Now, seeing Orochimaru like this, Tsunade asked curiously,
"Is there something here that I don't know about?"
"Just wait and see! For this show, we only need to be spectators."
Orochimaru was very curious about how Hiruzen Sarutobi would clean up the mess after this incident.
If the Hidden Mist Village declared war on Konoha and Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't prepared in advance, there might still be some excuses for such a mistake.
But if Minato Namikaze lost to the Hidden Cloud Village, such a blunder would become a stain on Hiruzen Sarutobi's entire life.
---
"Excellent! Hahahaha!"
No one would have expected that, inside the Hidden Cloud Village's conference room—
for the past year, the atmosphere there had always been grim and tense.
But today, it was unusually joyful.
The Third Raikage, now with only one arm, burst into laughter, pounding the desk repeatedly.
From the looks of it, the desk seemed like it could shatter at any moment.
But now, no one said anything—
because they, too, were caught up in this joyful atmosphere.
"That monster is finally gone! This is excellent!"
Even the Third Raikage had to admit that Aoyama Ryuyun was as strong as a monster.
With Aoyama Ryuyun around, the Third Raikage didn't even have the courage to confront Konoha directly.
But now it was different.
Aoyama Ryuyun was no longer here; he had gone to the Iwagakure battlefield.
As for Minato Namikaze, who had been transferred here, the Third Raikage had already reviewed his information.
Honestly, he was quite disdainful.
What if the Flying Thunder God Technique was fast? Did he think he was Aoyama Ryuyun?
Could he easily break through the defense of the Strongest Shield?
Ay, who was beside the Third Raikage, clenched his fists tightly, his eyes burning with eagerness as he said,
"Dad, let's fight! While that Golden Lion is away, we can finally bring Yugito Nii back!"
She was their Jinchūriki from the Hidden Cloud Village,
yet she had been imprisoned in Konoha for a year.
They had tried countless methods to rescue Yugito Nii during this time,
but because of Aoyama Ryuyun's presence, all had failed.
Thinking about this made Ay feel stifled.
A Ninja Village actually being suppressed by a single person—
that humiliation burned deep.
"Boom!"
Listening to Ay's words, the Third Raikage didn't hesitate—
he smashed his fist onto the desk.
The desk, unable to withstand the force, shattered instantly.
The Third Raikage then stood up, his eyes gleaming as he declared,
"Attack the Konoha Camp and rescue Yugito Nii! This time, we must succeed!"
"Yes!"
No one objected. Aoyama Ryuyun was no longer here, and they no longer needed to be wary of anything.
---
Minato Namikaze, who had just become the overall commander of the Konoha forces, was still quite pleased.
After defeating the Hidden Cloud Village, such a meritorious deed would surely bring him one step closer to the title of Hokage.
Although he felt a little sorry for Aoyama Ryuyun,
under the dream of becoming Hokage, Minato couldn't afford to care about anything else.
But Minato Namikaze could never have imagined what kind of nightmare awaited him.
---
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
That night, the Konoha Camp was reduced to a pile of ruins.
The Third Raikage, his body shimmering with lightning, looked at Minato Namikaze—
who was half-kneeling on the ground not far away—with a face full of disdain.
"Tch! Do you think you're that Golden Lion? What kind of fool dares to fight me?"
Minato Namikaze's speed was indeed very fast.
The Flying Thunder God Technique allowed him to come and go without a trace.
But that was all—he was just fast.
Minato Namikaze's Rasengan was completely unable to break through the Third Raikage's Strongest Shield.
In fact, the Third Raikage could simply stand there and let Minato attack.
Even if he fought for a whole day, the Raikage would still be fine.
"So strong..."
With his chakra greatly depleted, Minato Namikaze looked at the Third Raikage in front of him, disbelief filling his eyes.
How could he be so powerful?
And just how terrifying was Aoyama Ryuyun, who had once single-handedly fought the Third Raikage, Ay, and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer Bee, all at the same time?
Thinking of this, Minato Namikaze gave a bitter, helpless smile.
Indeed, he had been naïve.
At the same time, Ay and Killer Bee approached, leading Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki.
Although she had been imprisoned for a year, Aoyama Ryuyun hadn't mistreated her.
She had been well-fed and treated decently.
"Raikage-sama!"
After being imprisoned for so long, she could finally see the light of day again.
"I'm sorry, Yugito Nii, that it took this long to rescue you."
The Third Raikage's tone carried genuine regret.
Right was right, and wrong was wrong—he would not find excuses to hide behind.
"Raikage-sama, there's no need; I understand."
With that monster Aoyama Ryuyun guarding Konoha,
even if the entire Hidden Cloud Village had come, they couldn't have saved her.
Thinking of this, Yugito Nii glanced disdainfully toward Minato Namikaze.
"I don't know what those Konoha people were thinking, actually transferring that Golden Lion away."
"Heh! Killer Bee, give them one last gift!"
"No problem, yeah!"
After being beaten for an entire year, even Killer Bee felt a deep, pent-up fury.
Now that he could finally fight back, he was almost cheerful.
Without hesitation, he transformed directly into his full Tailed Beast form.
A Tailed Beast Ball, surging with destructive energy, launched toward the Konoha Camp.
"Boom!"
A dazzling light consumed everything in sight.
---
"Let's go."
Watching the Konoha Camp vanish in the blinding explosion, the Third Raikage calmly waved his hand.
"Huh?"
This command puzzled Ay and the others.
"Dad, why don't we keep fighting?"
In Ay's view, if they continued, they could achieve a complete victory.
Retreating now felt like a waste.
Glancing at Ay, the Third Raikage understood his son's frustration.
After being humiliated for a whole year, he naturally wanted revenge.
But the Third Raikage only shook his head.
"It's useless. That Golden Lion was only transferred, not dead. If we keep fighting, we'll meet him again."
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