Kumogakure. Raikage's Office.
Kinkaku recounted the events that had taken place that night.
Before hearing the report, Raikage A had been full of anticipation, thinking this operation could be used to suppress Konohagakure—and capture the spy embedded within Kumogakure, extracting more intelligence from him.
Although peace was currently the mainstream in the shinobi world, that didn't mean every village refrained from underhanded tactics.
However, what Raikage A never expected, not even in his dreams, was— the brothers Kinkaku and Ginkaku had not only failed to capture the spy, but Ginkaku had also been seriously injured. In the end, even the intelligence unfavorable to Kumogakure had fallen into the enemy's hands.
Thinking of this, Raikage A slammed his fist heavily on the desk.
"Forget it." Raikage A let out a long sigh. "After all, the opponent was the First Hokage, renowned as the God of Shinobi."
Faced with such a powerful enemy as the First Hokage—a retreat was, in fact, a wise decision. And the fact that Ginkaku was only seriously injured and didn't perish at the hands of the First Hokage was already incredibly fortunate.
"The First Hokage?" Kinkaku was momentarily stunned.
He quickly realized where the misunderstanding lay. Raikage A thought Ginkaku's injuries had been caused by the First Hokage. But in reality... They hadn't even engaged him. More accurately, they hadn't dared to.
The difference in power between them was far too great. Even with the ninja tools left behind by the Sage of Six Paths, it wasn't enough to compensate. After Kinkaku finished recounting the specific details, Raikage A's expression drastically changed. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Kinkaku.
"You're saying the one who seriously injured Ginkaku... wasn't the First Hokage? Then who was it?"
Raikage A was very familiar with Ginkaku's strength. Even before devouring the Nine-Tails' flesh and gaining tailed beast chakra, he had already reached the level of an Elite Jōnin. A formidable and troublesome opponent.
He had assumed Ginkaku's injuries were the result of a clash with the First Hokage. But unexpectedly, it had been someone else entirely. However, Raikage A soon consoled himself. Konohagakure's forces had always been strong. Many prominent clans from the Warring States Era had joined their ranks—
The Sarutobi Clan.
The Shimura Clan.
The Akimichi Clan.
The Hyuga Clan.
And so on.
Among these clans, it wasn't entirely unbelievable for a few ninja stronger than Ginkaku to appear. But… When Kinkaku revealed the identity of the attacker, Raikage A was stunned on the spot.
"The one who injured Ginkaku... was the grandson of the First Hokage.And he's only seven years old." When Kinkaku said this, his expression was extremely grim. No matter what, Ginkaku was his younger brother— his reputation stretched across the entire Land of Lightning.
Yet this time, he had not only lost to a seven-year-old brat, he had nearly been killed. If this news spread— Ginkaku would likely suffer a long-lasting psychological blow.
"What did you say?" Raikage A looked completely dumbfounded.
A ninja like Ginkaku had nearly died at the hands of the First Hokage's grandson?
And— That grandson was only seven years old? Seven years old? Could that even be possible?
"Didn't Ginkaku use the Nine-Tails' chakra?"
"He did," Kinkaku replied honestly.
He had indeed sensed the Nine-Tails' chakra while pursuing Ginkaku. But even with partial tailed beast transformation, Ginkaku was still no match for Kazekaze. No matter how one looked at it, they should have killed Kazekaze then and there— Not given him the chance to grow stronger.
However, just as Kinkaku had made up his mind to eliminate Kazekaze for the sake of the shinobi world— The First Hokage appeared. After weighing the pros and cons— Kinkaku had no choice but to retreat. Though unwilling, it couldn't be helped. After all— That was Hashirama Senju— The man hailed as the God of Shinobi!
If he had acted at that moment, he and Ginkaku would likely have perished then and there.
"The grandson of the First Hokage..." Raikage A collapsed into his chair, his mind swirling with the words seven years old, grandson, and similar thoughts.
Compared to the failure of the operation, the appearance of Kazekaze dealt a much greater blow. Originally, Raikage A had planned— Once the First Hokage died, he would mobilize over a thousand shinobi and personally lead a charge to attack Konoha.
But now, seeing this… If Kazekaze were allowed to mature— His strength might surpass even Hashirama. And once that happened— All the strategies Raikage A had so carefully laid out could be destroyed in an instant.
However...From what Kinkaku said, Kazekaze seemed to be a border patrol ninja. If they could eliminate him before Konohagakure recalled him— Suddenly, Raikage A shot up from his seat, slamming his palm hard against the desk as a plan formed in his mind.
'Kazekaze must not be allowed to live!'
At the same time— The identity of the spy ninja had already been exposed. Under these circumstances, returning to Kumogakure was no longer an option. Thus, Masakawa decided to take the intelligence scroll back to Konohagakure himself and report the situation to Tobirama.
Konohagakure.Hokage Tower. Hokage's Office.
The spy ninja knelt on one knee, delivering his report to Tobirama. But what interested Tobirama even more than the intelligence scroll— Was the matter concerning Kazekaze.
"What did you say?" Tobirama looked utterly shocked, seriously wondering if he had misheard.
His spy in Kumogakure had been exposed. Kinkaku and Ginkaku had set a trap. And the reason they had been able to escape unscathed— Was entirely thanks to Kazekaze!
He had used the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, Morning Peacock, and Rasengan to defeat Ginkaku! And— He had used the Transformation Jutsu to disguise himself, fooling Kinkaku— Making him believe that Hashirama had personally arrived at the border of the Land of Fire— Forcing Kinkaku to retreat.
The most crucial part was—All of it… had been orchestrated by Kazekaze!Not only did he possess astonishing combat talent, his intellect was equally jaw-dropping.
"Hahahaha." Suddenly, Tobirama burst into laughter.
He dearly wanted to see the expressions on Kinkaku and Ginkaku's faces when they learned the truth. The man who had filled them with fear hadn't been his elder brother Hashirama at all— But Kazekaze's Transformation Jutsu!
However— To disguise himself so flawlessly with Transformation Jutsu— Perhaps only Kazekaze could manage it. Especially the part about mimicking a chakra burst. In Tobirama's mind, he could clearly picture Kinkaku and Ginkaku's stunned expressions.
'That's Kazekaze for you.'
In that situation, Tobirama couldn't think of a second way they could have escaped.
After all, their opponents were Kinkaku and Ginkaku—
Shinobi who had been famous since the Warring States Era—
Opponents Tobirama himself would take seriously.
But...
"This Rasengan you mentioned—what kind of jutsu is it?" Tobirama asked, full of curiosity.
He didn't recall anyone in Konohagakure using a technique matching the spy's description. For a moment, Tobirama was both intrigued— And shocked.
'This brat Kazekaze… could he have invented an extraordinary jutsu?'