_________ POV Narration_________

The Raikage's tired eyes scanned through the papers in front of him.

War was a brutal affair, even if the Cloud was prepared for it, they were still facing difficulties. Especially now that the Uzumaki Clan was more involved than ever.

Thankfully, their alliance stood strong. The Rock-Cloud-Waterfall Alliance was stronger than ever, the Mist also joined, changing the name a bit, but the first ones to join the alliance were still the closest.

After all, they had all been originally part of the Shinobi Alliance and suffered losses side by side. And now sought out reparations and fought against the world, together.

Such a nice fairy tale. Belonging in a storybook really!

But in truth, none of the nations within the Rock-Cloud-Waterfall Alliance had suffered many losses during the 'Uzumaki Invasion'...

But they were taking advantage of all the nations that did suffer losses in that incident. But it was all for a noble cause at the end of the day... Profit.

Still, the Raikage couldn't help but rub his eyes and clench his fists in frustration when remembering the events of the 'Uzumaki Clan Invasion'.

What was supposed to be a sound victory turned into an absolute catastrophe, one in which the Raikage had also lost his son.

B was devastated as well, even vowing to go out in the world and look for him, refusing to believe that he was actually dead.

He was not allowed to do so. They were, after all, in times of war. Jinchuriki weren't allowed to roam freely even under normal circumstances. But the Raikage appreciated his spirit.

In truth, the Raikage himself was also like that at first. But father or not, he had to come to terms with the facts at some point...

His son was dead. There was absolutely no hope of him being alive.

Even if he had been held captive all that time, there was no reason to believe that he hadn't been killed already.

After all, there was no ransom request, no effort to even contact him and gloat about it.

It was then that the Raikage realized that A was most likely dead at the Gray Fox's hands.

And that got him thinking...

'Where exactly did I see a transformation like that of the Gray Fox?'

His mind immediately thought of the Red Dot. The one person he knew to have such ability.

But the transformations were different, vastly different. The Red Dot appeared to not be at all specialized in underwater combat, while the Gray Fox was only specialized in that...

'Maybe they just happen to be of the same clan? It's possible...'

That was the thought process of the Raikage at that time.

It was what led him to actually reach out to Ken in the end.

The Blind Assassin found it convenient, as he had something to request of the Raikage as well...

Intercepting the retreat orders to the 7 Swordsmen of the Mist was no big deal for someone like the Raikage to pull off. He did his part, now it was Ken's turn to do his...

'To find out what happened to A...'

That was all the Raikage asked for. It was all he could ask for...

He didn't care about the Mist village or their alliance. All he really cared about was learning what fate befell his son.

Even if he died, A wanted to at least have a body to bury... Something, however small, to at least give him some semblance of closure.

And if there was someone capable enough to find that out... Then that person was Ken.

The Raikage trusted the man's skills. He just hoped that he wouldn't have to wait for too long...

There was also the issue of revenge...

The Raikage pondered on it, but he couldn't ask Ken to go after the Gray Fox either, there were too many variables at play for that.

Getting involved in the war also didn't feel like something the Assassin would be willing to do at the time.

There was also the fact that the Gray Fox was part of the Uzumaki Clan, which could complicate such requests...

After all, the Dark Brotherhood was said to be doing business with the Uzumaki. Most problematically, the Uzumaki were now doing business with several hidden villages in fact.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Obviously, they weren't doing any business with the nations that had participated in the failed invasion. The Raikage found the situation as troublesome as could be.

The Uzumaki were inadvertently building friendly relations with several nations. So it was going to become harder and harder for him to organize another alliance against the Fuinjutsu Masters.

'... I hope I don't have to wait long for Ken's report... He said that he would get to it right away, but I still expect it to take a few more weeks...'

The Raikage could only cross his hands and sigh in frustration once more.

Patience had never been his strong point. 'Like Father like son...' Some things simply never changed.

But years of leadership forged the Raikage into a cold, calculating man, he always had just enough patience before jumping head-first into something...

But matters concerning one's family always made patience a difficult virtue to hold onto...

It had already been a week since the 7 Swordsmen were reported dead. The Raikage didn't care much for them.

He was just going to call their death an operational mishap, no one would blame him for it. It was quite the fault, sure, but the Raikage could always blame it on someone else, and designate a fall guy.

Worsening relations with the Mist was nothing compared to finding out more about his son's fate.

Those brooding thoughts ate away at the Raikage's mind for quite a while. There was not a moment of silence where he didn't think about those things.

And unless he found closure, he knew that things wouldn't change at all.

'I need some air...'

"Lord Raikage!" A masked man entered the room at that very moment, interrupting the Raikage's inner monologue.

"What..." The Raikage grunted as he rubbed his eyebrows in frustration. He was getting irritated easily lately, always being on edge did that to a man...

"We intercepted a message from the Dark Brotherhood... As requested, we brought it to you right away..." The Anbu spoke out in a straight tone, not showing any anxiety or fear in front of his leader.

There was only reverence in his tone and demeanour. He, like everyone else in the village, madly respected the Raikage.

"Good... Put it on my desk, after that, you can leave. I wish for a moment of privacy." The Raikage's monotone voice was the same, but his eyes lit up in excitement.

The Anbu nodded and gently placed the bound scroll on the Raikage's desk, before turning into a blur and disappearing from the room.

The Raikage's eyes narrowed as he looked at the scroll on his table.

He knew that Ken wouldn't waste his time, nor get his hopes up by sending a random message at such times.

So there was really only one possibility...

'He sure works fast...'

It had only been one week, yet the Red Dot had already gained enough intel to form a report.

The Raikage's lips quivered slightly, turning upwards into a smile as he opened up the scroll.

Inside, a report of events was there... From the perspective of the Gray Fox?!

The Raikage's eyes lit up once more as he read the opening paragraphs.

"As quite some time has passed since A's disappearance, finding evidence out at sea proved to be a foolish endeavor...

Therefore, I used my connection to the Uzumaki in order to get in touch with the Gray Fox..."

The Raikage couldn't help but appreciate the lengths to which Ken was willing to go in order to get the information.

Getting in touch was not something that the Raikage, or any of his allies, had been able to do.

But the report of the Gray Fox... It was not a pleasant one...

"At first, I was fighting the Raikage's Son underwater, we were both trying to get the better of each other, I was mostly trying to run away.

It was guerilla warfare at the end of the day, we didn't wish to openly engage people like the Raikage or his son...

But as I was retreating, he was following me. And before I even realized it, his entire body was engulfed in a white light.

It disappeared completely, the only thing left off of him was his arm, which was outstretched, grabbing onto my tail."

That was the account of the Gray Fox.

For a second, the Raikage felt his breath quickening, his mind filling with rage.

He could recognize the jutsu even from such basic descriptions. The Dust Release of the Tsuchikage...

'Wait... The Gray Fox could technically be lying... I can't take his words at face value...'

But Ken's next words seemed to give them more clarity...

"I believe this is the true version of events. I made it clear that I was searching for A of my own volition. We were friends at the end of the day.

While there is a possibility the Gray Fox could've lied. I am inclined to believe him, more members of his squad were able to provide similar renditions of this same story."

The Raikage's fist trembled as his desk filled with cracks, every muscle in his body twisted in rage as he clenched his fists harder.

After all that time, he finally had a target for that Rage. The most possible outcome...

After all, there was no way anything else could've taken A out so quickly, without leaving any trace at all.

The story was not only believable, but it was also so obvious that the Raikage was mad he didn't figure it out beforehand!

But the Tsuchikage wasn't the only target for his rage...

"One of the members in the Gray Fox's squad witnessed the Kage of the Waterfall pocket the arm. It should still be in his possession.

The Tsuchikage should also be aware of your son's demise, as the Jinchuriki went to visit him right after the ordeal."

The Raikage ground his teeth together in rage.

'They lied to me... The both of them!'

So many tears, so many hours wasted, so much frustration, so much rage... All because of them?!?

'I'll show them... I'll show them!'

________ POV Ken________

"... Are you sure this will work, sir?" Tosho stood by my side, and both of us sat in a tent in the field.

I summoned him here not long after I sent that message to the Raikage. I explained the situation to him, brought him here for counsel, and in case I need someone to read things for me.

I didn't quite explain the whole scheme to the Hokage, he demanded payment upfront for the mission, as he isn't quite sure I can pull such a thing off...

"Of course, it will work... I may not be the best judge of character, but Raikage and his son were open books...

I can already guess how he will react... It's only a matter of time before their flimsy alliance breaks apart."

Tosho nodded at my words. He seems to also wholeheartedly trust my judgement.

"So what is the next course of action for us?"

A good question... Before deciding on my next move... What would be the next move for our opponents?

Let's go with the most obvious. Knowing the Raikage and the rage he must be feeling, he'll seek revenge as soon as possible.

"The Raikage will likely call a meeting first, to catch the both of them unaware and try and kill them in one fell swoop."

I can feel Tosho rubbing his chin by my side.

"... Do we intervene at that point? Or rather, do we intervene at all?"

"For now, we set up camp and wait... I'll try to spy on them and make sure everything goes according to plan...

Their meetings always happen on neutral grounds, so I should be able to sneak in and out rather easily..."

My voice and the wind are the only two things that can be heard in this lonely tent.

Tosho is so quiet that even his breathing is muffled. But he seems to have understood the plan.

"Very well... In that case, we wait..."