The impact of five Tailed Beast Bombs was beyond imagination. Killer Bee was knocked unconscious outright, and with the Raikage already down, Naruto had effectively captured two of Kumogakure's greatest warriors.
Shisui leapt forward and shouted, "Naruto-kun — shall we finish them off?!"
Naruto shook his head. "No. We can't kill them. If we want to unify the shinobi world, their deaths would cause more problems than solutions. Ordinary shinobi are one thing, but a village's Kage is different. If we kill him, even if we later take Kumogakure by force, there will be countless lingering consequences."
"Shisui, a leader must think beyond combat and killing. Uchiha Madara failed because his methods were extreme and impractical. Violent unification is possible, yes — but it breeds more trouble than stability."
"The beliefs and systems of each land are different; that's why unifying the world is so difficult. But if the leaders themselves surrender, the people will be far less resistant."
"In a few years, our work will be done."
Naruto's voice carried, calm and deliberate.
He turned to the remaining shinobi scattered across the battlefield and called out, his voice echoing over the rubble, "The Raikage and Killer Bee are our captives. Lay down your weapons and you still have a chance to live."
"We will never lay down our arms! We'll fight to rescue Lord Raikage!" one Kumogakure shinobi snarled.
"Rescue Lord Raikage and Lord Killer Bee!" others cried in agreement.
Naruto's eyes went cold. A tremendous aura poured off him—an oppressive presence that cut through the crowd and froze many in place.
Even inside the Eight-Tails, a shock ran through Killer Bee: Is this boy really using Kurama's power? The presence he felt from Naruto echoed the weight of legends—something akin to Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, woven with Naruto's own indomitable will.
For a heartbeat, the gathered shinobi fell silent, minds scrambling to understand what was happening.
"I don't want any unnecessary trouble," Naruto said. "Leave one person to go back and report. The rest—drop your weapons and return. Tell Kumogakure's leaders that the Raikage is in our custody. They can buy their people back. Ten billion for the Raikage, ten billion for Killer Bee. The rest of you are a bonus."
"Ten days. You have ten days. If the ransom isn't paid, I'll execute them."
Those words struck like insult and threat combined. Humiliation washed over the remaining Kumogakure shinobi. If their lords had been slain outright, they would sooner die than accept such disgrace—yet now, the chance for ransom gave them an impossible choice.
Could they rescue the Raikage and Killer Bee on their own? Their chances were slim. Many of them realized they stood to lose everything. Twenty billion for two leaders was a small price compared to the devastation a full-scale war would bring.
Sasuke and the others tightened the circle around the remaining shinobi; more than half of the original hundred-plus lay dead. A handful of Umbrella Organization operatives had also fallen.
Those who still stood had their ninja tool pouches ripped away. Naruto's team performed quick sealing jutsu, binding chakra and rendering the captives immobile. The same seals were reinforced on the Raikage and Killer Bee to stop them from waking and causing chaos.
"Move out," Naruto ordered. "Let's go."
He waved once, then turned and led his group away. The dead were buried on the spot with Earth Release, the earth swallowing the corpses as if the land itself wanted the blood gone.
One lone shinobi remained, trembling, watching them depart. Sweat slicked his brow; his entire being hummed with the realization that he had survived a cataclysm. How would he tell his superiors? How could he explain that Lord Raikage and Lord Killer Bee had been taken captive?
He could do nothing but return with the news, palms cold and voice raw.
Behind him, the battlefield looked like a nightmare — collapsed banners, shattered earth, and the echo of a new reality settling over the shinobi world. Only a mess remained, and the knowledge that everything had changed.
The message that had taken three days to deliver before now returned in a single day and night.
"What?!"
In the Raikage's office, Mabui stared at the arriving shinobi in stunned silence. She sagged into her chair, eyes wide with disbelief. The composed, unflappable woman everyone knew was suddenly pale and shaken.
Then she heard the news that the Raikage and Killer Bee were alive—alive but captive—and her professionalism snapped back into place. Mabui clenched her jaw; worry darkened her delicate features.
Twenty billion. That was no small sum.
Still, it wasn't something Kumogakure couldn't raise. Naruto hadn't been needlessly greedy; he hadn't intended to kill the Raikage or Killer Bee. Twenty billion would hurt, but it would be bearable. In his mind, it solved two problems at once.
"We shouldn't pay," one high-ranking official barked. "Send a retask force — flatten the Umbrella. Our prestige—"
"Silence!" Mabui slammed her palm on the table. "Do you want Lord Raikage and Killer Bee dead?"
She turned to Darui. Compared to the older, harsher man he would one day become, the current Darui looked sharper and more composed—handsome in a plain, serious way.
"What do you think?" she asked.
Darui's expression was steady. "We shouldn't act rashly. Whoever did this has the strength to fell Lord Raikage and Killer Bee. Pride is temporary; their lives aren't."
Darui was Raikage's bodyguard, the successor of Black Lightning and a wielder of Storm Release. His words carried weight in Kumogakure. Backed by Mabui, no one dared oppose him.
"I'll lead the retrieval team," Yugito Nii volunteered, stepping forward. Her voice trembled with curiosity and a fierce, protective edge. "I want to see what the legendary Nine-Tails' jinchūriki can do. If Naruto's already beaten the Raikage and Killer Bee, I need to know—"
"Mabui, you can't risk a Jinchūriki!" an aide protested.
Mabui's scolding was soft but firm. "Yugito, your safety comes first."
Yugito grabbed Mabui's sleeve. "If they're willing to ransom Killer Bee, they won't harm me. And if I go with a proper squad, it's safer."
Mabui hesitated, weighing duty against danger. Finally she gave a weary sigh. "Darui will go with you. You listen to him—no lone actions. Darui, this is in your hands. I'll take this to the Daimyō for funding."
She let out a breath that tasted of resignation.
Her dread had come true—but there was no time for despair. First they had to recover the Raikage.
...
TN:
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