"Family Flying Kick!"
"Father's Love Iron Fist!"
...
A storm of punches and kicks, pouring forth the Third Raikage's deep fatherly love, thoroughly disciplined his growing son.
Only when Dodai felt that continuing the fight might affect his training with the A-B Combination's Thunder Liger Bomb technique the next day, did the Third Raikage, Ai, reluctantly disengage from the fulfilling parent-child interaction.
"To truly inherit the name of 'Ai', you are still far from it!"
"We continue tomorrow!"
The Third Raikage lightly left behind a sentence and turned away from the scene.
Only a human-shaped figure, entirely black and occasionally sparking with a faint electric arc, remained on the spot.
"I am..."
"I will not surrender!"
Dodai looked at the white teeth opening and closing and sighed helplessly, then turned and followed the Third Raikage away.
He was already quite accustomed to this kind of situation!
...
"Lord Third Raikage!"
Upon returning to his office, the Third Raikage Ai and Dodai bumped into their secretary, Yumai, who was holding a stack of documents deformed by being squeezed.
The Third Raikage bypassed her and irritably sat down in his seat.
"To have to deal with these vexing things the moment I return, that's enough!"
Yumai seemed unfazed by the powerful Raikage's aura. She turned back to the Raikage's desk and placed the documents she was holding on it.
"The subordinates in the village have already handled their tasks. Lord Raikage only needs to resolve the issues in these two documents."
The little secretary pushed up her glasses and spoke in a tone as if coaxing a child.
The Third Raikage angrily slapped the table and threw the two documents pushed towards him back into Yumai's arms.
"I'm too lazy to read them!"
"Read them aloud, and you and Dodai can discuss and handle the matters!"
Dodai was very familiar with his Raikage's hands-off management style. He gave a wry smile, skillfully took the documents from Yumai, and began to read them carefully.
"Konoha is holding the first-ever Allied Chunin Selection Examination?"
"It seems this Third Hokage wants to use this opportunity to promote Konoha's strength to the ninja world!"
"I wonder how much those few strong individuals from Konoha have grown in the year since the last Great Ninja War ended!"
After reading the first document, Dodai couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.
"Lord Dodai, this matter can actually wait until after you've finished reading the second document to make a decision."
The little secretary pointed to the document and reminded him seriously.
"The second one?"
Dodai looked at Yumai's expression and nodded slightly.
He slowly opened the second document. Inside were a letter and a thick stack of intelligence.
"To the Third Raikage, Lord Ai, personally?"
"A letter from the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure?"
Dodai looked at the envelope in his hand with surprise, his voice involuntarily rising slightly.
"Lord Raikage, a letter from the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, Onoki, you..."
Ai waved his hand impatiently.
"Read it!"
Dodai gave a wry smile, tore open the envelope, and unfolded the letter.
The words were few, but full of meaning.
"To the Third Raikage, Lord Ai:
It has been a long time since we last corresponded, and I miss you dearly.
Cloud and Stone Villages have been neighbors for a long time and have known each other for many years.
Since the signing of the alliance treaty between the five villages, neither village has ever initiated hostilities, and we are deeply relieved.
Now Konoha is powerful, Hiruzen Sarutobi is ambitious, slaughtering wantonly, bullying the weak, and attempting to overthrow the ninja world with the strength of a single village.
After much deliberation, I send this letter.
I wish to renew the alliance with Kumogakure and together resist this evil deed..."
...
"Gibberish, what nonsensical rubbish is this?"
The Third Raikage frowned, the word "dissatisfied" almost clearly written on his face.
"This..."
Dodai sighed and put away the letter.
"The Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, Lord Onoki, wishes to form an alliance with Kumogakure to gather the strength of both villages and defeat Konoha together."
"To show sincerity, Iwagakure has also sent all the recent intelligence they have collected on Konoha."
"Lord Raikage, what do you think..."
Dodai raised the thick intelligence report in his hand and gave the Third Raikage Ai a questioning look.
"An alliance?"
"Hmm..."
The Third Raikage put on a thoughtful expression.
"Is Konoha so strong now that it can make that old man Onoki actively request an alliance with me?"
"Dodai, what do you think about this matter?"
Dodai was speechless. Did he just ask for nothing?
"Lord Raikage, your subordinate believes it is very necessary!"
The Third Raikage nodded in agreement. Perhaps feeling he was being too perfunctory, he quickly added:
"Hmm?"
"Tell me, why do you think an alliance with Iwa is necessary?"
"Is it because of that intelligence?"
Dodai said solemnly:
"Yes!"
"The intelligence from Iwagakure clearly states that the Third Hokage's disciple, Orochimaru, who holds the title of Sannin, now possesses the strength to contend with Lord Onoki."
"He even killed the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi, of Iwagakure in front of Lord Onoki and sealed the Four-Tails back to Konoha."
Hearing that it involved a Tailed Beast, the Third Raikage's expression became a little more serious.
"Anything else?"
"Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki can now borrow the power of the Tailed Beast to fight. According to the Third Tsuchikage's description, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is a red-haired girl, whose appearance matches that of the former ninja from the Uzumaki clan that we almost captured from Konoha."
Upon hearing this, the Third Raikage sighed with regret.
"Alas!"
"Indeed, the Uzumaki clan is still the most suitable for being Jinchuriki, isn't it?"
"The Uzumaki clan's physique combined with their sealing jutsu, Konoha is truly lucky!"
Dodai also sighed with emotion. Compared to the Uzumaki clan's powerful sealing jutsu that could perfectly seal Tailed Beasts, Kumogakure's iron-clad sealing was a joke.
But there was nothing they could do, who could have predicted that the plan would fail back then!
After they both sighed for a moment, the Third Raikage waved to Dodai, who had stopped.
"Continue reading!"
Dodai collected his thoughts, nodded, and picked out some more important intelligence to read.
...
"Not long ago, a large-scale phenomenon of rampant plant growth occurred in Konoha's Senju clan territory, suspected to be the awakening of Wood Style by a descendant of the Senju clan."
"The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, has not issued any explanation regarding this matter."
...
"Wood Style?"
The Third Raikage was truly unable to sit still now. His hands on the table unconsciously clenched into fists.
"The First Hokage Hashirama Senju's Wood Style?"
"No wonder that old man Hiruzen Sarutobi is holding a joint Chunin selection in Konoha. It turns out he wants to show that Konoha now has the foundation to become the strongest ninja village in the ninja world again?"
Yes, as one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Kumogakure had never acknowledged Konoha's status as the premier ninja village since the death of the First Hokage Hashirama Senju.
But now it was different. Konoha had produced another ninja with Wood Style, just like Hashirama Senju. If not contained...
"Yumai, send a reply to that old man Onoki for me, saying that I agree to the alliance between Kumogakure and Iwagakure."
"Tell him that I will personally attend the joint Chunin assessment held by Konoha this time."
The Third Raikage considered for two breaths and immediately made a decision to form an alliance with Iwagakure.
"Lord Raikage, under what pretext should we go to Konoha to meet the Third Tsuchikage?"
"Should we lead the village's genin to participate in the assessment, or..."
Yumai took out paper and a pen to record.
"No!"
The Third Raikage shook his head decisively.
"Onoki is not a good person. He intentionally leaked this intelligence to me, undoubtedly with the intention of making me the first to act."
"He lost a Tailed Beast from his own village and doesn't dare to confront Konoha, so he wants to drag me and Kumogakure into it."
"Hmph hmph!"
"Although I'm not very smart, I'm not as foolish as he imagines!"
Ai slapped the table and issued an order on the spot:
"Dodai, summon Elder Roku, you two will accompany me to Konoha."
"Do not bring anyone else, lest they become a hindrance if a fight breaks out and drag me down."
"As for the pretext, say we are going to watch the competition."