Village Hidden in the Cloud!
On a mountain peak that pierced the clouds, shrouded in mist, the deafening roar of thunder echoed.
In the Raikage's office, the man sitting in the head seat was a middle-aged man with light yellow hair and bulging muscles.
He was the Third Raikage, a shinobi who prided himself on his "strongest spear" and "strongest shield," capable of going toe-to-toe with the Eight-Tails.
The Third Raikage appeared rough and short-tempered, but his words were gentle yet powerful.
"If you can, please bring him here. My Village Hidden in the Cloud can accommodate his ambition."
The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Blue B, agreed, "His potential is strong. He is worth recruiting."
"If you ask me, it's just an unknown Kekkei Genkai, that's all."
A sturdy teenager, who bore some resemblance to the Third Raikage, spoke with a tone of defiance.
"He was only able to do that because of the information gap. His actual strength might not even match mine..."
The future Fourth Raikage was in his prime, full of vigor.
He naturally disliked Lucian, a young man who had suddenly appeared and made a name for himself in the ninja world.
He had rarely met his match among his peers. Who was afraid of whom?
"You idiot! You fool! You're just jealous, oh yeah!"
A playful rap suddenly sounded beside him, causing the future Fourth Raikage's face to flush red.
"You idiot, B! Shut up! You want a beating?!"
"You idiot, you..."
"Thump, thump, thump!"
Before the kid in the sunglasses could finish, he was met with a beating from his older brother.
Killer B was young, just old enough for the academy, and not yet a Jinchuriki. But unlike in the original story, where the future Fourth Raikage A only discovered B after becoming a Raikage candidate,
in this timeline, A and the young B had hit it off from the start, and he had taken him in as a brother.
The Third Raikage nodded in approval.
In the Village Hidden in the Cloud, it was a rule that each Raikage must have a partner. Raising them together from a young age would foster a better bond.
Seeing this scene, the Third Raikage couldn't help but smile, his face full of pride.
"My children are not inferior to anyone!"
...
Village Hidden in the Stone!
In the center of the village, surrounded by rocks, a furious roar came from the Tsuchikage's office.
"What a mess of intelligence!"
"Is this the kind of news I want? I want every movement of the Konoha forces."
"I don't give a damn if Danzo is dead or not!"
The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, in his prime, floated in mid-air, looking quite displeased.
Although the destruction of Konoha was a happy event, most of this intelligence report was just boasting about how strong Lucian was.
This did not sit well with Onoki's master mentality.
Even the Asura of the Ninja World who had once made him grovel on the ground was 'dead'. In the vast ninja world, who could compare to him, let alone a mere youngster?
"Roshi, take advantage of Konoha's internal turmoil and lead a team to probe the border of the Land of Fire."
"While you're at it, contact the Village Hidden in the Sand or the Village Hidden in the Rain, and try to form a joint operation."
Aside from the battle-crazed bunch from the Village Hidden in the Cloud, Onoki was the Kage with the deepest obsession with Konoha.
He would never forget the humiliation brought upon him by the Asura of the Ninja World. He was always looking to take a bite out of Konoha.
The Second Shinobi World War was his chance.
"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage."
...
Village Hidden in the Sand.
In the Kazekage's office.
The Third Kazekage, hailed as the strongest in history, stood by the window and took a deep breath of the unique sandy air of his village, then looked longingly in the direction of Konoha.
"Only a few hundred ninja died?"
"That kid is not strong enough. Hiruzen Sarutobi is not dead!"
The Third Kazekage cursed Sarutobi in his heart, wishing that Konoha would be completely destroyed.
Konoha of the Land of Fire occupied the most prosperous area in the ninja world.
Not to mention other resources, just the forests were so vast they couldn't be cut down. It was nothing like his Village Hidden in the Sand, which was so poor that sand was everywhere, and any tree was treated as a treasure.
"Inform Chiyo not to get too entangled with the Village Hidden in the Rain. My greatest enemy is Konoha!"
"Yes, Lord Kazekage!"
...
Village Hidden in the Mist!
The Third Mizukage looked at the intelligence report and fell into deep thought.
As the ninja village of the Land of Water, an island nation, it was built deep in the mountains of the island, covered in thick fog, and completely isolated from other countries.
The Village Hidden in the Mist was not keen on the resources and wars of the mainland. Firstly, it was too far from the mainland, and secondly, it was self-sufficient.
Of course, if they had the chance, they would definitely take a bite, but the current situation was unclear, so they could only bide their time.
"Pass down the information about Lucian. Designate him as a dangerous person. If any suspicious individuals are found, report immediately."
...
Apart from Konoha, the other major nations did not pay much attention to Lucian.
As long as he wasn't a powerhouse on the level of Hashirama or Madara, even a few more Kage-level individuals would not have much impact on the upcoming war. They would just wait and see.
But there was one person who paid attention, and was even suspicious.
"In just a few days, he grew from an infant to an adult."
"None of his techniques resemble ninjutsu. In every aspect, he is out of place with ninjas, and I can't even sense chakra from him..."
"Is it really a Kekkei Genkai?"
On the outskirts of Konoha, a pitch-black figure looked down at the remains of a Root ninja he had just tortured to death for information, lost in thought.
In his thousand years of experience, he had never seen anyone as strange as Lucian.
"Where on earth did he go? There's no trace of him..."
Black Zetsu did not like powerful individuals that he couldn't understand. Lucian's existence was a challenge to his knowledge, and it made him uneasy.
"Good, this adds a little novelty to my boring life..."
Black Zetsu grinned, revealing his serrated white teeth. He then turned to look at an old man sitting cross-legged in a cave, and his smile grew wider.
"A young man like this should be able to pique a little interest in you."
"But I won't tell you. Heh, this is fun, hehehe..."