In terms of raw power, Iwagakure should have been the superior of the two villages. The Land of Earth, vast and fertile, was far more forgiving than the harsh, mountainous terrain of the Land of Lightning. Coupled with the Iwa shinobi's talent for tunneling deep into the earth, their resources were never in question.
But after this last battle, that certainty was gone.
So when Takeshi landed among them with a sharp shout, the fighting on both sides came to an abrupt halt. Third Raikage frowned as he sized up the black cat before him.
Without another moment's hesitation, he shot forward, four fingers pressed together into a spearhand as he closed the distance at an incredible speed. Encased in his Lightning Release Armor, his defense was nearly impenetrable, but his speed was just as terrifying.
An ordinary shinobi would have been dust before they could even react.
Ay and Killer Bee had already stopped fighting to watch.
'If that's really Konoha's cat,' Ay thought, 'he'll dodge this easily and strike back. If it's an imposter... well, killing him is no great loss.'
Of course, he knew his father. There was a very real possibility the old man had already confirmed the cat's identity and was simply spoiling for a fight. That chance was, in fact, quite high.
"Yo, Raikage's 'bout to get smacked flat! Can't handle the claws of that Konoha's cat!"
Killer Bee was already rapping, gesturing wildly with a mix of excitement and glee.
He barely got the words out before Ay's fist connected with his head.
"Have some respect!" Ay growled. "He's my father! And you don't make up rhymes about Raikage, period!"
Just as he spoke, the flash of lightning that was Raikage collided with the black cat. A blur of motion followed. A single whip-like crack of a tail sent Raikage hurtling through the air. Before he could even reorient himself, the cat swiped a paw, seemingly anticipating his trajectory perfectly. A massive, shadowy tail swelled in size, swinging in a great arc to intercept him.
***BOOM!***
Raikage slammed into the ground, but he was laughing. "Hahahaha! Use that technique of yours! Otherwise, you won't even dream of breaking my defense." He was completely unafraid, grabbing the tail in an attempt to counter.
But just then, the black cat clapped his paws together.
In the next instant, a series of massive torii gates materialized from the sky, crashing down one after another.
***BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!***
With a succession of thunderous impacts, Third Raikage was pinned at the waist, his limbs trapped beneath the immense weight of the gates. The lightning chakra blazing around him flared violently but could not break the restraints.
"Father!"
"Raikage-sama!"
"Told you he'd be put down for the count, no doubt! Now he's squashed by a gate and can't get out!"
Before Bee could finish, another punch from Ay silenced him. The man never learned.
'Life is hard,' Third Raikage thought, struggling for a moment before the futility of it sank in. He craned his neck to look at the gate pinning his hand, his eyes narrowing in recognition. "Is this... Sage Art: Gate of the Great God?"
"Meow." With a flick of his paw, Takeshi dispelled the jutsu.
Raikage stood, rolling his shoulders and shaking out his muscles. His expression was a mixture of awe and regret. "To have missed their era," he said, his voice a low rumble. "To have never witnessed that kind of power firsthand... what a profound loss."
He had been born before Hashirama and Madara had passed, but by the time he became a shinobi, their legends were already fading into myth. And yet, that single jutsu felt like a glimpse of the First Hokage himself.
What a despair-inducing ninjutsu. He stretched his limbs, then surveyed the battlefield. After a moment of silence, he waved his hand.
"We're pulling back."
Ay understood his father's meaning. Konoha had sent an envoy, which meant the battle was truly over. Iwagakure had surrendered. He did not know the details, but there was no reason for Kumogakure to keep fighting. If they pushed their luck, there was no telling which side those old schemers in Konoha would decide to support next. It was best to quit while they were ahead.
"You say Iwagakure has surrendered?" a wounded Iwa jonin demanded, stumbling forward. "Where is your proof?!"
He was clearly unwilling to accept it. "We received orders to hold this line just yesterday! Iwa does not surrender! We are not cowards like Sunagakure!" It was hard to fathom Iwagakure falling in a single day, not with Onoki and the Explosion Corps holding the line.
"Meow. Onoki figured you'd say that, so he gave me this."
Takeshi swiped a paw, pulling a scroll from his inventory space and tossing it over. The battered Iwa shinobi caught it, unrolling it and quickly decoding the cipher within.
A heavy silence fell over the Iwa forces.
They had truly surrendered. It was a peace treaty, and the seal at the bottom pulsed with Onoki's distinct chakra. It was impossible to fake. The village truly intended to negotiate.
"So… the peace talks were a success?"
"Meow?"
Takeshi tilted his head. What had Onoki told his men? Konoha had steamrolled their village, defeated their Kage, and forced their unconditional surrender. How did that translate to "successful peace talks"?
'Have some shame,' he thought with a mental sigh.
"Uh, regardless," the jonin said, "the fighting has indeed stopped."
"What does your truce with Konoha have to do with Kumogakure?" Third Raikage sneered, raising a hand to stop the Iwa-nin from saying anything else foolish. "I think this matter still needs to be discussed. Let's go. I'm going with you to see Onoki."
It was true that Kumo and Konoha were allies, but an alliance did not make them a single entity. They stood against Iwagakure out of mutual interest. A surrender to Konoha did not mean Kumogakure had to back down. They were two separate matters entirely.
"Meow. Let's go."
Takeshi had no objection, he had expected as much. Even after the beating Konoha had given them, Iwagakure's overall strength and recovery rate were still slightly better than Kumogakure's. It was only right to knock Iwa down a peg while giving Kumo a little help.
He placed a paw on Raikage's shoulder. Traveling here, he had to move at their pace, but the return trip would be much faster. He activated the Flying Thunder God.
With a flicker of movement, Takeshi and Third Raikage reappeared beside Minato. Nearby, Tsunade stood watching Onoki, who was slumped against a tree. The moment he arrived, Raikage could tell something was wrong. The Onoki he knew was as stubborn as a mule, he would never lean against a tree like that. And his posture...
'Is he injured?'
"You're a disgraceful sight, Onoki."
"Hmph," Onoki shot back, his mustache bristling. "Don't push your luck, you muscle-bound lout. Even with my back thrown out, I could still turn you to dust."
Bringing Raikage here, of all people. The Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning were neighbors, and their conflicts were as old as their villages. They had never been on good terms.
"With what strength?" Raikage scoffed, holding up his right hand. "I'll even give you a one-hand handicap."
The others watched in silence. Raikage never used two hands to fight anyway; his entire style revolved around his four-fingered Hell Stab and Lightning Release Armor, neither of which required hand seals. The handicap was meaningless, which made the taunt all the more biting.
Onoki was too angry to speak. If his back was not screaming at him, he would have already started a fight. Raikage was strong and fast, but Onoki could fly, and his Dust Release ignored any defense. As long as it hit, it would disintegrate his target from the inside out.
He used to think Third Raikage was fast. But after witnessing the black cat and Minato in action, Raikage's speed seemed almost manageable. At least he could follow his movements. When those two from Konoha got serious, his eyes couldn't keep up at all. One second they were there, the next they were gone.
Thinking of it, Onoki glanced at Minato's impossibly sunny smile and immediately labeled him a first-class schemer. Looking at that face, you would never guess he was the reason his back felt like it was splitting in two.
'Too devious,' he thought. 'None of these Konoha shinobi are honest.'
How were they all trained? Even their cat was a cunning beast. And his own son… Kitsuchi's strength was decent, but he was lacking in other areas. If his heir had half the strategic mind of these Konoha ninja, Onoki wouldn't still be sitting in the Tsuchikage's chair at his age.
No Kage was pure and innocent. Except, perhaps, for Hashirama Senju. He could crush anyone who disagreed with him through sheer overwhelming power, so he never needed to bother with petty tricks. Besides, he had a younger brother who was an expert at them.
Onoki sighed again.
"When a man sighs like that, it means he's getting old, Onoki," Third Raikage taunted. "Just surrender properly. Kumogakure won't let this go so easily."
He and Onoki were contemporaries, their personalities just similar enough that they took every opportunity to mock one another.
"Pah! I could live another thirty years and still be full of vigor," Onoki dismissed, deliberately ignoring the question of reparations for Kumogakure. It was obvious Raikage, knowing Iwa had surrendered, was here to claim his pound of flesh. It was a concession Onoki was loath to make. Unlike with Konoha, he felt he could take on Kumogakure, provided his village had time to recover. In three or four years, Iwa would have no fear of them.
But now… he glanced warily at the Konoha contingent. The black cat, Tsunade, and Minato. None of them were good news. It seemed he wouldn't get out of this without giving something up.
"Cut the crap," Raikage said, stepping forward and felling the tree Onoki was leaning against with a single, casual chop. It was a simple show of force, but…
"Ahhhh!" Onoki clutched his back and cried out in pain. The sudden loss of support had sent a fresh wave of agony through his injury.
Tsunade, standing nearby, seemed lost in thought, her hemophobia conveniently acting up again.
Onoki cursed her and all of Konoha inwardly.
While Tsunade and Takeshi pretended not to see, Raikage looked surprised for a moment, then broke into a wide, predatory grin. So the old goat had injured his back. Excellent. Flying wouldn't be so easy for the shorty in his current state. If he didn't bully him now, when would he get another chance?
Raikage slapped a heavy hand on Onoki's shoulder like they were the best of friends. "Onoki, we've known each other for years. Our villages have had their squabbles. Just surrender."
"Hiss… you bastard, get your hand off me!" Onoki roared through gritted teeth.
"Ahem. Peace is what we all wish for," Minato said, finally stepping in to play the peacemaker. "Please, let's talk things out. Everything can be discussed calmly."
"Fight, fight, fight!" Takeshi chanted from the side, trying to fan the flames. He hoped Raikage would just start beating on Onoki. In his condition, the Tsuchikage would be no match, which meant higher medical fees for Tsunade to charge, fees the cat could split with her fifty-fifty.
Unfortunately, Onoki was no fool. He was stubborn, but he knew when he was beaten. "Fine," he grumbled, his head bowed in defeat. "We'll discuss compensation together later. Iwagakure admits defeat. But don't you push it too far. At worst, we'll all perish together. I believe I still have the strength to-"
He was about to make a final threat when the black cat pointed a single paw into the distance. The crimson torii gates were still standing there, on the verge of collapsing, the carved words "Tomb of the Four-Tails Jinchuriki" faintly visible.
'Sage Art: Gate of the Great God. Can't forget.'
Onoki glared at the cat. Couldn't a man even bluff these days?
"Meow. No empty threats now. Let's all be honest friends here," Takeshi reminded him, the words dripping with sarcasm.
Onoki was too furious to speak. He waved a hand dismissively, signaling he was done talking. Let them do as they pleased. Third Raikage, meanwhile, was delighted, already mentally cataloging everything he could extort from Iwa during the negotiations.
The talks that followed were none of Takeshi's business. Onoki was too heartbroken to say much more, and there was no point in provoking him further. He glanced into the distance and saw that the Gate of the Great God had finally disintegrated into dust.
Time was up.
Roshi, released from his suppression, stood blankly in the wreckage. A moment ago, even his thoughts had been sealed. As he was freed, the memories came rushing back with dizzying force.
He had been utterly dominated.
He let out a guttural roar as molten chakra began to bubble across his skin, his Lava Release.
Just then, the black cat zipped to a nearby treetop and sat, watching him with an unnerving stillness. Roshi sensed his presence and stared back, the jinchuriki and the feline locked in a silent standoff. After a few tense seconds, the lava on his body slowly subsided. He hated to admit it, but he was powerless against that sealing jutsu. Besides, it was clear Iwagakure had already surrendered.
He said nothing, turning and walking quietly toward the other Iwa shinobi.
'How boring,' the cat thought, licking his paw. He had been hoping for a good fight. He had been so focused on Onoki and Han earlier that he hadn't gotten to slap this one around with the same enthusiasm he'd used on Shukaku. If he had another chance, he would have shown this lava-user what real power was. Sage-infused ice could handle molten rock easily enough.
But since the man had backed down, he let it go. There was no need to be persistent; it would make him seem desperate.
Still, he felt a pang of regret. With the war over, making a fortune like this wouldn't be so easy anymore. So, how was he supposed to accumulate power now? Pick fights with the jōnin back in Konoha?
He fell into deep thought.
He really should have just dragged Roshi and Han out for a proper beating when he had the chance.
===============
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