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Mastermind of the Akatsuki 398
🕑 Added 2025-05-13 16:00:06 +0000 UTCChapter 398: Kumogakure’s Decision
After escaping from Obito, Killer Bee didn’t take the opportunity to break free from the Fourth Raikage’s surveillance. Instead, he rushed back to Kumogakure and found the Fourth Raikage in the training grounds, reporting the masked man's attack.
Logically, Killer Bee shouldn't have told the Fourth Raikage about this. First, he had nearly defeated the masked man. Second, he had long wanted to escape the Raikage’s control and travel freely through the Shinobi World. But just when he was about to seize this chance to slip away, Gyūki solemnly warned him.
Apart from the masked man who had attacked them, there had been another terrifying chakra nearby. This chakra reminded Gyūki of the one who had once defeated it decades ago, the First Hokage.
It was a power above the Tailed Beasts, one of the few forces that truly struck fear into them. Though Killer Bee was carefree and defiant, he couldn’t ignore Gyūki’s warning. After weighing the pros and cons, he chose to return to Kumogakure and report the matter to the Fourth Raikage.
After hearing the story, the Fourth Raikage’s face darkened, becoming truly intimidating.
He had stationed Killer Bee in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning precisely because of rumors about the masked man targeting Jinchūriki. But his decision had nearly resulted in Killer Bee being abducted, which enraged him.
After a moment of silence, the Raikage asked, “Bee, are you sure that besides the masked man, there was someone even more powerful?”
Killer Bee nodded. “Bro, that’s what Gyūki told me. He and I are tight. He’d never joke about something like this. My instincts also say there was definitely someone dangerous nearby.”
The Raikage fell into deep thought. He didn’t doubt Killer Bee’s loyalty or their bond. But if the masked man already posed such a threat, and he wasn’t even the strongest among them, how could Kumogakure possibly protect Bee?
After a pause, he said, “Since the masked man’s after you, it’s better if you don’t leave the village again. No matter how strong they are, they can’t take on all of Kumogakure.”
Killer Bee nodded obediently, giving up his thoughts of escape.
At that moment, Gyūki’s urgent voice rang out in Bee’s mind.
“Bee, the enemy is too powerful. Kumogakure alone can’t protect you. You must unite with other ninja and Jinchūriki to prevent disaster.”
Bee was briefly stunned. Gyūki’s being way too cautious… he thought.
The Raikage noticed the change in Bee’s expression and asked, “What did Gyūki just say to you?”
Killer Bee began to wave his fingers, rapping his message, “Gyūki says this threat is serious. One village can’t handle it. We gotta unite, other ninja, other Tailed Beasts. Stand strong, avoid catastrophe!”
The Raikage frowned, seriously considering Gyūki’s words.
Gyūki was one of the strongest Tailed Beasts, second only to Kurama. If even it was so cautious, then the threat must be truly terrifying.
Even if Kumogakure managed to resist Obito and his allies, they’d be severely weakened. At that point, even if they avoided being destroyed by the masked man, they might not survive an attack from rival villages. Kumogakure could be reduced to a second-rate village in the Shinobi World.
From that angle, if they could unite the other villages and declare war on Obito together, it would not only share the burden of defense, but also preserve Kumogakure’s strength for the battles to come.
The only issue was that each village bore deep grudges against the others. A true alliance would be extremely difficult. After all, Obito’s attacks only affected a small number of ninja. In contrast, each Great Shinobi War had inflicted widespread damage among the Five Great Villages.
After thinking it over, the Raikage said, “Come with me to the Raikage Tower. I need to consult with the senior executives before making a final decision about this alliance.”
Killer Bee nodded, and the two headed to the tower together, entering the Raikage’s office.
Inside, the assistant Mabui was sorting documents. When she saw both the Raikage and Killer Bee arrive together, she looked surprised, then said, “Raikage-sama, I’ve organized all the paperwork and listed the resolutions. Just waiting for your signature.”
The Raikage glanced at the documents, then as if remembering something, turned to Mabui. “Mabui, has anything major happened recently in the Shinobi World?”
“Let me think…”
Mabui pressed her fingers to her temple, then said, “Actually, quite a few big events have occurred. Which kind are you asking about?”
“Tell me all of them. I’ve got time today.”
“Well, you probably heard about the Chūnin Exams in Konoha. The Third Hokage was killed by Orochimaru and Danzō. Danzō, the traitor, was taken down by Jiraiya and Tsunade.”
The Raikage nodded slightly. “Yes, I knew about that. I didn’t expect Shisui Uchiha wasn’t missing but under Danzō’s control. That guy had guts and cunning… If he’d become Hokage, it’d be a real problem for us.”
In his view, Danzō and Orochimaru were Konoha’s hawks. Orochimaru had assassinated the previous Eight-Tails Jinchūriki. And the death of his father, the Third Raikage, was also somehow tied to Danzō.
If Danzō had really become Hokage, it was certain he would have pressured Kumogakure.
After a brief pause, the Raikage asked, “What about the selection for the Fifth Hokage? Who ended up taking the title?”
Without hesitation, Mabui answered, “It was Tsunade-hime.”
“Tsunade became Hokage?” The Raikage wasn’t surprised. He began to consider the possibility of cooperating with Konoha against the masked man.
Tsunade was unlike Danzō. If she was leading Konoha, there was room for negotiation. He could even send a delegation to Konoha soon.
The Raikage asked again, “Anything big from the other villages?”
Mabui replied, “Actually, yes. A few days ago, something major happened. The Konoha rogue ninja Orochimaru attacked Amegakure’s leader, Nagato, and failed. Amegakure has since placed a huge bounty on him in the black market.”
“Orochimaru attacked Amegakure’s leader?”
The Raikage narrowed his eyes. On its own, this was big news. But compared to current concerns, it was relatively insignificant. No matter the reason, it didn’t involve Kumogakure.
It wasn’t the time for the village to tangle with Orochimaru.
Then, as if something clicked in his mind, the Raikage looked out the window, piecing together the events of recent months.
Why had rogue ninja of Kage-level power like Orochimaru and Rasa attacked Konoha? Why had Danzō collaborated with outsiders against his own Hokage? Could these things be connected to the masked man?
After all, if Orochimaru and Rasa had really wanted to destroy Konoha...
There was no need to launch an attack during a public event like the Chūnin Exams since they could have struck at any time. Unless Orochimaru and the others were acting on someone else’s orders, and among those capable of commanding dangerous rogue ninjas like Orochimaru, only the masked man and the shadowy figures behind him come to mind.
Suppressing the chaotic thoughts in his mind, the Fourth Raikage turned to the issue that concerned him most.
“Mabui, what’s the situation in Iwagakure? Has Ōnoki made any moves recently?”
Mabui pulled out an intel report from her robe and handed it to the Raikage.
“Raikage-sama, no useful information has been officially released by Iwagakure. But according to reports from our informants, both the jinchūriki of the Four-Tails and Five-Tails, who have long opposed Ōnoki’s leadership, have been attacked. Our operatives offer two possible explanations. First, that the attacks were carried out by the masked man’s organization. Second, this might be a scenario orchestrated by Ōnoki himself.”
The Fourth Raikage fell silent for a moment, digesting the report.
This information confirmed two things. One, Iwagakure’s jinchūriki had been attacked, just like Killer Bee. Two, Ōnoki had deliberately kept the incidents under wraps, likely to prevent other villages from finding out.
It was actually a smart move. The Five Great Nations maintained a balance of power through their jinchūriki and tailed beasts. The loss or disappearance of a jinchūriki wouldn’t necessarily cause immediate war, but the village that lost one would be forced to make political or strategic concessions.
However, the times had changed. A ninja powerful enough to instill fear in the tailed beasts had emerged in the shinobi world. And unlike the First Hokage, who distributed the tailed beasts to maintain balance, this new ultra-powerful ninja seemed intent on collecting them all, stripping the Five Great Nations of their greatest deterrents.
After a moment of thought, the Fourth Raikage told Mabui what had happened to Killer Bee.
Upon hearing this, Mabui’s expression darkened. She grew deeply worried about Bee and the future of Kumogakure. The village had already lost the Two-Tails, if they lost Bee too...
She couldn’t bear to finish the thought. Looking to the Fourth Raikage, she asked, “Raikage-sama, if the masked man might target Lord Bee again, what should we do next? Should we summon the other jōnin and hold a council?”
The Fourth Raikage considered it briefly, then responded, “I’ve already decided our next steps. Summoning the others is fine, but we Kumogakure cannot wait around doing anything. We must not face the masked man alone. We must unite all of the shinobi world.”
Mabui was taken aback. “You mean...?”
The Fourth Raikage clenched his fist and slammed it on the solid wood table, his voice resolute,
“I’m going to contact the other four Kage and convene a Five Kage Summit. We’ll discuss the future of the shinobi world and formulate a strategy to deal with the masked man.”
“The Five Kage Summit?!”
Mabui wasn’t the only one stunned. Killer Bee’s eyes also widened in shock.
The Five Kage Summit was a rare meeting where the leaders of the Five Great Nations gathered face-to-face. Every summit ever held had shaped the direction of the entire shinobi world. The First Hokage hosted the first such summit, during which the nine-tailed beasts were distributed among the villages.
In the years since, they had held other summits in name only. The truth was, the five Kage rarely ever sat down at the same table, mutual distrust, old grudges, and political games had always made it nearly impossible.
Now the Fourth Raikage was declaring his intent to convene one, an earth-shaking decision.
He nodded and continued, “I’ve reviewed every incident involving jinchūriki over the past few years and found the masked man’s influence in all of them. He caused the Nine-Tails’ rampage. He manipulated the Fourth Mizukage. Rasa of Sunagakure, the Four-Tails and Five-Tails jinchūriki of Iwagakure, even Yugito, all have connections to him.”
His eyes turned firm, “So if we want to eliminate the masked man’s threat, we must hold a Five Kage Summit.”
After hearing all this, Mabui and Killer Bee finally understood how serious the situation was. Every major incident mentioned was tied to the masked man, proving he was a threat that required a united shinobi world to confront.
Realizing this, Mabui quickly headed to the assistant’s office, calling out as she walked, “Raikage-sama, I’ll begin drafting letters to the other four villages, inviting them to the summit. Oh, and Raikage-sama, where should we hold the Five Kage Summit?”
“Where should it be held…” The Fourth Raikage frowned. As the one calling for the summit, it would make sense to host it in Kumogakure. That way, they could leverage the presence of the other Kage and their bodyguards to defend against the masked man.
But a past incident loomed in his memory. During a previous summit hosted in Kumogakure, the rebellion of the Gold and Silver Brothers had ended in tragedy, both the Second Raikage and Second Hokage were killed. That incident reignited the First Shinobi World War.
Given that bitter history, the other Kage would likely be reluctant to attend a summit held in Kumogakure.
That left only one neutral option: the Land of Iron. It is a country of samurai, neutral in shinobi affairs, and difficult to stage ambushes in.
“We’ll hold it in the Land of Iron. I’ll reach out to General Mifune myself.”
The Fourth Raikage voiced his decision, then, as if remembering something else, added, “And besides inviting Sunagakure, Kirigakure, Iwagakure, and Konohagakure, this time, we must also invite Amegakure.”
“Amegakure?” Mabui nodded, she wasn’t surprised.
Though smaller in size and population, Amegakure had grown powerful enough to rival the Five Great Nations. Its influence over surrounding smaller nations had also expanded rapidly. Soon, it would become the sixth major power in the shinobi world.
Not inviting them to a summit of such importance would only alienate them and push them toward the masked man’s side.
