What can be accomplished in half an hour?
Eat breakfast?
Do a load of laundry?
Or perhaps a few rounds with your girlfriend?
The Akatsuki offered a different answer.
An airborne assault on Kumogakure, the assassination of the Fourth Raikage, the capture of the perfect Jinchuriki Killer Bee...
This is what Akatsuki accomplished in half an hour.
On a pile of rubble, the Fourth Raikage's body lay still. Around it, a large number of Kumo nin had spontaneously gathered, forming a tight circle around their fallen leader. Time ticked by, but instead of shrinking, the crowd only grew larger, even though... their bodies were covered in wounds.
"Darui, you're the candidate. What do we do next?" C's face was filled with unbearable grief, his fists clenched tightly.
"Boss, leave the rest to me." Darui placed his right hand on the Raikage's face, gently closing his wide, unseeing eyes. He stood up, looked at his surrounding comrades, and said in a solemn voice, "Everyone, pull yourselves together! We lost this battle against Akatsuki, but to wallow in sorrow is foolish!"
The Kumo nin looked at him, their expressions grave.
"C!"
"Here!"
"Organize our forces, treat the wounded!"
"Mabui!"
"Yes!" The crowd parted, and the Fourth Raikage's beautiful secretary walked up to him.
"Contact the other shinobi villages..." Darui avoided his comrades' gazes slightly. "Report what happened in Kumogakure truthfully, and request material support. And... tell Konoha to prepare. Apart from the Seven-Tails, which has yet to revive, Akatsuki is only missing the Nine-Tails to have all nine Tailed Beasts."
"I understand." Mabui nodded and turned to leave the crowd.
"Riki! Have the border defense troops heighten their alert!"
"Yes!" a fair-skinned, well-built, blond man nodded.
"Hyo! Shaku! Come with me to see the Daimyo!"
Darui issued orders methodically. Kumogakure had conducted drills for such contingencies long ago. The Kumo Jonin were also mentally prepared to some extent, so commanding them wasn't too difficult.
It's laughable, Darui thought. Back then, I even mocked the Boss for doing such meaningless things...
"Barring any surprises, the title of Fifth Raikage of Kumogakure will fall to Darui. The Shinobi Squad is about to lose a member," Naruto Shadow Clone #1 remarked.
"Not surprising. Everyone in the Shinobi Squad is an elite from the Five Great Villages, all seeds for the next generation of Kage," the "puppet" replied. "If you had returned at the same time as me, the captain of the Shinobi Squad might have been you."
Shadow Clone #1 shook his head. "What's past is past, there's no point discussing it. I'm heading out." With that, he dispersed in a puff of white smoke, relaying all the collected information to his original body.
"If you had the status of Shinobi Squad captain, the position of Sixth Hokage would undoubtedly be yours." Gazing at the dissipating smoke, the "puppet" spoke with a hint of complex emotion. He sometimes truly couldn't understand why Nara Shikaku and the Hyuga would choose to support such a carefree and unconventional individual. Someone with that kind of personality might make a great friend, but not necessarily a Hokage who could command widespread support.
Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
Just as the battle between Akatsuki and Kumogakure concluded, Naruto, guided by Nara Shikaku, was making the rounds, table by table, getting acquainted with Konoha's higher-ups at his Jonin promotion banquet.
He paused slightly, looking up at the slightly yellowing sky.
"Kurama, notify #2. Let's begin."
Land of Rivers.
Within a massive underground base.
Upon receiving the original body's command, Naruto Shadow Clone #2 stood up. As he issued a series of orders, the base, like a complex ant nest, began to operate on the cusp of chaos and order.
As one of the few countries that hadn't established a "one nation, one village" system, the Land of Rivers was classified by the Five Great Nations as harmless. Thus, quite bizarrely, despite having a larger land area and richer resources than the Land of Rain, it had rarely been affected by war. In stark contrast, the Land of Rain had become one of the main battlegrounds of the Third Great Shinobi War.
"Karin! Haku!"
Two figures, one with red hair and the other in white, appeared before him.
Uzumaki Karin: during a transaction with Orochimaru, Naruto had chanced upon the young girl's existence and, after paying a certain price, had taken her from Orochimaru's grasp. With her exceptional aptitude, coupled with Naruto's abundant resources and careful tutelage, she currently held the position of Fifth Squad Captain in the Dragon Heritage organization.
Haku was the Fourth Squad Captain. His powerful Ice Release Kekkei Genkai had allowed him to stand out among numerous competitors.
"Move out! Head for the Daimyo's residence!"
Karin and Haku exchanged a look, their spirits tensing. This day had finally come.
According to the Dragon Heritage organization's plan: establish their own nation — annex other nations — become the sole nation in the shinobi world.
Ultimately, to bring about world peace!
Capital of the Land of Rivers.
Two figures sped through the city.
"Is there no end to this?!" Gosuun wailed in exasperation, looking at the relentlessly pursuing figure behind him. "Are you an idiot? We've become prime targets for every damn rogue ninja and bounty hunter out there! And you're still thinking about chasing me instead of teaming up to fight those guys?"
"Hmph! Just a bunch of small fry!" Ren scoffed.
"Small fry? You must be the idiot! Do you even know about the Five Great Shinobi Villages? Oh, right, I forgot, you're a samurai; you only know about the Land of Iron." Gosuun cursed inwardly. How did he end up provoking such an iron-headed fool? "The only reason we're still alive and kicking right now is because the Five Great Villages haven't noticed us yet! Once you personally experience the strength of the Five Great Villages' ninja, you'll understand why, despite my current power, I'm acting more cautiously than before!"
"Even if those guys you mentioned really do come, I'm not afraid! Everything I do is for justice!" Ren declared righteously.
"You're a f***ing moron! I'll #¥%&..." Hearing this, Gosuun completely lost it, a string of curses spewing from his mouth.
"Who are you people?!" Several ninja leaped onto a rooftop, looking at the two of them warily.
Seeing the guards before them, the lavishly decorated, massive building below, and the gorgeously dressed people milling about within, Gosuun and Ren finally realized that, in their heated exchange, they had somehow stumbled into a rather significant place.
"Never noticed before, the quality of the girls here is pretty high, huh?" The moment Gosuun opened his mouth, the guards instantly identified what kind of troublemakers these two were. A barrage of attacks immediately rained down on them.
"Oho, so bold?" Gosuun's figure blurred, the attacks passing straight through him and heading towards Ren behind. "Mr. Justice, good luck! I'm outta here, hahaha..."
A web of flashing sword light appeared as Ren deflected all the attacks. Gosuun's taunting voice then reached his ears.
"Bastard!" Ren gritted his teeth, watching the endless stream of guards rushing towards him.
Suddenly, a portly figure, dressed in magnificent clothes and surrounded by several guards, appeared in his line of sight.
A thought flashed through Ren's mind; he had found a quick solution to his problem. Relying on his formidable physical prowess, he directly carved a bloody path through the guards and successfully took the fat man hostage.
Just as he had guessed, the guards instantly hesitated, afraid of harming the hostage, and dared not continue their attack.