Chapter 363: Chaos in the Land of Earth! The Rampage of the Seven Tails!
On the other side, atop the Tenshukaku—
"Nagato, what exactly do you mean by that intel you just shared?"
"What did you see in that Iwagakure shinobi's memory?"
At that moment, the Third Raikage A leapt away from the Tenshukaku, and all four people present let out a breath of relief.
Jiraiya, too, felt fortunate that his strategy had failed—had the fight continued, without being able to trap the Third Raikage with Barrier Art: Toad Gourd Prison, and given his current offensive capabilities, he had no way of breaking through the Raikage's defense.
To defeat him, he would've had to summon the two Great Toad Sages and use Sage Art: Amphibian Chant.
But doing so would require someone to buy time for him—his three disciples would have to risk their lives to hold the enemy off. For Jiraiya, that price was far too heavy.
Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato also breathed a sigh of relief.
Just now…
They were one step away—
Nagato had been about to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Once summoned, it would inevitably cost him his life force, and exposing this trump card prematurely before the Five Great Nations would be a grave mistake.
Moreover, given the Third Raikage's ability to break through Shinra Tensei at extreme speeds, unless he let his guard down and allowed the chakra dragon to strike directly and seize his soul, the three of them could only watch helplessly as he escaped.
After all, with the Daimyō of the Land of Lightning not present, the Raikage had no reason to stake his life in a final stand here.
At that moment, as Yahiko posed his question, and as the Third Raikage leapt in Uchiha Ci's direction, Nagato's expression darkened. He turned to the three before him and said gravely:
"Yahiko, Konan…"
He pointed to the unconscious Iwagakure jōnin lying on the ground—and spoke:
"Jiraiya-sensei's suspicions were right. This Iwagakure ninja infiltrated this location to confirm the whereabouts of the Third Raikage."
"Confirm the Raikage's whereabouts?"
"Why does Iwagakure want to find the Raikage?"
Yahiko frowned slightly and asked aloud.
Hearing this, Nagato took a deep breath and spoke with weight in his voice:
"From this man's memories, I saw that Iwagakure seems to have enacted a certain plan—one that they've named—"
"The Iwagakure War to Topple a Nation!"
"Iwagakure has apparently developed a method capable of breaking through the Third Raikage's strongest Lightning Release Armor and killing him. Taking advantage of this period while Kumogakure is fully on guard against Uchiha Ci and us, 'Akatsuki,' they secretly mobilized a force of over ten thousand troops and crossed the sea in secret to invade the Land of Lightning."
"Top officials and elite forces of Iwagakure, including the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki himself, have all been deployed in this war!"
"The current location of Iwagakure's army is unknown—"
"But what's certain is that their goal is to use this opportunity… to completely wipe out Kumogakure!"
"What… something like this?" Jiraiya couldn't help but be shocked by Nagato's revelation.
But after a moment of reflection, it began to make sense.
Previously, intel Orochimaru had gained during the Cloud Colllapse Plan had suggested that Kumogakure had been considering forming an alliance with Iwagakure—planning to use the war between Iwa, Suna, and Konoha to launch a surprise attack on Iwagakure from the rear.
Both sides had been plotting against each other for some time. Uchiha Ci's actions had only further accelerated this tension, giving Iwagakure the perfect excuse—while the entire Land of Lightning was focused on defending against Uchiha Ci's assassinations—to stealthily move their army and launch a devastating surprise assault on Kumogakure.
"In addition," Nagato added grimly,
"There's another piece of intel I extracted from his mind!"
"Seven days ago, Iwagakure ninjas reported seeing the Third Raikage appear in the Land of Waterfalls after the Hell Valley incident. Signs of fierce battle were left at the scene."
"To truly crush Kumogakure, they would have to target the Raikage—because his whereabouts were unclear, they sent Higashishibito to investigate and confirm."
"According to Higashishibito's findings, five days ago, the Third Raikage appeared at the Tenshukaku with someone in tow."
"Takigakure? Why would the Raikage go there?"
Jiraiya pinched his chin in thought, then suddenly his eyes widened in shock as he turned sharply toward the plummeting bolt of lightning.
"Takigakure… the Seven Tails!!"
"He went to Takigakure to forcibly seize the village's Seven Tails jinchūriki!"
"If it's the Third Raikage, plus the power of the Seven Tails—"
Jiraiya immediately envisioned the implications. A cold sweat formed on his forehead as he exclaimed in alarm:
"This is bad!"
"Uchiha Ci is in danger!"
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were startled by his words and quickly turned their heads to look toward the battlefield below.
And at that moment—
As the bolt of lightning crashed down and dust clouds billowed into the sky—
From a higher vantage point, everything became much clearer—
The spreading dust also carried with it—
A dark yellow, powdery mist of scales. It spread silently across the entire battlefield.
Jiraiya's expression turned grave as he spoke:
"This is the Seven Tails' stealth technique."
"Secret Art: Hiding in Scale Powder Technique!"
"With it, the caster can obscure the enemy's vision. The Raikage then uses electrical current to create noise, masking the sound of his movements—allowing him to move and attack within the powder completely undetected."
As he finished speaking, Nagato and the others instantly grasped just how dangerous this technique was.
With the Third Raikage's speed and attack power—combined with the power of a tailed beast—in this environment that could conceal both his form and movement…
He had become a terrifying assassin!
"Nagato, send this intel to Ci immediately using the Phantom Projection Technique!" Yahiko said urgently.
"Tell him to either blow away or leave the powder mist zone at once!"
Nagato nodded and immediately attempted to activate the technique.
However—
Before he could establish the link—
The situation on the battlefield suddenly shifted!
In a single instant—
CLANG!!
A sound like a steel pipe striking a bell exploded from the battlefield's center.
Contrary to everyone's expectations, the clash between the two sides was nothing short of a deadly duel!
In the next moment—
A towering Susanoo giant erupted from the ground, sword in hand!
Then—
A thick beam of light blasted through the dust, shooting into the heavens and tearing through the clouds!
Only then—
Did the phantom projection connect, and Uchiha Ci's loud, clear voice came through:
"Hey, hey, Nagato? What is it this time?"
Back on the battlefield—
Amid the swirling dust and debris of the massive crater—
Uchiha Ci tore off his Akatsuki robe, revealing a muscular upper body, and locked eyes with the fierce old man across from him—clad in bloodstained garments, seven crimson tails whipping behind him.
With a crack of his knuckles and a savage grin, he growled:
"Finally showed yourself, you old bastard."
Standing atop the Tenshukaku, looking down on the scene—
Nagato fell silent for a moment, as if wanting to say something. But judging by Ci's confident demeanor, it was clear he already understood the situation.
And from the look in his eyes, he was more than ready to take revenge with his own hands.
After a moment's pause, Nagato could only respond dryly:
"No big deal… Just wanted to remind you to be careful."
"Also, Iwagakure is leading a ten-thousand-man assault on Kumogakure."
"Please stall the Third Raikage for now—we're heading out to investigate the matter and track down one of the key figures behind this plan: Iwagakure's Four Tails jinchūriki, Rōshi."
"The child you're looking for… is most likely in their hands!"