Kumogakure encampment.
The arrival of several hundred reinforcements allowed the Third Raikage, A, to finally breathe a little easier. Although morale was still low, the overall force had at least recovered to over a thousand shinobi.
Not enough to launch an attack—but enough to defend.
However, just as A's mood began to ease slightly, a shinobi suddenly burst into the tent.
"Lord Raikage! Konoha's main forces are suddenly mobilizing on a massive scale—they're heading straight for the border of the Land of Lightning!"
"The former Hokage candidate, Sarutobi Hiruzen, has appeared; he likely brought a large reinforcement force from Konoha!"
Hearing this, A's expression immediately darkened.
"Reinforcements…!"
"So Senju Mori couldn't hold himself back after all. Is he planning a full-scale invasion of the Land of Lightning?"
A strode out of the tent, lightning-chakra bursting across his body in a golden glow, his yellow hair standing on end like the mane of a furious lion.
"This time it's our turn to defend. I'd like to see just how many casualties that Hokage brat can stomach!"
Despite his anger, A did not lose composure.
He had known this day would come.
After the previous battle, the moment Senju Mori chose not to retreat but instead advanced step by step, it was inevitable he would launch another attack.
A's withdrawal to the Land of Lightning's border had been for this exact reason.
Unlike their encampment in the Land of Frost, the homeland of the Land of Lightning contained the fortress built during the previous Raikage's era—a structure of extraordinary strength.
The Land of Lightning was surrounded on all sides by the sea, and its interior was filled with mountain ranges forming natural barriers.
This narrow strip of land adjacent to the Land of Frost was not only the only route for Lightning to attack other countries, but also the only place they needed to defend.
Even Senju Tobirama had never succeeded in breaking through this fortress with Konoha's forces.
Though Kumogakure's current numbers were insufficient, as long as they relied on the fortress, they were far from helpless.
Moments later, A and Kumo shinobi climbed to the top of the fortress. From above, they could see the Konoha army stretching endlessly across the landscape, advancing toward the Land of Lightning with overwhelming momentum.
"They truly brought reinforcements!"
A's eyesight was sharp. He not only saw that Konoha's numbers had increased dramatically, but even recognized the figures leading at the front.
Standing in the center was Hokage Senju Mori.
The middle-aged man on his right was unfamiliar to A—but the young man on the left he recognized instantly.
It was Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Before becoming Raikage, A had already been well acquainted with Hiruzen. During the First Great Ninja War, Hiruzen—then the leading Hokage candidate—had crossed blades with him many times.
Thinking of this made A's mood sink further.
Senju Mori alone was his equal.
Adding Sarutobi Hiruzen into the mix—A couldn't imagine any path to victory.
"If only Kinkaku and Ginkaku were still here… How did Kumogakure end up in this state…"
Though the Gold and Silver Brothers' coup and assassination of the previous Raikage had inflicted enormous losses upon the village, at this moment A couldn't help recalling them.
Kumogakure's high-level combat power was far too lacking now. Facing Konoha's might, he alone couldn't hold the line.
A secretly made up his mind:
Once this war ended, he would focus all efforts on solving the jinchūriki problem.
Kumo possessed the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails, while Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchūriki was the First Hokage's widow. If Kumo could stabilize their jinchūriki, they would instantly surpass Konoha in high-tier combat strength.
But then A noticed something strange.
Although Konoha's forces were positioned for war, they did not actually attack. Instead, they halted just short of the Lightning–Frost border, forming a faint standoff with Kumo fortress.
"What is the meaning of this…?"
A frowned deeply. Compared to an open, straightforward battle, this poised-but-stagnant stance from Konoha felt even more unbearable.
But Kumo had already lost the initiative.
He had no choice but to respond passively.
Thus, the two sides faced off for over an hour.
The air grew heavier and heavier.
The shinobi on both sides grew increasingly tense.
Even A's forehead began to bead with fine sweat.
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing cry of a hawk rang out, finally shattering the eerie silence.
A himself removed the bamboo tube from the messenger hawk's leg. The moment he pulled out the slip of paper, his expression shifted slightly.
The sender hadn't even bothered to use coded language—he had written the message directly.
A single glance, and A's face instantly turned ashen, the massive bear-like muscles of his right arm trembling uncontrollably.
Next to him, Kojii sensed something was wrong. He took the slip from A's hand, looked at it—and nearly fainted on the spot.
There was only one simple line written:
"The Eight-Tails' jinchūriki suddenly lost control and rampaged in the village center. Request immediate return!!"
Immediate return!!
The moment he read those words, the Third Raikage felt hot blood rush to his head while a bone-deep chill spread wildly across his limbs.
He had not witnessed it firsthand, but he could already picture the scene in Kumogakure—
Collapsed houses and buildings everywhere…
Countless villagers screaming and crying…
Shinobi charging forward again and again, only to be crushed like insects by massive tentacles…
A had previously worried that internal unrest might erupt in the village—
Now he no longer had to worry.
Because the village itself might not survive.
"Bastards!! Which idiot brought the jinchūriki back into the village?!"
A roared, completely losing control.
Indeed, the Kumogakure still had no idea that Konoha was behind this.
Danzō's group—and every witness at the scene—had been obliterated by the Eight-Tails' first Tailed Beast Bomb. Nothing remained, not even ashes.
Meanwhile, the Eight-Tails rampaged wildly throughout Kumogakure.
At that moment, nearly every available shinobi was fighting desperately to contain the beast.
There was no time to investigate, and even less chance anyone could guess who had orchestrated this.
Yet, in the midst of his rage, A forcibly calmed himself.
He had no choice.
The hawk's cry was like a signal—Konoha's army surged forward, crossing the border of the Land of Lightning without hesitation, charging straight toward the fortress where A stood.
As Senju Mori's face grew clearer and closer in his view, A's teeth ground so hard it seemed they might shatter.
He desperately wanted to punch something—anything—to vent his fury, but he couldn't bring himself to damage the fortress. In the end he only clenched his fist, swung it violently through the empty air, then let it fall in defeat.
"...Open negotiations with Konoha."
A said wearily, his voice drained of strength:
"Hokage proposed three conditions, did he not? Agree to all of them—if it means getting Konoha to withdraw."
"I will publicly apologize to Konoha before the entire shinobi world. Those Six Paths Ninja Tools—they belong to Konoha from now on. As for the reparations—"
A turned toward the man behind him.
"Sawa, you will negotiate the exact amount with Konoha."
"Your attitude must be firm—only that way can we reduce the compensation as much as possible. But you must secure a ceasefire agreement quickly. Konoha may not yet know what has happened inside our village…"
The moment he made this decision, A seemed to age ten years in an instant.
His golden lion-like hair, normally standing upright from his Lightning Chakra Armor, now hung limp, collapsing softly down his shoulders.