"Lord Raikage, this is the recent trend of Konoha's offensive line." Mabui stood in the Kumogakure hospital room, a solemn expression on her face. "Based on my judgment, Konoha is certain they have already secured victory. They are simply using this war as a training ground for their troops."
The Fourth Raikage nodded, a heavy silence falling over him. After a long moment, he looked up. "Mabui, is there still any chance of turning this war around?"
Mabui fell silent. She offered a bitter, helpless smile and shook her head. "The Uchiha clan's strength is simply too overwhelming. Even if our two armies clashed head-on, Kumogakure would struggle to win. Furthermore, Lord Killer B is still unconscious, and you have lost an arm, Lord Raikage."
She paused, her brow furrowing. "Meanwhile, the youth from Konoha's Uchiha clan hasn't even appeared on the battlefield recently. All intelligence suggests he hasn't suffered any serious injuries. It is a difficult reality to accept, Lord Raikage, but we have truly lost this war."
As Mabui finished her report, a prolonged, suffocating silence filled the hospital room.
"In that case, Mabui... we will surrender," the Fourth Raikage finally said, his voice flat and resigned. "Since we know we cannot win, I won't throw away the lives of our Kumogakure brothers and sisters. As for the war reparations, we will let the Daimyo and the negotiators handle the talks."
"Lord Raikage!" Mabui's head snapped up in shock. Seeing the unwavering resolve in his eyes, she swallowed her protests. "Understood, Lord Raikage. I will go make the preparations."
She turned and headed for the door, the questions she wanted to ask dying on her lips.
Just then, the Fourth Raikage's keen senses picked up the faint sound of footsteps outside the door. He narrowed his eyes. "Mabui, did Kumogakure schedule any special movements for tonight?"
Mabui stopped in her tracks, mentally reviewing Darui's security arrangements for the day. She shook her head. "No, none at all."
Seeing the sudden shift in the Raikage's expression, Mabui instantly understood. Someone had infiltrated the Kumogakure hospital.
Out in the hallway, Shinnosuke Sarutobi pressed himself against the wall, whispering to his subordinates. "The Fourth Raikage is in that room, and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki is right beside him. If we can kill them both, we will be the greatest heroes of this war."
Ever since the last strategy meeting, Shinnosuke had grown increasingly furious. He genuinely believed his assassination plan was flawless. In his mind, Fugaku Uchiha and the others were simply jealous of his talent, terrified that he would steal the glory of ending the war.
Driven by spite and ambition, Shinnosuke had made a drastic decision. He secretly gathered all the ninja of the Sarutobi clan, slipping out of the Konoha encampment under the cover of darkness and heading straight toward the Kumogakure stronghold.
By sheer luck, he had managed to navigate all the way to the Kumogakure hospital. He was only one step away from absolute success.
'It's impossible for them to stop me now,' Shinnosuke thought, gritting his teeth in resentment. 'Once I return with the heads of the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, let's see who dares to look down on me!'
Boom!
Without any warning, the wall beside him exploded outward. A massive, muscular hand crackling with intense lightning erupted from the dust, lunging straight for Shinnosuke's face.
"Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!"
Shinnosuke's pupils shrank. Operating purely on instinct, he rolled backward, his hands flying through hand seals in a blur. Within seconds, the narrow hallway was completely engulfed in a cloud of superheated, explosive ash.
'I was discovered?' A drop of cold sweat slid down Shinnosuke's forehead.
However, the scene that unfolded a second later completely shattered his expectations, leaving his jaw hanging open in horror. Stepping out from the continuously burning cloud of scorching ash was the Fourth Raikage.
The Lightning Release Chakra Mode flared violently around his body, shielding him completely. There wasn't a single burn on him; not even a speck of dust had touched his clothes.
The Raikage's gaze locked onto the emblem stitched onto the intruder's clothing. "The Sarutobi clan crest?" A cold, mocking sneer curled his lips as he recognized the facial features. "Boy, what is your relationship with that old monkey, Hiruzen? Ah, I see. You're the old monkey's son."
The Raikage cracked his knuckles, the lightning around him intensifying. "You want to assassinate me? Let's see if you have even a fraction of that old monkey's skill!"
With a deafening crackle, a massive surge of lightning chakra gathered around his remaining left arm as he charged at Shinnosuke with terrifying speed.
"Have they started fighting already?"
Perched on a vantage point overlooking the chaotic Kumogakure hospital, Jie Uchiha watched the explosions with a glint of excitement in his eyes.
"It seems all the effort I put into helping those pieces of trash bypass Kumogakure's patrols wasn't wasted," Jie murmured to himself.
Shinnosuke Sarutobi foolishly believed he had managed to sneak his entire clan out of the Konoha camp completely undetected. In reality, the moment Shinnosuke and his people set foot outside the perimeter, Fugaku Uchiha received the intelligence.
Fugaku had immediately classified the Sarutobi clan as rogue-ninjas. Sneaking out in the dead of night, avoiding all allied patrols, and heading straight for Kumogakure territory? Fugaku had every reason to officially suspect Shinnosuke was leading his clan to defect to the enemy.
Furthermore, to ensure the Sarutobi clan's "defection" didn't end prematurely by accidentally getting caught by Kumogakure's outer patrols, Jie had personally taken the field to clean up after them.
Along the way, he had silently eliminated numerous hidden sentries and wiped out several Kumogakure patrol squads, essentially escorting the Sarutobi clan safely to the hospital's doorstep.
Now, the evidence was irrefutable. As for whether Shinnosuke lived or died, that was up to fate.
Jie lingered near the Kumogakure camp, watching the drama unfold. It didn't take long for the Fourth Raikage to emerge from the hospital, dragging an unconscious, half-dead Shinnosuke by the collar.
Satisfied with the outcome, Jie nodded and vanished into the night, returning to the Konoha camp.
The next morning, just as the army was preparing to mobilize, shocking news swept through the Konoha base: the entire Sarutobi clan had vanished.
The encampment was thrust into an uproar.
"The ninja assigned to monitor the perimeter reported that they saw the Sarutobi clan, led by Shinnosuke, leave the camp late last night and head in the direction of Kumogakure," Shikaku Nara reported, his expression grim as he handed the intelligence scroll to Fugaku.
Though he already knew, Fugaku maintained a serious facade and nodded heavily. "How should we handle this situation?" he asked in a deep voice.
"This..."
The commanders in the tent exchanged uneasy glances, hesitant to speak. Leaving the encampment during a war without orders—and heading directly toward enemy lines—left no other explanation besides treason.
Yet, the idea of the Hokage's own son leading the Hokage's clan to defect was so absurd that no one could quite wrap their heads around it.
A heavy silence fell over the meeting room. The political implications were simply too massive for anyone to make a rash decision.
Suddenly, a civilian ninja stationed at the camp's communications relay burst into the tent, panting heavily.
"Lord Fugaku! Urgent intelligence from the Kumogakure front!" the ninja shouted. "Konoha ninja Shinnosuke Sarutobi led his clan in a sneak attack against Kumogakure and they have all been captured!"
The ninja swallowed hard. "Now, Kumogakure is demanding that Konoha surrender immediately, otherwise..."
"Otherwise what?" Fugaku demanded.
"Otherwise, all members of the Sarutobi clan, including Lord Shinnosuke, will be executed by Kumogakure," the ninja stammered out.
A long beat of silence passed before one of the officers finally spoke up. "Lord Fugaku... I believe we should officially declare the Sarutobi clan as defectors."
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