After his meeting with Fumori Masaki concluded, the Third Raikage, still nursing his injuries, returned to the Land of Lightning. He couldn't let anyone see him in such a disheveled state, so he followed his pre-determined route back to where his wife, child, and personal guards were waiting.
Sora and her son, Ay, had been waiting there all along, and she was speculating about the outcome of the battle betweenFumori Masaki and her husband. While her husband, the Third Raikage, was undoubtedly the strongest ninja in the village, capable of defeating even a rampaging Jinchuriki, her past impressions told her that Fumori Masaki's power was also extraordinary, and he possessed something different from other ninjas.
Sora couldn't quite pinpoint what that something was, but she was certain thatFumori Masaki Masaki's power was subtly different from that of other ninjas. If she hadn't personally witnessed the Jinchuriki's Tailed Beast Chakra, she might not have noticed; it looked identical to the chakra used by ordinary ninjas, but there was something abnormal within it.
Unlike his worried mother, Ay had always had immense confidence in his father. Since childhood, he knew his father was the strongest in the village, a fact he took great pride in. He never believed anyone else in the ninja world could surpass his father. Perhaps in the future, with more experience, Ay would feel ashamed of his naive thoughts, but for now, this was his most genuine belief.
At that moment, the personal guards and Sora were the first to notice someone approaching. Only when the Third Raikage's figure appeared before everyone did Ay notice. He had just excitedly called out "Father," only to be immediately shocked by the bandages wrapped around his father.
Sora and the others were also stunned to see the Third Raikage return in such a state. They stared in shock at his body, which had never borne a single scar but was now covered in bandages, with faint traces of blood seeping through, telling them this wasn't just a whim of the Third Raikage to imitate someone.
The Third Raikage let out a soft sigh. To appear like this before his family and trusted subordinates, he honestly felt a pang of shame. In the past, he had always presented himself as the strongest to everyone in Kumogakure, which was the very meaning of the name "Ay." Now, to some extent, that name had been shaken.
Fortunately, he was also a man of great magnanimity and didn't show much weakness. Instead, he forced a smile and said, "I lost, unfortunately."
His tone was very relaxed, as if he had just participated in an unimportant sparring match. However, it had a profound impact on everyone present, especially Ay, who idolized his father. He couldn't accept that his father had lost, and from the Third Raikage's appearance, it seemed like a crushing defeat.
"Father, how could you possibly lose?" Ay was very agitated. "Did that Hokage use some dirty trick?"
"That's enough. A loss is a loss. Besides,Fumori Masaki defeated me fair and square. In a ninja battle, there's no such thing as dirty tricks," the Third Raikage told his son.
"How could this be..." Ay still seemed unable to comprehend, his expression distraught. Everyone else understood his reaction. After all, his strongest father losing to someone else, and so badly, was undoubtedly a huge blow to his son's psyche.
Sora was equally shaken.Fumori Masaki's power was actually this formidable. She had thought that even if the Third Raikage lost, it would only be by a narrow margin. Although wind nature completely countered lightning nature, the Third Raikage had also learned other methods to cope. In a battle of the same rank, the difference shouldn't have been this great.
In other words,Fumori Masaki's abilities as a wind-nature ninja had already surpassed the Third Raikage's, to the point that other methods could hardly compensate. Although she had always felt Fumori Masaki's abilities were unusual,
Sora still felt she had underestimatedFumori Masaki Masaki. This person's strength was even more unimaginable.
"Let's return to the village quickly," the Third Raikage said. "This isn't a suitable place to talk."
Because the Third Raikage held a very high position in Kumogakure, if others knew he had lost to the Hokage, and in such a disastrous state, it would undoubtedly shake the will of Kumogakure. To avoid this situation, the Third Raikage only brought his family and trusted subordinates with him, and after his match withFumori Masaki Masaki, he didn't linger outside, immediately rushing back to the village.
As soon as he returned to the village, the Third Raikage went to meet with a representative of the opposition, showing him his injuries, which brought a great shock to the other party. He didn't even need to say anything more; the representative immediately stated that he would communicate with everyone in the opposition and have them support the proposal to cooperate with the Land of Fire.
The Third Raikage nodded, stood up, and patted the other's shoulder, saying, "I'm counting on you. Also, please don't tell anyone else about my injuries. I trust you, which is why I'm letting you know about this."
The representative actually had no issues with the Third Raikage. He and the opposition were only refusing the resolution to cooperate with the Land of Fire, which was a difference of opinion. But from Kumogakure's standpoint, they were undoubtedly loyal, and this representative was part of Kumogakure's high command and held great respect for the Third Raikage. Although shocked by the Third Raikage's injuries, he also understood that this matter could not be revealed to others.
"I understand, Lord Raikage. If you must meet with others, please be sure to conceal your injuries," the representative said.
"I know. I can't let anyone see me like this," the Third Raikage smiled, and after seeing the representative out, he finally returned home.
The most trusted and skilled medical ninja in Kumogakure had already been secretly invited to his home to treat and conceal the Third Raikage's injuries. This wasn't a difficult task, but concealment was still concealment; the injuries couldn't fully heal. In the coming days, the Third Raikage would need a period of time where he couldn't take action.
The Third Raikage felt it didn't matter. A war wasn't just about parading out one side's top combatants; a national war wasn't a one-person affair, but the result of the entire nation operating in unison. Unless one completely abandoned everything and acted alone to completely destroy the entire world, even a God of Shinobi couldn't win a war according to his own wishes.
Of course, the current Third Raikage couldn't imagine that in the future, two unconstrained individuals would emerge, capable of frankly claiming to win the Shinobi World War on their own. Because they didn't need to care about anything, didn't need to consider anything. Even if there were many sacrifices, no matter how many people died, no matter what tragedy and suffering they brought to others, they only needed to revive the Ten-Tails and cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi to achieve their goal. And after the war, all sorrow and suffering would find peace in the illusions of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, achieving eternal peace.
Currently, no leader of any nation's ninja village had personally committed to the war. The only one who had contributed significantly, the Third Mizukage, was only overseeing the front lines; the time for him to fully unleash his power had not yet arrived.
So, the Land of Lightning, having just entered the war, didn't need the Third Raikage to make an appearance. During this time, he could recuperate well. If there were any real problems, it would only be if a Tailed Beast rampage were to occur again within the village, and if this rampage were a bit stronger, the Third Raikage couldn't guarantee anything.
After admonishing the other party not to reveal any information, the Third Raikage had him quietly leave his room. As soon as he sat down, he saw Sora emerge from the bedroom. Earlier, Sora had gone into the room to comfort their son. The Third Raikage's defeat was a major blow to him, and if not guided properly, it could potentially affect Ay's growth in the future, something the Third Raikage, who had high hopes for him, could not accept.
"How is Ay doing?" the Third Raikage asked.
"He's better. He's just pretending to sleep and sulking in bed now," Sora replied. "He probably won't get over it anytime soon. Let's talk to him again in a few days."
"That child," the Third Raikage shook his head. However, he also knew that Ay had never experienced any major setbacks since childhood and regarded him as an idol and pillar. With his idol fallen, it was certainly difficult to accept. He himself had gone through similar times, but in the end, he had overcome them.
Since he was his descendant, as long as he was guided well, he would probably also be able to overcome this setback and remain steadfast on his own path in the future, the Third Raikage thought.
"Tell me, what exactly happened in this battle?" Sora sat down beside the Third Raikage and asked.
The Third Raikage pondered for a moment, then slowly recounted the entire battle. The more she listened, the more astonished Sora became by Fumori Masaki's abilities. Not only did he possess masterful Wind Release techniques, but his physical capabilities were also far superior to the Third Raikage's. If it were just agility, that would be one thing, as the Third Raikage was robust and tall, while Fumori Masaki's body was lighter. But to be equally matched in strength, that was something else entirely—
"Fumori's abilities must be problematic," the Third Raikage now voiced the thought that had been on Sora's mind. "After fighting him with all my strength, I'm even more certain of this. His chakra is different from ours. For a body like his to unleash that level of power, it must either be extremely vast and active lightning-nature chakra, or Tailed Beast chakra. But neither of those could be as imperceptible as his."
"Yes, that's what I find most peculiar. No matter how skilled a ninja is at stealth, once they start fighting, their chakra signature shouldn't be like that," Sora said.
"Although you can feel the power contained in his ninjutsu and sense its momentum, the precursor to its eruption is undetectable. It's almost as if the process of gathering and erupting chakra is completed instantaneously. We all have some degree of sensory ability, and predicting an opponent's moves largely relies on sensing the precursor of their power. But Fumori Masaki is completely different," the Third Raikage said.
"If the secret to his strength is because of this, then what exactly could achieve such a thing?" Sora couldn't help but fall into thought.
"I don't know. But what's certain is that the power Fumori Masaki uses must also be part of the Ninshu legacy," the Third Raikage said. The prototypes of all secret techniques used by ninjas today originated from Ninshu a thousand years ago. As the saying goes, all secret techniques in the world stem from the Six Paths. "That is to say, as long as we thoroughly investigate ninjutsu scrolls, we can definitely find clues to that power of his."
"It seems our village's current collected data doesn't contain anything related to it," Sora said.
"That's only because we haven't collected enough data," the Third Raikage narrowed his eyes slightly. "Such a powerful force, its origin must also be extremely powerful, and such a powerful secret technique must belong to the Ninshu secrets; it's not something you can just find easily."
"Then, perhaps it has a deep connection with the Sage of Six Paths," Sora's heart stirred slightly. "Look, hasn't the Hidden Leaf Village been consciously collecting ancient texts from the Sage of Six Paths' era for a long time? And there are rumors that the Senju clan are descendants of the Sage of Six Paths. If his power comes from the Sage of Six Paths' texts—"
"You have a point," the Third Raikage's gaze sharpened slightly. "Coincidentally, our village also has descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, although they no longer exist, their records remain."
The Third Raikage was naturally referring to the families of Kinkaku and Ginkaku. After suppressing the rebellion back then, the Second Raikage carried out a thorough purge of their remaining family members, fearing that those who inherited the will of Kinkaku and Ginkaku would repeat their crimes. To this end, any female with a physical connection to Kinkaku and Ginkaku was executed. That period was the darkest time for Kumogakure, where even the air seemed to be permeated with a bloody aura.
During this time, Kumogakure confiscated all of the Six Paths Sage Tools passed down in the Kinkaku and Ginkaku families, along with the secret technique scrolls they had studied. However, these were by no means the entirety of the Kinkaku and Ginkaku families' legacy; some of it was likely hidden. Previously, due to prioritizing village construction and dealing with pressure from other countries, they hadn't delved too deeply. But the Third Raikage felt they should now focus their efforts on excavating the past legacy of the Kinkaku and Ginkaku families, as it might yield unexpected discoveries.
"This matter won't be resolved anytime soon. We still have other things to attend to. This cooperation with Konohagakure has brought me other support fromn Fumori Masaki," the Third Raikage said. "He's willing to sell us the ninja tool that caused such a stir in the Land of Grass, but we'll have to pay a corresponding price for it. I know that guy isn't that generous, but after some consideration, I still think it's worth it."