Chapter 7: Cloud Ninja
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The Hidden Cloud Village is surrounded by mountains.
The highest mountain in the entire village is almost hidden in the clouds.
This is the Hidden Cloud Ninja Village, located in the center of the Land of Lightning!
The building atop the highest mountain serves as the office of the strongest person in the Hidden Cloud Village, the Raikage!
The Hidden Cloud Village is a ninja village that advocates the use of force. The strongest Raikage in the village inherits the title "A" and carries forward the will of the Hidden Cloud Village.
In the Hidden Cloud Village, you can see many dark-skinned ninjas; this is a major feature of the Cloud Ninja.
"As long as I'm dark enough, you won't be able to see my magic!"
*Cough...*
Most of the ninjas in the Hidden Cloud Village excel in swordsmanship and lightning-style ninjutsu, making ninjutsu highly popular. It is a hidden village that emphasizes individual combat power.
At this moment, the Hidden Cloud Village is ruled by the Third Raikage A, who is in his prime.
In his office, several ninjas wearing white fox masks kneel on one knee.
They are the Anbu of the Hidden Cloud Village!
**BANG!!**
The Third Raikage slammed his fist hard on the desk in front of him.
As his fist fell, the desk, which had not been used for long, broke into two pieces. This was the nth desk he had smashed.
But no one cares about this.
"What did you say?! The Two-Tails is missing?!"
A's voice roared out, his eyes wide open like those of an ox.
The Anbu who were kneeling before him showed no sign of fear.
They are Anbu, and when masked, they are just emotionless tools. Fear should not manifest in them.
Even if they truly felt fear in their hearts, they couldn't show it. This is the basic quality of a ninja!
Of course, they would never admit it under the furious glare of the Raikage.
"Yes!"
The leading Anbu captain responded.
"When we arrived, we found the body of the former Two-Tails Jinchuriki burned to charcoal by intense flames.
After confirmation by the medical team, the fatal injury was a penetrating wound to the chest. After speculation, there is a 70% chance that it came from the kekkai genkai of the Third Tsuchikage!"
The Anbu team leader clearly expressed the information at hand.
After hearing this, A's face darkened even more.
Originally, they thought the Earth Kingdom was warring with the Fire Kingdom and wouldn't have the means to engage the Lightning Kingdom. If they launched an attack during this period, they should stand to gain significant advantages.
Indeed, there were substantial gains.
They had seized part of the territory of the Land of Earth!
But this also resulted in the loss of the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, and now the Two-Tails was nowhere to be found.
Tailed Beasts are secret weapons akin to nuclear bombs for any ninja village. Their presence signifies sufficient deterrence against other ninja villages.
After the First Hokage distributed the nine Tailed Beasts, the Hidden Cloud Village maintained a good relationship with Konoha, acquiring the Eight-Tails, which is second only to the Nine-Tails, along with the Two-Tails, which is also quite powerful.
These two Tailed Beasts provided considerable deterrence to other ninja villages, leading to various benefits for the Land of Lightning.
The Eight-Tails is powerful but has a proud personality, making it difficult to tame. It is common for its Jinchuriki to go berserk, requiring the Raikage to intervene from time to time.
However, the Two-Tails is different. Among all the Tailed Beasts, the Two-Tails has a relatively agreeable personality.
The Two-Tails Jinchuriki of the Hidden Cloud Village may not completely control the Two-Tails, but they can maintain the Tailed Beast's outer shell without losing their minds.
This is a critical high-end combat force for the Hidden Cloud Village.
In order for the raid to succeed—
For the so-called, fast! accurate! ruthless!
The Raikage sent the Two-Tails Jinchuriki to participate in the battle as an ultimate insurance policy.
It seemed like a foolproof plan, but who would have thought that the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure would take advantage of his ability to fly and appear at the battlefield just before the end?
Although he failed to sweep the battlefield, he seriously injured the Two-Tails Jinchuriki who attempted to stop him, ultimately resulting in the Jinchuriki's death on the way back to the Hidden Cloud Village.
"What about the Two-Tails? Did it disappear along with the Jinchuriki?!" the Raikage asked in a deep voice.
Although they had gained some territory in the Land of Earth, they had lost a Tailed Beast and a Two-Tails Jinchuriki who could exert stable combat power…
Was it a profit or a loss?
"I have already sent members of the Anbu who excel in tracking to continue the pursuit. I believe we will locate the missing party."
The Anbu captain hesitated for a moment before continuing, "As to whether the other party is a ninja or a spy, I'm still uncertain and am investigating.
However, based on the traces left by the child, they likely aren't a ninja. Following the child's trail led us to Konoha… the base in the town..."
**Bang—**
The Raikage punched the desk again, which had already been broken in two.
However, this punch shattered what remained of the office desk into splinters!
This time, the Raikage was truly furious!
"Konoha!!!"
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Tonri had been following the caravan for five days.
Due to the large amount of baggage, many shortcuts weren't possible, and they had to avoid bandits and robbers, leading to slower progress.
But even at this slow pace, they were less than two days away from passing through the Land of Soup and reaching the Land of Fire, where the dangers would lessen.
During these days, Tonri spent most of his time inside the carriage.
He occasionally exited it to handle physical needs.
The elderly man in charge of the caravan provided three meals a day. Although they were meager, it was a significant improvement over his previous situation of lacking food and clothing.
During this time, Tonri didn't remain idle; he exercised in the carriage.
This world is extremely dangerous. No matter what, strengthening himself would provide an extra layer of protection.
There are many things that Tonri doesn't know, such as chakra refinement and kunai throwing techniques, let alone the more complex ninjutsu.
However, Tonri still remembers the most basic physical exercises—push-ups, sit-ups, and more complex gymnastics.
These were skills he had mastered in his previous life, and he merely picked them up again in this body.
Five days is neither long nor short.
During this period, Tonri looked less pale and thin, with a slight improvement in complexion that even showed a healthy flush.
Three hundred and sixty degrees of handsomeness without any blind spots!
Although the carriage was cramped, Tonri, being a child, could maneuver enough space for his exercises after some tidying up.
After completing his training and pushing his body to its limits, Tonri's consciousness entered the sealed space where the Two-Tails resided.
It was time to talk to him.
Unsure if it was due to the sealing technique's inadequacy or the seal not being very strong, Tonri could present himself before the Two-Tails whenever he wished.
Although after a few days, Nibi was somewhat annoyed by Tonri, he still found it entertaining.
Whenever he had extra time, Tonri would quietly curl up in a corner of the carriage, clutching the fragrant sachet in his hand.
As the saying goes, you can tell a woman by her scent...
A woman who owns this kind of delicate and fragrant sachet must be beautiful.
And this was Tonri's only entertainment during this time!
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