Zander
patreon
Chapter 84 – “A Thunder’s Shadow Moves”
🕑 Added 2025-07-06 01:14:00 +0000 UTCChapter 84 – “A Thunder’s Shadow Moves”
The Raikage’s chambers were quiet, but not with peace.
Rather, with anticipation.
Thick stone pillars lined the interior of the command hall in Kumogakure, carved with the clan crests of generations past. Lightning lamps flickered overhead, casting long shadows on the cracked tiles. Every window was sealed. Every guard was loyal beyond question.
The Fourth Raikage sat at the center of the war table, arms folded over his massive chest, frowning as he stared at the updated reports laid before him. His powerful shoulders barely fit in the specially reinforced chair.
Cee stood to his right, adjusting the papers with a touch of chakra, while Darui leaned silently near the door, one eye half-lidded, but fully alert.
“The scouts failed,” Cee stated plainly.
“They didn’t even make it far into Konoha’s patrol line,” Darui added. “Intercepted before crossing the pass. No casualties, but the message is clear.”
The Raikage didn’t answer immediately. He ground his knuckles against the table, his mind a storm of fury and calculation.
“We expected a fractured village,” he said at last. “Sandaime dead. An invasion from Suna just months ago. Internal conflict. Danzo dead. It should’ve cracked them.”
Cee nodded grimly. “Instead, they tightened ranks. Someone is holding Konoha together.”
The Raikage’s brow twitched. “Tsunade?”
“She’s stronger than we gave her credit for,” Cee replied. “Not just politically. The patrols were reorganized. Response times improved. Intel movement accelerated. Someone competent is driving military structure again.”
The Raikage leaned back in his chair. “Then we apply pressure. Slowly. Deliberately.”
He reached forward and tapped the name scrawled on a separate scroll: Toroi.
A former elite Jonin of Kumogakure, quiet, tactical, dangerous. His unique Magnet Release made him ideal for controlled assaults. He could weaponize iron sand and trace-tag weapons, disarming enemies with a touch. He was one of the best they had not named Killer B.
“Send Toroi,” the Raikage ordered. “He’ll lead a unit across the border. No large force. Just five elite. Tell them to test Konoha’s patrols, strike hard, then disappear.”
Darui finally stirred. “Not kill?”
“Not unless they must,” the Raikage said. “This is a message, not a war.”
“And the official message?” Cee asked.
The Raikage smirked. “Diplomacy.”
He reached to the side and picked up a separate scroll, already prepared.
“Send our envoy to Konoha,” he said. “Tell them we’re concerned about instability. That we’re seeking peaceful confirmation of Danzo’s fate and the safety of Fire Country’s leadership.”
Cee raised a brow. “You’ll claim concern while we strike from the shadows.”
The Raikage’s gaze was cold as steel. “The oldest game. Distract with one hand, strike with the other.”
He stood slowly, the table creaking under his departing weight. “We underestimated Konoha once. No longer. I want their strength tested, measured. If they flinch, we move harder. If they bleed, we strike deeper.”
Cee rolled the scroll and nodded. “It will be done.”
“And begin spreading the word,” the Raikage added. “Use our foreign contacts. I want rumors whispering through the wind. That Konoha’s Hokage rules alone. That their Jonin distrust her. That the elders were purged in secret. That assassinations have begun.”
Darui’s smirk returned. “Undermine their stability. Make them doubt each other.”
“Exactly,” the Raikage growled. “Even if we don’t attack, they’ll feel the war coming.”
Silence fell again.
Outside, lightning danced across the mountain peaks of the Hidden Cloud, and the thunder rolled deep like a slumbering god.
Far below, a masked team moved swiftly through the cliffs, led by a man with dull eyes and magnetized kunai hanging like pendulums from his vest.
Toroi.
The wind whispered through the heights, carrying the scent of steel and war.
The storm was coming.
End of Chapter 84 – “A Thunder’s Shadow Moves
