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Just two months after Ape Fly Shinno took over the defense of the Land of Fire's border with the Land of Lightning, the defense on the Land of Water side was also handed over to someone else. The hard-earned achievements of the past few years were snatched away, and the Three Ninja, Orochimaru, was ordered to return to the village.
When this news spread, countless ninja on the front lines frowned in secret, thinking it was a bit overboard. After all, Cold Orochimaru was still a hero of Konoha.
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Land of Lightning, Hidden Cloud Village.
In the Raikage's office, the relatively young Fourth Raikage, A, looked at the incoming intelligence and frowned deeply on his rugged face.
"Orochimaru is being recalled to the village? The front lines are now under Ape Fly Shinno, the Uchiha Clan, and the Hyuga Clan? What is Konoha up to? This is simply not taking us seriously at all!"
Just when he had started to ease up a bit on the front lines, Konoha was pushing their luck. Wasn't this indirectly saying that they weren't afraid of a change in leadership? The Fourth Raikage, A, stared with large, angry eyes.
In the office, the mature-looking Tsuchikage saw the irritable Raikage and shook his head with a bitter smile. "Lord Raikage, although Konoha suffered losses with the Fourth Hokage and some elite ninja during the Nine-Tails Incident, their strength is still formidable. Perhaps there is another piece of intelligence more worthy of our attention regarding this front-line report."
The Tsuchikage, a jonin of Hidden Cloud Village, was a courtier to successive Raikages and the reviewer of the Lightning Plow Hot Knife. In his youth, he was deeply trusted by the Third Raikage and possessed the Lava Release bloodline limit. (Naruto's "Rubber Uncle")
The Tsuchikage handed over a specially retrieved intelligence report, his expression becoming even more serious.
The Fourth Raikage, A, opened the scroll with displeasure. When he saw the intelligence inside, his brows immediately shot up, especially when he noticed the date at the end. A serious look flashed in his rugged eyes.
"Tsuchikage, you received intelligence about Ape Fly Shinno coming to the front lines two months ago?"
The intelligence itself wasn't problematic, but the key issue was the timeline. Two months ago, no one knew that Ape Fly Shinno would take command of the border.
This was the biggest problem! The Fourth Raikage, A, looked grave, and the Tsuchikage nodded solemnly. "The timing is correct, but the person who sent the intelligence doesn't seem to be one of ours."
"Although it was transmitted through one of our spy networks, this spy has already been captured by Konoha, and we had abandoned this line. We didn't expect someone to suddenly send information through it again."
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Raikage, A, looked even more serious. "Tsuchikage, elevate the priority of this intelligence and monitor it closely. We must also be cautious."
Being veterans of the ninja world, they had seen many such situations. The Tsuchikage nodded solemnly in agreement.
"Lord Raikage, there are only three possibilities for this intelligence line. One, our person hasn't been exposed, but the probability of this is very low. Two, someone in Konoha is dissatisfied with the current leadership or is too greedy, so they are selling out their village's interests. Three, this could very well be a setup by Konoha."
Captured spies being used to transmit false intelligence was a common occurrence. Some even used these intelligence lines to send important information first, to prove their betrayal, often in exchange for money or other rewards.
Others might even set up a larger scheme, using real intelligence to sacrifice some of their own interests in exchange for greater gains, revealing their true intentions at the last moment.
"Lord Raikage, their goal is clear. They are now exchanging intelligence for gold and some precious herbs."
The Tsuchikage mentioned the items the Konoha operative was demanding, and the Fourth Raikage, A, sneered. "Give it to them! The identity of the person who can transmit this message isn't low. As long as the intelligence is accurate, we will provide it."
"Yes!"
Ninja always prioritize intelligence. Regardless of whether this person was genuine or not, they had value for now. A small amount of supplies was nothing unusual. If they didn't want anything, he would be suspicious.
They would also have a dedicated department to verify the authenticity of the intelligence, so they wouldn't be easily deceived. It would come down to the skills of both sides.
However, this time, the Hidden Cloud Village would miscalculate. After expending countless efforts, they would find that everything was for nothing because the information they received was entirely true, with no falsification.
"Tsuchikage, order the front lines to prepare for another probing harassment to see what Konoha is up to."
"Yes!" The more experienced Tsuchikage, hearing this, did not hesitate. Instead, he admired his Raikage's decisive and cautious approach. This was the character a Kage should have—bold but never reckless, rough but meticulous.
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Land of Water, Hidden Mist Village.
In a dark space, Kabuto Yakushi's sharp teeth slowly bared, and his eyes gleamed with interest as he looked at the intelligence in his hand. He grinned bloodthirstily. "Heh, it seems there are many like-minded individuals in the ninja world."
Selling out one's village for personal gain was not uncommon. Just like him, he had also secretly betrayed some of the village's interests.
"Heh, this appetite is quite large, demanding so many precious herbs and gold. But I will satisfy you. I hope you, this little rat, don't play any tricks."
As for the possibility of a setup, that was a joke to Kabuto Yakushi. With such a significant event in Konoha, the village had already decided to launch a probing war, limited to small-scale conflicts.
The Hidden Mist Village never cared about these sacrifices; they only cared about the benefits.
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Land of Earth, Hidden Stone Village.
In the towering office of the Third Tsuchikage, the small-statured Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, was not yet the white-haired, bearded old man he would become during the Fourth Shinobi World War. At this moment, he was clearly still full of energy. Looking at the intelligence that needed to be upgraded, the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, frowned and looked serious.
"Another selfish person selling out their village's interests? Or another self-staged trick?"
Muttering to himself, the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, who had experienced three ninja world wars, was full of wisdom. When he saw the demands at the end of the intelligence, his brows immediately shot up.
"What a big appetite, but it's not impossible. As long as the intelligence is accurate, it's worth it."
Muttering to himself, the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, placed the intelligence on the table and stamped it with an S-rank seal. "Order the intelligence department to monitor this closely. When dealing with major intelligence, conduct thorough analysis. As for the gold and herbs they are demanding, provide them as long as they don't exceed the value of the intelligence."
Having finally discovered a high-ranking traitor within Konoha, he naturally wanted to capitalize on it. Of course, it could also be a trick by Danzo, the shadowy figure in Konoha. However, this was a common tactic used by all nations, and it came down to who had the superior skills and strategic acumen.
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(End of Chapter)