The Cloud ninjas thought they knew Ye Zi well, or at least, they believed they did.
When comparing Ye Zi to the Third Raikage, the entire Cloud Village was unanimous in their belief that the Raikage would utterly defeat Ye Zi. Some even thought it would be an overwhelming victory. But after witnessing their brief exchange, many of them felt an uncomfortable sting on their faces, as if reality had slapped them.
Despite this, they still firmly believed in the Third Raikage's eventual triumph. However, they had also gained a clearer understanding of Ye Zi's strength.
In the ninja world, the number of truly top-tier combatants could be counted on one hand, and Ye Zi was now one of them.
With their forces divided into specialized units, the Cloud Village mobilized four-fifths of its military strength, forming multiple battalions and heading toward Unraikyō.
Dodai remained behind to oversee the village's defense. He knew that the Third Raikage had set his mind on eliminating Ye Zi at all costs. Nearly the entire strength of the village had been deployed to ensure that Ye Zi had no chance of escape.
Ye Zi had once escaped from Konoha despite being surrounded by overwhelming forces. The Third Raikage had no intention of suffering the same humiliation.
"Fortunately, we have the intelligence from Konoha. This time, Ye Zi won't escape. Though… Yugito is most likely lost to us," Dodai muttered as he watched the vast army march toward The Valley of Clouds and Lightning, his expression grim.
Since the sensory unit had failed to track White Zetsu, and Ye Zi was still within reach, the Third Raikage's decision to prioritize Ye Zi meant that they had already given up on recovering Yugito.
It wasn't an act of heartlessness, it was a calculated decision between two priorities.
Dodai was one of the few who had read Konoha's reports on Ye Zi. Compared to most of the Cloud ninja, who held unwavering faith in the Third Raikage, he had a far clearer understanding of Ye Zi's abilities. And after tonight's battle, even if the reports had been exaggerated, they didn't seem far from the truth.
With his ability to merge into objects at will, Ye Zi could not be given even the slightest chance to escape. The only way to prevent it was a tightly woven net of encirclement.
Turning his gaze away from Unraikyō, Dodai led a team of elite ninjas and, using the Body Flicker Technique, appeared before the Ino-Shika-Chō trio. He extended his arm toward the residential district, fingers straight and together, and said flatly, "This way, please."
The meaning was clear, they had seen enough. It was time for them to return and rest.
Shikaku remained silent. For a brief moment, he had the urge to intervene in this battle. With the intelligence he had, if he could just gather some insight into the Cloud Village's high-level combat forces, he might be able to use their strength strategically. Perhaps it would be possible to trap Ye Zi in Unraikyō permanently.
This wasn't out of arrogance toward the Cloud ninjas' command, it was simply his expertise. If he were in charge, he believed he could do it better.
"Do you need our assistance?" Shikaku tapped his temple with his index finger. Since the thought had crossed his mind, he wanted to see if the Cloud ninjas would accept it.
Inoichi and Chōza were momentarily surprised by Shikaku's words, but they remained silent. Whatever decision Shikaku made, they would support him fully.
Dodai maintained his stance, pointing the way for the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, and responded indifferently, "The Cloud Village isn't weak enough to need help from outsiders."
Despite their past conflicts, Dodai had a general understanding of Shikaku's intelligence. Simply put, he knew the man was a strategic genius.
Thinking ahead, whether or not they succeeded in killing Ye Zi tonight, it was clear that the Cloud Village would now agree to Konoha's proposed alliance.
"It looks like this trip won't be for nothing," Dodai said coolly.
The Cloud Village and the Hidden Rain had maintained a cooperative relationship in secret. But the moment Ye Zi attacked the Cloud Village, whatever goodwill had been built up instantly turned to dust. Coincidentally, this aligned perfectly with Konoha's proposal for an alliance.
Shikaku didn't respond. Instead, he and his teammates turned and silently walked toward the residential district.
Indeed this mission wouldn't be fruitless, the alliance was now all but secured. The next step was for the Five Great Shinobi Villages to unite and eliminate the Hidden Rain Village. The captured Tailed Beasts would then be redistributed among them. If the Cloud Village managed to kill Ye Zi tonight, that would be even better.
"The odds are high. After all, they've mobilized nearly their entire village," Shikaku thought to himself.
The Cloud Village had committed almost everything, but not entirely. The number of ninjas marching toward Unraikyō was close to ten thousand.
And the weakest among them were all chūnin level.
With such a force, Ye Zi wouldn't escape easily.
Holding onto this expectation, the Ino-Shika-Chō trio returned to their quarters, waiting for the Cloud Village to bring back good news.
Meanwhile, a near ten-thousand-strong Cloud ninja army, composed of chūnin and jōnin, was marching toward Unraikyō.
But Ye Zi had already arrived.
.....
The Valley of Clouds and Lightning
Surrounded by towering mountains, the area below was almost entirely water. At its center lay a massive platform, with smaller island-like landmasses scattered throughout. However, the dominant terrain was aquatic.
These waters flowed inland from the outer sea, merging with the mountainous terrain to create a unique landscape, this was The Valley of Clouds and Lightning.
Upon reaching the peak of the outer cliffs, Ye Zi was immediately noticed by the Cloud ninjas guarding Killer Bee.
"Who's there?"
The question rang out before the figures even arrived.
Three Cloud ninjas, each near jōnin level, rushed toward Ye Zi at high speed.
But before they could even process what was happening, Ye Zi cut them down in an instant.
"Only three?"
Ye Zi expanded his sensory perception. Aside from the three fresh corpses, there was only one remaining presence.
It was inside a house built into the mountainside.
Below, a large platform stretched across the water. A stone staircase with over a hundred steps led from the platform to an archway, atop which a plaque displayed three words: The Valley of Clouds and Lightning.
On either side of the archway stood a pair of lizard statues, their long tails stretching from the edges of the staircase all the way to the base. Beyond the archway was a house, the residence of the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki.
At this moment, Killer Bee was sound asleep, completely unaware of Ye Zi's arrival or that the three Cloud ninjas assigned to keep him from wandering had already fallen to Ye Zi's blade.
"Yo! The great Killer Bee is lonely, can't you see?"
Even in his dreams, Killer Bee suddenly raised both hands, striking a flashy pose.
Inside the sealed space, Gyūki sighed and covered its forehead in exasperation. Even in his sleep, he can't stop making up rhymes?
Ye Zi leaped down from the mountain peak, landing gracefully on the platform below. His gaze immediately locked onto the staircase leading up.
The moment his feet touched the platform, Gyūki sensed danger and immediately jolted Killer Bee awake.
Despite being woken up mid-sleep, Killer Bee defied all logic—instantly wide awake and full of energy.
"Hmm? Already noticed me?" Ye Zi's gaze flickered slightly.
A figure carrying seven thin swords strapped to his back suddenly leaped out from the house, descending the hundred steps in a single bound before landing in front of Ye Zi, it was Killer Bee, fully roused by Gyūki's warning.
With one hand, he pulled out a small notebook and pen. Flipping it open, he immediately began writing.
"The night explodes with a bang! The great Killer Bee makes a grand entrance—yo!"
As he scribbled the line down, he chanted it aloud, his head bobbing to the beat, completely devoid of any signs of grogginess from just waking up.
"No, no, that ain't right."
Frowning, Killer Bee struck through the words "explodes with a bang", tapping his chin thoughtfully. He pondered over what words would flow better with the rhythm.
While he was still absorbed in his lyrical revision, Ye Zi suddenly moved, his blade slicing toward Killer Bee.
"Whoa!"
Killer Bee reacted swiftly, dodging backward just in time to avoid the strike. However, his precious notebook wasn't so lucky, Ye Zi's sword grazed it, and the sharp lightning-coated blade effortlessly sliced it in two.
As the remains of his notebook fluttered to the ground, Killer Bee froze in place, staring in shock.
That notebook had contained countless meticulously crafted rhymes, his life's work of rap compositions. And now, it was ruined.
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Currently on Chapter 555 - The Set Plan