"It's the Raikage, right?"
"It is the Raikage."
"The Third Raikage—
the strongest spear and the strongest shield."
"That's him…"
"But this wound…
A single thrust straight through the heart. His defense was pierced completely. Instant death."
For some reason, when that line came out of Danzo Shimura's mouth, Hagoromo couldn't shake the feeling that there was a hint of schadenfreude in it.
Probably just his imagination.
After all, could someone like Danzō—who wore a permanently grim expression and lived in a constant state of tension—really feel something as indulgent as malicious pleasure?
The Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques were extraordinarily refined methods of storage. Several days had passed since the Raikage's death, yet his body remained exactly as it had been at the moment he died.
The moment Hagoromo produced the Raikage's corpse, the four senior figures of Konoha immediately surrounded it.
The scene felt a bit like… rabid dogs pouncing—
No, that was disrespectful.
More like starving ghouls who hadn't eaten in ten days—
Still unpleasant.
More accurately—
Like veteran patrons discovering a rare delicacy.
That description fit best.
They weren't just looking.
They were poking, prodding, pulling open the Raikage's clothes, examining the fatal wound left by the rail-gun-like strike.
If the Raikage's spirit were still watching, he would probably regret not exploding into a cloud of blood like those unfortunate Iwa ninja—ending up in these people's hands was far worse.
The identity of a figure like the Raikage was easy to confirm. There was no possibility of impersonation or deception.
"No other injuries…
He was in peak condition when he suffered the fatal blow."
After reaching that conclusion, the four of them simultaneously looked toward Hagoromo.
No matter how high their status, none of them had forgotten that they were shinobi first. Instinctively, after assessing the destructive power of that attack, they asked themselves the same silent question:
Could I block that?
The answer came quickly.
Yet for some reason, none of them wanted to say it aloud.
If they had taken that hit—
The mental image was simply too horrifying to entertain.
Unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately—although Hagoromo possessed such a terrifying technique, it came with an absurdly long cooldown.
For roughly two years, he would be unable to use "Thunder Garden: Heavy Kingdom" again.
Luckily, truly powerful techniques should come with equally severe limitations.
Once the corpse was confirmed to be genuine, the senior leadership lost interest in further discussion of the broader war situation.
Danzō and the two advisors immediately summoned the Intelligence Division. The Raikage's body was to be transferred to interrogation facilities to see whether any useful information could be extracted from his brain.
Their caution was understandable.
This was arguably the highest-value capture in Konoha's history.
Affiliation: Shinobi World · Land of Lightning
Name: Third Raikage
Classification: Deity-grade combat organism
Capture Level: Unmeasurable
...
Incidentally, the other corpse—Yoshida's—was also taken away.
No matter how small the mosquito, it was still meat. There was always the possibility of valuable intelligence.
That was simply good intelligence practice.
In the blink of an eye, the Hokage's office was nearly empty, leaving only Hagoromo and the Hokage himself.
The Hokage hadn't followed them.
If any intelligence could be extracted, he would be informed anyway. And frankly, he wasn't optimistic about cracking open the Raikage's mind.
"Ahem. Hagoromo," he said.
"Report the mission in detail."
Only then did the Hokage realize they should probably maintain some decorum in front of a subordinate. The way they had all crouched around the corpse moments ago had been rather undignified.
As for the assassination of a fellow Kage—
He felt no joy.
Only sorrow.
The Third Raikage's final stand inevitably reminded him of his own teacher, Tobirama Senju—that same resolve to sacrifice oneself for the village's future.
Such determination deserved respect.
That respect would feel more sincere if they weren't currently planning to dissect the man.
Assassination had never been the Hokage's goal. As Konoha's leader, his every decision was made for one purpose alone:
To secure advantage in war—and to end it as quickly as possible.
"Understood."
Hagoromo straightened and began his report.
Because nothing could be omitted, it took over an hour before he finished.
Overall, the mission execution was nearly flawless.
But there was one issue.
"Hagoromo," the Hokage said,
"Your actions were almost perfect. The only problem is—why did you announce Kushina's name?"
"Uzumaki Kushina is a jinchūriki. While that isn't a secret among the major villages, deliberately increasing her notoriety is unwise. It risks drawing unnecessary attention and danger to her. There was no real need to do so."
That criticism was valid.
"I failed to consider that thoroughly at the time," Hagoromo admitted.
He didn't argue.
Nor did he explain his real reasoning.
Not as evasion—but because he knew the Hokage understood that he wouldn't have done such a thing without cause.
Sure enough, the Hokage merely gave him a long, searching look—and said nothing further.
"There's one more matter," the Hokage continued.
"This mission has proven your capabilities. As a result, the village will be making additional arrangements for you."
"Additional… arrangements?"
That didn't sound reassuring.
The Hokage considered for a moment.
"Nothing is finalized yet. For now, remain in Konoha. Jiraiya will contact you with further instructions."
Hagoromo still had no idea what those arrangements entailed—but once the organization made a decision, refusal wasn't an option.
After all—
Follow the Kage's orders, and you win wars.
Before Hagoromo left, he briefly mentioned encountering Tsunade and her sudden disappearance.
That plunged the Hokage into silence.
Finally, just before Hagoromo exited the office, the Hokage spoke:
"Hagoromo, you must understand what it means to be a shinobi.
On the battlefield, there are principles that must be upheld."
"So when you choose to follow Kushina's words…
you must consider the consequences beforehand."
Hagoromo nodded and departed.
He had considered every consequence—
Long before acting.
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