carving out a massive crater.
"Bro!!"
Killer B didn't hesitate for a moment. He leapt down beside Ay, grabbing him immediately.
"I'm fine!"
Ay shook his head and, with B's support, forced himself back to his feet. His vision swam slightly, but surprisingly, there was no serious damage.
If it were the future Fourth Raikage Ay, perhaps he could force Shiki to fight a little seriously.
But the current Ay—
He was still far too weak.
"Train your Lightning Release Chakra Mode for at least a thousand years," Shiki said calmly, his expression almost kind.
"Then add another thousand on top of that. After that… you can think about fighting me."
"You—!"
Ay's anger flared instantly.
Those words, that gaze—Shiki wasn't just looking down on him. He wasn't even acknowledging him as an opponent.
And yet… Ay couldn't refute a single word.
That brief exchange had made the gap painfully clear.
He wasn't even close.
"Bro, ya idiot," Killer B hissed quietly into his ear. "We're just supposed to stall him! Don't lose your head!"
B was genuinely worried Ay would charge forward again out of pure rage.
Ay didn't argue. He simply nodded silently.
Both brothers stared at Shiki, expressions heavy.
"You people…" Shiki tilted his head slightly, smiling.
"I really don't know where you got the confidence that your plan would succeed."
"What do you mean?!"
Ay and B frowned at the same time.
An intense sense of unease rose in their chests.
Shiki didn't answer.
He simply raised his hand and beckoned.
Under their disbelieving gazes, several Konoha ninja escorted someone forward.
It was Yugito Nii—her chakra completely sealed.
"Let me go!" Yugito snapped. "I can walk on my own!"
Even now, she showed no fear of death.
But the moment her eyes landed on Ay and Killer B—both surrounded by Konoha shinobi—she froze.
"Ay-sama?! Killer B?! Why are you here?!"
Yugito was completely stunned.
At the same time, Ay and B were just as confused.
"Yugito?! Why are you here?" Ay demanded.
"Weren't you imprisoned somewhere else?"
"Ah… I…"
Yugito blinked, clearly at a loss, but still answered honestly.
"I was brought here last night and detained. Then they took me out just now. What's wrong?"
She didn't understand why her place of imprisonment had changed but a prisoner was still a prisoner. Whether she liked it or not didn't matter.
"…What a joke!"
Ay's expression twisted.
"This is a setup! You fed us false information!"
To him, everything suddenly made sense—the information leak, the timing, the ambush.
All of it had been calculated by Shiki.
Shiki glanced at him as if looking at an idiot.
"Idiot," he said flatly. "Do you really think I need to scheme against you?"
"You—!"
Ay wanted to refute it, but the words died in his throat.
At this level of strength, pride was natural.
Winning through tricks was the thinking of the weak.
"…Then why?" Ay gritted his teeth.
"How were you able to move Yugito's detention site in advance?!"
"Because everything inside this camp falls within my perception," Shiki replied calmly.
"Idiot."
He gave Ay a mildly speechless look.
Cloud really was a village full of reckless men.
Even the strong ones were… simple.
"So then—what's going on?!"
With her chakra sealed, Yugito could only look around in confusion.
She had merely been transferred between holding areas, yet it felt like a dozen things had suddenly exploded at once.
At that moment, Nara Shikaku stepped forward slightly, his brows deeply furrowed as he looked at Ay and Killer B.
"I'd like to know as well," he said quietly.
"What information did you receive that made you choose to raid us now?"
"Hmph."
Ay glanced around once, then looked toward Shiki.
He knew escaping was nearly impossible but if he could still cause trouble for Konoha, he wouldn't mind.
"I really didn't expect this," Ay said coldly.
"Our undercover agents reported Yugito's detention location, the location of your command tent, and even Shiki's camp. We knew everything."
"Impossible!"
Shikaku rejected it instantly.
"The conference area and Shiki's tent are fixed but Yugito's holding site was classified. Even if your spies somehow obtained it, this camp is under constant surveillance. There's no way that information could've been passed out unless—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
His face turned ugly.
So did the faces of many Konoha ninja around him.
Unless the information had been deliberately leaked.
By someone inside Konoha.
Someone with status.
"Hahaha!"
Ay laughed loudly at their expressions.
"Looks like you finally realized it. This is exactly why I despise Konoha! Even in war, you play betrayal!"
"Who is it?!"
Shiki remained silent, but Shikaku and the others were no longer calm.
A traitor at this level was catastrophic.
"Hah."
Ay didn't bother hiding it.
He was curious himself what they'd do after hearing the truth.
"It's the son of your Third Hokage," Ay said mockingly.
"Sarutobi Shinnosuke."
He burst out laughing.
"Well? Any thoughts?"
Silence followed.
Stunned. Numb.
The son of the Hokage… a traitor?
Leaking every piece of intelligence in the Konoha camp to the enemy?
This went beyond betrayal.
This was treason.
"That's impossible!"
"There's no way that's true!"
"They're trying to fool us—turn us against each other."
"Even the Hokage's son—then what are we even fighting for?!"
Voices erupted in chaos.
Many of the ninja present had been raised on the Will of Fire, treating Sarutobi Hiruzen as an unshakable pillar of belief.
And now...
That belief cracked violently.
"Quiet."
Shiki raised his hand.
His calm voice echoed across the camp, silencing the turmoil.
The shaken ninja slowly steadied themselves.
Yes.
They still had Shiki.
The Golden Lion.
The old belief wavered… but a new one rose to take its place.
—
Meanwhile...
Following the map, the Third Raikage arrived at Yugito's supposed detention site and leapt down.
"Nani?"
The cell was empty.
Clear signs showed someone had been held here recently but now, there was no one at all.
The realization struck him instantly.
They had already been outplayed.
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