Chapter 388: The Restless Third Raikage

The next day, when Nawaki and Misaki woke up, Kawakaze had already gathered everyone for a meeting.

The small meeting room in the Hokage building wasn’t crowded. Tsunade sat at the head of the table, with Kawakaze and Sakumo flanking her on either side. Everyone present shared one thing in common: they all knew the identities of the three members of Akatsukigakure, including Nagato.

“The atmosphere yesterday wasn’t suitable for a proper discussion,” Kawakaze began, his expression blank. “I thought it would be better to gather everyone today to talk about it.”

No one felt he was overstepping his role.

“I could tell you were troubled yesterday. Speak,” Orochimaru said, his sharp gaze on Kawakaze. Despite the frequent bickering and fights between them, Orochimaru was still the one who understood him best.

“Is this top-secret information from Akatsukigakure?” Jiraiya asked, his intuition as sharp as ever, befitting someone with a deep background in intelligence.

Sakumo sat silently, his posture upright and attentive, while Fugaku and Shōta listened intently. Duy, however, glanced around the room as though his mind was elsewhere.

Since Konoha’s founding, there had never been a meeting as unified as this one. Though the number of attendees was small, each of them wielded the power to influence Konoha’s actions significantly. This was undoubtedly Konoha’s core leadership gathered together.

“Yes, let Kawakaze explain in detail,” Tsunade urged. “He’s been thinking this through since last night.”

Kawakaze nodded. “This is something the Konohagakure Intelligence Division has never encountered before. Tsunade herself only learned of it yesterday when I told her. Here’s what happened: after the wedding banquet ended, I went to see Nagato and the others. Yahiko shared some news with me—something concerning the Third Raikage.”

The room went silent.

“The Third Raikage sent someone to contact Yahiko,” Kawakaze continued. “Apparently, they were already planning to establish further contact.”

“What does he want?” Tsunade asked.

“That remains unclear. Yahiko didn’t provide concrete details. He simply said they’re waiting to learn more.”

The room broke into quiet murmurs.

“Recruit them?” someone speculated.

“Form an alliance?” another guessed.

“Jealousy?” a third questioned.

“What’s that bandit scheming now?”

As theories swirled, Duy sat wordlessly, his expression as vacant as before.

“Haha,” Kawakaze suddenly chuckled. “If you frame it like that, the Third Raikage might not be too thrilled.”

Duy snapped to attention. “I’m not afraid of him!” he blurted out, his voice loud and proud.

The room turned to him in surprise, but he didn’t falter.

If I open the Eight Gates, no one will stop me!

“Okay, stop being so mysterious.”

“Hurry up and tell us.”

Sakumo interrupted the two of them as they played around. He hated it when Kawakaze and he acted like that. It had been the same since they were kids, and they definitely deserved a beating for it.

“I'll tell you, what are you getting so angry about?” Kawakaze feigned weakness, his tone vulnerable enough to make anyone uncomfortable.

“I feel like throwing up, so hurry up,” Orochimaru snapped, his displeasure evident.

It was broad daylight, and Kawakaze's antics were enough to make anyone sick. What a disgusting person.

“Boring,” Kawakaze muttered, awkwardly running a hand through his hair. Finally, his demeanor shifted, and he got serious.

“The Third Raikage sent his son to Akatsukigakure,” he announced. “During contact with Yahiko and the others, he only revealed one thing—his desire to form a wartime alliance with Akatsukigakure.”

Kawakaze deliberately emphasized the last four words. No matter how turbulent things were behind the scenes, the ninja world was still technically at peace. However, the phrase “wartime alliance” made everyone suspicious.

“It’s all thanks to you, Tsunade,” Orochimaru said, turning to her. His words were sharp, provoking a reaction.

If Tsunade hadn’t been completely crushed by Nagato, the Third Raikage probably wouldn’t have set foot in the tiny village of Akatsukigakure. An alliance during wartime? He’d have laughed it off without a second thought, let alone stooped so low as to let a minor village play lackey for Kumo.

“It seems like we still went too easy on them,” Kawakaze remarked coldly. His words carried weight.

A few years back, he and Orochimaru had let the Eight-Tails rampage, forcibly stealing the secret technique for the Lightning Release Chakra Mode. But their actions hadn’t caused enough lasting damage to hinder Kumo's progress.

"Has Kumogakure been doing well in recent years?" Fugaku asked, his brow furrowed. The Land of Lightning was far beyond their reach, and he had no direct sources in Kumo to verify anything. Plus, with it being peacetime, reliable intel on their progress was hard to come by.

“According to intelligence from recent years,” Shōta began, “since Lord Kawakaze and Lord Orochimaru returned, the Third Raikage first severely punished the negligent ninja. He then personally led the post-war reconstruction efforts. In a short time, he re-established his authority and won the hearts of the people. Over the following years, he expanded the military, and they regained the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki. As for the Two-Tails, I haven’t heard anything.”

Shōta recited the information as if it were precious knowledge passed down to him.

"The sky's clear, the rain's gone, and now he thinks he’s ready to go again," Orochimaru muttered with a disgusted snort. War was something he had always loathed.

But sometimes, the world didn’t care what he wanted.

“Not just that.”

“The Third Raikage is thinking far ahead—he’s got a sharp sense of danger.”

“Maybe the pressure from Konoha is simply too much.”

Jiraiya wasn’t exaggerating. Konoha’s power was undeniable, almost terrifying. It was arguably stronger now than even in the days of its founding, when Hashirama, Madara, and Tobirama stood together. Back then, the dream of unifying the Ninja World was less about ability and more about whether they were willing to make it happen.

“This is a signal,” Jiraiya said. “I think you’ve all felt it too.”

“The Second Shinobi World War didn’t achieve the goals of the martial factions in any nation. War is just a matter of time.”

“Our Daimyō isn’t sitting idle either,” Sakumo added, glancing at Tsunade, who had the closest ties to the Daimyō’s office.

“The martial factions hold too much sway—there’s nothing the Daimyō can do,” Tsunade admitted with a sigh. Her words made it clear: even if no other Hidden Village started a war, Konoha might not be able to avoid it. Who wouldn’t want to challenge the sharpest blade in the land?

“That’s still far off.”

“Do you think Kumo will make a move in the next few years?” Kawakaze asked, bringing the focus back to the present. For now, at least, Konoha had no intention of striking first.

The group fell silent, their expressions heavy as they nodded in grim agreement.

“Why a few years from now?”

Duy scratched his head, struggling to keep up with the conversation.

“It takes time for a Jinchūriki to mature, and alliances aren’t built overnight.”

“The bandit you mentioned isn’t that foolish,” Orochimaru explained casually. Duy nodded, though it was unclear if he fully understood.

“Who does the Third Raikage plan to target first?”

At this point, Jiraiya already had an answer in mind.

“Sunagakure.”

“The Land of Wind.”

Even Duy managed to follow this time, and the group’s unanimous answer was clear.

“Pick on the weak. The Third Raikage likely thinks the same way.”

Kawakaze tapped a single finger rhythmically on the table.

“Sunagakure suffered the heaviest losses in the Second Shinobi World War. Its strength has only somewhat recovered. Even in a few years, it still won’t stand a chance against Kumo.”

Shōta’s analysis was precise. A village nearly destroyed doesn’t recover so easily.

“If that’s the case, why is the Third Raikage seeking an alliance with Akatsukigakure?”

Duy found the involvement to be somewhat redundant.

“That shows the Third Raikage’s ambitions go beyond Sunagakure. One reason is to prevent other countries from providing support by using Akatsukigakure to interfere. The other is to join forces to conquer more territory.”

“As for who the next target will be, that’s harder to predict.”

Fugaku's insight seemed to grow sharper with each passing day. The tension between the Kumo Ninja and Iwagakure was no secret—everyone in the Ninja World knew about it. And Ōnoki, of all people, wouldn’t overlook the fact that when one loses its edge, the other feels the pressure.

The Third Raikage’s alliance with Akatsukigakure was a clever move, though he couldn’t have foreseen that Akatsukigakure would end up aligning with Konoha.

“There won’t be a next step.”

“The moment Kumo makes a move, the entire Ninja World will spiral into chaos.”

Kawakaze shook his head, certain that the Third Shinobi World War was looming on the horizon.

For a moment, silence settled over the meeting room. None of this was good news.

“That’s all for today. Keep this to yourselves,” Tsunade finally said.

“From now on, keep a closer eye on Kumo. Konoha needs to start preparing as well.”

After a long pause, Tsunade spoke, bringing the meeting to an end.