Inside the Kumogakure command tent.
"Have you retrieved the body?" Kinkaku asked in a low voice.
"Commander-sama, the First Raikage's body has been brought over."
"Place the First Raikage's corpse in the camp and spread the news that he was assassinated." Kinkaku waved his hand, signaling his trusted aide to leave.
"Brother, aren't you afraid this will blow up in our faces?" Ginkaku asked with a worried expression.
The two brothers had already smoothly taken command on the battlefield—there was no longer any need to take such a risk by publicly revealing the First Raikage's corpse.
If things got exposed, it would be a huge problem.
"Brother, if the shinobi of the village believe that the Raikage is dead, they'll follow our orders to launch an attack against Konoha."
Kinkaku explained earnestly,
"By shifting the blame to Konoha's shinobi, we can rally them under the banner of avenging the Raikage and get them to fight for us!"
"Brother, you're a genius!" Ginkaku looked at him with admiration.
Even though they had launched a coup and seized command, many still refused to submit to them.
This was the only way to unite the forces.
For these two fierce and battle-hardened brothers, this was absolutely the perfect solution!
With this, they could lead a furious army of Kumogakure shinobi to strike at Konoha.
If "Konoha" had killed the Raikage, the shinobi of Kumo would never let it go.
The war would be prolonged—and that meant endless killing for them.
...
"Commander-sama, something's wrong!"
Just then, an anxious voice came from outside the camp.
The two brothers exchanged glances, then walked out of the tent, ready to put on their show.
Many people had already gathered, curious to know what was happening.
Could it be that Raikage-sama had returned?
With that thought, many cast gloating glances at Kinkaku and Ginkaku as they stepped out.
If Raikage-sama had truly returned, these two were absolutely finished!
Launching a rebellion and seizing power was a capital offense...
"What's all the commotion? What happened?" Kinkaku shouted angrily.
The trusted aide knelt on the ground, his voice trembling.
"Commander-sama… we discovered… we discovered…"
His performance was truly convincing, immediately rousing the crowd's curiosity.
"You bastard, what the hell did you discover?!" Ginkaku kicked him to the ground. "Speak clearly!"
The aide quickly climbed back up and reported,
"While on patrol, we discovered Raikage-sama's corpse…"
"What?!"
The moment those words landed, the surrounding crowd widened their eyes in shock.
Even Kinkaku and Ginkaku put on expressions like they'd just seen a ghost.
Kinkaku grabbed the aide by the collar and shouted,
"Do you even know what you're saying?! How could Raikage-sama possibly be dead?!"
"That's right! With Raikage-sama's strength, who could possibly kill him?" Ginkaku echoed.
The shock on the surrounding shinobi's faces slowly faded, clearly agreeing with that logic.
But what happened next left them completely dumbfounded.
"Commander-samas, I brought back Raikage-sama's body!"
Before he finished speaking, the aide pulled out a scroll from his waist and quickly unsealed it.
As the white smoke cleared, the corpse of the First Raikage appeared on the ground.
Everyone stared at the corpse in horror.
"This… how could this be?!"
"Raikage-sama… is really dead…"
"Who the hell did this?!" Kinkaku roared, crimson chakra bursting uncontrollably from his body.
"Brother, calm down!" Ginkaku quickly held Kinkaku back, while giving a meaningful look to the aide.
The aide immediately caught on and explained,
"When I arrived, I saw traces of Konoha shinobi nearby. Raikage-sama's death is definitely connected to Konoha!"
Upon hearing this, the Kumo shinobi clenched their fists in rage.
The Raikage's death had driven them beyond reason—none of them questioned the truth of the report.
At this moment, they only had one thought: annihilate Konoha and avenge the Raikage!
Seeing this, the brothers revealed satisfied, triumphant smiles.
"Brother, we must avenge Raikage-sama!" Ginkaku's words were met with widespread agreement.
"That's right! We will avenge Raikage-sama!"
Kinkaku swept his gaze over the furious Kumo shinobi.
"Ginkaku and I will personally go to the front lines to avenge Raikage-sama! Who's willing to come with us?"
"We'll go with you!"
Countless Kumogakure shinobi stepped forward, eager to fight.
Even those who had previously resented the brothers joined in...
"All forces, hear my command—launch an all-out assault on Konoha!"
In one day, Konoha had killed Raikage-sama and his personal guard!
This grudge must be avenged!
Countless Kumogakure shinobi left the camp, charging toward Konoha's base.
At the very front of the army, the two brothers were grinning wildly—the plan was going perfectly!
...
Konoha's camp.
The Nara commander looked over the intelligence report from the scouting unit, disbelief in his eyes as he read it a third time.
"The First Raikage was killed by Konoha shinobi, and Kumogakure has launched a full-scale assault?!"
Konoha shinobi killed the First Raikage?
What a joke!
The Nara commander had been on the battlefield for quite some time and had never heard anything so absurd.
The First Raikage had never even been seen on the northeastern battlefield, let alone killed here.
Taking down someone of that level in the middle of an army? Not even the Hokage could pull that off.
Let alone the average Konoha shinobi.
If Konoha really had that kind of power, the war wouldn't have dragged on for this long.
Now that Kumogakure was launching an all-out attack, he set aside the confusion and immediately mobilized shinobi to the front lines.
Upon hearing the news, the shinobi in the camp quickly geared up and prepared for battle.
Renya and the other wounded didn't need to participate for now.
With the war reigniting, none of them could sleep, and they stepped out of their tents.
Outside, they ran into Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others.
Everyone sat around the campfire, trying to guess Kumogakure's true intentions.
"Kumogakure just retreated earlier today—why would they launch another attack at night?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked in confusion.
Koharu Utatane shook her head.
"I don't know…"
Shimura Danzō snorted.
"Looks to me like Kumo shinobi never learn their lesson! You have to beat them into submission!"
"Danzō's right. Only by making them feel pain will the war truly end," Uchiha Kagami agreed.
Everyone's eyes turned to Renya, waiting to hear his thoughts.
"What do you think, Renya-kun?" Koharu asked.
"I'm wondering… what reason do they have to attack?" Renya said softly.
At those words, everyone fell into deep thought.
Logically, after suffering a defeat, Kumogakure should've needed time to regroup and recover. They shouldn't be starting another war so soon.
Something behind the scenes must have happened…
Then, a voice from not far off answered their doubts.
"Because the First Raikage is dead."
The Nara commander rubbed his brow with a headache as he walked toward Renya and the others.
"The First Raikage is dead?!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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