"Uh, Obito and Kabuto should be easier to deal with. At least we have an information advantage there."
"But… aren't we going to save Obito and Kabuto? I feel like they could become our allies."
"Hm? That's an option too… let me think."
Aburame Shiken pondered for a moment.
His plans had always treated Obito and Kabuto as hypothetical enemies.
But now, those enemy "boss-level" figures might turn into teammates instead.
That was a huge win.
"Kamito, keep an eye on Uchiha Obito. He's the same age as Kakashi."
"No problem. Leave it to me. No Uchiha would dare not listen to me."
Uchiha Kamito said confidently.
Uchiha Madara: Arrogant. Ignorant brat. Even I wouldn't dare say that.
"As for Kabuto, has any of you seen him before?"
"Tell me about him. I've seen him at the orphanage."
Senju Hideki spoke with confidence.
In Konoha, whether it was the orphanage or the nursing home, who didn't know the name Senju Hideki?
"The Loving Senju" wasn't just a nickname.
"Then it sounds like we can just push through head-on, right? What do you think?"
Aburame Shiken asked again. With two boss-level enemies gone, just Uchiha Madara alone—easy to handle.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya? Simple.
Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, sleeping within the moon: ???
"No, we still need to log out. Even faking death is an option."
Hyūga Hiyasu said at that moment.
Uchiha Kamito agreed.
The two exchanged a glance and smiled—they were on the same wavelength.
At the same time, they let out a sinister chuckle:
"Ke ke ke…"
Aburame Shiken then looked at Inuzuka Ryoha and Senju Hideki, asking for their opinions.
Inuzuka Ryoha: "As long as Rinko is by my side, any plan is fine."
…I shouldn't have even asked. I should've just let you two suffer through tragic romance again and again.
Inuzuka Ryoha abstained.
Senju Hideki: "I prefer overwhelming force. That's obviously more satisfying."
"Three votes to one, with one abstention. Now, let's discuss how to fake our deaths—and how to do it with style."
Aburame Shiken eagerly joined in.
"Ke ke ke…"
Senju Hideki was full of question marks.
You already had three votes—why even ask?
Aburame Shiken: Voting rights are sacred and inviolable, got it? Even if it's a useless vote.
The remaining five began to seriously consider what kind of death would look the coolest, what would draw the most tears from readers—ahem, what would be the most believable way to die and fool the entire ninja world.
...
Cloud Village.
The Third Raikage was training the young Fourth Raikage, A.
"Piercing Four Fingered."
"One Fingered Assault."
The Piercing Four Fingered easily shattered the One Fingered Assault.
A clutched his bent fingers and screamed in pain:
"Ah! Ah!"
The Third Raikage walked over and sighed.
"A, your path is different from mine. There's no need to obsess over Lightning Release: Hell Stab. Your talent lies in speed, not toughness."
A shouted,
"I don't believe it! I'll personally destroy Konoha! Do you even know that Yoru-san died at the hands of that Senju ninja while trying to save me?!"
Boom—
The ground burst into dust as the Third Raikage slammed A's head into the ground.
"Don't insult Yoru, you idiot. He didn't die to save you—he died for the victory of Cloud Village. He chose to hold off a powerful enemy and sacrificed himself. And that Senju ninja has already been killed by me. It's time for you to move on, A."
Cloud Village had no idea that Senju Hideki was still alive.
Senju Hideki: Heh heh, I died. Heh heh, I'm alive again.
A's tears continued to soak the ground.
How many years had it been?
The feeling of being seen as a weakness on the battlefield—he still couldn't forget it.
The image of Yoru-san's head being taken… how many times had A relived that nightmare?
But he never dared to speak of it normally.
Only in front of his father could he let it out.
After pinning A down, the Third Raikage turned and walked away.
Hearing the loud sobbing behind him, his heart ached.
Just how much pressure had his son been carrying all this time?
At the same time, he felt a sense of relief.
Yoru… the one you saved did not disappoint you. He is the future of Cloud Village.
A—once you break free from this inner demon, you will become even stronger.
The Third Raikage returned to the Raikage's office.
Dodai had already been waiting there for a long time.
"Dodai, what is it? Is there still something left to handle?"
"Raikage-sama, this is a secret letter from Ōnoki of the Stone Village."
"I don't want to see that old fossil's handwriting. Just tell me what it says."
The Third Raikage clearly disliked any interaction with Ōnoki—even written correspondence.
"In short, Ōnoki wants to join forces with us to attack Konoha again."
"Again with attacking Konoha? What did Konoha ever do to him? Why does he shout about attacking it every year?"
The Third Raikage was puzzled.
Over the years, Cloud Village and Stone Village hadn't exactly had the best relationship.
After all… they had "recruited"—ahem—taken quite a lot of talent from them.
Yet Ōnoki kept inviting them to attack Konoha.
Ōnoki: Next time, I'll team up with Konoha to beat you instead, you clueless brute. As long as Konoha stands, how can we ever rise?
"Maybe when Ōnoki was younger, he was traumatized by something in Konoha."
Dodai replied. He vaguely remembered his parents mentioning something like that.
"Dodai, what do you think about this joint attack on Konoha?"
The Third Raikage didn't care too deep.
As long as they weren't the ones being attacked, that was enough.
"A true alliance is unlikely. We don't trust the Stone Village, and they don't trust us either. But attacking Konoha is absolutely the right choice."
Dodai analyzed seriously.
Ōnoki: See? See?! That's the brain of a Stone Village man!
Dodai continued,
"Raikage-sama, the Land of Fire sits at the center of the ninja world. It lacks nothing. Meanwhile, we rely on importing many resources from them. If we can break into the Land of Fire, even a short period of looting would let us recover our costs quickly."
"Secondly, Konoha is simply too powerful. Leaving aside the First Shinobi World War, just look at the Second—fighting all four great villages and still coming out without losses. Oh, and the Land of Rain too—they even had time to attack the Hidden Rain Village."
"The ninja world cannot accommodate something that strong."
Hidden Rain Village: What do you mean 'had time'? We were their first opponent!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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