Kumogakure
Raikage's Mansion in the Central Area
"How is it possible that A and Killer B lost to that Minato?!"
Boom!
The sound of the table shattering echoed in the room.
The Third Raikage, fury reflected in his eyes, had smashed the desk with a punch, causing it to explode into pieces.
It had never crossed his mind that he would receive such bad news from the Land of Hot Water.
The Konoha army, which was already on the verge of defeat, had managed to turn the situation around and block the Kumogakure army. Even A and Killer B were defeated by Minato Namikaze, who arrived to support Konoha's forces.
The Raikage, always so sure of himself, could not accept something like this. The village of Konoha already had Luo Lei, that damn God Slayer, and now another one joined the list... Minato Namikaze.
"Raikage-sama, something terrible has happened!"
At that moment, Dodai burst into the room without even knocking. His face reflected his disbelief. "Something significant has happened on the battlefield of the Land of Waves."
"The Land of Waves?" The Raikage frowned, clearly disinterested. "Isn't that the disaster of the Kirigakure army? I already expected something from that place."
"No... it's not that." Dodai quickly corrected, his voice filled with urgency. "The Legendary Ninja Shura, Madara Uchiha, is not dead. He controlled the Mizukage and joined the battle in the Land of Waves, but he was ultimately defeated by Luo Lei!"
"What?! Madara is still alive?!" The Raikage was stunned, his eyes wide with disbelief. "What the hell are you saying...?"
"That's right..." Dodai swallowed. "The whole world is in shock, and... now they're starting to call Luo Lei the 'God of Ninjas.'"
Upon hearing all these crazy things, the Raikage fell silent for a moment.
He could feel the great wave of panic enveloping him, a storm raging inside him. He thought A and Killer B's defeat at the hands of Minato was enough to surprise him, but what happened in the Land of Waves... was even more shocking.
"Calm down! I must calm down!" he told himself, clenching his fists. His breathing was heavy as he tried to regain his composure.
The world situation was becoming uncontrollable, even for him.
Madara, who they believed had been dead for years, had returned... It couldn't be true!
"No... I have to go to the battlefield of the Land of Hot Water immediately."
He didn't know how much time had passed, but finally, with a severe expression, he spoke. "Luo Lei's power is insane. If he arrives in the Land of Hot Water and joins Minato Namikaze, Kumogakure will undoubtedly be crushed."
"Prepare the Tensō no Jutsu. I'm going to the Land of Hot Water right now, as quickly as possible." With a determined look, the Raikage spoke. "Also, contact Ōnoki. Kumogakure and Iwagakure must unite, without conditions. Otherwise, we'll end up like Sunagakure and Kirigakure."
"But... Raikage-sama, the Tensō no Jutsu is used to transport objects. If used to transport people, the consequences could be... catastrophic." Dodai was stunned.
"With my body, I'll be fine." The Raikage's voice resonated with firmness.
There was no room for fear. "Time is crucial. I need to get there as soon as possible, and I can't waste a second."
"Understood!" Dodai, with sweat dripping down his forehead, nodded quickly. "I'll prepare everything immediately."
_______
The Land of Hot Water
The Konoha Camp.
Central Region.
Inside a large tent.
Tsunade, one of the Sannin, sat at the center. Beside her were Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze, and other elite ninjas like Shikaku Nara, Hiashi Hyuga, Inoichi Yamanaka, among others.
"I have good news for all of you," Tsunade began with a smile. "Our Konoha army has achieved a great victory on the battlefield of the Land of Waves."
"We have captured more than 2,000 Kirigakure ninjas!"
She paused before continuing, her voice lowering a tone, filled with awe. "And also... the legendary Madara Uchiha is still alive."
Tsunade looked at the document in her hand, letting out an incredulous laugh. "Madara controlled the Mizukage to join the battle, used the full-body Susanoo... but he was defeated by Luo Lei."
"I never imagined that boy would be so powerful!"
Tsunade's words fell like a thunderbolt among those present. A buzzing filled their heads as surprise and astonishment swept through the tent, leaving them unable to remain calm.
"What...?"
No... Had they misheard?
Madara Uchiha was still alive and had been defeated by Luo Lei? This... this couldn't be real.
But Tsunade's serious tone left no room for doubt. She wasn't joking.
"What?!"
"Madara is still alive?!"
"Luo Lei-sama defeated Madara?! That's incredible!"
"This is terrifying... I can't believe it!"
Shikaku, Hiashi, Inoichi, and the others exchanged looks of disbelief, unable to hide their shock.
They had never imagined that something like this would happen on the battlefield of the Land of Waves.
"Is it for real...? Even the full-body Susanoo was defeated?" Jiraiya whispered, visibly stunned.
His expression twisted into a bitter smile. He had thought that after Minato defeated the A-B Duo, his student's reputation would finally soar.
But no, Luo Lei had accomplished something incomparable in the Land of Waves. Next to that, Minato's success seemed insignificant.
"Sigh..."
Minato clenched his teeth, feeling his pride once again being crushed. He couldn't help but let out a sigh, an expression of sadness on his face.
Even if they were on different fronts, he couldn't escape the huge contrast with Luo Lei's achievements.
"Now that the battlefields of Kikyoyama, the Land of Grass, and the Land of Waves are over, we only have the Land of Hot Water left," Tsunade said, placing the document on the table and glancing around the tent.
She took a deep breath and added with determination, "Starting tomorrow, we will launch an all-out attack. We're going for the decisive victory and counterattack against the Kumogakure army."
"The Kumogakure army must be defeated..." she added, with a hint of weariness in her voice, murmuring to herself.
She wanted all of this to end soon. She longed to return to a peaceful and carefree life. That was what she desired the most.
_____
Kirigakure
Inside a conference room in the Mizukage's mansion.
The elder Genji, the talented Mei Terumī, who possesses two Kekkei Genkai - Lava and Vapor, Kisame Hoshigaki, the vice-captain of the Anbu, the patriarch of the Hoshigaki Clan, the patriarch of the Yuki Clan, the patriarch of the Hōzuki Clan, and the patriarchs of other clans, all gathered with somber expressions and a depressing atmosphere.
The Great Battle in the Land of Waves.
Kirigakure had lost, and more than 2,000 of its members were captured.
It was a monumental failure.
Additionally, the Third Mizukage had been controlled by Madara, which was an additional humiliation, and all of this was exposed to the entire world.
After all, the Mizukage was one of the five main Kages in the world.
"The Mizukage... really didn't deserve to die..."
After some time in silence, when the patriarch of the Hōzuki Clan finally gritted his teeth and spoke: "More than 400 elite ninjas from my clan have been captured. What are we supposed to do now?!"
"We also lost more than 300 ninjas," added the patriarch of the Yuki Clan. "We have to find a way to rescue them; we can't let them remain in Konoha's hands."
"We too! Two hundred of ours!"
"Fifty from the Hoshigaki Clan!"
Seeing that the Yuki and Hōzuki clans started expressing their losses, the other patriarchs quickly joined in, making their message clear: more than 2,000 Kirigakure ninjas needed to be recovered from Konoha, no matter what.
"..."
After hearing all these statements, Elder Genji frowned, his patience running thin, and rebuked them coldly, "I didn't come here to listen to how many ninjas from your clans have been captured."
"We're here to find a solution!"
"Hmph!"
Though they had more to say, all the patriarchs fell silent immediately. They knew very well who stood before them: Genji was not someone to mess with.
His reputation for cruelty left no room for doubt.
"Kisame, tell us what you know."
After a moment of silence, Genji turned his gaze to Kisame, whose shark-like face remained unperturbed.
"From the information I have, Konoha has no intention of releasing the more than 2,000 captives," Kisame began in a serious tone. "Only Luo Lei can decide that. We have to negotiate with him."
"Luo Lei will leave the Land of Waves in three days at the latest. If we want to do something, we have to convince him before he leaves."
"Obtain Luo Lei's approval...?"
Kisame's words fell like a bucket of cold water over the room.
All the patriarchs looked at each other in silence, their faces reflecting the harsh reality. They knew perfectly well how difficult it would be to earn Luo Lei's favor—nearly impossible, like trying to touch the sky with their hands.
Try to force Luo Lei?
No one was foolish enough to even think about it. With his terrifying history, defeating the Mizukage controlled by Madara, it would be suicide.
"A BUNCH OF USELESS PEOPLE!"
Genji let out a sigh of frustration as his cold gaze moved from one patriarch to another.
Finally, he set his eyes on Mei Terumī. "Go to the Land of Waves and try to earn Luo Lei's favor. Do whatever it takes; as long as the conditions aren't excessive, you can accept them."
"Understood," Mei Terumī responded, a touch of madness in her eyes and a slight smile forming on her face. "I can finally meet the famous God Slayer, Luo Lei."
"Kisame, go with her," Genji ordered, observing Mei Terumī, who seemed oddly excited.
"I want you to accompany her."
"Of course," Kisame replied, showing a smile that revealed his sharp fangs.
"Good, leave now!" Genji waved his hand, exhausted. What had happened in recent days had worn him out more than he could bear, and he barely had the energy to deal with it all.
He only hoped that Luo Lei could see some value in Mei Terumī's body and accept their proposal.
.
________
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