Kumogakure Camp,
The arrival of hundreds of reinforcements allowed Third Raikage A to breathe a slight sigh of relief. Although overall morale was still low, the Ninja army had finally recovered to a size of over a thousand.
While offense might be lacking, defense should be fine.
However, just as A's mood had begun to improve, a Ninja suddenly burst into the tent.
"Raikage-sama! Konoha's main force has suddenly mobilized in full strength, heading straight for our Land of Lightning's border!"
"Former Hokage candidate Hiruzen Sarutobi has appeared, likely bringing a large number of reinforcements to Konoha!"
Upon hearing this, A's expression immediately turned grim.
"Reinforce!"
"That brat Senju Mori really couldn't hold back. Is he planning a full-scale invasion of my Land of Lightning?"
A strode out of the tent, his entire body instantly covered in golden Lightning Release Chakra, his yellow hair standing on end like an enraged lion.
"This time it's Kumogakure's turn to defend. I'd like to see how much casualties he, the Hokage, can withstand!"
Though surprised, A was not flustered. He had known this day would come.
After the previous great battle, since Senju Mori had not withdrawn his troops but instead advanced step by step, he was bound to launch another attack.
His purpose in retreating to the Land of Lightning's border was precisely for this.
Unlike when they were stationed in the Land of Frost, the Land of Lightning itself had fortresses built during the previous Raikage's era, which were exceptionally sturdy.
The Land of Lightning is surrounded by sea on all sides, and within its borders, there are layers of mountains serving as natural barriers. This small area bordering the Land of Frost is not only the only path to attack other countries but also the only place that needs to be defended.
Even Senju Tobirama had never led Konoha to breach this fortress.
Although Kumogakure's forces were insufficient now, as long as they relied on the fortress for defense, they were certainly not without the power to fight back.
A moment later, A led the Kumogakure Ninja to the high ground of the fortress. Looking down from above, they saw Konoha's army, vast and imposing, heading directly towards the Land of Lightning.
"As expected, there are reinforcements!"
A's eyesight was excellent. Not only did he immediately notice the surge in the number of Ninja on Konoha's side, but he also clearly saw the few individuals at the very front of the army.
Hokage Senju Mori stood in the center. He didn't recognize the middle-aged man on his right, but he immediately recognized the young man standing on his left.
That was Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Before becoming Raikage, A was quite familiar with Hiruzen Sarutobi. During the First Ninja World War, as the top Hokage candidate at the time, Hiruzen Sarutobi had clashed with him many times.
Thinking of this, A's mood couldn't help but become even more somber.
Senju Mori alone could match him, and if Hiruzen Sarutobi was added, he couldn't even imagine any possibility of victory.
"If Gold and Silver Brothers were still alive, how could our Kumogakure have fallen to this point..."
Although the Gold and Silver Brothers had launched a coup, assassinated the previous Raikage, and then defected, causing unprecedented losses to Kumogakure, A couldn't help but recall them now.
Kumogakure's high-end combat power was too scarce now. Facing the powerful Konoha, he alone was truly unable to cope.
A had secretly made up his mind that after this war ended, he would do his best to solve the Jinchuriki problem.
Kumogakure had the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails, two Tailed Beasts, while Konoha's Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki was the First Hokage's widow. As long as the Jinchuriki could be stably controlled, Kumogakure could instantly surpass Konoha in high-end combat power.
However, A quickly noticed something unusual.
Although Konoha had adopted a wartime stance, it had not actually launched an attack. Instead, it had stopped just short of the Land of Lightning's border, subtly confronting Kumogakure in the fortress.
"What does this mean?"
A's brows furrowed. Compared to a direct, full-scale battle, Konoha's hesitant posture made him even more uncomfortable.
But Kumogakure had already lost the initiative, and he had no choice but to react passively.
The two sides confronted each other like this for over an hour. The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, and the Ninja's emotions became more and more strained. Even fine beads of sweat began to seep from A's temples.
Suddenly, a clear eagle cry sounded, finally breaking the strange and silent atmosphere.
A personally removed the bamboo tube from the Ninja Eagle's leg. As soon as he took out the note, his expression couldn't help but change slightly.
The person who released the Ninja Eagle didn't even have time to use a code, directly writing the message on it.
With a glance, A's face instantly turned extremely ugly, and his bear-like muscular right arm also trembled slightly.
Furui, who was nearby, noticed something was wrong. He took the note from A's hand and, upon reading it, almost fainted on the spot.
The note contained only a simple line of text: The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki has suddenly lost control and is rampaging in the Village center. Request immediate return for reinforcement!
Request immediate return for reinforcement!
Upon seeing these four words, A, the Third Raikage, felt a rush of blood to his head, while a bone-chilling coldness spread wildly through his limbs.
Although he hadn't witnessed it personally, he could already imagine the tragic state of Kumogakure Village at this moment—
Collapsed houses and buildings, countless wailing villagers, and Ninja launching continuous charges only to be easily crushed to death by giant tentacles... A had previously worried about internal strife in the Village, but now he no longer needed to worry at all, because—the Village might be gone.
"Damn it! Which idiot brought the Jinchuriki back to the Village!"
A roared, utterly furious.
Yes, Kumogakure didn't yet know that Konoha was behind it.
Danzo and the others, along with all eyewitnesses at the scene, were directly sent to heaven by a Tailed Beast Ball from the Eight-Tails, dying completely, leaving no trace.
The Eight-Tails, Gyuki, was also rampaging wildly through Kumogakure Village.
For a time, almost all Ninja were doing their best to fight the rampaging Tailed Beast. There was no time to send people to investigate, let alone guess who had caused all of this.
However, A, in his fury, quickly forced himself to calm down.
He couldn't help but calm down. That eagle cry, echoing through the sky, seemed like a signal. Konoha's army surged forward, crossing the Land of Lightning's border without hesitation, heading straight for the fortress where he was located.
Watching Senju Mori's face, which was getting closer and clearer, A's teeth ground together, almost shattering his steel teeth.
At this moment, he wanted to punch something to vent, but he couldn't bear to damage the fortress. In the end, he clenched his fists, swung them hard in the air, and then let them drop powerlessly.
"Let's negotiate peace with Konoha..."
A said somewhat dejectedly, "Didn't the Hokage propose three conditions? As long as it makes Konoha withdraw its troops, agree to all of them."
"I will publicly apologize to Konoha in the Ninja World, and those six paths sage tools will henceforth belong to Konoha. As for compensation—"
A looked behind him: "Zawa, you will negotiate the specific amount with Konoha."
"Your attitude must be firm; only then can we lower the amount of compensation. But we must quickly reach a truce agreement with Konoha. Konoha may not yet know what has happened in our Village..."
After making this decision, A seemed to age a dozen years in an instant. His lion-mane-like golden hair no longer stood on end, but all hung limply down.