Dawn broke.
Morning in Kumogakure—sunlight spilled over the eastern mountain ridges, shining down across every corner of the village.
The shelters gradually opened, and under the guidance of the shinobi, the civilians filed out in orderly lines. Cleanup work began. Organized by the ninja, the villagers split into several groups, moving rubble and clearing away debris.
Supplies began to be distributed. Food and drinking water were sent throughout the village. Long lines formed in front of the hastily erected medical tents as the wounded received treatment. The lightly and heavily injured were separated, registered, and then sent in batches to different areas.
Several jōnin from the Barrier Team were inspecting the barrier nodes, attempting to restore the village defenses. Patrol squads had already resumed their shifts. The Communications Team was repairing damaged communication lines, while the administrative departments began compiling damage reports from all areas affected during the night.
Cooking smoke slowly rose into the air, sparse and scattered, as though everything was gradually returning to normal.
In the distance, atop a high mountain outside Kumogakure, Higashino Shinichi silently watched the scene unfold.
Behind him, every member of the Shinichi Battalion stood quietly in place. No one spoke. They silently consumed specially made soldier pills, restoring their stamina and chakra.
These specially made soldier pills had been personally crafted and distributed by Captain Shinichi before the operation began. Once swallowed, the pills transformed into a fine, gentle warmth that slowly spread from the stomach throughout the entire body. Compared to ordinary soldier pills, these special versions worked faster, more gently, and with longer-lasting effects.
Most of the team members had already grown accustomed to this and merely sighed inwardly once again—Captain's medical ninjutsu attainments truly were unfathomable. Even the soldier pills he casually made possessed such miraculous effects.
Several Kumogakure shinobi corpses lay scattered around them, their blood not yet dry.
During their rapid advance toward Kumogakure, the closer they got to the village, the denser the patrols became.
If a patrol group was too large and risked triggering an alarm, they bypassed it. If the group was small, they eliminated it silently.
From the moment they departed until now, they had not alerted a single person.
Witnessing all of this, the team members could not help but inwardly marvel once more—
Just how powerful was the Captain's perception ability?
Shinichi continued standing there, staring at the distant village. Within the depths of his eyes, glass-like colors continuously flickered. After a moment, he withdrew his gaze and turned around.
"Kumogakure's damaged barrier from last night still hasn't been repaired."
Shinichi slowly spoke.
"Just as I predicted, Kumogakure's military strength is currently in an unprecedented state of emptiness. Most of the shinobi on guard duty are likely only genin based on my judgment. There are extremely few chūnin and jōnin. If you count it all up, their numbers aren't much greater than ours."
This too had been within Shinichi's expectations.
He had once roughly estimated the wartime mobilization limits of the Five Great Nations and the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Including the local shinobi clans and forces within each nation, the total combined military strength of all five great nations and villages was approximately ninety thousand shinobi. (Not including genin.)
At first glance, this number appeared to exceed the more than eighty-thousand-strong Shinobi Allied Forces from the Fourth Great Ninja War over a decade later by nearly ten thousand. (The remainder being samurai.)
But during that war, the major villages had not truly mobilized everything they had.
For example, genin uniformly did not participate in the war. At the same time, each village still retained a number of chūnin and jōnin at home under the command of senior advisors and elders—people such as Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura in Konohagakure, Ebizō in Sunagakure, and Genji in Kirigakure—to guard their respective headquarters against the possibility of the Akatsuki launching surprise attacks.
In addition, none of the villages had mobilized the various regional forces within their own nations.
And at this point in time, as both a nation and a shinobi village famed for militarism—and with the strong backing of the official authorities of the Land of Lightning—Kumogakure's military power was the closest to that of Konohagakure.
Without counting genin, Kumogakure possessed just over twenty thousand chūnin and jōnin. Iwagakure had slightly fewer shinobi, but not by much, likewise reaching around twenty thousand.
Among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Sunagakure and Kirigakure lagged noticeably behind in shinobi numbers. The former was limited by population and financial resources, while the latter suffered constant internal attrition due to the Bloody Mist policies. Only after the Zabuza incident two years earlier had things eased slightly—and only slightly.
At this moment, however, Kumogakure's massive military force was scattered across multiple fronts.
Kumogakure and the various shinobi clan forces of the Land of Lightning had deployed over ten thousand personnel along the southwestern front against Konoha. Another contingent was stationed on the northwestern defense line, monitoring Iwagakure's movements. In addition, the forces successively led away by the Third Raikage and A each numbered three thousand.
By the time all of that was accounted for, nearly every deployable soldier had already been drained away.
As a result, the current Kumogakure was emptier than it had ever been before. The combined total of chūnin and jōnin remaining in the village numbered only a few hundred.
And those few hundred still had to be dispersed throughout the enormous village to guard key locations and patrol the streets.
Once spread out, a few hundred men were like a handful of sand tossed into a pond—not enough to even stir a splash.
Shinichi slowly swept his gaze across the crowd and spoke in a deep voice: "Everyone, prepare to move. Just as we planned earlier—I'll lead the charge. The entire unit will assault the center of Kumogakure directly! Our target is the Raikage Building! Destroy everything inside that can be destroyed!"
"Yes!"
The voices of more than four hundred shinobi merged into a low, concise response. Not a trace of hesitation could be seen in their eyes.
Shinichi turned and looked toward the distant village.
The Raikage Building was not merely the symbol of Kumogakure's authority—it was the heart of the entire village.
Destroying it would deal a far greater blow to Kumogakure's morale than burning a few warehouses or blowing up several outposts ever could. And for Konoha, it would become a victory worthy of being recorded in the village's history and spread throughout the entire shinobi world.
But that was only one reason.
The building also stored enormous quantities of ninjutsu scrolls, mission reports, administrative archives, supply distribution records, strategic deployment maps, and countless other documents.
Ninjutsu scrolls could be rewritten by the living.
But once those data files recording the operational core of Kumogakure were destroyed, the village's administrative system would descend into unprecedented chaos for a very long time afterward.
"Then move out! Once the mission is complete, do not get bogged down in battle! Withdraw immediately!"
"Yes!"
The moment the words fell, Shinichi vanished from his spot first.
More than four hundred figures followed like shadows, racing after him as streaking afterimages.
...
Inside Kumogakure, at the ruins of a street district, a patrol squad of shinobi happened to be passing by.
The chūnin captain leading the team walked with heavy steps.
From last night until now, he had not closed his eyes even once. He had been working nonstop.
He narrowed his eyes.
The sunlight seemed to flicker for a moment. He raised a hand to shield his eyes, but the light only seemed to grow more blinding, faintly carrying a scorching heat.
Hm?
Something's wrong!
He suddenly looked up, only to see a flaming tornado tearing through the morning light, carving a searing shockwave through the sky as it hurtled straight toward him with a shrill screech.
The tornado was too fast.
So fast that he could not even see it clearly.
He barely had time to open his mouth.
"Enem—"
The chūnin captain managed to shout only a single syllable before heat and explosions completely swallowed him. Flames erupted outward, engulfing him along with several squad members behind him who had failed to react in time within the blazing torrent.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
As the chain explosions violently tore apart the morning silence, smoke and fire burst skyward, and the Kumogakure that had only just regained a sliver of order descended into chaos once more.
"Enemy attack!!"
"It's Konoha! Konoha's forces have returned!"
"Organize the troops immediately! Send word to the Raikage-sama and A-sama at once! Request reinforcements!"
"Genin squads escort the civilians back to the shelters! Chūnin and above, follow me and hold them back!"
Shouts and screams rang out nonstop.
Some people ran around in panic. Some tried to gather their comrades. Others had already begun forming hand seals in preparation for battle.
But the objective of Shinichi's battalion was sharp and clear as a blade.
The entire unit had no intention of becoming entangled in prolonged fighting. Aside from the Kumogakure shinobi who happened to block their advance and were swiftly cut down, the battalion pressed straight forward.
The entire force surged ahead like a converging torrent, driving directly toward the heart of Kumogakure—
The Raikage Building!
"That's not right! Their target is the Raikage Building! Stop them!"
A Kumogakure jōnin noticed their intentions amid the chaos and shouted hoarsely.
But Kumogakure's forces were currently spread far too thin. Most of their core combat strength had already been transferred either to the frontlines or the pursuit forces. The shinobi left behind in the enormous village were scattered like grains of sand. In such rushed circumstances, orders were difficult to relay, and manpower even harder to gather.
As a result, by the time Shinichi's battalion cut through the scattered resistance like a sharpened blade and charged into the vast plaza before the Raikage Building, the number of Kumogakure shinobi who had managed to arrive in time and stand in their path numbered only thirty or forty at most.
Faced with Shinichi's elite battalion—whose morale was soaring and whose numbers exceeded theirs by more than tenfold—such resistance appeared pitifully thin.
"Hah!"
Shinichi charged at the very front, his momentum not slowing in the slightest. The Adamantine Staff in his left hand swept out in a heavy arc, smashing away two Kumogakure shinobi on his right who had attempted to throw ninja tools.
At the same time, scorching flames erupted explosively around his body and rapidly condensed into his right fist.
Then—
A monstrous wave of blazing fire burst forth alongside his punch!
Vermilion Heaven Purge!
Almost at the exact instant he attacked, thirty Wind Release specialists led by Ueno Kaito behind him had already completed their hand seals in perfect unison.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
Howling gales burst from their mouths and precisely merged into the massive flame wave.
Wind and fire fused instantly.
The flames borrowed the wind's momentum.
The wind amplified the flames' might!
The already devastating flame wave suddenly expanded in size, its color shifting into a violently incandescent white. It transformed into a raging inferno that covered nearly half the plaza, surging forward like a furious sea of fire crashing down with overwhelming force.
The heat was suffocating.
Even the air itself began to distort wherever it passed.
"Danger!"
"Defend yourselves!"
"Dodge!"
The Kumogakure shinobi standing ahead paled in horror as alarmed cries erupted everywhere. Some attempted to evade. Others tried to defend themselves.
But it was all too slow.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The earth-shaking explosion resounded throughout the entirety of Kumogakure.
Scorching fire waves and violent shockwaves rampaged outward in every direction, devouring, tearing apart, and melting everything in their path.
Several Kumogakure shinobi at the very center of the blast did not even have time to scream before being instantly vaporized by the extreme heat. The surrounding ninja were violently blasted away by the shockwave—either dead or grievously wounded.
Every structure and facility in the plaza before the Raikage Building was destroyed. The ground itself was reduced to scorched earth in an instant as shattered stone flew everywhere and black smoke rose into the sky.
Yet Shinichi's figure did not stop for even a moment.
Before the light of the explosion had fully faded—
He kicked off the ground and shot into the air like an arrow released from a bowstring. The muscles in both arms bulged as the Adamantine Staff clenched in his hands erupted with dazzling light. The staff rapidly expanded mid-swing, transforming into a colossal pillar that seemed capable of splitting the sky itself.
Carrying overwhelming force, it smashed brutally toward the center of the towering Raikage Building!
"STOP!!!"
"NOOO!!!"
Under the furious, bloodshot gazes and enraged screams of the Kumogakure shinobi rushing in frantically from all directions—
The Raikage Building, symbol of Kumogakure's authority and glory, collapsed with a world-shaking crash!
The massive structure twisted and shattered apart, transforming into a sea of dust and ruins.
From within the rubble came several brief yet miserable screams—the final echoes of administrative staff and guards who had failed to evacuate in time.
After succeeding in a single strike, the members behind Shinichi did not hesitate in the slightest. With precise coordination, they immediately launched the next phase of the operation.
One group followed along the trajectory of Shinichi's attack and continued pouring Fire Release, Wind Release, and explosive tags into the collapsed ruins, ensuring the site would be completely destroyed and that no files or facilities could possibly be salvaged.
Another group rapidly formed hand seals along the perimeter, unleashing various large-scale ninjutsu. Raging flames, surging torrents of water, rising walls of earth, and screaming winds intertwined into a deadly zone that effectively blocked and delayed the red-eyed Kumogakure shinobi desperately trying to charge forward for revenge.
As for Shinichi himself, after destroying the main building, he did not pause for even a second.
His body spun, and the Adamantine Staff in his hand—now restored to its normal size—swept upward once more, carrying immense chakra and monstrous strength as it smashed toward the three towering bronze statues standing in the plaza behind the Raikage Building.
The statues were imposing in appearance, their exaggerated muscles bursting with explosive power and oppressive force, silently embodying Kumogakure's militaristic traditions and the achievements of the successive Raikage.
They were the statues of the previous Raikage—entirely different from the solemn faces carved into Konoha's Hokage Rock, yet carrying the same glory and history of an entire village.
BOOM!
A deafening metallic explosion rang out.
Before absolute power, even solid bronze could not withstand the impact.
The statues of the First Raikage and Second Raikage snapped in half at the waist and crashed heavily to the ground.
The statue of the Third Raikage had suffered the worst destruction.
Everything below its chest had been completely shattered apart. The remaining upper half of the bronze sculpture tumbled through the air before, by an absurd coincidence, rolling directly to Shinichi's feet. The dignified bronze head happened to land facing upward, as though gazing at its conqueror.
Seeing this, Shinichi burst into loud laughter. His voice sounded especially arrogant and grating amidst the chaotic battlefield.
Without the slightest politeness, he lifted his left foot and planted it directly atop the Third Raikage's sculpted head. Then he shouted loudly toward the surrounding squad members who were still busy blocking enemies and destroying the area: "Quick, quick, quick! Get over here! Time for a photo!"
As he shouted, he drew the Kusanagi Sword from his waist with his backhand. The sword tip gleamed coldly as he carved across the remaining bronze torso of the Third Raikage's statue with rapid strokes, leaving behind a line of deeply engraved words:
Konohagakure! Shinichi Battalion Was Here!
The handwriting was just as wild and flamboyant as before.
And just as overflowing with provocation.
The squad members froze for a moment after hearing him, then erupted into even louder, more heroic laughter. Even the calmest and most reserved members of the unit could not help grinning broadly. Fighting spirit and exhilaration radiated from every face.
All four hundred and four members rapidly disengaged from their respective combat positions and assembled into formation before the charred ruins that had once been the Raikage Building.
It was so efficient and swift that it looked as though they had rehearsed it countless times.
Meanwhile, Shinichi created a Shadow Clone.
The clone held a specially prepared camera and quickly adjusted the angle, capturing within the frame Shinichi's main body standing atop the Raikage statue's head, the battle-spirited battalion behind him, and the shattered ruins of the Raikage Building in the background.
The Shadow Clone pressed the shutter.
Click.
The image was frozen forever.
"Hahahahaha! Nice! Really nice!"
Shinichi's main body took the camera and burst into loud laughter after only a single glance.
His laughter rang out with unrestrained arrogance, clearly audible amidst the battlefield filled with furious roars and agonized screams.
It was the most direct provocation imaginable.
Almost at the same moment the laughter sounded, even more Kumogakure shinobi with bloodshot eyes and nearly maddened expressions surged in from all directions. The whistling sounds of flying ninja tools mixed together with furious howls.
The smile on Shinichi's face vanished instantly.
His gaze turned icy cold.
Without even looking at the incoming attacks, he swung the Adamantine Staff one-handed toward the densest part of the charging crowd!
WOOOOOM!
The staff expanded by dozens of meters in an instant, carrying scorching shockwaves as it swept outward with a heavy roar like an invisible wall, forcibly driving back and overturning the first wave of charging Kumogakure shinobi.
Broken stone and dust exploded upward, briefly obscuring everyone's vision.
"Move, move, move! Retreat now!"
Shinichi had no intention of expanding the battle further.
Because he could not be certain whether any of the people accompanying the Third Raikage knew the Heavenly Transfer Technique.
If the Third Raikage were suddenly transported here, Shinichi himself would be fine—but the men under his command would suffer terribly.
Upon hearing the order, the battalion members, who had long been ready to move, immediately sprang into action.
They rapidly split into swift yet orderly streams of retreat. Moving in squad formations, they covered one another while racing toward the preplanned evacuation routes.
As for Shinichi, he naturally remained at the rear of the formation to cover the withdrawal.
His figure flickered continuously as the Adamantine Staff in his hand swung out repeatedly. The powerful winds and scorching flames produced by each strike continuously forced back the scattered Kumogakure shinobi attempting to pursue them.
The entire process happened so quickly it was almost impossible to follow with the naked eye.
Just like when they had arrived, Shinichi's battalion transformed into a series of elusive shadows, rapidly leaving behind the roaring and chaotic Kumogakure forces.
...
More than an hour later, a dazzling bolt of lightning flashed into existence outside Kumogakure.
Its speed suddenly slowed, as though observing the village's condition.
But in the next second, the lightning became even more violent. Roaring thunder tore through the air as it plunged toward the devastated village with even greater ferocity than before, crashing directly into the plaza before the now-ruined Raikage Building.
The lightning faded away, revealing the towering, iron-like figure of A.
What entered his eyes was still utter devastation.
Everywhere, Kumogakure shinobi were busily cleaning up amid charred, broken beams and endless rubble.
The three bronze statues of the previous Raikage that had been smashed apart earlier had already been forcibly repaired and restored to their original positions by the Kumogakure shinobi.
The cracks were still there.
The welding marks were still there.
But at the very least, the statues were standing again.
Especially the engraved words carved into the Third Raikage's statue—they had been ground away so thoroughly that not even the slightest trace remained.
Seeing this, the killing intent in A's eyes boiled even more violently. The raging fury in his chest surged together with the lightning surrounding his body.
He was just about to demand a report when—
A crisp yet extremely clear set of footsteps interrupted him.
He turned his head.
A man dressed in ordinary Kumogakure civilian clothing was walking out from between the ruins.
His pace was unhurried, as though he were taking a leisurely stroll after a meal.
A frowned.
At a time like this, civilians should not have been here.
He was just about to rebuke the man when—
"A?"
The stranger spoke first.
A's pupils suddenly contracted.
He stared at that face.
At those eyes.
Then a name squeezed out from deep within his throat: "Higashino Shinichi?"
"Heh."
The man chuckled softly.
His appearance slowly shifted, restoring itself into the face A had seen countless times within intelligence reports.
The boy stood amidst the ruins, morning sunlight shining from behind him. His smile looked so clean and harmless that he resembled an ordinary child.
"I knew your subordinates would desperately erase all these traces before you got back."
Shinichi's Shadow Clone tilted its head slightly. Its gaze swept mockingly across the statues that had been reassembled but still covered in scars and damage.
"Wouldn't want my clone waiting here for nothing. Here—catch."
The instant the words fell, the Shadow Clone flicked its finger.
A photograph tore through the air like a sharp kunai, spinning toward A's face with a clear whistling sound before he caught it in one hand.
"Well then, see you in the Capital."
As the words were spoken, the Shadow Clone dissolved into a cloud of smoke, leaving behind only a final voice filled with laughter.
Shinichi wanted to kill people.
And he wanted to destroy their hearts too.
A stood there motionless, his right hand clenched tightly around the photograph that had flown toward him.
From the bottom of his heart—he resisted looking at it.
But he understood even more clearly—
This naked humiliation, personally delivered before his eyes by the enemy, was something he absolutely had to remember.
Until one day, when he could wash it away with blood and fire tenfold—no, a hundredfold greater!
Finally, he took a fierce breath and unfolded the photograph.
Even though he had already prepared himself mentally, the instant the image entered his sight, the veins on his forehead still bulged violently, and the berserk lightning chakra around his body exploded outward with a thunderous boom beyond his control!
In the photograph, more than four hundred people stood before the ruined remains of the Raikage Building.
Some had soot smeared all over their faces yet grinned brightly with gleaming white teeth.
Some wore expressionless faces, but their eyes shone brilliantly.
Some curled their lips upward with mocking amusement.
Some had reddened eyes, yet still wore broad smiles.
And standing at the very front was the boy.
One foot stepped atop the head of the Third Raikage's statue.
One hand rested on the Adamantine Staff slung over his shoulder.
Morning sunlight shone from behind him, outlining his entire body in a golden glow.
His smile shone brighter than the flames behind him—
Brighter than the rising sun itself.
"HIGASHINO SHINICHI!!!"
A roar overflowing with boundless fury, killing intent, and humiliation exploded from deep within A's throat.
It instantly swept across the deathly silent plaza, drowning out even all the distant noise elsewhere in the village.
The terrifying killing intent erupting from his body shot straight into the heavens.
...
At the same time—
Within a concealed area behind Konoha's northeastern headquarters frontlines—
Shimura Danzō sat inside his tent while a ROOT operative knelt before him on one knee.
"You're saying Kumogakure's forces are retreating?"
"Yes. According to the information returned by our reconnaissance personnel, Kumogakure's main forces are withdrawing in an orderly manner."
Danzō frowned.
Kumogakure had withdrawn?
Why?
Why would that brute, the Third Raikage, suddenly retreat for no reason?
After pondering silently for a moment, Danzō spoke: "Contact Orochimaru. Ask whether he has discovered anything on his side."
"Yes, sir."
Several minutes later, the ROOT operative hurried back.
"Danzō-sama, Orochimaru-sama is not at headquarters. The Nara strategist said Orochimaru-sama left to carry out a top-secret mission. Even he does not know the specific details."
"Hm?"
Danzō's brows twitched upward.
Immediately afterward, a terrible premonition rose from deep within his heart.
Almost instinctively, he asked: "When you returned, did you see Higashino Shinichi or any of his squad members at headquarters?"
The ROOT operative froze momentarily, carefully thinking back before shaking his head.
"No. From yesterday until today, this subordinate has not seen Higashino Shinichi or any of his battalion members."
Danzō's expression instantly darkened.
He abruptly stood up, knocking over the chair behind him with a harsh crash.
"Orochimaru, you bastard!"
Several ROOT operatives inside the tent simultaneously raised their heads, staring in shock at their leader, who normally never revealed anger or joy on his face.
"Men! Come with me to headquarters!"
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