"Raikage-sama!!"
Tsuchidai's urgent voice tore through the air as he led a team of elite Jōnin into the heart of Thundercloud Gorge. Dust still clung to the ground. The battlefield was a scene of total destruction. Beside a massive crater lay the towering figure of the Third Raikage, his mountain-like body collapsed, a charred wound cutting across his chest and abdomen. The wound's shape eerily resembled the technique he was known for—Hell Stab.
A cold terror gripped Tsuchidai like never before. "Quick! Get a stretcher! Send him to the hospital, call the highest-grade medical team!" he shouted, voice shaking.
"Yes, Commander Tsuchidai!"
Several Jōnin moved swiftly, lifting the unconscious Raikage with utmost care and rushing toward the Kumo hospital. His condition left an oppressive silence hanging over the team.
"Where is the Seal Squad?! Move, now! Contain the Eight-Tails immediately!" Tsuchidai turned and bellowed into his communicator-nin, the veins on his forehead bulging. "This cannot be left unattended!"
Within the gorge, orders rang out. Though shaken and grieving, the experienced shinobi of Kumo divided into two forces. One escorted the Raikage out, dust trailing behind. The other, under Tsuchidai's direct command, charged toward the still-raging but weakened Eight-Tails.
In the distance, the outline of Kumogakure loomed faintly through the haze. Built along the mountainside in grand fashion, it now stood wreathed in columns of smoke. Rubble and scorched ground stretched as far as the eye could see. The cries of the wounded and dying floated from the ruins, piercing every shinobi's heart. The village they had built and defended with pride—restoring it would take more than just time. It would take blood, resources, and resolve.
Tsuchidai wiped his face and glanced between the ruined gorge and the smoking village. A suffocating sense of powerlessness weighed down on him, slowly building into fury. This wasn't a natural disaster. It was an act of war. And someone would pay.
In the hospital, the Third Raikage stirred. His brows furrowed deeply. His eyes opened slowly. The sterile scent of antiseptic filled his nose, and a pale ceiling came into view. After a moment, the images from just before he lost consciousness returned—pain, the Eight-Tails' rampage, his own desperate final move.
"Raikage-sama, you're awake!" Tsuchidai rushed to the bedside, bowing deeply. His voice trembled between relief and anxiety, his eyes full of concern.
The Raikage coughed hard, shaking his head to clear the dizziness. With effort, he propped himself up using one thick, muscled arm. The motion pulled at the wound in his chest, sending sharp pain through his body. But he didn't utter a sound. His piercing blue eyes locked on Tsuchidai with steely force. "Tsuchidai. The Eight-Tails. Is it sealed? What's the village's status?"
Tsuchidai's relief vanished. His expression sank as he inhaled deeply. "Raikage-sama, the Eight-Tails has been successfully subdued and is currently sealed within the village's central barrier. We are waiting for a new Jinchūriki to be chosen for the final transfer."
He paused, then his voice grew heavy. "But the village… has suffered massive damage. The core areas were completely destroyed. Countless residents, merchants, travelers… those who couldn't evacuate in time… died instantly." He clenched his jaw. "Especially the commercial district. The losses are catastrophic. Our reputation, our economy…"
Even in a world where power ruled, when large numbers of civilians died and trade collapsed, even a major village like Kumo had to face consequences. Without transparency, without reparations, no one would dare set foot in the Land of Lightning again. No one would trade with Kumo. The economy would choke.
Suddenly, a terrifying pressure radiated from the Raikage's body. The air in the room turned heavy. His signature thunder-brows twisted, fists clenching the edge of the bed so hard that sparks of chakra pulsed and cracked the nearby wall.
"Have we found the truth?" The Raikage's voice was low and cold, like distant thunder. "Who. Did. This. Who triggered the rampage?"
This was no accident. He was sure of it. Fukai had a solid will, a steel-hard mind. He wouldn't just lose control out of nowhere. Someone made this happen. And the Raikage wanted a name.
"Raikage-sama," Tsuchidai said firmly, his eyes burning with rage. "That's what I came to report. I propose we launch an immediate, large-scale purge within the village."
His voice grew sharper. "This Eight-Tails incident was clearly the work of an enemy agent. An assassination plot to destabilize Kumo. And based on the evidence we have… all signs point to Iwagakure."
"What? Iwagakure?!" the Raikage's eyes widened. His longtime rival Ōnoki's detestable face flashed in his mind.
"Exactly." Tsuchidai pulled out a scroll and unsealed it. "We traced Fukai's movements before the rampage. He visited a certain tavern frequently. The original owner was found murdered in an alley. Replaced by a spy."
"Using that cover, the spy poisoned Fukai's food over time. A rare neurotoxin that suppressed chakra circulation gradually. Colorless. Odorless. Almost undetectable. It weakened his will and allowed the Eight-Tails' consciousness to slip through the cracks."
He laid out the timing with grim precision. "And right now, Ōnoki is gathering troops on the border. Their target is Konoha. His son Kitsuchi is still trapped in Konoha's hands. They're afraid we might strike their flank while they're distracted. So they created chaos here. To tie us down."
"For the sake of saving his son, that bastard reached his hand into our village. Cold, precise, despicable." Tsuchidai's teeth clenched. "Of course, it could be someone else framing Iwa. Konoha. Suna. But Konoha's tied up in Ame. Suna's broke. And Kiri? Hiding in the mist, barely functioning. No guts, no strength."
Everything pointed back to Iwa.
"Ōnoki!" The Raikage's chest rose and fell like a storm. The pain in his wound flared. But he didn't care. Rage surged through him. Chakra exploded from his fists like lightning ready to split the earth.
Boom!
The steel hospital bed crumpled under his grip like paper. A shockwave burst outward. Wall-hangings crashed. Windows shattered. The entire floor trembled like an earthquake had hit.
"Mobilize the army!" the Raikage roared. "Now! Tsuchidai! I'm going to make Iwagakure pay a hundredfold!"
His shout wasn't just for revenge. It was to reignite the village's morale. Kumo needed a target. It needed clarity. Honor. Revenge. And a warning to the rest of the world.
Whether Iwagakure was guilty or not, they were guilty now.
"Raikage-sama, please! Control yourself!" Tsuchidai flinched, eyes wide from the explosion of force. The hospital was still full of patients. One more outburst could bring the building down.
"Hmph. A bed like that can't restrain me," the Raikage growled. He ripped off his bandages. His chest was bare, his torso covered in battle scars. One in particular stood out—a jagged lightning-shaped wound across his chest. His gaze lingered on it for a moment, eyes narrowing with bitterness.
Shame.
The greatest shame of his life.
He, the so-called shield and spear of Kumo, wounded by his own technique. Hell Stab. A perfect attack, but at a cost. In that final moment, when he charged the Eight-Tails to stop a direct hit on the village, he had launched the thrust at such speed, he couldn't fully control it. The result was obvious.
He would never say it out loud. Not even to Tsuchidai. If Ōnoki ever learned the truth, he'd laugh himself to death. For Kumo's pride, for the title of Raikage, this disgrace would be buried forever.
Tsuchidai saw the flicker of emotion in the Raikage's eyes. He understood there were questions best left unasked.
There was something about that wound. But now wasn't the time to think about it.
The war order had been given. That mattered more.
Suppressing all doubt, Tsuchidai straightened. The village's military force had to be gathered. The army must be prepared. He glanced once more at the wound across the Raikage's chest, then turned and left the room with firm steps.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
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