"Deprive us of the ownership of the Tailed Beast? Why?!"
The few members of Taki Shinobi heard Uzumaki Raiden's words, and their anger had completely overcome their fear of him. They stood up from their seats, with the middle-aged ninja at the head glaring at Raiden, looking as if he was ready to risk everything.
"The incident where the Tailed Beast attacked Konoha had nothing to do with us, Taki Shinobi!"
"Why should we bear the consequences of Konoha's disaster?"
"And the Tailed Beasts were distributed to each village by Konoha's First Hokage, Senju Hashirama-sama, to maintain peace in the ninja world."
"Fourth Hokage, if you seize the Tailed Beast that rightfully belongs to us, aren't you afraid of causing unrest in the ninja world and triggering a war?"
"The imbalance in power among the villages—do you not understand what kind of consequences that would bring?!"
The middle-aged ninja of Taki Shinobi knew that relying on his own village's strength alone was not enough to attract Konoha's attention. So, as he spoke, he also tried to pressure the other villages present into siding with him.
Onoki of the Hidden Stone and Raikage Ai of the Hidden Cloud had not expected their own villages to be pulled into this matter so suddenly. Though initially speechless, they both turned their eyes toward Uzumaki Raiden. While Taki Shinobi's actions annoyed them, his words aligned with their villages' interests, so they chose to remain silent.
"Are you threatening me?"
"Don't misunderstand—Taki Shinobi only speaks for itself!"
"As for seizing a Tailed Beast? Triggering a war?"
"Who would dare to challenge Konoha?!"
Uzumaki Raiden, who had his hands folded across his chest, slowly lowered them. As his voice fell, a terrifying chakra erupted from his body, shaking the walls of the meeting room. The sheer force caused cracks to spread across the structure, making it seem as though the building might collapse at any moment.
Suddenly, the meeting room turned into a dangerous place.
Taki Shinobi's ninjas bore the brunt of Raiden's overwhelming chakra pressure, staggering back before collapsing onto the floor. Behind him, Nara Shikaku hadn't expected Raiden to be so aggressive. He was momentarily stunned before turning to look at Minato, a flicker of unease in his eyes.
Raiden's words had placed Konoha directly against the entire ninja world. Such arrogance would inevitably provoke the other villages, making it easy for them to unite against Konoha.
If that happened, it was uncertain whether Konoha could withstand the attack, let alone avoid war.
However, when Shikaku looked at Minato, he was surprised to see the Hokage's calm expression. Minato still had a faint smile on his face, as if none of this was of any concern to him.
"What an overwhelming presence! Just from releasing his chakra, he exerts such terrifying power!"
"So this is the true strength of the Fourth Hokage!"
Even Kurotsuchi, who wasn't directly subjected to Raiden's chakra pressure, could feel the sheer weight of his power. She raised her head, glancing at the cracked ceiling and then at her grandfather, Onoki.
"A dangerous Fourth Hokage!"
"Whoever angers him will die!"
"Run, or die! Yeah!"
Killer Bee suddenly struck an awkward pose, rapping clumsily to express his feelings. Behind his sunglasses, his sharp eyes were locked onto Uzumaki Raiden, ready to act at any moment.
"Fourth Hokage, you're too arrogant!"
Raikage Ai had never been known for his patience. Furious, he slammed his fist down on the conference table, instantly splitting the wooden surface in half. As he did so, both Killer Bee and the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki instinctively moved in front of him.
Samui, too, quickly took position behind the Raikage, while the Cloud Shinobi delegation immediately formed a battle-ready stance.
At the same time, the Iwagakure representatives reacted quickly. The moment the Raikage became enraged, Onoki was flanked by Kitsuchi and Akatsuchi.
The Taki Shinobi had already been terrified by Raiden's presence, but seeing Raikage flip the table, they quickly scrambled behind him, seeking shelter near Samui.
Both Raikage and Tsuchikage had been swiftly protected by their respective guards. Meanwhile, on Konoha's side, Minato and Nara Shikaku casually took a step back, making no effort to protect themselves.
As for guarding Uzumaki Raiden? What a joke. Did he even need protection?
"Raikage, what is the meaning of this?"
Uzumaki Raiden said in a deep voice as he stood from his seat, looking at Raikage Ai with an icy glare.
"Konoha keeping the Tailed Beasts? That depends on whether your village is strong enough to take them!"
Raikage Ai's eyes burned with fighting spirit as a layer of light blue Lightning Release armor surged around him. His golden hair stood on end from the surge of electricity. He had come to Konoha looking for a fight, and now that Raiden had given him an excuse, he wasn't about to waste it.
Otherwise, why else would Raikage bring Killer Bee and the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki with him? His intent had been clear from the start.
As Raikage Ai spoke, Killer Bee moved swiftly, reaching for the long sword on his back. But just as his hand touched the hilt, his vision went dark as a foot made contact with his face.
"Boom!" In an instant, Killer Bee was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing through the wall and disappearing. Moments later, a loud boom echoed from the Hokage Building's courtyard.
"Bee!" Raikage Ai frowned and turned his attention to Uzumaki Raiden, who had suddenly appeared in Killer Bee's previous position.
"He got there in an instant?! How is this guy so fast?!"
The Two-Tails' Jinchuriki looked at the figure that had just appeared beside them, their chakra flaring. The energy took the shape of glowing cat claws as they leaped at Uzumaki Raiden without hesitation.
At the same moment, Onoki vanished, using the Body Flicker Technique to appear behind Raiden, swinging a punch at his back.
Raikage Ai moved in sync, aiming a punch directly at Raiden's face. The three of them had formed a perfect pincer attack, leaving no room for escape.
"Raiden-sama!" Obito shouted in alarm upon seeing Raiden besieged. He was about to intervene when Namikaze Minato grabbed his arm, stopping him.
Facing the combined assault, Raiden remained calm. His right hand shot out and caught Raikage Ai's wrist mid-strike.
"Nani?!" Raikage murmured in shock, only to feel an overwhelming force gripping his wrist.
Without hesitation, Raiden swung Raikage Ai like a weapon, hurling him toward the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki. At the same time, he lightly tapped the ground, leaped into the air, and delivered a precise kick to Onoki's wrist. Then, with an uncanny twist in midair, he landed a powerful side-kick directly to Onoki's face.
In the blink of an eye, three figures were sent flying through the walls, leaving gaping holes in the meeting room.
At that moment, the structure could no longer hold. The Hokage Building, overwhelmed by the damage, collapsed.
"Boom!!!"
However, all the ninjas present had managed to escape to the open courtyard before the building gave way.
The sudden destruction immediately put the guards on high alert. Konoha's Anbu and security forces swiftly surrounded the foreign ninjas—those from Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Taki Shinobi.
"You fool, you hit me too cruel!"
Killer Bee crawled out of a crater, shaking his head as he clumsily rapped.
Meanwhile, Raikage Ai and the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki emerged from another impact site. Despite the damage to their surroundings, they were unharmed.
Not long after the Cloud Shinobi and the others climbed out, Onoki slowly crawled out of another large crater, with pieces of rock debris falling onto his face.
"Raikage's Lightning Armor defense is impressive, and the two Jinchuriki are also protected by their Tailed Beast chakra."
"It makes sense that an attack at this level wouldn't harm them."
"But Onoki—now that's a surprise!"
"The old man with a bad back actually managed to stay standing after taking my kick head-on."
"The hardness of his skull really does suit someone who can withstand meteorites."
Uzumaki Raiden stood in the open space, observing the Cloud and Stone Shinobi as they surrounded him once again. He noticed that Konoha's ninjas had begun gathering near the Hokage Building, and to prevent the battle from affecting them, he gave his orders:
"Minato, I've already discussed this with the other emissaries. No one is allowed to interfere."
Raiden spoke with a smile, then drew Sakegari no Tachi from his waist and tossed it to Minato. This battle was simply to demonstrate his strength to the Cloud and Stone Shinobi—just enough to intimidate them. There was no need to go overboard.
The Konoha ninjas who arrived for support were stopped by the Anbu stationed around the Hokage Building. They could only watch the battle unfolding in the open space through the guardrails.
"Hey, hey, what's going on all of a sudden? Why is there such a big crowd?"
Among the ninjas stuck outside the perimeter, a blond-haired boy stood on his toes, looking toward the battlefield with a puzzled expression. Naruto Uzumaki had just returned from a mission outside the village and was heading to report it when he found the Hokage Building packed with people, preventing him from entering.
"I heard the Fourth Hokage got into a fight with the envoys from other villages. The whole area is on lockdown now."
Just as Naruto was about to investigate further, Nara Shikamaru squeezed his way through the crowd, patted Naruto's shoulder, and explained the situation.
"Huh? Uncle? Got into a fight with the envoys from another village?!"
"What the heck?"
"But it sounds interesting! Let's push through and check it out."
Naruto scratched his head, still confused about what was happening, but the idea of watching a big fight was enough to get him excited. Without hesitation, he rushed toward the crowd. Seeing his enthusiasm, Shikamaru sighed helplessly and followed suit.
The news of the Fourth Hokage clashing with the foreign envoys spread rapidly. Nearby ninjas caught wind of it and rushed toward the Hokage Building, soon surrounding it completely.
Seeing the gathering "audience" growing denser by the second, Minato knew that the situation was escalating. If Konoha did not handle this properly, the prestige it had built in the ninja world over the years could suffer a serious blow.
In the open space in front of the Hokage Building.
The Cloud and Stone Shinobi paid no attention to the growing crowd outside. At that moment, all their focus was on the red-haired youth standing in the center of the battlefield.
The Taki Shinobi, having no intention of participating in the fight, had distanced themselves from the battle the moment they escaped the collapsed Hokage Building. Instead, they silently stood beside Minato, signaling neutrality.
Now, the only ones still confronting Uzumaki Raiden were the Cloud and Stone Shinobi.
"Raikage, didn't you want to see whether Konoha has the strength to back its claims?"
"Go ahead—I'll give you the chance."
"Tsuchikage, don't hold back either. I already know why you're here, so let's not waste time."
Raiden cracked his neck and smirked. The previous skirmish hadn't even counted as a warm-up.
"Bee, let's go together!"
Raikage Ai wasted no time. From Raiden's earlier counterattack, he had already caught a glimpse of the man's strength. Against an opponent like this, it would be foolish to fight alone. In the ninja world, there was no such thing as a one-on-one fight when victory was on the line.
"Yes, sir!"
Killer Bee responded swiftly. With a quick step, he maneuvered behind Raiden, raising his right arm.
"Go!" Raikage Ai gave the command, and his figure vanished in a blur, the sheer speed of his movement creating loud sonic booms in the air.
Killer Bee was just as fast. At that moment, he was cloaked in a layer of dark red chakra, radiating a powerful aura.
Both raised their right arms high, appearing beside Raiden in an instant.
"Double Lariat—Bull Thunder Plow Hot Knife!"
Killer Bee and Raikage Ai shouted in unison as they unleashed their powerful combination attack.
"After all these years, you're still using the same old tricks."
"How boring."
Raiden lowered his brows slightly, turned around, and casually extended his hands—one to his left and one to his right—grabbing their wrists mid-strike. In that moment, their high-speed, high-powered assault came to an abrupt halt.
"Old-fashioned? Not necessarily!"
Although their technique had been blocked, Raikage Ai grinned confidently.
At that moment, Raiden instinctively glanced upward.
Above him, two powerful chakra signatures surged as the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki, cloaked in blue flames, dove toward him from above.
From the very beginning, the Cloud Shinobi's attack had never been just two-on-one—it was four-on-one!
Simultaneously, behind Raiden, Samui quickly retrieved a scroll from her chest. With a puff of white smoke, a silver, fan-shaped longsword, a fiery red gourd, and a massive red-and-white feather fan appeared on the battlefield.
(End of the chapter.)