章 156: Ch.156 Great Battle of the Land of the Moon
Swish swish swish-
Several dark figures flew through the air, landing one by one on a high cliff.
At the edge of the cliff stood a towering figure, gazing into the distance at a town faintly glowing with lights through the wind and snow.
"Raikage-sama!"
The figures landing on the cliff all bowed in unison toward the figure at the edge.
There was no doubt.
The shadows landing on the cliff were none other than Killer Bee, Yugito, and their teams, who had journeyed from the Land of Lightning to the Land of the Moon.
The towering figure at the cliff's edge was, of course, none other than the Fourth Raikage, preparing to lead the mission himself.
Still gazing out at the distant lights, the Fourth Raikage spoke in his deep, booming voice, "Is everyone here?"
Killer Bee stepped forward, "Big brother, Yugito and her squad have arrived, but your personal ANBU squad is still behind us. They'll need another half day to catch up."
Hearing this, the Raikage frowned but said nothing further.
He knew well that even for shinobi, traveling from the Land of Lightning to the Land of the Moon usually took two to three days.
The fact that Killer Bee and his team had made it in just a day was a testament to their elite status.
In contrast, his ANBU squad wasn't quite as fast, needing an extra day and a half to arrive.
Yugito glanced around the cliff, noticing that aside from the Raikage and the famed "AB" duo of Killer Bee and the Raikage, her own four-person squad and a communications unit of four shinobi were present.
This force was formidable enough to launch an ambush on the Kage of another village, so she stepped forward and said, "Raikage-sama, with this lineup, we should be more than enough to complete the mission, right?"
Killer Bee, dropping his usual lighthearted demeanor, added, "Big brother, how about we wait just a bit longer? The ANBU will be here in half a day at most."
The Fourth Raikage shook his head. "We don't have time for that."
Yugito asked, "Has the situation changed?"
"The target's location was confirmed the evening before last. By then, they had already completed their bounty exchange. It's been two days since then, and the target is nearing the border of the Land of the Moon and heading for the Land of Hot Water. If we wait any longer, I fear Hidden Leaf might get ahead of us."
The Raikage expressed his concern.
The Land of the Moon was near the Land of Lightning and fell within the sphere of influence of Hidden Cloud. Meanwhile, the Land of Hot Water bordered the Land of Fire and was within Hidden Leaf's domain.
Hidden Leaf's intelligence capabilities were on par with Hidden Cloud's.
The Raikage feared that the target, whom they had set their sights on, had likely been detected by Hidden Leaf as well and was being tracked. If they didn't resolve the situation within the Land of the Moon, complications would arise once the target crossed into Leaf's territory.
Yugito said, "In that case, what are we waiting for?"
Killer Bee thought for a moment and agreed, "Big brother, let's move!"
The Raikage nodded, signaling to the communications squad to pass on the target's information to Killer Bee and Yugito before declaring, "Our targets are Kakuzu and Hidan from the Akatsuki. Kakuzu is a rogue shinobi from the Hidden Waterfall, and Hidan is a rogue from Hidden Hot Water. Both are of jōnin level."
Yugito laughed lightly. "Just two rogues from minor villages, hardly worth your time, Raikage-sama!"
The Fourth Raikage, who didn't see Kakuzu and Hidan as real threats, said in a low voice, "This mission is a must-win for Hidden Cloud. Move out!"
With that, boom, the Raikage launched himself forward like a cannonball, speeding toward the distant campfire.
Killer Bee, Yugito, and the others exchanged excited glances before following after the Raikage.
This operation was the most elite force Hidden Cloud had sent out since the Third Shinobi World War, with every top-tier fighter mobilized.
Not only was the Raikage himself leading the charge, but both Jinchūriki were also involved.
Though the mission seemed easy with the relatively weak opposition, the excitement among the Cloud shinobi was palpable!
Meanwhile, deep underground, Zetsu emerged and reported to Obito, "Hidden Cloud has made their move!"
"How many did they send?" Obito asked.
Zetsu replied, "Besides the Fourth Raikage and two Jinchūriki, there are six or seven other Hidden Cloud shinobi. Half of them are communications ninjas, and the rest seem to be elite shinobi."
Obito chuckled, "They only brought that many?"
Excluding the communications ninjas, the total number of combatants Hidden Cloud had deployed amounted to only two squads.
That might be sufficient for dealing with Kakuzu and Hidan, but as a Kage, the Raikage should have anticipated unexpected developments.
The fact that he was acting so recklessly only confirmed one thing—that he had absolute confidence in his own strength.
Swish swish-
At that moment, Moryō and Shinnō appeared before Obito.
"The target is on the move. Get ready," Obito commanded.
Shinnō hesitated. "Are we really going to fight the Raikage? That guy's a monster!"
Moryō glanced at Shinnō and sneered, "Are you scared?"
Shinnō didn't hide his concern and nodded slightly. "Zero-Tails isn't fully completed yet, and I'm not confident going up against someone of that caliber."
Obito reassured them, "This is an organized effort by the entire Akatsuki. Don't worry. Your target is the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer Bee. I'll step in if needed."
Moryō's face darkened. "Will those three be involved too?"
Clearly, Moryō was referring to Shinji, Haku, and Karin.
Obito answered, "It's possible, but don't worry. This time, Akatsuki will not fail."
Moryō smirked, "I'm actually curious to see how strong this so-called perfect Jinchūriki really is! Leave the Eight-Tails to me!"
Shinnō added, "I'll keep the Raikage busy for you."
Obito waved them off. "Go get ready."
At a lakeside in the Land of the Moon.
Kakuzu and Hidan sat around a campfire, chatting idly.
Hidan grumbled, "Hey, hey, hey, how much longer are we going to stay in this godforsaken place?"
Kakuzu added more firewood to the flames and replied, "We're the bait. How long we wait depends on when the target takes the bait."
Hidan spat, "What a hassle! Why don't we just go to Hidden Cloud and grab the two Jinchūriki ourselves?"
Kakuzu shot Hidan a glance. "I'm not cleaning up your corpse."
"You!" Hidan snapped, standing up angrily and swinging his bloody scythe. "You lookin' down on me?"
Kakuzu, unfazed, coldly replied, "Underestimating the Raikage is a good way to get yourself killed. Even with your immortality, you're no exception."
Hidan put away his scythe, muttering, "Hey, are you worried about me?"
Kakuzu shook his head. "I just think constantly switching partners is a pain, and you're more durable than the last few."
Whoosh.
Suddenly, a flurry of paper, carried by the wind and snow, flew toward them. The paper gathered in midair, forming the shape of Konan, who spoke, "The target's taken the bait. Get ready."
Hidan grinned, cracking his neck. "Finally! I'm done waiting in this dump!"
Kakuzu looked at Konan and asked, "What's our mission?"
Konan coolly responded, "Your mission is to capture the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, Yugito. Remember, she needs to be captured alive. As for the others, don't worry. Other Akatsuki members will deal with them."
With that, the paper dispersed back into the night sky.
The Raikage's team moved swiftly, adjusting their route several times based on the information they received. Soon, they locked onto the area where Kakuzu and Hidan had last been spotted, heading straight toward the lake's edge.
Swish swish swish.
Under the cover of darkness, the Cloud ninjas moved through the forest like ghosts, their speed incredible.
A communications ninja reported, "Raikage-sama, there's a campfire by the lake ahead. It's likely the target's resting spot."
"Finally, we've found you!"
The Raikage's face twisted with rage as he activated his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, accelerating instantly and charging toward the campfire in the distance.
Boom!
Suddenly, a massive, dark purple tentacle shot out of the shadows, striking the Raikage and slamming him into the ground with immense force.
"Raikage-sama!"
The Cloud shinobi cried out in shock.
But before they could react, the Raikage had already leapt back to his feet, ripping the massive tentacle in half with his raw strength, tearing it into pieces.
The Cloud ninjas watched in awe as the Raikage, his body cloaked in lightning, stood unharmed.
The Raikage turned his gaze toward the direction from which the tentacle had come and roared, "Show yourself!"
"Are you the Raikage?"
A mocking voice echoed from the forest, and two figures casually stepped out of the shadows.
The Cloud shinobi, following the sound, saw that the two figures wore the signature Akatsuki cloaks. However, these two were clearly not their targets, Kakuzu and Hidan.
"This is bad. It's a trap!" whispered Cee, his face grim.
It was supposed to be Cloud hunting Akatsuki, but now it seemed like they had been lured into an ambush. This only meant one thing—the appearance of Kakuzu and Hidan in the Land of the Moon had been a deliberate trap set by Akatsuki to draw Cloud out.
The Cloud shinobi weren't fools. They all realized the situation, their expressions becoming increasingly serious.
Only Killer Bee and Yugito, the two Jinchūriki, still burned with fighting spirit!
At that moment, the Raikage also recognized the two figures in the forest. His eyes blazed with fury as he snarled, "You bastard! How dare you show your face in front of me!"
It was obvious now—the two Akatsuki members emerging from the forest were Moryō and Shinnō.
During the recent Sasuke defection incident, it was Moryō who had massacred a large number of Cloud shinobi, humiliating the Raikage at the Five Kage Summit. Now, seeing Moryō in front of him, the Raikage's rage exploded!
Swish.
In an instant, the Raikage, cloaked in lightning, shot toward Moryō like a bolt of electricity.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Before Moryō could react, the Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode smashed into him, sending him flying and crashing through seven or eight trees before coming to a stop, leaving a trail of destruction in the forest.
Shinnō, standing beside Moryō, was left speechless. "What the...?"
"Got one down!"
"As expected of Raikage-sama!"
"Ha! Now Akatsuki knows not to mess with Hidden Cloud!"
The Cloud shinobi cheered, confident that no one, not even another Kage, could survive a direct hit from the Raikage's signature attack. To them, it was clear that Moryō was as good as dead.
But their cheers were cut short when they heard Moryō's laughter from the distance. "Hahaha, is this all the so-called Raikage can do?"
Everyone turned to see Moryō, standing on a broken tree, completely unharmed, laughing maniacally.
The Raikage, enraged, instantly flashed forward again, charging toward Moryō.
Moryō smirked wickedly and turned to retreat into the depths of the forest.
Worried for the Raikage's safety, Killer Bee used the Body Flicker Technique to follow.
Shinnō, seeing this, quickly gave chase as well.
In the blink of an eye, the four of them had separated from the main group, plunging deeper into the forest.
Yugito then commanded, "Communications squad, send word for ANBU backup immediately! The rest of you, follow me!"
"Yes!" the communications team responded in unison.
Meanwhile, Cee, Karui, and Samui, the elite members of Yugito's squad, readied themselves and followed her in pursuit of the Raikage.
Swish swish.
Suddenly, two more Akatsuki members, cloaked in their signature black robes with red clouds, descended from the sky, blocking Yugito and her team's path.
Yugito quickly sized them up and realized that these two were none other than their original targets, Kakuzu and Hidan.
Kakuzu and Hidan, in turn, appraised the Cloud ninjas.
Hidan, gripping his bloodied scythe, scoffed, "Hey, is this the two-tails Jinchūriki?"
Kakuzu nodded, though he seemed disappointed. "Yeah, but too bad we need her alive. No bounty this time."
"Since you've come here to die, I, Yugito, will grant your wish!" Yugito declared confidently, waving her team back. "Communications squad, fall back. Leave these two to us!"
Meanwhile, back on the moon.
Shinji stared at the headless corpse before him, momentarily stunned. But then he quickly squatted down, prying the white Byakugan eyes from the Ōtsutsuki elder's head and storing them in a portable nutrient jar.
Neji, standing beside him, started to say, "Leader, I—"
"Save it! We need to run now!" Shinji cut him off, not even glancing at the Giant Tenseigan behind them as he sprinted toward the temple's exit.
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