Escape From Konoha

Cloud hidden.

In Lei Ying's office.

The Fourth Raikage was shirtless and was doing physical exercises at his office as usual. He lifted a heavy barbell with one hand that required more than a dozen people to lift, but he could easily lift it alone, and it lasted for a long time. There was a little sweat on his face, but it was far from his limit.

Not only the surface of the body, but the Fourth Raikage himself felt a very strong aura brewing in his body, protecting the meridians and internal organs of his body. This is the secret technique of Suginomura taking effect.

Although I don't know if improving the internal resistance of the body in this way can completely ignore the Hyuga clan's soft fists, but the next time I encounter the Hyuga clan's soft fists, it will not be so easy to hurt his body.

The word "power" has always been engraved in the genes of the ninjas of Kumoyin Village. As a Raikage, he naturally has to pursue power all the time and set an example.

The effect is outstanding. Under his leadership, the overall strength of Yunyin Village is on a rapid upward trend.

Not only has the number of ninjas in the official establishment begun to increase dramatically, but the quality of ninjas is also much better than in the past.

Even in peaceful times, Yunyin Village has not relaxed its requirements for itself. Rather, it is precisely because of the peaceful times without major wars that we should be stricter with ourselves.

"call……"

I put down the barbell in my hand and was about to start exercising with my other hand when the office door opened.

Mabuyi, the Kumogakure jounin who held the position of his secretary, walked in. She looked a little tired, probably because she had just finished a meeting.

After all, my boss is a muscular man who doesn't like to take care of things. He is more obsessed with training and improving himself than trivial things like meetings... This is almost a common problem of Raikage in the past.

The previous Raikage also had a similar temperament.

It is precisely because of this that, as the secretary, she is able to perform the functions of the Raikage Department and control the situation within the village.

Although the ninja forces in Cloud Hidden Village are not as complex as Konoha, there are still certain problems, but the problems are not acute and the strength is relatively weak. Otherwise, the intricate faction disputes like Konoha may also form.

In visible history, the martial arts faction in Yunyin Village has always been the mainstream.

The conservative Kumogakure ninja will only adopt their opinions at the end of a war or during peacetime.

As Raikage's secretary, Mabui is naturally a loyal member of the martial arts faction.

"Is the meeting over?"

Seeing Mabuyi come in, the Fourth Raikage asked breathlessly.

"Yes, Raikage-sama."

Mabuyi nodded.

"How is the result?"

"As expected, within Kumogakure, with the martial arts faction as the main body, most of the Jonin advocated joining forces with the Demon Country and taking the opportunity to stir up a storm in the Fourth Ninja World War, while the conservatives tended to pursue political demands. , As long as the Fire Country and Konoha are submissive, there is no need to make the situation a big deal."

After all, the Third Ninja World War has only been a few years ago, and Kumogakure Village's strength finally started to grow from a sluggish state. This was due to the assistance of the Daimyōfu of the Kingdom of Thunder and Kumogakure's internal policies.

But to start the war rashly, not to mention that a considerable number of ninjas at the bottom have already developed a war-weary mood. If a fight really started, it would be equivalent to losing the strength that Kumogakure had finally recovered.

Not being afraid of Konoha and starting a war with Konoha again are two different concepts.

"Stabilize the voice of the militant faction for the time being. This time is not suitable for expanding the war."

Although the Fourth Raikage advocated plundering all secret techniques and wealth from outside, he was not without a view of the overall situation.

Completely defeating the Land of Fire and Konoha would do no good to the Land of Thunder and Kumogakure.

Ten years ago, Yunyin might have adopted this approach.

But now, in the western part of the continent, a powerful country has emerged that rivals the military power of the five major countries - the Kingdom of Ghosts.

The international situation has gone in a direction that no one knows.

The Kingdom of Earth has a conservative ethos and does not express its stance easily. Although the Kingdom of Wind is one of the five major kingdoms, it is no longer able to curb the footsteps of the Kingdom of Ghosts.

Moreover, based on the current changes in the international situation, the potential threat from the Kingdom of Ghosts is obviously greater than that from the Kingdom of Fire.

The Fire Nation has grown old, and Konoha, which represents a country's military power, is governed by a group of old men with half a foot in the coffin board.

In contrast, the Kingdom of Ghosts tells Tengfei to be young and energetic. He has a strong will to fight and his ideas are similar to those of the Kingdom of Thunder.

It is precisely because of this that there is no room for two tigers in one mountain. After eliminating the surrounding threats, the Kingdom of Ghosts will replace the Kingdom of Fire and become the most powerful enemy of the Kingdom of Thunder.

Therefore, if the Fire Country and Konoha are completely defeated at this time, it will not be conducive to checking and balancing the Ghost Country in the future.

Considering the present and looking to the future, war is an extreme way of diverting attention and problems out of necessity.

Any war, no matter big or small, should be fought with caution.

Nowadays, for the Kingdom of Thunder, which has neither money nor military power, its pursuit of stronger international influence goes beyond the pursuit of worldly desires such as money.

If the Kingdom of Thunder and Yunyin can obtain their political demands through negotiation, then there is no need to resort to war, a method that injures the enemy by one thousand and damages oneself by eight hundred.

"I understand, Raikage-sama. In addition, there is a letter from the Kingdom of Demons, and everything is ready."

Mabui said.

"The Country of Fire and Konoha should still have an internal agreement at the moment. It won't be too late to go to the Country of Rain to discuss matters after waiting for the specific time of action from the Country of Ghosts."

When it came to the last crucial step, the Fourth Raikage no longer felt impatient.

The Kingdom of Thunder and the Kingdom of Fire have been fighting for decades and will finally usher in a new node.

The only thing that displeased the Fourth Raikage was that it was not the Kingdom of Thunder itself that created this node, but the Kingdom of Demons that suddenly emerged like a dark horse.

"Then, who will be sent to follow us then?"

"The lineup that participated in the Five Shadows Conference last time, Xi and Darui were the public guards... Well, plus Tutai, he has more experience in dealing with things."

The Fourth Raikage thought about it and felt that this meeting was slightly different from the last Five Kage Conference.

Although the Kingdom of Thunder did not directly intervene in the conflict between the Kingdom of Ghosts and the Kingdom of Fire, it also participated from the side. Moreover, in the subsequent negotiations, he will have his own political demands, so there will inevitably be some verbal quarrels, and this is precisely the area in which he is least good at.

Ma Buyi wants to be in the village and manage the village on his behalf, so he cannot act rashly.

The remaining jounin in the village, although outstanding in strength, have very low political abilities.

As the blood successor limited ninja in the village, Dodai is not only outstanding in strength, but also helped his father, the Third Raikage, coordinate the management of the village in the past, and has excellent governance experience.

It was also this person who helped him secure his position as the Fourth Raikage, and gained a higher reputation among the people and ninjas.

"Senior Tudai? He is indeed a good candidate. Then, as for the dark side guards, please dispatch a detachment of ANBU to follow."

A detachment of ANBU, plus four squad leaders, a total of eighteen people.

Together with Nozomi and Darui, as well as Todai, the experienced Kumogakure jounin, it is enough to ensure safety on the road.

"That's it, is there anything else you want to say?"

"There is indeed one more important thing, about Yukito."

"Yukito? What happened to her?"

Yukito, whose full name is Two Yukito, is the current second-tailed Jinchuuriki of Kumogakure Village.

The previous two-tailed jinchuriki was Yukito's father. Unfortunately, he died because the power of the tailed beast went out of control during the training of the perfect jinchuriki, causing the seal to break.

Later, Erwei made the transfer. The new two-tailed jinchuriki is the daughter of the previous two-tailed jinchuriki, Yukito Nibi.

Although he is young, he is already a jounin in the village. He can initially control the power of the two tails in his body. In terms of jinchuriki talent, he is much better than his father.

"She has completed the first stage of her perfect Jinchuuriki training. The following second and third stages, as well as the final stage, require Kirabi, who is already a perfect Jinchuuriki, to accompany her to the 'Secret Place'."

"Have you completed the first phase so quickly?"

The Fourth Raikage was also surprised.

The power of tailed beasts is not something that is easy to control.

He possesses tailed beast-level chakra, and he is very aware of how terrifying tailed beast chakra is.

That is a huge amount of chakra that ordinary ninjas cannot control in their entire lifetime.

Moreover, the chakra of tailed beasts has a very strong sense of independence. When practicing the perfect Jinchuuriki, it becomes even more difficult to control the tailed beasts.

So far, the only perfect Jinchuuriki known to the ninja world are his adopted brother the Eight-Tailed Jinchuuriki, Kirabi, and the fourth-generation Mizukage Gotachibana Yagura of Kirigakure Village, who is the perfect three-tailed Jinchuuriki.

In addition, in the visible history of the ninja world, no third jinchūriki has completed such training.

Even the former Uchiha Madara only used the Sharingan to forcefully control the tailed beasts, which in essence did not perfectly guide the power of the tailed beasts.

A perfect Jinchuuriki, a Jinchuuriki's character, his own charm, a tolerant will that can accommodate the hatred of the tailed beast, and the ability to burst out power that overwhelms the tailed beast in the consciousness space... Several conditions must be met to obtain the power of the tailed beast. recognized. Otherwise, there will be various embarrassing situations in which the tailed beast chakra is forcibly used, but the spiritual awareness is not unified, which will seriously hurt oneself, or the spiritual awareness is reached, but when the tailed beast chakra is used, it will go crazy and get out of control.

If Kumogakure can give birth to a second perfect Jinchuuriki, then it will be of great significance to Kumogakure.

"Yes, in terms of jinchuriki's talent, Yukito has undoubtedly surpassed the two-tailed jinchuriki of the previous generation."

Mabuyi nodded affirmatively.

"In that case, let Bi teach the Yuki people and carry out the next jinchūriki training. Now that the international situation is becoming more and more complex, we must do everything we can to strengthen our own armed forces in order to protect this land. of peace.”

The Fourth Raikage waved his hand and left everything to Mabuyi to do.

As a Raikage, he only needs to attend when necessary and then improve his combat ability.

Rather than a leader, the Raikage of Hidden Cloud Village is more like a fierce general leading the team forward!

Mabuyi bowed slightly and exited the office.

◎

February 7th.

The ice and snow in the village have not yet melted, and the air is still filled with a biting chill.

After learning that the daimyo was coming to visit, Konoha just held a hasty welcome ceremony. As the village's Hokage, Hiruzen directly introduced the daimyo of the Fire Country into the conference room in the Hokage building to start important meetings and discussions.

Regarding this, the Daimyo of the Fire Country is not dissatisfied. The current situation is urgent, and the welcome ceremony and other things can be saved if possible. A person in his position no longer needs some false etiquette to show his noble status.

There were only five people gathered in the conference room, including the Fire Country Daimyo and the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen.

The other three are the two counselors Koharu and Mito Monobu, and the last one is Nara Shikaku, the Jonin squad leader.

Although Kakashi, as the ANBU minister, can be considered the core class of Konoha today, the ANBU department is quite special. It belongs directly to the Hokage and is a force that cannot be exposed to the public. A lot of information needs to be kept secret.

Therefore, in terms of authority, the ANBU chief and the Jonin squad leader are equal, and there is no distinction between them. However, in many cases, they are unable to directly participate in high-level meetings.

One belongs to the armed forces directly under the Hokage.

One person is a role model for all jounin in Konoha, and the weight and meaning he represents are completely different.

Moreover, there are many hidden dangers in Konoha and the ANBU has heavy tasks. Compared with meetings, what Kakashi, the ANBU minister, has to do is to maintain order within the village to prevent some rumors from causing Konoha to fall into a crisis of public opinion.

Naturally, we can block as much information as we can about the outside world. We cannot let too many people know about changes in the international situation for the time being.

Controlling this part is Kakashi's current task.

"Everyone is here, so I won't say much more and let's start the meeting directly."

In addition to the root commander Shimura Danzo, the Fire Nation daimyo, and the top leaders of Konoha who can make decisions have all gathered.

The first one to speak was the Sandaime Hokage Hiruzen. His face was heavy and the bags under his eyes were getting bigger, which showed that he had not slept well these days.

After finally celebrating the new year, he was able to rest comfortably for a while, but the news from the front line made him unbelievable. He immediately realized the danger that the Fire Nation was about to face, and had to convene a high-level meeting immediately.

At the same time, a day ago, a total of 1,000 Konoha ninjas had advanced at full speed overnight, arriving at the junction of the Country of Fire and the Country of Rain, to join the 1,500 Konoha ninjas in the Country of Rain to prevent the Country of Rain from destroying the country. Change.

Not only that, two thousand Konoha ninjas were also deployed in the southern part of the Fire Country to block the border.

The Kingdom of Ghosts not only has troops stationed in the Kingdom of Rain, but also has maritime combat capabilities.

Aircraft carrier warships made of steel can break into the southern coastal areas of the Country of Fire at any time, causing panic among the citizens on the border.

Therefore, regardless of whether the Kingdom of Ghosts has the intention to attack the Kingdom of Fire or not, Hiruzen knew that such an arrangement must be made, and he could not take any chances.

He couldn't see through Chiba Shiraishi at all, nor could he understand what the other party was planning.

Therefore, being prepared for the worst-case scenario of all-out war is Hiruzen's best effort.

Finally, another thousand Konoha ninjas were sent to the northeast of the Kingdom of Fire to join the Konoha troops on the border there to prevent the Kumogakure ninjas in the Kingdom of Yu from raiding the Kingdom of Fire from the northeastern border.

The entire Konoha is now in a state of full war preparation, ready for war at any time!

"Mr. Shikaku, what do you think the Kingdom of Demons and the Kingdom of Thunder will do next? Should they fight or stop attacking?"

The Fire Country Daimyo looked at Shikaku with inquiring eyes.

Shikaku was also in a very heavy mood.

Originally, he was planning to take his son Shikamaru on a casual trip, but under the current circumstances, traveling would probably be impossible.

"Whether it is war or peace, the Kingdom of Ghosts and the Kingdom of Thunder will not give up the opportunity to attack the Kingdom of Fire and Konoha. This is something we are all sure of. Before taking action, we must make it clear that the Kingdom of Ghosts and the Kingdom of Thunder will not give up the opportunity to attack the Kingdom of Fire and Konoha. The two countries, the Kingdom of Thunder, are looking for something so that they can prescribe the right medicine."

Shikaku's words caused everyone present to ponder.

What do the Kingdom of Ghosts and the Kingdom of Thunder seek?

This is indeed something to think about.

Mito Menyan coughed and said slowly: "Let me tell you a few words. I don't know what the Kingdom of Ghosts is seeking, but it is obvious what the Kingdom of Thunder wants from us. What are these? They have been fighting continuously for ten years. The Kingdom of Thunder and Kumogakure simply want to expand their international influence. This should also be the reason why the Kingdom of Thunder helps the Kingdom of Demons."

The Kingdom of Thunder has been an old rival of the Kingdom of Fire for decades.

Since the First Ninja War, the Kingdom of Thunder has continuously challenged the status of the Kingdom of Fire.

The same is true for Kumogakure, who hopes to defeat Konoha one day and become the leader of the Ninja Village.

However, the three great ninja wars were all nominally a victory for Konoha.

In the first ninja world war, Kumogakure's second generation Raikage led a thousand elite Kumo ninjas to invade the Land of Fire with a blitzkrieg. However, they were blocked by the Konoha troops led by the second generation Hokage Senju Tobirama, and they were defeated.

The fighting continued for several months,

The situation of defeat became more and more obvious. Under such circumstances, the second generation Raikage humiliated and signed an armistice agreement.

Although some accidents occurred on the day of the meeting, Kumogakure could not hide the reasons for his failure.

In the Second Great Ninja War, the battle between Konoha and Amegakure, although no one defeated Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure, Sansho Hanzo, but the general trend was that Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure, was unable to save himself. He sighed and admitted that he was Konoha's leader. victory.

After moving to fight against Sunagakure, Konoha formulated the White Fang team's squad-style blitz strategy to contain the main force of Sunagakure from the side battlefield, so that the main force of Sunagakure did not dare to act rashly, forcing Sunagakure's side to sign an armistice agreement.

By the time of the Third Ninja War, talented people like Namikaze Minato appeared in Konoha. Iwagakure and Kumogakure suffered consecutive defeats at his hands, resulting in the supply lines being cut off and a major defeat.

With the outbreak of the three great ninja wars, the power of Konoha and the Country of Fire was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and their status was unshakable.

This kind of Fire Country and Konoha seemed very annoying in the eyes of Thunder Country and Kumogakure.

The international influence of the Kingdom of Thunder and Kumogakure ranks second in the ninja world. If they want to continue to expand, the Kingdom of Fire and Konoha must be a major obstacle to their domination plan.

Mito Kadoyan's words attracted the approval of several people.

They thought so too.

But if the balance is lost, it is impossible to speculate whether the Kingdom of Thunder will maintain its original intention.

Moreover, there is also a major accidental role here.

His decision is also crucial.

"The pursuit of the Kingdom of Thunder is obvious. What does the Kingdom of Ghosts want? Does it want to win the status of the sixth largest country from this dispute?"

The Fire Country Daimyo murmured to himself.

His words made Hiraku III Hokage nod and shake his head.

"Yes or no, Chiba Shiraishi can't see through it at all. The attempt to seize the status of the sixth largest country may be just a transit plan for the Kingdom of Ghosts, not the ultimate goal. There should be something deeper in this, It’s just that we didn’t see it.”

Lu Jiu also nodded and said: "Lord Hokage and I agree. The Kingdom of Ghosts is probably not seeking the status of the sixth largest country. According to my understanding, Chiba Shiraishi does not pay attention to these so-called false names. He What I want is more tangible 'benefits'."

This is the most difficult part.

But no matter how Lu Jiu guessed, he couldn't predict what the kingdom of ghosts wanted to pursue.

Intervening in the civil war in the Land of Rain, interfering in the Kingdom of Waves, even maliciously provoking public anger, and creating a violent movement to subvert the aristocratic system of the Kingdom of Waves... What is the causal connection between this and the other?

Is it just to disgust the country of fire and Konoha?

Although there are some grievances between the two, these grievances are not worth mentioning at the national level.

If Chiba Shiraishi planned this just for revenge, to be honest, Lu Jiu was not worried. What he is afraid of is that Chiba Shiraishi is planning a deeper conspiracy under the guise of 'revenge' to target Fire Nation and Konoha.

The sharp blade hidden in the darkness is the most dangerous.

Because no one knows at what angle and at what time this sharp blade will suddenly stab out in the dark.

Silence fell in the conference room.

There is too little information about the Kingdom of Ghosts.

Although Konoha had sent many spies to infiltrate secretly after the Wind Country War, they were 'invited' to tea because they had no identity documents or official identification documents from other countries.

Every town there has a security force, and the whole country can be said to be under the strict surveillance of the central government. There is no way to go to crowded places, and it is meaningless to hide in deep mountains and old forests, where there is no useful information to be collected.

If you go in the official name, you will definitely be arranged at a designated place and be 'protected'.

Even though he doesn't want to admit it, the national security system of the ghost country is fully operational and efficient. If the spy personnel cannot solve the identity problem, it will be difficult for them to move an inch in the ghost country, and the hotel will not let them stay, and they will be reported to the local security department.

On the contrary, the intelligence system on their side was infiltrated by the kingdom of ghosts.

Although they had conducted serious investigations several times before and indeed arrested many problematic people, they were all small fish and shrimps. The intelligence network deployed by the Kingdom of Demons in Konoha still existed.

When several people were at a loss what to do, there was a knock on the door of the conference room.

"Come in."

After Hiruzen's voice, the door of the conference room was pushed open.

An ANBU ninja appeared there.

"Tianzang, what's going on?"

Hiruzen recognized the identity of this ANBU ninja.

He is the only Wooden ninja in Konoha. He holds the position of squad leader in the ANBU and coordinates with Kakashi to manage the ANBU department. He is a jounin subordinate that Hiruzen relies on.

"Lord Hokage, the envoy from the Kingdom of Demons wishes to see you."

Tianzang's attitude was neither humble nor arrogant, and he said this in a calm tone.

"Envoy from the Kingdom of Ghosts?"

"Yes, there are also military personnel from the Kingdom of Ghosts accompanying him."

Hiruzen and others looked at each other, wondering what the Kingdom of Ghosts wanted to do when it sent its diplomatic envoys.

Threat? Or declare war directly on the Fire Nation?

"I'll go meet them."

Hiruzen sighed and walked out of the conference room. Under the leadership of Tenzo, he went to meet the envoy from the Kingdom of Ghosts.

No matter what the outcome is, as Hokage, he needs to face it personally.

◎

In the cave that was sheltered from the cold, a bonfire was burning for heating.

The two figures were illuminated by the flames, and the figures were projected on the wall, swaying slightly with the flames.

Wearing a black coat embroidered with red clouds, his black hair was tied into a ponytail and placed behind his head, his scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan opened and he stared at the visitor unwillingly.

For a long time, in the wordless silence, the young man's cold voice sounded: "Madara, you promised me that you would not take action against Konoha. If you don't fulfill your promise, then I will not help you deal with Uchiha Ruri. I will also expose Akatsuki’s secret.”

It's more of a threat than a discussion.

Standing opposite him was a one-eyed man wearing a swirling mask.

The one eye exposed is also the Mangekyō Sharingan with mysterious power.

His voice was low and terrifying, and seemed to have a bit of murderous intent.

"Itachi, this is not a violation of the agreement. Amegakure is only dealing with the ninja troops of the Fire Country's Daming Prefecture, and has not taken action against Konoha. You also know the current situation of the organization, and there is no way to take the next step. If there is a next step If you take one step, it must be a conflict between the kingdom of ghosts and Konoha."

Madara's excuse made Itachi frown frequently, but he couldn't find any reason to refute him.

"Itachi, you don't think that our organization has the power to influence the will of the Demon Country, right? If that were the case, I wouldn't train your Mangekyo Sharingan to deal with Uchiha Ruri."

Madara's words seemed to be mocking others, but also seemed to be mocking himself, making Itachi's clenched fist slowly loosen.

Indeed, seeing Konoha in such an unfavorable crisis situation, his thinking was lacking.

The will of the ghost country will not act according to Akatsuki's order.

It would be better to say that in this dispute, Akatsuki and Amegakure Village, and even the Country of Rain, were a knife in the hands of the Country of Demons, successfully cutting into the Country of Fire and endangering the Leaf Village.

In the face of such a powerful ghost country, the agreement he made with the Akatsuki organization was nothing at all.

In the kingdom of ghosts, neither he nor the organization can control it.

Even if the kingdom of ghosts attacked Konoha at this time, it had nothing to do with the Akatsuki organization.

It was a battle between the kingdom of ghosts and Konoha, the Akatsuki organization would only shrink its strength and just sit back and watch the tigers fight.

This is a struggle and check and balance between various forces, but if one step is missed, war will usher in.

Although Itachi had the intention to stop it, considering his embarrassing situation among the Uchiha clan, going to the Kingdom of Demons to prevent the Fourth Ninja War from breaking out would probably end with no survivors.

"Whether the Fourth Ninja World War will be fought or not, it doesn't matter what the Kingdom of Rain and the Akatsuki organization say. The attitude of the Kingdom of Demons and the Kingdom of Thunder is the key. They are the culprits who most want the Land of Fire and Konoha to fall. , if you want to target, you should go to the top leaders of these two countries. It is meaningless for you to say these things to me, and I cannot represent the will of these two countries."

As for whether the high-level officials of the two countries will listen to the opinion of an extermination and rebellion, that is another matter.

Anyway, the Kingdom of the Rain and the Akatsuki organization have achieved their goals in this battle, and there is no need to add extra complications.

"...I was rude."

Itachi lowered his head and apologized.

"I won't be angry about such a trivial matter. After all, you are an enlightened Uchiha, and you will still be needed in the future. In addition, you can rest assured. According to my guess, the Kingdom of Ghosts will not open the third chapter at will. The Four Ninja World War, even if they had this intention, would not start it at this time. Although Akatsuki is not well prepared, the Kingdom of Demons may not be well prepared either."

Madara's tone softened, comforting Itachi to calm down.

Initiating the Fourth Ninja World War at this time will not benefit either side.

The kingdom of ghosts has far-reaching plans, and if it really intends to launch the Fourth Ninja World War, it will definitely have bigger moves.

And the fact that there are no such big moves now means that the Kingdom of Ghosts is still in the preparation stage.

"I know, I will do my part."

Itachi's face returned to calmness and he walked out of the cave that was sheltered from the cold.

Madara stared at Itachi's retreating back, his eyes shining faintly.

"hope so."