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Arresting a batch of high-ranking officials all at once would cause enormous repercussions, so a justifiable reason was absolutely necessary. The reason wasn't to silence the Anbu, but to gag the mouths of the villagers and everyone else.
"According to the intelligence Mabui sent back, there is a suspected Leaf Village spy among our village's upper echelons. Therefore, I must have all these individuals detained and confined, then gradually interrogate them one by one."
A Leaf Village spy had actually infiltrated the village's high command?! Upon hearing this, the Anbu operatives were collectively stunned. No wonder the Raikage was so furious, summoning all Anbu squads to the Raikage building in the dead of night. This was a monumental crisis. It was unclear how wide the arrest net would be cast. If the scope was too broad, the village's entire upper echelon might be swept up in one fell swoop.
Although it was merely detention and gradual interrogation, such an action would undoubtedly cause a massive uproar. One had to remember that among these high-ranking officials was a figure of such stature that even the Raikage didn't know how to handle him: the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning. That's right, the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning was also within this circle and was among those marked for detainment.
"Lord Raikage, regarding the Daimyo..." An older Anbu squad captain stepped forward. The others were one thing – arrest them if necessary. Once the investigation cleared them, they'd be released. It was all for the village; they would surely understand. But the Daimyo was different. His status was far too sensitive. Let alone arrest, one couldn't even casually lay a hand on him.
"You will handle the others. I will personally go to the Daimyo myself," A declared, having no intention of putting the Anbu in a difficult position. He personally led his Raikage Guard to the Daimyo's residence.
For a time, the entire Cloud Village was shrouded in a shadow of tension. One by one, high-ranking officials were still resting in their homes when the Anbu arrived at their doorsteps, silent as ghosts.
"What is the meaning of this...?"
Fortunately, the Anbu still exercised restraint. They didn't simply seize anyone without a word, but first roused the individuals. Facing their confused and bewildered stares, the Anbu operatives proactively explained, "My lord, by order of the Raikage, we are apprehending individuals suspected of espionage. We ask that you not make this difficult for us. Please, come with us."
Espionage?! You've got to be joking! In all my decades of life, I've never encountered anything like this. Those who had reached such positions were all advanced in years, shrewd and perceptive individuals. Seeing the Anbu's grave demeanor, they knew this was no jest. They also understood the grave implications. If a spy truly existed, the trouble would be immense. "Please, allow me a moment to dress. I will accompany you immediately."
And so, one after another, the higher-ups were escorted to the Anbu headquarters, awaiting the Raikage's return.
A, the leader of the Cloud Village, arrived at the Daimyo's residence. The Raikage visiting in the middle of the night – the surrounding guards dared not obstruct him. They could only rouse the Daimyo in advance, and A made no move to stop them. The Raikage himself had come. Could the war situation have taken a turn?
The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning jolted awake, his drowsiness vanishing entirely. He immediately pushed aside the beauty who had been clinging to him like an octopus, dismissed the maidservants who rushed to help him dress, threw on his clothes in a flurry, and hurried out.
"Please, Lord Daimyo, accompany me," A said, offering no explanation and simply clearing a path. The Daimyo paused, nodded, and departed with A for the Anbu headquarters. A multitude of questions swirled in his mind, but the Daimyo refrained from voicing them. The two walked in silence. It was only halfway there that A finally offered an explanation.
"Mabui was dispatched to the Leaf Village under orders. The village sought to obtain intelligence regarding Tailed Beasts and Jinchuriki." He then handed the Daimyo the scroll Mabui had sent back. Upon opening it, the Daimyo immediately cursed.
"What is the Leaf Village trying to do?! Provoke conflict between our two villages?! How many people were privy to the intelligence on Killer Bee?!" It was clear the Daimyo was also panicked. A Leaf spy among the upper echelons – was this a laughing matter?!
Investigate! Investigate every single one! This person must be rooted out!
"Everyone who was aware has already been invited to the Anbu headquarters. Next, everyone will undergo scrutiny. I ask for the Daimyo's forgiveness for the difficult position this places me in." When dealing with the Daimyo, absolute candor was necessary. Everyone was under suspicion; therefore, everyone had to be investigated. There could be no hiding or covering up.
Otherwise, the Daimyo might suspect that he, the Raikage, was orchestrating something nefarious. As expected, the Daimyo decisively chose to support A.
"I stand on the village's side. I hope you will notify everyone of this investigation, so they are mentally prepared. Secondly, we should agree to the Leaf Village's terms. Since Kazuki dared to propose such conditions, it means they are already prepared to sacrifice this spy. The repercussions of this affair are immense, far exceeding the value of a single Raikage's secretary. Raikage, do you understand my meaning?"
At a time like this, a Raikage's secretary was nothing. Even if she was privy to many of the village's secrets, her value could not compare to that of a spy embedded in the upper echelons. Kazuki liked beautiful women, didn't he? Give her to him then. It just depended on whether he dared to accept. The fear wasn't that Kazuki liked beautiful women; it was that he wouldn't dare to take them! If he dared to accept, they dared to give.
A's brow furrowed slightly, but quickly smoothed over. His own thoughts aligned closely with the Daimyo's words. There were many capable candidates for the position of secretary. The value of one Raikage's secretary truly couldn't match that of a spy lurking within the high-ranking circles. If such a spy wasn't rooted out, the Cloud Village would have to live in constant fear of its classified secrets being leaked. As for the intelligence Mabui possessed – that was already beyond their control. It simply depended on whether she would proactively divulge it to the Leaf Village. Furthermore, the village would implement corresponding countermeasures to prevent the Leaf from extracting information from Mabui.
At the Anbu headquarters, all the suspected individuals had been assembled. The process had been remarkably smooth. The order was for arrest, but in reality, no one resisted. In fact, they all proactively accompanied the Anbu. As village higher-ups, everyone considered the village's interests. They understood the terrifying implications of a spy in their midst, and thus, all displayed utmost cooperation.
Currently, the higher-ups were seated in a slightly larger conference room. A entered with the Daimyo. He glanced at the Anbu squad captain standing by the door, who regretfully signaled that no leads had been found. The arrests themselves were also a form of probe. Flushing out the hidden spy would have been ideal. If not, they would have to investigate step by step. Regrettably, everyone appeared clean and was fully cooperative. Even the Anbu, most skilled at counter-espionage, couldn't distinguish who was the spy and who was innocent. It was fortunate the Cloud Village was handling this discreetly. If word got out, it would be a source of immense ridicule. At the very least, Kazuki would certainly laugh himself to death.