"Shizune! Put out the fire!"

"Yes!"

Shizune took a large water scroll from her bag and unrolled it on the ground. After forming a quick hand seal, a massive wave of water surged from the scroll, rushing out in all directions.

Seeing this, the Raikage turned his head and ordered, "Samui, you help as well."

"I understand, Lord Raikage."

"Water Style: Multi-Wave Water Blast!"

Thanks to the combined efforts of Shizune and Samui, the fire that had engulfed the town was finally extinguished. The scene was now one of eerie silence. Apart from them, there were no signs of life. It was likely that everyone in the town was dead.

"Sigh…" After listening to Shizune's search report, Tsunade's face darkened. She turned and began to walk away without a word.

"Uh… okay," Shizune said, quickly scooping up the still-sleeping Tonton and rushing to catch up with her mentor.

"Wait a minute!" Behind them, the enraged roar of the Raikage echoed through the ruined streets. "Tsunade, you will tell me what happened here! I will not let you leave until you do!" The Raikage's fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles were white, and tears of rage and grief welled in his eyes.

While Shizune had been searching the town, Samui had not been idle. The first thing she had done was rush to the house where the injured Omoi had been hidden, only to find it reduced to a pile of smoldering ash. There was no need for Tsunade's healing now. He was gone.

Without even taking a moment to grieve, Samui had returned to the Raikage and delivered the terrible news. Hearing that another of his beloved subordinates had died, the Raikage was heartbroken. With no other explanation, he had pointed a finger at Tsunade, vowing to get an explanation, to get justice for his fallen men.

Feeling the Raikage's wrath, Tsunade was not afraid. She turned and said, her voice cold and firm, "The death of your subordinates has nothing to do with me!"

The Raikage replied, "Impossible! This town is not a hidden village. Apart from my team, you are the only shinobi here. Who else could have done this?!"

Tsunade snorted coldly. "I am not a shinobi who treats life so carelessly! Like you, my memory has been wiped clean. I have no idea what just happened!"

"Damn you!"

Looking at Tsunade's "denial," the Raikage was overcome with rage. He was about to step forward, to use force to make her confess, when a sudden thought struck him. He quickly reached into his robes.

"Oh no! The secret scroll of the Land of Sugi… it's gone!" The Raikage's body trembled, his eyes wide as he scanned his surroundings, a new wave of fury and despair washing over him. This mission, which had been all but guaranteed to succeed, had ended in utter disaster. Not only had he failed to retrieve what he came for, but he had lost two of his men.

As the overwhelming sadness began to clear, his mind started to work again. Could it be… that the Kugutsu clan is responsible? Have I wrongly blamed Tsunade?

Tsunade was not a Fire Release user; the Raikage was well aware of that. She was one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha, and the Hidden Cloud had extensive intelligence on all famous shinobi. And his missing memory… it was most likely the work of a powerful genjutsu. Tsunade was not known for her skill in illusions.

After thinking it through, the Raikage was certain. It had to have been the Kugutsu clan. They were a mysterious organization, their abilities and ninjutsu unknown. But judging from everything that had happened, they were the only ones who could have so thoroughly defeated both him and Tsunade.

"Damn you, Kugutsu clan," the Raikage gritted his teeth, his voice a low, vicious growl. "I swear, I will kill every last one of you!"

Tsunade looked at him with contempt. Seeing that he had finally seemed to figure things out, she said nothing more and continued to walk away.

"Tsunade!" he called out after her. "Do you want to come with me to seek revenge on the Kugutsu? They did this to you as well. Are you just going to let it go?!"