While Fūmori Masaki was escorting the prisoners, Kumogakure also released the captured Konoha Ninja, preparing to take them to the vicinity of the peace treaty location to conduct the exchange simultaneously with Konohagakure.
When these Konoha Ninja prisoners realized they were about to return to Konohagakure, even while still in the enemy's stronghold, they couldn't help but cheer and praise the Second Hokage.
Watching the joy of these Konoha Ninja, the Kumogakure Ninja didn't know what to feel, so they simply continued with their escort duties.
During the escort, they happened to run into Kinkaku and Ginkaku. When some Konoha Ninja saw them, their eyes filled with a trace of hatred. In the past, these two had loved to torture Konoha prisoners, so every Konoha prisoner despised them.
Beyond the hateful gazes, there was also a hint of mockery and contempt. The Konoha prisoners knew that it was Kinkaku and Ginkaku's defeat on the battlefield that had led to this peace treaty.
They had not forgotten how arrogant Kinkaku and Ginkaku had been when torturing them, and reality had delivered a harsh slap to both of their faces.
Kinkaku naturally noticed the looks from the Konoha prisoners. He was already in a foul mood because of the battlefield defeat, and seeing these prisoners daring to look at him this way made him even more infuriated. He slowly walked over, clearly intending to torture them once more.
At this moment, a Kumogakure captain in charge of escorting the prisoners immediately blocked Kinkaku's path and said solemnly, "Lord Kinkaku, please do not do anything to them. Lord Raikage has ordered that the Konoha Ninja must return safely."
"Get lost." Kinkaku glared, "Are you trying to stop me?"
"Lord Kinkaku, please go back, otherwise I will report this to Lord Raikage." Facing Kinkaku's murderous gaze, the Kumogakure captain did not step back an inch and said expressionlessly.
Kinkaku really had the impulse to draw his blade and kill the man in front of him, but his failure was still fresh, and the other person was a Ninja from his own Village acting under the orders of the Second Raikage. If he really attacked, even Kinkaku would not be able to come out unscathed, and the Second Raikage might even use this as an excuse to severely punish him.
"Fine, very good, I'll remember you." Kinkaku laughed in anger, let go of the hilt of his sword, and sized up the Kumogakure captain, as if trying to etch his appearance into his memory.
The Kumogakure captain seemed completely unafraid of being targeted by a powerhouse of the Village; he bowed slightly and said, "Thank you for your understanding." With that, he continued to escort the prisoners.
Seeing the looks the prisoners gave him before leaving, Kinkaku felt offended time and time again. Ginkaku, standing to the side, also said indignantly, "Kinkaku, even such a small fry doesn't respect us; this is truly going too far."
"Don't talk to me about that! If it weren't for you losing the basho fan, would we be looked down upon because of that defeat?" Kinkaku said bluntly.
Although the charge given by the Second Raikage was underestimating the enemy and advancing rashly, Ginkaku losing the basho fan was also a reason. As descendants of the Six Paths Sage, failing to protect the six paths treasure tool bestowed by their ancestor, even if the halo of being Six Paths descendants hadn't faded, it still disappointed a portion of the Kumogakure Ninja.
If Kinkaku had talked about underestimating the enemy, Ginkaku could have argued a bit, but when it came to losing the six paths treasure tool, Ginkaku had no choice but to remain silent and endure his brother's scolding.
"Also, that guy A is just the same. Despite such humiliation, he doesn't plan to fight back but instead hides his head and negotiates peace with the Second Hokage. Does he even have the qualifications to be Raikage?" As Kinkaku spoke, he brought up the Second Raikage, and instead of calling him "Second Hokage" or "A", he referred to him by his original name.
"Exactly, how can such a person be Raikage? It's a complete betrayal of the traditions of the Land of Lightning. Who could accept such cowardly behavior!" Ginkaku said, following his brother's lead; of course, he thought the same thing himself.
After what just happened, Kinkaku and Ginkaku's moods grew worse and worse. What made them even more unhappy was that they could only watch the peace negotiations proceed. Peace was now the main policy of the entire Kumogakure, and anyone who acted to obstruct it would be ruthlessly punished by the Second Raikage.
Although there were still people dissatisfied with concluding the peace treaty, under the Second Raikage's methods, they had no choice but to submit. If no one stepped up, these people would probably have just endured it and accepted what they saw as a deeply humiliating peace treaty. However, there were those willing to be the leaders, and those were Kinkaku and Ginkaku. To this end, they gathered the members of the Kinkaku and Ginkakus Squad together.
The Kinkaku and Ginkakus Squad was established by the two brothers themselves. Its members were all elite Kumogakure Ninja and loyal followers of Kinkaku and Ginkaku. They inherited the same ideology, and they felt the Second Raikage's decision was extremely cowardly and unacceptable.
They believed that their two leaders could not possibly watch the Second Raikage's actions and remain indifferent. Sure enough, through a code that circulated only within the Kinkaku and Ginkakus Squad, the main cadres of the unit secretly met with Kinkaku and Ginkaku.
"Although the war is somewhat unfavorable, the Land of Fire is still at war with the Land of Wind. If we plan properly, we can gradually turn the current disadvantage around. Even if we can't conquer the land of the Land of Fire, we should make the Land of Fire cough up some things." Kinkaku said to those present, then changed the subject, "But what is A doing? Not only does he have no intention of seeking profit for the Village, but he keeps agreeing to the demands of Konohagakure. If Konohagakure says they want to sacrifice some people in our Village, will he comply with that too?"
"This is simply an act of betrayal against the Village!"
"What exactly is the Second thinking?"
"We must not agree to the peace treaty; isn't this just compromising and admitting defeat? When have the men of the Land of Lightning ever surrendered to the enemy?"
"We must convince the Second to retract his order."
The cadres present spoke one after another, and Kinkaku and Ginkaku were very satisfied, but they felt it wasn't enough. Kinkaku said coldly, "Do you think that guy A will abandon the peace treaty? Look at his behavior these days, suppressing so many people who are willing to fight; it's clear he intends to go all the way with Konoha."
Upon hearing this, the group vaguely understood Kinkaku's subtext and couldn't help but listen intently. Then they heard Kinkaku say viciously, "Kumogakure does not need such a Raikage who colludes with the enemy. I intend to set an ambush at the peace treaty location and take the opportunity to assassinate both of them while they are negotiating."
To assassinate the Kage of two Ninja Villages at once was absolutely inconceivable to ordinary people, and most people would probably not easily agree to it. However, the cadres were extremely loyal; whatever Kinkaku and Ginkaku said, they would execute it regardless, even if it meant assassinating the Raikage.
After formulating this plan, everyone acted as if nothing had happened and continued their lives normally, but the shadow of rebellion gradually enveloped the entire Kumogakure.
At this time, the Second Raikage did not yet know about Kinkaku and Ginkaku's conspiracy. Although he had worried about whether Kinkaku and Ginkaku would cause trouble, seeing that they were only somewhat dissatisfied and had not taken any extreme actions, he relaxed his vigilance. He did not know that these two were just putting on a performance for him, and when they truly acted, it would be something the Second Raikage could not even dare to imagine.
The day of the peace treaty was approaching, so the Second Raikage set off with his personal guard unit. To prevent Kinkaku and Ginkaku from possibly affecting the peace treaty by seeing Fūmori Masaki, the Second Raikage left the two of them in the Village—looking back afterwards, the Second Raikage realized this was his most erroneous decision.
Shortly after the Second Raikage left, the long-plotting Kinkaku and Ginkaku immediately made their move. Their unit controlled important locations in Kumogakure while propagating their war theories, denouncing the Second Raikage as a traitor who sold out the Village for glory. They also released the Kumogakure Ninja who had been imprisoned by the Second Raikage for overly radical speech. Once these people were out, they were staunch anti-Second Raikage elements who, without hesitation, cooperated with Kinkaku and Ginkaku's rebellion.
In Kumogakure, many people dared to be angry but dared not speak out. However, under the agitation of Kinkaku and Ginkaku, they immediately expressed their demand to continue the war. On the other side, although the peace faction was more numerous, because the Second Raikage and most of his personal guards had already left the Village, the remaining people were not enough to deal with Kinkaku and Ginkaku. Soon, the entire Ninja Village fell into chaos due to the dispute between the pro-war faction and the pro-peace faction.
Taking advantage of the chaos, the Kinkaku and Ginkakus Squad controlled the important locations of Kumogakure. This was just the first step. After throwing the entire Kumogakure into disarray and ensuring no one would tip off the Second Raikage, Kinkaku and Ginkaku immediately set off with their elite guards, aiming to reach the alliance site before the Second Raikage and the Second Hokage, and set an ambush there.
At that time, the unsuspecting Second Raikage and Second Hokage would step into their trap. Under the attack of the Kinkaku and Ginkakus Squad, who were ready and waiting, even Kage would not be able to escape.