Meeting?
An emergency meeting? About what?
Samui's heart tightened instinctively.
She and Killer Bee arrived at the Raikage building and entered a closed-off conference room. There weren't many people inside—only a few of the village's Jōnin and the Raikage's senior secretaries.
Click.
The conference room door opened again. Fourth Raikage, Ai, strode in.
Since this was a closed internal meeting among trusted subordinates, Ai wasn't wearing his Raikage robe. He was shirtless, exposing his burly, muscular frame. His sheer physical presence was overwhelming—just standing near him radiated power.
He had always been a decisive man. Without any preamble, he gave a short nod to the others, walked to the head of the table, and pulled a photograph from his pocket. He slapped it onto the table.
"Uchiha Sasuke."
Ai sat down, tapping the photo with a thick finger. His tone was calm, yet resolute.
"This is the subject of today's meeting."
No one was surprised by this declaration.
The guiding principle behind Cloud Shinobi Village's strategies had always been clear—power above all else. Samui had previously led a team to Kirigakure, attempting to reach out to Logan and Sasuke with peaceful intentions.
But Logan had rejected the proposal outright.
If diplomacy failed, then the next step was obvious: military action.
Mabui, the Raikage's secretary, carried a stack of documents in her arms and began distributing them one by one to those seated. Each file detailed the combat capabilities of Kirigakure, Logan, and their known associates.
When Mabui handed one to Ai, he simply waved her off and tapped his temple—he had already memorized it.
Samui knew this intel well.
She was the one who had originally compiled most of the information—on Logan, Sasuke, Xiao Tao, and the rest.
After several minutes of silence, the rustling of paper stopped. All eyes turned to Ai.
He scanned the room with a cold, unflinching gaze. His deep voice echoed:
"Uchiha bloodline. Chidori-style lightning techniques. Ice Release bloodline limit. Ninjutsu nullification."
"These powers… they could significantly strengthen the Cloud Shinobi Village. Now that Logan is out of the country, I've decided to send a special operations team to capture Uchiha Sasuke. If possible, also bring back Mayuri, the Ice Release user."
The room immediately erupted into murmurs.
Samui didn't join in. She sat motionless, ears ringing, her mind numb and unfocused.
Capture Sasuke?
Why now? Why so suddenly? Logan's been helping us…
"Hello…? Hey…"
"What happens to our relationship with Logan if we do this?"
"Hey! Samui!"
Killer Bee elbowed her, snapping her out of her daze. When her eyes finally focused again, he gave a small sigh of relief and leaned in to whisper:
"Don't stress. This might just be another of my brother's bold ideas~
Kirigakure's recovered a lot in the past month.
Anyone who dares attack them will pay a heavy price.
This whole plan—it's just not worth it... yo~!"
Samui nodded faintly.
Even in Logan's absence, Kirigakure remained one of the Five Great Nations. They had plenty of strong shinobi, including Terumi Mei and Zabuza. There were even rumors that Konoha shinobi were visiting recently.
Infiltrating and kidnapping targets would inevitably cause conflict.
Cloud Shinobi Village had indeed grown powerful, but in foreign territory, arrogance could lead to disaster. It wasn't as though Ai or Killer Bee would personally go on this mission, right?
That would be far too risky.
The potential gains simply didn't justify the risk.
And then there was Logan.
If they destroyed his base or harmed someone he cared about—Logan, who had defeated the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, head-on—he might turn his fury on Cloud Shinobi Village. He could very well start killing their shinobi in retaliation.
Just imagining the consequences was enough to cause a migraine.
Ai sat comfortably in the Raikage's chair as the conference room filled with conflicting voices. He rested his chin on one hand and raised his other hand—
Boom boom!
He knocked on the table twice.
Silence immediately fell.
Everyone knew what came next. Ai had heard their concerns, and they had fulfilled their roles. Now, it was time for the Shadow to make his judgment.
Swift decisions. Ruthless execution.
That was Raikage Ai.
He spoke again.
"You're all only concerned about two things."
"One—Logan.
If we succeed in capturing Sasuke, Logan will definitely come here to retrieve him. But if he dares step foot into Cloud Shinobi Village…"
Ai looked to his right.
"Killer Bee and I will fight him together. And we will kill him."
The room was quiet for a few seconds, then several nodded in agreement.
There were few who could match Ai and Killer Bee together.
"Second—the logistics of the operation."
Ai raised an eyebrow. "You're wondering how we can infiltrate Kirigakure and extract them, right?"
"Have you all forgotten the village's secret teleportation technique?"
The room went quiet again.
The Skysong Technique.
Darui raised a hand. "But Boss… the Skysong Technique was designed to transport cargo. If we use it on living people, they'll be torn apart before they even reach their destination."
"In this village, you're the only one with the physical strength to endure the technique. And you're not going personally, are you?"
Ai nodded. "No, of course not."
"But we're not going alone."
"We have allies."
The conference room door opened again.
Two women entered.
Their presence stood in stark contrast to the gruff shinobi around the table. Both wore delicate makeup and ornate ceremonial robes. The scent of incense clung to them—floral and sweet, but with an underlying musk.
"Ugh—"
Killer Bee sneezed.
"Snakes. Smells like snakes."
He narrowed his eyes at the women:
One was a girl with dark blue hair, a golden crown perched on her head, dressed in a white ceremonial gown. She looked no older than ten.
The other was older—perhaps in her early twenties—with long brown hair, a similar crown, and a crimson robe.
Ai stood to introduce them:
"These are the Snake Priestesses of Ryūchi Cave—Ichikishimahime and Tatsujinhime.
They've come under the orders of the White Snake Sage and have agreed to form an alliance with us to assist in capturing Sasuke."
Ryūchi Cave. Snake Sages.
The veterans in the room exchanged looks.
Everyone here had access to high-level intel. They understood the tangled web between Logan, Orochimaru, and Ryūchi Cave. One of the snake princesses had been killed by Logan in the past, and a valuable treasure stolen.
Of course they wanted revenge.
But head-on, Ryūchi Cave's so-called immortals were no match for someone like Logan—who had slain the Three Tails.
However, in supporting roles, Ryūchi Cave's specialists were second to none.
They excelled in illusion arts, healing, support magic, and barrier techniques—all perfected over centuries.
Ai continued:
"The two princesses will heal the team in transit, allowing them to survive the Skysong Technique."
"Once they arrive in Kirigakure, they'll immediately deploy an illusion barrier to contain the scene. You will have fifteen minutes to complete the capture."
"Once Sasuke is secured, the team will use the Skysong Technique to extract back home. Operation over."
He looked around the table.
"Who's in favor? Who's against?"
Darui raised his hand.
"What about Konoha?"
Guy, Asuma, and Ebisu were currently stationed in Kirigakure. If they intervened, it could complicate things.
Ai scoffed. "Konoha? Cowards. They didn't retaliate when we tried to take their Hyuga heir. Why would they interfere now? Forget them."
After a pause, Ai looked across the long table directly at Samui.
"You just returned from Kirigakure. You know them better than anyone. Why don't you lead the team?"
"I…"
Samui was usually calm and collected, but today her mind was in chaos.
She wanted to refuse.
No—more than that, she didn't want this mission to happen at all. But Ai had already finalized everything—plans, logistics, execution, and follow-up contingencies.
She knew what this alliance with Ryūchi Cave meant. A few years from now, there could be snake sages living in the village. With Logan's growing influence and the daimyo's ambition to balance power, this operation might even be secretly state-funded.
How could she, a single ninja, object?
Killer Bee stepped in.
"Forget Samui, bro. She's been feeling off the past few days."
Ai nodded. He didn't press the issue.
Instead, he turned to a woman with long, straight beige hair.
"Yugito Nii—you lead the mission."
The Two-Tails Jinchūriki. Cloud Shinobi Village's third strongest fighter after Ai and Killer Bee.
With her commanding the operation and the snake princesses' support, this ambush stood a solid chance..
Yugito gave a small nod. "Understood."
She asked calmly, "What if they resist?"
"Kill them."
Ai's voice was absolute.
"Everyone except Sasuke can be eliminated."
"Understood. When do we deploy?"
"Tomorrow night."
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