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Outside the barrier of Kumogakure, at the moment Deidara was incapacitated.
Sasori manipulated his puppet with precision, while Kakuzu activated the Earth Grudge Fear technique and charged forward without hesitation.
Obito observed the chaos and turned to Itachi beside him. "Let's follow him."
Kumogakure's mobile units had already begun to react swiftly, encircling Sasori and Kakuzu in an attempt to suppress them.
"Who are they?! Stop right there!"
"Ah! It's Akatsuki!"
"Enemy attack! Sound the alarm and notify Lord Raikage!"
"Aaaaah—!"
It was clear Kakuzu had no intention of listening to Obito's orders. At this moment, he was on a killing spree.
"Hmph, so this is the might of Kumogakure?" Kakuzu sneered loudly.
A Kumogakure Chūnin suddenly flashed in front of him, wielding a blade coated in Lightning Release Chakra Flow. With precision, he stabbed the blade into Kakuzu's chest, targeting the heart. "Don't underestimate Kumogakure!"
Yet to his horror, Kakuzu did not fall. Instead, he grinned.
The Chūnin's eyes widened in disbelief—he immediately sensed the danger.
"Not good!!!"
Too late.
The Lightning Mask, one of Kakuzu's elemental hearts, unleashed a piercing Lightning Release: False Darkness, the spear of lightning erupting from its mouth. It impaled the Chūnin on the spot, then arced outward with terrifying speed and force.
Within seconds, the attack extended more than ten meters, striking and killing seven or eight nearby Kumogakure shinobi.
Agonized screams echoed.
Dodai arrived with reinforcements. Seeing the carnage, he shouted, "Stop!!!"
But it was already too late.
Kumogakure shinobi lay lifeless on the ground, crimson blood soaking the soil beneath them.
Dodai clenched his fists and glared at Kakuzu and Sasori. Their red cloud cloaks left no room for doubt.
"…Akatsuki."
Obito descended with Itachi and landed near the battlefield. He frowned as he looked at Kakuzu. "Kakuzu, that's enough. I came here to negotiate, not to start a massacre."
"Negotiate, my ass!!!"
Dodai barked, "Get out of the way!"
Suddenly, a sharp sound tore through the air.
Kakuzu, Itachi, and Sasori immediately retreated, while Obito remained in place, unshaken.
Dodai and the surrounding shinobi scattered.
"Lightning Release: Thunderclap Arrow—Raging Axe!"
With a thunderous impact, a massive crater formed on the ground.
Dust exploded into the sky as the Fourth Raikage leapt out of the pit, chakra surging violently from his body. His Lightning Armor crackled with energy, and his aura burned like a wildfire. His hair stood upright from the sheer activation of cellular power.
C followed right behind, along with Darui.
High above, Deidara descended on his clay bird, landing next to Itachi, Kakuzu, and Sasori.
As the dust cleared, they saw that no one stood in the crater.
Raikage's brows furrowed.
Then, slowly, Obito phased into view, emerging from the pit below.
"Still as hot-blooded as ever, Lord Raikage," he said with a mocking smile.
Before he finished speaking, Raikage appeared before him in a flash.
"Lightning Release: Lariat of Pain!"
His Lightning Chakra-enhanced hand blade slashed through Obito's form.
Yet, there was no impact. His arm phased right through.
Raikage grit his teeth, turned, and struck again—only for the blade to pass harmlessly through once more.
Another strike. No contact.
C narrowed his eyes. "He's intangible… both Ninjutsu and Taijutsu are ineffective."
Darui nodded grimly. "Yeah. He showed that at the Five Kage Summit."
Obito calmly backed away. "Raikage-sama, don't waste your energy. You're a battle genius—you know better than to keep attacking something you can't hit."
Raikage was fuming.
Damn it. This helplessness… it was worse than being beaten by Naruto. At least Naruto landed real blows. This? This was humiliating.
Obito stepped forward. "Lord Raikage, I'm here for negotiations. Please, control that temper of yours."
Raikage snarled, "Negotiate? What is there for us to discuss?"
Darui, sword in hand, muttered, "No one negotiates by bombing and attacking as soon as they arrive."
Obito glanced at the dead Kumogakure shinobi and sighed. "Apologies. My subordinates were a bit overzealous. But if we don't display our strength, would you have sat down to talk?"
Dodai stepped forward. "Kumogakure has never provoked Akatsuki first.
You attacked Lord Killer Bee, declared war on the Five Great Nations, and now invade our village.
Do you think Kumogakure is easy to bully?!"
Obito exhaled, a hint of frustration in his voice. "I didn't want it to come to this. But it's all Naruto's fault for disrupting my plans."
C snapped, "What the hell does that have to do with Kumogakure?!"
Obito's gaze darkened. "Everything. Absolutely everything."
He looked at Raikage. "I know you're against the Eye of the Moon Plan. That's fine.
All I need is your cooperation. Help me, and I'll leave Kumogakure alone.
In the illusionary world I'll create with the Infinite Tsukuyomi, you'll rule. Kumogakure will own that world. Doesn't that sound nice?"
Raikage's voice boomed. "If only Kumogakure remains in reality while the rest of the world is trapped in an illusion, what's the point?!
Even if we rule everything, what's the meaning in ruling over illusions?
We've had our conflicts with other nations—but when it comes to the future of all mankind, we'll stand and fight against madmen like you!"
"Yeah! We'll stand with Raikage-sama and resist to the end!"
"That's right! We may have old grudges, but we won't betray the world!"
"Exactly! We're loyal to Kumogakure and to mankind!"
"A bunch of criminals from Akatsuki dare to threaten us?!"
Voices echoed across the battlefield. The shinobi of Kumogakure rallied behind Raikage-sama without hesitation. Betrayal was the greatest sin in Kumogakure—and their village's defectors had always been few.
Obito scoffed. "Lord Raikage, no need to get so righteous. After just one Five Kage Summit, you've become sentimental? Where's your ambition for dominance?
The Five Great Nations have never trusted each other.
And now, Konoha's Naruto is more powerful than ever. He even took your brother.
What's left for Kumogakure?
With my current lineup, I could destroy you."
C stared at the lineup Obito had brought. Based on prior intel, he could clearly recognize each of them.
Uchiha Itachi—the traitorous genius, whose strength was indisputably Kage-level.
Deidara—the explosive artist, capable of large-scale destruction.
Sasori of the Red Sand—the infamous puppet master of Sunagakure.
Kakuzu—a veteran shinobi from Takigakure, infamous for his greed and monstrous longevity.
And finally, the masked man who called himself Uchiha Madara—though clearly not him, his abilities were still overwhelming.
But… weren't some of these people dead?
"Wait… Itachi," C muttered. "Didn't you die fighting your brother? How…?"
The air shifted. Every shinobi turned toward Itachi.
Itachi spoke coldly. "I was resurrected by the leader. Now, I am immortal."
"What?!"
"There's a technique that can bring the dead back?!"
"Impossible!"
Raikage's expression twisted in fury. He'd read about it—Impure World Reincarnation, a forbidden technique created by the Second Hokage.
"Akatsuki… you bastards," he growled, "You're playing with the dead. Using forbidden techniques to wage war."
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