Mountains and rivers swept past beneath the Scale Wood Dragon.
By the time a full day had passed, the warm air had turned cold, and thick clouds were piling up across the horizon. Shinichi opened his eyes and looked ahead.
Kumogakure stood among steep mountain peaks, its buildings built into the cliffs layer by layer. At first glance, it looked somewhat similar to Iwagakure, but the sky above it was completely different.
Even in daylight, blue-white lightning flashed inside the heavy clouds. Every now and then, a thick bolt struck one of the mountain rooftops or open platforms below before being drawn underground through long iron chains.
"The Hidden Cloud Village..."
Shinichi looked at the scene ahead. "No wonder their ninja style is so fierce."
A village built on high mountains, under heavy clouds and constant lightning, would naturally raise a different kind of ninja.
The Scale Wood Dragon lowered its altitude and flew toward the village.
Shinichi was not worried about the lightning, but there was no need to invite trouble for nothing. Before the dragon could get much closer, however, he sensed something spread across the mountains ahead.
A barrier.
And not a permanent one.
It had been set up recently, more than ten miles outside the village, far beyond the normal defensive range.
"They really were waiting."
Shinichi looked at the faint barrier pattern ahead, then smiled slightly.
"Very well."
The Scale Wood Dragon did not slow down. Its wings beat harder, and it charged straight into the barrier's range.
Pale blue light flared across the air.
The alarm was triggered.
Inside Kumogakure's operations room, the barrier map covering the wall lit up almost at the same time.
Several sensory ninja sat around the formation on the floor, their hands pressed against the glowing lines. They had been maintaining the expanded barrier for days, and the strain was clear on their faces.
One of them suddenly opened his eyes.
"He's here. The outer barrier was triggered. The target is heading towards the village, and he's fast."
The room fell quiet.
Ever since Iwagakure's defeat, Kumogakure had kept its barriers active day and night. Patrols had been pushed outward, scouts had been doubled, and every report from the Land of Earth had been checked again and again.
They knew Shinichi might come.
But knowing it and hearing the alarm were not the same thing.
A young ninja stood up at once and rushed out. He crossed the corridor at full speed, reached the Raikage's office, and pushed the door open.
"Lord Raikage!"
Behind the desk, the Fourth Raikage looked up. Mabui also turned from the documents in her hand, and the moment she saw the messenger's face, her expression changed.
A's eyes sharpened. "Speak."
"The outer barrier has been triggered," the messenger said quickly. "No visual confirmation yet, but the target is heading straight for the village at high speed."
Mabui slowly lowered the documents.
"Then it should be him."
At a time like this, under this level of defense, anyone who dared to rush straight through Kumogakure's outer barrier could only be one person.
Tejima Shinichi.
For a moment, the office was quiet.
Thunder rumbled outside the window. The lightning in the clouds was a normal sight in Kumogakure, but today it felt different. Even the sound seemed heavier.
A put down his pen and took off the Raikage hat. He placed it on the desk and slowly stood up.
"So it has finally come to this."
They had already thought this might happen after Iwagakure was defeated. Shinichi had attacked one of the Great Hidden Villages, taken the Five-Tails, and forced Ōnoki to kneel before the entire Ninja World. There was no reason to think Kumogakure would be safe.
A walked to the window and looked at the dark clouds above the village. Blue-white lightning flashed around his body, and he slowly clenched his right fist.
"Notify the whole village."
His voice was low, but everyone in the room heard it clearly.
"Kumogakure will engage the enemy."
Almost at the same time, a sharp alarm rang out across the village. The sound came from the watchtowers on every peak, echoing through the valleys until the entire mountain range seemed to be shaking with it.
On the streets below, villagers stopped what they were doing and looked up in confusion.
"An alarm?"
"Is this an enemy attack?"
"How many years has it been since that sound rang..."
The younger villagers only looked around blankly, while the older ones slowly turned pale. They still remembered what that alarm meant.
Compared to the civilians, the ninja reacted much faster. No one wasted time asking questions. Patrol teams changed direction, stationed jonin left their posts, and squad after squad began gathering toward the Raikage Building.
Before long, Kumogakure's strongest ninja had gathered inside the Raikage's office.
C stood near the wall with a serious look. Samui arrived with Omoi and Karui behind her. Dodai and several older jonin came in soon after. More ninja were still gathering outside, but the people in this room were already the main force Kumogakure could send into battle.
Some had fought beside A for years. Some were younger jonin who had only heard stories about the village-wide alarm. But at this moment, all of them understood one thing.
The enemy this time was not ordinary.
Then a voice came from the hallway before its owner appeared.
"Yo! Alarm ringing loud, enemy looking proud! Big Brother standing tall, Lord B ready for it all!"
Killer B walked in with his usual style, one hand raised in a strange pose. Normally, someone would have told him to be quiet, but today even A only gave him a glance.
A was about to speak when a scout hurried into the office, dust still clinging to his clothes.
"Lord Raikage!"
Everyone turned toward him.
The scout swallowed hard, his face pale. "It's confirmed. The intruder is riding a winged Wood Dragon and heading straight for the village."
The office went completely quiet.
After a brief pause, the scout forced out the rest.
"It's Tejima Shinichi."
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