Though he looked rugged and broad-shouldered, the man was meticulous in thought, gentle with the villagers, and the most reliable companion on the battlefield.
This was the embodiment of a saying:
It's not becoming a Kage that earns you recognition—it's earning recognition that makes you worthy of being Kage.
And he exemplified that principle in every way.
Later, during the Third Great Ninja War, he would voluntarily sacrifice himself to protect his comrades.
But that legendary tale of a true warrior standing alone against ten thousand Iwagakure shinobi had not yet come to pass.
"Is the Intelligence Division all set up?"
At last, the Third Raikage's deep, rumbling voice broke the silence of the Raikage's office.
"Yes, Lord Raikage," one of his subordinates quickly replied. "The personnel inside have all been replaced with elite ANBU. We've also set traps around the perimeter to prevent any escape. If anyone tries to break in, we'll definitely capture them."
"Good," the Raikage grunted in approval.
He set down the letter in his hand and rolled his massive shoulders, trying to loosen the tension in his muscle-bound frame.
"We can't fully trust this kind of intel," he muttered. "But we can't afford to ignore it either."
"They said they want to present us with a 'great gift.' As far as I'm concerned, that's just hot air. Regardless, we need to increase surveillance around the Intelligence Division, and the village's overall security must be airtight."
His sharp gaze flickered with suspicion.
"I want to see for myself who has the guts to sneak into my Hidden Cloud and try to steal our secrets."
His eyes narrowed. The Third Raikage was already trying to deduce the origin of the anonymous letter.
If Senju Yukika had been present, he would've immediately understood what this meant:
The Raikage was tightening control over the Intelligence Division.
That alone proved something—the contents of Yukika's mission had already been leaked.
"Lord Raikage! There's movement in the barrier!"
Just then, a flustered shinobi burst into the office, his face tight with urgency.
"They've come?"
The Raikage clenched his fist. He was about to issue a command when—
BOOM!
A thunderous roar exploded across the skies, shaking the village to its core.
Roooaaar!!
"That's… the Eight-Tails!"
The Raikage's expression changed instantly. He sprang to his feet.
At that moment, there was only one thought racing through his mind:
We've been played.
"Big bro... this isn't the way to the Intelligence Division, is it?"
As the colossal form of the Eight-Tails emerged in the distance, Nawaki swallowed hard. It was his first time witnessing something this insane.
He glanced around, then looked down at the map in his hands.
Wait a minute…
They were moving away from the Intelligence Division.
That's right—Senju Yukika had no intention of going there in the first place.
"No rush. First, we're gonna snatch ourselves a pretty girl."
He looked around. After the Eight-Tails let out its earth-shaking roar, the entire Hidden Cloud was plunged into chaos.
Panicked villagers sprinted in all directions. Confused shinobi ran to and fro. The ground trembled under their feet with a low hum.
It looked like something ripped straight from the original Nine-Tails Rampage.
"A… a girl?" Nawaki blinked and gave Yukika a weird look. His gaze slowly drifted downward…
"Uh, big bro… are you going through puberty or something?"
What the hell is going on in your head?
Yukika rolled his eyes so hard they nearly left orbit. He didn't bother explaining. Instead, he dragged Nawaki into the shadows of a side street and pointed toward a wall in front of them.
"Stay here. I'll be right back."
And without giving Nawaki another word, he leapt up and vanished into the chaos.
Yugito Nii wasn't in the best mood today.
Maybe it was a girl's intuition, but something just didn't feel right.
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