Iwagakure, Tsuchikage Tower, Tsuchikage's Office.
Ōnoki put down the intelligence scroll and sneered, "Hehe... Kageyama Kogetsu, that brat is really arrogant. It's truly irritating!"
It should be known that one of Kageyama Kogetsu's achievements that shook the ninja world was his direct confrontation with Ōnoki. He had essentially risen to fame by stepping on Ōnoki, and Ōnoki had been unhappy about it for a long time.
Kurotsuchi, standing beside him, took the scroll and read it quickly. Her fair, flawless, and heroic yet charming face quickly clouded over, her brows furrowing tightly.
After reading it, Kurotsuchi handed the scroll to her father, Kitsuchi.
"Sigh... old man, it's really a pity about Brother Deidara," Kurotsuchi said somewhat sadly.
"Hmph, he gave up being a proper Iwagakure heir to become a rogue ninja, and even joined the Akatsuki. He had no brains; his death is not worth pitying."
"The art of explosion? Bullshit art! Idiot, fool, good-for-nothing!" Ōnoki's face was ugly as he cursed loudly.
But despite his cursing, Ōnoki actually felt it was a pity. It was truly a case of hating iron for not becoming steel.
But there was nothing he could do. He could only secretly hold a grudge against Konoha. Who told Deidara to be a rogue ninja, and one who joined the Akatsuki at that?
The mature and steady Kitsuchi was also very unhappy after reading Konoha's statement. He said with a serious expression, "Father, what should we do?"
Ōnoki said grumpily, "What else can we do?"
"Condemn them and then wait and see. Are we going to start a war just because of anger?"
"Remember, as a Kage, you must never start a war because of some emotion."
"There is only one reason to start a war, and that is profit, except in special circumstances."
Kurotsuchi and Kitsuchi nodded, expressing their understanding.
"The Akatsuki has been defeated. Iwagakure must kick them while they're down."
"Send out a large number of people to investigate the whereabouts of the Masked Man and the others, and strive to rescue the Four-Tails and Five-Tails."
"Without the Tailed Beasts, our words lack weight!"
Kage-level experts were powerful, but on the battlefield, Jinchūriki had a greater impact on the outcome of the war, because the chakra volume of a Tailed Beast was not something an ordinary Kage-level expert could compare to.
"By the way, if you find traces of Konoha's undercover agents, kill them if you get the chance. Cooperating with Kumogakure and Kirigakure is also acceptable."
"Understood, old man (Father)," Kurotsuchi and Kitsuchi said solemnly.
...
Kumogakure, Raikage Tower, Raikage's Office.
Boom!
After reading Konoha's statement, the Fourth Raikage, A, smashed his solid wood desk into pieces with a slap. His face was furious, and his hair stood on end.
"Damn Kageyama Kogetsu! He's getting more and more arrogant. How dare he openly provoke us?"
Mabui pushed up her glasses and said calmly, "Konoha is not only provoking us but also all the ninja villages involved. But it must be said that Konoha is not what it used to be; they have the confidence to do so."
Darui nodded in agreement. "Konoha has many strong people now. Just those revealed include the Hokage, the Third Hokage, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, the Sannin, and five undercover agents."
"Besides them, the Jōnin are also full of talent: Kakashi, Might Guy, Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma."
"Many geniuses have also emerged among the Chūnin and Genin. It's a scene of prosperity. They won't be easy to fight."
Hearing this, the Fourth Raikage, A, calmed down considerably. He sat back in his chair with a depressed look. "I just don't understand. Why does Konoha produce talents in large numbers every so often?"
"They have declined, but they always manage to recover, and become even stronger afterwards."
"Where's the logic in that?"
"Could it be that our Kumogakure will never surpass Konoha for a long time?"
The fundamental answer to this question was unknown to others, but Kageyama Kogetsu knew it very well: because Konoha was the direct inheritor of the Ōtsutsuki bloodline!
Mabui and Darui were also quite depressed.
Their Kumogakure had worked so hard, so why did Konoha inexplicably rise again?
Was there no justice?
"Hah... Lord Raikage, how do you think we should respond?" Mabui asked after adjusting her mindset.
"What are your views?"
"Either endure or fight," Darui said very seriously.
"It's not suitable to start a war. Perhaps we can regain face in other ways. Even if Konoha finds out, they probably won't rashly start a war with us."
"Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and other villages are watching covetously. The Akatsuki has not been completely wiped out; they are lurking in the dark like a poisonous snake," Mabui gave her suggestion seriously.
The Fourth Raikage, A, nodded and said in a deep voice, "What you say makes sense, but I have other ideas."
"I want to see if Konoha is as tough as they say!"
"Boss, you want to scare Konoha?" Darui's eyes lit up, and he asked with interest.
"Mm. I plan to mobilize heavy troops and press them on the border to test them."
"If Konoha backs down, we'll ask for benefits. Not too excessive, just intelligence related to the Akatsuki."
"If Konoha doesn't back down, we'll publicly call it a military exercise, so we won't lose too much face."
Mabui and Darui thought for a moment and nodded, thinking it was worth a try.
"Yugito's misfortune was most likely caused by the Masked Man, that thief who knows space-time ninjutsu, infiltrating the village for a sneak attack."
"We must intensify the search for the Akatsuki and strive to bring back the Two-Tails."
"Notify Killer B to come back during this vacuum period. Although Turtle Island is hidden, considering past situations, the Akatsuki might be able to find it."
"Even with the Heavenly Transfer Technique, there is a time lag. Have him come back and stay with me every step of the way."
"Our sleep schedules are opposite. I don't believe the Masked Man can take Killer B away without a sound if we do this!"
"Don't delegate this task. Darui, handle it personally."
"Be careful to take a few detours and don't get tracked by enemies hidden in the dark."
The Fourth Raikage, A, was a man of hidden depths, as evidenced by his arrangements for Killer B.
This way, Obito Uchiha truly couldn't succeed in a sneak attack and would have to choose to take him by force!
"Yes, Boss (Lord Raikage)," Darui and Mabui said solemnly.
...
Five days later, Kumogakure ninja assembled, forming a large force of over ten thousand, advancing towards the Land of Rice Fields...
Such a large-scale military operation could hardly be hidden from the spies of various villages. The Fourth Raikage, A, didn't intend to hide it either, openly adopting a war posture.
The eyes of all the ninja villages in the ninja world immediately focused on this, mainly to see Konoha's reaction.
Kageyama Kogetsu certainly wouldn't back down. After receiving the news, he pushed aside all dissenting opinions and mobilized ninja to meet the challenge. The ninja force also numbered over ten thousand.
Seeing the two sides facing off like needle points against wheat awns, the major powers of the ninja world were excited, eagerly anticipating a big fight.
However, after circling around, the Kumogakure troops returned, euphemistically calling it a military exercise to train the assembly and marching speed of Kumogakure ninja.
Kageyama Kogetsu gave face this time and wasn't too arrogant, adopting a similar rhetoric to Kumogakure.
The behavior of both sides—loud thunder but small raindrops—disappointed many powers, who wished they would just fight right then and there.
The most infuriating thing was that both sides retreated too quickly, giving the major powers no chance to sow discord or frame each other.
The most disappointed were Ōnoki and Obito Uchiha, who cursed both of them for being cowards, especially Kumogakure, which was cowardly to the core!
Kumogakure wasn't just Kumogakure; there were a bunch of powers dissatisfied with Konoha backing them up. Why didn't they dare to fight Konoha?
But things having come to this, there was nothing they could do but sigh.
After this incident, Kageyama Kogetsu, who had realized that Kumogakure was bluffing, gained even higher prestige in Konoha!
As long as he didn't touch the core interests of the ninja clans, once he made up his mind, he could decide all matters with a single word...
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