I am the new Hokage of Konoha.

Tsuchishiro let out a long sigh of relief.

Finally, Yun Ting patted him on the shoulder and said:

"Keep up the good work, I look forward to seeing your performance."

"As for those more than a thousand people, let's just pretend they never existed."

......

Let's push the timeline back a bit.

Just as Tsuchishiro was leading most of his men back to Kumogakure to surrender to the Kumogakure government, a group of over a thousand Kumogakure ninja broke away from them and fled deeper into the canyon, no longer obeying orders.

These people are all deeply rooted martial arts factions in Kumogakure.

Given the precedent of assassinating their own Second Raikage and Second Hokage in an attempt to break the peace agreement, it is impossible for them to renounce their Cloud Ninja identity and follow Konoha now.

Therefore, upon learning of the Fourth Raikage A's dying decision, after vehemently criticizing him and the surrender faction led by Tsuchishiro, they decided to establish a new Hidden Cloud Village, refusing to submit to Konoha and determined to fight against it to the end.

Of course, they had to escape far away first.

Even setting aside Yun Ting's arrival alone, the three thousand Konoha ninjas he brought were not someone these people could handle.

"Damn Tsuchishiro! I knew he was a coward the moment I heard him first propose peace five years ago! I really don't know how the Raikage could entrust such an important position as Nobuomi to him. And now, look what's happened, this guy has led most of Kumogakure to surrender! What a coward!"

During the journey, Yun Ren couldn't help but curse.

"Hijiri is a coward, and the Fourth Raikage is an even bigger coward! He's capable of wiping out the Cloud Ninja and making them belong to Konoha! I really want to see how he'll explain himself to the previous Raikages and the Cloud Ninja predecessors after he goes to the underworld!"

Even more so, Yunren cursed and swore at Aidao.

For the past five years, their martial arts faction had been severely suppressed by the Raikage's faction, and they had always been very dissatisfied with the Fourth Raikage, A.

Now, with new grudges added to old ones, they are naturally even more resentful.

"And the Box of Elysium! The Fourth Raikage confidently promised that he would obtain immense power. And what happened? So many of our comrades died in vain!"

"The more I think about it, the angrier I get! If I hadn't heard that the Fourth Raikage was dead, I would have gone back right now and killed that piece of trash who had ruined Kumogakure!"

"No matter what, the foundation of Kumogakure over fifty years and its status as one of the Five Great Nations of the Land of Lightning must not be destroyed in our hands! We can consider those guys from Tsuchishiro as traitors; the true line of Kumogakure is right here with us!"

"That's right! Those trash like Tsuchishiro don't deserve to be called Cloud Ninja anymore. We are the true ones!"

"In the coming time, we need to contact the Iwagakure ninja, Kirigakure ninja, Sunagakure ninja, and the samurai of the Land of Iron as soon as possible. As allies, we should ask them to help us retake Kumogakure."

“Right! Since we need to contact various countries, we must first choose a leader. The Fourth Raikage, that traitor to the Cloud Ninja, is dead. I think we should choose the Fifth Raikage from among us.”

"agree!"

"That's absolutely right! Choosing the Fifth Raikage further demonstrates our determination never to submit to Konoha."

"..."

So, in the time that followed, the group of Cloud Ninja hardliners traveled through mountains and valleys while also having the interest to select the Fifth Raikage.

Soon, a veteran elite Jonin named Moro, who was also a staunch leader of the martial arts faction, was chosen.

Just as Moro, whose face was covered in hideous scars, was about to say something, a voice suddenly descended from the sky:

"The Fifth Raikage? It's hard to believe that you bunch of scoundrels still have the interest to discuss this. In that case, I have to interrupt you. After all, the title of 'Fifth Raikage' still has some use to me. I can't let you bask in its glory!"

"who......"

Just as Moro was about to say something in a fit of rage, a familiar red and white robe suddenly appeared in front of them.

Rice Ball Exploration

His heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but look up again.

The next second, when he noticed that unforgettable face coming into view, Moro's eyes were filled with despair.

It wasn't just him.

At that moment, upon seeing the person who had descended from the sky, all the Cloud Ninja martial arts factions present fell into a deathly silence.

The reason was that the person who came was none other than Yun Ting, whom they least wanted to see at that moment.

To be precise, it is Yun Ting's wooden clone.

Upon learning that some people refused to surrender, he created numerous wooden clones to search for these individuals and eliminate any future trouble.

Although the continuous canyons were difficult to find, he quickly located the group thanks to his aerial advantage and powerful perception.

"Now, do you want to commit suicide? I'll give you time," Yun Tingmu's clone said calmly.

"There are no cowards among the Cloud Ninja! Even if we die, we will die on the road to victory. Everyone, for the Hidden Cloud Village, for the Land of Lightning, let us fight to the death!"

Moro, who almost became the Fifth Raikage, resolutely charged out first, heading towards Yun Ting.

Immediately afterwards, the remaining thousand or so Cloud Ninja fighters of Cloud Village roared and followed, and not a single one fled.

That does live up to their consistent principles.

"Since that's the case, then I will grant you death."

Yun Tingmu's clone extended his hand without changing his expression.

Soon, a strong smell of blood filled the nameless valley.

Before long, the intense noise turned into silence.

Only towering, lush trees remain, dotting the landscape.

Meanwhile, inside the Hidden Cloud Village.

After the sadness.

The Raikage's faction, including Tsuchishiro, Killer Bee, and Yugito, are leading the former soldiers and civilians of Kumogakure in a ceremony of submission to the main body of Kumogakure.

From this point on, the Cloud Ninja officially ceased to exist, and its original members pledged allegiance to the Cloud Court.

The five-nation alliance vanished in an instant, becoming a four-nation alliance.

Chapter 241 Haku and Zabuza's Encounter

The Fourth Shinobi World War was scheduled to begin in three days, according to the Five Nations Alliance's plan.

However, Konoha, under the leadership of Yun Ting, did not play by the rules. After catching the Five Nations Alliance off guard, the war officially began on the second day of the three-day deadline.

Move the time forward a bit.

While Yun Ting led his troops in a surprise attack on Kumogakure, Konoha ninjas in other directions were not idle either, taking advantage of the time difference to act quickly.

The country of waves.

Although, like the Land of Water, it is an island nation surrounded by the sea on all sides.

However, compared to the latter, it is much poorer in both area and resources, and being closer to the mainland, it is indeed very dependent on the neighboring Land of Fire.

This was especially evident after the completion of the bridge connecting the Land of Fire and the Land of Waves, named after the bridge-building master Tazuna.

After the destruction of Gato's forces, who had once occupied the area and obstructed the construction of the cross-sea bridge, Konoha became the de facto ruler of the Land of Waves.

As seen on the map, the Land of Waves, which juts outwards, serves as a vital bridgehead for the Land of Fire's long coastline.

During the Third Shinobi World War, the conflict between Konoha and Kirigakure was largely due to the latter's preemptive occupation of the Land of Waves, a crucial forward base for their attack. This provided Konoha with a strong foothold and supplies, forcing them to adopt a passive defense on their own soil, which put them in a very difficult position.

If it weren't for Might Guy's unexpected and astonishing kick that killed four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and crippled three others, and the Kirigakure's bizarre move of stuffing the Six-Tails into Rin Nohara's body, it's hard to say whether Konoha, fighting on multiple fronts, could have held out until the end.

learn from mistakes.

After the war, Konoha, under the leadership of Yunting, undoubtedly placed greater importance on the Land of Waves.

The cross-sea bridge is a product of this situation.

For the Land of Waves, the opening of the bridge has a significant economic impact.

For Konoha, the focus is more on its military and political role.

The ninja clan had considered blocking the construction of the cross-sea bridge.

However, compared to the Land of Fire and the Land of Waves, which are only separated by a short strait, the Land of Water is several times farther away from the Land of Waves, making it difficult to effectively reach them in practice.

Coupled with the turmoil in the Blood Mist Village, they could only watch helplessly as Konoha took over the Land of Waves.

However, today, just like the Cloud Ninja, the Mist Ninja are also reaping the bitter fruits of their past actions.

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!

Having received advance notice of the lockdown order, and with no one else around, a large army of fully armed Konoha ninjas, led by Commander Uchiha Shisui, sped towards the Land of Waves on the cross-sea bridge.

Previously, in order not to provoke the Hidden Mist Village, Konoha did not station troops in the Land of Waves.

Now that both sides have torn off all pretense of civility, it is only natural to seize the initiative.

In this respect, Konoha undoubtedly has the advantage.

"The war has finally begun. True peace in the ninja world can finally be achieved."

At this moment, Zhishui, who was at the forefront and crossing the bridge, looked at the thick fog ahead.

Before long, the fog will clear and the sky will brighten.

But before that, all obstacles must be resolutely and thoroughly removed.

"At this point, they should make their move."

With this in mind, Zhishui sped up once again.

Behind them, the two thousand Konoha ninjas who were acting as the vanguard followed suit without saying a word and accelerated.

......

At the same time.

The Land of Waves, Ana Village.

Thanks to the construction of a cross-sea bridge that is very close by, the once extremely poor fishing village has become exceptionally prosperous due to trade.

Recently, some village administrators have been happily preparing to upgrade their villages to towns.

Kenshiro, whose ostensible identity is a merchant from the Land of Waves but whose true identity is a secret agent of the Mist Ninja, doesn't care about any of this.

Since the bridge was completed, he has been sent to the Land of Waves to monitor its every move in order to prevent Konoha ninja from infiltrating.

As usual, he got up early in the morning and went to his rented room to talk business with a group of businessmen on the surface, while secretly gathering intelligence.