The Hyuga Shall Stand Above, In The Heavens!

At the border of the Land of Fire. 

The blood-soaked Fourth Raikage finally made his way back to the Land of Thunder's defense line with his men, having taken a detour through the Land of Rice Fields. 

His subordinates were silent along the way. 

Compared to when they had come, there was no sound of Killer Bee-sama rapping and mumbling. 

Why was that? 

At this moment, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki from Kumogakure Village, B from the AB duo, lay quietly on a stretcher. If it weren't for the faint breath still left in him, he would have looked just like he was dead from a distance. 

The losses from this raid on Konohagakure were significant. 

No one from Kumogakure Village had expected that, not only did they fail to flatten Konohagakure, but even the Raikage personally leading the village's elite couldn't take down a mere clan like the Hyuga. 

After all, they were just the ninja clan from Konohagakure. Why could they stand against a ninja village?

If it weren't for Killer Bee surviving his injuries this time, the AB duo would likely be erased from the ninja world. Raikage believed that if it were a life-and-death battle where he had to face Hyuga Hitoshi without retreating, he would definitely be killed.

Is the Hyuga clan really this strong? No, it seems like only Hyuga Hitoshi is that strong.

That kind of battlefield arrow rain from before isn't a killing move; it's something that can be prepared against. 

On the way, the bandaged Fourth Raikage began to reflect on himself.

In the end, he had underestimated the situation. If he had honestly teamed up with Oonoki to attack Konohagakure, could they have won this battle?

With this doubt, Raikage slowly looked up. 

Then he saw Oonoki lying on a stretcher. 

After all, they had to borrow a route through the Land of Thunder to set up a supply line, and this time, moving troops from the Land of Earth wasn't as straightforward as last time when they could boldly enter the Land of Fire. So everyone's retreat route was the same.

After the fierce battle, running into each other here was quite normal.

"I thought Tsuchikage-sama would be celebrating with drinks in Konohagakure by now," Raikage scoffed, a mocking glint in his eyes.

When they set out for the surprise attack yesterday, he knew Oonoki had already gone ahead. Otherwise, they wouldn't have hurried and directly entered the Hyuga clan's bombardment zone. He had expected Oonoki to achieve something, but it turned out the situation in Iwagakure Village wasn't much better; just looking at his dusty appearance, it was clear they hadn't succeeded. 

"Heh, you're the last person to talk," 

Oonoki shot back, glancing disdainfully at Killer Bee on the stretcher before shaking his head at Raikage.

"I'm just curious. The main force of Konohagakure could hold their ground against me. In other words, Iwagakure Village had a real one-on-one fight with Konohagakure yesterday." 

"What about you guys in Kumogakure Village? Where are your people?" 

Tsuchikage became more agitated, sitting up despite the risk of straining his back again, and pointed directly at Raikage's nose, scolding him. 

"Your father at least knew to buy time for his comrades to retreat. You couldn't be that selfless, but don't throw your teammates under the bus! I've fought the crazies from Uchiha for so long; if you had just come to help a little, it wouldn't have turned out like this!"

This made sense. 

But Raikage didn't want to hear it. After all, he had been expecting Oonoki's support as well. From the outcome, it seemed neither Kumogakure Village nor Iwagakure Village had gained an advantage, so both Oonoki and Raikage were frustrated.

After a few heated words, the two started arguing, and their subordinates began to tense up as well. 

However, the two leaders' rationality ultimately prevailed. They understood that arguing wouldn't change anything. Although the assault on Konohagakure had failed, it didn't mean the war was over.

Oonoki still had the main forces of the Land of Earth, and Kumogakure Village still had some strength left. They hadn't succeeded in their attack yet, so they could keep trying. No matter how strong Hyuga Hitoshi was, he was just one person. Even if he were as powerful as Uchiha Madara or Senju Hashirama, he could still be killed. The situation was far from hopeless. 

"Believe it or not, I'll say this: the strength of the Hyuga clan has exceeded my expectations, especially their Patriarch, Hyuga Hitoshi. As long as he is there, the Hyuga clan on the battlefield will be hard to deal with." 

"Especially…" 

Thinking about that flash of gold, Raikage felt a chill. 

He wasn't afraid of that golden chakra sword and was confident he could dodge it. He could even rush in for a sneak attack after the opponent cast the spell. But what about the ordinary ninjas from Kumogakure Village? 

That technique was too exaggerated in its impact on the battlefield! 

"Killer Bee hasn't woken up yet, so I have no reason to trick you with this." 

Hyuga clan. 

Oonoki frowned as he listened. He had lived through the era of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama. He knew how powerful the Senju and Uchiha clans were but had never heard of any noteworthy figures from the Hyuga clan. Their legend was a bit mysterious, but it wasn't enough to compare with those two. 

However, he clearly saw the dire situation in Kumogakure Village, which was the result of encountering a strong enemy. 

After a moment of silence, Oonoki seemed to have made a decision. He had his trusted subordinate carry him and led Raikage to one side. 

"Raikage, let's just forget about what happened last time. I promise you that from now on, Iwagakure Village will be allies with Kumogakure Village and will never betray each other." 

The cake from the Land of Fire was too big, so Oonoki took the initiative to lower his stance, showing Raikage his willingness to cooperate. After all, he had been the one to flee first, which made him feel a bit guilty. 

"I also guarantee that Iwagakure Village will treat you as a true ally." 

The strength shown by the Hyuga clan and the remaining forces of Konohagakure made Raikage realize that trying to share the spoils of victory alone would be difficult. So, having Iwagakure Village as an ally became incredibly important. 

"Since that's the case, let me explain our plans moving forward." 

Tsuchikage's expression remained calm, showing his sincerity. 

"Given the current situation, whether it's Kumogakure Village or my Iwagakure Village, it will take time to mobilize more personnel. This period of inactivity is definitely an opportunity for Konohagakure to catch its breath." 

"But I don't want to give them that chance."

Oonoki's tone was serious. 

"And according to you, the Patriarch of the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Hitoshi, is extremely strong and poses a great threat on the front lines?" 

Raikage nodded, confused. Oonoki didn't believe him, so he could just go see that chasm for himself. He couldn't be bothered to argue about it. 

However, Oonoki didn't debate further. A flicker of killing intent crossed his eyes. 

"There are also a few key figures on the Konohagakure side that need to be dealt with. Let's clean them up all at once." 

During this direct confrontation with Konohagakure, Tsuchikage had remembered many names. 

There was White Fang's son, Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Shisui of the Body Flicker, and the dark-haired Patriarch Uchiha Fugaku. 

"Are you suggesting…" 

Raikage paused, a conflicted look flashing across his face. He realized Oonoki's intention; it was simply a sneaky move to find some muscle. 

But Kumogakure Village usually looked down on outsiders and rarely used such tactics. 

Oonoki understood that Raikage was being hypocritical. They were planning a two-on-one to seize the title of the number one ninja village, and he was still too proud to hire mercenaries? 

While he held disdain in his heart, Tsuchikage didn't bother to mock him. 

"I'll handle the contacts, and you Kumogakure Village just need to cover half the costs." 

"Money isn't a problem." 

Raikage waved his hand. "I'm just worried about the quality of their work." 

With Hyuga Hitoshi's strength, could an average person even match him? 

"Don't worry. The people I know are skilled." 

Oonoki smiled slightly and added quietly, 

"I've heard that there's someone in that organization who can go toe-to-toe with the First Hokage! This time, I'll make sure he steps in!" 

Could Hyuga Hitoshi really stand against the God of Ninjas? 

Raikage's eyes lit up, and he gave Oonoki a thumbs-up. 

"But just assassinations aren't enough. We can't let the Land of Fire rest; we need someone to stir up trouble for Konohagakure as well." 

"That's simple. Just send a few people to Sunagakure Village to cause a scene. Tell them that the Fourth Kazekage is worse than the Third Kazekage, and that while there's chaos outside, their Kazekage is just sitting around. Rasa's temperament will definitely fall for it!" 

"Will that work?" 

"Don't worry, he's easy to fool. Before, Mizukage only had to say a few words to get him to take down his own hero, so this should be a piece of cake." 

"Alright, then I'll handle this!"

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