Because Edo Tensei required the DNA of the deceased, Gento immediately summoned two Uchiha Anbu members and ordered them to return to the Hidden Leaf Village to retrieve Rin Nohara's remains.
Meanwhile, the main Uchiha Anbu force finally returned.
Escorting more than three hundred Hidden Cloud prisoners through the streets of Cerulean Harbor, they marched grandly back to Hidden Gento Village.
Merchants from various nations passing through the harbor all stopped to watch, whispering among themselves.
At the same time, news of the Hidden Cloud Village's crushing defeat spread like wildfire.
And it spread throughout the entire shinobi world in no time.
Inside a secret underground black market in the Land of Lightning.
A sharp-faced man loudly shouted:
"Have you heard? One thousand Hidden Cloud elites attacked Hidden Gento Village and got wiped out by only two hundred Uchiha!"
"The Two-Tails Jinchuriki was captured alive! Even the Fourth Raikage's guard was captured!"
Someone immediately voiced doubt.
"The Uchiha are actually that strong? That was a thousand ninja!"
"How is that possible… You're lying, right?"
The sharp-faced man immediately swore confidently:
"How could this be fake? I saw it myself in Cerulean Harbor!"
"People from the Land of Lightning don't lie to people from the Land of Lightning!"
"Hey! I remember you're not even from the Land of Lightning, are you?"
"Heh heh, I just love telling the truth."
…
As the news spread-
The Feudal Lords of various nations, the upper ranks of the ninja villages, and underground intelligence organizations were all discussing this unexpected war.
No one had expected that the newly established Uchiha village could defeat Hidden Cloud's elite forces so cleanly and decisively.
Those who had originally been waiting to laugh at Hidden Gento Village now wore complicated expressions.
Hidden Cloud Village, Raikage Office Building.
Bang!
A sturdy wooden desk shattered into pieces beneath the iron fist of the Fourth Raikage, A.
Wood chips flew everywhere while documents scattered across the floor.
"What did you say?!"
A's furious roar shook the entire building, causing the window glass to buzz violently.
"One thousand men, all wiped out?!"
The Genin messenger knelt on the ground, trembling like a leaf. His forehead had already been bloodied from kowtowing.
"Y-Yes, Lord Raikage…"
"Lady Yugito was captured alive by the enemy clan head, and Lord Darui was also taken prisoner…"
"Aside from several hundred captives, the rest… the rest all died in battle…"
A's chest rose and fell violently. His fists clenched so tightly that cracking sounds echoed out, veins bulging from his forehead all the way down his arms.
He took a deep breath and was just about to explode again when he suddenly spoke.
"What giant did you mention?"
The Genin cautiously raised his head.
"F-Four enormous giants, dozens of meters tall and clad in armor…"
"One of them split Lady Yugito's Tailed Beast Bomb into the sky with a single sword strike…"
A froze.
He slowly lowered his fist.
He recalled the ancient scrolls within the Land of Lightning that recorded secret history.
The Uchiha clan had once lived in the Land of Lightning as well.
Naturally, their abilities had been thoroughly documented.
"Susanoo… the divine power that can only be used after awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan…"
He muttered to himself, his expression dark as water.
"One alone is already terrifying enough. Four…"
He remained silent for a very long time.
Hidden Cloud Village possessed the greatest military strength among the Five Great Nations, but that strength had been built upon countless resources and enormous amounts of money.
The Land of Lightning was located in a remote region, filled with mountains and lacking farmland. Its natural environment was harsh, and its resources were not particularly abundant.
During the reign of the Third Raikage, resources could still be seized from neighboring smaller nations through forceful methods.
By A's generation, although military strength had continued increasing, the treasury was already stretched thin.
The limited resources were all invested into military construction. How could there possibly be spare money left to ransom back the prisoners?
But Darui…
That was the future successor he had personally nurtured!
A's fists clenched and loosened repeatedly.
Though his personality was explosive, he was not an idiot.
The power Hidden Gento Village had displayed now was impossible for him to ignore.
Recklessly
starting a war with Hidden Gento Village was not a wise decision.
But asking him to obediently hand over ransom money left him unwilling.
In the end, he finally thought of a solution that could satisfy both sides.
"Pass down the order. Gather two thousand ninja and call Killer B as well."
"I'll personally head to the border of the Land of Hot Water and meet this Gento Uchiha."
The adjutant hesitated.
"Lord Raikage, the other side demanded ransom, so we…"
"Bring the ransom."
A sneered.
"But our Hidden Cloud Village isn't some weak pushover either."
"If they want to make me bleed, then first let me see whether the Uchiha have the ability to withstand it!"
...
Meanwhile, in Hidden Gento Village.
Gento sat in his office, casually playing with the pink Lust Gourd in his hand while reading the intelligence report Shisui had handed over.
"The Raikage is coming personally?"
Shisui nodded.
"He has already gathered two thousand ninja, including the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer B."
"They are expected to arrive at the border of the Land of Hot Water in two days. The Raikage has proposed a meeting with you at the border."
Gento laughed.
So he was personally coming to bargain.
Still, Gento more or less understood the Raikage's personality.
Violent as he was, he was not a fool.
This time, bringing two thousand men and even calling along Killer B, it was less about starting a war and more about seeing whether the Uchiha truly possessed the strength to make him obediently pay up.
"Agree to it."
"Other than you, Itachi, Fugaku, and me, we'll only bring around three hundred Anbu to escort those three hundred prisoners."
A smile appeared on his face.
"Since they're curious, then let the Raikage have a look at Hidden Gento Village's strength."
"After all, opportunities to use Hidden Cloud Village to show off our muscles are pretty rare."
…
News of the meeting between both sides once again spread throughout the shinobi world.
"The Fourth Raikage is personally making a move to negotiate with Gento Uchiha!"
"He brought two thousand ninja and even the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki! Is this negotiation or the start of a war?"
"I heard Hidden Gento Village only brought a little over three hundred men, and they're even escorting three hundred prisoners along the way."
"Three hundred against two thousand?"
"Have the Uchiha gone mad?"
The eyes of the shinobi world once again focused upon the border of the Land of Hot Water.
Everyone wanted to know how this negotiation between forces of vastly different sizes would end.
….
Two days later, at the border of the Land of Hot Water.
Gento arrived right on time with three hundred Anbu members while escorting three hundred Hidden Cloud prisoners.
The prisoners were bound by sealing techniques, walking dejectedly in the middle of the formation with shame written all over their faces.
Hidden Cloud Village respected strength above all else.
Even if prisoners like them were ransomed back, life would still not be easy for them.
On the opposite side, Hidden Cloud's two thousand ninja had long since formed up and were waiting.
At the very front of the formation stood the Fourth Raikage, A, towering like an iron fortress.
His upper body was bare, revealing bulging muscles, while both fists were wrapped in bandages.
Beside him, a burly man wearing sunglasses and carrying several swords on his back was humming an off-key tune.
It was none other than the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer B.
Two thousand men against three hundred.
When the Raikage saw that the Uchiha had brought only a little over three hundred men, not only did he not underestimate them, his expression instead became even more solemn.
If the Uchiha had mobilized every ninja they had, it would only prove that they feared Hidden Cloud Village.
However, bringing only three hundred men to escort prisoners showed that the Uchiha possessed sufficient confidence in themselves.
Gento had only just arrived at the designated location and had not even had time to speak, when-
A black shadow shot toward him like a cannonball!
"Gento Uchiha!"
A's voice exploded like thunder as his entire body surged forward with fierce punching force, instantly appearing before Gento.
His speed was astonishingly fast, his fist crashing directly toward Gento's face with a piercing whistling sound.
Gento stood where he was without moving an inch.
Clang!
A short blade blocked that iron fist.
---
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