Chapter 71 – Shocked Cloud Shinobi Executives
Cloud Shinobi Village.
Hospital.
Outside the door of the emergency room, the senior members of Cloud Shinobi gathered together.
Elite ninjas such as Killer Bee, Tutai, Mabuyi, and Nozomi were all guarding the area with solemn expressions.
Except for Killer Bee, who had been there from the beginning, the others had rushed over after being notified.
After all, it was late at night, and the incident had happened so suddenly that everyone was caught unprepared.
By the time they arrived, Sasuke and Hyuga Hiashi were already long gone.
They waited outside the operating room, which had the best medical team and the most advanced medical equipment in all of Cloud Shinobi Village.
Inside, the Fourth Raikage was being treated.
"Konoha Shinobi!"
Tutai slammed his fist into the wall beside him.
"What the hell is going on here? How did those Konoha Shinobi manage to sneak into the Raikage Building without making a sound!?"
Tutai had been one of the Raikage's most trusted aides since the time of the Third Raikage, and he and the Fourth Raikage had fought side by side countless times.
Over the years, Tutai had never once imagined the Fourth Raikage would fall to such a state.
But he also understood that the more critical the situation, the calmer he had to remain.
If the leadership lost its composure, the entire village would descend into chaos.
"Killer Bee, you were the first to arrive at the scene. Tell us what you saw."
Tutai forced himself to calm down and looked at Killer Bee.
"I don't know exactly what happened," Killer Bee replied, "but I know it was done by two Konoha Shinobi—one from the Uchiha Clan and one from the Hyuga Clan."
"Uchiha and Hyuga?"
Hearing that, everyone's eyes widened in surprise.
Not only were the Uchiha and Hyuga two hostile families, but the Uchiha Clan had supposedly been wiped out long ago.
"It was the orphan of the Uchiha Clan—Uchiha Sasuke—and the head of the Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Hiashi. Bastards. Idiots."
Seeing their skeptical looks, Killer Bee explained further.
"Uchiha Sasuke? Isn't he just a Genin?"
As high-ranking Cloud Shinobi executives, they all knew the intelligence reports on Uchiha Sasuke.
A mere Genin infiltrating the Raikage Building?Absurd!
"Wait, how could it be Uchiha Sasuke? At this point in time, it's too coincidental…"
Tutai frowned, sensing that something wasn't right.
He knew of the Fourth Raikage's plan to seize the Sharingan—and the target had been none other than Uchiha Sasuke.
Now, the Fourth Raikage had suddenly been assassinated—and one of the assassins was that very same Uchiha Sasuke.
It was hard to believe the two events weren't connected.
"Are they here for revenge?" Tutai murmured.
He then explained everything he knew and laid out his thoughts.
"Snatching the Sharingan? So that's the cause… But according to common sense, once Konoha discovered the truth, shouldn't they have opened diplomatic channels, demanded compensation, or forced us to apologize?"
Xi offered his opinion.
"No," Tutai replied, shaking his head. "Konoha has lost its Hokage. There's no one left to lead or speak for them, so diplomatic talks are impossible.What they did instead has created an irreconcilable situation with the Cloud Village. There's no way we can compensate or apologize now.I can't understand why they would act like this."
At that point, the Fourth Raikage's secretary, Mabuyi, spoke up.
"Maybe they thought we wouldn't compensate or apologize anyway, so they decided to recklessly assassinate Lord Raikage to express their anger?"
It had to be said—her guess was close to the truth.
"It's not impossible," Tutai nodded, then turned back to Killer Bee."Killer Bee, what do you think? You were the only one who witnessed them. Did those two Konoha Shinobi say anything?"
"No."
Killer Bee shook his head.
"When I arrived, Hyuga Hiashi was about to deliver the final blow to my brother. I panicked and went full beast mode, but they didn't respond—they ran immediately. I then rushed to bring my brother here."
"You did the right thing. Saving Lord Raikage's life was the top priority.As for those two Konoha Shinobi—even if they escaped for now, this is still our home turf. They can't get away."
Tutai spoke in a deep voice.
"Master Tutai is right. I don't know how they snuck in, but since they've been exposed, there's no way they'll escape the Land of Lightning," Xi agreed.
Killer Bee, however, shook his head.
"It's useless. You can't catch them."
"What do you mean?"
Everyone turned to him in confusion.
"Because that Uchiha Sasuke's ability is very strange. I think he's mastered multiple space-time ninjutsu that require no hand seals. One lets him move instantaneously, and another lets him drag targets into some kind of shadow space. He's also incredibly fast."
After a pause, Killer Bee added, "Maybe they're here right now—in the shadow of one of us—and we can't even tell. Bastards. Idiots."
"What!? Space-Time Ninjutsu!?"
Everyone was stunned.
A ninja capable of using Muji Space-Time Ninjutsu? How could anyone catch that!?
"That's impossible. Are you sure, Killer Bee?"
"I'm sure. I fought him. When I tried to support my brother, Uchiha Sasuke intercepted me to buy time. I didn't know my brother's situation, so I focused on capturing him first."
"With your strength, he couldn't delay you for long, right? Even with space-time jutsu, the chakra consumption must be huge—he shouldn't be able to use it repeatedly."
"No, he delayed me for quite a while. Eventually I sensed something was wrong, gave up on chasing him, and turned back to help my brother."
"What!? That Uchiha Sasuke has that kind of strength?"
Tutai's face darkened. Killer Bee wasn't one to joke about battle reports.
Having Muji Ninjutsu was bad enough—but Uchiha Sasuke also had the raw power to fight Killer Bee head-on!?
How was that possible!?
"Yes," Killer Bee said gravely. "That guy's strength is no joke. I even used the power of Eight Tails to grind him down. But here's the strange part—I watched him die with my own eyes, yet the next moment, he appeared alive behind me.
And when I reached my brother, he was already there—he even rescued Hyuga Hiashi."
Killer Bee still couldn't make sense of it.
Why couldn't that man be killed?
"A formidable enemy indeed…"
Tutai narrowed his eyes. "We must clarify the extent of Uchiha Sasuke's ability. Otherwise, unpredictable variables will arise."
Just then, the light above the operating room door turned green.
Everyone stopped talking and gathered around.
The door opened—
A stretcher was pushed out, and on it sat the heavily bandaged Fourth Raikage.
"Big Brother!"
Seeing him alive, Killer Bee rushed forward and instinctively raised his fist for a greeting bump—only to stop halfway.
Everyone around broke into a cold sweat.
Good thing he stopped.
Lord Raikage had barely survived—one more punch might've finished him for good.
"Killer Bee, keep a safe distance," Tutai said, pulling him back.
Then he turned to the Raikage.
"Lord Raikage, thank goodness you're safe. Can you tell us about the two Konoha Shinobi? How did they injure you?"
The Fourth Raikage frowned.
"Them? Before Killer Bee arrived, only Hyuga Hiashi actually fought me."
"Only Hyuga Hiashi!?"
Everyone suddenly realized how serious the situation was.
"That's impossible… Without space-time ninjutsu, how could Hyuga Hiashi harm you, Lord Raikage?"
They knew Hyuga Hiashi's power level well—he shouldn't have been a match for the Raikage.
Uchiha Sasuke's space-time ability was already outrageous—but had Hyuga Hiashi suddenly mastered something equally strange?
"I know it sounds absurd," the Raikage said, "but if I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't believe it either. He's not the same as before.
He still uses Gentle Fist techniques, but he also mimics moves like the Third Raikage's. And he has a secret technique that envelops his body in flames, enhancing his attributes—as if he opened the Eight Inner Gates."
"And that Uchiha Sasuke…"
The Raikage paused, then barked, "Call all the Jōnin immediately. We're holding an emergency meeting!"
In the shadow beneath Killer Bee's feet—
"Senior, isn't it unfair? The Raikage's already sitting up, and you're still lying here?"
Sasuke withdrew his gaze and looked down at Hyuga Hiashi, who was still gasping for breath.
"…"
Hiashi was speechless.
They had medical ninja treatment—he had nothing but sheer willpower to endure the backlash of his own technique.
"Senior," Sasuke said with a teasing smile, "my Emperor Kekkei can rewind time and restore you to full health. Want me to do it? Then you can go back and finish off the Raikage yourself."
In his current state, the Fourth Raikage wouldn't last long against a fully restored Hiashi.
If Hiashi could kill him, it'd be poetic revenge for the Sharingan they had tried to seize.
At worst, Hiashi would die trying.Either way, Sasuke wasn't the one getting punched.
"That technique consumes your lifespan, doesn't it? Forget it," Hiashi said weakly. "I'll recover on my own."
First, he didn't want Sasuke wasting precious time value.Second, the chance to assassinate the Raikage was gone anyway.
With so many guards around and the village on high alert, any small movement would set off alarms. It wasn't worth the risk.
"Really… what a pity."
Sasuke shrugged, though whether he pitied the Raikage for surviving or Hiashi for missing his chance—it was hard to tell.
After all, the Uchiha and Hyuga had never exactly been friendly.
Still, Sasuke was only half-joking.If Hiashi were truly in danger, he wouldn't stand by and watch.
"Alright, Senior. Rest easy. I'll take you back to Konoha."
"What about you?"
"I'll report back after finishing some business."
"You're reckless," Hiashi muttered. "But they set their sights on your Sharingan, and you haven't settled the score yet… Just be careful."
Sasuke smirked.
"Don't worry. Even if I can't kill the Raikage now, I'll make sure they pay some interest first."