I, who just wanted to be lazy, was forced to become the Hokage.

Chapter 204 Returning to the Front Lines, Undercurrents Raging! (Third Update, Requesting Monthly Tickets)

If we really follow the rules among ninjas, then summoning beasts should be included in the ninjas' own strength category!

Hiruzen Sarutobi originally wanted to refuse Nara Rangsuke's request outright.

But... it is a tailed beast after all.

A tailed beast capable of directly confronting many of the top ninjas in the ninja world!

After a moment of awkward silence.

Hiruzen Sarutobi finally opened the drawer and took out a blank scroll, assigning Nara Langui—no, to the Five-Tailed King Kokuou—a new task.

Nara Rinkei took the mission scroll and led the three team members out of the Hokage's office.

Since it was reasonable to secure a reward for the mission for the Five-Tailed King.

Nara Rinkei had no intention of lingering in the Hokage's office.

At the foot of the Hokage Building.

Nara Rinka watched as the three team members, fully prepared, especially Uchiha Shisui carrying the [Flame Fan], created a [Shadow Creature] and carried the four of them to the outskirts of Konoha.

"Let's go to Kikyo Castle first, and then to Naramori."

Nara Rinka sat at the front of the [Shadow Creature] and communicated with the other three team members from a distance.

"It's time to introduce everyone to our new teammates."

Uchiha Shisui and the others knew that their captain had captured the Five-Tails Jinchuriki from the front lines.

Based on the conversation between the captain and the Third Hokage, the three of them had some guesses about the identity of their "new teammate".

However, this is not a reason for everyone to calmly accept this news!

Uchiha Shisui, Hyuga Rei, and Shizune exchanged glances, but still didn't voice their curiosity, since they would soon be able to see the "real thing."

The shadow creature swiftly flew over the walls of Konoha and landed inside Kikyo Castle.

Nara Rinka took the huge Sealed Scroll from the Shadow Clone and casually slung it over his shoulder, while simultaneously dispelling the effects of the Shadow Clone's abilities.

As fragments of memories flooded back into his mind, Nara Rinka quickly checked them over. Finding no flaws, he then manipulated the [Shadow Creature] and led his three team members to Naramori.

Looking down from the sky at the pure white tailed beast in the lush forest below, Uchiha Shisui, Hyuga Rei, and Shizune were filled with awe.

"What terrifying chakra!"

"It looks like a large white deer..."

"The captain is amazing!"

Nara Rinka was unaware of the three team members' inner thoughts. He manipulated the [Shadow Creature] to lower the altitude, then leaped down from the sky and landed on the Five-Tailed King.

"King Mu, there is a mission, and there is a reward."

Nara Rinka quickly relayed the mission instructions given by Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Let's act together!

Having been sealed within a Jinchuriki for decades, the Five-Tails, Kokuou, gradually gained an understanding of the rules of the ninja world through constant exposure.

However, as a tailed beast, accepting a mission from a ninja village...

This experience was quite new for the Five-Tailed King.

"To embrace the laurel."

The Five-Tailed King shook itself, stood up from the forest clearing, and ran lightly towards the outside of Nara Forest.

"If I complete the mission, will Konoha really reward me?"

"certainly."

Nara Rinka responded, and the shadow creature in the sky flew out of Naramori's range along with the Five-Tailed King Kokuou.

"If anyone dares to refuse, I'll take you to them and demand it!"

The Five-Tailed King Kokuou let out a light laugh and rushed out of Naramor like a gust of wind.

The shadowy creatures in the sky guided the five-tailed beast, Kokuo, and the four of them and the tailed beast headed straight for the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water.

After traveling for half a day.

Nara Rinka and his group successfully reached the border of the Land of Fire and reunited with the Konoha ninja who had evacuated from the Land of Hot Water.

The first appearance of the Five-Tailed King Kokuou unsurprisingly caused a huge uproar.

Fortunately, Nara Rinka's personal prestige was high enough that he successfully appeased the many Konoha ninja present.

"Lan Gui—no, clan chief."

Nara Shikaku strode out from the crowd, looking at Nara Ranka with a complicated expression.

Nara Shikaku would not want to be the "head of the Nara clan" if he could.

Wouldn't it be better to use the time spent dealing with family matters to raise more deer or play more games of chess?

If the clan leader could be replaced, Nara Shikaku would absolutely support it with both hands!

But the problem is.

Now, changing the clan leader only takes away the clan leader's power, but leaves behind the clan leader's responsibilities and obligations...

What kind of operation is this?

So you only bully honest people, huh?

But as he gazed at the large white deer beneath Nara Rinka, Nara Shikaku's bitterness gradually dissipated.

"Ahem, Brother Shikaku."

Nara Rinka looked at the aggrieved party, coughed lightly, and handed over the letter of appointment.

"Tell me about the current situation..."

"My current identity is the supreme commander of the Cloud Hidden Battlefield."

"..."

Nara Shikaku numbly accepted the letter of appointment, and after confirming that it was correct, he handed it back to Nara Rankei.

Fine, I'll just be a tool then!

"The current situation is like this..."

Through Nara Shikaku's narration, the battlefield situation of Konoha against Kumogakure was revealed to Nara Ranke and the others.

Last night, the Third Raikage single-handedly stormed into the Konoha camp and launched an indiscriminate attack on many Konoha ninjas in the camp, and directly severely injured Shimura Danzo, the highest commander of the front line.

Under the cover of night, the Konoha ninja abandoned their camp and fled in all directions.

And then, in this escape... he fled directly back to the Land of Fire.

Nara Ranka stroked his chin. "So that means we no longer have a buffer zone between ourselves and Kumogakure, right?"

The so-called "conflict buffer zone" actually refers to small countries like the Land of Hot Springs.

The five great ninja nations—the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, the Land of Lightning, and the Land of Water—are not directly adjacent to each other; each great nation has smaller neighboring countries.

Even between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire, besides the barrier of the ocean, there are also small island nations such as the Land of Whirlpools and the Land of Waves serving as buffers.

Whenever conflicts or even bloody wars occur between major powers, the smaller countries caught in the middle also suffer severe damage.

Countries like the Land of Waterfall, which possess the power of tailed beasts, are better off.

Small countries like the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Grass, which have no power to protect themselves, are in the most miserable situation.

Even worse, the Land of Rain has now completely become a battleground for the three great nations of Fire, Earth, and Wind.

Before last night's surprise attack, Konoha and Kumogakure each occupied half of the Land of Hot Springs and were fighting each other.

But now, Konoha has already lost the Land of Hot Springs.

"Yes."

Nara Shikaku said with a complicated expression.

"The next war will have to be fought within the territory of our Land of Fire..."

"Based on my personal experience, the location of Konoha's main camp should be strictly guarded, right?"

Nara Rinka asked with some doubt.

"Including when I was on the battlefield in Iwagakure, whenever Iwagakure discovered the location of Konoha's camp, we would immediately change the camp's location information."

"How did the Hidden Cloud Village learn about the location of our camp?"

"I'm not too sure about that either."

Nara Shikaku shook his head.

"Furthermore, the Third Raikage's arrival last night was too abrupt, it felt like he descended suddenly..."

"I suspect that not only did the Hidden Cloud Village obtain information about the location of our camp in advance, but they also used their 'Heavenly Delivery Technique' to send the Third Raikage directly into our camp."

The art of divine intervention.

A unique technique of the Hidden Cloud Village, which teleports the target to a designated location at high speed.

This is different from the space-time jump of the Flying Thunder God Technique.

The Heavenly Delivery Technique is more like a physical-level... ultra-high-speed movement.

"Not only the Land of Hot Water, but also the front-line camps in the Land of Grass and the Land of Rain were attacked by enemy villages, and the attacks occurred almost simultaneously."

Nara Rinka conveyed the information he obtained from Sarutobi Hiruzen to Nara Shikaku.

"Judging from this situation, it does seem very likely that someone has relayed our camp location information to other ninja villages."

Nara Shikaku's brows furrowed tightly.

If it were merely the location of the Land of Hot Water camp that was exposed, it could be attributed to the intelligence gathering capabilities of the spies and ninjas from the Hidden Cloud Village.

However, several of Konoha's camps were attacked almost simultaneously...

Nara Shikaku was almost certain that there was a conspiracy behind this.

However, while this operation was targeted at Konoha, it also involved the five great nations.

In the ninja world, who has the ability and courage to take such an action?

Nara Rinkachi and Nara Shikaku share the same opinion.

At the same time, he had basically identified his target.

"If this incident wasn't a deliberate act of revenge by Onoki, then it could only be Madara Uchiha pulling the strings behind the scenes..."

Nara Rinka narrowed her eyes slightly.

"If it really is Uchiha Madara... to what extent would he go?"

Temporarily setting aside the investigation into the mastermind behind it all, Nara Rinka politely inquired about the previous frontline commander.

"The Third Raikage raided the camp, and Danzo Shimura... how come he's not dead?"

Nara Shikaku was aware of the conflicts between Nara Rinkei, Shimura Danzo, and Root, and was not surprised by their attitude.

However, as a Nara ninja, it is natural for him to stand on the same side as the clan leader.

"Under the attack of the Third Raikage, the right half of Shimura Danzo's body was almost completely destroyed. If he hadn't used the Reverse Summoning Technique to escape in time, he probably wouldn't have survived."

Nara Shikaku explained Shimura Danzo's situation.

"Then, while the Third Raikage was chasing the other ninjas, Danzo Shimura escaped the camp under the desperate escort of the Root ninjas."

"Even so, after this battle, Shimura Danzo basically lost his right hand."

"Judging from his age and condition, I think it's highly likely that Shimura Danzo can no longer be a ninja."

I have a strange feeling that something is not right.

Why is it so late at night?

(End of this chapter)