Chapter 109: The Surprise from Above
Several days ago, Hidden Cloud Village
"This Danzo," the Third Raikage grumbled, "if he were born in the Cloud, I'd have wrung his neck by now." He contemptuously tossed the letter to Dodai.
Dodai read it and was also surprised. "He wants us to help him capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? Isn't that a bit... far-fetched?"
It had been Dodai who had first made contact with Danzo, pretending to be a member of the peace faction, dissatisfied with the village's leadership. In theory, this letter was for him. But what Danzo didn't know was that from the very beginning, from their first contact while he was a prisoner, it had all been a setup. The private letters he thought were so secret had always been opened and studied by the Cloud's high command.
"His plan is not bad," the Third Raikage said, sitting down at his newly replaced desk. "He creates an opening, and we do the dirty work. If we fail, the blame is on us. If we succeed, he turns around and eliminates our men, and he gets the Jinchuriki. He says in the letter that he just wants the credit for rescuing her. I don't believe a word of it. He must have a backup plan."
"I knew this Danzo was reckless," Dodai said, stroking his chin, "but I never thought he was this insane. He probably wants to control the Jinchuriki and make her his own weapon. Such a shocking ambition... Lord Raikage, should we use this to stir up internal strife in Konoha?"
If they were to give this letter to Konoha, no matter how many excuses Danzo had prepared, no matter how perfect his cover, he would not be in a good position.
"Why would we do that?" the Third Raikage chuckled. "A man like that, I want him to live as long as possible, to climb as high as possible."
Dodai understood. "Then what should we do?" he asked. "Do we play along and capture the Nine-Tails?"
"Capturing the Nine-Tails would be nice," the Raikage said with a sneer that didn't match his rugged features, "but we don't have a spare three-tomoe Sharingan. The two-tomoe of that Uchiha, Tetsu, might not be enough to suppress the so-called strongest of the tailed beasts. If we capture the Nine-Tails, it will likely be another unusable weapon. Instead of that, there's something else I'd rather do. Dodai, if one of the Cloud's tailed beasts were to be captured, what would we do?"
"We would, of course, launch a massive search," Dodai replied without a moment's hesitation. "To find it as quickly as possible."
"And what if the enemy's trail was obvious?"
Dodai didn't understand.
The Raikage laughed. "If a tailed beast goes missing and there are no clues, then of course, we would mobilize the entire village to search for it. But if a clear trail is left, then to react quickly, we would send out our elite to pursue. It's unlikely that we would ignore an obvious trail and wait for the main force. And considering that we're dealing with a potentially rampaging tailed beast, who do you think Konoha would send?"
Dodai ran through the intelligence in his mind. "So you want to..."
"Have Blue Bee and his team go first. Don't let Danzo's men get suspicious. And just in case, take the two Uzumaki brats with them. If things go wrong, we'll have a backup. And then, we'll give Konoha a surprise."
Present Day
On the outskirts of the Forest of Death, the Konoha ninja, led by Sakumo and Hiruzen, were in a standoff with Blue Bee's squad.
Even the battle-hardened Kyohei's heart was pounding. The lineup on the other side was dazzling: the Third and Fourth Hokage, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, and two squads of ANBU.
He slowly drew his short sword, a thrill of excitement coursing through him. Today, he would have a chance to make history.
Samui, at some point, had taken out a large iron parasol, her unique weapon, and was ready for battle. And Hiroto had his "smirking god of war" expression permanently fixed on his face, as if nothing could faze him.
Sakumo held his famous "White Fang" tantō, its tip pointed at the ground. His eyes, as sharp as a drawn blade, swept over the men before him, but he did not see the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
"You have likely made a mistake," he said, his voice cold. "Where is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"
"Such a terrifying gaze," Blue Bee sneered. "Such a powerful aura. As expected of the Fourth Hokage."
Hiruzen summoned the Adamantine Staff and held it behind his back. "You have no chance," he said, his voice grim. "If you surrender now, you may still live."
With both the former and current Hokage here, along with the powerful Ino-Shika-Cho trio and two squads of ANBU elites, with sealing jutsu, barrier jutsu, and the Byakugan, he was confident that no matter who these four were, they would not be leaving here alive. The moment they had chosen not to run, they had lost their chance.
Hidden Cloud Village
The Third Raikage, A, was in his combat gear, his muscles like marble, his wild hair and rugged features giving him the appearance of a lion.
In a massive chamber, a huge, chimney-like facility stood in the center. A large number of staff were making preparations.
Behind him were nine Cloud ninja, each one exuding an aura of power. Dodai and Arashi were among them. They were the nine most elite ninja in the village, all of them battle-hardened veterans. And now, they were waiting to follow their Kage and make history.
"The delivery pods are ready," a staff member reported. "Lord Dodai, please apply the protective membrane."
Dodai nodded and used his unique Lava Release, pouring a liquid rubber into the nine massive pods, which then solidified into a tough, elastic protective layer. The membrane required a continuous supply of chakra to maintain, but it would allow those without the Raikage's incredible physique to safely use the Heavenly Transfer Jutsu.
Yes, this would be a surprise attack from the heavens.
And nine was the maximum number of people Dodai could currently maintain the membrane for.
A staff member handed the Raikage a menacing-looking battle-axe. "Lord Raikage," he said, "this is the weapon Lord Dana had forged for you."
The Raikage's fighting style was known for its raw power, and an ordinary sword could not keep up. Dana had had this weapon specially made for him, especially considering that they might be facing a tailed beast. The powerful, long-handled battle-axe would be put to good use.
He took the chakra-metal-infused axe and admired its powerful lines. The word "Storm" was engraved on the blade. He was already imagining sinking it into a tailed beast's head.
He turned to his men. "The Three Hundred Spartans of the Cloud was just the beginning!" he roared, raising the axe. "The Four Heroes of Mount Tenmoku was not the peak! My men, charge with me, and let our names ring throughout the ninja world once more!"
"OSU!"
With a wave of his hand, he was the first to step into the Heavenly Transfer facility.
As if on cue, Blue Bee, Kyohei, Samui, and Hiroto all leaped into the trees, looking down at the Konoha ninja.
"Now that we're at this stage," Blue Bee said, his voice cold, "there's no need to hide it anymore. You'll find out soon enough."
"Release!"
All four of them simultaneously dispelled their transformations, revealing their true forms.
The sight of the half-black, half-white hair made Hiruzen and Sakumo's pupils contract. They had suspected it when the Byakugan user had said there was a Jinchuriki among them.
One Eight-Tails is not enough for the Cloud? They've gotten a taste of a Jinchuriki's power, and now they want the Nine-Tails too? We cannot let them succeed. Otherwise, Konoha will never recover.
"I'm sorry," Blue Bee said. "You thought you were the hunters, but you never realized that the hunter and the prey can switch places."
Hiruzen and Sakumo's hearts skipped a beat.
Blue Bee calculated the time. "It's time," he said.
The moment he spoke, several streaks of light shot across the night sky, and a series of thunderous booms shook the very earth.
Ten streaks of light, in a V-formation, like a flock of shooting stars.
The one in the lead was red, and the ones on either side were blue. They shot from the horizon.
For a moment, the world seemed to lose its color.
Hiruzen's pupils contracted. He remembered the report from his three students years ago, that the Third Raikage could use the Heavenly Transfer Jutsu to instantly arrive on the battlefield. After all these years, the Cloud had clearly perfected the technique.
"That's the Cloud's Heavenly Transfer Jutsu!" he roared. "The Third Raikage must be among them! Prepare for battle!"
The Konoha ninja suddenly realized that the situation was far more dire than they had imagined. This battle could decide the future of their village.
Sakumo took off his Hokage hat and stared at the approaching streaks of light.
As the Hokage, he would not shy away from a fight to the death.
Blue Bee, seeing the panicked Konoha ninja below, slowly drew his sword, his fighting spirit soaring. It had been a long time since the A-B combo had fought together.
Kyohei pointed his sword forward.
Samui opened her iron parasol, the complex sealing formula within glowing faintly, and slung it over her shoulder.
Hiroto held a Rasengan in each hand.
The battle was about to begin.
The ten streaks of light grew closer, the sound changing from a low rumble to a high-pitched scream.
And then, from a high-pitched scream to a low rumble, as they shot past them.
Farther and farther, until they disappeared over the horizon, over the vast, open sea.
A moment of silence.
Blue Bee and Kyohei stared at each other, their faces rigid.
Did we miscalculate the coordinates?
Author's note: I thought I had made it obvious enough that the slow pace and the fire were intentional. I can't just put a footnote saying, "This is foreshadowing." And for those of you who have been listening with the BGM, you can turn it off now.