“So that old man was rescued?”
Deep within the Land of Lightning, a towering giant of a man abruptly turned his head, his voice dripping with icy menace.
He looked every bit the monster his reputation suggested.
A mane of wild golden hair cascaded down his shoulders, untamed and unruly.
Two hard black horns protruded from his head.
His sharply defined features were filled with brutality, while his massive frame was packed with muscles so dense that the black-and-white sleeveless shirt he wore looked ready to tear apart at any moment.
Three whisker-like markings were etched onto each cheek, giving him an even more ferocious appearance.
Every inch of him radiated the aura of a warrior who had survived countless battlefields.
At that moment, his brows furrowed heavily.
A suffocating pressure immediately spread from his colossal body.
The Senju Bu he referred to was one of Tobirama Senju’s most trusted subordinates.
The old warrior possessed extraordinary mastery over Water Release and carried himself much like Tobirama himself.
He had also been one of the Kinkaku Unit’s primary targets during this operation.
To ensure success, Kinkaku had personally dispatched Kakui—one of his most capable lieutenants—to intercept and eliminate him.
Yet somehow…
The mission had still failed.
Rage churned inside his chest like molten lava.
His crimson eyes swept over the kneeling subordinate before him.
His voice turned ice cold.
“Where is Kakui?”
The moment those words fell, the Cloud shinobi kneeling below felt as though a savage beast had locked its gaze onto him.
His entire body trembled uncontrollably.
He lacked even the courage to lift his head.
All he could do was stammer weakly.
“Brother Kinkaku…
Lord Kakui…”
“He…”
“He died in battle.”
“What?!”
The towering man known as Kinkaku suddenly widened his eyes.
A terrifying wave of dark chakra erupted from his body without restraint.
Like a violent hurricane, it swept through the entire command tent.
The Cloud shinobi could clearly see the whisker markings on Kinkaku’s face glow with an eerie crimson hue.
Several sharp fangs protruded from his mouth.
It was a sign of Nine-Tails transformation.
According to legend, during the Warring States Era, Kinkaku and Ginkaku had once been swallowed whole by the Nine-Tails during battle.
Thanks to the blood of the Sage of Six Paths flowing through their veins, they had not only survived but had actually devoured the Nine-Tails’ flesh from within its stomach.
As a result, they inherited a portion of the beast’s power.
Their chakra reserves surpassed those of ordinary Kage-level shinobi by an enormous margin.
Their terrifying reputation shook the entire ninja world.
They had grown into monsters capable of rivaling even the Raikage.
So the rumors…
Were true.
The reporting shinobi felt as though an invisible hand had wrapped itself around his throat.
Under the pressure of that horrifying chakra, he could barely breathe.
Fortunately, Kinkaku forcibly suppressed the killing intent and fury boiling within him.
The violent chakra gradually receded.
The freezing atmosphere inside the tent eased slightly.
Only then did he speak again.
“Tell me.”
“What exactly happened?”
Hearing those words, the Cloud shinobi finally felt as though he had been dragged back from the brink of death.
His body collapsed onto the ground as he greedily gulped down air.
But he didn’t dare rest for long.
He immediately spilled everything he knew.
“When we arrived, we saw Lord Kakui’s summon falling from the sky.”
“The one who killed him…
was most likely an extremely powerful Wind Release user.”
“A Wind Release user?”
Kinkaku sat back in his chair, narrowing his crimson eyes.
Information regarding all of Tobirama Senju’s disciples flashed through his mind.
Hiruzen Sarutobi specialized in all five elemental transformations.
Kagami Uchiha excelled in Sharingan techniques and Fire Release.
Torifu Akimichi was renowned for his clan’s Expansion Techniques.
The only disciple known for Wind Release…
Was that gloomy-looking brat who always seemed just as scheming as Tobirama himself.
Shimura Danzō.
Kinkaku remembered the name clearly.
Had that kid’s strength already grown to the point where he could kill Kakui?
After all, Kakui was one of the strongest members of the Kinkaku Unit, second only to Kinkaku and Ginkaku themselves.
Not only was he a powerful shinobi proficient in Lightning Release, but he also possessed a giant rhinoceros beetle summon personally selected from Turtle Island.
Combined with his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, the pair possessed enough destructive power to alter the outcome of an entire battlefield.
Yet he had died at the hands of that Wind Release brat?
Kinkaku’s gaze sharpened.
The Cloud shinobi beneath him immediately began stammering.
The truth was that he had only circled the outskirts of the battlefield.
Had he not glimpsed a Wind Release arrow streaking across the sky, he probably wouldn’t even have known who the enemy was.
Seeing his hesitant behavior, the killing intent in Kinkaku’s eyes finally erupted.
His crimson pupils locked onto the trembling shinobi.
The next instant, his arm shot forward.
A hand like forged steel clamped around the man’s throat and lifted him effortlessly into the air.
“So let me get this straight.”
“When you saw your comrades being slaughtered by Konoha shinobi…”
“Your first choice wasn’t to reinforce them.”
“It was to run away.”
“Correct?”
As he spoke, sharp fangs protruded from his mouth once more.
Nine-Tails chakra surged around him.
The killing intent in the tent became so dense it felt almost tangible.
Suspended in the air, the terrified shinobi turned deathly pale.
He struggled desperately to explain.
“N-No, Lord Kinkaku!”
“That’s not what happened!”
“I only wanted to return and report the information as quickly as possible!”
“I never intended to flee!”
Unfortunately, Kinkaku had no interest in such excuses.
“You can save those words for your next life.”
The moment he finished speaking, his hand twisted violently.
Crack.
The sound of a neck breaking echoed through the tent.
The terrified expression froze permanently upon the Cloud shinobi’s face.
Kinkaku casually tossed the corpse aside.
It hit the ground like a discarded sack of garbage.
He dusted off his hands without the slightest change in expression.
Executing a subordinate meant no more to him than crushing an insect beneath his foot.
As the leader of Kumogakure’s militant faction, Kinkaku had always ruled through absolute strength.
Whether dealing with enemies…
Or his own people.
Cowardice and retreat were things he could never tolerate.
That very mentality was why he had attacked during the peace conference and attempted to assassinate both the Second Raikage and Tobirama Senju.
His goal had never been peace.
He intended to seize power and drag Kumogakure onto a path of endless war.
And now…
Their plan was already halfway complete.
All that remained was eliminating Tobirama Senju and purging the doves within the village.
Once that was done, everything would fall into place.
With that thought, Kinkaku rose from his seat and strode out of the tent.
He needed to find his younger brother immediately.
Now that those Konoha brats had escaped, they could no longer afford to waste time.
If Tobirama learned of their situation, he might simply escape using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Should that happen, they would find themselves trapped between Konoha and Kumogakure’s peace faction.
A situation they absolutely could not allow.
Kinkaku clenched his teeth.
A dangerous gleam flashed through his eyes.
“It’s time…”
“To use the Sage of Six Paths’ treasured tools.”
Meanwhile…
Under the protection of Hiruzen and the others, Danzō’s group finally crossed back into the Land of Fire.
And at the same time—
The news of Tobirama Senju’s disappearance finally reached Konoha.
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