Konoha: Sage Body

While Black Zetsu and Uchiha Madara plotted, Kumogakure was in the temporary battlefield base camp in the Land of Rain. Most of the Kumogakure did not have the slightest look of joy on their faces after victory; most of them showed expressions of grief and hatred, and an incredibly oppressive atmosphere filled the military camp.

The reason was none other than the tragic news from Kumogakure Village, which had washed away the joy of the previous Sandaime Raikage leading everyone in defeating Amegakure on the battlefield.

They never expected that while they were defeating Amegakure in the Land of Rain, Hattori Masanari would dare to lead only 50 Ame-Nin to attack their home, and succeed in doing so, causing huge losses and casualties.

What made them even more angry was that Hattori Masanari ended up leading some of his men to walk away unharmed.

This is a slap in the face, a real slap in the face, which has swollen the face of Kumogakure. All those in Kumogakure who heard the news felt ashamed, and then deep sorrow and anger followed.

"Damn Amegakure, how dare they play dirty? I'm going to their home now to cause havoc. If we're not going to hurt each other, who are we in Kumogakure afraid of? We're not afraid of anyone!"

"We must fight fire with fire and destroy Amegakure."

"That's right, we must not only destroy Amegakure, but also completely destroy the Land of Rain. We must let Amegakure understand the consequences of angering Kumogakure."

"Kill everyone in Amegakure, kill all the rebels."

...

In the military camp, a large number of Kumogakure ninjas kept shouting, venting their anger. Some even ignored the military orders and charged out of the camp with bloodthirsty, angry looks, heading straight for the nearby human settlements in the Land of Rain.

In the headquarters of the base camp, Sandaime Raikage, Blue B, Erui, and many Kumogakure jōnin gathered together. They heard all kinds of shouts of revenge against Amegakure outside, and most of them showed an expression of approval on their faces, and some even wanted to join in.

However, when they saw Sandaime Raikage on the main seat, who had been frowning the whole time and exuding a terrifying aura that chose people to devour, they subconsciously calmed down and kept quiet, tacitly choosing not to be the first to act at this time.

At the same time, they all turned their gaze to Erui, who was sitting in the first seat to the right of Sandaime Raikage, and looked to her for help.

Boss was in a rage, and they, as his subordinates, were afraid that they could not withstand his anger and could only hide their heads. The only person who could calm the boss down at this time was Erui.

The same was true of Blue B, who was also bruised and battered.

Seeing this, Erui rolled her eyes and cursed these men for being cowardly and spineless.

Then, she looked at the Sandaime Raikage, who was frowning with a fierce expression as he suppressed his anger, and sighed.

She knew that if things continued like this, Sandaime Raikage, in his temper, would probably charge towards Amegakure without saying a word and start killing people.

She had great confidence in the strength of Sandaime Raikage, but after Hattori Masanari's disturbance in Kumogakure, she realized that Amegakure was likely to be a trap. If Sandaime Raikage rushed into Amegakure without thinking, his life would probably be in danger.

In this world, no one is truly without weaknesses. Even the God of Shinobi, Hashirama, died young after falling victim to Uchiha Madara's treachery. If you find the right method, Sandaime Raikage will also die.

"Raikage-sama, please calm down for the time being. You are our pillar of strength. At this time, you must not lose your temper due to anger. This is the Land of Rain, not our Land of Thunder. Being in the enemy's country, the last thing we want is to be lured deep into enemy territory and fall prey to their treachery."

For the sake of Kumogakure, Erui said this with a stiff upper lip.

Upon hearing this, Sandaime Raikage looked at Erui with murderous intent, causing Erui to instantly turn pale. However, she held firm and stared directly at Sandaime Raikage with a determined gaze.

"Ah!!! Damn you Amegakure!"

Sandaime Raikage ultimately resisted the urge to vent his anger on Erui and angrily shouted.

As he spoke, he punched heavily on the table in front of him, reducing the entire table to a pile of splinters.

Still unable to calm down after breaking a table, he immediately activated his Lightning Release Chakra Mode and rushed out of the headquarters. Then, outside, he kept punching and kicking at an open space, pouring his anger onto the earth.

For a while, the entire military camp shook. The other Cloud Ninjas looked at Sandaime Raikage's crazy appearance and none of them said a word, not daring to breathe even a little, for fear that making a sound would attract Sandaime Raikage's attention.

After half an hour or so, Sandaime Raikage had punched a nearly 100-meter-deep crater in the ground. By then, the anger in his heart had finally dissipated, and his almost dead sense of reason once again took over his brain.

Soon, he returned to the headquarters.

"Erui, pass down the order: Let them plunder the Land of Rain to their heart's content. Anyone who resists will be killed without exception."

As soon as Sandaime Raikage returned, he gave Erui this order.

When the crowd from Kumogakure heard this, most of them showed an excited expression on their faces and became eager to do it.

"Yes, Raikage-sama."

When Erui heard this, she felt a little bit of reluctance in her heart, but she still immediately obeyed the order and did not dare to disobey.

Because she knew that what Sandaime Raikage was doing was correct. Due to the poor mountains and vicious waters of the Land of Thunder, the personalities of the people of Kumogakure are all aggressive, they advocate hawk tradition, and the culture of revenge is prevalent. Almost everyone is a hawk ninja.

If Sandaime Raikage doesn't let this group of Kumogakure ninjas, who are filled with hatred, vent their anger, their minds will probably snap, and they might start a mutiny.

Also, if the Land of Thunder doesn't launch a fierce retaliation against Amegakure, it might be looked down upon by the other ninja villages internationally, which could lead to an even more serious situation.

Iwagakure, which doesn't get along with Kumogakure, might be the first to launch a sneak attack on Kumogakure.

"Wait, there's more. Send out an announcement stating that as long as Amegakure surrenders Hattori Masanari to us, Kumogakure will cease all actions within the Land of Rain. Finally, issue an official reward order offering one billion for Hattori Masanari and ten million for anyone with information leading to his capture, as long as the information is accurate. Anyone can take it."

Before Erui could get ready to leave, Sandaime Raikage added two new orders.

When Erui and the rest of Kumogakure heard the new orders added by Sandaime Raikage, they all brightened up. Many of them immediately shouted, "Boss is brilliant."

"Phew, it seems that a lot of his anger has dissipated,"

Erui thought with a great sigh of relief.

Sandaime Raikage doesn't usually like to use his brain, but that doesn't mean he's stupid. Erui knows that this rough and tough guy, who usually hates to exercise his brain and develop muscles, has a delicate and cunning heart.

He is very talented at playing dirty and often learns without a teacher. The two new commands just added are very good.

When they from Kumogakure launch their revenge, this command will definitely cause a split within Amegakure, and Hattori Masanari will likely be betrayed by the people of Amegakure.

As for the second one, it is tantamount to asking the stakeholders in the entire ninja world to help them find Hattori Masanari. Although this may be very costly, it is worth it as long as they can discover Hattori Masanari's whereabouts.

Hattori Masanari has now obviously mastered Iwagakure's flying ninjutsu, Earth Release: Ultralight-Weight Rock Technique, which greatly enhances his mobility and makes it possible for him to lead the Amegakure ninja on a long-distance raid thousands of miles away in a short period of time.

Kumogakure must know this guy's location in order to take precautions and eliminate him.

As long as Hattori Masanari is alive, Kumogakure will never feel at ease.

Following the order of Sandaime Raikage, the entire army of Kumogakure boiled over, forming their own teams and leaving the base camp with anger.

A feast of wolves is about to begin.

In the headquarters, many Kumogakure jōnin left, and soon only Sandaime Raikage, Blue B, and Erui were left.

Sandaime Raikage suddenly asked Erui, "Erui, tell me, what do we need to pay attention to in Kumogakure right now?"

"There are many things that need attention, but the first thing to pay attention to is Iwagakure. I suspect that Hattori Masanari has already completed a secret collaboration with Iwagakure. Ōnoki, that old fox full of evil schemes, might even send troops to support Amegakure, or even declare war on us directly."

Erui said with a grave face.

The conflict and resentment between Iwagakure and Kumogakure has been deep-seated, much deeper than that between Sunagakure. Moreover, because the interests of the two are in serious conflict, the possibility of reconciliation and cooperation is extremely low.

Now Kumogakure has not only failed to crush Ameagakure, but has suffered a major loss. If Iwagakure, which has been watching from the sidelines, doesn't do something, Ōnoki doesn't deserve to be Tsuchikage.

"You're right, Ōnoki will definitely take action to cause trouble for us in Kumogakure. That guy actually gave away his flying jutsu to Amegakure, and is definitely colluding with them. We must deploy some extra manpower to guard against a sneak attack by Iwagakure."

Sandaime Raikage affirmed Erui's opinion.

"Brother, let me go back. One of us must go back, otherwise Hattori Masanari might come again and attack us by surprise, taking advantage of our lack of manpower,"

Blue B said.

He was well aware that the biggest weakness of Kumogakure right now was the weak defensive capabilities of the family. The power of the Nibi Jinchuuriki was not enough to defend against Hattori Masanari.

"Blue B-sama, there is no need to worry too much about this. If Hattori Masanari dares to come again, Kumogakure will definitely make him suffer. When he attacked our village, he waited until he knew that you, Raikage-sama, had gone to war. We have the most advanced communication equipment here, which allows us to contact the village in time. As long as Hattori Masanari dares to come again, I can immediately use the Heavenly Transfer to send Raikage-sama back."

Erui said confidently after hearing what Blue B said.

Heavenly Transfer, this is the time and space ninjutsu that Kumogakure Village is proud of, and this is also an important reason why Erui was able to become the secretary of the Sandaime Raikage.

The Sandaime Raikage has superior physical fitness and can completely withstand the side effects of Heavenly Transfer.

In other words, as long as Erui is by Sandaime Raikage's side, she can transport him to anywhere in the ninja world.

Of course, the prerequisite is that the spatial-temporal coordinates need to be set in advance.

And Kumogakure, of course, has the spatial-temporal coordinates set by Erui.

"I was worried that he wouldn't dare come again. If that guy dares to come again, I'll have to break his neck with my own hands,"

Sandaime Raikage said angrily.

Erui's words made Blue B feel much more at ease, but he soon had a new source of distress. That is, once Sandaime Raikage was sent back to Kumogakure by Erui using the Heaven's Gift technique, there would be no one here to stop him from going berserk.

Amegakure is not just home to Hattori Masanari, but also to Hanzo of the Salamander, a demigod of the ninja world.

As it turned out, Hanzo of the Salamander lived up to his reputation as a demigod of the ninja world, at least in the Land of Rain. Even Sandaime Raikage could hardly get the better of him, and at most, he could only suppress him, with killing him being almost impossible.

"Raikage-sama, please calm down. The Heavenly Transfer is indeed powerful, but it can only be used as a trump card. It is best not to use it unless there is no other choice. Moreover, its existence means that we need to send another Kage-Level powerhouse back to guard it. Raikage-sama, please let Lord B go back to the village immediately."

Erui noticed the distress on Blue B's face and knew what he was struggling with, so she spoke again.

B was the cousin of the Sandaime Raikage.

"It is indeed time to let that brat come back. Although that brat is still not yet mature, he has at least Kage level strength. His mastery of Lightning Release Chakra Mode is also quite good. With him and Nibi Jinchuuriki staying behind to guard Kumogakure, even if Hattori Masanari comes again, he won't be able to act as arrogant as before."

Sandaime Raikage nodded.

Then, frowning, he said to Erui, "Apart from Iwagakure, what do you think Konoha will do? Konoha is on high alert against our invasion of the Land of Rain. Will they take the opportunity to attack us as well?"

"Unlikely. Right now, the person in charge of the Konoha ninja troops stationed at the border of the Land of Rain is Senju Tsunade. I've studied this person, and she is an excellent medical ninja, not just in terms of her medical skills, but also her character. There is a high probability that she will not take advantage of our situation to attack Kumogakure, and she will not provoke us excessively. And the Sandaime Hokage is weak-willed, so it is even less likely that he will order an attack on Kumogakure."

Erui shook her head.

"That is indeed an excellent medical ninja,"

Sandaime Raikage felt that Erui's analysis was very reasonable and praised it, showing a little appreciation on his face.

In this way, the worries in his heart finally disappeared, and a bloodthirsty and angry expression gradually appeared on his face. Now that everything that needed to be explained had been explained, next, he also wanted to have a good time in the Land of Rain.

He would not go to Amegakure, but he could go to other places in the Land of Rain.

He must repay in kind for the destruction that Hattori Masanari had caused in Kumogakure.

...

Without a doubt, the fact that Kumogakure had suffered heavy losses from Hattori Masanari's attack was a major event. The spies from each of the villages that were lurking in Kumogakure passed the news back in their own ways as soon as possible.

Therefore, not long after Sandaime Raikage and the others received the news, all the major ninja villages received the relevant news one after the other, and they were all greatly shocked, re-evaluating the strength of Amegakure.

Iwagakure, the Tsuchikage Building, the Tsuchikage's office.

Ōnoki was flying around in mid-air, his face devoid of any hint of joy. He kept muttering, "That damned guy actually managed to succeed. What a disgrace..."

Ōnoki was of course delighted to hear that Kumogakure had suffered heavy losses in the attack by Hattori Masanari, but when he looked behind him and learned that Hattori Masanari had left by their Iwagakure's unique flying ninjutsu, Earth Release: Ultralight-Weight Rock Technique, his joy instantly vanished without a trace, leaving only remorse and bitterness.

Earth Release: Ultralight-Weight Rock Technique is an S-rank jutsu developed by the Second Tsuchikage, a true flying jutsu that can also carry other people along.

In theory, with this jutsu, Iwagakure could create a flying army.

In fact, during the Second Tsuchikage's rule, a flying army was secretly formed, but due to the high casualties and lack of hope, the plan eventually failed and the S-rank jutsu was then classified as forbidden.

There was no other way. The Ultralight-Weight Rock Technique was too difficult to master and could be quite dangerous.

So far, only Ōnoki had managed to master this flying ninjutsu thanks to his outstanding insight and talent for Earth Release, and he had only done so after narrowly escaping death several times.

When he made the deal with Hattori Masanari, he had precisely targeted the difficulty of mastering this ninjutsu and its terrifying fatality rate, and it was with sinister intent that he had traded it to Hattori Masanari.

He never really thought that anyone from Amegakure would successfully learn this ninjutsu, and just hoped that it would take away a few more talented ninja from Amegakure, preferably along with Hattori Masanari and Hanzo of the Salamander.

Now Hattori Masanari has actually learned it, and used it to severely punish Kumogakure.

Ōnoki, seeing this, suddenly felt that it was even more difficult to watch someone else make money than to lose money himself.

"What a blunder! What a blunder! I am the sinner, the sinner of Iwagakure! I'm sorry, teacher..."

Ōnoki felt so bad when he thought about his precious being cut away by the enemy.

"Knock, knock..."

Suddenly, the door was knocked.

Ōnoki quickly gathered his thoughts and regained his usual stern and rigid expression. He said, "Come in."

The next moment, a graceful female ninja walked in, and it was Ōnoki's daughter-in-law, Beni.

"Tsuchikage-sama, this is a special express secret letter from the Amegakure village. Please take a look."

Beni strode quickly up to Ōnoki and handed him a scroll that had already been decrypted.

Ōnoki immediately took the scroll and opened it to read it quickly.

As he did so, his expression grew increasingly grave.

The scroll contained a letter of distress from Hanzo of the Salamander, describing the atrocities being committed by Kumogakure in the Land of Rain, and asking for support from Iwagakure, along with an offer of a generous reward.

On reading the amount of the reward, Ōnoki's breathing quickened slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and considered the pros and cons.

"Take a look and let me know what you think,"

After a while, Ōnoki, who was a little undecided, handed the scroll to Beni, saying with some heaviness:

Beni took the scroll.

Soon, her eyebrows furrowed, her breathing quickened, and then she took a deep breath and said with a grave face: "Tsuchikage-sama, I personally think that we can help Amegakure, but not too much. What we need is an obedient Amegakure, not a powerful one."

"You're right. Amegakure is indeed a bit too strong right now,"

Ōnoki agreed, and then strengthened his resolve.

"But Tsuchikage-sama, if we do this, Amegakure will probably turn to Konoha for help and throw itself into Konoha's arms. Hattori Masanari is a tough guy, and he definitely won't pin his hopes on us Iwagakure alone."

Beni-Tsuchi continued to voice her opinion.

"Konoha? Hmph, Konoha is too busy taking care of its own affairs right now. That Sandaime Hokage will never agree to Amegakure's request. What we need to worry about is someone who has been snooping around outside, he is Amegakure's best collaborator."

Ōnoki listened to what Beni Tsuchikage said, shook his head with deep eyes, and said:

"Who is the Tsuchikage referring to?"

Beni didn't understand what Ōnoki was saying for a moment and asked in confusion.