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Chapter 158: The Tsuchikage and the Raikage [47]
Chapter 158: The Tsuchikage and the Raikage [47]
In the hidden rock village, within the Tsuchikage's tower, the Third Tsuchikage reclined leisurely in a lounge chair. A book hovered in front of him, its pages turning effortlessly under his chakra control.
The recent year's battles had been brutal. Although the major hidden villages were still united against Konoha, the Golden Flash of Konoha was making a difference everywhere, his Flying Thunder God Technique allowing him to be present on multiple battlefields at once. This made the war increasingly difficult to win.
So, he no longer intended to wage war with concentrated forces.
For now, a period of peace was in order.
Konoha currently had too many powerful ninja at the leadership level. During wartime, they would follow Hiruzen Sarutobi's unified command, but once the war ended and peace returned, it would be difficult to maintain balance among them.
As far as he knew, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze, Tsunade, and Danzo were all capable of vying for the position of Fourth Hokage. Even if Jiraiya didn't compete with his own student, Orochimaru certainly would, and Konoha's internal strife would inevitably surface.
Konoha was now almost impregnable from external attacks.
They could only wait for Konoha to crumble from within.
"I wonder who will come out on top in the internal struggle for the position of Fourth Hokage... If the Silver Flash hadn't died, Orochimaru would have had a better chance of becoming the Fourth Hokage, but Danzo also has a chance."
Oonoki clicked his tongue.
If the Silver Flash were still alive, the infighting in Konoha might have been more intense. However, it was actually a good thing that the Silver Flash was dead; it would be even better if the Golden Flash died as well.
Konoha's Sannin, as well as Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo, were not particularly difficult to deal with, but those two ninja, the Golden and Silver Flash, were monstrous, akin to war machines.
Moreover, they were both assassin-type ninja with incredibly high speed. As long as they were still alive, they would cause constant worry and concern, always keeping people on edge, fearing a sudden attack.
"But at least the Silver Flash did one good thing before he died—taking out Hanzo of the Salamander. The benefits we gained from the Rain Country should be enough to make up for our losses in the war..."
Oonoki's thoughts turned inward as he considered the situation.
After the fall of Amegakure, he had quickly sent several teams of elite ninja into the Rain Country to exert control and extract benefits from the region.
Previously, they had been unable to make a move due to the presence of Hanzo, but now they could act without restraint. Even if Konoha had also invaded the Rain Country, there would still be enough benefits to be shared.
Just as Oonoki was deep in thought, a ninja suddenly appeared.
The ninja's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and as soon as he landed, he urgently reported, "Tsuchikage-sama! Emergency battle report... The elite force led by Jirobo has been annihilated in the Rain Country!"
Slap!
The book floating above Oonoki's head slammed into his face.
Oonoki threw the book aside and bolted upright, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at the reporting ninja. "What did you say?! How were they annihilated in the Rain Country?!"
Cold sweat dripped from the ninja's forehead as he explained, "It was the doing of the Akatsuki organization... Jirobo set up an ambush and took out the leader of the Akatsuki, but that leader was merely a puppet figurehead. There was another terrifying presence lurking in the shadows, a power equal to or greater than Hanzo, who wiped out Jirobo's entire force!"
"Damn it all!"
Oonoki snatched the teacup from his desk and hurled it to the ground, shattering it into pieces as his anger threatened to boil over.
After the fall of Amegakure, the Rain Country had been in chaos for the past two years. However, an organization called Akatsuki had been rapidly absorbing the surviving ninja from Amegakure and growing in strength, a fact that Oonoki was well aware of.
But in his opinion, this Akatsuki organization was nothing more than a group of remnant Rain ninja desperately clinging to life. Finding and destroying their base would be easy, and they were not worth worrying about.
"How could even the remnants of Amegakure produce such a powerful ninja...?"
Oonoki clenched his fists, seething with rage.
Reflecting on the events of the past few years, it seemed like a string of bad luck and misfortune.
First, there was the sudden rise of the previously unknown Silver Flash, who disrupted their elite forces' advance. Then, the Silver Flash shook the ninja world, consecutively slaying powerful ninjas and causing significant damage to the major ninja villages.
And just when the Silver Flash disappeared, allowing a reprieve, Minato Namikaze, whose brilliance had been overshadowed by the Silver Flash, took over the reins of the war, once again inflicting heavy losses on Iwagakure.
Now...
Even the remnants of Amegakure had produced another powerful ninja! Jiotu's personality was well-known to him—steady and cautious. For him and his elite forces to be annihilated, the opponent's strength must be terrifying, and certainly not someone to be underestimated.
As Tsuchikage Oonoki seethed with rage, contemplating taking matters into his own hands and leading a squad to eradicate the Akatsuki in Rain Country, another ninja burst in.
"Tsuchikage-sama! There's been an incident in Sunagakure!!"
"Oh?"
Hearing that Sunagakure was in trouble, Oonoki's anger momentarily eased, and his demeanor softened.
It seemed that Sunagakure had suffered losses as well, which made the situation slightly more bearable. He reached for the other teacup on the table, intending to calm himself.
"Sunagakure has been destroyed, and the Fourth Kazekage is severely injured..."
The ninja reporting the news trembled as he spoke. "According to our intelligence, only one person attacked Sunagakure, and that person is... is... the Silver Flash who had been missing for two years!"
The entire Tsuchikage's office fell silent.
Crack!!
The teacup in Oonoki's hand dropped to the ground and shattered into pieces.
...
Kumogakure.
On a high platform shrouded in mist.
The Fourth Raikage, surrounded by lightning, stood with a resolute expression, continuously throwing punches. His figure flickered on the platform as he trained his speed and taijutsu.
Whoosh!
Tudai's figure appeared on the high tower.
He looked at the Fourth Raikage and said with a somber expression, "Raikage-sama, the missing Silver Flash has reappeared."
"Hmph... that guy's still alive, huh."
The Fourth Raikage paused his training, waving his muscular, bronze-colored arm. "I knew someone like him wouldn't just die mysteriously. It's good that he's alive; now he can experience the fruits of my year-long intense training!"
After a year of arduous training, his strength had increased significantly. He could now suppress the Eight-Tails with his own power; his speed had increased, and his defense had become more resilient.
If he were to face Feng Ye again...
He was confident he could win this time!
Hearing the Fourth Raikage's words, Tudai hesitated for a moment but still delivered the bad news with a grim expression. "About seven days ago, the Silver Flash single-handedly invaded Sunagakure, critically injuring the Fourth Kazekage and nearly destroying the village. Raikage-sama, while you were enhancing your strength, that guy was probably also improving himself during his two-year disappearance."
"...!"
The Fourth Raikage's expression froze.
The high tower fell silent, with only the crackling of lightning filling the air.
(End of Chapter)
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