Ryosuke Uchiha was very satisfied with his progress today.
He had successfully grasped the basics of creating an air shockwave with pure taijutsu. Now, all that remained was to improve its power.
At minimum, when he could fell a tree with a single punch consistently, he could consider the technique complete.
A few days later, in the Raikage's office in the Hidden Cloud Village…
Fourth Raikage received a letter handed to him by his secretary, Mabui. He raised an eyebrow.
"You said the contents of this letter are for me? Have you read it already?"
Mabui nodded. On her way back to the office earlier, a mysterious figure dressed in black had suddenly flung a kunai toward her—with the letter tied to it. She'd initially thought it was an attack, but after retrieving and opening the letter, she realized it was a message and rushed it to the Raikage.
Raikage opened the letter, and as his eyes moved across the lines, a slight grin tugged at his lips.
The message claimed that if a war broke out between Konoha and Kumo, the Leaf would only deploy two major clans—namely, the Uchiha and Hyuga. The letter's sender then requested that Kumogakure target and eliminate a specific member of the Uchiha Clan: Uchiha Ryosuke.
In exchange, the sender promised that Konoha's upper echelon would offer certain concessions in the post-war peace agreement. One offer mentioned directly was a hefty compensation of 100 million ryo.
The Fourth Raikage knew exactly who this Ryosuke was—the same ninja who had thwarted Kumo's prior plan and led to their diplomatic embarrassment. Tossing the letter onto the table, he turned to Mabui.
"What do you make of this?"
"Could it be a trap? Are they trying to bait us into attacking, only to ambush us with a larger force?"
Mabui shook her head slowly.
"I don't think that's likely. Kumogakure isn't foolish enough to walk into a trap. No… this smells more like an internal conflict within Konoha. It's well-known that the Konoha leadership doesn't get along with the Uchiha. It's likely they're using us as a tool to get rid of their own problem child—Ryosuke."
She paused, her tone sharpening.
"It's also clear they're not eager for war. They want to negotiate peace. This move may be an effort to remove the Uchiha while minimizing the political blowback at home."
The Raikage chuckled coldly, visibly amused.
"Konoha's leadership is pathetic. At a time like this—on the brink of a potential war between nations—they're still playing internal power games? Sacrificing two of their strongest clans just to save face and consolidate authority?"
He shook his head in mock pity.
"What a joke. And they even had the gall to send us this intel? Do they really think we're on the same level?"
Then his eyes narrowed with a flash of ambition.
"If they're truly only sending out the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, Mabui, do you think we have the chance to… devour them?"
Mabui's eyes widened at the suggestion.
"Lord Raikage, that's an incredibly bold idea. While it's true only two clans are being deployed, there's no way the Leaf wouldn't send their elite shinobi from each clan. We'd be facing their best."
"If we try to eliminate them outright, the cost would be enormous—even if we win. It would be a bloodbath."
Her assessment was logical and grounded. Both the Uchiha and Hyuga were elite clans—arguably the strongest remaining in Konoha, aside from the now-dormant Senju. Taking them out would require an overwhelming force, and the losses could cripple Kumo's own military.
The Raikage exhaled slowly. He understood the risks.
Still… if they could pull it off—if they could annihilate the two pillars of Konoha's military strength—then the Leaf would be gutted. Even if it retained its status among the Five Great Nations, it would be demoted to the weakest of them.
And the opportunity? Too perfect. An entire platter of enemy elite shinobi—served up by Konoha itself.
Destroying them would devastate those clans for generations. The aftermath could destabilize Konoha for a decade or more—long enough for Kumogakure to rise as the dominant force.
His desire flared.
"What if we deployed our Jinchūriki—our tailed beast weapons? Do you think we could take them down? Cut out Konoha's strength at the root and walk into negotiations with the upper hand?"
The offered bribe of 100 million ryo no longer interested him. He wanted something greater—strategic advantage, dominance.
Mabui was visibly shaken.
To deploy the Jinchūriki was to escalate the mission to the highest stakes. Kumogakure had two fully-trained Jinchūriki: Yūgito Nii, host of the Two-Tails, and Killer Bee, the Raikage's own partner and the Eight-Tails' vessel. Both were perfect Jinchūriki, capable of full transformations.
With them and the Raikage, Kumo could field three Kage-level combatants.
By contrast, Konoha would at most have the heads of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans at that level. And their own Jinchūriki—the Nine-Tails' host—was still a child, barely out of the Academy, not yet a true asset.
This disparity made victory plausible—if not certain.
"Lord Raikage," Mabui said finally, her voice steadier. "If we go through with this, and even if we don't completely destroy them, the resulting damage would leave those two clans crippled. At the negotiation table, we could demand far more than 100 million ryo."
She paused, then added, "But what if Iwagakure attacks while we're away? They're our bitter rivals—and known for opportunistic ambushes."
The Raikage smirked.
"Let them try. We'll leave enough regular shinobi to defend the village. With the tailed beasts gone, we won't need to worry about collateral damage. Most of our power will be in the field anyway. And besides—don't you have your Heavenly Transfer Technique?"
"If worst comes to worst and Iwa attacks, you can teleport me and the Jinchūriki back. The village will hold."
He leaned in, voice filled with conviction.
"This operation must remain secret. Swift, brutal, decisive. If we strike fast and hit hard enough, they won't know what hit them."
Mabui absorbed the plan. It wasn't flawless—but it was ambitious and potentially game-changing.
"Understood. I'll begin mobilizing the elite shinobi immediately, including Yūgito Nii and Killer Bee."
The Raikage grinned.
"If this plan succeeds… the Land of Lightning and Kumogakure will sit atop the Five Great Nations."
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