Chapter 118: The World is Shocked and the Acting Raikage
The news that Konoha had been attacked, that nearly a third of the village had been destroyed by the Cloud's genius, Yotsuki Dana, and that the former Third Hokage had been killed in battle, could not be suppressed. It spread through the ninja world like wildfire, causing an uproar.
Konoha called that night the "Night of the Purple Moon."
It wasn't until three days after he had returned to the Cloud that Dana felt his golden spine return to normal and begin to absorb natural energy again. This meant that the method of forcibly detonating the natural energy within his body also caused considerable damage to himself. It could be used again, but only as a last resort.
But he had been the winner.
When he had first returned to the village, the news had thrown the Cloud into chaos. The disappearance of the Third Raikage was a massive blow.
After a brief period of confusion, with the support of the forces he had cultivated over the years and the Yotsuki clan, Yotsuki Dana was appointed as the Acting Raikage. Though such a position was rare in the ninja world, and though he had already been a de facto elder, considering his age, the news was still astonishing.
His first act as Acting Raikage was to find the real Raikage.
He had his men re-examine the preparations the Raikage and his team had made before their departure and concluded that they were likely not in mortal danger. He then sent a search party to the coordinates they had been given, a direction that was far beyond the known borders of the ninja world. Their survival was not a major concern. With a ninja's survival skills, even if they had landed in the middle of the ocean, they would be fine.
This had also exposed the flaws in the current Heavenly Transfer Jutsu system. Though it was technologically feasible, human error was difficult to eliminate. The Cloud was like a telegraph operator in his previous world's World War II; a single mistake in the code could have disastrous consequences.
The punishment for Blue Bee and Kyohei was postponed. For now, they were each given one S-rank mission failure and a major demerit. Kyohei was then sent to join the search party, to search the coastline for the Raikage. Blue Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, had to stay in the village. The Cloud's high-level combat power was temporarily in a vacuum, and he was needed to maintain stability. Of course, it was still a punishment. He was confined to the village. As for a more substantial punishment, Dana wanted to wait for his father to return. After all, they were the A-B combo. As his son and the Acting Raikage, it was not appropriate for him to be too severe.
The news of the "Night of the Purple Moon," after fermenting for a few days, finally erupted into a storm.
Onoki's hand trembled slightly, and a bit of tea spilled from his cup.
"Is the information confirmed?"
"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage. Konoha is already preparing for the Third Hokage's funeral. The details are in this scroll."
Onoki waved his hand, dismissing his subordinate, and then stared at the Tsuchikage hat on his desk.
"Are we getting old?" he murmured. "Has the new generation already risen? But where is the new generation of the Stone?"
The death of his old rival filled him with a complex mix of emotions. They had come to power at roughly the same time, were of a similar age, and had both been carefully groomed by the first and second Kage of their respective villages. They had been rivals for many years, and he had often compared himself to Hiruzen.
A moment later, he opened the scroll and carefully read the report on the attack on Konoha, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.
In the Land of Water, Yagura Karatachi stared at the scroll before him, lost in thought.
The Cloud's genius, Yotsuki Dana, had rampaged through Konoha and had escaped unscathed. Konoha had suffered countless casualties, nearly a third of the village was destroyed, and the Third Hokage had been killed in battle.
Any one of these things would have been shocking on its own. All of them together left him speechless.
He remembered the Six Kage Summit a year ago, the young figure standing behind the Third Raikage. Even then, he had already achieved the astonishing feat of the "Four Heroes of Mount Tenmoku." But at the time, though the ninja world had been optimistic about his talent and future, most had thought that his success had been due to the Third Raikage and the first Amekage, Hanzo of the Salamander. They had thought that this young boy with the Yotsuki bloodline still needed time to grow. This was why the various villages had placed a bounty on him in the underground exchange, hoping for a one-in-a-million chance to stunt his growth.
But they had never imagined that he had already grown.
They still hadn't figured out how to deal with the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, and now the Cloud had produced another unstoppable Yotsuki Dana.
He remembered the war, the way Blue Bee had suppressed the entire Hidden Mist. They had all felt so exposed, so vulnerable. The Mist was in desperate need of a powerful leader, someone who could deal with this intense sense of crisis.
But a powerful leader was not something that could just be produced at will.
Yagura rubbed his brow and made a decision.
"Summon the Sealing Corps to the Mizukage's office."
In the capital of the Land of Lightning, in Asuka Castle, the Thunder Daimyo's brow was furrowed.
Below him, his chief minister, Jun'en Furuya, stood in silence, having just finished his report.
After a long moment, the Daimyo said, "I truly misjudged him back then. I thought he was just a spare, a vessel for the Yotsuki's bloodline. They said he had a serious bloodline disease. And now he has grown to this extent."
Jun'en Furuya did not say the empty words, "You should be pleased, my lord." He knew what the Daimyo was worried about.
"What have you found out about that matter?"
"They have hidden it well," he replied. "We have not yet found a specific name. But if nothing unexpected has happened, it is true that a large portion of the weapon, ninja tool, and forging industries of the Land of Lightning has been consolidated by some hidden power."
He could not find it, could not be sure, but how many people had the ability to do such a thing? He knew the answer, and he was sure the Daimyo knew it too.
"Prepare a brush and ink," the Daimyo said. "I will write a letter."
In the Land of Fire, the Konoha Hospital was overflowing. The corridors were filled with the wounded, with no beds to spare.
Minato Namikaze's eyes snapped open. He shot up from the bed, pulling the IV from his arm, not even wincing.
He was disoriented for a moment, then realized he was in the hospital. The last thing he remembered was clashing his Rasengan with that of his strange, smiling opponent.
A doctor came over and, after a brief examination, had him lie back down. "You're out of danger," the doctor said, "but you need to rest. I'm sorry, but we'll have to discharge you. We're very short on beds right now."
Minato didn't understand. He thought that the fact that he had been brought back to the hospital meant that the matter of Kushina's abduction had been resolved. "Doctor," he asked, "did they get her back? Kushina Uzumaki. Is she hurt?"
"I have a thousand patients here," the doctor said with a frown. "I don't know who you're talking about."
Minato left the noisy hospital, his head still foggy.
"Minato? Are you hurt too?" Mikoto Uchiha said, seeing him standing dazed at the entrance.
"Mikoto," he said, coming back to his senses. "What are you doing here?"
"Many of my clansmen are in the hospital," she said, holding up a food container. "I'm bringing them food."
"Mikoto," he said, his voice grave, "I've just woken up. Please, tell me what's happened in the last few days. I beg of you."
Several days ago.
Several streaks of rainbow-colored light shot across the night sky.
With a thunderous boom, the ten most elite ninja of the Raikage landed on the ground.
The Third Raikage, A, his body steaming from the Heavenly Transfer Jutsu, stood among them.
The nine delivery pods around him opened, and the nine powerful ninja emerged.
"My men," the Third Raikage said, slinging his new battle-axe over his shoulder, "let's have some fun!"
"OSU!"
And then, silence. A cold wind blew. The vast, white, icy plain stretched out before them, and the Cloud ninja were stunned.
No one spoke.
A passing penguin looked at the strange creatures, squawked a few times, and then continued on its way.
"Where are we?! It's so cold!"
"Where's the enemy? Where are Blue Bee and the others?"
"Genjutsu? Release!"
Arashi breathed out a puff of white air. "Dad," he said, "the climate here is so cold. This is definitely not the patchwork climate of the Land of Fire. I think... we've landed in the wrong place."
The Third Raikage froze for a moment, then, realizing what had happened, slapped his forehead with a loud smack.
"I'm going to kill that idiot Blue Bee!"