The Raikage Moves!

(A/N: Sorry about the slow updates guys, since university started I have been neck deep in assignments due to the new 'assistants' of the professors. Its like they are trying to prove something by giving us a lot of homework. It has been pretty messed up. That being said, hope you enjoy this chapter. :)

Yugito Nii, another soul that had slipped through the cracks on the future that was supposed to be. Somehow, somewhere, something had changed, her being effectively retrieved by Kumo after she was defeated by two Akatsuki members. The Hokage strongly believed it to be the fact that Hidan didn't have Kakuzu as his partner by that point, the man himself being an arsenal on his own and Hidan being… a meatshield.

Whether it was his pride or arrogance, the man had disobeyed orders and went to retrieve the Jinchuriki alone, something that he discovered didn't actually impress anyone afterward… especially given his failure.

How the retrieval mission actually went was anyone's guess, but Yugito was tactical and cool-headed. Combine that with her jinchuriki power and Hidan's… lack of mental capabilities. The battle itself was quite simple to predict. That being said, the undying meatshield had quite possibly dragged her close enough to perform his ritual before… or after, getting mutilated.

It was quite possible that by the time Hidan was returning, he was intercepted by Kumo's search party. Another point that proved that either they were more vigilant due to Konoha's actions at the time, that Yugito had dragged the battle longer just enough, or both.

---------------------------------

Everyone nodded their heads as Shikaku simply stared at the King piece on the map, a small nod eliciting from him just moments after the others.

'Everyone has their own king.' – It was something that Shikaku had learned after watching the way Kei interacted.

"Now that we have taken care of the frontal assault, what are we going to do about the hidden knives that have been eliminating our supporters? Now that the Land of Lightning and Land of Water are outside of our control, there is only one left that would give them an edge in the incoming war, the one we already defeated once." – Shikaku explained as the conversation carried on.

"But… they are already useless, depending on us for both economic and military relief. Not to mention the fact that they share borders with the Sand. Trying anything would be a suicide on all levels from them. The village would drop dead before they could reach our gates. There are many minor villages eyeing their territory, population, and more importantly, our approval."

"Of course, this I all on the basis that they could mount an attack in the first place, that the people would support their attempt at raising their swords instead of opting for the continuation of peace."

The anbu commanders continued carrying the discussion as they presented the latest reports regarding Iwa's state of affairs.

"Nevertheless, the human element is the most unpredictable one. Arrange for the reserves to stay inside the village perimeter, decrease the number of men in the border patrol squads and border outposts by 75% in the Iwa border and bring them back to add to the reserves inside the village. Should Iwa attack we are going to lose most of them anyway, this way we'll at least save most of them, using the others as bait to drag the enemy supply lines thin and deep inside the Land of Fire." – Surprise was plastered on the faces inside the room, at Shikaku being the one to propose the sacrificial strategy in dealing with the possible Iwa invasion.

A smirk graced the Hokage's face as he broke the silence.

"Now all that remains is the distribution of the shinobi by veterancy, rank, and personal power. "

-------------------------------

Though Konoha was not the only one preparing for war. Far away, on the gates of Kumo, countless shinobi were moving, leaving at a rapid pace as the Raikage overlooked the situation with his Brother.

"B, as planned, you are going to attack together with Yugito and guide the skeleton army to the location… be careful though. Should the Hokage appear, just run… Yugito as well.

"Don't worry bro, I got yo."

"We are shinobi, by running away-i, we increase our life expectancy."

(Two shitty rhymes? Yes, and I already don't want to write for B anymore. And this was basically copy/paste ripped off of the anime too. )

B spoke, his hands moving together with his whole body, a thumbs up and a smile being the finishing move that was delivered to the Raikage. His face and eyes could tell you that he was not in the least amused, his hand rising and then resting on B's shoulder… B could read more than that from him.

Letting his smile fall, a serious expression was reflected on B's face as he nodded to his brother firmly.

After a few seconds, the Raikage, A, let go of B, letting him take off to go and join the departing troops.

As the Raikage looked at the backs of the departing troops, a small sigh escaped him

Sending his shinobi to deliberately die was not something he approved of… and yet, it was necessary now that they were facing Konoha.

A rather obvious feint that would make the enemy focus on the other battlefield, and once they did…

'I do not like it… but for the future of the Hidden Cloud, I must do this.' – The Raikage thought as he suddenly felt someone arrive beside him, Darui appearing not a moment later.

A grunt was enough for him to relay the message.

"Konoha's troops have begun moving, but the numbers are considerably lower than expected."

"Hmm, an arrogance they can afford… but it's likely that it's just the vanguard. Either that or we can expect the Hokage to meet us on the battlefield… hopefully. Is the device in place?"

"Not yet, it should arrive at the location in two more days, bar any complications."

"Make sure there are none… also, keep the accompanying shinobi to a minimum. Konoha's exploded upon use. Given the scale, at the very least, the entire island will be wiped out once we use it." – Meaning… the entourage was not to survive their mission.

(A/N: Got a pretty crazy idea once I carefully looked at the map. Hehehe…)

"Yes, Raikage-sama." – Darui said as he disappeared from sight, leaving the Raikage to continue musing on his own.