Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

……

Meanwhile, in Kumogakure, in the Raikage Building, in the Raikage's office.

Suddenly, an angry roar rang out, and the old desk in the Raikage's office, which had only been replaced three days ago, was smashed to pieces by the Third Raikage's punch.

Soon, Raikage's secretary, Elui, walked in with a scroll. She looked at the pitiful table on the ground, frowned, and said unhappily, "Lord Raikage, please stop venting your anger on the table. Your salary for this month is about to be deducted."

"Stop arguing, Ellie. Go and inform the Jonin in the village to gather their forces immediately. I'm going to Iwagakure to wipe out that despicable shorty, Onoki. I've earnestly begged him so many times to ease the export restrictions on chakra metal to the Land of Lightning, but he's been using the lame excuse of insufficient production to fob me off. It's infuriating!"

The Third Raikage tore a scroll in his hand into pieces and roared angrily.

"Yes, Lord Raikage, but before that, please take a look at this information."

Elui did not choose to defy the Third Raikage, who was now enraged, and complied, then handed the scroll in her hand to the Third Raikage.

Seeing that Ellie did not object, the Third Raikage's anger subsided considerably, and he took the scroll.

He opened it and his anger vanished instantly, replaced by a deep solemnity. He said coldly, "Elui, immediately notify the troops stationed on the border of the Land of Earth to move to the border of the Land of Fire and stand by. Also, have Brubi prepare as well."

Chapter 180: Suppressing All Dangers with Strength, Adding Points to Enhancement

"Lord Raikage, are you planning to declare war on Konoha?"

Elui received the Third Raikage's order and said in surprise.

The plan for Kumogakure to launch a war against Iwagakure has been finalized. Due to the continuous friction and conflicts along the border, the ninjas in the village have a very high level of hatred towards Iwagakure and a strong desire to fight. They are basically ready to launch an attack on Iwagakure at any time.

Therefore, when the Third Raikage asked her to gather the ninja forces to attack Iwagakure, she was not flustered at all. As the Third Raikage's strategist, she had already made thorough preparations.

However, now that the Third Raikage has suddenly turned his guns on Konoha, she's a little overwhelmed.

"That old bastard always does things on a whim. He's trying to kill me with work. I don't want to do this anymore."

The graceful Ellie couldn't help but mutter to herself, rolling her eyes at the Third Raikage with her beautiful eyes, which were slightly dark-circled.

"Well, take a look at this and you'll understand why I made this decision."

Seeing his secretary roll his eyes at him so familiarly, the Third Raikage coughed, handed the scroll to him, and explained.

Elui immediately took the scroll to examine it.

Because the scroll was classified as confidential, she had not been authorized to open it before.

Upon seeing the information about Danzo being killed by a mysterious Kage-level powerhouse, her pretty face quickly turned serious. After a moment's thought, she said slowly, "Lord Raikage, I agree with your decision to launch an attack on Konoha, but there are three things we need to pay attention to."

"What three points? Tell me."

The Third Raikage humbly sought his guidance.

He was self-aware of his own strategy and knew that his temporary change of battle plan would have some negative consequences. That's why he asked Elui to look at the contents of the scroll and give her some ideas to fill in the gaps.

He gleaned only one piece of information from the intelligence report: now was a good opportunity to deal with Konoha.

Furthermore, he keenly sensed unusual signals hidden within, and his intuition told him that if he didn't launch an attack on Konoha now, he might regret it later.

To avoid any regrets, the Third Raikage decisively chose to launch an attack on Konoha.

"First, this matter needs to be carried out in secret. It would be best to send small groups of troops to infiltrate Konoha in batches. If we make too much noise, not only will Konoha have time to prepare a response, but the Iwagakure troops on the border may also take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack on our ninja forces."

Secondly, we need a reason to attack Konoha. The more compelling the reason, the better. Ideally, it should make the people of Konoha feel guilty and cause strong dissatisfaction among our side, thus transferring the hatred of our ninjas to Konoha and motivating them.

Third, we can secretly contact Sunagakure. If we successfully gain their trust, we can join forces with them to launch an attack on Konoha. At that time, Sunagakure will be in the open, while Kumogakure will be in the shadows, allowing for a powerful surprise attack.

After a moment of contemplation, Elui organized her thoughts and then clearly and slowly stated the three points of attention she had raised.

When the Third Raikage heard Elui mention the three points to note, his eyes brightened and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

As expected of my carefully selected and capable secretary, this strategy is truly brilliant.

“Elui, the points you raised are excellent. If we can achieve them all, it will definitely increase our chances of defeating Konoha. However, the first and second points are easy to handle, but the third point is a bit more difficult. We, Kumogakure, have previously attacked Sunagakure and plundered many of their people. We have a deep grudge against Sunagakure, and it will be very difficult to gain their trust.”

After Ellie finished speaking, the Third Raikage scratched his cheek with his finger and sighed.

During a major war, Kumogakure, coveting Sunagakure's Magnet Release, launched a surprise attack on Sunagakure's headquarters during the war between Sunagakure and Konoha, taking away many people. As a result, Kumogakure obtained the bloodline limit of Magnet Release, the best example of which is Troy, the Magnet Release ninja in the village now.

The Cloud Village's unsportsmanlike behavior greatly angered the Sand Village, and the two villages almost broke into a war. In the end, the Sand Village was poor and could not afford to transport supplies over long distances, so the two villages did not actually fight.

However, Sunagakure must remember this blood feud very well.

"Rest assured, Raikage, there are no eternal enemies in this world. Sunagakure is clearly showing signs of defeat in its battle with Konoha. I've heard that due to the White Fang Squad, Sunagakure's supplies at the front lines are extremely tight. If we can't deal with the White Fang Squad as soon as possible, Sunagakure will only face defeat and destruction."

If we proactively approach them now and cooperate with their attack on Konoha, they will definitely be very willing. The Land of Fire is vast and rich in resources, enough to satisfy the appetites of both Kumogakure and Sunagakure, without fear of causing a conflict of interest.

Elui analyzed, revealing a confident smile.

"Then who do you think would be the most suitable person to send to negotiate with the people of Sunagakure?"

The Third Raikage nodded thoughtfully and asked.

This time, Elui was unable to give a quick reply. She frowned slightly as she thought about it and said with some difficulty, "To express our sincerity in cooperating with Kumogakure, the most suitable candidate is naturally your son, Lord Raikage. However, this matter carries certain risks."

“Then let this kid go secretly. If he wants to inherit the name of Ai, he must make a significant contribution to Yunyin.”

Upon hearing this, the Third Raikage did not hesitate to put his son in danger.

Ailu knew the Third Raikage's temperament well; he was a man of his word, and once he made a decision, there was basically no going back. She nodded and said, "I understand. So, who should accompany him?"

"The poison from Sunagakure is very troublesome, so we must bring excellent medical ninjas. Also, the Devil's Desert in the Land of Wind is very dangerous, containing a terrifying magnetic field that can interfere with a ninja's senses. People unfamiliar with the terrain are very likely to get lost. Let Casaran and Tsuchida accompany him."

The Third Raikage thought for a moment and then made a decision.

"Tutai possesses exceptional perception abilities; the eerie magnetic field of the Devil's Desert is no obstacle to him. He is also calm and collected, making him a good candidate. But shouldn't Casalan consider this more carefully?"

Elui said hesitantly.

"What do you mean? Is there something wrong with Casalan?"

The Third Raikage immediately became serious.

Elui's words instantly reminded him of the incident more than half a year ago when Casalan was controlled by a ninja suspected to be from Konoha using mental techniques. Fortunately, Elui had keenly noticed that Casalan's behavior was somewhat strange, and he trusted Elui to attack, which might have led to the leakage of many secrets of Kumogakure.

"No, that's not it. According to the reports from the Dark Division, there's nothing unusual about Casalan. It's just that I always felt that Casalan had become a little different after that incident. As for what was different, I can't quite put my finger on it; it's just a gut feeling."

Ailu said with a wry smile.

"Intuition, hmm~, let's try another one then."

Upon hearing Elui's explanation, the Third Raikage decisively made a new decision.

He is also a person who trusts his intuition very much. Elui is an excellent sensory ninja. Since she felt that something was wrong with Casalan, even if she did not find any concrete evidence, she had to take it seriously.

It seems he needs to provide Casalan with more stringent and secretive protection.

Better safe than sorry. As one of the top medical ninjas in Kumogakure, Casalan was once the main person in charge of developing physical enhancement drugs. If something were to happen to her, it would be a great loss to Kumogakure.

When Elui saw that the Third Raikage had taken her intuitive advice, she smiled and then revealed her preferred candidate.

Soon, the Fourth Raikage, Tsuchikage, and a medical ninja named Kabutowu secretly departed from Kumogakure.

That evening, at Cloud Hidden Hospital, after finishing her day's work, Casalan went off to have late-night snacks and drinks with some friends.

It wasn't until late at night that she returned home, reeking of alcohol. She lay on the bed, closed her eyes to rest, and a trace of sorrow appeared on her fair face.

After the last accident, her life changed drastically. The biggest change was that many of the medical projects she used to handle were taken over by other people, which greatly affected her status in the hospital.

Because of the stain of being controlled and almost "ambushing" Lord Raikage, her once promising path to becoming the hospital director was completely destroyed. She can only stay in the position of Minister of Pharmacy for the rest of her life, and in the future, she may even be taken away by a young and outstanding junior.

She was naturally very resentful about this, and hated the person who controlled her to the core. She also gradually became dissatisfied with the higher-ups in Yunyin who did not trust her.

However, she didn't usually show it because she knew she had definitely leaked some important information. Even if it wasn't intentional, she had to bear the responsibility since she couldn't find the enemy. After all, she was incompetent and was being controlled by others.

So she has been working hard on her training lately, and since many of the projects she was in charge of have been taken over by others, she has more free time.

However, it seems that all her talent is focused on learning medical ninjutsu. She possesses excellent chakra control and can easily master many medical ninjutsu that are very difficult to learn. But she has only average talent in cultivating the Five Elements Release techniques. So far, she has only learned one of the Five Elements Release techniques: Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.

Fire Release is a chakra nature transformation that she is naturally familiar with.

As for physical skills and swordsmanship, Casalan didn't want to become a tough woman, and she certainly didn't want her hands, which she used for surgery, to become inflexible.

Therefore, she abandoned swordsmanship without hesitation, and only practiced leg techniques in physical training.

The Hidden Cloud Village excels in swordsmanship and boxing-type taijutsu, but has very few kicking-type taijutsu. The people of Casalanto had to pull strings to find a taijutsu-type ninja who was skilled in kicking-type taijutsu, but the other party was only at the Chunin level.

Therefore, her strength improved very slowly, and she was still far from becoming a Jonin.

But just as she was about to give up on improving her medical ninjutsu, a voice in her mind asked her if she wanted to become a powerful medical ninja like Tsunade.

Casalan had an unforgettable memory of that voice, because it was the owner of that voice who made her take the blame and lose her hope of becoming the dean, leaving her in such a miserable state.

She was terrified, thinking that the other party would use mental magic to control her and take over her body again.

However, it turned out to be a false alarm. The other party didn't say anything more to her, but just kept tempting her, trying to use her to achieve some unspeakable secret.

As a ninja with affection for Kumogakure, Kasara naturally wouldn't succumb to the other party's temptations and harm the village's interests. After realizing that the other party seemed unable to control her anymore, she planned to seek out the Third Raikage to report the matter, but he told her that doing so would only make her situation more difficult.

After hearing what the other person said, she thought about it carefully and realized that it was indeed very likely to be so. She hesitated and ultimately did not choose to report the matter.

Later, she secretly communicated with this mysterious person many times, but they were only about medical ninjutsu. She did not ask him about any information about the Hidden Cloud Village. However, the person was highly skilled in medical ninjutsu, and she learned a lot of useful things from their exchanges.

Furthermore, the other party taught her a secret technique called Super Strength, which allowed her to use Yang-attribute chakra to amazingly strengthen her limbs and unleash incredible explosive power through excellent chakra manipulation, resulting in a remarkable increase in her strength.

"Gradually, you lost your guard against me and never reported me, allowing me to successfully parasitize your soul."

A moment later, Casalan, who had already fallen asleep, suddenly opened his eyes, revealed a strange smile, and chuckled softly.

Then, she closed her eyes again, carefully recalling the events of the day. She slowly opened her eyes and murmured, "The medicine specifically provided to Burubi was suddenly taken away ahead of schedule, and a large amount of medical supplies were also secretly taken away. Is Kumogakure preparing to launch an attack on Iwagakure? But why is the plan so much ahead of schedule?"

At this moment, Casalan is not the real Casalan, but Casalan who has fallen asleep and is temporarily controlled by Kirito.

Spiritualization Technique: Soul Seed!

This is a derivative secret technique developed by Kirito after the Spirit Transformation Technique: Soul Search. It involves creating a needle-like soul seed by combining one's own soul power, Sage Chakra, sealing techniques, and a fragment of the soul, and then inserting it into the soul of another person to achieve parasitism within that soul.

This soul technique was developed by Kirito by referencing Orochimaru's cursed seal and the Sand Village's sealing technique, "Sand Manipulation," and it belongs to the category of soul-type cursed seals.

However, unlike Orochimaru's cursed seal technique, Kirito's soul cursed seal technique only separates a tiny fragment of the soul, unlike Orochimaru who divides the soul into many parts, each of which has the ability to regenerate him.

Because Kirito only had one soul fragment, his Soul Seal Technique was initially very weak, at most only able to act as a signal receiver, allowing him to communicate with Casalan over long distances by consuming soul power.

But as time went on, the soul seed quietly took root and sprouted in Casalan's soul, absorbing Casalan's soul and growing continuously. After establishing a certain secret connection with her soul, he could occupy her soul and temporarily control Casalan's body after she lost consciousness.

If necessary, he could forcibly possess Casalan's soul, at the cost of making Casalan aware that something was wrong with him.

Finally, because this Soul Seal Technique possesses the ability to manipulate the mind through the sand, it has extremely strong secrecy and can seal memories, so even after Casalan wakes up, she will not be able to know any memories of Kirito using her identity to do or think anything.

Because of this, Casalan always believed that she had never betrayed the interests of Yunyin, and even if she was taken in for investigation, it would be difficult for anyone to discover that she had been controlled.