Naruto: Pay-to-Win Ninja System

Since it only involved two major Hidden Villages and the conflict lasted merely one night, the great war between Konoha and Iwagakure did not escalate into what would be considered The Fourth Great Ninja War.

How both sides, and indeed the entire Ninja World, would ultimately classify this battle remained uncertain; time would tell.

Right now, though, both sides were locked in a furious shouting match over who held the moral high ground.

Iwagakure, in the name of the Land of Earth, heavily condemned Konoha for its unprovoked attack and demanded compensation!

In response, Konoha boldly turned the tables, accusing Iwagakure of provoking first and even breaking the agreement by deploying a Tailed Beast prematurely.

Hearing this, Onoki and other high-ranking officials from Iwagakure became furious, their anger barely contained. They raged that Konoha had the audacity to play the victim—accusing others while committing crimes themselves!

Over the issue of who struck first, the two villages argued bitterly, each side unwilling to back down.

Unfortunately, in the end, Iwagakure still had to concede defeat.

What could they do?

Their son, granddaughter, and apprentice were all in Konoha's hands. If anything happened to them, the future of Iwagakure would become even darker.

However, when Iwagakure learned of Konoha's ludicrously inflated ransom demands, Onoki nearly fumed himself into another coma.

After all, from Iwagakure's perspective, Konoha had practically stripped their coffers bare and now dared to ask for even more—it was nothing short of outrageous!

But no matter how angry they were, Iwagakure was powerless to fight back.

Unless they wanted to abandon their own village altogether or disregard the lives of Kitsuchi and the others, they had no choice but to swallow their pride, grit their teeth, and start gathering the money to buy back their people...

In short, this spectacle provided endless entertainment for the smaller nations and the other three great countries, who eagerly awaited the day when Konoha and Iwagakure clashed again!

After all, the fiercer the battle, the more their strength would be weakened, allowing other nations and Hidden Villages to stand by and reap the rewards without lifting a finger.

Meanwhile, as Konoha and Iwagakure continued their bitter quarrel, one week after the end of the war.

Shimoku once again left the village.

This time, however, he wasn't going alone.

He carried official documents issued by Homura Hidden Village, formally requesting a visit and exchange with Kumogakure of the Land of Lightning—and his request was accepted.

Thus, this time, Shimoku led an entire diplomatic delegation—twenty strong—on the journey toward Kumogakure.

Of course, Shimoku had clear intentions for this trip.

Firstly, he wished to strengthen ties with Kumogakure, expand Homura Hidden Village's political influence, and learn about Kumogakure's style of "Taijutsu" as well.

Secondly, he also planned to tour Kumogakure's public cemetery and casually leave behind a couple of Flying Thunder God Marks along the way. This would allow him easier access later when he paid a visit to the graves of Kinkaku and Ginkaku.

As for why Shimoku chose not to sneak in alone—and instead go officially—it was because he wanted to avoid unnecessary attention while leaving his marks undetected.

He chose to make a dramatic entrance—under the guise of a formal diplomatic visit to Kumo.

It was all to securely secure the remains of Kinkaku and Ginkaku.

After all, Shimoku had never been to Kumo before or left any Flying Thunder God Marks there.

In addition, Kumo was safeguarded by a major barrier.

If he tried sneaking in alone, there was a high chance he'd be caught on the spot.

With Fourth Raikage A's incredible speed, he probably wouldn't even get close to locating Kinkaku and Ginkaku's graves—let alone start digging.

A would arrive in an instant.

So entering through official channels, leaving behind marks, and slipping back unnoticed next time sounded like a smarter plan.

In the Ninja World, each of the Five Great Hidden Villages had its own flavor, shaped by its culture and traditions.

Kumo, located atop high mountains beneath the clouds, enjoyed natural advantages in cultivating Lightning Release techniques; hence most of its elite shinobi specialized in that nature transformation.

The village's geographical location also meant its residents were frequently struck by lightning. To adapt to this environment, the Second Raikage invented the art of Taijutsu. From then on, Kumo became famous across the Ninja World for combining Lightning Release with powerful physical combat skills.

Moreover, the intense sunlight at such altitudes caused most male ninja from the village to develop dark skin tones and athletic builds. In contrast, the kunoichi, who paid more attention to self-care, often maintained tall, attractive figures.

Thus, Kumo evolved into a hidden village that highly valued combat prowess.

Here, intelligence and strategy certainly mattered, but personal strength remained paramount!

Whoever possessed superior strength commanded greater authority.

Each Raikage throughout history was a total legend that represented the entire village.

From the end of the Third Shinobi World War until now,

Fourth Raikage A had ruled Kumo for nearly a decade.

What achievements the previous three Raikage accomplished could wait for another time.

As Kumo's highest leader, however, the Fourth Raikage was undeniably successful.

He exuded extraordinary personal charisma.

His own abilities ranked among the strongest.

The two adult jinchuriki swore full loyalty to him.

Village ninja held extreme devotion toward their homeland.

He cultivated numerous talented subordinates.

Not a single notorious rogue ninja emerged during his rule.

Nor did any scandals involving bloodline clans suppression occur.

It can be said that under the rule of Fourth Raikage A, Kumo truly embodied the model standards among the Five Great Hidden Villages.

In fact, he was the only one who could shut down Naruto's legendary mouth!

In short, Fourth Raikage A demonstrated through action: A fake democracy doesn't stand a chance against smart, strong leadership.

Compared to places like Konoha…

their so-called democracies were turning into corrupt, dirty messes—complete garbage.

...

At this moment, inside the office located within the towering Raikage Tower of Kumo,

Raikage A and others were deep in conversation.

"When will those Uchiha representatives arrive?"

"They've already traveled two days. They should reach here tomorrow morning."

To Raikage A's right stood Mabui,

her gray hair neatly tied, wearing an elegant office suit, held the documents and replied with crisp precision.

"I heard remaining Uchiha clan members within Konoha have all defected, joining Homura Hidden Village?"

"That's correct."

"The defenses of the Homura Hidden Village are extremely tight, and their numbers aren't large. It's very difficult for us to infiltrate any spies."

"But according to intelligence reports from Konoha, all members of the Uchiha Clan have indeed vanished from Konoha."

"So you're saying Fugaku Uchiha has also defected from Konoha?"

Raikage A asked sharply.

During the last war, he had faced off against Fugaku multiple times.

And he had killed many Uchiha ninja.

Fugaku Uchiha's strength was clearly far greater than what he had revealed!

Mabui: "Yes! However, according to news received from the Homura Hidden Village a few days ago, it seems control of their village now lies with Shimoku Uchiha."

Raikage A: "Shimoku Uchiha? That brat who defected first?"

"Do you really think putting out some kid as a decoy can fool anyone?"

"What a joke!"

Mabui: "Raikage-sama, don't take him lightly! According to intelligence reports, during the recent coup in Kiri, Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, was suspected to have been defeated by this person..."

"Tch! He's just a ten-year-old kid!"

"When he gets here, I'll show him who's got the hardest punch!"

Raikage A scoffed loudly.

Being straightforward by nature, he especially hated rogue ninja.

If the Uchiha Clan had done something like this inside his own village,

He'd wipe them out without hesitation!

Therefore, he had no goodwill whatsoever toward the incoming diplomatic delegation from the Homura Hidden Village.

In fact, he was secretly wondering whether

he should look for an opportunity to eliminate this entire Uchiha delegation and seize their 'Kekkei Genkai.'

After all, Ao, the 'Byakugan Killer' from Kirigakure,

had long been something other villages coveted deeply.

Otherwise, back then Kumogakure wouldn't have gone to such extremes before to force Konoha into handing over Hizashi Hyuga.

Unfortunately, all they ended up with was Hizashi Hyuga's corpse — his Byakugan already destroyed beforehand...

This time, with those 'Kekkei Genkai' essentially walking right into his hands, there was no way he'd let this chance go to waste!

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