In the jungles bordering the Land of Sugi, four shadows moved like lightning through the trees. They were the Fourth Raikage's elite team: A, Karui, Omoi, and Samui.

"Heh, that was almost too easy," Karui said with a confident smirk. "For a secret scroll so important, the Sugi shinobi were surprisingly weak."

"Yes," Omoi agreed, "I overestimated them, Lord Raikage. If I had known it would be this simple, I wouldn't have bothered you to come personally."

"No," the Raikage, A, shook his head, his voice a low rumble. "A shinobi must never underestimate their enemy. This scroll is of vital importance to the Hidden Cloud. My presence ensures its safe return. Now that we have what we came for, let's hurry back to the village before any complications arise."

"Yes, sir!" At their leader's command, the team's demeanor shifted, their pace increasing significantly as they raced toward their home.

As they ran, the team's sensory ninja, Samui, suddenly spoke, her voice a low whisper. "Lord Raikage, we have pursuers. Three of them… no, wait. There are eight! Moving fast, in two groups!"

"Eight?" Karui asked, confused. "That small country has no real military to speak of, and we've already dealt with their best. Where could they have found eight more ninja?"

"They are likely mercenaries hired from one of the great nations," the Raikage responded, his voice grim. "Everyone, stay on high alert. If they can match our speed, then their strength is far greater than the last group we faced. They are likely elite shinobi."

"I apologize, Lord Raikage," Karui said. "If we weren't holding you back, they would never be able to catch up to you."

"Why are you apologizing? You are my subordinates. We leave together."

"Sir! Let's just fight them! There are only eight of them!"

"No! Time is of the essence. We cannot afford a prolonged battle! Our first priority is to get this scroll back to the village. We have only detected eight pursuers; who knows how many more may be behind them? This is not our territory. We will only be safe once we return to the Cloud."

"Not good, sir! Three of them have caught up! They're right behind us!"

"Don't worry about them! Just keep running!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Samui! Take the scroll and go! Take a different route. We will rendezvous in the town ahead!"

"Understood, Lord Raikage!"

The figures continued their high-speed chase through the jungle. The pursuers closing in on the Raikage's team were none other than Shiro, astride his human mount, Danzō, and the Uchiha shinobi, Yakumi.

"Shiro-dono!" Yakumi called out. "A chakra signature has split off, taking another path!"

"I know," Shiro replied calmly. "Go after him."

"Ah? Is that wise? The Raikage himself is among the other three. If they decide to counterattack, I fear for your safety."

"It's alright. Don't worry about me," Shiro said, patting the head of the man he was riding. "My mount is more than capable of keeping me safe. Go, quickly! It will be troublesome if we lose him!"

"Well… if you're certain." With that, Yakumi veered off, disappearing into the dense woods on the other path.

"Not good! Lord Raikage, one of our pursuers has split off to chase Samui! It seems their team has a sensory ninja as well."

"...Damn it!" The Raikage skidded to a halt, his teeth gritted in frustration as he spun around. "In that case, we have no choice. We will eliminate them here and now!"

Boom!

A massive aura of crackling lightning chakra erupted, enveloping the Raikage's entire body. He stood, a force of nature, waiting for his pursuers to appear.

Soon, they did.

"Huh?"

Seeing the figures that emerged from the trees, the Raikage was stunned. He had braced himself for an elite jonin, a seasoned warrior. What he saw defied all logic. It was a child, riding atop another man as if he were a beast of burden. The Raikage's eyes narrowed. The man being ridden… why did he look so familiar? He'd seen that face before, that scar on his chin…

It couldn't be.

Danzō!!

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