In the Raikage's office, three middle-aged men with sly expressions gathered, passionately discussing their plans.
"Raikage-sama, I believe we must proceed with caution!" Tsuchishō said, frowning deeply, his tone grave.
"According to our intel, the Four-Tails, Son Gokū, has always been stationed in Iwagakure.
But why has it suddenly appeared on the battlefield in the Land of Grass? That's one question.
Why did the mysterious attacker choose the battlefield in the Land of Grass rather than elsewhere? That's another question.
And finally, could this mysterious individual be trying to lure you to the battlefield in the Land of Grass? That's yet another question!"
Tsuchishō, Kumogakure's senior advisor, was as meticulous as ever in his analysis.
Hearing this, the Raikage gradually calmed down, his mind carefully processing the critical points.
From the previous attacks on Amegakure, it was clear:
The mysterious attacker was deeply afraid of him. The attacker had targeted both the Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails but had avoided facing the Raikage directly, which indicated a profound fear of his strength.
This led the Raikage to a conclusion: as long as he was present, the mysterious individual wouldn't dare attack the Two-Tails or the Eight-Tails.
With this thought, the Raikage finally spoke.
"Based on the intel we've gathered, this individual possesses an unknown space-time ninjutsu, which is likely how he kidnapped the Four-Tails.
As for why he released the Four-Tails on the battlefield in the Land of Grass, we don't have enough intel to determine that.
But none of that matters.
As long as I'm fast enough, nothing else matters.
Tsuchibun, you'll accompany me to the battlefield in the Land of Grass. Bring more men!
If we can capture the Four-Tails before Ōnoki does, it'll be a huge win.
Even if the mysterious individual tries to target the Two-Tails again, you can use the Heaven-Sent Technique to send me back immediately!"
As he spoke, the Raikage suddenly paused, turning to Tsuchishō.
"Tsuchishō, you're not coming this time. Use the Transformation Jutsu to disguise yourself as me to deter the mysterious attacker!"
Hearing this, Tsuchishō pondered briefly before nodding in agreement.
Indeed, with the Raikage's ability to return at any moment, the village would remain in an invincible position.
At that moment, the Raikage lowered his voice deliberately, his tone heavy:
"Besides the two of you, no one else must know about this!
Tsuchishō, arrange two jōnin squads to accompany me. No more than that!"
"Yes, Raikage-sama!" Tsuchishō nodded firmly and left the Raikage's office at a brisk pace.
Meanwhile, the Raikage turned his gaze to Tsuchibun and instructed:
"Tsuchibun, use the Heaven-Sent Technique to issue orders.
Have all reconnaissance teams and field operatives in the Land of Earth, the Land of Taki, the Land of Grass, and the Land of Rain go into hiding and await further instructions!
We need to guard against any retaliation from Ōnoki!
Also, summon your deputy back to the village to monitor everything happening here!
Relay any intel to us immediately!"
"Yes, Raikage-sama."
Soon, a powerful undercurrent began to stir within the Raikage's headquarters.
Beneath the seemingly calm surface, countless schemes and calculations were in motion.
Thanks to the miraculous space-time ninjutsu, the Raikage's orders quickly reached various field points.
In no time, numerous Kumogakure shinobi vanished into the shadows. Simultaneously, a small team of about a dozen quietly set off from Kumogakure.
On Rinjin's end, he also received orders from the Raikage's office.
Reading the straightforward command on the scroll, he knew his plan had worked.
The Raikage, having resolved internal concerns, was now eyeing greater gains.
Moreover, he could sense two special tracking scrolls moving rapidly.
The one with Tsuchishō was heading in his direction, while the other was moving toward Kumogakure.
Rinjin's lips curled into a sly grin.
Surprise! There's a mole in your "shared location" feature!
Following the orders, Rinjin left Niko Town and found a random spot nearby to dig a hole.
He created a shadow clone and had it hide in the hole with the tracking scroll.
Then, forming a single hand seal, Rinjin vanished without a trace.
...
While the Third Raikage was already on the move, the Third Tsuchikage was still in a meeting.
In the massive conference room of the Tsuchikage's office in Iwagakure, a heated argument was underway.
The two opposing sides were the Tsuchikage faction, led by Ōnoki, and the clan faction, representing the major families.
The topic of debate was whether Ōnoki should personally take action.
Ōnoki, as the leader of the affirmative side, argued that his mastery of Dust Release made him invincible. "If not me, then who?" he declared.
The opposition countered that the Land of Grass was fraught with danger. Hanzō of the Salamander was watching closely, Konoha was biding its time, and the Raikage was as shameless as ever.
For the sake of safety, they argued, he should stay put and send more troops to retrieve the Four-Tails instead.
Furthermore, they pointed out that the mysterious attacker was clearly well-prepared.
In less than a minute, he had abducted the Four-Tails' Jinchūriki—a feat that defied imagination.
If Ōnoki left, who would protect the Five-Tails, Kokuō?
Most importantly, they reminded him of the recent humiliation suffered by Kumogakure.
The Third Raikage had nearly been outmaneuvered into oblivion while trying to protect the Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails.
As the debate raged on, an ANBU suddenly burst into the conference room, holding a letter.
"Tsuchikage-sama, this letter appeared at the entrance of the conference room!"
The ANBU quickly approached Ōnoki and placed the letter before him.
It wasn't so much a letter as a piece of plain white paper with a few crooked words scrawled on it:
"Ai is coming!"
Ōnoki's eyes narrowed sharply as he turned to the ANBU and asked in a low voice:
"Did you see who delivered this?"
The ANBU suddenly removed his mask, revealing an unremarkable middle-aged man's face. He grinned and said:
"Why, it was me~"
In an instant, Ōnoki's eyes widened in shock as a chill ran from his spine to the top of his head.
The Iwagakure officials in the room were equally stunned, their scalps tingling with fear.
How had this man infiltrated so easily?
Without thinking, Ōnoki instinctively threw a punch.
But his fist struck only a fading afterimage.
The figure of the "ANBU" had already vanished.
Silence...
A heavy silence fell over the conference room.
You could hear a pin drop.
Ōnoki frowned deeply, turning his head slowly to glare at the letter on the table.
"Ai is coming!"
The Third Raikage?
What was this attacker planning?
What did he want? The Five-Tails' Jinchūriki?
No! If he wanted the Five-Tails' Jinchūriki, he wouldn't have delivered this letter so openly!
At that moment, Ōnoki found himself caught in a web of doubt and anger.
The officials present dared not speak. Any opinion they voiced now could influence the overall decision. If they were right, great; if wrong, they'd become scapegoats.
After much deliberation, Ōnoki felt as if he had walked into an unprecedented trap.
And the man lurking in the shadows was probably watching him with a mocking grin.
The Four-Tails had to be reclaimed—it was a critical weapon for the village.
But the decision loomed: should he go personally or send someone else?
If he went, Ōnoki was confident he could face the Third Raikage head-on, given his mastery of Dust Release.
But if he left, the village would be left unprotected.
If he didn't go and sent his subordinates instead, they might fail to retrieve the Four-Tails.
No! He had to consider the attacker's motives for delivering the letter.
He was being forced to make a choice—to go to the battlefield or not.
Fine. If that's the case, I won't go to the battlefield in the Land of Grass!
Slamming his hand on the table, Ōnoki made his decision.
"I've decided!
This time, Kōgan will lead ten elite squads and two ANBU squads to the battlefield!"
Hearing this, a man behind Ōnoki stepped forward and knelt, nodding firmly.
Ōnoki's sharp gaze swept across the room as he continued:
"For this mission, avoid direct confrontation with the Third Raikage!
Your task is to harass and obstruct him from sealing the Four-Tails!"
He then turned to a masked man at the end of the table.
"Gangrimaru, as head of the Intelligence Division, activate our spies in Kumogakure immediately!
Locate the Eight-Tails' and Two-Tails' Jinchūriki and attack them!
If Ai wants the Four-Tails, let his village descend into chaos!
Use poison, ambushes, explosive tags—whatever it takes. Go all out!"
Ōnoki's voice dripped with venom.
"Yes!" Gangrimaru, the Intelligence Division chief, nodded heavily.
Finally, Ōnoki rose from his seat, his not-so-tall frame radiating a weighty presence.
"Prepare all departments for potential attacks!
The village is now on Level Two Alert! Bring the Five-Tails' Jinchūriki to me!
If the Raikage retreats, the sealing team will immediately set out to seal the Four-Tails!"
"Yes!" the officials responded in unison, their voices firm.
Hidden in the shadows, Rinjin watched Ōnoki's orders unfold, his expression unreadable.
As a Kage, Ōnoki's response was nothing short of comprehensive.
Even the Raikage, with his brute strength, had orchestrated a meticulous series of actions.
Rinjin couldn't help but admire them both.
They were formidable leaders.
But alas, time wasn't on their side, and the choices before them were limited.
The Raikage, free from internal strife, had chosen to act aggressively in the face of a tempting prize—a hallmark of Kumogakure's character.
Having lived in Kumogakure for over a year, Rinjin knew this village's aggressive nature all too well.
As for Iwagakure, his understanding was based only on intel from Konoha, but that didn't matter.
No village would willingly give up its tailed beast, especially not a major power.
And Rinjin's goal in delivering the letter wasn't to force Ōnoki to go or not go to the battlefield.
He simply wanted them to act faster.
Timing was everything. Let the Third Raikage and Son Gokū fight for a while.
When the moment was ripe for capture, the Iwagakure shinobi would intervene, throwing a wrench into the works.
Could the hot-tempered Raikage swallow that insult? Highly unlikely.
The ensuing chaos was easy to predict.
Two sides clashing, tempers flaring.
Of course, the ideal outcome would be for Rinjin to take the Two-Tails, the Raikage to claim the Four-Tails, and Ōnoki to clash with the Raikage.
Even if the Raikage realized Rinjin had taken the Two-Tails, what could he do?
Hand over the Four-Tails?
Then come after him for the Two-Tails?
Heh. The Raikage wasn't Hiruzen Sarutobi.