Chapter 620: Hashirama Senju—Curing All Forms of Showy Defiance

"I didn't expect your village to be hit even worse than the Stone Village." 

"Nor did I think the enemy would be so ruthless, going straight for our Jinchuriki and causing a Tailed Beast rampage, then hiding in the shadows and striking down our Sealing Team." 

The Third Raikage clenched his fists, wishing he could tear apart the one responsible. But the enemy simply refused to fight him head-on. 

What good is having the strongest spear and the strongest shield if you can't even catch your opponent? All that power is pointless if the enemy vanishes at will. That frustration was what truly ate at the Raikage. 

He wanted a proper battle, but Black Zetsu had clearly decided otherwise—striking hard, causing massive damage, and then retreating before any real confrontation could begin. 

"My thanks to your village for sending help. Please, have a seat." 

Even though he wanted Kushina to get to work right away in hunting down the infiltrators, the Third Raikage still had the courtesy to invite Takuya and the others to sit down and rest. 

Takuya made no objection. Their journey to the Hidden Cloud was far from leisurely; taking a short break was only fair. 

Sipping his tea, Takuya asked, "Haven't the other villages arrived yet?" 

At that, the Third Raikage waved off his advisors, signaling that their meeting was over. Only then did he turn back to Takuya. 

"Of the reinforcements from the other villages, most are medical-nin, so they'll travel more slowly. They should get here within a day or two." 

"Right, that makes sense." 

The Cloud Village had sent different requests to each of the other great nations. They'd specifically asked Konoha to send Kushina because of her unique ability to flush out hidden White Zetsu and prevent further sabotage. 

As for the others, the Cloud was mainly asking for medical support. They had suffered heavy casualties—both ninja and civilians—and the Cloud's own medical corps wasn't strong enough to handle such a crisis. 

Among the Five Great Villages, Konoha had the largest number of medical-nin, thanks mostly to Tsunade's emphasis on medical training. The other villages simply couldn't compare. 

Takuya and the Raikage chatted about inconsequential topics. Neither side would reveal anything crucial until the White Zetsu infiltrators were dealt with. 

"Alright," Takuya said at last, "let's get started. Konoha has some important matters to discuss with the Cloud, but that can wait. First, we need to clean out the enemy." 

He was referring, of course, to the White Zetsu still lurking around the village. Until that threat was dealt with, there was no point discussing anything more significant. Besides, once the White Zetsu were gone, Tobirama and Hashirama would handle whatever came next. 

"That's the plan," the Raikage replied gravely. "We appreciate your help. The Cloud won't forget it." 

Takuya merely offered a polite nod. He'd heard enough hollow assurances from other Kage not to give it much thought. 

"All right, then." 

He glanced over at Kushina. She caught his eye and smiled. 

"Time to get to work," she said inwardly to the Nine-Tails. 

"I swear, it's always me," the Nine-Tails grumbled from within the seal. But as much as it complained, it still cooperated. 

Ever since learning that Madara was back, the fox had been wary. It would rather remain sealed inside Kushina than be dragged off to serve as Madara's plaything again—especially with talk of reviving the Ten-Tails. 

In that scenario, it wouldn't even remain the Nine-Tails. Far better to stay in Kushina's body, supported by Takuya's protection. 

"Alright, let's see…" 

Sensing a faint prickle, Takuya noticed the Nine-Tails seem to be staring back at him with some private scheme in mind. But since the fox had no way to escape, he brushed it aside. 

"Found you," said Kushina. 

Entering her Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, she began to search for White Zetsu. At Takuya's signal, Minato and Nawaki moved in to guard her, making sure she stayed safe if things got violent. 

A, too, wasted no time, bringing his personal guards along to help. 

Black Zetsu had been careful not to plant any spies inside the Raikage's main office, which remained secure. Elsewhere, however, Kushina's skill in detecting foreign chakra signatures quickly exposed a startling number of White Zetsu clones. 

"By the way, is this a newly built Raikage's office?" Takuya asked casually, his gaze roaming the unfamiliar halls. 

He could sense the fresh paint, the scent of recent construction. 

The Third Raikage's expression soured; the surrounding officials looked just as uncomfortable. Dodai, still bandaged in places, cleared his throat. 

"Takuya, did you happen to notice that the office building is a bit off from its old location?" 

Takuya blinked. 

"I can't say I did." 

He really hadn't paid attention. On his last visit, he was more interested in local cuisine than the details of the Raikage's building. 

But if the structure was indeed shifted, that meant one thing. 

"Hold on… you're telling me the old building was destroyed during the attack?" 

The Third Raikage gave a dark nod. 

"When the Two-Tails fired its Tailed Beast Bomb, the entire Raikage's Office was obliterated. Everything turned to ashes. This one was thrown together in a hurry." 

Takuya whistled under his breath. 

"Wow. Must've been quite a blast." 

No wonder the place smelled like it'd just been built—because it was. Still, the speed at which they had raised this new tower was impressive. 

Then again, this was the ninja world. With the right jutsu, construction times were nothing like they would be anywhere else. 

The Raikage's Office represented the face of the entire Cloud Village. They couldn't afford to leave it in ruins. It was common sense to rebuild it first, even if other reconstruction projects took a back seat. 

"About the discussions Konoha wants," the Third Raikage began, "is it related to a Five Kage Summit?" 

"Something like that," Takuya answered casually. "But I'm not the one in charge of that. They'll show up soon enough. Just don't be too surprised when they do." 

He was itching to see the Third Raikage's reaction upon meeting Hashirama and Tobirama. The legendary brothers would likely overshadow any talk of a so-called "strongest spear and shield." 

Hashirama, after all, specialized in cutting down flashy bravado. 

"So you're not the one?" 

"Could be Tsunade… but probably not." 

The Third Raikage frowned thoughtfully. He knew about the internal disputes in Konoha—Takuya and Tsunade on one side, Hiruzen and his old guard on the other. 

At any rate, Konoha's reinforcements were clearly here, and Kushina's group was already rooting out White Zetsu. There was no hiding it now, Black Zetsu would realize they'd arrived soon enough.

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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read the rest of the Chapter at Patreon com/ Emik01. 

DO NOT FORGET POWER STONE AND CHATTING