"Raikage, it's terrible news!"
The intelligence chief of Kumogakure burst into the Third Raikage's office, his face twisted in panic.
In his rush, he didn't even remember to knock before barging in.
"Akatsuki has announced its surrender to Konoha."
This information struck like a boulder dropped into still water, sending shockwaves through the Third Raikage's mind.
"What?"
"Say that again."
The Third Raikage shot up from his seat, his brain momentarily going blank. He could barely believe his ears.
"It's absolutely true."
"Akatsuki Shadow Yahiko has already departed for Konoha."
With trembling hands, the intelligence chief handed over a letter to substantiate his report.
"How could this happen?"
"It's over. Everything's ruined."
After reading through the letter, the Third Raikage slowly sank back down into his chair, stunned.
His mood had already soured due to the Daimyō, but this news made it far worse.
He understood exactly what Akatsuki's surrender meant for the Land of Lightning.
Konoha already controlled more than half of the Ninja World—uniting it was within their grasp.
Do you really think Tsunade would just walk away?
Absolutely not!!!
If he were in Tsunade's position, he had no doubt she'd start another war in an instant.
That meant both the Land of Lightning and the Land of Wind would bear the brunt of the attack.
The Land of Wind was someone else's problem, but the Land of Lightning was his stronghold.
Thinking about this, a storm of thoughts raged through the Third Raikage's mind.
"We don't know the exact reason behind Akatsuki's surrender yet."
"According to our sources, Akatsuki may have received certain guarantees during their dealings with Konoha."
"Or perhaps witnessing Konoha's overwhelming power led them to choose alliance as the smarter path."
Uncertain of the Third Raikage's current mood, the intelligence chief wiped the sweat from his forehead nervously while responding.
"Ridiculous!!!"
"Utter nonsense!!!"
The Raikage shouted furiously, his eyes blazing with anger. Two sharp, cutting words exploded into the room, unleashing his fury.
His brows knotted into a deep "V" shape, and his facial muscles twitched slightly with anger.
How ridiculous could those excuses be?
Anyone with half a brain would know Akatsuki wouldn't surrender without a fight.
There was only one possible explanation—Konoha must've secretly colluded with Akatsuki from the beginning.
Even more shocking was the possibility that Akatsuki had been created under Konoha's design.
As the Third Raikage calmed down, his mind became terrifyingly clear. Countless unthinkable theories raced through his head.
If Akatsuki had always belonged to Konoha from the start, everything suddenly made sense.
The Akatsuki ninjas pretending to ally with Kumogakure to attack the Land of Earth—willingly starting the war first—was merely a ploy to lure Cloud Ninjas into their trap.
They were practically goading the Cloud Village into attacking the Land of Earth!
Then there was Konoha's Senju Nawaki, repeatedly failing against son and Killer B—that was clearly allowing Kumogakure to retain enough strength to hold back the Land of Earth.
He had mocked Nawaki back then for possessing strength he couldn't fully control.
Now, looking back, he realized—he was the real fool.
In the end, as Akatsuki ninja and Konoha forces left the Land of Earth one after another, the Cloud Ninja were left looking like the butt of the joke.
Their usefulness had come to an end, so there was no need for them to remain in the Land of Earth any longer.
Understanding all this, Third Raikage's fury only intensified.
Especially when he recalled how he had sought an alliance with Akatsuki and even offered away one of their Tailed Beasts—it made him want to slap himself silly.
They gained nothing—and were made complete fools of.
A surge of bitter resentment choked his heart, and Third Raikage nearly passed out from sheer rage.
"Raikage-sama! Raikage-sama!"
"Are you alright?!"
Seeing Third Raikage's face instantly turn pale and his breathing become rapid and uneven, the head of intelligence was visibly shaken.
In two swift strides, he darted over, concern and worry evident in his eyes.
If something happened to Third Raikage at a time like this, what would become of Kumogakure?
"Huff... huff..."
"I'm fine."
After taking several deep breaths, Third Raikage slowly replied.
"Oh good, good."
Still shaken, the head of intelligence clutched at his chest, choosing to hold his tongue about Akatsuki for now.
As he struggled to think of what else to say, Third Raikage stood up and walked toward the window, staring into the horizon.
Akatsuki's surrender to Konoha had already been decided—it was something he could no longer stop.
Next came Konoha turning against them.
No, more accurately, it would be a confrontation against both Akatsuki and Konoha together.
Kumogakure had barely begun to recover from the battle in the Land of Earth, and now faced this new crisis.
Third Raikage furrowed his brow deeply, but determination gradually showed in his eyes.
"Immediately gather the village's higher-ups. We must discuss strategies to deal with this matter."
He turned around and issued the order to the head of intelligence.
"Yes, Raikage-sama."
The head of intelligence quickly departed, leaving Third Raikage alone in the office.
He had already made up his mind—no matter what, he would carve out a future for Kumogakure.
Even if the path ahead was a mountain of blades and sea of fire, he had to push through.
As for surrendering—such a word didn't even exist in his vocabulary.
A quarter hour later, everyone had assembled in the war room inside the Raikage Building.
The heavy door slowly creaked open with a faint sound.
Third Raikage stepped inside with thudding footsteps, each step seeming to carry palpable tension.
The previously noisy room immediately fell silent, as if someone had hit the mute button.
All the Kumogakure leaders present quickly rose to their feet respectfully, greeting Third Raikage.
"Raikage-sama."
Their voices rang out in perfect unison, echoing within the room.
"Please, sit."
Third Raikage waved a hand and sat down at the head seat without glancing sideways.
At that moment, the atmosphere in the entire war room became even heavier.
Everyone felt the oppressive aura radiating from Third Raikage.
Right now, he resembled a volcano on the verge of eruption.
Each person sat stiffly, barely daring to draw breath, nervously waiting for Third Raikage to speak.
"Just received news."
"The Akatsuki have surrendered to Konoha."
"The Shadow of Akatsuki, Yahiko, is on his way to Konoha."
"Any thoughts on this?"
The Third Raikage's fingers drummed rhythmically on the conference table, making a dull thudding sound.
"Shameless Akatsuki bastards."
"Cowards through and through."
"We can send people to intercept and eliminate him."
A cacophony of voices filled the room, but not one voice gave the Third Raikage a satisfying answer.
These idiots are hopeless.
Only a few high-ranking Cloud Ninjas remained silent, seeming to have seen through the truth of the matter.
"Silence!"
With a sharp shout from the Third Raikage, the conference hall fell into complete silence once more.
"Cut the nonsense."
"Now, there's only one path before us."
"Once Tsunade and Yahiko sign the surrender document, their massive forces will reach our gates in days."
"At that time, we'll have no choice but to fight."
"Don't harbor any illusions of survival."
"Prepare for ultimate sacrifice."
"Me included."
The Third Raikage had intended to discuss matters, but seeing their reactions left him with no choice but to issue orders.
"Yes," one captain muttered, clenching his fist.
"Understood," another said firmly.
"Clear enough," a third responded grimly.
What pleased the Third Raikage was that there were no cowards in Kumogakure.
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