"Phew…"
After rounds of negotiation with the Kage, Dodai finally secured an agreement.
The Hidden Cloud would compensate the other three villages, while Onoki, Yagura Karatachi, and Rasa would personally step in, forming an alliance to oppose Ryūjin Uchiha's advance.
When the news spread, the tension that had gripped the Hidden Cloud's leadership finally eased.
"That's a relief. With the other three villages stepping in, Ryūjin shouldn't act recklessly, right?"
"The crisis is basically over. No matter how strong he is, he can't take on four great villages at once."
"If he does, that's the same as challenging the entire ninja world."
Voices filled the Raikage's office, a mix of relief and lingering unease.
This situation was nothing like the Third Great Ninja War. Back then, every village was fighting each other, alliances were unstable, and chaos ruled the battlefield.
Now, for the first time, four great villages were standing on the same side with a shared goal.
Anyone in their position would hesitate.
Anyone, except Ryūjin.
They misunderstood him completely.
If it had been Hashirama Senju, things might have been different. Hashirama believed in compromise, in negotiation, in maintaining balance. He would have backed down in the face of such pressure.
Ryūjin did not care.
The same villages that stayed silent when the Hidden Cloud made its move against the Leaf had no right to speak now.
If they insisted on interfering, he would deal with them as well.
From his perspective, there was nothing in the ninja world worth fearing, aside from the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Meanwhile, the Leaf's intelligence network had already picked up on the alliance.
"Lord Hokage, we have an update."
Shikaku Nara spoke with a slight frown. "The Tsuchikage, Mizukage, and Kazekage have each departed with small escort units. They're heading to the Land of Lightning."
Their smaller numbers meant faster movement. Even though they left later, they would arrive ahead of the Leaf forces.
"Their intent is obvious," Shikaku continued. "They've formed an alliance to oppose us."
"That complicates things," Fugaku Uchiha said, his expression tightening slightly.
Ignoring the Hidden Cloud alone was one thing. Ignoring four villages was another.
"Should we adjust our plan?" Hiashi Hyūga asked.
Ryūjin waved his hand dismissively.
"No. We move as planned."
His tone was flat, almost bored.
"They're nothing but noise. If they get in the way, I'll deal with them."
Fugaku and the others exchanged brief looks, faint smiles tugging at their lips.
They still weren't used to this kind of decisiveness.
The march continued without hesitation.
Far away, beneath the ruins of Kannabi Bridge, another pair observed the situation.
"Ryūjin Uchiha is heading for the Hidden Cloud," said Black Zetsu.
"They brought it on themselves," Obito Uchiha replied coldly.
He knew exactly how dangerous Ryūjin was.
Even a fraction of his power was enough to dominate the battlefield.
Provoking someone like that was suicide.
"The Hidden Cloud isn't worth worrying about," Zetsu continued. "But what about the Two-Tails Jinchūriki?"
"If she ends up in Ryūjin's hands, that's a problem."
Obito fell silent.
Zetsu was right.
If Ryūjin captured the Two-Tails, retrieving it would be nearly impossible.
More importantly, Obito had no intention of confronting him again, not now.
Not after everything.
"We'll go watch," Obito said at last. "And take the Two-Tails while we're there."
Zetsu gave a knowing look but said nothing.
Instead, he picked up a scroll.
Obito glanced at it and raised an eyebrow.
"You're studying Edo Tensei now?"
"Just preparing," Zetsu replied.
Obito didn't press further. Instead, he ordered the White Zetsu clones to track Ryūjin's movements closely.
Back on the battlefield, the Leaf's five-hundred-man force finally reached the border of the Hidden Cloud.
"Stop!"
A group of border guards stepped forward, their leader forcing his voice to stay steady despite the sweat running down his face.
"This is Hidden Cloud territory. You are not allowed to enter."
They all knew who stood before them.
Ryūjin didn't bother responding.
His eyes shifted, revealing the power of the Rinnegan.
"Banshō Ten'in."
An overwhelming force pulled the guards forward, disrupting their footing instantly.
Before they could recover, Ryūjin flicked his wrist.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu."
A single massive shuriken split into countless copies, filling the air.
The result was immediate.
The guards were cut down before they could even react.
Ryūjin didn't spare them a second glance.
"Keep moving."
The Leaf forces advanced without pause, crossing into Hidden Cloud territory.
At that moment, the invasion had officially begun.
Inside the Raikage's office, an ANBU rushed in.
"Lord Dodai, Ryūjin has killed the border unit and entered our territory."
The atmosphere tightened instantly.
"So he's here," Onoki muttered.
"Are we not going out to meet them?" Yagura asked, glancing at Dodai.
Dodai shook his head.
"We can't fight them head-on. Our only chance is to force negotiations."
"If we move first, we give him an excuse to escalate."
The reasoning sounded solid.
But it wasn't the full truth.
The real reason was the Chakra Cannon.
It was already charging and couldn't be moved.
If Ryūjin fought them in open combat, the battle would be over in minutes, long before the weapon could be used.
So they had no choice but to hold their ground.
"If it comes to it," Dodai thought, "we'll fire from within the village itself."
The civilians had already been evacuated.
Whatever damage followed could be rebuilt later.
"Let's hope he's not completely unreasonable," Rasa said quietly.
No one answered.
Not long after, another report arrived.
"They're five kilometers from the village."
Dodai stood.
"Let's meet them."
The Kage moved out together, arriving at the village entrance just in time.
In the distance, a formation of shinobi approached.
Five hundred strong.
At their head stood Ryūjin.
"They're here," Shikaku said quietly.
Ryūjin looked ahead.
Around one to two hundred Hidden Cloud shinobi stood waiting.
In front of them were Onoki, Yagura, Rasa, and several high-ranking Cloud officials, including Dodai and Samui.
"Pointless," Ryūjin said.
His gaze swept across the field.
Something felt off.
Too few defenders.
Even fools wouldn't deploy such a small force against him.
"They're not planning to fight," said Hiashi. "They want to negotiate."
Fugaku nodded in agreement.
But Shikaku narrowed his eyes slightly.
"It's not that simple."