"I... agree," the Fourth Raikage, A, stated, his voice deep and full of masculine charm.
The entire room erupted in an uproar.
"Lord Raikage!" Darui was now frantic. In his eyes, the Raikage's behavior was no different from an act of treason. As the Kage of a village, how could he agree to such a humiliating treaty that forfeited their sovereignty, especially when they held the absolute advantage on the battlefield? What was this if not a betrayal of Kumogakure and the Land of Lightning?
"No! We resolutely disagree!" Darui immediately shouted, firmly stating his position.
At this moment, it wasn't just him. The other members of the Land of Lightning's negotiation team behind him all nodded in agreement. They stood on the same side as Darui. They firmly believed that their Lord Raikage had either lost his mind or been caught in a genjutsu; otherwise, he would never act this way!
"Heh." A soft chuckle came from the corner.
Hatake Kusuo watched the group from the Land of Lightning with the amusement of a spectator, a strange smile in his eyes. This display thoroughly enraged Darui. Ignoring the Raikage's previous warnings, he brazenly drew his sword and pointed it at Kusuo's head.
"This..." Everyone in the room was dumbfounded, never imagining that things would escalate to this point. This was especially true for the Konoha side. They looked at Darui as if he were a complete imbecile, their eyes filled with pity.
Darui's brow furrowed. Something was wrong. Something was completely wrong! He was one of the Raikage's personal guards! A wielder of a Kekkei Genkai who had mastered both Water and Lightning Release chakra transformations. It was impossible for Konoha not to have this intelligence. So why were they looking at him with such expressions?
A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. A bold guess suddenly surfaced in his mind. This young man, dressed in casual home wear and carrying a sword... could he be...?
"You're drawing your sword... on me?"
Just then, Hatake Kusuo stood up. His gaze was sharp as a blade, locking onto Darui. His voice was steady, neither fast nor slow, and contained no anger or any other emotion. But to the ears of everyone present, it sounded as terrifying as a demon's whisper. Recalling his past achievements, the Land of Lightning's negotiation team grew restless!
But then, Darui's expression turned cold. A look of determination appeared on his face. So what if you're Konoha's young Asura? With this sword in my hand, I have no fear! A ruthless, resolute look filled Darui's eyes.
Hatake Kusuo found this amusing. The series of expressions that had flashed across the man's face were all clear to him. They were nothing more than a group of jumping clowns.
"Raikage, don't you have anything to say?" he asked, turning to look at the Fourth Raikage, A.
This single sentence instantly made A's entire body go rigid. He watched Kusuo's every move warily, his determined face filled with concern. He was terrified that the boy would draw his sword at the slightest disagreement. The empty feeling from his right arm, the memory of that day's devastating sword strikes—it all came rushing back, making his skin crawl. He felt as if a blade was pressed against his back.
"Darui, stop!" Raikage A took a deep breath and roared again. He couldn't sit by and watch this promising subordinate get killed. The Land of Lightning didn't have many outstanding young talents left; he absolutely could not afford to lose one!
"Lord Raikage, forgive me for disobeying!" Unexpectedly, Darui, who had always respected the Raikage, was now being so defiant!
"Gale Style: Laser Circus!"
Instantly, a sharp stream of water, infused with countless powerful lightning bolts and lasers, shot out from Darui's clasped hands. This technique, a combination of Lightning and Water Release, was maxed out in penetration and paralysis effects.
"Look out! Get back!" No one had expected Darui to actually attack. His actions, while fitting the hot-tempered nature of the Land of Lightning, threw the negotiations into chaos. If a Konoha official was killed, their mission would be a complete failure!
The blue-black laser beam, like a coiling dragon, smashed towards Kusuo with an intimidating power that made one's scalp tingle. The crackling arcs of electricity and blades of water shattered the ornate and heavy wooden table in the center of the room.
"Heh."
A soft laugh was heard. Then, a blade flashed. The white gleam of the sword was so fast that many people didn't even see Kusuo's hand move before they heard a soft thud on the floor.
Thump, thump, thump.
A round object rolled across the floor. On its dark face, an expression of fierce anger was still frozen in place.
"That's..."
Gulp...
Countless people were dumbstruck. The sound of swallowing could be heard throughout the room. The Land of Lightning's delegation, in particular, stared at the head on the ground as if they were petrified, collectively descending into a state of existential crisis.
Darui, the esteemed Raikage's guard, wielder of the Storm Release Kekkei Genkai... was killed in a single strike? If this news got out, it would sound like a preposterous fantasy! Even if Darui wasn't quite at the Kage level, he absolutely had Kage-level potential! Within the Land of Lightning, he was considered a powerhouse being groomed to be the next Raikage!
But now, he had been killed so unceremoniously. With a single sword strike, by a half-grown boy.
Hatake Kusuo's face emerged from the shadows at that moment. He wiped his blade, his expression neutral, as if he had just done something utterly insignificant. Most importantly, a mysterious black mark on his forehead came into the view of the Land of Lightning delegation.
They realized the boy's identity. He was none other than Hatake Kusuo—the very target of the joint attack by the three Great Nations and the Akatsuki! The entire Fourth Great Ninja War was because of him! A Kage-level, or perhaps even stronger, ninja in his teens. Starting with his defeat of the One-Tail Shukaku, one famed, veteran Kage-level powerhouse after another had fallen to his sword. His fearsome reputation was already known to the world without needing further explanation.
If such a powerful figure was not eliminated soon, there would be no chance in the future!
"Lord Raikage!" The eyes of the Land of Lightning's ninja and officials lit up with a fervent heat! If they killed Hatake Kusuo and eliminated the greatest threat to the ninja world, their Land of Lightning would claim the primary credit! As for his past record of slaying Kage-level opponents, they were confident that with Lord Raikage and their combined numbers, they had a chance to win!
"What a naive bunch of people," Kusuo murmured, his eyes downcast. He could sense what these Kumogakure ninja were thinking just from their breathing.
"SILENCE!" A roar like a thunderclap exploded through the room. The Fourth Raikage, A, was furious! But his anger was not directed at the enemy, Konoha. Instead, he turned and bellowed at his own delegation, shaking everyone to their core.
They were stunned. Completely and utterly stunned. The officials from the Land of Lightning felt a gray despair wash over them. They looked around at each other, their faces crestfallen.
Their Lord Raikage... had gone mad!
-------
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