[Kumogakure]
The Raikage was sitting upright in his newly renovated, spacious office.
When he received the official letter from Konoha, the anger in his heart was instantly ignited.
He suddenly slammed the letter in his hand hard onto the solid wooden desk in front of him.
With a loud "bang!", the entire room seemed to tremble.
Fortunately, the Raikage still held back some of his strength this time. Otherwise, this sturdy desk would probably have snapped clean in two on the spot.
"Where on earth did Namikaze Minato come from? Didn't this guy already die eleven years ago?"
The Raikage's eyes widened as he roared in disbelief.
If the Raikage could be compared to a fierce warrior with extreme speed, overwhelming attack power, and incredibly high defense,
then Namikaze Minato was more like an assassin with maxed-out evasion skills and the ability to move through space.
Although their styles were completely different, they shared one crucial point in common.
Their abilities were both weapons meant specifically for killing people.
For ordinary ninja, once they ran into either of these two powerhouses, it was almost the same as being sentenced to death.
And under normal circumstances, trying to trap either of them was harder than climbing to the heavens.
The Cloud's AB Combination had once fought Minato head-on.
That fierce battle was still fresh in the Raikage's memory, and he had to admit the terrifying strength Minato had displayed.
After all, that clash had ended in a draw.
At this moment, standing to the side, Dodai could not help but speak in a low and serious tone after hearing the Raikage's words, "We're just too far from Konoha. Even if Minato's so-called death all those years ago was a carefully planned deception, it's not completely impossible."
Then Dodai put forward an even more unsettling guess, "But there's an even worse possibility. Maybe Konoha has already mastered a secret technique that can bring the dead back to life."
The moment those words were spoken, the Raikage, who had still been clinging to a bit of luck, instantly calmed down.
That was true. If Minato had merely faked his death due to injuries, that might still count as a blessing in disguise for the other villages.
But if Konoha truly possessed the ability to revive the dead, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The Raikage hesitated for a moment before questioning, "That shouldn't be the case, right? If they really had such an ability, why wouldn't they bring Senju Hashirama back to life?"
That was not wrong. Back in the day, Senju Hashirama alone had been able to sweep across the entire ninja world.
If that legendary figure were reborn, then aside from Konoha, every other ninja village would probably have to live with their tails tucked between their legs.
Dodai had clearly already thought deeply about this issue. Now he analyzed it calmly and methodically, "That's something we can only truly confirm after our people see the Fourth Hokage in person."
"If he really has been faking his death all these years and never showed himself publicly, then judging by the timeline, his age should have increased."
"But if his appearance hasn't changed at all, then it would mean he was very likely revived only recently."
Hearing this, the Raikage gave a slight nod in agreement.
"Mm! That makes sense. In that case, let's send Cee."
Not long ago, their three villages had joined forces to launch a fierce invasion against Konoha. And more recently, they had stirred up a heated economic war.
Under such tense and complicated circumstances, as leaders of their respective villages, it was naturally inconvenient for them to go to Konoha in person.
Cee was a rare talent within Kumogakure.
He was proficient in genjutsu, skilled in medical ninjutsu, and possessed exceptionally sharp sensory abilities.
He could be said to be an all-round ninja with multiple rare skills.
Even more importantly, he was quick-witted and sharp-minded, long regarded as one of the Raikage's most capable right-hand men.
So having him act as the representative for this trip to Konoha could not be more appropriate.
After all, many key pieces of information and subtle details required a ninja with excellent perception like him to accurately detect and judge.
———
At the same time.
Far away, in Iwagakure—
A heavy atmosphere filled the Tsuchikage's office.
Onoki stared at the official letter from Konoha in his hand with a face full of suspicion, pondering silently.
If this letter had not been sent through Konoha's official channels, he might have doubted its authenticity altogether.
Ever since Iwagakure and Kumogakure had joined forces to impose economic sanctions on Konoha, Onoki had been thinking about what kind of counterattack Konoha would take.
What he never expected was that Konoha would put the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, back into office.
This was simply too unexpected, because everyone knew that Namikaze Minato had died eleven years ago.
As for Konoha's explanation that the Fourth Hokage had suffered severe injuries during the Nine-Tails disaster and had been recuperating all this time, which was why he had disappeared until now, Onoki did not believe a single word of it.
However, if that explanation were actually true, then it would be the best possible scenario.
After all, if Konoha really possessed the ability to resurrect the dead, then the other ninja villages would have a very hard time.
Unfortunately, there was almost no concrete intelligence regarding this matter at the moment.
No matter how much Onoki racked his brain, he could only watch how things unfolded, unable to do anything about it.
As for the invitation Konoha had sent, hoping Iwagakure would send someone to discuss post-war matters, Onoki knew very clearly that he himself could not go in person, and the village's Jinchuriki absolutely could not be sent either.
After all, the two sides had just gone through an intense battle, and relations were still extremely tense.
Sending someone rashly at this time could easily spark a new conflict if anything went wrong.
After careful consideration, Onoki realized that the most suitable candidates at present were only two people: Kurotsuchi and Monga.
Kurotsuchi was indeed powerful, but her personality was too honest and straightforward. She was clearly not good at handling complicated and unpredictable diplomatic affairs like this.
In comparison, Monga was much more flexible and sharp, perhaps better suited for this mission.
Onoki stood by the window, his brows slightly furrowed as he thought silently.
After a moment, he turned around and called toward the shadows behind him, "Someone!"
As his voice fell, a dark figure appeared like a ghost.
Kneeling on one knee, the figure said respectfully, "What are your orders, Tsuchikage-sama?"
Onoki narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a low voice, "Go call Monga."
"Yes!"
The Anbu member responded and, in a flash, swiftly disappeared from the spot.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.