A special thank you to my patrons:
—Shahzaam, Jacob Mooe, kevin Williams, Jose Sierra, Pasang Sherpa, Acedia, kurtis newman, Nhoxious, sediaz, Targaryen, King Scales.
You can read 30 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
————————————————————
"BOOM!!!" Directly activating his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, A once again slammed Killer Bee into the ground and began beating him ruthlessly. While pummeling him, he roared, "You bastard! You still dared to hit back?! Look at what you've done! You wretch! Just DIE already!!"
"Bam! Bam! Bam!!" Fists the size of sandbags rained down relentlessly. This time, Killer Bee didn't dare to fight back. He obediently curled up on the ground, even using the Eight-Tails' tails to shield himself while A continued to wail on him.
The Eight-Tails: Your brotherly squabbles are none of my business! Why drag me into this?!
Only after beating Killer Bee until he was bruised, swollen, and too terrified to even crawl back up did the fury in A's heart gradually subside. He roared at Killer Bee, who was still huddled in the crater, "You bastard! From now on, you are forbidden from leaving the Cloud Lightning Gorge even a single step! And you can forget about that damn concert of yours! Otherwise, I'll break your legs!! Do you have any idea what kind of losses your actions brought to the village?! What kind of trouble you caused ME?!"
Me? A concert? Since when does holding a concert cause huge losses and trouble? Killer Bee was deeply aggrieved, but he didn't dare voice it. Fortunately, having vented his spleen, A wasn't an entirely unreasonable man. Grabbing Killer Bee by the ear, he roared, "Do you know what happened?! Because you wanted to hold a concert and went out distributing flyers, you were spotted by Uchiha Kazuki of the Leaf Village! He saw straight through every one of your secrets! Then he used that to blackmail us, causing the village to pay a significant price! I even suspected a spy had infiltrated the village's upper echelons and had everyone detained – we were on the verge of conducting full interrogations! Do you understand now, you wretch?!"
"..." Numb. Exhausted. Just let the world burn. At this point, Killer Bee was utterly devoid of hope. He could never have dreamed that a single concert could cause such a colossal mess. Even the Eight-Tails, listening carefully, was dumbfounded. At this moment, it actually felt a pang of sympathy for Killer Bee. This was truly the height of misfortune. Because of a concert, because of handing out flyers, he'd managed to expose his deepest secrets. There was truly no one else like him.
Having warned Killer Bee once again not to leave the Cloud Lightning Gorge even half a step, the fury in his heart dissipated, and A departed. There were still countless messy affairs in the village awaiting his attention. He had no time to squabble with Killer Bee. Leaving Killer Bee behind with strict instructions to the Anbu to keep a close watch on him, A returned to the Raikage building.
The higher-ups who had been waiting in the Raikage's office saw that the anger on A's face had largely subsided, and their hearts felt a bit lighter. Because of that bastard Killer Bee, they had all been suspected, targeted, and nearly subjected to interrogation. Their favorable impression of Killer Bee had plummeted, nearly hitting rock bottom. The interrogation methods of the Anbu's interrogation rooms were something you'd only understand by experiencing them firsthand – they would guarantee you a lifetime of unforgettable memories.
Provided, of course, you weren't tortured to death in the process. Thinking about how close they'd come to not making it back, it was no wonder the higher-ups held no goodwill toward Killer Bee. It was already generous enough that they hadn't piled false charges onto him. Unfortunately, even if they wanted to, A had blocked that path. Why had A beaten Killer Bee without any explanation? Besides venting his own anger, he was also signaling to the higher-ups: I've already taught Killer Bee a lesson. So drop this matter. Everyone take a step back.
"Ahem!" Reseating himself in the Raikage's chair, A cleared his throat and asked, "The peace talks between the Sand and Mist Villages have commenced in the Leaf Village. This will inevitably affect the war between our village and the Stone Village. What do you all think Onoki will do?"
"Lord Raikage, what Onoki will do isn't the key question. The key question is what the Leaf Village will do," the Daimyo interjected before anyone else could speak. "Even if Onoki rallies the Mist and Sand Villages, as long as the Leaf doesn't lend its support, the overall war situation won't change significantly. Therefore, our focus must remain on the Leaf Village."
"DAMN IT!!!"
Again with the Leaf Village! No matter how he tried, the Leaf Village stood as an immovable pillar blocking their path. There was simply no way around it. Thinking of the conditions he'd previously agreed to, the Raikage's blood boiled.
"Mabui..." He glanced back at Mabui, who was staring silently at the floor, and sighed. "I am truly sorry. For the village's interests, I had to push you forward. Please try to understand. The Leaf Village's attitude and alignment are critically important to us."
If there had been any alternative, A wouldn't have wanted to kiss the Leaf's stinking feet. Unfortunately, circumstances left him no choice. Unless he was willing to abandon the Leaf and go it alone. The problem was, going it alone could very well trigger a Five Kage Summit. Make no mistake – even if the Cloud Village didn't want to participate, if the other four villages all declared their intention to convene a summit, the Cloud Village would have no choice but to grit its teeth and attend. Unless they wanted to make enemies of all four other villages.
Mabui lifted her head and spoke calmly, "To contribute and sacrifice for the village is my honor. Please, Lord Raikage, do not say such things." As a member of the Cloud Village, Mabui had long since prepared herself to sacrifice for the village. Moreover, she wasn't sacrificing her life – she was merely being given away... Although this was intensely displeasing, everything was for the village.
A chose not to dwell on the matter any further. "I suspect Onoki has already begun secretly contacting the Mist and Sand Villages. Perhaps even the Leaf Village is involved. Onoki is a stubborn old fossil who refuses to bow his head. Compared to losing to us on the battlefield – losing face and paying war reparations – I believe he would rather rally the other villages and pressure us. The Mist and Sand Villages, I can afford to ignore. But the Leaf Village – we cannot. We must secure the Leaf's position."
The logic was sound, but thinking about the need to offer benefits and continue kissing the Leaf's stinking feet made A's entire body crawl with revulsion. When had the Cloud Village ever been forced into such a humiliating position? What made it truly unbearable was that they couldn't refuse. If they did, and the Leaf tilted just slightly in the other direction, trouble would come knocking – and it would be monumental trouble.
Once again, they needed to win over the Leaf Village. What price would they have to pay this time? The thought of the village's treasures being steadily extracted by the Leaf made A's heart ache and bleed.
The misunderstanding was resolved, and the Cloud Village stabilized, but it left behind a trail of wreckage. Meanwhile, in the Leaf Village, the second round of peace talks between the Mist and Sand Villages continued. The two sides still couldn't reach an agreement. The Mist Village wanted to give less in reparations, while the Sand Village wanted to receive more – they needed to replenish their village's coffers. And so, the tug-of-war began.
Kazuki didn't particularly care. He simply watched as they bickered back and forth. You both want to drag this out? You both want to buy time? Fine, drag it out then! The Leaf Village has plenty of resources. We're not afraid of being eaten into poverty by two delegation teams.