The Fourth Raikage's rage was not without reason.
Since the deaths of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, no shinobi of such overwhelming might had appeared in half a century—no single figure capable of overturning the course of war on their own.
In the minds of the Raikage and his advisors, the likes of the Third Raikage or Namikaze Minato represented the absolute peak of Kage-level combat power.
And now, after fifty years, such a being had reappeared. Accepting that reality was no easy task.
It was reminiscent of the first time the Five Kage faced Uchiha Madara—when he unveiled the might of Susanoo, fully displaying a power beyond "Super Kage." At that moment, no one had wanted to believe such strength was real.
Tutai, veteran adviser who had served both the Third and Fourth Raikage, was the first to recover his composure. He stepped forward and barked,
"Lord Raikage! Please calm yourself!"
The Raikage's temper was infamous—hot-blooded, violent, prone to rash action. Whenever his fury threatened to cloud his judgment, it was always Tutai who steadied him, preventing disastrous decisions.
Taking a long, shuddering breath, the Raikage unclenched his fists. The veins pulsing at his temple eased slightly, though his eyes still burned with fury as he turned to Samui.
"What exactly happened?"
Cold sweat soaked the back of Samui's kunoichi garb. She swallowed and spoke haltingly, her voice trembling.
"I… I don't know. It's all too strange."
Even repeating the intelligence report seemed absurd, as though she herself could not believe it.
But she relayed every word exactly as given.
By the end, the Raikage, Darui, and the others wore the same stunned, ghostly expressions as the Allied Forces had when Obito revealed himself during the Fourth War.
Genjutsu that even a perfect Jinchūriki could not break.
Swordsmanship capable of cleaving a Tailed Beast Bomb.
A barrier so strong that no ninjutsu could shatter it, sealing every path of retreat.
Was this truly the power of a single man?
The Raikage's fist twitched. If Samui had been anyone else, he might have grabbed her by the collar and demanded if she was hallucinating. But whether he wished to believe it or not, the intelligence report was before him.
Reality had already struck. Ignoring it was not an option.
The most shocking detail was this: Yugito, a perfect Jinchūriki, had fallen under illusion several times in her clash with Uchiha Kenya.
In Kumogakure, where Jinchūriki were revered and well-trained, this was unthinkable. A perfect Jinchūriki's partner-tailed beast could always disrupt their chakra flow, breaking genjutsu instantly.
Yet Yugito had been deceived again and again.
Tutai's eyes narrowed. His calm, analytical voice broke the silence:
"Lord Raikage… there are many strange ninjutsu in this world. Recall—four years ago, Uchiha Kenya defeated the Three-Tails. It is not unreasonable to assume he has since developed new genjutsu to suppress even a perfect Jinchūriki. After all… Sharingan has always been the natural enemy of the Tailed Beasts."
"It doesn't matter anymore!"
The Raikage slammed his hand on the desk, his voice like thunder.
Whether it was the loss of two thousand elite troops, or the fall of Yugito Nii, both blows were devastating. To lose both simultaneously was a disaster that could shake even Kumogakure's foundations.
How could he not rage?
"The key now is—how do we deal with this monster?!"
His eyes swept across the room. "You are my most trusted men—speak freely!"
Darui rubbed the back of his head, grimacing.
"At the very least… we can't let Lord Bee face him. Not alone."
Everyone knew the Sharingan was the bane of the Tailed Beasts. Kumogakure had trusted Yugito precisely because she was a perfect Jinchūriki, yet she had still been slain. Sending Bee out would be gambling the Eight-Tails itself.
It wasn't much of a plan—but even so, it carried weight.
Tutai, however, did not rush to offer a counter-strategy. Instead, he turned to Samui.
"Summon the Intelligence Division. Have them recount every single detail of the battle—before, during, and after. No matter how subtle, no matter how trivial—nothing is to be omitted."
Samui bowed sharply and left at once.
Minutes later, two Intelligence Division shinobi entered, reporting the battle from start to finish. From Kumogakure's high vantage points, and with their specialist detection techniques, they had observed events clearly—even from afar.
Tutai's interrogation was relentless, dissecting every second of the three-hour battle. It took nearly an hour before he finally dismissed them.
He fell into silence, deep in thought, before turning gravely to the Raikage.
"Lord Raikage. Based on the Intelligence Division's report, I believe Uchiha Kenya's new genjutsu is not merely personal—but group-wide. He can transmute reality itself in the eyes of all who see him, turning one person—or one object—into another.
During the battle, many of our shinobi swore they saw our own allies before them. Imagine this: they could have mistaken you yourself as the enemy, and struck down their own comrades. That is the true terror of this technique."
C, the sensory-type shinobi and genjutsu expert, frowned.
"Most illusions eventually reveal themselves when the victim uses ninjutsu—the discrepancy becomes obvious. But if what you say is true…"
Tutai's face darkened.
"That is the frightening part. Kenya's technique doesn't just alter appearances. It alters chakra, ninjutsu, even presence itself. To the victim, every sense confirms the illusion. They will believe without question.
In my judgment… his genjutsu surpasses even that of Uchiha Shisui, the clan's greatest illusionist."
The chamber fell silent, the weight of his words pressing on everyone.
Darui finally groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Then what do we do? If even Yugito couldn't break free… what chance do the rest of us have?"