Chapter 183 – The Cloud in Flames
"Finally, we're off!"
Perched atop the great clay bird, Deidara's mood was sky-high—almost as high as they were.
The further Konoha shrank into the distance behind them, the bigger his grin became.
"This time, I'm going to blow the entire Hidden Cloud Village into the sky!"
"Tch. Feels more like you just want to play," Kitagawa Gen said, stroking his chin, certain his guess was right.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, you know—'The glory belongs to all, but I alone bear the burden.'" Gen's lips curled faintly. "You sure you're not just Captain Boom-boy?"
"…Come again?"
"Alright then, picture this: your own village breaks into open revolt. What do you do?"
"How could that even—ha! Not happening. But if it did… I'd blow the whole lot of them to the sky, un!"
"…Right."
Mei Terumi rolled her eyes. Gen let out a long sigh, clapping Deidara on the shoulder.
"Why blow them up? Why not just send in your troops with steel pipes and beat the rebellion out of them?"
"…Huh?"
Deidara looked genuinely confused. Mei pinched the bridge of her nose—that plan didn't sound any better.
"Alright, enough joking. Let's talk about what comes after."
Still riding the bird, Gen's gaze turned thoughtful.
"Hidden Cloud isn't small. They've got deep interests in a lot of places. We'll need to discuss how we're going to divide things."
"Uh… can we even decide that? We haven't even—"
Mei looked baffled. They haven't fought yet, and he's already planning the spoils?
"Mm-hmm. I think it's worth talking about," Deidara mumbled, but then fell silent—he had no idea how to handle such things.
Gen didn't wait for him to figure it out.
"They've got plenty of mineral resources, and they've stolen secret techniques from who knows how many shinobi villages and clans.
"They've also got huge interests in the Land of Hot Water, and—let's not forget—two tailed beasts."
"They'll never agree to give up a beast. Just look at what happened with Sunagakure," Mei cut in, still following his train of thought.
"On top of that, their maritime trade is strong. They control a chain of islands and a lot of fishing grounds."
"In that case, we split their mineral resources, and the fishing grounds go to you," Gen said decisively.
"Also, they hand over every stolen technique and all research data. And of course, we demand massive war reparations.
"Oh, and their mission quotas in the Lands of Hot Water, Moon, and Frost? All ours."
Mei inhaled sharply. This guy's brutal… this isn't a peace deal—it's a death sentence for Cloud.
In the shinobi world, missions and a daimyo's backing are the lifelines of a village. Cut those, and you cut their future.
"…Hah." Suddenly, Mei suspected Gen had an ulterior motive.
"Should we limit the number of shinobi they can have?" Deidara asked curiously.
"I heard from the old man—sure, Cloud fought in the Third War, but their fronts were small. They didn't send too many ninja.
"Yeah, the Third Raikage died fighting us, but that just made them pull out of the war against you lot. We never even clashed after that."
It was true—Cloud had taken losses in the Third War, but nothing compared to the other villages.
They hadn't gone all-out against Konoha, nor had they bled themselves dry against other great powers.
Compared to Iwa or Suna, they came out looking a bit cowardly—yet still kept a massive combat force intact.
That was how they'd dared to march into Konoha later, frame them over the Hyūga affair, and almost start another war.
"That's actually a good idea," Gen said, rubbing his chin.
"Either way, their mission quotas are getting cut. No point letting them keep so many ninja—they'll just get in the way. Yes… we should limit their numbers."
"Exactly! And since we're taking their missions anyway… should we make them cede land too?"
Deidara's suggestion made Gen tilt his head in mock consideration.
"That's… not impossible. And what about all those retired ninja? We can't just leave them sitting around—send them off to work somewhere."
"Sounds good to me. I hear they're built like oxen—send them to the Land of Earth to mine!"
"…Deidara, that's cold. What next, make them pick cotton?"
"Huh? Well… that's not entirely out of the question—"
"Knew it. You're an evil blond."
"Eh?"
"…."
As their conversation drifted further into absurdity, Mei fell silent. We haven't even fought yet, and they're already planning slave labor?
She couldn't take it anymore.
"Hold on—you two are getting way ahead of yourselves. Let's be realistic and focus on how we're going to win this battle first."
"…Fair point."
Gen didn't mind the interruption. He simply smiled at her.
"But don't worry. Whether we succeed or not, keep your confidence. After all… none of us here are ordinary, are we?"
"…Mm."
Terumi Mei froze for a moment, but Kitagawa Gen went on, his voice steady.
"Worst case, I can still get all of you out safely. I promise."
Something about his confident tone, paired with that calm smile, made her feel a little more at ease. Even though this mission still seemed reckless, having him there gave her a strange sense of security.
"Mm-hm! And I promise, I'll blow the whole place sky-high!"
Deidara nodded eagerly beside them. Terumi Mei could only shake her head in exasperation.
"Alright, enough. Let's take a look at the intel and finalize the battle plan first."
"Eh, I think we can afford to relax a little," Gen said casually, his gaze shifting ahead.
There, in the distance, was the Land of Hot Water.
"I've been here a few times, but I never got the chance to visit their hot springs. This time… what do you say we try it?"
"Huh? They didn't let you in? Why?" Deidara asked curiously.
"Underage guests aren't allowed. But hey, no Kakashi-sensei or that pervy sage around this time—we can just use the Transformation Jutsu."
"Oh, in that case… let's go check it out!"
"Sure!"
"You two…"
Before they could finish their little scheme, Terumi Mei, cheeks flushed, grabbed both of them by the collar.
"Cut it out, you idiots!"
---
Meanwhile, in the Land of Lightning, Hidden Cloud Village
"How are the troop preparations?"
"Already underway, Lord Dodai."
In the Raikage's office, the Cloud Village's top brass gathered with grim faces. The situation was dire—worse than they'd feared. Not only was the Raikage dead, but Sunagakure had surrendered, and now Kirigakure and Iwagakure had allied with Konoha. It was clear who the next target would be.
Fortunately, the Cloud veterans had plenty of experience in one thing—handling the chaos after a Raikage's death. Even now, with a disaster looming, they could keep their composure.
"Once the troops are assembled, deploy them immediately. And keep a close watch on the movements of Konoha, Iwa, and Kiri," Dodai ordered.
As the village's chief strategist, trusted by the Third Raikage himself and the man who'd taught both the Fourth Raikage and Killer B the Double Lariat, Dodai was the only one who could rein in the furious Killer B and keep the village steady.
"Also, the Chūnin Exams in Konoha should be starting soon, right?"
"Yes, sir."
Dodai sighed.
"We must be twice as cautious during this period. For all we know, they could launch a surprise attack right in the middle of the exams."
"Dodai, aren't you overthinking this?" one of the elders frowned. "And in a three-front war, what are our chances of winning?"
Dodai's brows furrowed at the question. He didn't like where it was headed.
"Victory depends on how hard we fight—and on the enemy themselves."
"Oh? You have a plan?"
"Konoha, Iwa, and Kiri have all fought each other in past wars. Their alliance now is only for mutual gain. If we push back hard enough, the imbalance of interests will break them apart."
"You want to sow discord? Our relations with Iwa and Kiri aren't exactly friendly either."
"That doesn't matter. As long as we stand firm, we can deceive, we can bargain, we can even offer up part of our spoils—yes, even our stolen jutsu. If they can't stay united, we'll survive this."
Dodai's voice grew stronger as he slammed his fist on the table.
"So—Hidden Cloud's fate is in your hands!"
His words lit a fire under everyone present, even the old elders who'd grown cynical. Alliances born of profit were fragile, and if handled correctly, the enemy could be made to turn on themselves. One village alone could not take down the Cloud—not anymore. The age of monsters like Hashirama and Madara was long gone.
---
BOOM—
BOOM—
BOOM—
Suddenly, the deafening roar of explosions tore through the air, waves of fire lighting up the village. The shockwaves rattled the Raikage's building, shattering its glass.
"What's going on?!"
"Is this an attack?!"
"Is Konoha here already?!"
Dodai rushed to the window. Outside, flames raged through the streets—and high above, a white clay bird circled lazily in the sky. A lone figure dropped swiftly toward them.
"Looks like… this is the place."