Chapter 203: Birds, Bombs, and Bad Timing
“How’s the troop assembly coming along?”
“They’re already preparing, Dodai-sama.”
Land of Lightning, inside Kumogakure.
The high-ranking officials of Kumogakure sat gathered in the Raikage Building, their expressions dark.
The situation this time was simply too dire—worse than anything they had imagined, even when they had considered the possibility of disaster.
The Raikage was dead, Sunagakure had surrendered, and both Kirigakure and Iwagakure had allied with Konohagakure. Naturally, that left Kumogakure as the next target!
Fortunately, they were no strangers to the question of “What to do after a Raikage dies.”
Even in the face of a massive crisis, they were still able to remain calm and formulate a response.
“Since the troops have assembled, then send them to begin their deployment. At the same time, we must maintain strict surveillance of Konohagakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure’s movements.”
As Kumogakure’s greatest strategist, Dodai had once held the deep trust of the Third Raikage. He had even guided both the Fourth Raikage and Killer B in mastering the Double Lariat technique.
Now, only he could restrain the raging Killer B, and only he could take command of the overall situation.
“Also, the Chūnin Exams in Konoha should be about to begin, shouldn’t they?”
“Yes, Dodai-sama.”
An ANBU operative lowered his head as he replied, drawing a sigh from Dodai.
“In this period, we must be twice as cautious. Who knows if they might choose this moment to launch a sudden strike against us?”
“Dodai, aren’t you being overly worried?”
At that moment, one of Kumogakure’s elders frowned and spoke.
“And with this three-front war we face—what are our chances of victory?”
“Our chances…”
Dodai’s brow furrowed at the question. He knew exactly what it meant to ask that now.
But it was a question he was unwilling to answer. Not because he believed there was no chance at all—
—but because victory depended not only on effort, but also on the strength of their opponents.
“Chances of victory are carved out by fighting—and by the foe we face.”
“Oh? And what are you thinking?”
“Konoha, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure have always been riddled with conflicts. In all three Great Wars they’ve clashed with one another. This time, their alliance is nothing more than a matter of interest.”
“You mean to sow discord among them? But our relations with Iwagakure and Kirigakure aren’t exactly good either.”
“If the distribution of interests is uneven, their alliance will inevitably collapse. But before that happens, we must show enough strength.”
Dodai’s voice was firm, his fist tightening slightly as he looked around at everyone present.
“Only if we are strong enough—only if they fail to break us quickly—do we stand a chance. We can deceive, we can make promises, we can even yield a portion of our profits, even some of the secret techniques we’ve taken.”
“So long as they cannot unite—so long as they are blinded by self-interest—we will endure. We will weather this calamity.”
“So then…”
At that, Dodai slammed a heavy fist down onto the table, his voice rising.
“Everyone—Kumogakure’s fate rests with us now!”
His words burned with passion, igniting the blood of all who listened.
Even the frail elders present could not help but admit that Dodai’s reasoning was sound.
What was an alliance, after all, if not the product of greed?
Handled correctly, it could be broken apart.
Surely, once their hearts were divided and their loyalties turned against one another, they would no longer be able to keep fighting together.
“And no single village alone can break Kumogakure.”
After all, the era had changed. In this age, there was no Senju Hashirama, no Uchiha Madara!
[Boom—]
[Boom—]
[Boom—]
But at that moment, a string of thunderous explosions erupted. Surging firelight spread wildly across the village, the violent shockwaves shattering the Raikage Building’s glass to pieces!
“What’s happening?”
“What’s going on?!”
“Has Konoha attacked already?!”
The deafening blasts rattled every eardrum, and Dodai rushed straight to the window.
His jaw clenched as he looked out over the village, where flames raged unchecked.
And then he saw it—a great white bird circling lazily in the sky above.
And from its back, a figure was already descending swiftly toward them.
...
“It seems… we’ve finally arrived.”
After several days of travel, Kitagawa Gen and his two companions had silently crossed the Land of Lightning’s border and slipped deep into its heart.
Looking up at the towering mountains that pierced the clouds, listening to the occasional rumble of thunder, Gen gave a small nod.
“This place… doesn’t look too bad, does it?”
“Tch. Sure, the scenery’s nice, but I’d rather see it all explode, yeah!”
Deidara nodded, then shook his head again. Terumi Mei, however, spoke in a low voice.
“This place is heavy with moisture—it won’t hinder my techniques. But this is no time for jokes. We have to stay sharp.”
Along the way, she had seen enough of Deidara and Kitagawa Gen’s apparent carelessness.
Of course, she understood it was only on the surface. All she was doing now was reminding them.
“Relax. We’ll stick to the plan.”
Gen rolled his neck, but Mei still couldn’t help worrying.
“I understand, but… you’re really going to storm the Raikage Building alone? Are you sure about this?”
“Don’t worry. He’ll be fine.”
Deidara’s confidence brimmed as he grabbed a lump of clay and stuffed it into the mouth on his hand, chewing vigorously.
“If things go south, he can always retreat. It’s you I’m worried about—just don’t let your Water Release wash out my explosions.”
“And who told you I’d be using Water Release?”
Mei arched her brow. Before she could continue, Gen cut in.
“Enough. Fly higher so we don’t get spotted. Remember—we’re striking key targets, not causing random chaos. Got it?”
“Got it!”
Deidara rubbed his hands together in excitement, while Mei took a deep breath.
The clay bird swooped swiftly forward. Just as they were about to enter Kumogakure’s barrier, Gen suddenly hurled out several kunai.
Like birds in flight, the blades shot into the barrier—and the instant they pierced through, he formed a single seal.
[Whoosh—]
In the blink of an eye, the three of them slipped inside the barrier. Below them, Kumogakure spread out in full view!
“They’ll catch on soon enough. Let’s begin.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Deidara’s clay bird surged forward, accelerating sharply. At the same time, countless clay spiders began to drift down toward the village.
Mei’s breathing grew heavier, her chakra boiling to life across her body. Still, she cast one more glance at Gen.
“You’re absolutely sure about this?”
“Leave it to me. Just don’t make a mess of things.”
Gen grinned. A heartbeat later, he leapt from the clay bird.
[Boom—]
[Boom—]
[Boom—]
The thunder of explosions shook the air, unrelenting.
Blinding flames erupted inside Kumogakure, spreading madly. Shockwaves rippled outward, crashing through everything in their path.
Countless trees were blasted askew, and many houses too fragile to withstand the force simply collapsed outright.
“Looks like the intel was right… this really is their supply depot.”
From high above, Gen could see clearly—Deidara hadn’t gone wild. Every strike followed their predetermined marks.
If they were going to attack, then it had to be against targets of value.
Gathering points for shinobi, major departments, and suspected supply reserves—those were Deidara’s chosen objectives.
Clearly, this destruction had come about almost by sheer accident!
“Well then…”
Kitagawa Gen drew a deep breath. A white light flickered across his eyes as he locked onto his target.
In the next instant, he dropped swiftly, landing firmly on the windowsill. Lowering his head to look at the figure before him, he suddenly smiled.
“So this really is the place, huh.”
“You—”
Dodai still seemed dazed, but the next moment realization struck him like lightning.
“You’re a shinobi of Konohagakure—you’re Kitagawa Gen!”
“Correct answer.”
Gen gave a soft laugh. In a flash, he lashed out with a heavy kick that slammed into Dodai’s chest.
[Thud—]
Though Dodai had thrown up a defense at the last possible moment, Gen’s speed was far beyond his own.
His body flew backward, crashing hard into the meeting hall!
Chaos instantly erupted within the chamber.
No one had ever imagined that someone could slip past their layered defenses without a sound.
No one had ever imagined that someone would launch such a brazen assault on them!
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