Chapter 107: Reactions Across the Shinobi World
Konoha and Kumogakure—two of the most watched villages in the entire shinobi world.
Their sudden, inexplicable meeting in the Land of Hot Water quickly became a hot topic. No one knew what kind of agreement had been reached, but the two factions left shortly afterward without incident.
That alone would have been enough to raise eyebrows. But what truly shocked everyone… was the confirmed presence of the Fourth Raikage and Third Hokage among the delegation.
This revelation sent ripples across the entire shinobi world.
---
Sunagakure, Wind Country – Kazekage's Office
"Chiyo-san, what do you think they're up to?"
Rasa looked down at the reports in his hands, frowning with uncertainty.
Elder Chiyo shook her head slowly. "Kazekage-sama, I can't say. As you know, we've been preoccupied with investigating Sasori's whereabouts."
"I see."
Since Chiyo and Ebizō had returned from Konoha, many of the village's resources had shifted toward uncovering the truth about Sasori—an issue that deeply affected Sunagakure's honor and reputation.
"Any updates?"
"Nothing concrete yet. The information Konoha shared was minimal," Chiyo admitted. "And even that wasn't particularly detailed. It's difficult to investigate something they themselves haven't confirmed."
"The biggest issue," she continued with a sigh, "is that we still don't have a clear understanding of Sasori's connection to that mysterious organization."
Rasa nodded. He went quiet for a moment before speaking again.
"Can we allocate more personnel? We need to get to the bottom of what's going on between Konoha and Kumogakure."
Chiyo hesitated. "Kazekage-sama… we don't have the budget."
"…Try to make it work," Rasa said with a grimace. "I'll figure something out. This matter is too important."
"…Understood."
Chiyo bowed slightly, though her face reflected her frustration. Sunagakure was broke. So broke, in fact, that even the Kazekage had to mine for gold dust himself using Magnet Release. Their ninja forces were shrinking as well—not because of a "streamlined elite policy," but simply because they couldn't afford to field more troops.
"By the way," Rasa added, "what's the situation in Rōran?"
"…Rōran?"
Chiyo looked even more exhausted. The city's Dragon Vein had been sealed by Minato Namikaze years ago, but it still held untapped potential.
"I've heard that after the queen's death, the remaining citizens are preparing to abandon the area."
"That's good. Keep monitoring them. That power is far too important to ignore."
"Yes, Kazekage-sama. I'll begin arrangements immediately."
With that, Chiyo excused herself quickly, unwilling to linger. Just like that, her to-do list had exploded: Sasori, Rōran, and now intelligence-gathering on Konoha and Kumogakure's secret dealings.
Chiyo muttered to herself as she departed:
"Sigh… One step at a time. Still, I can't help but wonder… what exactly are Konoha and Kumogakure planning?"
---
Iwagakure, Earth Country – Tsuchikage's Office
It wasn't just Sunagakure who was baffled. In Iwagakure, the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, was equally in the dark.
Fortunately, unlike Suna, Iwa had money—and more importantly, manpower.
"Hey, old man! Here."
Deidara marched into the office and slapped a scroll onto the desk.
"Report from the ANBU. You wanted it, I brought it."
Ōnoki gave him an irritated glance. "Watch your tone. I'm not just your teacher—I'm the Tsuchikage."
"Yeah, yeah."
Deidara scoffed but couldn't hide his curiosity. He leaned in. "Well? Is there anything in there about Kitagawa Gen?"
"…Tch."
Ōnoki rubbed his temples.
Deidara continued excitedly. "Come on, old man! That guy's a jerk, sure, but he gets my view on art. I've got to beat him someday—hm!"
Ōnoki was beginning to wonder if Deidara had been brainwashed in Konoha. They'd already checked him for genjutsu and everything else. Nothing came up. That could only mean one thing:
"That damn brat Kitagawa Gen really did influence him."
Since coming back from Konoha, Deidara had changed. He was still obsessed with explosions, but noticeably more controlled. He'd even started studying Dust Release seriously.
How long had he even been in Konoha?!
Ōnoki muttered darkly as he opened the scroll.
The report didn't include many details, but key information stood out immediately:
"A town in the Land of Cedar was destroyed. The Fourth Raikage reportedly clashed with a shinobi wielding purple lightning, and was likely defeated."
Ōnoki's expression darkened.
He knew only one shinobi who used purple lightning—Kitagawa Gen, the same one Deidara wouldn't shut up about.
And worse, he knew this kid had mastered the Flying Thunder God technique as well.
That part, Deidara had personally confirmed—meaning Ōnoki had to believe it, no matter how insane it sounded.
A shinobi that young had already become this dangerous?
"How does Konoha keep producing monsters like this?"
Another freakishly powerful ninja, and another headache for Iwa.
"Hey, old man! So? Any news about Gen?" Deidara pressed again.
"If I ever see that guy again, I'm gonna beat him down so hard, hm!"
"…"
Ōnoki's head throbbed.
You? Beat him?
With your lax guard and hot head, he'd probably teleport behind you and slice your neck before you even finished your sentence.
"Idiot," Ōnoki muttered.
Still… he had to admit, he was thankful to Kitagawa Gen. Deidara's improvement, his new focus, his seriousness—all of it had started after meeting that boy.
But at the same time…
"Why is it that when I say something, you ignore me—yet when Gen says it, suddenly Dust Release is art?!"
At this rate, Deidara wasn't walking his own path. He was becoming a reflection of that boy from Konoha…
---
Land of Hot Water – On the Road to the Land of Lightning
"Raikage-sama, are you alright?"
Dodai, the Raikage's aide, looked nervously at the Fourth Raikage's empty left sleeve.
"I'm fine. Losing one arm doesn't make me any less of a Kage," he growled.
But fury still burned in his eyes.
This mission had been an utter disaster.
He had set out to steal a secret technique. Instead, he'd lost all his men, gotten crippled, and had to grovel in the Land of Fire just to return home.
Even though he'd successfully secured the technique, the cost had been far too high.
"This… won't end here."
The Fourth Raikage's voice dropped as he turned to Dodai.
"We're going to make them pay. Start drawing up a plan. I don't care what it takes—Konoha won't get the last laugh."
"…Understood, Raikage-sama."
As the Raikage's strategist—akin to Konoha's Nara Shikaku—Dodai already knew what needed to be done.
He bowed silently.
But in his mind, he was already laying the groundwork for the next move.
This time, it wasn't just the Fourth Raikage who suffered humiliation—it was the entire Hidden Cloud Village. No matter what, they had to find a way to get revenge.
"Right... they seemed to be investigating some organization."
The Fourth Raikage suddenly remembered. His trip to Takigakure was still fresh in his memory.
"There were a bunch of rogue ninja in that group. They claimed they were there to assassinate me, but I don't buy it. Have someone look into it—dig up what you can."
"Understood. I'll start on it as soon as we return."
Dodai immediately grasped the Raikage's intent and nodded without hesitation.
"Then let's hurry back. You need treatment for your injuries too."
"Yeah, pick up the pace."
The Fourth Raikage nodded. But just as he spoke, Dodai added something that made his expression twist.
"I know a shortcut that'll get us back much faster—"
"No! We're not taking any shortcuts!"
"...Huh?"
"We can't trust those cunning, sneaky bastards from Konoha!"
---
Meanwhile, back in Konoha, Gen slowly sat up in bed, stretching with a lazy yawn. One glance at the clock—already noon.
He hadn't participated much in the negotiations between Konoha and the Hidden Cloud.
Partly because he simply wasn't that interested. But more importantly...
"Kakashi-sensei, seriously... I just provided a reasonable plan, did you have to report everything to Hiruzen?"
He thought back to that day when he followed Kakashi out to a secret Anbu base outside the village to help remove the Flying Thunder God seal from the Fourth Raikage.
Kakashi had explained his plan to the Third Hokage in full detail. That made Hiruzen's face go pale on the spot. If Tsunade hadn't been there, he might've ended up in the hospital again.
"I mean seriously, you're supposed to be a legendary Hokage—how do you lose your nerve like that again?"
Gen muttered while brushing his teeth, but he understood.
What he had planned—maybe the Hidden Cloud could've guessed parts of it too. Especially since the Fourth Raikage now seemed to distrust him entirely.
Even after removing the seal, the Raikage looked at him like, "You're full of crap."
"Whatever. Let that idiot think what he wants."
He pushed the matter out of his mind. He had more important things to focus on now.
His eyes had evolved again, further boosting his strength. Along with that came new abilities—powerful ones.
He needed to seriously think about how to use them.
He didn't want to end up like Nagato—relying on brute force output without finesse.
"Sure, he had raw power maxed out—but tactically, he was lacking."
Besides the new powers, his chakra reserves had also expanded dramatically. But to him, this was just an increase in his potential ceiling.
"Even with tailed beast chakra or jinchūriki chakra—if you're gonna get your ass kicked, you're gonna get your ass kicked. Same goes for the Ōtsutsuki. I still have to train hard."
Keep a calm mind, and the path forward becomes clear.
Gen understood his own shortcomings—and he had no plans to slack off.
"Alright, time to find Kakashi-sensei and see what kind of hell he's got prepped for me today."
After finishing his morning routine, he was about to head out when something crossed his mind.
He reached into his ninja pouch and pulled out a scroll.
"Obito's right arm..."
Looking at the scroll, a strange expression crossed his face.
This little item had been the secret treasure of countless "colleagues" in his past life.
He'd wanted to get his hands on it too—but now that he had it, he found he didn't really need it anymore.
"Still, it's a valuable asset. If I use it wisely, it might lead to some unexpected results."
The tricky part was figuring out when to bring it out.
Then, another thought came to him.
"Yahiko... I scrambled his chakra with a Rasengan and pulled out the black rods. Nagato couldn't take him away in time, so Black Zetsu recovered the body."
"With Hell Path's power, that body should be repairable, right?"
"But if I use this on Yahiko's body... could he fully wield the power of the Rinnegan?"