Chapter 217 - 6: A Warrior Among Thousands
The Third Raikage, A, stood with furrowed brows, gazing at the unconscious form of X, who had collapsed from exhaustion. A deep sense of frustration filled his heart.
Just one more step! Just one more step!
He could almost see the outskirts of Iwagakure. If he had just five more days—no, even three—he could have taken the village!
This was no idle fantasy.
Ever since Ōnoki’s death and Iwagakure’s withdrawal from the Ninja Alliance, the Third Raikage had sensed an anomaly. He had been eyeing Iwagakure ever since, going so far as to deploy a vast network of spies to gather intelligence. Finally, he received a critical piece of information.
On the night of Ōnoki’s death, Iwagakure had indeed undergone a coup. The Fourth Tsuchikage, Shī, had reportedly fallen victim to genjutsu, and a large number of his loyalists had been purged. At present, Iwagakure was a shadow of its former self, with barely any notable shinobi left. It was no longer the village that could stand toe-to-toe with Kumogakure for years on end—it was weaker than ever before!
If he didn’t strike while the iron was hot, it would be a wasted opportunity.
Thus, from the moment Iwagakure intervened in Sunagakure’s rebellion, the Third Raikage had been secretly plotting to take down his old rival in one decisive blow.
From troop deployments to changes in command, every move had been a ruse. His true objective had always been the conquest of Iwagakure.
Though he had only five thousand shinobi under his command, they represented the elite of Kumogakure. Among them were half of the village’s most formidable fighters—the "Letter Squad."
The "Letter Squad" was Kumogakure’s answer to Sunagakure’s "Heavenly Stems Project," a group of near-Kage-level combatants. These were the best of the best, selected through rigorous trials and training, each identified by a letter as their codename. Members like C and Eisetsuran (E) were among them, each a one-man army capable of taking on hundreds. They were the product of Kumogakure’s substantial investment during the six years of peace.