On the ship.
Kojin Shun let out a long sigh of relief. He looked towards the Konoha ninjas' cabins, but his heart still couldn't calm down.
That battle just now...
As an ordinary person, he naturally couldn't understand it, but even in the Land of Snow, he had heard the names A and Killer B of the Cloud Village. The former was the next-generation successor of the Cloud Village!
And the result?
Konoha dispatched a single clone, which directly took down the opponent and even captured Killer B... It was unthinkable!
"Has the Konoha of today really reached such a level of strength?" he muttered to himself.
Beside him, someone said in a low voice, "Captain."
"Hm? What is it? Do the great ones from Konoha have any needs?"
"Not that, it's just, should we..."
"Don't!" Kojin Shun immediately waved his hand in refusal.
He took a deep breath and said, "Konoha has sufficient strength. We can sail forward with confidence. If we encounter ninja from the Hidden Stone, they will surely help us solve the problem."
"Yes!"
"Oh, and send some fruit over to them," Kojin Shun instructed seriously.
During a voyage, fruit was one of the most precious foods. He remembered that there seemed to be someone in the squad who got seasick, which was why he gave the special order. Otherwise, saving some to take back to the Land of Snow would fetch a heavenly price!
Right now, however, he couldn't afford to be stingy. If he kept trying to save money, he might not even make it to the Land of Snow.
***
Inside the cabin.
Kyohiko wrote down the situation on a piece of wood he created, then sent it back to Konoha via the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Only then did he turn to look at Killer B, encased in amber.
"Shikaku-senpai, what do you think?"
"The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. The way he transformed into the Eight-Tails before shows that he has undoubtedly mastered the ability of perfect Tailed Beast transformation. This is a huge threat to our village. Also..." Nara Shikaku pondered for a moment, then said, "I think we need to lock up the Jinchuriki in Konoha."
"But, wouldn't that cause a conflict with the Cloud Village?" Yūhi Kurenai asked in a small voice.
Shikaku shook his head. "Whether we capture him or not, they will come into conflict with us. Because we are getting stronger and stronger, while their rate of progress is far behind ours, and they are even regressing."
With one side waxing and the other waning, how could the Cloud and Stone Villages not be afraid? According to his speculation, there was bound to be an all-out war between the five great ninja villages, a war that would only end when Konoha achieved a status similar to what it had in the era of Senju Hashirama.
But, the previous war had caused some changes to the ninja world's structure—the Sand Village was completely crippled! The deaths of elites like the Third Kazekage, Chiyo, and Ebizō meant the Sand Village had lost the ability to participate in a war.
Now, the five great ninja villages were in reality divided into three strong villages and two weaker ones. The gap between the top three and the bottom two was immense.
And among the top three... Konoha was, without a doubt, the undisputed number one.
Just as Shikaku finished speaking, Kyohiko raised his hand. After a few seconds, the sound of footsteps gradually approached from outside. Kurenai, who was by the door, thanked the other party, then walked in with a plate of fruit.
Kurenai smiled and said, "Captain Kojin was probably worried about Gai, so he had someone send over some fruit."
"Letting Gai sleep is the best help for him," Kyohiko couldn't help but laugh. Then, he continued to maintain the barrier, isolating the sound as much as possible.
"Shikaku-senpai, if the plan goes smoothly, I will share the mission profits from the Land of Snow with the Sand Village. That will drag the Sand Village into the mire and bind them further to us!"
"Do you think it will work?"
The Land of Snow had thick snow, but because of that, it also had abundant mineral resources. Kazahana Sosetsu had, of course, sent people to mine them. But, firstly, Kazahana Sosetsu couldn't possibly do everything himself. Most of the profits from these industries were seized by Kazahana Dotō and the nobles who sided with him. Otherwise, Kazahana Dotō wouldn't have had the money to hire ninja and research chakra armor.
Secondly, in the Land of Snow, the efficiency of ordinary people mining was too low. A team of ninja would definitely be more professional! If the two sides reached a cooperation, the Land of Snow had no reason to refuse, and the Sand Village was even less likely to refuse.
The only things to worry about were—whether the Land of Earth would sabotage them, and whether the Sand Village would betray them.
Shikaku was also thinking about these two points. "There's no need to worry about the Sand Village. Even Rasa's threat to us is actually very limited."
Having mastered Magnet Release, Konoha had the means to counter both Magnet Release ninjutsu and puppet techniques. They had no fear of the Sand Village's attacks in a frontal assault. Sand ninja had no advantage against them.
But the Hidden Stone...
"On Ōnoki's side, we'll apply pressure!" Shikaku followed Kyohiko's train of thought and quickly came up with a countermeasure.
Jiraiya had been active in the northern region, his purpose being to deter the Hidden Stone. With the Flying Thunder Formation Technique, their ninja could quickly reinforce another battlefield. This was an ability that other ninja villages absolutely did not possess.
"Mhm, we probably don't need to write the application just yet. We can wait until we've made some progress in the Land of Snow," Kyohiko said.
***
Konoha, Hokage's Office.
Tsunade leaned against her desk, her thoughts wandering, feeling listless.
"Shizune, are you done yet? Let's get off work!"
"Tsunade-sama!"
"Sigh, it's so boring. I feel like every day I wake up, I have to approve the village's documents, and moreover..."
As Tsunade was speaking, she suddenly paused. She looked at the document in her hand. "Shizune, why has our spending on the orphanage decreased?"
"Oh, Nonō-senpai and Mami-senpai said that many of the children are now able to support themselves. Kabuto, for example, is earning extra money at the Konoha Hospital, so they don't need as much funding," Shizune replied.
Tsunade breathed a sigh of relief and nodded gently. Then she said, "Keep the funding the same as before. Tell Nonō she doesn't need to be too frugal. The reduction in basic expenses can be used to expand the orphanage."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but think of the three children from the Hidden Rain Village back then... There were many children in the outside world who could only survive by picking through trash.
Tsunade sighed. "We can't take care of too large an area, but in the surrounding regions, we can go and see if there are any orphans..."
"Yes!" Shizune took the document, preparing to leave.
Tsunade immediately stopped her. "Wait!"
"Hm?" Shizune turned back.
Tsunade beckoned. "Give it to me. I'll just have a shadow clone make a trip. You go to the hospital and train. I can handle the documents here by myself." She smiled and said, "With Kyohiko away recently, there's a lot less paperwork in the village."
"Pfft!" Shizune couldn't help but let out a laugh. It wasn't that Kakashi was cleaner with his paperwork, but that Kyohiko had too many wild ideas, and there was always a ton of things happening when he was in the village.
"Well then, I'll head to the hospital."
"Mhm. Kurenai isn't here, so you should mentor the newcomer, Yakushi Kabuto, a bit more."
"Yes!" It was only then that Shizune remembered. With Kurenai gone, Kabuto was now basically being mentored by Rin or the medical team. She immediately set off for the hospital.
Not long after, Namikaze Minato appeared with a flicker.
"Minato?"
"Hokage-sama, there's an important situation from Kyohiko's side." Namikaze Minato's face was a little grave.
Tsunade immediately had a bad feeling. She rubbed her brow and said, "Don't tell me they got into a conflict with the Cloud Village?"
"Uh, you guessed right," Minato said with a dry laugh, handing her the scroll.
Tsunade took it and sighed. "It's not that I'm a good guesser. I just understand the temperaments and abilities of the Cloud Village and Kyohiko well enough. When those two sides meet, something will happen even if there's nothing."
She opened the scroll, and her expression gradually grew serious. Tsunade had expected it to be a big deal. But she never expected Kyohiko to make it this big!
Capturing the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer B...
The conflict between the Cloud Village and Konoha had been torn wide open. But this incident really wasn't a trap set by Kyohiko. Shikaku had warned them repeatedly, but A was still determined to capture him.
"The Cloud Village's attitude... without a doubt, they have already formed an alliance with at least one other party..."
Namikaze Minato looked at the map on the side. "The probability of the Hidden Stone is higher!"
"It could also be three villages," Tsunade said, pointing at the three on top. Earth, Lightning, and Water.
Minato recalled the intelligence and then frowned. "Have they joined forces with Madara?"
He reacted extremely quickly. The Hidden Mist was currently being controlled by Madara, but in terms of strength, it was a step below the Hidden Stone and Cloud. Moreover, the three had no deep connections before. A sudden alliance was definitely related to Madara.
Tsunade nodded, then couldn't help but study Minato closely. Minato didn't have much intelligence, yet he could deduce all this from just a few words. His wisdom and ability were evident...
She couldn't help but say, "Minato, you need to be more active these years, too. Are you interested in leading a team?"
"Leading a team?" Minato thought for a moment, then shook his head. "In the short term, I have no plans to lead a team. The Nine-Tails alone is enough to handle. I can't rest easy leaving just Kushina and it behind if I lead a team."
Speaking of which, he looked outside. "Besides, the current Konoha also needs someone to guard it."
Kyohiko was strong. But Kyohiko had more ideas. In the grand scheme of things, Minato admitted he was not Kyohiko's equal. Rather than the two competing, it was better for him to take a step back.
Cooperation was the only way to have a future!
Minato didn't say it explicitly, but Tsunade had already seen through his thoughts. She let out a long sigh. Her heart was heavy.
Minato, Kyohiko, both were top-tier geniuses that were hard to come by in a generation, yet they were born in the same era... Although it was Konoha's good fortune, in a way, it was also their personal misfortune.
She sighed. "Minato..."
"You don't need to worry. I really like my life now. Konoha is getting better and better, everyone can live happy and fulfilling lives, and as for war..." Namikaze Minato's eyes were firm. "With us here, war will not affect everyone in the village!"
Initially, his dream was to become Hokage. Later, he wanted to bring peace to the ninja world. And now... Minato found that both were extremely difficult. The position of Hokage had Tsunade before him and Kyohiko after. His chances were really not high. As for peace in the ninja world... right now, his goal was to bring peace to Konoha. To protect everyone in Konoha and the Land of Fire.
The ninja world... was too big, with too many people.
Minato sighed with some confusion.
Tsunade glanced at him and smiled. "What are you sighing for? You're a smart man. You should know that neither Hokage nor peace is that easy to achieve. Even Kyohiko..." She paused. "Even for him, is his so-called unification of the ninja world necessarily the right thing to do?"
"If you don't do it, how would you know if it's right or wrong?" Tsunade's tone was serious.
Minato was stunned.
"Look at Jiraiya. He listens to the reasoning Kyohiko gives, but he still wants to go see and verify it for himself. He's been running around and observing in the north all this time," Tsunade said, leaning back in her chair, her tone serious.
Minato's talent and thinking were very strong. She didn't want to see him spend his life in confusion.
Namikaze Minato thought for a moment and said, "I'll think about it carefully."
"Oh, right, this..." He pointed at the scroll.
"The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki is too important. Let Kyohiko watch him for now. Sending him back directly could easily cause unnecessary variables." Tsunade had already made her decision.
Then, she smiled. "Tell Kyohiko, if it really comes down to it, try to extract a portion of the Eight-Tails, then send a part of the Jinchuriki back."
Minato's eyes lit up.
Indeed! Although the Eight-Tails was not as strong as the Nine-Tails, it was still a very fearsome existence among the nine Tailed Beasts. If most of its power was extracted... even if Killer B returned, it would be a huge loss for the Cloud Village.
And it just so happened that Kyohiko had such an ability!
A slight smile appeared on Minato's lips. "In that case, I know how to reply."
Then, he said his farewells and left via Flying Thunder God.
***
Land of Lightning. When the Third Raikage received the news that Killer B had been captured, he was completely stunned.
Who had such strength?
But when he opened the scroll and carefully read the message sent from there, his temper vanished.
Ryoho Kyohiko! It was this person again. And what was more outrageous, this time it was just Ryoho Kyohiko's wood clone...
"A single wood clone possessing such powerful strength, it's truly incredible!" The Third Raikage took a deep breath.
He looked at his assistant beside him. "Send me to the front-line base. I want to speak with them directly!"
"But..." The assistant beside him was dumbfounded. Although they had mastered the Heavenly Transfer Technique, they had only been training for two or three years and weren't very proficient. They couldn't transport living beings at all. Although the Raikage could survive the Heavenly Transfer Technique unharmed, this was the first time they had attempted such a long-distance teleportation.
"No nonsense!" The Third Raikage could barely suppress his temper.
Killer B. He was A's right-hand man, and a powerful trump card for their Cloud Village. Now that he had been captured by Kyohiko, how could he be willing to accept it? The key was... according to the scroll, Konoha seemed to be in the right this time...
He didn't care about who was right or wrong. But he had to consider Kyohiko's strength. A single wood clone could defeat the current A and Killer B. The war with Konoha would have to be reconsidered.
After the Heavenly Transfer Technique, he instantly arrived at an island in the Land of Lightning. When he emerged from the spatial passage, his skin was split open, and blood was seeping out. Those few's Heavenly Transfer Technique was indeed immature. Even the Third Raikage had a rough time during the teleportation. If not for his powerful body, he wouldn't have survived.
After arriving, the Raikage immediately shouted, "Where is everyone?!"
The next second, A quickly appeared before him.
Bang!
With one punch, A was sent crashing into the ground.
The Raikage was furious. "Didn't I tell you to be careful? Why are you still so reckless?"
"I'm sorry, Father!" A climbed up. He hadn't used his Lightning Release Armor to block. Because at this moment, A's heart was filled with regret and guilt.
The Third Raikage was so angry he could barely breathe and almost punched him again. Fortunately, seeing the injuries on A's body, he managed to suppress his anger.
"What 'father'? Address me by my title!"
"Yes, Raikage-sama!" A climbed up, his body half-covered in bloodstains. His wounds had opened up again!
"What on earth happened? Explain everything from beginning to end!"
"Yes!" A quickly described the entire process.
After listening, the Third Raikage let out a breath of relief.
So it was a sneak attack! He knew it. No matter how strong Ryoho Kyohiko was, it was impossible for him to defeat both A and Killer B at the same time.
Attacking from the shadows, first sending A flying, then taking advantage of Killer B's unfamiliarity with the Flying Thunder God to teleport the Tailed Beast Bomb away. The tactic was very clever! But if they had known the full intelligence beforehand, they might not have suffered such a crushing defeat.