76-80

*Chapter 76: Danzo’s Frustration, Who Understands?!*

Danzo truly felt wronged.

Anyone who thought he shouldn’t feel frustrated, who thought he had no right to these emotions, simply didn’t understand what he had lost!

The Shadow of the Shinobi?

To hell with that!

Did the Shadow of the Shinobi deserve to be bullied?

Did it deserve to be mistreated?

If you haven't endured someone's hardships, don’t try to preach to them!

Back in the day, Danzo was full of spirit and ambition!

He waved his hand to command the world, pointing the way for the future!

He had sworn to become the Hokage, to push Konoha’s reform, and eventually extend his influence across the entire shinobi world.

He had the confidence!

Sarutobi Hiruzen? He was just some lucky, deep-thinking guy!

Back then, if Danzo hadn’t been too focused, noticing the Second Hokage’s plan and jumping in with the right answer, how could the Hokage title have fallen to Sarutobi!?

That position was meant to be his!

In what way was he inferior to Sarutobi Hiruzen!?

That narrow-faced, monkey-looking guy!

If it came down to looks, Danzo was far ahead, eight streets ahead!

But it wasn’t too late!

Sooner or later, he would overthrow Sarutobi Hiruzen and become the new Hokage!

The Valley of the End?

Those two statues?

Ha!

One day, Danzo would build a massive golden statue of himself right in the center of the shinobi world!

To achieve his dreams, he made countless plans.

The first step was to grow his own family and power base.

And then there was the eyesore—Uchiha—standing in his way.

He kept attacking the Uchiha, and he had indeed made significant progress.

But!

It was at this time he met Uchiha Itsuki!

He had only schemed against him once, and even though Itsuki wasn’t killed, he dared to…

Danzo’s eyes turned red.

---

*Kumogakure.*

Itsuki and Yugao found a quiet, secluded spot. Silently working together, they waited for the fun to unfold.

Suddenly!

Itsuki muttered, "Danzo?"

"Uchiha Itsuki, you really are something!"

Yugao froze, then exploded with rage. She shot a sarcastic look at Itsuki and said, "Even when you’re with me, you think of Danzo? This is the second time now. Next time, I swear I’ll capture him and give him to you."

Under Itsuki’s guidance, Yugao’s strength was steadily growing.

She was now a full-fledged jōnin.

The same went for Hayate!

Helping others increase their power was one of the benefits Itsuki got from the system.

For instance:

*Reward: Help Uzuki Yugao increase her chakra!*

The system would automatically assign a task.

Most tasks came as a training regimen.

That’s the system for you, a golden cheat!

Every time, it provided the most complete training plan, better than any advice from anyone else.

This was one of the main reasons Itsuki could gather so many shinobi to serve under him.

People have desires.

You can't just shout about the Will of Fire all day and expect people to bow down and follow you.

Go eat dirt!

You have to give them something in return!

Children’s worlds are about ideals!

Adults’ worlds are about reality!

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

Itsuki chuckled and said, “I bet Danzo was cursing me just now. I could feel it.”

“Oh? You can sense even that? You and him really are in sync!”

Hearing Yugao’s sarcastic words, Itsuki kissed her twice, hard.

In truth,

you couldn’t blame Yugao.

This was the second time!

Both times, when they were getting intimate, Itsuki brought up Danzo.

It wasn’t just a mood killer anymore!

From Yugao’s perspective, in the middle of a tender moment, and then out of nowhere, hearing "Danzo"—she’d immediately picture him.

The handsome Itsuki would transform into the one-eyed Danzo, with his grim face sneering…

Yugao felt her once-warm body go cold.

Itsuki, oh Itsuki!

Don’t you know Danzo was the childhood nightmare of their generation?

“Oh, right!”

Speaking of nightmares,

Yugao suddenly asked, “What exactly did you do to make Danzo hate you so much?”

“I remember it was quite the spectacle. Danzo, completely naked, holding a sword, chasing you through the village. The look on his face was like he wanted to eat you alive.”

“Hehe!”

Itsuki chuckled proudly. “Want to know?”

“Of course!”

Yugao didn’t hesitate.

To make the ever-cunning Danzo go mad, naked and swinging a sword—who wouldn’t be curious?

Unbeknownst to Itsuki, Yugao and the others had speculated countless times in private.

Each time, they felt they were just one step away from figuring out what made Danzo snap like that.

Danzo’s scheming was usually deep and hidden.

“Kehehe!”

Itsuki sneered and said, "It's mainly because Danzo is just pathetic. I mean, seriously, I wasn't bothering him at all, but just because I showed some remarkable talent, he wanted me dead."

"Can I let that slide with my temper?"

"He tried to get me once and failed, so I decided to mess with him."

Itsuki laughed wickedly.

Yugao hesitated and asked, "This 'messing with him'—are you serious?"

Itsuki's smile froze. "Do you even want to hear the rest?"

Yugao shrugged, "I've spent too much time with you. I've become bad."

"Tch!"

Itsuki scoffed, "He made the first move, so I fought back."

"At first, it was just some harmless tricks, but it was enough to anger the almighty shadow of the village."

"He thought no one should ever defy him, let alone lay a hand on him."

Yugao thought for a moment.

At that time, Danzo was at his peak, and even the Third Hokage didn’t faze him much.

Itsuki's words were legit.

"And then..."

"I hit him hard once."

Itsuki couldn’t help but burst out in a sinister laugh.

"What did you do?" Yugao quickly asked.

Itsuki responded with a question, "Do you know how to make a man lose his mind in an instant?"

Yugao thought about it and gasped, "Did you mess with his woman? No way, Danzo is in his fifties or sixties—how young could his woman be?"

Itsuki waved his hand. "I’m not interested in other people's women, except for..."

Yugao listened intently.

"Never mind, you probably don’t want to hear that. Let’s get back to Danzo!"

"You…"

Itsuki continued, "After messing with him for a week, building up his anger, I finally hit him hard, making him lose his mind in an instant."

"That day, Danzo was taking a bath."

Hearing this, Yugao’s eyebrows began to twitch.

"I snuck into his room."

"I pulled out a specially-made explosive tag—small in power but completely silent."

Itsuki was practically laughing nonstop.

"When Danzo finished bathing and was putting on his clothes, just as he slipped on his underwear, the tag exploded!"

Yugao was stunned, murmuring, "Wait, wait… you didn’t…"

Itsuki started slapping his thigh in laughter: "Ha! Danzo would’ve never dreamed that the great Lord Itsuki specially designed an explosive tag just for him, small enough to stick to his underwear!"

Yugao was completely dumbfounded.

She stared blankly at Itsuki, stammering, "So..."

Itsuki slapped his thigh again, laughing wildly, "You have no idea! When the tag exploded, the look on Danzo's face—priceless!"

"His entire body hair stood up, starting from his feet and rising to his head in one shot."

"That kind of pain shattered his sanity."

"He grabbed a blade and charged at me!"

Finally, Itsuki guaranteed, "As a medical ninja, I swear on the honor of all medical ninjas: one of Danzo's balls got shattered!"

"Completely irreparable!"

Yugao fell silent.

Her thoughts: Ouch!

Did it really break his sanity?

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 77: The Plan Begins*

Yugao hesitantly looked at Itsuki and softly asked, "Can the pain of... having your 'egg' broken drive someone insane?"

Danzo, after all, had chased Itsuki while naked and swinging a sword, trying to cut him down.

At that time, Danzo had definitely lost his mind.

His eyes were bloodshot, almost to the point of shedding tears of blood.

Itsuki glanced back at her and let out a chuckle: "Heh."

The breaking of an "egg"—in every sense—can indeed make someone collapse.

Back then, even if Danzo didn’t go mad over his own "egg," he would have done it for the sake of his dignity. He was ready to kill Itsuki for it.

Otherwise!

If word got out in Konoha that Uchiha Itsuki had shattered Danzo’s "egg," how could he still show his face in public?

"Do you know how powerful that move is?"

"No idea," Yugao answered honestly.

"You know Tsunade, right?"

"Of course! Who in the ANBU doesn’t know about the legendary Sannin?"

"Tsunade helped treat Danzo. She assisted in his treatment, but if you had her personally handle the matter, she’d probably smash the other 'egg' with a single punch. If the Third Hokage tried to stop her, his 'egg' would shatter too."

"In this regard, I have full confidence in Tsunade," Itsuki said with a grin. "Though it was a medic-nin from Root who was the primary one responsible for Danzo's treatment."

"He assessed Danzo’s injury, and Tsunade provided the treatment plan."

"After the treatment was over, Danzo's 'egg' became as unique as his eyes."

"And!" Itsuki continued, "Since then, Tsunade always smiles at me when she sees me."

"Not just because I dealt with Danzo, but also because she’s worried I might try the same thing on her, though she doesn’t have an 'egg.'"

Yugao blinked, "Not even Lady Tsunade could fully treat it?"

"Who knows? But some things, once broken, can’t really be fixed."

Yugao pursed her lips and said, "You're really shameless, going for that part."

Itsuki shrugged, "Taking down Danzo isn’t something to be ashamed of."

Yugao was puzzled, "So, that's the end of it?"

Itsuki spread his hands, "Once the treatment was done and Danzo regained his sanity, what else could happen? What’s he going to do—bite me? The only thing he could do was cover it up."

Yugao was stunned, "Didn’t Lord Third Hokage try to get justice for Danzo?"

"Did you forget that Danzo made the first move? He sent people to kill me. I only blew up one of his 'eggs'—I’m the one who got the raw deal here."

"But there was no evidence, right?"

"And is there evidence that I’m the one who did this to Danzo?"

Yugao fell silent.

The reason she was so shocked was because, in Konoha, when had Danzo ever suffered such a big loss? Yet this time, he actually endured it?

Itsuki, with a deeper meaning in his voice, said, "Yugao, what stands behind facts is strength. Once you have strength, you can make the facts whatever you want them to be."

"The Uchiha just happened to have that strength."

At that time, Fugaku was still young and in his prime. He could offer some compensation, but handing over Itsuki’s life? That was a dream.

And as for Shisui, he was even more defiant—he never compromised with the Third Hokage. He dared to plan a rebellion; did he fear a threat?

Nonsense!

As for the third Uchiha leader, Zongyi, his relationship with Itsuki was the closest. Naturally, he wouldn’t abandon Itsuki either.

Faced with the firm stance of the Uchiha, Danzo had no choice but to endure it.

Just like the case with Hyuga Hizashi.

If the Hyuga clan had been united and firmly resisted the Hokage back then, the Hokage would’ve had no choice but to back down.

After all, they were the second-largest clan in Konoha.

The ancient Hyuga clan also had over thirty Jonin within their ranks.

When Sarutobi Hiruzen sacrificed Hizashi, he could only hint at it; he didn’t dare say it outright.

Otherwise...

What would happen to the Will of Fire?

The longstanding principles of Konoha's shinobi would have been destroyed by their own creators.

...

Konoha!

"Damn you, Uchiha Kazuki! I swear I'll make sure you die, no matter what!"

Danzo muttered to himself.

No matter the cost, Uchiha Kazuki...

Must die!

After a frenzied outburst of curses, he began voicing his grievances. Danzo seemed to grow tired and, after a moment, raised his head to look at the ninja in front of him.

"Why are you still here? Don't you have a mission to complete?"

"I'm on it!"

The ninja snapped back to reality, quickly responded, and prepared to leave.

Danzo’s demeanor was frightening.

Plus, the ninja had never seen this side of Lord Danzo before.

He even began to wonder if this was truly the same dark shadow of the village.

"Actually, no."

Danzo slowly said, "For this mission, I think Ao would be a better fit."

"Huh?"

The ninja was startled and was about to speak when he suddenly sensed something was off.

Danzo's gaze was filled with coldness and killing intent.

"Lord Dan... Danz—"

Splat!

Splat!

Blood sprayed everywhere.

Danzo wiped the blood off his cane without expression and fell silent.

The entire confinement room was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.

...

BOOM!!!

With a loud explosion...

Kazuki let go of Yugao from his embrace and said with a grin, "It's started."

"You're insane!"

Yugao murmured as she looked at the explosions happening in Kumogakure.

Fiery blazes were rising all around.

Many places in Kumogakure had been bombed.

Kazuki turned his head and looked at the ANBU ninja behind him, saying, "You guys go as well. Follow the plan."

"Yes!"

The ANBU squad captain responded and led the team away, heading towards Kumogakure.

"Who goes there?"

As soon as the squad captain approached the village, they were immediately spotted.

With the village under attack, the guards were even more on edge than usual.

Especially at the gates, where heavy security had been posted.

"Konohagakure, ANBU!"

The squad captain declared, "Lord Raikage should have informed you. Let us through."

"Konoha's ANBU?"

The eyes of the Kumogakure shinobi were practically burning with rage.

They had just fought a battle with these Konoha ANBU earlier. During what was supposed to be a conversation, the Konoha ANBU had ambushed them, and then, like madmen, attacked without holding back. In the end, they had even used explosive tags to take everyone down with them.

Their losses were tremendous, with dozens of comrades dead.

Now, these Konoha ANBU had returned.

Will it never end?

More than ten Kumogakure shinobi immediately stepped forward, confronting the Konoha ANBU.

"What is the meaning of this, Kumogakure?"

The ANBU squad captain said coldly, "We came here in good faith."

"Spare me!" one of the Kumogakure shinobi spat in anger, "Good faith? You Konoha bastards deserve to die!"

"Bastard!"

One of the ANBU behind the captain burst out angrily and stepped forward, saying, "We came to cooperate! Don’t think for a second that Konoha is begging Kumogakure for anything."

"Silence!"

The squad captain barked, then turned to the Kumogakure shinobi and said, "Is there some kind of misunderstanding? We had an agreement!"

The Kumogakure shinobi exchanged looks.

In truth, they had their doubts as well.

About the earlier group of Konoha ANBU.

They had been talking when, all of a sudden, the Konoha ANBU launched an attack—and then fought like they had nothing left to lose.

What had they done to provoke such a reckless assault?

Why were they so desperate!?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 78: Debt Collection

A ninja from the Hidden Cloud Village walked over with a cold, expressionless face.

Along the way, the other Hidden Cloud ninjas moved aside for him.

He walked straight up to the captain of the ANBU unit and stopped.

"From Konoha's ANBU?"

"That's right!"

The captain looked at the Hidden Cloud ninja and said in a deep voice, "About our cooperation..."

"The cooperation is canceled!"

The Hidden Cloud ninja answered firmly.

The captain was shocked and angry. "But the Raikage clearly agreed. We even paid the deposit."

"Then go talk to the Raikage!"

The Hidden Cloud ninja's voice was cold.

I would if I could!  

The captain cursed silently in his heart.

You guys are blocking the way, how am I supposed to go see him?

Besides!

The Hidden Cloud Village was in complete chaos at the moment. If he went in now, he would die for nothing.

"Fine, Hidden Cloud, I'll remember this!"

The captain gritted his teeth, coldly throwing down the words as he turned and left with the four ANBU members.

The Hidden Cloud ninja watched him go until he disappeared from sight.

"Lord Uru!"

A nearby Hidden Cloud ninja softly called out.

Uru coldly replied, "The village has been infiltrated by a large number of spies. We need to clear them out first. As for Konoha, those guys have never been trustworthy."

"Understood!"

The Hidden Cloud ninja understood Uru's meaning and quickly dispersed.

Uru was left standing alone.

He glanced again in the direction where the ANBU captain had left, then turned his gaze toward the village, a trace of worry flashing in his eyes.

How could so many spies have infiltrated the village? And they had begun causing chaos in a premeditated manner.

Although the situation was starting to be brought under control, Uru still felt a deep sense of unease.

This seemingly massive chaos felt like just the beginning.

A bigger storm was brewing behind it.

This was why Uru had immediately rejected cooperation with Konoha's ANBU.

Even if they offered a lot!

Just as Uru was thinking this...

"Boom!"

A loud explosion echoed, followed by the ground trembling.

Screams and cries for help could be faintly heard.

Then came another explosion, followed by many more.

The ground kept shaking.

"Damn it!"

Uru cursed. Something serious had happened.

He turned to rush to the village to offer support.

But!

The ANBU captain, who had just left, suddenly returned.

And he wasn't alone—there were sixteen more ninjas with him.

There had only been four earlier.

Now there were sixteen more!

As someone high-ranking in the Hidden Cloud Village, Uru knew very well that this was a full ANBU unit, capable of handling highly dangerous and difficult missions.

Every village was the same—only elites could join the ANBU.

"What are you Konoha ninjas trying to do?"

Uru's voice now had a sharper edge to it.

The Hidden Cloud ninjas, who had just dispersed, gathered again.

Both sides faced off coldly.

This time, Konoha had the upper hand.

The ANBU captain spoke briefly, but what he said left Uru stunned.

"Return the money!"

"What?"

It seemed Uru hadn't heard clearly.

The captain repeated, enunciating each word: "I said, return the money. You took our deposit but canceled the cooperation. It's only natural that you return the deposit and provide compensation."

Uru's eye twitched, and he said coldly, "You gave the deposit to Lord Raikage..."

"Then step aside. We need to see the Raikage!"

The captain demanded.

Uru almost spat blood.

He had dared to let the captain into the village earlier because there were only five of them. Going in was a death sentence for them.

But now there were seventeen of them!

And the village was clearly in even more chaos.

He would have to be insane to let them in at this critical moment.

Who knew what damage they might cause, or what important things might be lost? Could the higher-ups even be assassinated?

There were endless risks!

"Who could guarantee that?"

“Konoha ninja, are you really going to do this? Taking advantage of others in their time of need will bring no good results. Our Hidden Cloud Village has never feared war."

Uru's voice was cold, filled with heavy threats.

“Hidden Cloud, you’re going too far!”

The squad leader shouted, his voice full of grief and indignation, momentarily stunning Uru.

"When we first collaborated, you made all kinds of demands, and we agreed to every one of them. We traveled thousands of miles to get here, and now you refuse to cooperate."

"Fine, if you don't want to cooperate, but how could you take our deposit and run? Do you treat people this way?"

The squad leader grew more and more agitated as he spoke.

In the end, the Anbu members all drew their weapons.

“Hand over the deposit and compensation right now, or don’t blame us for getting rough!”

“We’ll make sure you understand that Konoha isn’t to be trifled with.”

"Ahhhh!!!"

The squad leader roared again at Uru.

Uru was dumbfounded.

His expression was blank!

Looking at the Konoha Anbu, all ready for battle, he felt like his head was going to explode.

Fine!

You win!

Seriously, what terrible timing!

...

“Pfft!”

From the shadows, Yugao couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Did you teach them that?”

“What do you mean, did I teach them?”

Itsuki chuckled and said, "Right now, he's practically my clone. Whatever I want him to do, he does."

“Clone?”

“Yes!” Itsuki replied. “He has my power inside of him. I can control him, even making him speak.”

Yugao gasped, “Itsuki, just how strong are you now? Has your genjutsu reached such a level?”

“How strong I am, don’t you know? Weren’t you just begging for mercy earlier?”

Itsuki winked at Yugao.

“Get out of here!”

Yugao playfully slapped Itsuki.

“But what are you planning to do? Are you really going to make the Anbu launch a suicide attack against Hidden Cloud? The Anbu are under the Hokage’s command, and if anything happens, it’ll probably land on the Third Hokage’s shoulders.”

“That’s no fun. I’ve got something even better planned.”

...

“Are you going to return the deposit or not?”

The squad leader roared again, his face becoming more and more frenzied. He pulled out several kunai, each one fitted with an explosive tag.

The other Anbu followed suit.

Uru was silently cursing in his heart.

These measly Konoha ninja—if this were any other time, I'd have killed you all.

Though Hidden Cloud acknowledges Konoha as the strongest ninja village with the most comprehensive strength, they’ve never truly feared them.

During the incident with Hyuga Hizashi years ago, even though Hidden Cloud didn’t obtain the Byakugan, it only intensified their disdain.

But now wasn’t the time for a fight!

Uru took a deep breath, gritting his teeth. “We’ll return it. You’ll get your deposit and compensation.”

“Hand it over then!”

The squad leader held out his hand.

Uru was flustered again. “You want me to give it to you right now?”

I’ll throw it in your face!

“Or what?” The squad leader shot back. “Wait until I’m dead, and you’ll burn it for me?”

“You... where would I even find that much money right now?”

Uru roared.

Uru knew that Konoha had given them a deposit of a full ten million ryo.

As for the compensation, they’d definitely have to pay that too—at least another million ryo.

Who in their right mind carries that much money on them?

Burn it for you?

Damn it, one way or another, I’ll burn it for you next time!

No matter what happens this time, next time, I’ll definitely burn money for you!

(End of chapter)

*Chapter 79: The Executed Plan*

"Boom!!!"

The Anbu squad leader was growing impatient.

He waved his hand, throwing a kunai to the side.

With a thunderous explosion, the explosive tag detonated.

"I'll ask again, are you going to give it up or not?"

At this moment, the Anbu squad leader looked like a complete madman.

His voice was filled with menace, and although his face was hidden behind a mask, you could tell he was furious—savage even!

Rolling up his sleeves, he held a long string in his hand, which had a row of kunai attached to it.

Each kunai was rigged with an explosive tag!

This was just... outrageous!

In Uru's mind, he could only think of one phrase: "What the hell?"

Was this really the Anbu?

Ridiculous!

The Anbu always had a reputation for being serious, cold, and somewhat mysterious.

They were the assassins of the shadows.

They were like ghosts!

But this guy in front of him, where the hell did he come from?

He acted like a rabid dog.

Whose cage did he escape from?

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

A large number of Cloud Shinobi began to arrive for support.

"What now? Calling for backup?"

The squad leader sneered and waved his hand. "Men, are you afraid?"

"No!" the sixteen Anbu members roared.

The squad leader shouted again, "Do you hate the Cloud Shinobi?"

"Yes!"

"They've humiliated us. What should we do?"

"Fight them to the death!"

This fierce and unified roar left the Cloud Shinobi in shock.

Where had they ever seen something like this before?

At the same time, they were furious.

These mere Leaf shinobi dared to provoke them at the gates of the Cloud village?

"Lord Uru!"

The Cloud Shinobi urged Uru.

They wanted to eliminate these Leaf Anbu.

They already had the numbers advantage, and they were right at their village's entrance.

How could they let themselves be bullied by a mere dozen Leaf Anbu at their own doorstep?

But Uru ignored them completely.

Could they fight?

No, they couldn't!

The explosions in the village were getting louder and more frequent. Who knew what was going on inside?

At this moment, to attack the Leaf Anbu and start a battle with an Anbu squad was just plain stupid!

The Cloud and Leaf villages were two superpowers, after all.

Even though the Cloud village looked down on the Leaf village, they were still wary of its strength.

Moreover!

The matter with the previous Leaf Anbu squad hadn't been resolved yet, and now they were about to kill another squad?

How many Anbu squads did the Leaf even have?

Were they really not worried about pushing the Hokage to his breaking point?

Also!

Most importantly, if these lunatics fought like the last squad—reckless and suicidal, even going so far as to blow themselves up—how much would they have to sacrifice just to take out a dozen Anbu?

"I'll pay you!" Uru gritted his teeth and said coldly. "Just wait!"

"Hurry up! You're so slow. I could've had two kids by now!" the squad leader snapped.

Uru clenched his fists in frustration.

Just wait!

Once the Cloud village resolves everything, I will take your lives.

Money?

Hmph, hold onto it for now.

However much you take in, you'll give back, sooner or later.

"Eleven million ryo, is that enough?" Uru asked casually.

"Are you kidding me?" The squad leader exploded in anger. "We came all the way here, delivered the money, and you messed with us! You added only one million ryo as compensation? Is that how you treat people?"

At this moment, Uru surprisingly grew calm.

He stared at the Leaf Anbu squad leader and slowly asked, "Then how much do you think is fair?"

"Fifty million ryo!"

"Fine!"

Ignoring the commotion from the Cloud Shinobi, Uru ordered several Jonin to return to the village to get the money.

"Lord Uru!" a group of Cloud Shinobi couldn't help but exclaim.

Fifty million ryo!

That could almost buy a tailed beast with a weak point.

But Uru simply waved his hand, his expression calm.

...

"Heh heh!"

Yugao forced a stiff smile and muttered, "Aren’t you worried?"

"Worried about what?"

Itsuki was puzzled.

Yugao pointed at the captain of the Anbu squad and said, "Anyone familiar with you would instantly notice that this person looks just like you—no, exactly like you."

Itsuki shrugged and said, "They won't have a chance to find out. This squad of Anbu will never return to Konoha."

Yugao couldn’t hold back and said, "Aren’t you afraid of provoking the Hidden Cloud? What if they start a fight?"

"Whether they fight or not doesn’t matter. If they do, I'll just have the Anbu squad storm into the Hidden Cloud Village and blow themselves up. It’s only a matter of time anyway."

"Blow themselves up?"

"Why do you think the Hidden Cloud hasn’t attacked yet?" Itsuki replied with a sly grin. "Because they sensed it. Each Anbu member is carrying at least a few hundred explosive tags. If those go off inside the village… well, you can imagine."

Yugao smirked as well and said, "Sensed it? Or did you deliberately expose it?"

"Haha!"

Itsuki chuckled, staring at the Hidden Cloud Village in silence.

His plan was already in motion.

There were two things inside the Hidden Cloud Village that he wanted.

One was a Tailed Beast.

He had his eyes on Matatabi, the Two-Tails.

A blue-flame-burning cat—perfect for him!

The Uchiha clan's favorite element was fire.

The Two-Tails might be considered one of the weaker Tailed Beasts, but it depends on how it's used.

The second thing was part of Itsuki's "collection."

The Hidden Cloud Village had a pair of famous black-and-white roses from the ninja world.

If he didn’t pick them, it would be a wasted life.

"Oh, right!"

Yugao asked curiously, "Where did you find so many people to cause chaos inside the Hidden Cloud? This is quite a disturbance."

"Rogue ninjas, wandering samurai, bandits…"

As Itsuki listed them off, Yugao's eyes widened more and more.

"You… you’re something else… You managed to gather all these people and sneak them into the Hidden Cloud Village."

…

Inside the Hidden Cloud Village.

"Ahhhh!!!"

With a roar, a massive hand slammed down hard.

"Boom!!!"

Another table shattered into pieces.

It was the fifth one that day.

The Raikage's face twisted with rage, steam puffing from his nostrils. He gritted his teeth and said, "The explosions are still happening? When will it stop?"

Beside him, Mabui, the beautiful dark-skinned woman, sighed helplessly and said, "The intruders are mostly ordinary people, so they’re hard to detect. Besides, they’re targeting unimportant areas, and Hidden Cloud is so big… our people can’t respond quickly enough."

The Raikage panted heavily, furious.

Is this still my Hidden Cloud Village?

There are fireworks everywhere.

"Why is this happening?!"

He roared.

Mabui calmly pulled out a report and said, "Caravans. From the captives we interrogated, we learned that most of them are bandits and wandering samurai. They disguised themselves as merchants and snuck into the village."

"Haha!"

The Raikage laughed bitterly and clenched his teeth. "So my Hidden Cloud Village is so easy to infiltrate? Even bandits and samurai can get in? Did you all forget to close the main gate?"

Mabui’s voice remained calm as she said, "We only realized this after the incident. We've been too focused on ninjas in the past and neglected ordinary people."

"As for these explosions, you don’t need to worry. They’ve only hit unimportant places, like garbage dumps, toilets, the slums, and some low-traffic commercial streets…"

"So, while it seems chaotic on the surface, the actual damage to the Hidden Cloud is very limited."

The Raikage coldly replied, "Should I be happy about that?"

Mabui shrugged.

She was genuinely curious about the mastermind behind all this chaos.

This person was clearly a genius—every move was designed to exploit the Hidden Cloud’s weaknesses.

(End of chapter)

*Chapter 80: Mabui’s Excitement!*

Mabui thought this, and so she said it aloud.

“Lord Raikage, the person scheming in the shadows is definitely a genius.”

There was admiration in her eyes.

“We never imagined that someone would use genjutsu to control ronin and bandits, make them follow legitimate trade caravans, and boldly march into the Hidden Cloud Village, planting explosive tags in various inconspicuous spots.”

“Oh, and after inspection, we discovered that these explosive tags had been tampered with. They were set on timers, and once the time was up, they would all detonate at once.”

“Heavens, do you realize how difficult this is?”

“They had to find enough people.”

“They needed strong genjutsu abilities!”

“They had to rely on a trustworthy trade caravan.”

“They needed extensive knowledge of the Hidden Cloud Village to place the explosive tags in key locations.”

“They needed funding because a large number of explosive tags, especially the special ones, cost a lot of money.”

“They had to avoid the village’s patrols.”

…

The more Mabui spoke, the more excited she became. “Even a tiny mistake would have tipped us off, yet this person perfectly executed their plan. This is definitely the work of a genius.”

Raikage's face darkened, and he said coldly, “You admire them so much—why don’t you join them and become their secretary?”

Mabui shrugged.

If she could, she honestly would.

The Fourth Raikage barely handled any of the responsibilities, dumping everything onto her. It was exhausting!

And besides!

There were so many things she, as just a lowly secretary, had no authority over. Dealing with such matters only made things more complicated.

At this point, she felt like she was using her brain so much that her hair was starting to fall out.

“Lord Raikage, you need to be careful. It would take at least half a year to set up a plan like this.”

“The frightening thing is, we still don’t know what their true goal is.”

Raikage frowned and asked, “No clues at all?”

“I suspect it’s related to the Leaf Village.”

“The Leaf Village?”

Raikage was startled; that was an unexpected answer.

“Yes. This chaos requires significant financial and material resources. The average person couldn’t pull it off, but one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages could.”

Mabui said in a deep voice, “Additionally, the Leaf Village suddenly came to us seeking cooperation to deal with the Uchiha genius, offering us all the Sharingan eyes, yet their Anbu attacked us in a suicide mission. It doesn’t make sense.”

Mabui glanced toward the village gate and said, “Even now, there’s still an entire Anbu squad standing outside our village gates, facing off against our people.”

“Why?” The Fourth Raikage frowned deeply, puzzled. “Is the Third Hokage, that weakling, really bold enough to target the Hidden Cloud Village?”

Mabui asked, “When did you start thinking the Third Hokage was weak?”

“Of course, ever since the Hyūga... ugh!”

Raikage suddenly froze.

Mabui said meaningfully, “The last time the Hidden Cloud was so close to the Byakugan, the Hyūga clan leader lost his brother, and the Third Hokage suffered great humiliation. If you calculate the time, it hasn’t been that long.”

Raikage immediately understood and murmured, “Hizashi Hyūga... because of him?”

“This is just my guess!”

Mabui said slowly, “The Leaf Village is the top shinobi village, and Hiruzen Sarutobi is known as a great shinobi, a professor of ninjutsu. Would someone like that really sacrifice a comrade to gain our forgiveness when they held the moral high ground?”

“Believe it or not, I certainly don’t.”

Raikage’s face darkened further.

Hizashi Hyūga’s death seemed like a farce.

The Hidden Cloud Village had a notorious reputation in the shinobi world—as thieves.

They were known for one thing: stealing!

There was nothing in the shinobi world that they wouldn’t steal.

Whether it was ninjutsu, secret techniques, bloodlines, or even people, they took everything.

After they’d taken from small shinobi villages and ninja clans, they set their sights on the great shinobi villages.

And so, they targeted the Leaf Village.

Their goal was the Hyūga clan’s Byakugan.

However, after kidnapping Hinata Hyūga, they were caught by Hiashi Hyūga, who killed the kidnapper on the spot.

At that time, the Hidden Cloud Village brazenly demanded an explanation from the Leaf Village.

As for stealing the Byakugan...

Haha!

The Hidden Cloud Village was already prepared for war, but who would’ve guessed that Hiruzen Sarutobi would swallow the bitter pill and endure the humiliation?

In the end, the matter was settled when the Hyūga clan handed over Hizashi Hyūga’s body.

When the news returned, even the high-ranking officials of the Hidden Cloud Village were shocked.

Was this really the number one shinobi village?

That’s incredible!

It was even more impressive than the Hidden Cloud’s Turtle Island.

“You suspect this is the Leaf Village’s revenge?”

Raikage’s voice was low.

The linen-clad figure spoke softly, "This is just my personal guess, offering you a suggestion."

"This suggestion is very reasonable."

The Fourth Raikage slowly stood up, walked to the window, and looked down at the village.

Throughout the village, explosions could still be heard from time to time. Many places had begun to burn, only to be quickly extinguished.

Even though only insignificant places were destroyed, this time, the Village Hidden in the Clouds would still suffer losses.

The rebuilding after the explosions.

The losses during the chaos.

And, the casualties.

Not to mention, some people with ulterior motives might be stirring up trouble in the midst of it all.

All of these, which one doesn’t cost money?

"Kill!"

The Raikage's voice was cold as he said, "Inform Ulu to kill those Leaf Anbu members."

"Raikage-sama!"

The linen-clad man looked serious and spoke sternly, "Once we make a move…"

"Haven't we already killed a group?"

"That was because they struck first."

"Is there a difference?" The Raikage sneered and said, "If the Hokage is unhappy, let him come find me. If he wants to start the Fourth Ninja World War, I'll gladly oblige."

"Understood!"

With that, the linen-clad man understood the Raikage's intentions, responded in a deep voice, and strode out of the Raikage's office.

Soon.

Orders were given.

The Anbu were fully mobilized.

The village was locked down—no one in, no one out.

Then, anyone with suspicious behavior was to be hunted down with full force.

Once these three orders were issued, it was as if the entire village was dyed in red.

The most terrifying thing was the third order. It was so vague that many people were killed in confusion.

Including the Cloud Ninjas!

Suspicious behavior?

How would this "suspicious" be determined?

Who would make that judgment?

"Tsk tsk tsk, Raikage, well done!"

At that moment, a young man was walking through the village.

Ninjas would occasionally pass by him, yet they instinctively ignored his presence.

As he observed the abnormal state of the village, Itsuki muttered, "The Fourth Raikage… as expected of the commander-in-chief of the Fourth Ninja World War. He's actually using this opportunity to eliminate dissent and completely consolidate the Village Hidden in the Clouds."

"Alright!"

"My mission is complete."

Itsuki's mission was to ensure that the Hidden Cloud couldn't make a move against the Hidden Leaf for five days.

Seeing the current situation, not to mention five days, even ten days, the Cloud wouldn't have the ability to act.

But!

Itsuki chuckled darkly.

Once this passes, the Hidden Leaf would be facing an extremely powerful Cloud Village.

A Cloud Village with no internal dissent.

Perhaps!

The Fourth Ninja World War might happen sooner than expected.

Tsuchikage, you might have to wait until the Fifth War.

But what does that have to do with him?

Little kitten, where are you?

Itsuki's face carried an amused smile.

After searching for so long, he still hadn't found her.

Should he go to the Raikage's office and ask him?

He must know!

(End of chapter)