Raikage's Fury
"Sarutobi Hiruzen, is this also what you intended?!"
A stood tall, his muscles tense, ignoring Xu Fan's warning. This was no longer a personal disagreement — it was a direct confrontation between two great Shinobi villages.
"Very well."
Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped forward, his eyes sharp beneath the brim of his Hokage hat. The situation had escalated beyond diplomacy — there was nothing left to fear.
After all, it had been Hiruzen himself who raised the issue of conflict with Kumogakure during the last Konoha council meeting.
"Those who seek peace through strength will survive; those who seek peace through compromise will perish."
Once, it had been Kushina Uzumaki. This time, it was Hinata Hyuga.
If they didn't suppress this kind of aggression now, who knew when Kumogakure would strike again?
Xu Fan had made an undeniable point: from the very beginning, Kumogakure had shown no respect for the alliance treaty.
To them, that fragile piece of paper had merely been a cover for a kidnapping.
"Yes," Hiruzen said firmly, his gaze locked on A. "What Xu Fan said is exactly what I believe."
"What?!"
Shock rippled across the room. Not only A, but even General Mifune of the Land of Iron and the other observers like Samui and C, were stunned.
Especially Mifune. As a neutral leader, he was well-informed about the power players in the Shinobi world. In his eyes, Hiruzen Sarutobi had always been the epitome of pacifism, a man who favored diplomacy over bloodshed.
Was the Third Hokage truly ready to ignite war... for the sake of a murderer?
"This is not about protecting a criminal," Xu Fan replied coldly, his voice echoing across the silent chamber. "It's about the dignity of a great nation."
"It was Kumogakure who broke the treaty first — attempting to kidnap Hinata Hyuga and killing her father, Hiashi, in the process."
"And then... you demanded we hand over Hiashi's corpse as compensation?"
Xu Fan raised his hand and slammed it onto the table. A surge of chakra exploded outward, shattering the massive stone conference table into dust.
"If the Fourth Raikage cannot give an explanation today, then so be it — we go to war!"
"Not until your nation is destroyed — or ours — will this end!"
Even Hiruzen was momentarily stunned. Xu Fan's words weren't just bravado — this was a formal declaration of war at a summit between Kage.
He had previously said he sought peace, not war. That a show of strength was necessary to force Kumogakure to negotiate sincerely.
But now… he was calling for annihilation.
Since the First Shinobi World War, even the bloodiest battles had never gone so far as to threaten the destruction of entire villages.
Even A — the battle-hardened Fourth Raikage — was frozen in disbelief.
In all his years, no one had ever dared to speak to him like that.
"Enough!"
Mifune rose abruptly, his hand gripping his katana as he glared at Xu Fan.
"Sarutobi-dono, remove this reckless man at once! Do not let this summit turn to madness!"
But at that exact moment, the room's attention was drawn elsewhere.
Yamanaka Kaze, one of Hiruzen's guards, made his move — quietly and swiftly.
Though he officially served Hiruzen, he had long been under Danzo Shimura's secret command. His true objective: disrupt the summit by assassinating the Fourth Raikage.
If A was killed, or even wounded, it would create chaos — and Danzo would benefit from the fallout.
This was a suicide mission. But Kaze, like all Root operatives, had long abandoned the fear of death.
Danzo's orders were absolute.
He formed a hand seal — the signature jutsu of the Yamanaka Clan.
"Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
Kaze's body slumped to the ground, his consciousness shooting into Darui, who stood behind the Raikage.
In a blur, Darui's body jerked. His hand moved to the sword at his back, drew it in one motion, and lunged — aiming for A's carotid artery.
"Darui!!" C shouted in horror, leaping forward to stop him.
But just before the blade connected, Darui's body froze.
His arm trembled in mid-air, sweat dripping from his brow. His expression twisted in agony.
The Mind Transfer Jutsu was not absolute control — it was a battle of willpower.
And Darui's loyalty to the Raikage... was unshakable.
"...Forgive me, Raikage-sama," Darui whispered, pained.
The sword slipped from his grasp and clattered to the ground.
Everyone stared at him — then at the collapsed Kaze, whose consciousness returned to his body, breathing heavily.
"Kaze…" Hiruzen's expression turned grim.
He recognized the jutsu immediately.
This was the Yamanaka Clan's technique — and Kaze was one of Danzo's Root agents.
"Danzo again…" Hiruzen murmured, piecing it together.
Combining this with intel from Aburame Torune, it all made sense. Danzo had deployed his agents, preparing for this exact moment.
Assassinate A — or provoke him into a fury.
If A killed Hiruzen or Xu Fan in retaliation, Danzo would return to Konoha and seize control amid the chaos.
"Get out of my body!" Darui roared, forcing Kaze's lingering presence out with a surge of chakra.
Kaze gasped as he returned fully to his body — only to realize the danger he was in.
A, already enraged by Xu Fan's words, had now been nearly assassinated — by his own right hand man.
In a flash, A used Body Flicker and appeared in front of the kneeling Kaze. His right arm was already sheathed in crackling Lightning Release chakra.
At that moment, he no longer cared about war. No longer cared that the Hokage stood behind this man.
"You dared… to touch my brother-in-arms?!"
Only death could answer that insult.
But just as A's palm struck down, Hiruzen acted — using his own immense chakra and speed to kick Kaze away, hurling him across the room and slamming him into the conference wall.
A's lightning-coated chop missed by inches, smashing a crater into the floor.
Silence returned.
Everyone was holding their breath.
The Shinobi World was on the edge of a blade — and that blade had just drawn blood.