The Land of Lightning, Kumogakure.
"News has arrived from Sunagakure. The Third Kazekage has disappeared." An Anbu handed over a scroll. "Suna's Council of Elders has already sealed off the information, but our intelligence agents still managed to uncover it."
"Disappeared? What exactly happened?" The Third Raikage's voice boomed like thunder, causing the entire office to tremble slightly.
"Sunagakure is already in complete chaos. Chiyo has reportedly led people in turning the Kazekage Building upside down, but they haven't found a single clue."
"The heavens are helping me!" The Third Raikage slammed his hand on the desk. The heavy wooden desk could not withstand the force and split apart.
"Lord Raikage, could this be a trap?" someone asked worriedly. "The Third Kazekage is so powerful. How could he disappear for no reason? Perhaps Sunagakure set this up to lure us in."
"Impossible." The Third Raikage waved his hand. "Sunagakure would never joke about the Kazekage disappearing. This is something that could shake the very foundation of their nation."
He thought for a moment, then added, "Therefore, my judgment is that the Third Kazekage is already dead."
The office instantly fell silent.
The Third Raikage turned toward the map of the ninja world hanging on the wall.
"Sunagakure has lost its Kazekage, so its high-level combat power has been greatly reduced." His finger moved across the map, tracing a path from Kumogakure all the way to the Land of Wind. "That old woman Chiyo is already advanced in age. Ebizō may be intelligent, but his combat strength is limited. Their puppet forces won't last long on a frontal battlefield."
"So you mean..."
"Pass down my order. Kumogakure is to enter Level Two combat readiness. Every elite ninja currently carrying out missions outside the village must return within three days."
"Yes."
"Tell those brats to prepare for war!"
"Yes, Lord Raikage."
Soon, the Third Raikage was the only person left in the office.
He walked to the window and looked at the endless mountains outside, the corner of his mouth curling into a smile.
From the day he became Raikage, he had dreamed of one day leading Kumogakure to conquer the entire ninja world.
If they could take this opportunity to seize Sunagakure in one strike and absorb all of its ninja and resources, how much would Kumogakure's strength grow?
So what if Konoha had the Nine-Tails? The Third Hokage was weak and cowardly. He was no hero.
So what if Kirigakure had the Seven Ninja Swordsmen? It was isolated overseas, while the Third Mizukage lacked ambition. He was no hero.
So what if Iwagakure had a kekkei tōta? Ōnoki of Both Scales was stubborn and inflexible. He was no hero.
As for little Sunagakure, even its Kazekage had disappeared. It was nothing more than a fish on the chopping board.
It seemed the only true hero under heaven was he, the Third Raikage.
The balance of five great villages standing side by side in the ninja world was due for a change.
...
Several days later, in the Land of Earth, Iwagakure.
Ōnoki sat inside the Tsuchikage's office with two cushions beneath him.
"Lord Tsuchikage, Kumogakure has started making moves." Kitsuchi pushed open the door and walked in, holding a report. "The Third Raikage has already summoned every jōnin for a meeting, and the troops along the border have begun mobilizing."
Ōnoki accepted the scroll and read through the intelligence twice before letting out a meaningful snort.
Kitsuchi continued, "It looks like he truly intends to take advantage of the Third Kazekage's disappearance and attack Sunagakure."
"I knew that muscle-brained fool would do this. The moment the Third Kazekage died, he was bound to be the first to jump out and seize territory."
"If Kumogakure truly conquers Sunagakure, its strength will greatly surpass ours. That would be extremely disadvantageous for Iwagakure."
"What are you in such a hurry for?" Ōnoki glanced at him. "That fool thinks a pie has fallen from the sky, but he doesn't realize there's a trap hidden beneath it. Sunagakure may have lost the Third Kazekage, but it still has Chiyo and Ebizō. Taking down Suna won't be that easy."
Kitsuchi asked, "Then what should we do?"
"That Third Raikage always throws everything he has into battle. If he really sends most of his forces to attack Sunagakure, then Kumogakure's rear will be left empty."
"You mean... we should launch a surprise attack on Kumogakure?"
"A surprise attack?" Ōnoki shook his head. "We're going to cripple Kumogakure."
Ōnoki floated up from his chair and flew over to the map hanging on the wall.
"When the time comes, we'll deploy our forces from the north and strike directly at their main village. Kumogakure is built in the mountains and is easy to defend but difficult to attack. However, if there aren't enough defenders, even the most treacherous terrain won't stop our demolition forces."
"But what if he doesn't deploy all his troops and leaves some elite forces behind in the village?"
"Then we still won't lose anything." Ōnoki's gaze swept across the map. "We'll wait until Kumogakure and Sunagakure have battered each other senseless and exhausted themselves before suddenly striking."
"When that happens, even if we can't capture Kumogakure, we can still deal them such a devastating blow that they won't recover for decades."
Kitsuchi sucked in a breath.
As expected, age brought cunning.
The Third Raikage had only seen the tempting prize that was Sunagakure, never realizing that he had already become prey in Lord Tsuchikage's eyes.
"But what if Konoha intervenes?" Kitsuchi thought of another problem. "Konoha's Third Hokage is no simple character."
Ōnoki sneered. "That softhearted Third Hokage values his so-called 'peace' more than anything. As long as we don't provoke him directly, he won't involve himself in the mess between us, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure."
"I understand." Kitsuchi nodded. "I'll go pass down the orders now."
"Wait." Ōnoki stopped him. "There's one more thing."
"What is it?"
"Send someone to Konoha with a letter." Ōnoki floated back toward his desk. "Tell them that Iwagakure is willing to strengthen friendly exchanges with Konoha and work together to preserve peace in the ninja world."
Kitsuchi froze. "You're..."
"War is war, and diplomacy is diplomacy." Ōnoki picked up a writing brush and began writing. "But speaking of which, how exactly did the Third Kazekage die?"
"The report says he disappeared. Sunagakure has not yet confirmed his death."
"Disappeared?" Ōnoki snorted. "A ninja of the Third Kazekage's caliber couldn't possibly vanish for no reason unless someone killed him. What, did he run away on his own and get lost?"
Kitsuchi scratched his head. "But who could kill the Third Kazekage? It couldn't have been Chiyo, could it?"
"Impossible." Ōnoki shook his head. "Chiyo's loyalty to Sunagakure is harder than stone. She would never kill her own Kazekage."
"Then who could it have been?"
"Who knows?" Ōnoki waved his hand. "Go. Do as I instructed."
Kitsuchi nodded and turned to leave the office.
Ōnoki was left alone inside.
"Third Raikage, do you think you're the only one who saw this opportunity?" he muttered softly. "The waters of the ninja world should have been muddied long ago."
No matter who had killed the Third Kazekage, it was good news for Iwagakure.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 70 Chapters Ahead of Others!