Chapter 111 – The Raikage's Plan
"The Fourth Raikage... with all due respect, I don't think we can handle that man," Samui said calmly, her tone steady and unwavering.
"You doubt the power of Kumogakure against a single boy?" The Fourth Raikage's glare was sharp, his voice laced with anger.
"It's not about doubt. I'm just not sure anymore," she replied, unfazed. "All I know is—he defeated Darui without breaking a sweat. And during the previous Chūnin Exams, he stood out more than anyone else."
Samui's eyes narrowed slightly as she continued, "Today, when Chiyo from Sunagakure saw him... there was real fear in her eyes. That wasn't an act. And I don't believe those rumors about Sunagakure being destroyed are fake."
"Are you seriously suggesting a child could wipe out an entire hidden village?" the Raikage growled. "Even if he unleashed the full power of the Eight Tails, it wouldn't be enough to destroy Sunagakure. They had the One Tails, remember?"
"Maybe... but from what I saw today, I don't think it's impossible. When I warned him about provoking a war between nations, he didn't flinch. Not even a twitch. That's not the response of a fool unaware of consequences. That's the composure of someone who knows he can survive one."
Samui wasn't someone who relied on rumors. Her instincts as a kunoichi had always served her well—and they were screaming at her to be careful around Hatake Yusuke.
And then there were his words from earlier... "You're all weak."
It wasn't empty arrogance. No one said something like that unless they were either incredibly stupid... or terrifyingly capable.
Samui was leaning toward the latter.
"So what, you want to test him?" the Raikage asked, his voice lower now, more measured.
"I do. But it has to be subtle. We can't let this escalate into a war. No one wants that—not now."
"...Fine. I get it." The Raikage folded his arms. Despite his temper, he wasn't a fool. He was well aware they didn't fully understand where Yusuke came from... or how deep his strength ran.
Right now, only he and Killer B could be counted on.
"Summon him back to the village. I don't care what he's doing outside, tell him to stop wandering and return immediately."
"Yes, Raikage-sama."
Samui gave a silent nod and left the room, her usual expression unreadable.
— — —
That night, back at the inn…
Yusuke and Asuma were dragged into one of the rooms by the current generation of the legendary Ino–Shika–Chō trio.
And no, this wasn't some strange or awkward situation.
"Yusuke… what did you do today?" asked Nara Shikaku, using a rare serious tone.
"Explored the village, of course! Took in the sights, hunted for some good food, picked up a souvenir or two," Yusuke said with a mischievous grin. "I've got a sickly father, a still-maturing younger brother, and a wife to support, y'know. Can't go home empty-handed!"
"Was the food good?" Chōza asked, drooling slightly.
Shikaku and Inoichi both facepalmed at the same time. 'A sickly father'? That's Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang of Konoha, a man who could probably solo all three of them.
'A maturing younger brother'? That's Hatake Kakashi, elite Jōnin and personal student of Minato Namikaze.
And the wife?
Tsunade Senju.
Yes, that Tsunade. One of the Legendary Sannin, heiress of the Senju clan, top medical ninja in the world, and the so-called "Princess of Konoha."
And this guy had the audacity to claim he was supporting her?
"Of course there was good food! At first I thought Kumogakure was a dump," Yusuke added nonchalantly, "but on the way back I found this amazing place. Chōza-senpai, you would've cried tears of joy."
"…Yusuke," Shikaku rubbed his temples. "Let me ask you this directly—did you really punch a Jōnin from Kumogakure today?"
"Hmm..." Yusuke scratched his chin as if genuinely trying to remember. "You mean that dark-skinned guy? Used Black Lightning? Hair kinda like mine but uglier?"
His fingers made some strange gestures, mimicking Darui's appearance.
"Seriously, white-haired guys should have standards. He's out there ruining the reputation for all of us. Even worse than Jiraiya-nii."
Somewhere, in some distant land...
"Achoo!"
"Hmm? Must be a pretty girl thinking about me... Hehehe…"
Jiraiya sneezed mid-perverted daydream, completely oblivious.
Back in the inn, Shikaku and Inoichi were too stunned to respond. Even when this guy caused problems, he had the nerve to drag someone else's name into it.
"Why'd you hit him?" Shikaku asked, inhaling slowly.
"He attacked me first," Yusuke replied with a shameless smile. "I was just defending myself."
"Hmph! As if Konoha doesn't have strong shinobi too!" Inoichi muttered, clenching his fists.
"And why did he attack you in the first place?" Shikaku pressed, clearly not buying it.
"I just said Kumogakure was ugly, the food sucked, and it was way worse than Konoha." Yusuke shrugged.
Everyone froze.
You insulted their village, their cuisine, and their entire identity... in their own territory.
No wonder he got attacked.
Sure, technically, Yusuke was in the right for defending himself.
But punching Darui that hard? That was overkill.
"Yusuke… knowing the Raikage's personality, this might turn into a political nightmare," Shikaku said with a sigh.
"Relax, Shikaku-nii. I got this," Yusuke replied, grinning like this was no big deal.
Truth was, he wanted someone to come after him. He was curious about Kumogakure's secret techniques—especially Black Lightning and the Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Techniques perfect for someone like Kakashi.
After all, Kakashi was still a shinobi. He needed more tools, more defenses. And with his natural affinity for Lightning Release, those skills would be a perfect fit.
Yusuke couldn't help but make comparisons.
Look at the Raikage lineage—all masters of Lightning Release.
Now look at the Hokage...
First Hokage, Hashirama: Wood Release, not Fire Release.
Second Hokage, Tobirama: Water Release and a ton of weird jutsu.
Third Hokage, Hiruzen: Sure, he used Fire Release... but nothing that impressive.
Fourth, Minato? Yusuke hadn't even seen him use Fire Release once.
Fifth, Tsunade? More of a punch-first, jutsu-later kind of woman.
"Fifth and a half", Danzo? Didn't even use Fire Release at all.
Sixth, Kakashi? A Lightning Release expert.
Seventh, Naruto? Don't even start. His best jutsu were Rasengan and Shadow Clones. Elemental ninjutsu? Almost nonexistent.
No wonder Konoha had so many rogue ninjas. Even the Hokage lineage felt like it couldn't stick to one thing.
Now compare that to Kumogakure...
Not one Akatsuki member ever came from there.
Unlike Konoha, Suna, Kiri, and Iwa… Kumo knew how to keep their people loyal.
In the end, prestige and power had to mean something.
Otherwise, even the strongest village would slowly fall apart from the inside.
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