"Outrageous!"
Bang!
The Fourth Raikage, A, smashed his desk in half with a single punch. The wood split like paper under the force of his fist. He glared at Darui in front of him, breathing heavily like a raging bull.
"Kumogakure will never tolerate this humiliation!"
His eyes burned red as his roar echoed through the entire office.
"Send the order immediately—mobilize the forces! I'll show them the price of provoking the Raikage!"
Nearby, the sixteen-year-old Mabui stood quietly with a folder in her arms, as if she hadn't heard anything at all.
Her gaze lowered slightly.
Her fingers traced the edge of the folder calmly.
Exactly as expected—
After venting his anger, A collapsed onto the sofa behind him with a heavy thud.
His jaw clenched.
But he had already begun to calm down.
No matter what—
He would never abandon his village's ninja.
"Darui," he said at last, voice low but firm.
"Contact Konoha immediately. Tell them we agree to their terms."
His face still showed resentment, but the decision had been made.
"Yes!"
Darui saluted and left quickly.
Mabui's Concern
Mabui lowered her folder slowly, eyes flickering with thought.
"Raikage-sama, perhaps I should go in your place."
"There was an attack last night attempting to steal the Six Paths ninja tools. If you leave the village, they may strike again."
A remained silent for a long moment.
Then he asked:
"Mabui… is it possible that Konoha was behind last night's incident?"
"Unlikely," she replied calmly.
"Very few people even know the Six Paths tools are in Kumogakure."
After the Second Shinobi War:
The Gold and Silver Brothers died
The tools disappeared
Only after the war ended did Kumogakure secretly recover them
"And yesterday," she continued,
"Lord Tutai initiated the attack on the Hyuga clan. That decision was ours alone."
"Konoha couldn't have predicted it so precisely."
She paused, thinking.
"If it truly were Konoha… then only one possibility exists."
"There would have to be a traitor inside our delegation."
Then she frowned slightly.
"But if there were a traitor… why would they leak information only once?"
"And the location of the Six Paths tools is known only to successive Raikage and the guardian clan."
"Even though I learned of it only three years ago."
A nodded slowly.
The anger in his eyes faded.
In its place—
Deep calculation.
Killer B Arrives
Bang!
The office door burst open.
A tall man walked in—
Wearing goggles and carrying eight swords on his back.
"Yo! Big brother! I heard the news! Konoha's acting crazy—fools!"
Killer B entered rapping in his usual rhythm.
"Shut up!" A snapped, veins bulging on his forehead.
"This isn't the time for jokes."
"Big brother, I'm coming with you—yo!"
"No."
A rejected him immediately.
"You must stay and guard the village."
"Yugito has been captured. You are the only remaining jinchūriki."
"You cannot leave."
Killer B's playful expression vanished.
His hand rested on the hilt of a blade.
His voice dropped—low and steady.
"I understand, brother…"
"But if anyone dares threaten Kumogakure—"
"I'll make sure they never leave alive."
Back in Konoha
Several days later—
Darui finally arrived at Konoha.
Light rain fell from the sky.
Droplets slid from the eaves and shattered against the stone ground—mirroring his heavy mood.
Escorted by Konoha guards, he walked through the long corridor toward the meeting room.
He paused at the door.
Took a deep breath.
Then pushed it open.
Inside sat:
Minato
Wen Lan
Shikaku
And the rest of the Kumogakure delegation.
The atmosphere was tense.
"Lord Hokage," Darui said firmly,
"The Raikage has agreed to your conditions and will travel to the Land of Iron shortly."
"Excellent," Minato replied with a gentle nod.
"Then we depart tomorrow. Please rest well tonight."
Tutai and the others stood, bowed, and left.
Wen Lan's Decision
Wen Lan leaned back in his chair and spoke calmly:
"I'll go as well."
"In case the Raikage decides to make trouble."
"Agreed," Minato said.
The final delegation list was set:
ANBUWen LanShikaku
A small group—
But with two Kage-level fighters, numbers weren't necessary.
Meanwhile — Kumogakure
Night fell.
Thunder rolled across the sky.
Lightning tore through the darkness like silver serpents.
On a distant cliff overlooking the village stood:
Obito
White Zetsu
Black Zetsu
Below them, Kumogakure glowed with lights.
Earlier that day, the Raikage and his delegation had already departed for the Land of Iron.
Which meant—
Village defenses were now at their weakest.
Black Zetsu chuckled softly, voice cold as the abyss.
"The time has come."
White Zetsu emerged from the ground like ink rising through stone.
"The jinchūriki's presence remains in the village. Killer B hasn't left."
Obito stood at the cliff's edge, Sharingan reflecting the lightning.
His plan was set.
"If he intends to guard the village…"
"Then he'll fall into darkness along with it."
"White Zetsu—create chaos and draw the guards' attention."
"Understood."
White Zetsu sank back into the earth.
Obito turned to Black Zetsu.
"You come with me. Distract them if necessary."
"Very well."
Black Zetsu vanished into shadow.
Space twisted.
A spiral vortex opened.
Obito stepped into it.
Inside the Vault
Deep within Kumogakure—
The alarm had not yet sounded.
Wind carried the scent of rain through the rooftops.
A shadow appeared silently inside the storage chamber.
The room was pitch black.
No light.
Obito narrowed his eyes and sighed.
"So… you've been waiting for me."
The moment he entered using Kamui, he knew it was a trap.
The previous failure had revealed the reason:
The vault was protected by a space-sealing barrier.
Ironically—
This defense existed because of Minato.
During the Third Shinobi War, the Raikage had developed a deep fear of the Flying Thunder God technique.
Since then, Kumogakure had installed space-sealing barriers in critical locations.
Now—
Entering the vault so easily could only mean one thing:
A setup.
The Ambush
Click.
Lights snapped on.
The room was completely empty.
Except for one figure standing in the corner—
Arms crossed.
Goggles on.
Eight swords on his back.
Killer B.
"Bakayaro~"
"The mighty Killer B has already seen through your little trick—yo!"
He posed with rap gestures, swaying proudly.
Obito let out a cold laugh.
His Sharingan spun slowly.
"You really think being a jinchūriki is enough to trap me?"
—------------------------------
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