Chapter 73: The Hidden Cloud
Three days ago, in Kumogakure.
The Raikage's office was brightly lit.
The Fourth Raikage, A, sat behind his desk, scolding his subordinates.
The dangerous element known as "Enzawa" had been missing from the village for a long time, and his muscle-brained subordinates had only just noticed.
Looking at the report handed to him, A couldn't help but sigh.
He used to only care about his own strength, never paying attention to the various factions within the village.
It wasn't until he saw Enzawa's file that he realized things had developed in an unpredictable direction.
Enzawa, male. The youngest disciple of the legendary Cloud ninja, Kinkaku and Ginkaku. He was also one of the few followers who hadn't died in the ambush against the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
He wasn't a native of Kumogakure. His hometown had been destroyed by ninja from a small nation when he was a child. Kinkaku and Ginkaku had saved him, and he viewed them as saviors, begging to become their disciple.
He grew up under their heavy-handed tutelage, witnessing his masters crush enemies with ninja tools and Tailed Beast chakra, gradually forming a belief in the supremacy of strength.
In his eyes, Kinkaku and Ginkaku were not brutal rogue ninja, but heroes who broke the rules. And Kumogakure's later abandonment of armed conflict was a "cowardly betrayal."
After the Gold and Silver Brothers fell, Enzawa, being young and unnoticed, wasn't listed as a rogue ninja. Instead, relying on his knowledge of Kinkaku and Ginkaku's history, he entered the Kumogakure Historical Archives.
Using his position, he tampered with records regarding the brothers, beautifying their treason as a sacrifice for the Cloud's benefit. At the same time, he secretly contacted the remnants of their followers and formed a secret organization: the "Twin Horn Society."
"Am I always the last to know what happens in this village?" A slammed the report onto his desk.
"It was like this before, and it's like this now! If this 'Enzawa' hadn't disappeared, were you planning to keep me in the dark forever?"
"Darui!"
"Tell me, how did a guy working in the archives for ten years manage to silently build the Twin Horn Society?"
Darui answered, trembling, "Lord Raikage, Enzawa was responsible for organizing the materials left by Kinkaku and Ginkaku. Over the years, under the guise of restoring historical truth, he applied to access classified documents many times. We..."
"And you just let him?" A slammed the table again. "Kinkaku and Ginkaku betrayed the village and slaughtered their comrades, yet he writes it as fighting for the Cloud's interests? are you all blind?!"
Cold sweat beaded on Darui's forehead. He whispered, "We suspected he had contact with remnant forces, but every investigation was blocked by his excuse of academic research. And..."
He paused, lowering his voice further. "Some elders believe the Gold and Silver Brothers' martial strength is worthy of praise, so they turned a blind eye to Enzawa's actions."
"Elders?" A's anger flared even hotter. He walked to the window, looking out at the dark village. Lights still flickered on the distant training grounds, and the faint shouts of young ninja could be heard.
"Have they forgotten how Kinkaku and Ginkaku dragged the Cloud into the fires of war?"
He turned back, staring at Darui. "Mobilize the ANBU immediately. Fully search Enzawa's residence and the archives. I want to know every member of the Twin Horn Society, where they're hiding, and what their next move is!"
"Yes, sir!" Darui turned to leave, but A stopped him.
"Tell the ANBU to be discreet. Enzawa has been lurking in the village for so long; he definitely has spies. If we alert them, the consequences could be disastrous."
Kusagakure.
The four Konoha ninja had snuck up to the office building in the back courtyard of the Administration Hall.
The guards in front of the building stood straight, breathing evenly—a stark contrast to the lax, sloppy ninja they had seen earlier.
Shikamaru's gaze locked onto the two guards.
He remembered clearly the training standards for elite Konoha Chunin—the tension in the arm muscles ready to strike, the defensive center of gravity in their stance, even the rhythm of their breathing anticipating movement. These required at least five years of combat experience. A small village like Kusagakure couldn't produce soldiers like this.
Not to mention their arms were held in a semi-ready state, an instinctual reaction to sudden attacks. Only ninja who spent years on the battlefield or in the ANBU developed such conditioned reflexes.
"Something's wrong." Shikamaru lowered his voice, stopping Naruto from moving forward. "These guards' movements and presence aren't what normal ninja have. Even in Konoha, they'd be elite Chunin."
"It seems Kusagakure really has undergone some incredible changes," Asuma said, turning his head. "What do we do now, Shikamaru?"
"Wait. Wait patiently for an opportunity," Shikamaru replied. "When they change shifts or make a move, that's our chance to break through."
After a while, an elderly man, about sixty years old with dark skin and a lean frame, walked out. He was followed by a bowing, scraping Kusa-nin.
The Kusa-nin wore a fawning smile. "Sir, is there anything else Kusagakure can help you with? Transporting supplies, clearing the grounds... our men are ready at any time."
The old man stopped. His cloudy but sharp eyes glanced at the Kusa-nin with undisguised contempt and impatience.
"You people?" He scoffed, his withered lips curling. "Not causing us trouble is the biggest help you can give. Watch your useless men who can't even stand guard properly. Don't let them near here, and don't let them gossip. Keep your mouths shut if you want to live longer."
The smile on the Kusa-nin's face froze. "Y-Yes, sir! You are absolutely right! We will discipline them strictly! We won't let anyone disturb you or the lords from Kumogakure!" His voice was filled with palpable fear.
Kumogakure? Shikamaru's heart skipped a beat. His guess was confirmed.
No wonder the talisman style looked so familiar. No wonder the guards were so elite. It really was the Cloud pulling the strings behind the changes in the Grass.
But the Grass had been Konoha's ally for years, relying on their protection. Even with internal changes, they wouldn't rashly defect to the militant Cloud. There had to be a hidden reason.
He looked again at the dynamic between the old man and the Kusa-nin.
That wasn't the posture of equal allies. It was clearly one side being completely controlled by the other.
"Coercion?" The thought immediately popped into Shikamaru's head.
If the Cloud was threatening the safety of the Grass villagers, or had leverage over the Grass high command, then the Grass ninja's compromise made sense.
Thinking further, the Cloud's reason for choosing the Grass became clear.
Kusagakure was on the border, a remote location. Even if there was unusual activity, it wouldn't be easily detected.
And since the Grass ninja were generally weak, the Cloud only needed to send a small number of elites to easily control the entire village.
It was the perfect place to hide an operation they didn't want the outside world to discover.