The two strongest Kumo ninjas had arrived just a few minutes before the four-hour deadline was reached! As soon as the Kumo ninjas saw them, their morale soared. They opened the barrier to let them in and both rushed straight towards the Raikage Building.
"What is the status here?" Ay asked loudly even before others could register that he was there. They quickly looked in that direction and saw Ay standing right between them. A second later, Bee appeared as well. Their expressions bloomed and a huge pressure was relieved from their shoulders. Everyone had been on the edge due to how close they were to the four-hour deadline.
Before anyone could respond, Ay frowned and asked, "Why is everyone so gloomy? Tell me everything that has happened here since we last talked."
Mabui quickly informed him about their attempts to test the seal formation, the massive Lightning jutsu and the deaths of 16 Jounins. Ay's expression became gloomy. He said, "I can understand your thoughts, old man. However, don't risk everyone's lives again. Even if I'm low on chakra, I can handle my battles."
Inazuma replied, "I'm sure you can, Lord Fourth. However, we gained some critical information."
Inazuma informed him about the similarity with the attack on Root and the possibility of Akuro being an Edo Tensei. Just like others, Ay was surprised as well. However, he quickly shook his head and said, "That's not possible. Don't underestimate Darui. He would have realized it if his opponent was not alive."
Unlike Mabui, who thought rationally, Ay simply dismissed the idea due to his trust in a ninja's instincts. For him, Darui being unable to realize something so basic was too absurd. Inazuma frowned but before he could say anything, Ay asked, "Nanako, have you cracked the seal formation?"
Nanako answered, "Unfortunately no, Raikage-sama. None of my clones were able to send a message outside to inform me about the structure inside."
Ay frowned and asked, "How confident are you of cracking it from the inside?"
Nanako confidently replied, "I'm not sure about cracking the entire formation, but I can definitely make a path for you. However, there are hundreds of explosive seals in the formation. We need to be careful in case he decides to blow up the building."
Ay thought for a bit and said, "Explosive seals won't have much effect on Elite Jounins. Let's head inside. I'll kill that bastard right here!"
Everyone nodded. Within a couple of minutes, Ay, Bee, Nanako and four Elite Jounins, entered the barrier and stepped into the pathway closest to the Raikage's office since Akuro was seen in the window of the highest floor.
After they entered, a frown appeared on Nanako's face. She wondered aloud, "Why hasn't the entrance to the pathway closed this time?"
One of the Elite Jounins asked, "Do you think that it is because Raikage-sama is with us? Akuro said that he wanted to fight Raikage-sama."
Nanako replied, "I'm not sure. Wouldn't it be better if he closed the entrance so that no one would interfere in the battle?"
Ay said, "It's difficult to know what people like him are thinking. Let's continue. Keep an eye on the seals."
Nanako nodded as they moved ahead carefully. To Nanako's surprise, there were barely any foreign seals in the building. The ones present didn't hinder them in any way. She wondered, 'What's happening? This is completely unlike what I observed from the outside. Was it an illusion to bluff us? However, why did it feel so real? A Grandmaster can't be fooled in this manner…'
To the surprise of the Kumo group, they walked all the way to Ay's office without a single obstruction! No seals attacked them, nor were there any enemies. The office was empty.
Bee folded his hands and said, "This is strange, really strange, yo.
Where's Akuro, the enemy though?
Why's the building so empty, hey?
Do you think he ran away?"
Ay frowned due to the situation as well as Bee's rapping. Due to the seriousness of the situation, he controlled his temper and asked, "What is the meaning of this? Didn't you say that there were thousands of seals inside the building? Why did nothing obstruct us? Where is Akuro? And where are the dead bodies of our Jounins?"
Nanako had a bad feeling. She answered unsurely, "I don't know. This feels too odd. I'm confident in what I saw but this is almost entirely different. I don't understand how a seal formation could confuse me..."
Ay said, "Don't forget that he claimed to be from the ancient era. The way he uses seals might have been forgotten to time. Some of his seals might have been lost to time as well. Don't underestimate your enemy just because you're a Grandmaster."
Nanako frowned but didn't say anything. Even though Ay's words hurt her pride, the current circumstances could be seen as her failure. Ay instructed, "There are still several places in the building that can't be sensed. He might be hiding somewhere and planning a sneak attack. It'd suit his fighting style. We'll do a thorough search of the building."
Everyone nodded and immediately got to work. Even though they hadn't seen the enemy, none of them dared to drop their guard. They continued looking for the culprit, unaware of the fact that he had not only left the Land of Lightning but also the Land of Frost and moved into the Land of Hot Water!
Fujin created a new set of Shadow Clones and all immediately dispersed. He thought, 'The clones I left in the Land of Frost should be able to mark the entire country in a few hours. The Land of Hot Water is much larger though. Still, I should be done by morning. Even if I don't, my clones can continue working. Anyway, I wonder if he has told them about me yet… That meeting should be an interesting one…'
Fujin let out a chuckle. As he suspected, an interesting meeting was taking place thousands of kilometers away. In a dimly lit room, four figures stood silently. Outside the window, the scene was bleak. Dark clouds covered the sky, and the rain poured down endlessly, creating a somber atmosphere.
Obito asked, "Zetsu, what is the purpose of this meeting?"
Black Zetsu answered, "One of my clones saw an interesting sight in the Land of Lightning. It might be helpful for Akatsuki."
Nagato, Konan and Obito became interested in his words. Black Zetsu continued, "A lone ninja confronted a Kumo army led by Darui and Yugito, the Jinchuriki of Two Tails. They fought for around three-quarters of an hour."
White Zetsu continued, "The end result was the death of 52 Kumogakure ninjas and serious injuries to the Elite Jounins from Kumogakure while he used reverse summoning to leave after injuring them. You guys should have seen him battle. He was unpredictable and relentless, like a force of nature."
The trio were surprised. They knew the strength of Darui and Yugito. A ninja taking on the two of them along with an entire army was quite impressive. Konan asked, "Impressive. Who was he? And, do you want to recruit him into the Akatsuki?"
Black Zetsu answered, "He wore a mask and I haven't ever seen anyone with his fighting style. So, I'm not sure of his identity. We may need to interrogate some Kumogakure ninjas to gain more information about him. And yes, based on his strength, he'll be a good fit for the Akatsuki. However, we'll first need to find out more about him."
Obito muttered, "Interesting… I'll look into him."
Zetsu's clones were too good at hiding. Even though Fujin had once sensed and attacked Zetsu, he began taking precautions and improved his stealth by another level. Unfortunately, no matter how stealthy he and the White Zetsus were, they couldn't hide from Fujin's Space Time Sensing Technique.
Fujin, who wanted to create a reputation for his Akuro identity and needed sparring partners, was more than willing to put on a show. Of course, what amused him was the thought of Akatsuki trying to find the non-existent Akuro.
White Zetsu said, "There are a few more interesting things happening in the Land of Lightning. A strong barrier is protecting the Village Hidden in the Clouds. I can't breach the barrier but something is happening inside it. The weather in that country is weird as well. Many of my clones were hit by hurricanes."
The leaders of Akatsuki were confused by these events. Not understanding what they could mean, they ordered Zetsu to keep an eye on the Land of Lightning and find out more about the events there.
In the Raikage Building, Ay's group searched for an hour but didn't even see Akuro's shadow. They did find the dead bodies of the 16 Jounins, but that enraged them even further. Their bodies, along with the bodies of 4 Anbu, were stored in the storage room while all the elemental crystals were missing!
When the group returned to the Raikage's office, Ay was fuming. This day was so terrible that it was comparable to the day he lost his father. He raised his right arm as he shouted, "Not only did he brazenly kill our ninjas, but that bastard also stole all our Elemental Crystals!"
His arm fell on his desk, obliterating it. However, at that very instant, the eyes of all Kumogakure ninjas widened. They instinctively raised their guard and grabbed their weapons.
[A/N: I'll be a bit busy over the weekend as well. I shouldn't miss any chapters, but the chapters could be delayed (though hopefully not as much as today's). Have a fun weekend, guys.]
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