Yet an elite force of that caliber had simply vanished.
Three full days had passed without any contact.
Neither routine status reports nor intelligence transmissions had arrived. After repeated confirmation by Kumogakure's Intelligence Division and senior command that no communication had been received and with no trace of Darui or his unit anywhere the matter was finally reported directly to the Raikage.
Even the intelligence officers themselves found the conclusion difficult to believe.
A failed mission?
Possible.
Heavy casualties?
Entirely possible.
Even Darui falling in battle wasn't beyond imagination.
But for the entire unit to disappear without leaving behind a single piece of reliable intelligence…
That was simply unbelievable.
Nevertheless, it was the only logical conclusion they could reach.
With no news whatsoever and the situation becoming increasingly urgent, they had no choice but to report everything immediately to the Fourth Raikage.
Before entering his office, they had already anticipated the furious reaction awaiting them.
"Lord Fourth…"
The Kumogakure shinobi lowered his head respectfully.
"It has been three days since we lost contact with Darui's unit. There have been no scheduled reports, no intelligence transmissions, and no signs of their whereabouts. We've already dispatched the nearest reconnaissance teams to investigate, but…"
He hesitated before finishing the sentence.
He didn't need to.
The Fourth Raikage understood perfectly.
Standing nearby, Dodai's expression had also become incomparably grim.
This development was far beyond anything they had expected.
"Damn it!"
The Raikage slammed a fist onto the armrest of his chair.
"Search!"
"Dig through every inch of the Land of Spring if you have to!"
"Even if every one of them is dead, I want you to find where Darui made his last stand."
"And I want to know exactly who did it!"
"Do you understand?!"
His bloodshot eyes glared at the messenger like a ferocious beast preparing to devour its prey.
Darui…
He wasn't merely one of Kumogakure's elite jōnin.
He was the successor personally selected and groomed by the Fourth Raikage.
The future Raikage.
Now…
He was presumed dead.
How could A possibly remain calm?
How could he suppress such rage?
Whoever had killed Darui…
The Raikage swore he would make them experience true despair.
"Yes, Lord Raikage!"
The messenger bowed deeply.
Whoosh!
He vanished instantly in a Body Flicker Technique to carry out the order.
Silence once again descended upon the Raikage's office.
After a long pause…
The Fourth Raikage slowly spoke.
"Do you think Kirigakure is responsible?"
Although he had already resumed his seat, the veins bulging beneath his dark skin and the murderous aura radiating from him made it obvious that his anger had not subsided in the slightest.
He was merely forcing himself to think rationally.
Dodai pondered the question before answering.
"Based on the intelligence we currently possess, there's no way to reach a definite conclusion."
He paused briefly.
"However… in my opinion, unless Kirigakure deployed an overwhelming force, it would have been impossible to eliminate Darui and his team without leaving a single survivor."
"And if the Hidden Mist truly mobilized such a large operation…"
"…our intelligence network should have detected it."
Dodai's reasoning was sound.
Could Kirigakure accomplish such a feat?
Certainly.
No shinobi was invincible.
Even the legendary Third Raikage had eventually fallen after exhausting himself against thousands of enemies.
If Kirigakure committed enough elite shinobi, eliminating Darui was entirely possible.
But there were only two realistic scenarios.
Either Kirigakure possessed an unknown trump card…
Or they had dispatched a massive force.
The first possibility required further intelligence.
The second should have been impossible to conceal.
Kumogakure's reconnaissance network was far too extensive to overlook such a large-scale deployment.
Based on everything they currently knew…
Dodai leaned toward another conclusion.
"So you're saying another force is the more likely culprit?"
The Fourth Raikage's expression darkened considerably.
His voice became colder still.
"If we're making assumptions based solely on available intelligence…"
Dodai took a slow breath before continuing.
"Then Konohagakure is currently the most suspicious."
"They possess the military strength necessary to accomplish such a feat."
"Our intelligence also confirmed that one of the Legendary Sannin Jiraiya was recently operating in a nation bordering the Land of Spring."
"If Konoha dispatched several elite ANBU units in addition to Jiraiya…"
"…then completely wiping out Darui's force would certainly be possible."
This was not an unreasonable conclusion.
Among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Konoha remained the strongest.
Moreover…
The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki had defected from the village.
Although Naruto Uzumaki himself remained in Konoha, Menma's departure with half of Kurama had significantly weakened the village's strategic balance in this alternate timeline. Acquiring another tailed beast would naturally become a priority.
From Dodai's perspective, Konoha possessed both the capability…
and the motive.
His deduction was perfectly logical.
After all, Konoha had indeed been pursuing the Six-Tails from the very beginning.
Whether it was Tsunade's official forces…
Or Root under Shimura Danzō…
Their objective had always been the same.
Only their methods differed.
At this point in history, the Akatsuki had yet to emerge as the greatest threat within the shinobi world.
To most villages, they were nothing more than an underground criminal organization that accepted dangerous missions for payment.
Neither Uchiha Obito's identity nor Nagato's ambitions had been exposed.
Even Orochimaru, despite his connections, had never revealed Akatsuki's true nature to the wider world.
Danzō himself knew only fragments of the organization's existence.
Naturally…
Someone like Dodai knew even less.
"Of course…"
Dodai added after another brief pause.
"We also can't completely rule out the possibility that Utakata escaped through his own strength."
"After all, he is a jinchūriki."
"If he has achieved a level of cooperation with the Six-Tails comparable to Killer B's relationship with the Eight-Tails…"
"…then escaping from multiple pursuing forces wouldn't be impossible."
As for Iwagakure…
Or Sunagakure…
Dodai temporarily excluded both from his list of primary suspects.
Iwagakure was simply too far away.
Moving enough elite shinobi across several countries without exposing even the slightest trace would be virtually impossible.
Initial infiltration could perhaps remain hidden.
But afterward?
Someone would have noticed.
The Five Great Villages constantly monitored one another.
As for Sunagakure…
Dodai honestly didn't consider them capable.
Could the Hidden Sand capture the Six-Tails…
while simultaneously annihilating Darui's elite unit without suffering obvious losses?
Impossible.
If not for their vast territory, strategic position, and the continued presence of Chiyo and Ebizō, Sunagakure would have struggled to maintain its status as one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Suspecting Sunagakure…
Was less believable than suspecting Orochimaru.
At least Orochimaru possessed the necessary strength.
"…Konoha."
The Fourth Raikage slowly repeated the village's name.
A terrifying pressure spread throughout the office.
Truthfully…
His hostility toward Konoha had never diminished.
The Land of Fire possessed fertile lands.
Immense wealth.
Abundant resources.
And Konohagakure remained the strongest military power among the Five Great Nations.
How could the other great villages not covet such prosperity?
During the Third Shinobi World War, despite suffering heavily at Iwagakure's hands, Kumogakure's long-term strategic focus had never shifted entirely away from Konoha.
The Hyūga Incident several years later was proof enough.
Why had Kumogakure sent an official diplomatic delegation into Konoha?
Because peace negotiations had become necessary.
And peace negotiations only occurred after prolonged military conflict.
That conflict had clearly extended well beyond minor border skirmishes.
The Fourth Raikage had always viewed Konoha as the richest prize in the shinobi world.
As long as Kumogakure could seize even a fraction of the Land of Fire's prosperity…
The benefits would be immeasurable.
Years earlier, the death of a single Kumogakure head ninja during the Hyūga Incident had nearly pushed him toward open war.
Now…
The presumed casualty was Darui.
The very shinobi he had chosen as his successor.
This time…
His fury was genuine.
It wasn't merely political leverage.
After a long silence, the Fourth Raikage spoke coldly.
"Dispatch envoys to Konohagakure immediately."
"Demand an explanation."
"Require Konoha to return the bodies of every fallen Kumogakure shinobi."
"And demand they hand over whoever killed our people."
"They will also compensate Kumogakure for every loss suffered."
"If they refuse…"
"Then Konoha will bear full responsibility for everything that follows."
Whether Konoha was truly responsible mattered little at this stage.
If they were guilty…
Excellent.
If they weren't…
Then Kumogakure could still use the opportunity to pressure them and gauge their reaction.
As for the possibility that such actions might provoke another conflict…
The Fourth Raikage couldn't have cared less.
He had long since concluded that Konoha's current leadership lacked the resolve to answer force with force.
In his eyes…
They had become overly cautious.
Soft.
No matter what the truth ultimately proved to be…
He fully intended to force concessions from Konoha.
Dodai frowned slightly.
"Lord Raikage…"
"Would it not be wiser to wait until our reconnaissance teams return with preliminary intelligence?"
"The current situation remains highly uncertain."
Unlike the Raikage, Dodai was naturally cautious.
That was precisely why he served as Kumogakure's chief strategist.
His role had always been to temper the impulsive decisions of successive Raikage.
He existed as the village's brake.
Not because the Raikage lacked intelligence.
Neither the Third nor the Fourth Raikage had ever been fools.
Both possessed remarkable battlefield instincts and political awareness.
Their greatest flaw…
Was their explosive temperament.
Whenever that temper threatened to overwhelm reason…
Dodai was the one responsible for restoring balance.
Just as he was attempting to do now.
Something about the current situation felt wrong.
If another hidden force had orchestrated everything from the shadows, then rashly provoking Konoha could easily play directly into that enemy's hands.
Before Kumogakure committed itself to any course of action…
They first needed the truth.
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