"To think… our Hidden Cloud Village came to Konoha with sincerity, seeking a ceasefire and a future alliance, and yet in the eyes of others, we're being seen as malicious."
"In the end, Konoha just doesn't trust us at all, does it?"
An alliance?
A ceasefire?
Sarutobi's eyes gleamed.
Those were exactly the things he wanted.
Hidden Cloud Village held immense power. If Konoha could ally with them on the battlefield in the Land of Rain, the benefits would be enormous and obvious.
But even Sarutobi—slow as he could sometimes be—wasn't dumb enough to believe this nonsense.
Hidden Cloud wasn't coming here to ally with Konoha.
A ceasefire might be within reach, but a true alliance? Impossible.
"Sigh…"
"I didn't think they would die here."
The Raikage let out another heavy sigh.
"The real reason I came to Konoha this time," he continued, "was just that."
"To resolve the misunderstandings between the Hidden Cloud and Konoha—even though we're already well aware that the Eight-Tails' rampage is linked to Konoha, we still wanted to form a strategic alliance."
"Of course, as allies, Hidden Cloud would let the Eight-Tails incident go. And in return, it's only fair for Konoha to show a little good faith—by returning our Two-Tails Jinchūriki. Even if it comes at some cost, it's a price worth paying."
"Am I wrong, Hokage?"
The Raikage turned his glowing gaze toward Sarutobi.
"Well…" Sarutobi hesitated, not answering directly. Instead, his eyes drifted toward Senju Yukika—who let out a lazy yawn as if the entire conversation bored him to sleep.
Let bygones be bygones?
Give us a break.
Yukika smirked coldly.
"But—"
As expected, the Raikage's tone suddenly shifted, and the atmosphere around him changed drastically.
Just a moment ago, he'd seemed like a gentle elder willing to talk things through. But now, his presence felt more like a thunderstorm—furious and threatening.
"That was before my men were killed. That was what I intended before they died!"
"The Hidden Cloud came to Konoha in good faith—but your actions have left me deeply disappointed!"
"You killed my men—brave shinobi who came with peaceful intentions. And now you insult their memory by slandering them as criminals who attacked Konoha?!"
"I… will never accept that!"
BOOM!
With a sudden punch, the Raikage shattered an entire wall of the Hokage's office.
Outside, dozens of Anbu shinobi immediately sprang into action, rushing toward the sound in alarm. They turned to Sarutobi, their eyes tense and ready to protect the Hokage at a moment's notice.
"Stand down."
Sarutobi frowned and waved a hand, signaling the Anbu to withdraw. Once they were gone, he turned back to the Raikage.
"So, if I understand correctly, Raikage… your current stance is—?"
All this bluster, and Sarutobi knew perfectly well the Raikage had come with a clear goal in mind.
"If Konoha lacks courtesy, then the Hidden Cloud will settle each score, one by one."
"First—according to our intel, the Eight-Tails' rampage is undeniably tied to Konoha. One of our spies even saw your disciple, Orochimaru, within the borders of the Land of Lightning."
"The rampage caused serious damage to the Hidden Cloud. We need substantial resources to rebuild—and Konoha will be footing the bill."
"Second—since Konoha dared to attack and kill members of my envoy, the resources we originally intended to use to ransom back the Two-Tails Jinchūriki are now invalid. She must be returned to us unconditionally."
"And furthermore…"
"Konoha must offer us one individual—as compensation for the death of our former Eight-Tails Jinchūriki. I will personally choose the person."
"Lastly—the true culprits behind both the Eight-Tails rampage and the killing of my subordinates must be handed over to us. We will deal with them as we see fit."
The Raikage fired off each demand without pause. His presence was overwhelming, his body sparking with arcs of electricity that filled the room with tension.
"Originally, we could've sat down and talked this out."
"But now—if the Hokage cannot offer a satisfactory response to these demands…"
"We'll settle it on the battlefield."
The battlefield.
Sarutobi took a deep breath.
He knew the Raikage wasn't bluffing.