But this didn't include Torifu. At this moment, a burning sensation emanated from his arm; this was Kakuzu summoning him. Torifu's consciousness entered the puppet, and he emerged from the mark on Kakuzu's arm. He looked around; it was pitch black, with only a dying campfire burning.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Kakuzu's voice was low. "A war broke out on the border of the Land of Fire. The Second Raikage is dead. You should know about this, right?"
Torifu smiled. "Of course. I even participated."
This statement surprised Kakuzu a bit. The news from the outside world only mentioned Hashirama and Tobirama. It seemed Konohagakure had deliberately concealed something.
"You didn't wake me up in the middle of the night just for this, did you?"
Kakuzu shook his head. "Of course not. I just got some information, but it's not confirmed."
"Gossip? Let's hear it."
"I heard from the criminal underworld in the Land of Lightning that the Third Raikage has already taken office. He's the Second's son."
Torifu nodded. This wasn't even information, anyone could have figured that out. Among all the Raikage of the Land of Lightning, the Third Raikage was the most powerful, and he was currently in his prime.
Kakuzu continued, "The word on the street is that the Third Raikage has no intention of coming to Konohagakure to apologize or pay reparations. He's even starting to spread rumors in the ninja world, claiming Konohagakure started the war."
Torifu, upon hearing this, didn't know whether the Third Raikage was stupid or what. He had just praised him for nothing. The entire ninja world already knew the full story. Was it a bit too late to start a crisis public relations campaign now? He could only wish him luck. And he didn't want to come to Konohagakure to apologize? Spreading rumors was one thing, but he wanted to gloss over the apology?
"The authenticity of the information is still to be verified, but it's about fifty percent true and fifty percent false."
Torifu nodded. That's pretty much a fifty-fifty chance. It was so... spiritual.
"Alright, I understand. You even managed to get this information. Did you specifically go to the Land of Lightning?"
Kakuzu quickly denied it. "Not exactly. It's just that the recent workload has been a bit heavy, and I wanted to see if there were any suitable partners to join up with."
Over the years, Kakuzu's personality has changed a lot since following Torifu. Although he still appeared gloomy on the surface, their conversations had become very light and enjoyable.
"Alright, alright. I don't know how you came up with that excuse; I haven't even had you do anything lately."
It was dark now, and Torifu was too lazy to argue with him. After confirming there was nothing else, Torifu had the puppet return to the mark on his arm. As for the Third Raikage matter, he felt it was necessary to tell Tobirama and let him decide what to do. Regardless, since the rumor was already circulating in the ninja world, it meant the Third Raikage had the intention to shirk their responsibility in war.
Early the next morning, Torifu eagerly ran to the Hokage Tower. He was in such a hurry that he forgot to use his Chakra Concealment Technique. Luckily, there weren't many people in the morning, which saved him from a traffic jam.
"What has you in such a rush? You're here first thing in the morning."
Torifu stood in the office and steadied his breath, then told Tobirama everything Kakuzu had told him yesterday. As for the source of the information, Torifu just casually said that it was gossip. But Tobirama teased him. "Alright, kid. You have your own subordinates now."
Torifu pretended not to understand. "Lord, I don't know what you're talking about. You should focus on how to deal with this matter."
But Tobirama didn't follow Torifu's lead. "Alright, kid, I won't pry into your business, but you have to learn to judge. Just don't pose a threat to the village." Tobirama then continued, "I've also heard about this Third Raikage matter. This shows that the news has already spread in the ninja world, and they definitely don't plan on coming."
"So what do we do? We can't just let him get away with it, can we? He only lost his father and thirty thousand ninja! We spent half a day's effort!"
Torifu's words left Tobirama speechless for a moment. He had thought he was ruthless enough, but he didn't expect this kid to be even more so.
"Beheading!"
Upon hearing these words, Torifu's body trembled!
"You mean..."
Tobirama smiled. "Konohagakure is not a place anyone can step on. He started a war and still thinks he can get away without paying the price? No such luck."
Torifu scratched his head. "Will my Sensei agree?"
"Why do you care what he thinks? Is he the Hokage or am I the Hokage? At best, he's just an old man babysitting kids now. His words carry no weight in front of me."
Wow! Such a bold statement. He wondered who was the one who was too scared to say a word and could only flatter his older brother when he was lectured? Now that the war was over, he was suddenly feeling tough.
There was no other way. To protect the dignity of the elderly, Torifu could only nod. "Yes, Sensei is no match for you! You are the Hokage! How can a firefly compete with a bright moon!"
The flattery Torifu showered on him was so much that it made Tobirama feel a little uncomfortable. The more he listened, the more uneasy he felt. This kid would say anything! Wasn't he afraid his teacher would beat him up?
Luckily, after a moment, Torifu returned to the main topic.
"Then, who is the right person for this beheading mission?"
Torifu saw that Tobirama was staring intently at him and immediately understood everything. Good heavens, he had been a thousand times against him going to the battlefield before, and now he was asking him to behead the Third Raikage! The leap was just too big! But the crucial issue was that Torifu didn't want to go at all!
"Don't look at me with that expression! I know what your strength is."
As soon as Tobirama said this, Torifu had no choice but to drop his expression. There was no other way; he had exposed too much of his strength. If he had finished the battle quickly without showing off, none of this would have happened in the past few days. Now, he felt nothing but regret!
"Alright, then I'll leave this matter to you. I heard the Third Raikage is quite strong. If you're no match, retreat immediately."
Although Torifu nodded on the surface, he thought to himself, I have so much more to hide. You haven't seen anything yet. Just his puppets alone would be enough to give the Third Raikage a hard time.
"Alright, then get ready. It's best to go and come back quickly. You can leave in a bit."
Torifu's mind was filled with question marks. If he hadn't been so nosy, would he have avoided all this trouble? He had to show up first thing in the morning to deliver some information, only to find out the man already knew, and now he was given a task. Who could he complain to about this?