Chapter 139: The Lightning Strikes
The moment the two "Akatsuki" operatives vanished into the crowd, Samui and Yugito reached their tense agreement. Samui would race to inform the Raikage, while Yugito would shadow the intruders, marking their trail.
Samui didn't waste a second. She broke into a full-speed sprint towards the central Raikage tower, her heart pounding with a mixture of fear for her friend and duty to her village. She burst through the main entrance, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
In the main corridor, she nearly collided with a woman carrying a stack of documents. The woman had stark white hair and the dark skin typical of Lightning Country, her features sharp and intelligent.
"Samui?" the woman said, her calm demeanor faltering at the sight of the flustered kunoichi. "You look panicked. An urgent matter for the Raikage?"
"Lady Mabui!" Samui gasped, bowing slightly. "It's critical! I have intelligence on the Akatsuki organization! They're inside the village!"
Mabui's eyes widened. "The Akatsuki? Are you certain?"
"Positive! Yugito is pursuing them alone as we speak! There's no time to lose!"
Understanding the gravity, Mabui didn't hesitate. "This way. Quickly." She turned on her heel, leading Samui at a brisk pace through the labyrinthine halls of the tower.
They arrived at a heavy oak door. Mabui pushed it open without ceremony, interrupting the meeting within.
The office was spartan and functional. Behind a large, solid desk sat the Fourth Raikage, A—a mountain of a man with a bald head and a torso of pure muscle, radiating palpable power. Standing behind him were his two most trusted guards: C, a sensor-nin with sharp eyes, and Darui, a laid-back yet supremely capable elite jounin known for his unique Black Lightning technique and mastery of Water and Lightning Release.
All three looked up, surprised by the abrupt entrance.
"Mabui," the Raikage's voice was a low rumble, more curious than angry. He knew his assistant would not interrupt without grave cause. "Explain."
"The Akatsuki, Lord Raikage," Mabui said, stepping aside to let Samui speak.
Samui took a steadying breath. "My Lord. I was in the market with Yugito when we spotted them. Two individuals in the black cloaks with red clouds. They noticed our attention and retreated. We agreed that Yugito would follow to track their movements while I came to alert you."
"Yugito is following them alone?" Darui interjected, his usual lazy posture gone, replaced by sharp concern. "If they are truly Akatsuki, that's incredibly dangerous. Our intelligence suggests each member is an S-class threat, at minimum. She can't handle that alone!"
**BOOM!**
The Raikage's fist slammed down on his desk, splintering the thick wood into pieces. He surged to his feet, his face a mask of thunderous fury.
"Damn them!" he roared, the very windows rattling. "They dare to set foot in my village?! I don't care what shadowy cabal they belong to! Anyone who threatens Kumogakure will be crushed!"
"Boss, we have to move, now!" C urged, his sensory abilities already reaching out to try and locate the chakra signatures. "If they discover Yugito is tailing them..."
The Raikage turned to Mabui, his orders sharp and immediate. "Mabui! Lock down the village! No one enters or leaves! Apprehend anyone suspicious on sight!"
"At once, Lord Raikage!" Mabui bowed and vanished in a flicker of body-speed movement to execute the command.
"Darui! C! With me!" the Raikage commanded. Without another word, he turned and leaped directly through the large office window, shattering the glass as he descended stories to the ground below. Darui and C followed without hesitation, three blurs of speed and power racing to intercept the crisis.
***
Meanwhile, in the rocky clearing, the battle was intensifying.
Jūgo, in his partially cursed state, and Suigetsu, relying on his Hōzuki hydrification technique, were pressing their attack on Yugito. The Two-Tails Jinchuriki, empowered by her partial transformation, was a whirlwind of claws and blue chakra, but the coordinated assault from two powerful opponents was slowly wearing her down. She was being forced onto the defensive.
Watching from the shadows, Karin pushed her glasses up her nose. "They're making progress, but it's too slow. A Jinchuriki's ultimate technique is the full Tailed Beast Transformation. If she unleashes that, the dynamic will shift drastically. At their current level, capturing a fully transformed Jinchuriki will be difficult. And if we delay much longer..."
Ren finished the thought for her, his voice calm but edged with cold certainty. "...Yugito's reinforcements will arrive. And if the Raikage himself joins the fray, our exit strategy becomes significantly more complicated."
He watched the fight for a moment longer, his Sharingan passively analyzing every movement.
"It seems," he said, a faint, dangerous smile playing on his lips, "I will have to expedite the process."
The time for observation was over. The hunter was about to join the hunt.
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