From the moment Shimizu Uzuki launched his Lightning Release attack, to executing Crescent Moon Dance, and finally unleashing Water Severing Wave to end it all—it had taken no more than a single breath.
And then… everyone froze.
The death of the Third Raikage had come far too suddenly.
On Kumogakure's side, they had still been reveling in the image of their Raikage—a man who had fought tens of thousands of Iwagakure shinobi for three days and nights without falling, who had even stood against the seemingly invincible Nine-Tails head-on. On Konoha's side, they had just begun to feel relieved at gaining such a powerful ally.
And yet, in the blink of an eye, something no one could have anticipated had occurred.
Konoha's "Shunshin Shimizu" had struck down the Third Raikage.
Worse still, it had been a lightning-fast ambush that ended almost instantly.
This couldn't even be called a battle.
The moment the Raikage's death became reality, the final word Jiraiya had tried to shout was forcibly swallowed back down.
It was already too late.
"Shimizu Uzuki!!" Dodai roared, his voice filled with fury. "I'll kill you!"
His eyes burned as if they could ignite the air itself. Kumogakure's greatest shinobi—the Third Raikage—had just been slain by these so-called "allies."
In an instant, every Kumogakure shinobi turned their weapons toward Shimizu.
"Kill him! Avenge Lord Raikage!"
"I never thought you were this kind of person!"
"Kill that despicable traitor!"
Their furious shouts overlapped, their killing intent surging to its peak.
But at that very moment, a voice rang out from within Konoha's ranks:
"Kumogakure planned this all along—they were trying to seize the Nine-Tails! Fortunately, Shimizu-senpai saw through their scheme!"
What?!
The shinobi of Konoha snapped out of their shock. So the disappearance and capture of the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki hadn't been the work of some outside enemy—Kumogakure had been involved all along?
Then did that mean Senior Shimizu had already known of their plot? That the earlier alliance had only been a façade to deceive the enemy, enduring until now before finally striking?
"Who said that? Step forward!" Dodai barked, unable to tolerate such accusations against Kumogakure. "Minato Namikaze, Shimizu Uzuki—don't you have anything to say for yourselves?"
"And Jiraiya as well…"
Within Shimizu's world, everything had returned to clarity.
There was no White Zetsu Tobi before him anymore—only the volatile situation on the brink of exploding, impossible to salvage.
He had no time to dwell on why he had clearly attacked Tobi, yet the one who ended up dead was the Third Raikage.
All he knew was that, under countless watching eyes, there was no denying that he had struck the killing blow.
If he said nothing—if he allowed Kumogakure to dictate the narrative—
Then Konoha would have no way to answer for this.
He had to seize the initiative.
"Everyone, stay alert. Kumogakure attempted to abduct Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchūriki—that's why they orchestrated Kushina's kidnapping from within their own camp."
"Think about it—eight of our ANBU died silently inside that camp. Aside from Kumogakure themselves, who else could possibly have done that?"
"Furthermore, Konoha's loss of standing in Takigakure was also the result of Kumogakure's interference."
"If they hadn't obstructed us earlier, Minato would have already rescued Kushina."
"And the Nine-Tails' rampage would never have happened…"
Shimizu spoke rapidly, each sentence sharp and precise, laying bare Kumogakure's hidden ambitions in just a few words.
And with that, Shimizu shifted the blame for the entire chain of conflicts onto Kumogakure.
Only then did the Konoha shinobi begin to piece everything together.
Kushina had gone missing within Kumogakure's camp, and eight of Konoha's ANBU had died there without a trace—those facts alone had already planted deep suspicion in many hearts. Now, it all seemed to fall into place.
So the earlier "reconciliation" had merely been a ploy to lull the enemy into complacency.
"Shimizu Uzuki… you… despicable—!" Dodai pointed at him, his voice trembling with fury as he forced the words out one by one.
"Hold off Kumogakure's attack—I'll seal the Nine-Tails first!" After a brief but intense inner struggle, Jiraiya made his decision as he saw the crimson chakra beginning to gather once more.
If he delayed any longer, the Nine-Tails would fully manifest again.
His reasoning was simple. He might not fully understand what had just happened, but it didn't shake the trust he had always placed in Shimizu.
Yes, Shimizu had killed the Third Raikage—but one was their own, while the other was ultimately an outsider.
Even if Shimizu had made a mistake—even if he was in the wrong—then for now, they would have to… see it through to the end.
Kumogakure wanted an explanation? Fine. They would get one—after Konoha reached its own conclusion.
But there was no way Kumogakure would be allowed to lay a hand on Shimizu Uzuki right in front of him, one of the Sannin.
No matter how grave the crime, judgment would come from Konoha.
"You…" Jiraiya's stance extinguished any remaining thought Dodai had of continuing negotiations. His voice turned cold with hatred. "Send word to Captain Ōi. Have him bring the forces here and wipe out Konoha…"
All he wanted now was to summon the army stationed outside Takigakure and annihilate these so-called allies.
But before that could happen, he had to face a Konoha force just as brimming with killing intent. Shimizu's words had already provided a "perfect" explanation for the Nine-Tails incident, and Jiraiya's attitude only further confirmed Kumogakure's supposed treachery in their eyes.
So without hesitation, Konoha met Kumogakure's assault head-on and launched a fierce counterattack.
In an instant, kunai, Lightning Release techniques, and all manner of Fire and Earth Release jutsu clashed and tore across the battlefield.
The two sides were evenly matched in numbers, and neither could claim overwhelming strength, leaving the battle locked in a stalemate.
That was, until Jiraiya finally succeeded in sealing the Nine-Tails and rejoined the fight. With their top-tier power now severely lacking, Kumogakure quickly began to crumble.
After the battle, a rough count revealed that of Kumogakure's unit, only eleven shinobi remained alive—and all of them had been captured, bound tightly as prisoners.
Of course, Konoha had paid a heavy price as well, suffering casualties exceeding half their forces.
"Shimizu." Jiraiya dispelled Sage Mode and looked at him seriously. "About what happened just now…"
Good… at least Jiraiya was giving him a chance to explain.
As expected, he didn't believe Shimizu would have acted on his own to assassinate the Third Raikage. There had to be something deeper behind it.
Shimizu gave a faint, wry smile. "I mistook the Third Raikage for Tobi…"
"That's why I attacked without hesitation."
He paused, then added firmly, "I'm certain it wasn't a simple hallucination."
"Genjutsu?" Jiraiya frowned deeply. "When were you put under one?"
"After I made eye contact with the Nine-Tails… I saw a lot of things." Shimizu carefully recalled everything he had witnessed and recounted it in full.
But Jiraiya's frown only deepened. "I can understand the Nine-Tails' overwhelming negative emotions affecting you… but it doesn't use genjutsu."
"That was an induced genjutsu," Shisui's voice suddenly rang out beside them.
...
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