"What?! The Fourth Hokage's son?! Not only has he learned the Flying Thunder God Technique, but he is also the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?!"
Inside the Raikage's office in Hidden Cloud Village.
After hearing the startling news brought back urgently by the representative regarding Konoha Village's performance in the Chunin Exams, specifically the intelligence about Uzumaki Naruto, the Fourth Raikage, A, sprang up from his chair.
His massive body trembled slightly with shock and fury.
Muscles bulged beneath his bronze skin; this news was nothing short of catastrophic for him!
Although on past battlefields, the Fourth Raikage truly held admiration and respect for the strength of Konoha's "yellow flash," Minato Namikaze.
But setting aside personal feelings, as the successor of Hidden Cloud Village, his truest desire was naturally to eliminate this existence that posed a huge threat to the Village as soon as possible.
The elusive Flying Thunder God Technique, in this Ninja World where offense generally outweighs defense, was practically like activating an invincible mode on the battlefield.
The Fourth Raikage gritted his teeth, veins throbbing on his forehead, forcefully suppressing the furious impulse to smash his desk.
He took several deep, ragged breaths and waved his hand heavily at the reporting Ninja, signaling him to withdraw.
Calm... He must calm down and analyze!
The Raikage forced his boiling blood and anger to cool, beginning to weigh the pros and cons with the mind of a Kage.
First of all... the timing of receiving this crucial intelligence was simply too late!
They were too passive! he thought resentfully, a lump of frustration stuck in his chest.
If they had known years ago that Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was actually the Fourth Hokage's biological son, Kumogakure would have gone to any lengths—assassination or kidnapping—to nip this future threat in the bud!
But... now the target's identity was exposed, and more crucially, he had demonstrably mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique!
A sharp sense of crisis washed over the Raikage as he realized this.
In the face of that nearly cheating Space-Time Ninjutsu, all traditional tactics of infiltration, assassination, and encirclement became laughable child's play.
Therefore... the only way out was to immediately launch and accelerate research into the [Anti-Flying Thunder God Strategy] at all costs, before the opponent could control the terrifying power of the Nine-Tailed!
This concept had actually been proposed and discussed within the Kumogakure high command when Minato Namikaze first burst onto the scene and dominated the battlefield.
But following the death of the Fourth Hokage, this research project with uncertain prospects was temporarily shelved.
Now, it was time to restart it, and it had to be treated as a top-priority strategic project!
The Raikage quickly outlined the action plan in his mind: immediately summon the Village's top Sealing Jutsu experts and Space-Time Ninjutsu theorists to form a special task force.
They must fully analyze all surviving combat records of Konoha's Minato Namikaze, not letting even the smallest fragment slip, attempting to find potential weaknesses in the Flying Thunder God Technique, such as casting intervals, coordinate setting patterns, or energy fluctuations.
They must develop an ultra-large-scale, sustainably maintained Lightning Release barrier, attempting to use Lightning Release Chakra to disrupt or annihilate spatial coordinates.
Alternatively, they must study special Sealing Jutsu formulas capable of interfering with, blocking, or even distorting Space-Time coordinate sensing.
Even if the method developed could only delay the Flying Thunder God user for a few seconds, it would be enough to gain the Village crucial warning and collective counterattack time!
Just as the Fourth Raikage made his decision, a sense of absurdity simultaneously welled up in his heart.
Between nations and Villages, there are no eternal friends, only eternal interests.
He couldn't help but recall the organization [Ashes] that had suddenly appeared and intimidated the entire Ninja World with sheer military might.
That organization dared to openly intervene regardless of position or demands, simply because friction or the threat of war existed between nations, essentially making them enemies of the traditional rules of the entire Ninja World...
But the terrifying thing was that they possessed the fearsome strength to back up such insane actions!
He quickly compared: if Hidden Cloud Village possessed a strategic weapon like the Flying Thunder God Technique, the Raikage would definitely use it as leverage, striving for maximum benefit at the negotiating table, or even employing it for... certain "special operations" when necessary.
But now, precisely because of the existence of the organization [Ashes], Villages like Konoha, which possess a Flying Thunder God inheritor, are unable to easily use this power to launch diplomatic coercion or military adventures against us.
Thinking this, a bizarre sense of "relief" arose in the Raikage's heart.
This lawless organization had, in a way, become a buffer maintaining the balance of terror?
Just before he cleared his thoughts and prepared to issue the command to fully research the Anti-Flying Thunder God Strategy—
"Bang!" The office door was violently flung open, and a Cloud Ninja belonging to the intelligence division rushed in with a hurried expression, interrupting the Raikage's thoughts.
"Lord Raikage! The front-line espionage team has sent back urgent news!"
"Espionage?" The Raikage's attention was immediately seized.
"What important intelligence did they find?"
"Shortly after our representative left Konoha, Otogakure and Hidden Sand Village allied and launched a surprise attack on Konoha during the Chunin Exams finals!" the intelligence Ninja reported rapidly.
"Furthermore, Hidden Sand Village deployed their One-Tail Jinchuriki, and... caused him to enter an uncontrolled, full Tailed Beast transformation state!"
The Raikage's pupils constricted.
Before he could process this alarming news, which was enough to trigger a major war, the report continued.
"But... Hidden Sand's One-Tail Jinchuriki was stopped by Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!
And... Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki also used the power of Tailed Beast transformation!"
"What?! Konoha's Jinchuriki also underwent Tailed Beast transformation?! Was it an uncontrolled state?!" The Raikage sprang from his seat.
The destructive power of the Flying Thunder God Technique combined with a Tailed Beast... The Raikage's teeth couldn't help but chatter slightly at the terrifying thought.
However, when he looked at the face of the reporting Ninja, his heart sank—the Ninja's face lacked the expected joy or excitement one would show upon hearing of a disaster striking an enemy Village; instead, it was filled with solemnity and disbelief.
"...No, Lord Raikage! The Nine-Tailed... the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's Tailed Beast transformation was not uncontrolled!
He not only completely mastered that power, but he even forcibly threw the fully transformed Ichibi out of Konoha Village!
Consequently, Konoha Village suffered... virtually no serious damage from the Tailed Beast during the attack!"
He took a deep breath and delivered the most terrifying conclusion.
"Based on the comprehensive analysis of all intelligence... Konoha Village has, with high probability... already mastered the technique or method... capable of perfectly controlling and utilizing the power of a Tailed Beast!"
——————Deep within the Land of Fire's forest.
The other members of the organization [Ashes] had returned to the base after the mission concluded, but Uchiha Shisui remained here.
Before the Konoha Crush plan began, he successfully captured Orochimaru's important confidant, Yakushi Kabuto.
Using the genjutsu hypnosis of his Mangekyo Sharingan, he extracted a large amount of confidential intelligence, and his current action was based on one of these pieces of information.
Shisui's hand was like an iron clamp, firmly gripping the wrist of the white-haired youth before him, who looked only fifteen or sixteen years old.
Clutched between the pale fingers was an incredibly sharp weapon, seemingly formed directly from stark white bone.
This was the vessel Orochimaru had originally selected?
Shisui gazed at the opponent's hollow yet stubborn eyes.
Hailing from the Land of Water's Village of the Bloody Mist, from the annihilated Bloodline Limit Family... he was likely the last member of the Kaguya clan in the world, Kimimaro.
He had originally only come to investigate this potential variable based on the intelligence, but he hadn't expected to encounter him directly en route to the designated location.
What surprised him even more was that this youth seemed intent on going alone to Konoha to rescue the imprisoned Orochimaru?
The fight, or rather, the confrontation that could hardly be called a fight, was over the moment they met.
The overwhelming ocular power of the Mangekyo Sharingan effortlessly invaded Kimimaro's mind, completely taking control of his actions.
However, while restraining the opponent, Shisui also keenly noticed a detail: before their brief exchange, a streak of striking crimson had overflowed from the white-haired youth's mouth... coughing blood... combined with his powerful Bloodline Limit... could it be a blood disease?
This speculation caused Shisui's heart to sink slightly.
He couldn't help but recall Uchiha Yuzu, whom he visited whenever he had time—she was currently imprisoned by the organization and filled with confusion.
About a year ago, Yuzu had also shown similar symptoms, her body gradually weakening.
Fortunately, thanks to Shisui's daily meticulous care and his plea for the Leader to use a special ability for treatment, Yuzu's condition gradually stabilized and improved.
He still remembered the Leader saying at the time that the reason Uchiha Yuzu's blood disease had a chance of recovery was largely because the Mangekyo Sharingan, which originated from her lineage, was no longer within her.
The situation of this Kaguya clan youth before him... seemed similar...
Shisui looked at Kimimaro, who was controlled by genjutsu and had vacant eyes, and decided to take him back first.
Shisui easily hoisted the slender Kimimaro onto his shoulder.
He adjusted his posture to ensure the youth wouldn't be too uncomfortable, then his figure flickered, and he sped toward the organization's base.
Next, according to the Leader's orders, he had to make another trip to Konoha... to "invite" the imprisoned Orochimaru back as well.
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