Konoha had never been flush with experts of Lightning Release.
Historically, the strongest might have been Kakashi's father, Sakumo Hatake, but his legend was built on Kenjutsu, not lightning-release jutsu. In the current age, no one came close to the Third Raikage's mastery. For Kakashi, getting his guidance was a rare opportunity. And for the Raikage, giving a few pointers wasn't much of a loss.
"Raikage-sama..." Yugito began, a worried edge to her voice. 'Teaching Kakashi Lightning Release... isn't that just arming the enemy?'
The Raikage simply waved a dismissive hand. "It's nothing. Just a little guidance."
He'd mentored countless shinobi in Kumo. Guiding an outsider was a first, but after the fight he'd just had, he was in a good mood. A few pointers seemed a small price to pay, and it was a chance to get a read on Konoha's next generation.
His gaze drifted to the massive crater Kakashi was slowly refilling, and a long sigh escaped him.
'A real shame Tsunade stopped a Rasengan like that,' he mused. 'I wonder if it would have been enough to seriously injure me...'
"Ah, by the way," the Raikage said, stretching his limbs. "My spies in Amegakure sent a report a few days back. Word is Hanzo's gone neutral, and a large contingent of Iwa shinobi are passing through to hit Konoha."
"What?"
Tsunade went still, her mind racing. 'Hanzo, neutral? How is that possible?' She considered it for a moment before shaking her head. "Impossible."
"Hanzo has no reason to be neutral. Konoha's collapse would be a disaster for him. With Konoha in place, the Five Great Nations maintain a fragile peace, giving smaller villages like his room to breathe. If Konoha falls, the world descends into chaos. Wars of annexation and invasion would erupt everywhere. Amegakure would just be swallowed by its larger neighbors."
"So what if he's a 'demigod'? He's old, not the fighter he once was. And no matter how strong, one man can't stop the tide. Hanzo isn't a fool."
"You seem confident, aren't you?" the Raikage mused. "So, it's a trap, then? Tsk. Konoha always has someone waiting in the wings. Even with Danzo gone, a successor rises. I just hope that short bastard from Iwa doesn't walk right into it and get himself killed."
Deceptive moves like this, an Anbu with a capable new commander... this was what made Konoha so dangerous. Their foundation was too solid, producing talent generation after generation.
In contrast, the other great villages were slowly fading. Suna, for instance. Each generation seemed weaker than the last. The top experts had been Chiyo and Ebizo for so many years, with no visible hope for the future.
It wasn't that other villages didn't want to copy Konoha's model. It was that they couldn't. A system like that required immense financial backing.
The Raikage shook his head, pushing the thoughts aside. Brooding was pointless. Kumo had lost. When you lose, you own it. He was a man who dared to fight and dared to admit defeat, he wouldn't go back on his word. That included training Kakashi.
Takeshi, for his part, had no intention of getting involved. He'd done his bit by finding Kakashi a teacher. Once the training paid off, he'd bring that orange cat over from the Ninja Cat Fortress.
'The chubby one with both Lightning and Fire Release,' he thought. 'I can't teach him, but Kakashi would be perfect.'
The plan was flawless. And it wasn't like Kakashi could back out later. Not when he couldn't win a fight against him. The Raikage, meanwhile, saw no issue.
Tsunade clapped her hands. "Alright, let's head back. And Raikage, you're on the hook for the damages to the forest."
A vein pulsed on the Raikage's temple. "I already agreed to train your boy, and you still want to fleece me over a few broken trees?" he growled. "Have you no shame?"
Beside him, Yugito bristled on Kumo's behalf.
Seeing his strong reaction, Tsunade held up her hands placatingly. "Force of habit, my apologies. Kakashi, keep filling that hole. Takeshi, with me. I have an important mission for you."
"Meow!"
Takeshi was more than happy to comply. If he stuck around, the Raikage might decide he wanted another round. Tsunade's summons was the perfect excuse to vanish. He gave her a mental thumbs-up. On this, at least, they were perfectly in sync.
As for Konoha's war council, both the Raikage and Yugito knew to make themselves scarce. Yugito especially had no desire to return to being watched around the clock by four hulking guards. For the sake of her freedom, sticking close to the Raikage was the safest bet.
Once they were back at the main camp, Tsunade got straight to the point. "Even if I'm right and Hanzo's neutrality is a trap set by Orochimaru, the western front is about to get very hot. We need to end things here, and fast."
"Meow?"
Takeshi tilted his head. She wanted him to move out. But to where?
"Haven't Shikuro Aburame and his team left already?"
"They just departed," Tsunade confirmed. "Minato is with them. You should be able to use his Flying Thunder God marker as a coordinate to catch up."
'Minato, huh...' Takeshi considered this, then extended a single paw, palm up.
Tsunade stared at it, confused. It took her a few seconds to understand. Her eyes narrowed. "You're a cat. What in the world do you need money for?"
"Rebuilding the Cat Holy Land costs money," Takeshi stated, his tone completely serious. "I'm very poor right now. Meow."
He had her there. She was the one who'd suggested it, after all.
"Fine, fine!" Tsunade sighed, rubbing her temples. "Whatever 'private funds' I can skim off the Kiri situation, you'll get half. Deal?"
She couldn't believe it. Was it so easy for her to make a little extra to pay off her debts? Now she was getting shaken down by a cat. The sting was real.
"It hurts!" she muttered.
'It's supposed to hurt.' Takeshi thought back. He wanted her to hurt, otherwise, where would he get points?
With her promise secured, he darted from the camp. He didn't use the Flying Thunder God right away, his chakra hadn't fully recovered, and he didn't have a precise lock on Minato's team yet. Jumping blind could drain too much of his reserves, leaving him a mere spectator if a fight broke out.
Partway to the coast, Takeshi downed one of Tsunade's military ration pills and a pouch of special cat food to top off his stamina and chakra. Once he reached the shoreline, he focused, sensing Minato's seal out over the water. He locked onto the moving coordinate...
--**--**
"Hm?" Shikuro's kikaichu buzzed faintly.
As he glanced back, Minato gave a subtle wave. "Don't worry," he said without breaking stride. "It's backup."
A heartbeat later, the black cat materialized in their midst.
"Meow, hello everyone." he greeted them. "So, where are we?"
"Still on the way," Minato replied with a faint smile, pulling slightly ahead of the others. Once they had some distance, he quietly asked Takeshi for an update from the camp.
Shikuro and the others still didn't know about the Raikage or the jinchuriki.
Takeshi filled him in, including the details of his deal with Tsunade. Minato couldn't help but feel pleased. The cat was still scamming people, but at least he was scamming other villages for Konoha's benefit now. That was progress. If they weren't on a mission, he'd offer to treat Takeshi to a meal. Then again, he remembered he already owed the cat two...
'I hope this mission pays well,' Minato thought with a familiar pang of anxiety. A meal was one thing, but he had Kushina to think about, and saving for their future... The pressure was always there.
Takeshi scanned the rest of the assault team. Seven of them. Besides Minato, Shikuro, and Hiashi, the others wore masks, their identities hidden. But as he looked closer, one of them stood out.
'That green bodysuit...' Takeshi noted. 'Even under a jonin vest, there's no hiding that. It has to be Might Duy.'
Takeshi kept the observation to himself. A frontline mission was a good way for Duy to get experience, and with Minato on the team, they could get him back to camp in an instant if he was injured. As long as he didn't go opening the Eighth Gate, he'd probably be fine.
And the other three? One was definitely a Yamanaka, he guessed, but he couldn't place the face. After a moment, he looked away.
"My kikaichu are close," Shikuro said quietly from behind them.
Minato gave a subtle hand signal to acknowledge, then slowed his pace, placing a hand on the black cat to keep him from charging ahead. This wasn't like last time. Rushing a six-man squad was one thing, this was an assault on an enemy base. If they spooked their targets and let the main force escape, the mission was a failure.
"Over a hundred," Hiashi added, his Byakugan active.
A hundred shinobi was a large-scale encampment for Kiri. Not the main base, but close enough to prove it wasn't far. Just as Tsunade had positioned her own camp near its satellite posts, Kiri's main force would be nearby. One signal flare and they'd be surrounded.
After a while longer, a small island came into view.
"I'll go ahead," Shikuro offered, ready to send his insects ahead.
"They'll spot that from a mile away," Takeshi meowed bluntly.
"I've got it." Minato understood immediately. He bit his thumb, flew through a set of hand signs, and summoned a toad. It was no bigger than a common bullfrog, just large enough to carry his Flying Thunder God marker. He quickly drew the seal on its back and sent it swimming toward the island.
Then, seven shinobi and one cat crouched low on the water's surface, each using a transformation jutsu to blend in with the waves and the twilight.
The toad swam swiftly, reaching the island in moments. With a flicker of chakra, Minato teleported Shikuro to its location. As he did, one of the masked shinobi with them sat cross-legged, forming a complex hand seal.
A few moments passed.
"Ready," the shinobi reported.
"Let's move," Minato ordered.
Everyone set off again.
When they reached the shore, Takeshi saw the patrol squad. All of them were dead, their bodies showing the tell-tale signs of poison.
'Shikuro's nano-sized venomous insects,' he thought. 'Nasty business.'
===============
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