A war between Kage-level powers…
That was the last thing he wanted to see happen.
"This isn't—"
Sarutobi gritted his teeth and opened his mouth, seemingly trying to explain something.
But before he could finish, Yukika moved like a bolt of lightning—darting forward and snatching the forehead protector right out of his hands, face lit up with surprise and joy.
"Wait! Isn't this my forehead protector?"
"Damn! I must've lost it during that mission I ran last time. Thanks, Raikage bro!"
Thanks, Raikage bro.
Smack!
Smack! Smack! Smack!
In that instant, both Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Third Raikage stood stunned.
It was as if they'd each just been slapped across the face by that boy.
Because yes—
The most critical piece of evidence, the one thing pointing Konoha out as the mastermind behind the Eight-Tails incident in the Hidden Cloud…
He had just openly admitted it was his!
Sarutobi nearly burst into tears.
He'd been trying to cover it up, hide the whole thing—and Yukika just casually confessed!
He even cheerfully told the Raikage that he lost the headband while out on a mission.
What mission?!
Senju Yukika had just graduated… and he had already gone on a mission?!
A mission that involved infiltrating the Hidden Cloud?
Sarutobi was utterly dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, the Third Raikage started laughing.
He hadn't expected the leader of the Senju clan to be so utterly… dense.
That's right.
He'd clearly overestimated him earlier.
All that talk about youthful brilliance and early success?
Total nonsense. Because under these circumstances, even he wouldn't have admitted to owning that headband.
Even if it was 100% true—he still wouldn't admit it!
But this kid had done just that.
Of course…
The Third Raikage understood what was going on.
Clearly, the feud between the Senju clan and the higher-ups of Konoha had escalated to the point where they no longer even cared about the village's well-being!
Yup, that must be it.
When infighting between a noble clan and the ruling elite reached this level, the inevitable result was the collapse of the village as a whole.
Konoha…
What a joke.
With a satisfied smirk tugging at his lips, the Raikage coughed lightly and said:
"Well then, Hokage-sama… do you have anything else to say?"
The momentum had fully shifted to his side.
The Raikage had known his demands were excessive—there was a 99% chance Konoha wouldn't agree to them.
Initially, he'd hoped to blackmail them into agreeing to just one or two of his terms. That alone would've been enough of a win.
But now, it looked like he might get everything he asked for.
Don't agree?
Fine. Let's go to war.
If he were standing in front of the First or Second Hokage, the Raikage wouldn't dare be so arrogant.
But Sarutobi?
He knew this Third Hokage all too well.
All bark, no bite. Ambitious, yes—but lacking the strength to match it.
Since rising to power, the man had focused more on consolidating his position than on bringing any meaningful progress to Konoha.
A politician through and through.
People like him loved basking in the achievements of their predecessors—and when faced with threats, they preferred to downplay the issues, cover things up, and avoid escalation.
The Raikage was convinced his read on Sarutobi was dead-on.
But… was that truly the case?
Sarutobi remained silent.
He had no idea how to get himself out of the current mess.
But beside him, Yukika—who had now calmly tucked the forehead protector back into his pocket—was smiling.
This was the opportunity he'd been waiting for.
The perfect chance to elevate his reputation—and bring the name of the Senju clan back into the center of the shinobi world!
Whatever the Hokage couldn't handle?
Let the Senju clan deal with it!
This was the most crucial step in Yukika's plan.
Did you really think that his earlier words about returning to Konoha's upper echelon were just idle talk?
No. He was dead serious.
Step by step, Yukika walked up to the towering, muscular Raikage and studied him carefully.
He had to admit, the Third Raikage was superior to the Fourth.
At the very least, this one actually used his brain. Unlike the Fourth, who solved everything with brute force.
But even so...
"Raikage-sama," Yukika said calmly.
"It seems like you've… overlooked something."
That soft, polite smile on Yukika's face made a chill run down the Raikage's spine.
What was he about to say?
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