The Five Great Nations.
Konoha has vast forests and fertile plains, backed by the rich land of the Land of Fire.
Sunagakure has endless deserts and mineral resources hidden beneath the الرمال, where even survival itself is a form of training.
Kirigakure possesses the sea and dense mist, its environment perfectly suited for silent killing techniques.
Iwagakure stands upon rugged mountains and mineral-rich earth, known for its resilience and defensive strength.
Kumogakure has towering mountains, steep cliffs, and warriors forged through harsh conditions.
Among the Five Great Villages, Kumogakure has long ranked near the top in raw military strength, second only to Konoha during its peak eras. Its leadership the Raikage has always been synonymous with overwhelming power and speed.
Within Naruto, Tailed Beasts are the ultimate strategic weapons. Konoha possesses the Nine-Tails sealed within Naruto Uzumaki, while Kumogakure uniquely controls two Jinchūriki.
The Two-Tails Matatabi, the blue-flamed cat.
The Eight-Tails Gyūki, the ox-octopus.
These beings are comparable to walking disasters, far beyond what ordinary Kage-level shinobi can handle.
Yet the Raikage lineage is anything but ordinary.
The Third Raikage, A (Third Raikage), was famed for possessing both the "strongest shield" and the "strongest spear." His Lightning Release Armor granted him near-invulnerability, and he once fought the Eight-Tails alone for days; the only scar on his body was inflicted by his own attack.
The Fourth Raikage, A (Fourth Raikage), inherited that power and refined it further. His speed rivaled the Yellow Flash, and his physical strength allowed him to clash directly with Jinchūriki-level opponents.
"What a dangerous place… and not even much scenery to look at…"
chinatsu raised a hand and pressed her forehead lightly. From here, she only needed to travel from the border of the Land of Lightning toward Kumogakure itself. Compared to the journey from Konoha, this was much shorter but far more dangerous.
She continued forward.
The terrain of the Land of Lightning was exactly as described mountains, cliffs, and more mountains. There was little natural concealment; combat here favored direct confrontation and overwhelming speed.
"No wonder Kumogakure ninjas fight so aggressively…"
chinatsu muttered as she walked.
"Find the target, rush in with Lightning Release, break them instantly, then retreat… If there's a witness? Just eliminate the witness too."
As she spoke to herself, her foot suddenly struck something buried beneath the ground, nearly sending her face-first into the dirt.
"Whoa !"
She reacted quickly, stabilizing herself mid-fall.
"Phew… that was close. What even tripped me huh?"
Looking down, she realized it wasn't a rock.
After a brief hesitation, she used a small amount of Water Release to wash away the dirt, then Earth Release to loosen the soil before pulling the object free.
It was a forehead protector.
Judging by the engraved symbol, it belonged to Kumogakure.
A ninja wouldn't lose their headband without reason. Given how deeply it had been buried, a long time had passed.
Which meant…
chinatsu swallowed.
The most likely explanation was simple: the owner was already dead.
Possibly beneath her feet.
A chill ran down her spine. Corpses were one thing but imagining skeletal remains buried below was something else entirely. Her fingers trembled slightly, almost dropping the headband.
Still… she steadied herself.
A Kumogakure headband could be useful. Infiltration, disguise, deception having it was better than not.
Taking a deep breath, she slipped it into her pouch.
"I probably won't need it…" she muttered. "…hopefully."
Unfortunately, fate didn't seem interested in cooperating.
Not long after, as she continued moving carefully through the terrain, she spotted something else ahead.
This time… it wasn't an object.
It was a person.
chinatsu stopped abruptly.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
She stared at the figure lying on the ground.
Female. Around 170 centimeters. Wearing Kumogakure attire and a forehead protector. Long, light-colored hair reaching the waist. Early twenties.
"…Not bad-looking. Still not as good as me, obviously."
Even in this situation, chinatsu couldn't help making that comparison.
But something felt… familiar.
Not her appearance something deeper.
"I should recognize her… not a main character, but definitely someone with screen time…"
chinatsu narrowed her eyes, thinking rapidly.
Then it hit her.
"…This feeling…"
It wasn't about resemblance.
It was about presence.
A faint but unmistakable similarity to someone she knew very well
Just as realization was forming, the woman's eyes snapped open.
In one smooth motion, she drew a kunai and thrust it toward chinatsu.
" !"
chinatsu stepped back instantly, tilting her head just enough to avoid the strike.
"Who are you?!"
The woman's gaze was sharp, filled with killing intent. Despite her weakened state, she radiated the presence of an experienced jōnin.
chinatsu quickly assessed her condition injured, exhausted, but still dangerous.
At least… that's what she thought.
Then everything changed.
A surge of chakra erupted from the woman's body.
Visible chakra burning like blue flames rose violently around her.
The sheer volume dwarfed chinatsu's own reserves. Even compared to Kakashi Hatake, it was overwhelming twenty times, maybe more.
And this… still wasn't the limit.
At that moment, chinatsu finally understood.
"…Oh."
Her smile stiffened.
"Right… of course…"
This wasn't just any Kumogakure ninja.
This was Yugito Nii a jōnin of Kumogakure, and the Jinchūriki of the Two-Tails, Matatabi.
Blue chakra cloaked her body completely, her earlier weakness vanishing under the pressure of the Tailed Beast's power.
chinatsu forced a smile.
To be honest…
This situation wasn't just bad.
It was absolutely catastrophic.
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