Naruto: Drop System

Zzzt, zzzt…

"Lord Raikage, this is bad news!"

While the reanimated Third Raikage, Kakuzu, and Hidan were rampaging through the battlefield, slaughtering Kumogakure shinobi, the word quickly reached the logistics unit at the rear—soon passing on to the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee.

"What? My old man is back?"

"Ya fool, ya fool—this is serious! Pops had such power that even going all out with Gyūki could only fight him to a draw! The strongest shield that no Tailed Beast Bomb could break—oh yeah!"

The Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee reacted differently—one looking stunned, the other breaking into rap-style antics. Yet both were equally shocked. Nobody understood the Third Raikage's might better than these brothers.

As a member of the militaristic Kumo, the Fourth Raikage had been groomed as the next Raikage from a young age, forging an ironclad body through lightning infusion training. He had once tried learning the "Hell Stab" from the Third, only to discover he lacked the aptitude. Still, he had witnessed his father's Lightning Release Chakra Mode and Hell Stab countless times—powers he himself had never matched. That "ultimate spear" and "ultimate shield" were invincible.

"Bee, you're with me. Mabui, handle things here!"

Without hesitation, the Fourth Raikage rose, speaking to a dusky-skinned but beautiful Mabui wearing a black mini-suit—unlike the fair-skinned Samui. He left her in charge of the logistics. Then, taking Killer Bee, he dashed out of the tent in a flash of lightning toward the battlefield. If it weren't nearby, the Fourth Raikage might even have used Mabui's Heavenly Transfer Technique to arrive instantly—since every second of delay risked more casualties. None but himself and Killer Bee could face the Third Raikage. Even together, their chances were dicey.

Fury smoldering, the Fourth Raikage cursed under his breath:

"Damn Konoha! Damn Tobirama! Damn Orochimaru and Hundred Faces!"

His triple curse betrayed how incensed and rattled he was.

...

Meanwhile, other battlefronts suffered similar disruption: White Zetsu clones throwing formations into chaos, while reanimated elite warriors attacked from behind.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

Amid the pouring rain, watery bullets poured like a barrage onto the fleeing Kirigakure forces.

"Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique!"

Suddenly, a corrosive mist combined with melting rain, dispersing in a haze of high-temperature vapor to neutralize the water bullets.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

Before the acid could fall, another voice rang out—identical to the first. Enough water lay in the rainy air to form a colossal water dragon. It roared at the figure who had fired the water bullets. Under a god's-eye perspective, two silhouettes faced each other—a man and a woman:

One, a corpse riddled with cracks and hollow eyes: the reanimated Second Mizukage, Hōzuki Gengetsu.

The other: a curvaceous, cloak-wearing woman to protect from the rain: Mei Terumī, the Fifth Mizukage.

Unlike the perhaps overconfident A–B Combo—who either underestimated the danger or believed firmly in their own might—Kirigakure, after the "Bloody Mist" era, was painfully aware of its weak state. Suffering from a scarcity of bloodline clans, its overall power now ranked last among the Five Great Villages, even below Sunagakure. Mei Terumī didn't dare remain at the rear. She personally led her forces into the Land of Rain. With her present, casualties would be minimized.

Her leadership ensured the Mist forces never lost total control. Though White Zetsu clones caused some initial confusion, the reanimated Second Mizukage, Hōzuki Mangetsu, and other once-powerful Mist shinobi were promptly held at bay by Mei, Ao, and Chōjūrō. The rest of Kirigakure's forces methodically withdrew from the battlefield, retreating from the Land of Rain to camp—ready to root out disguised White Zetsu, then mount a second attack.

Fwoosh—

At Mei's command, the Mist ninja withdrew quickly, unlike Kumo's chaotic flight.

"Ao, Chōjūrō—pull out!"

Continuing her battle with the Second Mizukage—only holding him to a draw because Hundred Faces' Edo Tensei user intentionally held back—Mei sensed her subordinates had successfully retreated. Thus she had no desire to keep fighting. She shouted to Ao and Chōjūrō in the distance, then formed quick hand seals. Her cheeks puffed slightly as she spat out acidic mist charged with high temperatures.

Combining Lava Release and Boil Release, Mei evaporated even more of the rainfall, generating a larger but equally scorching vapor cloud. Shhh— The reanimated Second Mizukage vanished in that haze. In a flash, it expanded to Ao and Chōjūrō's location. As soon as the fog dissipated, Mei and her two guards had vanished. The Second Mizukage and Hōzuki Mangetsu made no attempt to pursue. Hundred Faces' mission was merely to stall the Five Great Villages with reanimated elites, not annihilate them right away. The real plan was giving the Akatsuki half a month to finish sealing Tailed Beasts.

Thus, the Five Great Villages, blindsided by White Zetsu infiltration and the Edo Tensei strike force, found themselves in disarray. Once they figured out the solutions, a real confrontation would begin.

"Ao, can you see through them?"

Shortly after returning to the camp, Mei maintained her composure, asking Ao—who used a transplanted Byakugan.

"No luck. Those white creatures aren't special clones but essentially identical 'people.' Their disguise jutsu is advanced beyond reason, identical outwardly, and their chakra is identical. No sensory ability can distinguish them unless they're intimately familiar with the original."

Mei nodded grimly. Then she turned to Chōjūrō:

"Chōjūrō, I need you to head to Konoha's camp for assistance. Ask them to send a Yamanaka clan member to support us."

"Yes, Lady Mizukage."

With a polite bow, Chōjūrō was about to leave.

"Wait…"

Mei halted him, furrowing her brows in thought, then speaking quietly:

"While you're there, discreetly let Konoha's top brass know that Kirigakure is willing to ally with them. We'll help them destroy the Rinnegan after wiping out the Akatsuki, and we're prepared to sign a post-war alliance treaty."

"…Yes, Lady Mizukage."

Though startled, Chōjūrō answered respectfully, flickering away. Mei and Ao continued back to camp, her face grim. Even though her subordinates' losses weren't huge, her mind felt heavy. She sensed that the legendary Rinnegan likely hid a vast secret—one beyond the reach of any mere Kage.

Tailed Beasts and Jinchūriki were formidable, yes, but outside the Fourth Mizukage and Fifth Kazekage, no Five Kage was a Jinchūriki. None had ever become the Five Great Villages' strongest fighter either. Tailed Beasts could be subdued or defeated by skilled shinobi—like the Fourth Mizukage's perfect mastery, or the Third Raikage's stalemate with the Eight-Tails. If not for the fact that Rōshi and Han were allies, Ōnoki could have slain them with ease. Unless multiple Tailed Beasts joined forces, they posed little threat to a Kage. Hashirama Senju had treated the Tailed Beasts as simple gifts to distribute.

Hence, Mei's sudden proposal to align with Konoha. She realized that with Yagyu's power at his youthful age, he might soon surpass them all, basically becoming a new "God of Shinobi." In fact, he might already be strong enough to handle multiple Tailed Beasts combined. After all, the deeper secrets of Wood Release were recorded by the First Five Kage, requiring every future Kage and top official to learn them.

From those records, Mei understood that besides broad coverage, Wood Release could absorb and seal chakra—key to subduing Tailed Beasts. Against an ever-growing, chakra-devouring Wood Release, Tailed Beasts' disadvantages were clear.

So if the Akatsuki indeed secured nine Tailed Beasts and combined them into a single container, Yagyu might still defeat them. So why did they keep sealing beasts instead of banding with the Edo Tensei's second generation Mizukage and allies to crush the Five Nations right now? Were they after some deeper power hidden within the Rinnegan and that container?

The more Mei speculated, the more likely she found it. It was just a woman's intuition—but it felt spot on. If Yagyu had known her thoughts, he might have applauded such an eerie female sixth sense. Meanwhile, Mei inadvertently made another wise choice.

...

Boom, boom…

Like Kumo and Kiri, Iwa, Suna, and Konoha forces similarly faced infiltration by disguised White Zetsu and assaults by reanimated elite ninja. Iwagakure swiftly retreated under Ōnoki's leadership, just as Kirigakure had done with Mei; he, too, had gone to the front lines, personally fighting the revived magic-ninja "Magiri" and "Kakari," killing them in one blow with Dust Release. Their immortality let them reform, but at that brief pause, Iwa's sealing squads sealed them away. If not for the White Zetsu impostors' chaos, Iwa wouldn't have withdrawn.

"Kurotsuchi, go to Konoha's camp. Ask them to send a Yamanaka over to help us."

While retreating, Ōnoki gave the same command Mei had. Kurotsuchi, eyeing the widely spaced Iwa-nin around them—on guard against infiltration—nodded meekly.

Meanwhile, Sunagakure withdrew in tatters like Kumo, suffering serious casualties. Their village had once been formidable enough to break treaties and challenge Konoha, boasting legends like the Third and Fourth Kazekage, Pakura, Sasori, and Lady Chiyo. All these figures had been reanimated, and with a single blow from the controlling Wood Clones—save for Gaara's siblings—Suna-nin were butchered like lambs. That was Yagyu's plan: while Gaara desired to contain him, Yagyu wished to reduce Sunagakure to a shell of itself, paving the way for his reign as the Sixth Hokage, with a village stronger than the other four combined. If Suna was so weakened that it feared for survival, they would offer Temari in marriage. Then Yagyu's bond with her would be official, and no diplomatic uproar would arise.

Konoha, too, sustained losses. Closer inspection revealed, however, that only a small fraction were killed by White Zetsu ambushes; most were left over survivors of the Sarutobi, Shimura, Mitokado, and Utatane clans—killed by the Edo Tensei elites. Though Sasuke and Hikari had spared them, Yagyu had no intention of leaving any loose ends. He disliked hidden threats.