Chapter 184: Crisis Erupts in the Hidden Cloud Village
The Iwagakure shinobi, who had originally followed Ōnoki into the Land of Fire to demand an explanation, were now facing a life-or-death decision.
They probably never imagined—not even in their wildest dreams—that this would be their end.
And while tens of thousands of Iwagakure shinobi struggled with their fate, on the other side, the shinobi of the Hidden Cloud Village in the Land of Lightning were also fighting for their future.
To counter Uchiha Dali and collect the remaining Tailed Beasts before Konoha could, the Akatsuki launched a full-scale assault on the Hidden Cloud Village.
The Six Paths of Pain suddenly attacked. The Animal Path led with six summoned beasts as the vanguard, while the other paths scattered, launching coordinated strikes across every corner of the Hidden Cloud Village.
The sudden assault completely caught the village off guard.
That was the situation on the front lines—but behind the scenes, other Akatsuki members were already closing in on the location of the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki.
Their objective was crystal clear.
The Six Paths of Pain's attack on the village was merely a smokescreen. The real target was Killer Bee, the host of the Eight-Tails.
With the emergence of a powerhouse like Uchiha Dali in Konoha of the Land of Fire—who had already defeated and annexed the Lands of Water and Wind—Hidden Cloud had already been feeling immense pressure.
Not only did they have to process a constant flow of intelligence reports, they also had to deal with the daimyo of small neighboring nations flocking to them for protection.
The entire village had been gripped with anxiety due to recent events.
As a result, the entire village had mobilized. Everyone knew Konoha was preparing to invade the Land of Lightning. The village was already in a state of highest alert.
And now, they were suddenly under attack by unknown intruders.
That was the spark that ignited the fighting spirit of every Cloud shinobi.
In an instant, shinobi throughout the village mobilized, rushing toward the intruders swarming in from all directions.
Raikage's Office.
The Fourth Raikage was in the middle of a meeting with the daimyo of surrounding smaller nations, discussing how to respond to the recent upheaval in the ninja world.
They were just talking about intelligence reports Konoha had provided.
"Lord Fourth Raikage, we've always had a question. Konoha claims their reason for collecting the Tailed Beasts is due to a group called 'Akatsuki' that is attempting to steal the Tailed Beasts from all the villages," one of the small-country leaders asked curiously.
"Is there really such a group?"
Their intelligence capabilities were limited. They couldn't tell whether such reports were true or false, nor did they have the resources to train professional shinobi for reconnaissance and analysis.
So they seized the chance to ask the Fourth Raikage directly during this meeting.
Given the strength of the Hidden Cloud Village in the Land of Lightning, they were confident it could provide a more accurate assessment.
Upon hearing the question, the Fourth Raikage glanced around at the other daimyo.
Seeing their expectant gazes, he gave a cold snort.
"That's just one of Konoha's petty tricks."
"They're deliberately spreading rumors of some mysterious threat to stir up fear."
"As long as you remain unable to distinguish truth from fiction—and keep falling for their nonsense—there will always be those who turn to Konoha for help."
"And once that happens, you've fallen right into their trap!"
Just as the Fourth Raikage finished speaking, a deafening explosion suddenly rang out from outside.
The blast came from the central area of the village.
A powerful shockwave shattered the glass windows of the Raikage's office, startling everyone in the room.
"What's going on?!"
The Fourth Raikage's eyes sharpened as he barked the question.
At that moment, a Hidden Cloud shinobi burst into the room, reporting loudly, "Lord Raikage, we're under attack! Unknown intruders have breached the village!"
"Our forces are currently engaged in battle!"
"Intruders?"
The Fourth Raikage slammed a hand down on the table and stood up abruptly, eyes gleaming like blades.
A terrifying wave of chakra pressure surged from him.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the small nations exchanged uneasy glances.
"Is it Konoha's shinobi attacking?!"
"The Land of Fire has finally made its move… Lord Raikage, you said you would protect us."
"They actually dared to invade the Land of Lightning! The Land of Fire really has no regard for the rules! What are they thinking?!"
"..."
Seeing the Fourth Raikage erupt in fury, the other daimyo joined in with angry outbursts.
The Fourth Raikage responded in a deep voice, "Since I've promised to protect you, I won't sit back and do nothing!"
"Come with me!"
With that, he punched through the wall of his office and leapt out.
He didn't even wait to hear what his subordinate was trying to say next.
"Wait—Lord Raikage, the enemy isn't… from Konoha."
The shinobi's voice trailed off just as the Fourth Raikage vanished into the sky.
As he soared through the air, another explosion erupted in the distance.
He saw an enormous centipede wreaking havoc across the village, destroying buildings with impunity. The Cloud shinobi fighting it could do nothing to stop the monstrous beast.
And this centipede was just one of the many gigantic creatures currently attacking the village.
In various other directions, more massive monsters—each with different shapes and abilities—were launching assaults of their own.
Seeing this, the Fourth Raikage had no time to think about what his subordinate had said earlier. With a flash, he vanished and headed straight for the massive centipede.
"Wait! What do you mean the intruders aren't from Konoha?!"
Back in the office, the small-country leaders surrounded the Cloud shinobi.
The shinobi had been about to rush to aid his comrades, but seeing the group block his path, he reluctantly explained, "It's hard to say exactly, but the enemy definitely isn't from Konoha."
"They're wearing strange outfits. They seem to be from some kind of mysterious organization."
"The most important thing is… they're all rogue ninja from various villages!"
With that, the shinobi ignored the daimyo and used Body Flicker to leave the office.
The group of small-country leaders were left utterly bewildered, staring at each other in confusion.
"A mysterious organization of rogue ninja is attacking the Hidden Cloud Village??"
They exchanged glances until one of them suddenly realized, "Could this be the 'Akatsuki' Konoha was talking about?"
"So that organization really exists—and it's threatening every nation in the ninja world?"
"We don't know yet. Let's get outside and see for ourselves!"
"..."
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