Everyone present had lived through the full-scale Shinobi World War twelve years ago.
A flicker of unease passed through Genma Shiranui's eyes. He exchanged a glance with Asuma and saw that they shared the same concern.
Could the current Konoha really afford to go through another war?
"Iwagakure's stance isn't worth worrying about."
A voice from outside suddenly cut through the room, interrupting Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others mid-thought. Startled, the guards around them instantly shifted into high alert.
Using Obito's Kamui, Danzo had arrived in the Land of Iron in an instant from Iwagakure.
He pushed the door open and entered, sweeping a glance at Hiruzen and the Fourth Raikage before addressing the latter first.
"This is our first time meeting, Lord Raikage. I apologize for the delay—something came up."
The Raikage waved a hand, signaling Darui and Cee to stand down. He made no effort to hide his disdain.
"If you've got something to say, make it quick, Danzo."
Danzo held back on the more important parts for now—he had a few things to confirm with the Raikage first.
"Let me clarify something: our enemy is Kirigakure. Do you have any objections?"
Kumogakure had always followed a straightforward doctrine—attack the strong, because they'd never had the chance to sit at the top themselves.
The Fourth Raikage didn't question this line of thinking. "Mm."
"As for Iwagakure, I have a proposal—as the Hokage."
Using the weight of his new title, Danzo effectively shut Hiruzen down. What the old man said no longer mattered—Konoha would act according to Danzo's orders.
A deep sense of foreboding welled up inside Hiruzen.
"If Iwagakure refuses to stand with us, we'll clear the field—before the full-scale war with Kirigakure begins."
The Raikage cast a brief glance at Hiruzen, who was visibly shaken by Danzo's words, his eyes wide in disbelief.
Their political views clearly clashed.
But Hiruzen's opinion no longer carried weight.
All he could do was express disapproval through his expression—he no longer had the power to act on anything.
The Raikage took in Hiruzen's reaction and immediately understood who now held true authority in Konoha.
He had no interest in meddling with Konoha's internal power struggles, and personally held no strong opinion about either Hiruzen or Shimura Danzo.
He turned back to Danzo—the man worth negotiating with—and openly questioned the feasibility of this bold plan.
"You think the Tsuchikage is weak?"
The Raikage had a deeply personal vendetta against Iwagakure and the Third Tsuchikage for killing his father. But even with that history, he wasn't foolish enough to charge into Iwagakure looking for revenge after all these years.
He wasn't belittling Danzo—just stating facts.
"Mmm. Ōnoki and his Dust Release are definitely troublesome," Danzo admitted.
"But Iwagakure doesn't rely on him alone. He's getting old."
Then, Danzo shifted the focus away from Ōnoki, subtly redirecting attention.
"Kitsuchi is the only ninja in Iwagakure capable of inheriting the Tsuchikage position."
And more than that—one of Iwagakure's bodyguards was a young girl, Ōnoki's granddaughter.
The Raikage and Hiruzen understood what Danzo meant: they had a chance to destroy both the current and future backbone of Iwagakure in one strike—here in the Land of Iron.
"If we join forces and strike now, we can take them down in one decisive move."
Danzo's "them" clearly included more than just the Iwagakure delegation.
Once blood was spilled, there'd be no turning back—it meant anyone on the other side would be a target.
The Raikage was nothing if not powerful and self-assured. He didn't refute Danzo's assertion.
As for the legality of this operation… well, Kirigakure and Iwagakure were the ones who lied and schemed first. Was he really in the wrong for retaliating?
Hiruzen looked at the Raikage, stunned that he wasn't immediately rejecting Danzo's radical plan. But he couldn't think of a single convincing argument against it.
First of all, Danzo was the Hokage now.
And more importantly… after running through the list of Kirigakure and Iwagakure representatives present, Hiruzen couldn't deny that eliminating them here would bring tremendous strategic advantage in the wars to come.
But there was still one more perspective to consider.
Before Hiruzen could speak, the Raikage narrowed his eyes at Danzo and asked pointedly,
"What about the Kazekage?"
"…"
The room fell silent. The young guards present, eyes wide, looked up in tense anticipation.
Danzo finally replied, slowly and deliberately, "He's the Kazekage of Sunagakure—and the jinchūriki of the One-Tail."
His uncovered eye scanned the room, watching the reactions of the Raikage and Hiruzen closely.
Danzo had never been the type to ask for permission. The absence of outright objection from either of them was all the confirmation he needed—they were now tied to his plan, whether they liked it or not.
So he didn't waste time explaining further.
"I've already persuaded the three generals of the Land of Iron to side with us. They'll launch a surprise attack on the Kirigakure ninjas first."
The Land of Iron had always stood neutral in shinobi conflicts. For them to take a side now? Unthinkable.
But when Danzo mentioned the samurai, the Raikage and the others suddenly realized just how suspiciously quiet the lounge had become.
Cee immediately caught on. Holding his breath, he formed a hand seal to sense the surroundings.
All the samurai that had been stationed outside their rest area had vanished.
And in contrast—under Mifune's command—dozens of samurai had quietly surrounded the Kirigakure delegation's quarters.
"Lord Raikage!"
Cee turned to his leader, doing his best to remain calm and give a clear report.
"The Hokage's words were almost certainly true."
They'd been played.
"Tch. What a pain…" Darui muttered, his hand already gripping the hilt of his blade. "Boss, we doing this?"
The Raikage let out a heavy grunt, and in a flash, his body exploded with Lightning Release chakra as he blasted through the wall of the lounge!
Their boss led from the front—Darui and Cee instantly followed, tearing after him in the direction of the Kirigakure rest area.
Konoha's people, however, stayed behind.
Danzo still had one last piece of bad news—one that was guaranteed to completely enrage the Raikage.
But seeing how decisive the man was, Danzo chose to save his breath.
Asuma and Genma, meanwhile, were practically holding their breaths, the tension so thick in the air it was stifling.
No one dared to speak up. All eyes kept darting toward Hiruzen Sarutobi, waiting for his judgment.
Hiruzen clenched his fists. "Danzō, what did you use to control Mifune?"
From what he knew, the Land of Iron would never—unless…
But Danzō wasn't in the mood to discuss methods. For once, he spoke to Hiruzen in a surprisingly patient tone:
"Hiruzen. Focus on eliminating Konoha's enemies first."
With that, he ignored Hiruzen completely and strode out of the lounge through the shortcut the Raikage had smashed open moments earlier.
After Danzō left, Asuma spoke in a low voice, "Third Hokage… we…"
Danzō was doing this for Konoha. For Konoha. Always for Konoha.
Hiruzen set aside his concerns about Danzō's shady methods and charged out of the room.
"Follow him!"
...
Elsewhere.
Mangetsu was casually perched on a table, legs swinging, cracking his knuckles one by one with a smirk.
"By now, Yagura should've already pulled out."
Kisame bared his shark-like teeth. "So, we're pulling out too?"
Their mission was simple: stall for time. From a shinobi's perspective, mission accomplished meant time to bail. Staying longer only invited complications.
But Kisame knew Mangetsu wouldn't just leave.
Mei Terumi stood with her hands on her hips, smiling as she waited for Mangetsu's next move.
"If all we wanted was to buy time, Yagura could've sent a random team," Mangetsu said, hopping down from the table, fully embracing the mission Yagura had given them. "He sent the three of us. We're not going back empty-handed."
He, Kisame, and Mei Terumi—any one of them alone could go toe-to-toe with a Kage.
They exchanged a glance. Unspoken, but completely understood.
"No objections, then?"
Mangetsu raised his hand. "Three… two… one."
Mifune barked, "Attack!"
With his command, the clanking of armor filled the air.
Mifune led his samurai in a charge into the lounge—only to find it completely empty.
The warriors glanced around in confusion, not finding their intended targets.
Some began to notice their vision blurring. Lifting their helmets slightly, they muttered,
"Why is there fog indoors…?"
Still under Danzō's control, Mifune realized too late, "Damn it! It's Kirigakure's jutsu! Everyone, retreat!"
...
Mei Terumi sat poised in the upper rafters, hidden in the thick fog.
She had no idea what the samurai from the Land of Iron were planning, but with such an obvious ambush? Only a Genin wouldn't catch on.
Stretching out her hand, she flicked her thumb against her fingers—
Snap!
The mildly acidic mist suddenly intensified, transforming into a deadly acid capable of melting bone.
The samurai's iron helmets, thin as paper before the corrosive fog, disintegrated into sludgy pools in seconds.
—BOOM!!
A deafening thunderclap shook the area as a blast tore open a gaping hole from outside.
Mei narrowed her eyes and redirected the acidic fog toward the breach.
Darui and Cee were unable to even approach—the acid was too intense. Even the Raikage, protected by his Lightning Armor, couldn't fully shield himself from the corrosion.
Within the thick mist, a bolt of lightning surged brighter than before!
The Raikage didn't hesitate. Forming a spear with his hand, he slammed an attack downward—shattering the entire floor beneath them!
The sheer destruction scattered the fog as they all crashed into the level below.
Most of the samurai were either melted or buried under rubble, losing combat capability. Not that it mattered—none of the major players saw them as an asset or a threat.
The Raikage caught a falling chunk of debris with one hand, his body cloaked in lightning and killing intent, lunging straight at the three from Kirigakure.
Kisame, grinning, tightened his grip on Samehada and struck the ground.
"Looks like you and I aren't the only ones thinking the same thing."
From the killing intent and intensity in their eyes, they could sense each other's resolve.
The battle was about to erupt.
...
"Darui, be careful of that woman's kekkei genkai!"
Cee bit back the pain as he looked at his arm, now blood-red from acid burns. He had no choice but to pull back for medical ninjutsu. Mei Terumi had landed a surprise hit during their last clash.
Now, Darui was left to face her alone.
"Lava Release!"
"Black Panther!"
A jaguar-shaped bolt of black lightning tore forward, forming a net of lightning chains that roared as it crashed into Mei's acid torrent.
Darui dashed and weaved between the downpour of acid, cursing silently.
He didn't even dare use his massive blade to block the acid—one look at the half-melted samurai told him what would happen.
Before he knew it, he'd retreated until he was just a foot in front of Cee.
"Cee," he said seriously, "help me get in close when the time comes."
This woman wasn't one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. She didn't seem skilled in close combat—maybe that's why she wasn't fighting their boss.
They couldn't gain the upper hand at mid-to-long range. That much was clear.
Darui had inherited the Black Lightning developed by the Third Raikage himself.
The Black Panther was his trump card—and it had drained a massive chunk of his chakra.
But Mei? She casually wiped some acid from the corner of her mouth, showing no signs of chakra fatigue.
Trying to drag this out wasn't an option.
Cee quickly agreed with his plan. "Alright. I'll take the lead."
...
"You've already come up with a countermeasure?"
Mei stepped closer with every word, slowly increasing the distance between herself and the Raikage's battlefield.
Cee glanced behind him and shouted, "Darui, scatter! Don't let her lure you into an enclosed space!"
But Mei wasn't exactly helpless in open combat—especially when fighting alone.
With a light chuckle, she teased, "Look at that. You two are actually kind of handsome. Not many lookers in Kumogakure. Guess the Raikage's been hoarding all the eye candy."
She raised a hand to block the blinding light coming from Cee's jutsu.
The next moment, something felt off—what she saw didn't match reality.
Genjutsu.
Cee was a sensory type, a medical ninja, and apparently… a genjutsu user.
Darui dropped from above, swinging his giant blade—but the Mei he struck dissolved into a puddle.
A water whip lashed through the mist, cracking against his blade and sending him flying.
Mei advanced a few steps, until the Raikage's fight was completely out of reach behind her.
"Stay and play with me a while longer," she purred. "Let's see if you can survive being melted."
...
Cee was stunned that his genjutsu had failed. "Darui, let's be honest—this woman is beyond just 'tricky.'"
They'd both seen her tear through squads of samurai like they were nothing. They knew this wasn't going to be easy.
Their plan had been simple: the two of them would take her down quickly, then go help the boss.
Sweating slightly, Darui tightened his grip on his sword.
"Let's handle what's in front of us first."
...
BOOM!!
A thunderous crash drew everyone's attention.
If Mei's battle with the two Kumogakure shinobi was a dance of techniques and jutsu, the Raikage's fight against the two swordsmen was a raw clash of muscle, steel, and violence.
The Fourth Raikage was at full power, dragging the entire battle into his rhythm of brute force!
With one thunderous elbow, he smashed Kisame through a stone wall!
Mangetsu didn't spare a glance. Instead, he swung his blade down in a blur, aiming straight for the Raikage's neck.
The Raikage raised an arm—steel clanged as the blade struck the heavy golden bands on his forearm.
Mangetsu's arm had already bulked up from using the Hydrification Strength technique, but even so, he couldn't overpower the Raikage.
It didn't matter.
The Raikage hadn't even begun to mock him when a sudden flash overwhelmed his vision.
The explosion had been triggered.
Mangetsu leapt back, exiting the fiery blast zone.
He already knew his speed and reflexes weren't on par—staying blind in the center of the blast would've been suicide.
Unnoticed, he'd switched from the Twin Swords: Hiramekarei to the Explosive Blade: Shibuki.
Narrowing his violet eyes, he calmly tracked the Raikage's movements.
Yagura's words echoed in his mind—the idle musings of their Mizukage while eating fried chicken:
[Yagura: Those three Kage? Danzō's a pushover—I'd crush him underfoot. The Tsuchikage? I'd kite him and wear him down. The Raikage? Just go all in. Don't hesitate.]
Yagura had spoken casually, but facing the Raikage in person was a whole different matter.
Even with the Explosive Blade's power, it wasn't enough to win.
Mangetsu had immediately withdrawn from the blast to regain visibility—but he'd already lost track of the Raikage.
Thin wires, stretched out by a water clone using the Longsword: Nuibari, crisscrossed the floor. If the Raikage approached, he'd be noticed immediately.
So then—
Mangetsu suddenly jerked his head toward Kisame's position.
His thoughts moved fast—but not faster than the Raikage.
Kisame had recovered a bit thanks to Samehada, but was now under intense pressure as the Raikage relentlessly pursued him.
"Damn, not even a second to breathe…"
Samehada clashed with the Raikage's lightning-infused fists.
Kisame wasn't used to being outmatched in raw power. For once, he had to rely on technique.
And it still wasn't enough…
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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