81-85

*Chapter 81: Nibi Yugito, Fight!*

A lone figure moved slowly forward.

There was one thing, a fact that the Third Hokage probably would have never guessed.

Itsuki had been planning something against the Hidden Cloud Village for quite a while.

Even if the Third Hokage hadn’t ‘pressured’ him, Itsuki would have eventually come to the Hidden Cloud anyway.

The chaos currently happening in the Hidden Cloud was precisely because Itsuki had initiated his "Hunt the Cat" plan ahead of time.

From the very start, Itsuki had his eyes on Nibi, the Two-Tails.

In his grand scheme, tailed beasts were essential.

So, years ago, he had already begun planting people in the Hidden Cloud Village.

By now, dozens of families had become residents of the Hidden Cloud.

And that was only to play it safe. Otherwise, he could have placed even more people.

At this moment, those people had sprung into action.

Originally, Itsuki planned to wait another year before causing chaos in the Hidden Cloud.

Danzo, Hiruzen, I owe you one—no, I owe you both.

Just you wait!

An eye for an eye!

When I return, I’ll bring you a special gift.

What’s that? The ANBU are already causing trouble for the Third Hokage?

Well, then I'll make it a buy-one-get-one deal!

That’s just how generous the Uchiha are!

"Stop!"

A harsh shout rang out.

A middle-aged ninja with scars on his face glared coldly at Itsuki, "Who are you?"

Itsuki smiled as he gazed at the man, sighing softly, "Impressive strength, to actually be able to notice me."

Itsuki had cloaked himself in a subtle genjutsu barrier.

Weaker people would instinctively ignore him as they passed by.

This man was a Jonin!

Not just any Jonin, but a strong one.

At the very least, he was on the level of someone like Kakashi.

Wait, is Kakashi no longer just a chakra measuring stick but a benchmark for strength now?

"Me?" Itsuki smiled, locking eyes with the man. "I’m the one who’s going to kill you."

"Ugh!"

As soon as the words fell, the middle-aged ninja realized he couldn’t move.

"You… Ahhh!!!"

Splat!

Blood sprayed everywhere.

A lot of blood.

It was as if all the blood in the man's body had been drained.

Itsuki looked on calmly, his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan glinting malevolently.

He continued walking forward, humming a tune to himself.

Little kitty! Where are you?

Your master has come to find you.

Don't deny it—you belong to me now.

Not even Madara or Hashirama could stop this.

…

Suddenly, a pair of gem-like eyes snapped open.

Inside those eyes was pure malice and brutality.

But in the next instant, they reverted to normal human eyes.

"Ugh!"

"Yugito, what's going on? You woke me up."

A lazy voice spoke, tinged with irritation.

"There’s something wrong."

A voice appeared out of nowhere, heavy with concern.

It felt a deep unease, like it was being stalked by some monstrous beast.

But it was the tailed beast, after all!

"Wrong? What could possibly be wrong?"

The speaker was a woman with straight, tea-colored hair.

Her hair was long, tied into a thick braid.

She had an exquisite face and a languid demeanor. Stretching as she stood, she showed off her graceful figure.

She was Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki!

At that moment, she seemed completely indifferent. "The Raikage told me to hide out in this backwater place. I doubt even the people in the Hidden Cloud could find me here."

Matatabi, the Two-Tails, suddenly spoke, "If something happened to you here, the Hidden Cloud wouldn’t know."

"Something happened? To me?"

Yugito blinked, then burst into laughter, her expression full of pride. "Who could possibly harm me?"

She was already quite powerful, and on top of that, she had a tailed beast.

And besides!

She could control a portion of the tailed beast’s power.

Looking around the entire Hidden Cloud Village, other than the Raikage and that freak Killer Bee, who else was even worth her attention?

Looking across the entire Hidden Cloud Village, besides the Raikage and that freak Killer Bee, who else was worth her attention?

"Well..."

A voice suddenly echoed.

Itsuki slowly walked in, looking at the somewhat dazed Yugito, and smiled, "Can I raise my hand for that?"

"Oh, and he's even a little cutie!"

Yugito lazily smiled, with a bit of allure in her expression.

But—

Her eyes gradually sharpened, with a wild, animalistic nature starting to overshadow her human side.

Itsuki flashed a grin, "Cute? Sure, but as for the 'little' part, I’ll have to firmly disagree."

"Meow!"

A sharp cat-like cry rang out.

"Boom!!!"

Itsuki appeared ten meters away, watching Yugito with some amusement, and said helplessly, "Little kitty, that’s not fair—attacking without warning?"

Yugito still smiled lazily, but the murderous intent around her was boiling!

Threads of burning blue began to spread across her graceful figure.

Snap!

With a soft crack, her braided hair came loose as she dropped to all fours.

It was as if she had unlocked some kind of seal, and blue flames shot skyward.

A gigantic blue demon cat apparition appeared behind Yugito.

"Meow!!!"

"Whoa! You’re really down on all fours, and with a curve like that!" Itsuki’s eyes widened, muttering, "Little kitty, why do you always make me think such inappropriate things?"

"Die, brat!"

Yugito screamed and spewed a ball of flames from her mouth.

"Fire Style..."

Itsuki clapped his hands together, shouting, "Great Fireball Jutsu!"

"Boom!!!"

A massive fireball, a hundred meters in diameter, hurtled toward Yugito.

It was like a falling meteor!

Yugito: "..."

Matatabi (Two-Tails): "..."

Boom!

First, the Two-Tails' fireball was swallowed by the Great Fireball, and then Yugito, covered in blue flames, was consumed as well.

Thud!

With a muffled thud.

Yugito was blasted away, crashing into a wall, her whole body smoking.

"Ow..."

The Two-Tails grunted, gritting its teeth and glaring at Itsuki, "Where the hell did this monster come from?"

You’re calling him a monster?

Yugito paused and then started cursing wildly, "Great Fireball Jutsu? Uchiha, huh? Damn it, even the legendary Madara Uchiha wasn't this strong."

"Great Fireball?" The Two-Tails was stunned. "Is the Great Fireball from your clan always this big? Damn, that thing's bigger than my true form!"

Over a hundred meters!

A tailed beast’s size is tied to its chakra.

The more chakra it has, the bigger its form becomes.

At its peak, the Two-Tails wondered, was it even a hundred meters tall?

Even Madara Uchiha never pulled off a Great Fireball that big!

"Two-Tails, show me some real power, or we’re both gonna die here!" Yugito shouted.

"Got it!"

A huge amount of chakra surged into Yugito's body.

At this moment, Yugito could only use part of the Two-Tails' power.

Compared to Killer Bee, who was a perfect jinchuriki, she was far behind.

That's why, in the Hidden Cloud hierarchy, she ranked below Killer Bee.

Far below!

In the original story, after the Akatsuki captured the Two-Tails, the Hidden Cloud searched for it, but held back a little.

No village wanted a repeat of what happened with the Third Kazekage.

When the Third Kazekage disappeared, the Hidden Sand went all out searching for him, which led to them being attacked and suffering enormous losses. That was one of the sparks that ignited the Third Great Ninja War.

But—

When Killer Bee went missing, the Raikage lost his mind. Not only did he demand a Five Kage Summit, but he also took a series of extreme measures.

Thinking about this,

Itsuki couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for the little kitty.

From now on, I’ll be the one to take care of you!

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 82: A Single Tree vs. the Two-Tailed Beast*

"Meow!"

With a sharp cat cry, Yugito Nii began to change.

Her body surface showed blue demonic cat patterns, a manifestation of chakra.

Her hair, under the massive surge of chakra, stood up and flowed like flames.

The most noticeable change was in her eyes—they turned completely white.

Two tails appeared behind her.

Partial Tailed Beast Transformation!

"Kid, you're dead!"

Feeling the overwhelming power inside her, Yugito was thrilled.

At this moment, she was powerful! Extremely powerful!

And this time, the chakra was willingly provided by the Two-Tails, ensuring there would be no loss of control.

With the Two-Tails pouring all its chakra into her, could she lose?

Absolutely not!

"Flame Mice Fireballs!"

Yugito opened her mouth, spitting out numerous small, mouse-shaped fireballs that scattered and homed in on Itsuki from all directions.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Itsuki opened his mouth and released a massive fireball.

"Boom!"

All the blue Flame Mice Fireballs were swallowed up.

Once again, Yugito was embedded into the wall.

The fireball was too large to dodge.

Fortunately, the Two-Tails was naturally aligned with fire.

Her body was already burning with flames, or else the last two attacks would have been enough to roast her alive.

As expected, a larger size means justice!

"Stop using these small tricks!"

The Two-Tails screamed madly inside Yugito, "Use the big moves! Against this kind of monster, the Flame Mice Fireballs are just like real mice."

Calling him a monster again?

"I got it!"

Yugito gritted her teeth.

She gathered a large amount of chakra and shot out a massive fireball.

"Heh!"

Seeing this, Itsuki chuckled.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Boom!"

Fireballs clashed again, and once more, Itsuki was victorious.

Yugito was slammed into the wall yet again.

At this point, the wall behind her already had three human-shaped imprints.

"Argh!!!"

Yugito was about to explode with rage.

Her body underwent yet another transformation.

Blue flames soared to the sky.

Yugito's form began to change.

In the end, she transformed into a massive blue demon cat.

Full Tailed Beast Transformation!

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Itsuki clicked his tongue in amazement.

This was the first time he had seen a real Tailed Beast.

That overwhelming pressure felt very real.

No wonder Tailed Beasts are called natural disasters.

The great powers that Senju Hashirama used to balance the villages.

In fact, Itsuki wasn’t entirely sure what these Tailed Beasts had done to deserve such hatred.

Even Senju Hashirama viewed the Nine-Tails coldly.

On the contrary, it seemed to be humans constantly trying to control the Tailed Beasts.

Was it just because they possessed power?

Did having power mean they should be destroyed?

Itsuki didn’t know how the Tailed Beasts felt, but he knew that if he were one, he'd hang around villages, launching Tailed Beast Bombs at them just for fun.

Then he’d run away!

He’d keep doing it until the villages were destroyed.

Especially Konoha—they’d get special attention.

After all, why did Senju Hashirama have to be so impressive?

Unfortunately, he wasn’t a Tailed Beast.

"Kid, you're dead!"

There it was again, that line.

Itsuki blinked, clapped his hands together, and released another Great Fireball Technique.

"Boom!"

This time, the Two-Tails took the hit head-on with its massive form, only stumbling back a few steps without getting embedded into the wall.

"You think I’m the same as before?"

Seeing the clearly more arrogant Two-Tails, Itsuki chuckled.

"Two-Tails, how about we work together?"

"Work together?"

The Two-Tails paused, then burst into maniacal laughter.

"Little thing, you think you're worthy of teaming up with a Tailed Beast?"

"Stop calling me little, alright?"

Itsuki's eyes flashed with the eerie pattern of the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Then, Susano'o began to form.

This was the first time Itsuki fully unleashed its power after gaining the Eternal Mangekyō.

The skeletal structure appeared!

Muscles and flesh grew over the bones.

It took the shape of a tengu!

And it was massive!

With Itsuki’s deliberate control, Susano'o stood even taller than the Two-Tails.

And it was fully armored, looking incredibly imposing.

Thick and robust!

Itsuki stood in the center of Susano'o, arms crossed, looking down on the Two-Tails.

"Little kitty, do I still seem small? Hmph, let me tell you, if I showed my full power, you’d be scared to death."

Matatabi (Two-Tails) lifted its head, gazing at Itsuki (One Tree), falling into silence.

"Matatabi, can we even win this fight?"

"This guy reminds me of someone."

"Who?"

"Madara Uchiha. Back in the day, I got completely wrecked by him."

"You’ve met Madara Uchiha?"

Yugito was shocked. She had long heard of the legendary figure’s fame.

Though he eventually became a terrifying rogue ninja, infamous across the shinobi world, his strength was something she still deeply respected.

"No kidding!" Matatabi replied irritably. "When Hashirama Senju was capturing the tailed beasts, do you think he was acting alone? Madara Uchiha was involved too. He compared all the tailed beasts and ultimately chose Kurama (Nine-Tails) as his summoning beast."

Thinking of that man made Matatabi tremble uncontrollably.

That overwhelming, unbeatable power still left it feeling powerless to this day.

"So… are we just going to give up?" Yugito’s voice was full of frustration.

Even in the unique communication between Jinchuriki and their tailed beast, Matatabi’s voice was very low. "Use the Tailed Beast Bomb!"

"Alright!"

Itsuki watched Matatabi in silence and smiled. "So, little kitty, still not going to surrender?"

"Take this!"

Matatabi suddenly let out a loud roar and opened its mouth. Yang-natured blue chakra and Yin-natured purple-black chakra began to quickly merge together.

Eventually, the chakra compressed and condensed into a high-density sphere in Matatabi's mouth.

"Tailed Beast Bomb!"

Boom!

A massive dark purple Tailed Beast Bomb shot out of Matatabi’s mouth, heading straight for Susano'o.

BOOM!!!

A huge explosion roared.

The Tailed Beast Bomb created a violent explosion, engulfing Itsuki in an instant.

"Did we get him?"

Both Matatabi and Yugito stared intently, eyes wide open.

They wanted to see the result right away.

But then—

"Watch out!"

Matatabi suddenly felt a strong gust of wind approaching, shouting in panic as it hastily retreated.

WHAM!

A giant hand smacked Matatabi hard on the head.

SMACK!

Matatabi was slammed into the ground.

Face-down and spread out flat!

"Oof!"

It let out a pained groan, struggling to lift its head and look up.

It was Susano'o!

"You… how?"

Matatabi was dumbfounded.

How could Susano'o have taken a direct hit from the Tailed Beast Bomb without a scratch?

Did her attack not even land?

"What do you mean 'how'?"

Itsuki sneered coldly. "Since you don’t want to talk things through, I guess we'll settle this the hard way!"

THUD!

As soon as he said that, Susano'o plopped down, sitting right on Matatabi’s back.

Matatabi’s eyes immediately bulged.

If it hadn’t kept its mouth shut, it probably would've thrown up its stomach.

And then…

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

Massive fists rained down, pounding relentlessly onto Matatabi’s body.

"Meow!"

A screech of agony echoed out.

"S-stop… stop…"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 83: Who's the Real Monster?

Nibi was on the verge of losing her mind.

Those punches were unbelievably heavy.

Each one made her eyes roll back.

After taking a few hits, she felt like her body couldn’t take it anymore, like she was about to collapse.

Even her core seemed to be damaged.

Meanwhile, Itsuki continued his relentless assault.

The demon cat tried to resist, but Itsuki pinned her down with one hand and kept punching with the other.

Wrong stance?

Who cares about stance when you're beating someone up?

"Fine! I agree to cooperate!"

Nibi's voice was trembling with a sob, "Stop! Just stop already!"

Is this how you treat a cat?

I’m a tailed beast!

Can’t you show a little respect?

Have you ever seen a tailed beast pinned down and beaten senseless?

We’re supposed to be walking natural disasters, feared by everyone.

But still, it hurt. A lot.

What Nibi didn’t realize was that Itsuki’s Mangekyō Sharingan wasn’t just keeping Susanoo active, but he was also using a genjutsu.

This genjutsu had no other purpose than to amplify the fear in Nibi's heart.

It weakened her will to fight back.

At the same time, it subtly whispered to Nibi’s mind: Pain. I’m in so much pain. Everything hurts. 

Under this pressure, Nibi couldn't help but start to beg for mercy.

Additionally, there was another reason.

When fully transformed into the tailed beast form, Yugito’s emotions also partially transferred to Nibi.

Nibi too.

In full beast form, the two of them entered a semi-fused state.

In this state, they were already somewhat confused.

They were supposed to be stronger than usual, but when faced with an overwhelmingly powerful opponent, they instead grew weaker.

"Cooperate?"

Itsuki sneered and said, "After I’ve had my fun, we can talk about cooperation."

Bam! Bam! Bam! 

His huge fists continued to rain down.

The ground trembled constantly.

It’s unclear how much time passed.

Nibi disappeared.

Only Yugito remained in place.

Her clothes were in disarray, and she crossed her arms over her chest, looking at Itsuki in terror.

The once-proud cat was gone.

Itsuki also deactivated Susanoo, looking at Yugito with a thuggish grin.

In reality, he was still amplifying the effects of the genjutsu, intensifying the fear in her heart.

Itsuki adjusted his clothes and said coldly, "So, little kitty, have you learned your lesson? Or do I need to give you another beating to wake you up?"

"What... what do you want from me?"

Yugito’s voice trembled.

Nibi had been beaten, fully transformed, and then disappeared.

Now, it was Yugito, the ninja, standing before him.

But even now, the brutality hadn’t ended.

With the tailed beast gone, Susanoo disappeared too.

In human form, Itsuki switched positions and continued to pummel Yugito.

He beat her in every possible stance, turning the once-proud cat into complete submission.

There wasn’t a single part of her body that didn’t hurt.

At that moment, Yugito finally understood something: sometimes, death isn’t the worst thing. The worst thing is wanting to die from the pain.

"What? Still not convinced?"

Itsuki let out a cold chuckle, his expression slightly wicked as he said, "The Hidden Cloud ninja will be here soon. How about I beat you up in front of them too?"

Yugito wanted to cry. She screamed, "What is it you want from me?"

If anyone ever dared to call her a monster again, she’d claw them to death!

The real monster was right in front of her!

"Obviously... I want you!"

"What?"

Yugito screamed and fell to the ground, scooting backward with her feet, her face full of terror.

Could this guy really be worse than a monster? Was he a beast?

Itsuki sneered, "Run? You think you can escape?"

"You... you..."

Yugito stuttered.

"Stop talking and come with me!"

Itsuki pointed off to the side and said flatly, "If you dare not follow, hmph, just wait and see how I handle you."

With that, he stood up and walked away.

Yugito sat there in silence, staring blankly in the direction he left.

Until...

"Hmph!"

Upon hearing the cold snort, the wooden puppet shivered and hurriedly followed.

She didn’t want to get beaten.

Obeying and silently waiting for rescue was the best choice.

Though she wasn’t sure if the newcomer could actually save her.

After all, the opponent had punched the Two-Tails so hard that it didn’t dare show itself.

The two figures, one in front and one behind, left the scene.

It was only after they left that the Cloud Village forces arrived.

The delay was due to two reasons.

One, the Two-Tails was in a remote location.

Two, they needed to check on Killer B first.

The Two-Tails was important, but nothing compared to Killer B.

"What... what is this..."

The Cloud Village ninjas looked around, dumbfounded.

The scene before them gave them only one thought... two tailed beasts fought here.

And it was hand-to-hand combat!

“What are you standing there for?”

An angry voice shouted. A Cloud ninja said coldly, “The Two-Tails is missing, report to Lord Raikage immediately.”

The Two-Tails may not have been as important as the Eight-Tails, but it was still a strategic asset as a tailed beast, and no one could ignore that.

“Yes!”

The Cloud ninja looked at the others and said, “Follow me!”

“Yes!”

They chased in the direction the figures had left.

...

Although there were factions within the Cloud Village, it was still the most united ninja village.

So, when the Raikage gave his order, the entire village mobilized to crush those causing chaos.

And they eliminated anyone who didn’t comply.

In no time, it was all over.

But!

The village had suffered heavy losses.

Hearing the reports from Mabui, the Raikage’s face turned grim.

The financial burden had worsened.

To make matters worse, another piece of news drove the Raikage to madness.

“What did you say?” The Raikage slammed the table, smashing it to pieces. He gritted his teeth and snarled, “What do you mean the money is gone?”

The man kneeling before the Raikage was Uru.

With fear on his face, he trembled as he said, “There were seventeen Leaf Anbu in total. We had already dealt with them, but then an eighteenth Anbu appeared and escaped with the money.”

The Raikage’s face twisted in rage as he gritted his teeth and said, “You made me lose fifty million ryo, didn’t you?”

“...Yes.”

The Raikage coldly said, “Uru, how did you assure me this wouldn’t happen?”

Uru remained silent.

The Raikage let out a heavy snort and sat back in his chair.

He thought about the village’s reconstruction.

He thought about the missing Two-Tails.

He thought about the lost fifty million ryo.

Oh, and the Leaf Anbu, whom they had wiped out in two groups. Before dying, each one had self-detonated with explosive tags.

This had cost the Cloud Village two hundred ninjas.

And now, there would definitely be a war of words with the Leaf Village.

The outcome was uncertain.

Furthermore...

The thing that drove him the most mad!

Iwa! (Stone Village!)

His father's body was still there. Could the other side really have used it for a deal?

Nothing was going right!

The Raikage let out a heavy sigh.

After the military map incident, he had hoped to make a move.

At the very least, he wanted to rob something from other villages!

He couldn’t forget his village’s old ways.

That was how the Cloud Village had made its fortune.

But now, it wasn’t even possible to consider raiding another village. He’d be lucky if other villages weren’t eyeing Cloud for a chance.

“Where did it all go wrong?”

(End of chapter)

*Chapter 84: The Big Discovery*

"Meow!"

"Meow meow!!"

Accompanied by a series of piercing screeches, Matatabi (Two-Tails) retreated back into Yugito Nii's body.

Yugito, visibly terrified, huddled in the corner, clutching her chest, trembling all over.

She looked like a small, abused animal caught in a storm.

A tailed beast?

Put a huge question mark after those two words.

The big monster bullied her again.

Itsuki, wearing a satisfied expression, walked out of the room.

As he walked, he straightened his clothes.

The look on his face was one of smugness.

Yugao Uzuki stood awkwardly at the door. When she saw Itsuki, she instinctively took a step back.

"What are you doing?"

"What are you doing?"

Itsuki, displeased, said, "I just gave a tailed beast a good beating. What's with that expression?"

Yugao, with a low voice, replied, "You won't even spare a cat?"

Itsuki: "..."

A cat?

Come on.

That's a tailed beast!

A natural disaster tailed beast!

Matatabi, the Two-Tails!

I can call it a cat, but you too?

Little Yugao, you're being a bit too casual!

"Alright, stick to the plan!" Itsuki said, looking at Yugao. "Starting today, you and Yamato are dead, and Hayate will return to the village with me."

"Understood!"

Yugao nodded, but there was a worried look in her eyes as she glanced at Itsuki.

"Be careful!"

"Careful about what?" Itsuki laughed. "Are you really worried about me? You know my strength, don't you?"

Yugao sighed softly.

She had no doubts about Itsuki's power.

However!

This time, things were a bit too conspicuous.

All of the ANBU were dead.

Yugao truly feared Itsuki might end up fighting against the Third Hokage as soon as he returned.

"If you can avoid it, try to."

Yugao advised, "Our plan is already in motion. It will be completed in at most two years. After that, the sky's the limit!"

"Haha, I know, no need to comfort me!"

Itsuki nodded.

As for what he was really thinking… well, haha!

Hold back?

Why should I?

In all of Konoha, is there anyone worth me holding back for?

Across the entire shinobi world, there are only a few people I’m wary of.

Among them...

The closest one would be Madara Uchiha.

But by my calculations, that guy is still lying in a coffin right now.

Itsuki believed that Madara must have left behind a contingency plan, ready to be revived at any time.

That was just his nature; he trusted no one but himself.

There was no way he'd put all his hopes in Nagato.

Those people weren't worth trusting either.

However!

Would he speed up his plan because of Itsuki?

Even if Madara agreed, there’s no way Black Zetsu, the ultimate filial son, would allow it.

Now that he's finally close to reviving his "mother," he would ensure that goal is completed.

So, if Madara dared to make a move, Black Zetsu would be the first to stomp him back into the grave.

At worst, he might initiate his backstab earlier!

With that in mind...

As long as Itsuki didn't stir up the whole shinobi world, there shouldn’t be any major issues.

In Konoha, a small number of deaths—even if it’s the Hokage—shouldn’t cause much trouble.

Smiling slightly, Itsuki said, "Instead of worrying about me, you should be more cautious yourself. Who knows which will come first, an accident or tomorrow?"

"Don't worry!"

Yugao hugged Itsuki briefly, then walked forward, grabbing Yugito and taking her away.

Yes.

She grabbed her and left.

Yugito had considered resisting.

Unfortunately, in Yugao's hands, she couldn’t.

Because Itsuki had drained all her strength.

Under the power of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, Matatabi was nothing more than an oversized cat.

Itsuki, in an overbearing manner, extracted the strength from both Yugito and Matatabi.

Now, they were just empty shells.

"The plan has begun!"

Itsuki smiled, heading toward the village.

On the way, Hayate appeared, following behind him.

After a few words from Itsuki, Hayate nodded and instantly disappeared.

…

Konoha.

Hokage's office.

"Lord Hokage!"

An ANBU knelt on one knee before Hiruzen Sarutobi, saying in a serious tone, "Uchiha Itsuki has sent word that the mission is complete, and he is returning to the village."

"Mission complete? Returning?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was taken aback. "The mission I gave him was to monitor Kumogakure and ensure they wouldn't move against Konoha within seven days. It’s only been three days, and he's certain Kumogakure won’t act in the remaining four days? Where does he get that confidence?"

"I don't know, sir!"

"What about the ANBU? An entire squad was assigned to follow Itsuki. What word do we have from them?"

"They've all lost contact!"

Hearing this, Hiruzen couldn't hold back anymore. He jumped up, shouting, "An entire ANBU squad, including their captain—seventeen people—all lost contact?"

"Yes!"

The Anbu member's voice trembled as he responded.

He was shocked too.

The entire Anbu squad had gone silent. This situation was too unusual.

It had never happened before!

The regular Anbu unit consisted of more than seventy people, divided into four squads.

Each of them was among the elite of the elite.

Losing an entire squad was a serious blow to the Hokage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat down with a grim expression.

It wasn’t just one squad. Hiruzen, concerned about any unexpected incidents, had sent two additional elite members.

These were truly elite, Jonin-level shinobi.

This kind of loss made Hiruzen’s breathing heavy.

"Contact Uchiha Kazuki, get in touch with him immediately!"

"Yes, sir!"

After the Anbu left, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up and walked out with large strides.

He needed to see Danzo!

What was happening with his plan?

To avoid suspicion and distance himself from it, Hiruzen Sarutobi had chosen to ignore Danzo’s plans.

But now!

Now, he was anxious!

He had to know what Danzo’s plan was and how far it had progressed.

Little did he know, the first thing Danzo said when he saw Hiruzen sent a chill down Hiruzen’s spine. He stumbled, almost falling over.

"Hiruzen, something has happened!"

Danzo, you bastard! ...

Kumogakure! "Lord Raikage, we've made a discovery, a huge discovery!"

Mabui hurriedly rushed into the Raikage’s office.

The Fourth Raikage was working out again.

His office was also his training room.

Even though Kumogakure had suffered great losses, so what?

If they were short on money, they'd ask the daimyo! And if the daimyo refused?

Then they’d just go out and plunder!

Kumogakure would never forget their roots.

Whenever they felt itchy, they would revisit their old ways.

The ancestral craft couldn't be lost.

And this time, there was plenty of reason to bare their fangs at Konoha and Iwagakure.

The Raikage was already prepared.

"What is it?"

The Raikage calmly stood up, threw himself onto a chair, and wiped his sweat with a towel.

But Mabui was still anxious, her expression more panicked than ever before. "Lord Raikage, our people have found traces of Wood Release!"

The Raikage froze.

"Wood Release?"

"Yes!"

"Konoha's First Hokage, Hashirama Senju’s Wood Release!"

"Yes!"

The Raikage fell silent.

"Mabui, are you sure?"

It was a redundant question!

Who was Mabui?

She was the most competent Raikage assistant, the head secretary.

With such an important matter, how could she be wrong?

Mabui nodded heavily and said, "I'm absolutely certain. This is critical, so I went personally to confirm it was indeed Wood Release!"

The Raikage muttered to himself, "Konoha, you have Wood Release again?"

"Is this what gives you the confidence to provoke Kumogakure?"

"Heh, interesting!"

(End of chapter)

*Chapter 85: The Beast Transforms!*

"Lord Raikage!"

The Fourth Raikage waved his hand, cutting off Mabui's words. His expression remained calm as he said, "Mabui, proceed according to the original plan."

"But..."

"If it were someone like Hashirama Senju or a power of that level, the outcome wouldn’t be worse. If not, Mokuton (Wood Release) is just a cover. Treat it like any other ninjutsu. There's no need to be overly concerned."

Raikage snorted with a proud expression.

He always held Konoha in disdain.

Hashirama Senju was indeed powerful.

But so what?

There is only one God of Shinobi!

He refused to believe Konoha could produce another Hashirama Senju.

"Understood!"

Mabui understood, nodding heavily before striding away.

Her emotions had also settled.

The shock brought by the appearance of Mokuton was gradually erased by Raikage’s steady words.

That is the quality of a leader.

Many times, even if Raikage did nothing, just his presence could inspire infinite courage in the shinobi of the Hidden Cloud Village.

Raikage’s face remained stern as he looked out the window, muttering, "Konoha, Mokuton? Hmph, the Fourth Hokage..."

The chaos within the Hidden Cloud Village had come to an end.

When the unrest erupted, the Hidden Cloud Village demonstrated its strength as one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

Within a few short hours, they had subdued the disorder.

At the same time...

They hadn't neglected the outside world.

If any other village dared to seize the opportunity to attack, hoping to gain an advantage, they would certainly taste bitter defeat.

Their only concern was the possibility of some strong individuals taking action within the village during the chaos.

The situation with the Two-Tails was one of them.

The Hidden Cloud was actively searching for the whereabouts of the Two-Tails.

...

*Hokage's Office.*

Smoke swirled in the air.

In the hazy room, several grim faces could be seen.

The Four Guardians of the Village had gathered once more.

In the office, they sat in the four corners.

And... each looked more frustrated than the last.

If Konohamaru saw them, he would surely sit down and start studying obediently.

The Third Hokage exhaled a heavy puff of smoke through his nose and said coldly, "So, Danzo, your plan failed. Not only did you fail to kill Itsuki Uchiha, but Root also suffered heavy losses. Is that right?"

Danzo, unable to suppress his fury, growled, "Those damned Hidden Cloud shinobi—they've gone mad! We had an agreement, but they broke their promise and attacked my men."

"Those bastards must have been bought off by the Uchiha."

The Third Hokage, barely containing his own anger, said icily, "What about the Anbu?"

"After they wiped out Root, the Hidden Cloud didn’t hold back. The Anbu also..."

The Third Hokage closed his eyes in pain, clutching his chest.

The heartache was unbearable.

In Danzo’s plan, Anbu and Root were supposed to cooperate with Hidden Cloud to take down Itsuki Uchiha.

To this end...

Danzo gave Hidden Cloud 10 million ryō and promised them Uchiha's body.

From Hidden Cloud's perspective, it was a win-win: they'd have powerful allies, make money, and eliminate a Konoha Uchiha, even receiving a pair of Sharingan in return.

Of course, they agreed.

Raikage even decided to personally take part.

Konoha immediately provided Hidden Cloud with Itsuki Uchiha’s intel.

Danzo was confident.

Even if Itsuki managed to escape the first attack, there were more "surprises" waiting for him along the way.

In short: Itsuki Uchiha was as good as dead!

There was no way he could escape.

Danzo even considered using Itsuki Uchiha to set up Hidden Cloud.

As a result...

Hidden Cloud attacked Root before they even encountered Uchiha.

Root was completely wiped out.

What infuriated Danzo the most was that they claimed Root had attacked first.

When they couldn’t win, Root members supposedly resorted to self-destruction, killing many in Hidden Cloud.

Ha!

If you're going to lie, at least make it believable.

Each member of Root was bound by the Curse of Absolute Obedience. They would never betray Danzo.

Danzo certainly hadn’t given any orders to attack Hidden Cloud.

According to Hidden Cloud’s version of the story...

Dozens of Root members suddenly betrayed Danzo, attacked Hidden Cloud, and chose to self-destruct when they couldn’t win?

What, did they all plan to have a tea party in the afterlife?

"So you're saying..."

The Third Hokage slowly opened his eyes and said, "Itsuki Uchiha is unharmed, and we lost dozens of our best shinobi, correct?"

"...Yes."

Nineteen from Anbu.

Twenty-one from Root.

Among them were seven Jonin and twelve Special Jonin.

All of them were elites.

Losing so many loyal shinobi at once made the Third Hokage want to hit Danzo with his staff—hard.

This is what you meant by "no problems," right?

Danzo, you're nothing but trouble!

The biggest troublemaker in the whole shinobi world.

"Report!"

An Anbu appeared.

The Third Hokage shot him a cold glance. "Speak!"

"Uchiha and Hyuga clans had a skirmish with the Sand Village's vanguard. Both sides suffered casualties."

"Oh!"

This was perhaps the only good news the Third Hokage had received all day.

His spirits lifted as he asked, "What about the casualties for the Uchiha and Hyuga?"

"Only Eighth Generation and Inaho from the Uchiha survived. The rest were killed in action. The Hyuga clan was completely wiped out."

"Ah..."

The Third Hokage's expression froze for a moment.

He had hoped that the Uchiha and Hyuga clans would suffer heavy losses, but he never expected the losses to be this severe.

Twelve Jōnin, dozens of clan elites, and only two Jōnin left?

Really?

The Third Hokage was filled with doubt.

Danzo suddenly asked, "What about the losses of the Hidden Sand Village?"

An Anbu agent replied, "Based on the initial reports, the Hidden Sand's losses are more than double ours."

"Oh!"

The expressions of the Four Great Beasts relaxed slightly.

"Dismissed. I need detailed data on the Sand's losses."

"Yes!"

The Anbu agent left.

Koharu Utatane hesitated and said, "With the Uchiha and Hyuga suffering such heavy losses, could it be that…"

"Could it be what?"

Danzo snorted angrily and said, "Uchiha Kazuki's forces wiped out the Anbu we sent. I will certainly hold them accountable for this."

As for Root…

There’s nothing that can be done.

I can’t exactly say, "I secretly sent people to kill you, so how come you're still alive and my people are all dead?"

Could you be secretly dealing with the Hidden Cloud?

I clearly made the first deal with them, and now you’re cutting in?

The Uchiha side would explode instantly.

Those red-eyed people, they’re hated by everyone.

But when they fight, people fear them.

The Third Hokage slowly said, "Indeed, while the Uchiha suffered heavy losses, our losses aren’t small either. If the Uchiha think they can use this to make trouble, they’re dreaming!"

As for the Hyuga…

Who even cares about them?

After saying this, the Third Hokage suddenly noticed Koharu Utatane looking at him with a strange expression.

"Koharu, what’s wrong?"

"No, nothing!"

Koharu quickly shook her head, but in her heart, she felt deeply uneasy.

What did Hiruzen just say? The Uchiha causing trouble?

Since when did they ever care about what the Uchiha thought?

Hasn’t it always been Danzo at the front, with them in the background, constantly squeezing the Uchiha’s space for survival?

When did they start worrying about the Uchiha?

The tone of things was starting to change.

This shift made Koharu feel a growing sense of unease.

It felt like this was the beginning of something.

The beginning of their descent into darkness.

An illusion!

It must be an illusion!

The Leaf Village belongs to them, and for decades, it’s always been this way. It won't change in the future either.

(End of chapter)