Chapter 37: The Raikage's Logic; The Names of the Senju Brothers
The Hidden Cloud Village.
The Third Raikage sat with his massive arms crossed, his eyes closed in deep thought.
Spread out on the desk before him was the formal declaration issued by the Hidden Leaf—a message currently echoing through every shinobi village in the world.
Beside the Raikage stood his son, A, the man everyone acknowledged would one day be the Fourth Raikage. Next to him was Dodai, the village's most trusted military strategist and a veteran of the Magma Style.
"What do you make of this?"
The Third Raikage's voice was a deep, gravelly rumble. "The Leaf's response... it isn't simple."
Despite the popular stereotype, the Cloud wasn't just a village of "barbarians." Their leader, the Third Raikage, possessed a mind as sharp as his legendary spear. The "brute" persona was often a mask he wore to make his calculations more effective.
"Konoha took a beating in the Second War," young A barked, his neck muscles bulging with irritation. "They fought the Sand and the Rain to a standstill, and when it was over, they didn't even demand reparations! They just wanted everyone to go home!"
"Pops, I'm telling you, they're hiding something! They're acting tough to cover a wound!"
The Third Raikage glanced at his son. "Hiding something? Like what?"
"They must have developed a new S-Rank Forbidden War Jutsu!" A said with total conviction.
"And? What's your plan? Lead our shinobi to their gates to test its 'color' yourself?" The Third Raikage reached out and delivered a stinging smack to the back of his son's head.
Even with his massive physique, young A winced and gritted his teeth. When his father hit, it was like being struck by a mountain.
"Start using your brain. You can't lead a Great Nation on bloodlust alone!" the Raikage lectured. "You have to understand the opponent's state of mind."
"Even if Konoha is bluffing, look at Hiruzen Sarutobi's wording. He sounds like a man who has reached his absolute limit. He's a powder keg waiting for a match."
"We just lost Blue B. We aren't ready for a full-scale war. And even if we were, we cannot afford to face a 'suicidal' Konoha one-on-one while the Stone Village watches from the sidelines."
The Raikage turned his gaze toward Dodai.
The strategist adjusted his eye patch and spoke calmly. "The Lord Raikage is correct. A man who has accepted his own death will take a piece of you with him. Since the Second War, Hiruzen's prestige has been slipping. This aggressive stance is his way of stabilizing his own village and reclaiming his authority."
"By issuing this response, Hiruzen has drawn a line in the sand. He isn't backing down. Even if we 'win' a war against them, the Cloud will lose more than it gains."
The Third Raikage nodded. "You hear that, boy?"
A looked thoughtful. Though he was impulsive, he absorbed his father's lessons like a sponge.
"Furthermore," Dodai continued, his expression grim, "we must take the mention of the 'Second Hokage's Legacy' seriously."
"I wasn't there for Tobirama Senju's era, but the archives are clear."
The Third Raikage let out a heavy sigh. "That man... he was a nightmare of an opponent."
"He had a million 'dirty tricks' up his sleeve. He was impossible to pin down, and his techniques were as lethal as they were brilliant."
"He was a man of iron. That's why the Second Raikage wanted to sign a peace treaty with him. But then those two 'trash' brothers ruined everything..."
The "trash" the Raikage referred to were the Gold and Silver Brothers, Kumogakure's most infamous criminals. They had staged a coup during the peace summit, using the Sage of the Six Paths' Treasures to ambush both the Second Raikage and Tobirama Senju, leaving both Kage mortally wounded.
A's expression turned somber. Tobirama Senju... the man who earned my father's respect?
"I admired the Second Raikage's vision of peace," the Third Raikage admitted. "But to be honest, I never liked the idea of an alliance with Tobirama."
"If you gave that man time to research, God knows what he'd invent next. The Gold and Silver brothers are traitors who shamed our village by attacking their own Kage, yes. But by killing Tobirama Senju, they might have accidentally saved the Cloud from a future catastrophe."
A blinked, stunned by his father's cold assessment.
"The Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Anbu system that every village uses today? He invented them," the Raikage continued.
"Don't even get me started on his Water Style. Or the Flying Raijin, which allows for mass-teleportation across multiple anchors—it's essentially a weaponized version of our Heavenly Transfer technique. Do you understand the strategic value of that?"
"And the Edo Tensei... summoning the dead, controlling a man's own family members, and using them as regenerating suicide bombers with Multiplying Explosive Tags... that was his specialty."
"The legend says the First Hokage 'forbidden' him from doing research. Which really means he did all of that in just a few short years of active work."
A felt a cold sweat on his neck. He finally understood why his father called the alliance "dancing with a wolf."
"I bet the First Hokage didn't 'forbid' him," A grumbled. "He probably just looked the other way while his brother built the village's arsenal."
The Raikage glared at his son. "Watch yourself. Hashirama Senju is not a man for a brat like you to judge."
"The 'God of Shinobi' truly believed in peace. The tragedy is that the Ninja World has no room for a heart like his." The Raikage's tone shifted. "So, do you see what Hiruzen is doing?"
"He mentioned the First Hokage to remind the world that the 'Balance of Tailed Beasts' was a Konoha invention. He's framing the Cloud as the greedy village that tried to steal what Konoha graciously shared."
"Then, he used Tobirama Senju as the threat. He's telling the Great Nations that Konoha's patience has ended, and if we push them, they'll unleash the 'Demons of Research' that Tobirama left behind."
"He's playing both the Peace Card and the Terror Card simultaneously."
Dodai nodded. "And we have no choice but to fold."
Diplomacy was a high-stakes game of reputation, history, and timing. If played correctly, it turned a one-on-one fight into a coalition. But Hiruzen had played his cards too well.
"So we just let Blue B's death go unpunished, Pops?" A clenched his fists. "We never even found his body! All those dead Anbu... someone has to pay!"
As Hiruzen had predicted, Orochimaru's team had been invisible. The Cloud didn't know it was Konoha—they only suspected it. But as a Kage, the Third Raikage had to minimize losses.
"Have you still not realized our situation?!"
The Raikage's body surged with lightning. "Even if it was Konoha—and that's almost impossible to prove—can we afford a war right now? No!"
"Konoha's response has made it clear: they have no allies, but we have no friends either. If Konoha really has an assassin squad capable of killing a Jinchuriki without leaving a trace, do you really want to face them alone while our own power is in shambles?"
"Your job is to fix our internal security! Lead the village in training! Become strong enough that no one dares to sneak into our mountains!"
A bowed his head, his hands trembling. "Yes, Father! I understand! My apologies!"
"Good. That's my son."
The Raikage looked at Dodai. "Prepare our response to the Leaf."
"Recognize Hiruzen Sarutobi as the rightful heir to the First and Second's legacy. Mention our historical ties and the hope for future cooperation."
"Admit that our earlier accusation was 'hasty' and 'driven by grief.' State that we have found 'new evidence' of a third-party rogue faction targeting the Eight-Tails. Tell them the Cloud wishes to work with the Leaf to bring these peace-breakers to justice."
Dodai nodded. "I'll draft it immediately."
It was a total de-escalation. It boosted Hiruzen's reputation while giving the Cloud a "Face-saving" exit.
The Third Raikage looked out the window toward the Land of Fire. Theoretically, Hiruzen was just a "cornered rabbit" acting tough.
But a gut feeling told the Raikage that his old rival was becoming something else entirely.
"No more thinking about Konoha," the Raikage muttered. "We need a new host. The Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails must be stabilized. Now."
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