Even with only one arm remaining, the Strongest Spear was still the Strongest Spear.
The impact of the injury was there—but not decisive.
The Third Raikage specialized in taijutsu, not ninjutsu.
Even if he lost both arms, he would never truly be crippled.
"Father, why don't we just attack Konoha directly?"
Ay, the Fourth Raikage, slammed his fist on the table.
"As long as we hold off Aoyama Ryuyun, the rest of their forces are nothing!"
Staying idle only made his blood boil.
To Ay, the only obstacle worth noting on Konoha's side was Aoyama Ryuyun.
Without him, how could two thousand Konoha ninja stand against six thousand from Kumogakure?
Truthfully, Ay wasn't the only one who thought so.
Among the Kumogakure forces, the sentiment was the same—
Aoyama Ryuyun was the true enemy; the rest were insignificant.
"Lord Ay," the Raikage's assistant interjected carefully,
"Even if we do attack Konoha, we need a concrete plan!"
Among the Five Great Villages, serving as the Raikage's assistant was likely the most exhausting job in existence.
Convincing a room full of battle-mad brutes to think tactically was no easy task.
Ay shot him a glare sharp enough to cut steel.
"Then you tell me—do you have a better idea?"
"Uh…"
If I did, would I still be standing here?
Before the tension could grow heavier, a Kumogakure ninja appeared via Body Flicker.
"Lord Raikage! Urgent report—from our spy in Konoha!"
"Spy?" The Third Raikage frowned.
Konoha's camp should have been heavily guarded.
How had a message even gotten through?
Still, he took the scroll and unsealed it.
As his eyes scanned the message, a faint grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.
It was a rare sight.
"Father?"
"Lord Raikage?"
The others were puzzled. What kind of message could possibly make the Third Raikage smile at a time like this?
"See for yourselves."
He handed the scroll to his son and the others.
Once they read it, their expressions shifted from surprise to disgust.
"Hmph! Those Konoha bastards are truly disgraceful!"
"Betraying their own comrades in the middle of a war!"
"And that's supposed to be the so-called number one village in the world?"
The report detailed the transaction between their spy and Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
He had handed over Konoha's full deployment maps—
including the precise location of Aoyama Ryuyun's tent,
and the confinement site of the Two-Tails' jinchūriki, Yugito Nii.
No wonder Kumogakure despised Konoha.
All the great villages had their share of corruption,
but Kumogakure's was minimal—
mostly because their straightforward warriors lacked the patience for political deceit.
"Could this be a trap?" the Raikage's assistant muttered, still uneasy.
The timing felt too convenient.
"What are you afraid of?!"
The Third Raikage slammed his hand on the table and rose to his feet.
"With numbers like ours, what trap could possibly threaten us?!"
Even after losing his arm to Aoyama Ryuyun,
the Third Raikage still refused to back down.
"Now—let's assign our roles!"
Everyone straightened immediately.
Even the assistant knew there was no point arguing now.
The Raikage's word was final.
"Ay—you and Killer Bee will engage Aoyama Ryuyun. You don't need to kill him—just keep him occupied."
"Yes, sir!"
The Fourth Raikage smirked.
That kind of mission suited him perfectly.
"Yo! Let that Aoyama Ryuyun feel the heat of the AB Brothers—yeah!"
Killer Bee's voice was confident as ever,
his odd dance gestures barely tolerable even to his brother.
A room full of hotheads—none of them knew the meaning of retreat.
"I," the Third Raikage continued,
"will personally retrieve Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails' jinchūriki,
based on these Konoha deployment maps."
"The rest of you—form a perimeter around the enemy camp. Be ready for any sudden developments."
He raised his voice to the entire command tent.
"Remember—our objective is only to recover Yugito Nii.
Do not engage in unnecessary conflict!"
Even the Third Raikage knew that with Aoyama Ryuyun present,
a full-on assault would be suicide.
Rescuing the jinchūriki would already be a major victory.
---
Meanwhile, inside Konoha's camp...
Aoyama Ryuyun sat calmly in the command tent, one hand resting lightly on his sword hilt.
His relaxed posture made the Ino–Shika–Chō trio and several jonin uneasy.
"Lord Ryuyun," Nara Shikaku finally asked,
"what's going on? Why summon us here?"
Aoyama Ryuyun rarely came to the command tent when there was no emergency.
Today was different.
"Waiting," he said, with a faint smile.
"Waiting for a good show."
"A good show?" Shikaku raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm?"
Aoyama Ryuyun looked toward the northern perimeter,
his expression unreadable.
"The show," he said quietly, "has begun."
"What—?"
Before anyone could respond, an earth-shaking roar split the air.
"AOYAMA RYUYUN! COME OUT AND DIE!"
The voice echoed through the entire camp.
Every Konoha ninja froze, then burst into motion.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
"Defensive formation, now!"
"Everyone, move!"
As the camp erupted into chaos,
Aoyama Ryuyun rose from his seat, stretched his neck,
and walked toward the exit.
"Let's go," he said simply.
"Time to watch the fireworks."
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