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[NTU] [ARC-13] Chapter : 179
🕑 Added 2024-09-28 15:17:13 +0000 UTCAt the moment, Toshiro had little time to deal with Dodai. Darui's Storm Release was a Kekkei Genkai after all, and its power was anything but ordinary.
He swung his long sword, deflecting the beams of light and the shuriken that came his way.
However, Darui was far from interested in mutual admiration. His usual laid-back demeanor had vanished, replaced by intense focus. Every fiber of his being was concentrated on the fireball Toshiro had unleashed.
'Perfect!' Darui thought, eyes locked on the flaming jutsu, his mind racing to react in time.
Seeing the Raikage standing tall with his body encased in blue Lightning Release armor, shielding them from Toshiro’s jutsu, Darui couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. But that relief quickly gave way to exhaustion, as he felt his strength wane.
Using Storm Release had taken a lot out of him. It wasn’t something he should be using at this stage in his development, and had it not been for the urgency of saving the Raikage, he wouldn’t have resorted to it.
"Lord Raikage, are you alright?" Darui asked, still catching his breath.
Dodai, equally concerned, looked at A with a mix of admiration and worry. Though Raikage's injuries appeared mostly superficial—spreading from his left shoulder to his right hip—there was a deeper problem. The wound that pierced his chest was far more dangerous, and that’s what had them both truly worried.
Toshiro's stab, though intended for Raikage's heart, was deflected by the Lava Release technique and Raikage's own swift reflexes, causing the blade to pierce his lung instead. Even in this weakened state, Raikage mustered enough chakra to shield himself from the incoming fireball, though his condition was becoming dire.
"I'm fine!" Raikage declared firmly, trying to reassure his subordinates despite his grievous injury. His focus, however, was locked on Toshiro and B beside him. His expression grew grim, understanding the grim reality—they weren't going to leave here unscathed.
Shff! Shff!
Two swift movements. Darui and the unnamed Cloud Ninja positioned themselves behind Raikage, ready to defend him, their faces tense with anticipation of the next attack.
"Oh? Are we gearing up for a four-on-one now?" Toshiro muttered, eyeing the four opponents in front of him with a calm demeanor. There wasn’t a trace of panic, just a furrowed brow as he considered his options.
Should he kill Raikage right here?
Doing so would undoubtedly ignite a full-scale war between Konoha and the Hidden Cloud Village. And then, what? Should he seize the opportunity to aim for the Hokage seat?
Truth be told, to someone like him—armed with the knowledge from his previous life—the position of Hokage didn’t hold much value. It wasn’t something to chase after. Now, if it were the position of the Daimyo of the Fire Country, perhaps that would be worth considering. But Hokage? It wasn’t completely meaningless, yet it wasn’t something he desired either. Being stuck to a single position was not ideal for him at this point in time.
After weighing his options, Toshiro made his choice. He decided to let Raikage go. If the opportunity had come mid-battle, perhaps he’d have ended it. But now… there was no point in pushing things further.
If he were to act, it wouldn't necessarily be Konoha or the Uchiha who stood to gain. In fact, it was more likely that Onoki of the Land of Earth would end up reaping the largest benefits.
"Hey! Look at how others have rallied support, and then look at yourselves—are you planning to keep playing dead over there?" Toshiro called out, his gaze shifting to a dense section of the forest on the shoreline.
"Haha! Who would’ve thought the Uchiha would spot us so quickly?"
Emerging from the shadows were none other than Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Choza, and Yamanaka Inoichi—the three key clan leaders of the Hokage's faction.
Recognizing the shifting tides of the battle, Shikaku had left their camp to others, bringing Choza and Inoichi to assess the situation firsthand.
The moment Shikaku arrived, he saw Toshiro plunging his sword into the Fourth Raikage, and his heart nearly leapt out of his chest.
When he realized that the support from the Cloud Village had managed to save Raikage just in time, he felt a sense of relief, mixed with disbelief.
Initially, Shikaku had planned to lay low, observing the situation from a distance. However, he hadn’t expected Toshiro to call him and his companions out, forcing them to reveal themselves.
“Ah, this situation just keeps getting better!” he muttered under his breath. “Who would’ve thought we’d run into the legendary Raikage and his Cloud Ninjas in the middle of nowhere? Life sure is full of surprises!”
With a casual demeanor, Shikaku greeted the Raikage and Dodai across the battlefield, as if they were old acquaintances.
"It appears there was a bit of a misunderstanding between Raikage and Uchiha Toshiro before I arrived," Nara Shikaku remarked, greeting Raikage and Dodai on the other side. He was quick to downplay the tension, labeling the whole situation as a mere misunderstanding.
'Misunderstanding? A misunderstanding with this much bloodshed?' Toshiro inwardly rolled his eyes at Shikaku's diplomatic spin. 'These Hokage faction guys sure know how to twist the truth—turning something pitch black into pure white with just a few words.'
Even Raikage, standing wounded on the other side, could barely contain his frustration upon hearing Shikaku's comment. He almost winced in pain, not from his injuries but from the sheer audacity of the statement. Yet he understood that they weren’t in a position of strength. After a quick glance at Dodai and B, Raikage bit back his words and remained silent, realizing there wasn’t much he could do at the moment.
"Indeed! Kumogakure and Konoha have been allies since the time of the Second Hokage," Dodai began smoothly. "This was merely an unfortunate accident. Our Jinchūriki lost control of his emotions for a moment, but once we return him to Kumogakure and reinforce the seal, such incidents won’t occur again."
He continued, smiling diplomatically, "We are also grateful to this Uchiha shinobi for helping us contain the rampaging Jinchūriki. Rest assured, we will send an official letter of thanks to the Third Hokage himself."
With this, Dodai revealed the more composed, calculated side of Kumogakure to Toshiro. Meanwhile, Shikaku stood by, fully embodying the Hokage’s 'peaceful resolution' philosophy.
Watching them, Toshiro couldn’t help but feel irritated by the hollow politeness. Both men were masters of speaking in circles—offering polite words to cover up the bloodshed. He found it hard to tolerate their false courtesy any longer.
"Didn't the Second Hokage get killed by your Kumogakure's Gold and Silver Brothers?" Toshiro couldn’t help but interject, his tone laced with sarcasm.
Dodai's attempt to gloss over the past struck a nerve. The so-called "pact" between Konoha and Kumogakure? What nonsense, especially when you consider that during the Second and Third Ninja Wars, both sides were at each other's throats, practically tearing each other apart.
And now Dodai had the nerve to suggest bringing B back to the village, as if nothing had happened? How convenient.
"Ah, these are all just misunderstandings!" Dodai replied, brushing it off with a forced smile. "Everything was the doing of those traitors, the Gold and Silver Brothers. It has nothing to do with our current Cloud Shinobi. Not only did Konoha lose your Second Hokage, but we also lost our Second Raikage to those same traitors!"
Toshiro's eyes narrowed. How easy it was for Dodai to play the blame game and conveniently forget the larger issues at play.
'The dead can't speak, huh? How convenient to blame it all on traitors,' Toshiro thought, watching Dodai deflect the blame. Undeterred, Dodai pressed on, continuing with his diplomatic act.
"Besides, aren't we from Kumogakure negotiating with Konoha about renewing the peace agreement?" Dodai smiled carefully, gauging Toshiro's reaction. "It's important not to dwell on the past; we must look toward the future!"
Toshiro raised an eyebrow. "Oh? A peace agreement, you say?" He smirked. "Funny, I thought the last time you sent envoys to Konoha, it was to steal Hyuga's Byakugan, not to discuss peace."
His words landed like a blow, and Thunder Raikage's expression darkened, but Toshiro wasn’t done.
"Kumogakure is amusing. When things are going well, you're relentless, but the moment you're backed into a corner, suddenly it's all about signing peace treaties and moving forward." His taunt hung in the air, the tension between the two sides palpable.
"I doubt that even if you Cloud ninjas sign the agreement, you'll actually honor it."
Toshiro was unfazed by any attempt to pressure him using the Third Hokage and the peace agreement. He simply didn't care about such formalities.
"This..."
Comments
Codeseed g
Thanks for the chapter
