Rubi's condition was a bit unusual, so this kind of conversation was necessary.
But now, the news had arrived.
The Eight-Tails had been completely extracted from Rubi's body, and he himself had lost all vital signs!
What did that mean?
In the short term—at least until Yugito Nii and the next Eight-Tails Jinchuriki matured—Kumogakure had lost a major strategic weapon!
Training a Jinchuriki wasn't easy. The hardest part was earning the Tailed Beast's approval.
Rubi had been an outstanding host—even the Eight-Tails had been willing to share its chakra with him.
But now, all of that had turned into nothing.
Standing before the now berserk Eight-Tails—who was even missing one of its horns—the Raikage's teeth were grinding in rage.
Who the hell was playing games with him?
"Achoo!"
Meanwhile, back in Konoha—
Inside the Hokage's office.
Danzo let out a completely random and extremely loud sneeze, launching it right in the direction of Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was seated across from him.
And it just so happened that Hiruzen was in the middle of taking a deep drag from his pipe. The surprise made him choke violently, turning his face a rather unhealthy shade of blue.
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
As the supreme commander of the frontlines, he had only asked Danzo to explain his strategic plans—and this was the reply?
The Third Hokage shot him a dark look, clearly considering whether to kick Danzo all the way to the Land of Rain.
Tsunade had already departed for the frontlines, but this guy insisted the top commander needed to "sit tight and oversee the grand strategy" and that it was okay to delay his own departure a few more days.
Still, there was a more important reason he had summoned Danzo here today.
"Judging by the timeline, Orochimaru and the others should have arrived at Kumogakure by now."
Danzo had no intention of explaining his sneeze. He switched topics without skipping a beat. After all, he was leaving for the front lines soon—Hiruzen wouldn't have time to hold grudges.
"I left a message for the Raikage—he's surely seen it by now."
Clearly,
That letter had been sent to the Raikage by Danzo himself.
"You're sure it won't mess up Orochimaru's mission?"
The Third Hokage took another puff from his pipe, his expression turning serious.
"It won't," Danzo shook his head. "In fact, this is where my brilliance lies."
Your 'brilliance,' huh?
Hiruzen scoffed inwardly, unimpressed.
"I deliberately mentioned the Intelligence Department," Danzo continued.
"Logically speaking, even if the Raikage doesn't fully trust the information, he'll at least increase security there."
"But that also means he'll overlook other vulnerabilities."
"You could say I actually helped Orochimaru—made it easier for him to approach the Eight-Tails' Jinchuriki."
And then?
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, intrigued by where this was going.
"When the Eight-Tails goes berserk and the Jinchuriki dies, the Third Raikage will be furious with nowhere to vent."
"But what if he captures two Senju clan members? One of them even being the clan head?"
"Tell me, what do you think the Raikage will do then?"
Vent. Obviously.
Hiruzen chuckled, leisurely puffing his pipe, then nodded in admiration.
That's Danzo for you. Vicious as ever.
What would the Third Raikage do?
There were only two likely options:
Kill Yukika and Nawaki on the spot out of sheer anger.
Take them hostage and head to Konoha to demand an explanation.
Either outcome would effectively eliminate the threat of Senju Yukika for good.
If the first—Yukika dies. Clean and simple.
If the second—he's brought back to Konoha as a prisoner. The "genius" image would be utterly destroyed.
And once that halo fades, it would become nearly impossible for Yukika to maintain authority over his clan.
The Senju clan wouldn't want a failure for a leader. And they certainly wouldn't follow the orders of one.
Just thinking about that…