As Amaterasu activated, black flames ignited on one of the Eight-Tails' tentacles.
The flames were pitch-black like ink, producing neither smoke nor sound.
They simply burned silently.
"AAAAAH!"
Killer B let out a scream.
He could feel the flames not only scorching his skin, but burning deep into his bones.
He frantically whipped his tentacle around, slammed it against the ground, even used other tentacles to try and smother it.
Regardless, the black flames not only refused to go out, they burned even more fiercely.
"B!"
The Raikage's expression changed drastically. His figure flashed forward, lightning chakra erupting from his right arm.
His hand was like a blade.
"Lariat!"
With one swift strike, the tentacle engulfed in Amaterasu was severed cleanly at the base.
The Eight-Tails' tentacle fell to the ground and rapidly turned to ash within the black flames.
Killer B panted heavily, cold sweat covering his forehead.
The Raikage dragged Killer B back dozens of meters, widening the distance between them and the Uchiha side.
His chest rose and fell.
Looking at Killer B's pained appearance, his fists clenched so tightly they crackled.
His younger brother, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, one of Hidden Cloud Village's strongest weapons, had been injured in a single move by a teenage boy.
And yet…
He suddenly raised his head and looked across at the other side.
Gento Uchiha still stood in place with his arms folded across his chest.
From beginning to end, he had not moved even a single finger.
Meanwhile, the A-B combination on their side had already been reduced to such a miserable state.
The Raikage took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the fury in his heart.
Hidden Gento Village, a shinobi village established only a few months ago, had already gained the qualifications to make him wary.
Across from them, Gento looked at the retreating figures of the Raikage and Killer B, a trace of killing intent flashing through his eyes.
For a moment, he truly wanted to strike directly and leave every one of these Hidden Cloud Village ninja here.
With four Susanoo attacking at the same time, along with Yomotsu Space, forcefully swallowing this force was not impossible.
Albeit he quickly suppressed the thought.
Doing that would mean entering an endless war with Hidden Cloud Village.
Hidden Cloud Village still had nearly twenty thousand ninja, currently the strongest military force in the shinobi world.
Even if they truly exhausted themselves to conquer it, with the current Uchiha population, they still could not digest the enormous Hidden Cloud Village and the Land of Lightning.
Not to mention the massive casualties such a war might bring to the Uchiha.
And population was precisely what the Uchiha needed most right now.
He needed time.
Time for the clan to multiply and flourish, time for newborns to grow into adults, time for more Uchiha ninja to be born and increase the Family Prosperity.
Peace was what they needed most at present.
As long as they developed steadily for a period of time, he would eventually lead the Uchiha in crushing every nation in the shinobi world.
Anyhow, at this moment, his words showed no weakness whatsoever.
"What?"
"Lord Raikage suddenly attacking me… are you trying to start a war between two great shinobi villages?"
He paused, his gaze suddenly turning cold.
"If that's truly the case, then we Uchiha… will accompany you to the very end!"
Behind him, Fugaku, Shisui, and Itachi stepped forward simultaneously.
Three Susanoo manifested once again.
Purple, green, and crimson light intertwined brilliantly.
The Hidden Cloud ninja across from them all retreated one step.
The Raikage stared at Gento, his chest heaving.
If someone had told him before today that a tiny shinobi village with only a few thousand clan members dared challenge Hidden Cloud, he would have burst into laughter and thought it was a joke.
But now, he could not say a word.
That brief clash had made him see… the Uchiha's strength had indeed reached the point where it could no longer be underestimated.
He took a deep breath.
"It was merely a spar. Clan Head Uchiha need not be so tense."
"The main reason I came this time is to retrieve the Hidden Cloud ninja detained by your village."
"The troops we sent previously absolutely had no intention of starting a war. This entire matter was a whole misunderstanding."
"I hope Hidden Gento Village can return our ninja."
Hearing this, a cold sneer curled onto Gento's lips.
This old fox totally avoided mentioning the ransom.
And trying to smooth things over and reclaim the prisoners for free?
"A misunderstanding?"
Gento's tone dripped with mockery.
"A thousand ninja, bringing along a Jinchuriki, charging aggressively to my doorstep, and Lord Raikage calls that a misunderstanding?"
He waved his hand.
The Uchiha Anbu behind him immediately moved, escorting more than three hundred Hidden Cloud prisoners forward.
The prisoners were tightly bound by sealing formulas, standing in rows with their heads lowered in dejection.
Their faces carried exhaustion and shame.
Some lowered their heads, not daring to look at their comrades across from them. Others stared longingly toward the Hidden Cloud side, their eyes filled with hope.
A commotion immediately broke out within the Hidden Cloud camp.
"That's Keta! He's still alive!"
"I saw Nobita!"
"Damn it… those Uchiha bastards…"
"Shut up! Are you trying to get them killed?"
Curses and angry muttering rose one after another, but no one dared act rashly.
The Raikage's face darkened heavily.
His gaze swept across the prisoners.
At the very front of the group, two people were being held separately.
One was Darui, his hair disheveled.
The Raikage's fists clenched tighter once again.
The other was Yugito Nii.
Her long hair was simply tied behind her head, and she had been changed into a clean set of clothes.
The pride that once filled her eyes had now all vanished.
Looking at the Hidden Cloud comrades across from her, her gaze flickered.
There was a longing to return, and the shame of being captured.
And when she thought about everything Gento had done to her…
The way she looked at Gento inevitably became somewhat complicated.
Seeing the Raikage's expression, the smile on Gento's lips deepened.
"These prisoners all have marked prices."
"Fifty million ryo in total."
The Raikage fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
That price was within the range he could accept.
The cost of cultivating more than three hundred elite ninja far exceeded fifty million ryo; the amount Gento asked for was not excessive.
Gento's finger pointed toward Darui again.
"This one is priced at one hundred fifty million ryo."
"What?!"
The Raikage's pupils suddenly contracted, his voice rising several levels.
The ten million ryo he brought was already the limit of what Hidden Cloud's treasury could mobilize.
He had thought it would be more than enough, but who would have expected…
"One hundred fifty million? Why don't you just rob us outright!"
"If Hidden Gento Village is unwilling to pay, then we Uchiha don't mind robbing it ourselves!"
Gento's expression was cold and stern, his voice leaving no room for negotiation.
"You were the invaders this time."
"War reparations have never been a small amount."
He paused.
"Besides, Darui possesses Storm Release and is the most outstanding ninja among Hidden Cloud's younger generation."
"He is your bodyguard, and also the successor you personally cultivated."
"In the future, he will become the Fifth Raikage."
The Raikage's breathing stopped for an instant.
The Fifth Raikage.
He had never told this secret to anyone.
Yet the Uchiha clan head before him spoke of it with absolute certainty.
"A future Raikage of Hidden Cloud is only worth one hundred fifty million? I already think that price is too low."
The Raikage opened his mouth, unable to say anything.
At that moment, a figure stepped out from behind the Raikage.
It was a young woman dressed in a perfectly tailored dark business outfit, her long hair tied into a neat ponytail behind her head.
The fitted jacket clung tightly to her body, the fullness of her chest stretching the fabric into sweeping curves.
Her waist was slender, and beneath the skirt hem a section of her black silk-covered calves was exposed, the lines smooth and graceful.
It was Mabui, the Fourth Raikage's secretary and Hidden Cloud Village's finest intelligence analyst.
She walked to the Raikage's side, gave a slight bow, then looked toward Gento.
"Clan Head Gento, one hundred fifty million truly exceeds our expectations. Could you reduce the amount somewhat?"
"Hidden Cloud is willing to compensate for the difference through other means."
At the same time, the system notification sounded within his mind.
[Ding! Suitable Dual Cultivation kunoichi detected.]
[Name: Mabui]
[Hidden Jutsu: Heavenly Transfer Technique]
[Strength: Jonin]
[Overall Evaluation: A-rank]
Gento's gaze immediately locked onto her.
The figure beneath that business outfit was indeed so fiery that it was difficult to look away.
Especially those black silk-covered calves, her slender waist, and that intelligent yet composed face.
Conquering a woman like this would definitely bring a great sense of accomplishment!
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