Raikage A

Grandma Qiu handed the scroll to Xing Ran without saying a word, as if she couldn't be bothered to look at him again, and merged with the lounge chair once more.

However, as Xing Ran turned and left silently, he knew even without sensing it that Grandma Qiu felt a moment of worry, or perhaps regret. Humans are not plants; how can they be without emotion? Although the time they spent together wasn't long, Xing Ran was undoubtedly the most outstanding junior Grandma Qiu had ever mentored. He grasped everything he learned instantly and learned at an astonishing speed. What teacher wouldn't like such a student?

But she also knew that Xing Ran was just a Genin. His survival ability on the battlefield was at the bottom of the food chain. The more emotion she invested, the more pain she would suffer in the future. Grandma Qiu had always avoided investing more emotion in Xing Ran. Her current actions were less about sticking to her convictions and more like an old woman's tsundere tendencies.

In the north of the continent, towering peaks that pierced the clouds were always echoing with deafening thunder. This was a land of numerous and dense mountain ranges, where rivers in the central mountain range created a winding coastline at their estuaries, a truly magnificent sight. Moreover, there were many hot springs, almost rivaling the Land of Hot Water. But this was not the Land of Hot Water; it was the Land of Lightning, named for its incessant thunder.

The ninja village of the Land of Lightning was Kumogakure. As a nation second only to the strongest, the Land of Fire, among the five great powers, its ninja leader was also named with the title of Kage.

Kumogakure possessed two Jinchuriki, the Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails, and was a martial ninja village that advocated swordsmanship and Nintaijutsu. Furthermore, to strengthen its national power, it also focused on researching the ninjutsu and ninja tools of other countries.

Such a powerful nation, with military and economic strength among the top in the ninja world, yet even the Land of Lightning could not bear the logistical burden of a war with no end in sight, a war of attrition.

This was Kumogakure, with architecture similar in style to the Land of Lightning's landscape, grand and imposing. As the core building of the village, the Raikage Building resembled a spinning top suspended in the air, incredibly cool. However, no matter how beautiful a building was, it needed someone to cherish it.

At this moment, in the Raikage's office, there was a deafening crash.

The source of the loud noise was a man nearly two meters tall, with dark skin, light yellow hair, and a powerfully built physique. He wore a white cape, a wide belt, and heavy armor.

A, the Fourth Raikage, who had recently taken office, was fuming and smashing his large office desk to pieces.

"Lord Raikage, our logistical pressure is already immense. Please take care of these public facilities." A calm and steady voice immediately sounded after the Raikage finished smashing things. The speaker wore glasses with a chain, a design that allowed them to be taken off and hung around the neck at any time.

These old-fashioned glasses, paired with his wrinkled old face, made the Fourth Raikage extremely resistant. This old woman was always telling him what to do and what to say, which was incredibly annoying, making A's desire to find a new Raikage assistant grow stronger.

"Damn that Hokage, damn Konoha! Either fight or make peace, but their endless chatter and evasiveness are dragging us down. Damn it, the Hokage of Konoha are all conniving schemers. And that old fossil Onoki, the older he gets, the more cowardly he becomes. We've done so much, the meat was practically in our mouths, would it kill them to extort Konoha a little?" A didn't respond to the old assistant but became quite agitated, cursing like a maddened beast.

However, at this moment, the Raikage's office fell silent at A's seemingly complaining words. Several elder advisors, remnants of past Raikages, exchanged glances. Clearly, although the Raikage was young, his words had made quite an impact on these actual power holders within the village.

"Indeed, if we continue to bicker endlessly with Konoha like this, we'll collapse before the war is decided. We can't let Konoha lead us by the nose," a sturdy uncle with white hair and a white robe was the first to agree with the Raikage's words.

Following this, the Raikage's office seemed to enter a discussion mode. The higher-ups debated heatedly. Those who had previously advocated for taking advantage of the situation and those who were resolute in fighting Konoha to the bitter end all had their say. Finally, after an hour-long discussion, they reached a consensus: negotiations would continue, but so would the fighting. What couldn't be obtained at the negotiating table would be taken on the battlefield.

Everyone was clear about the advantages and disadvantages of both countries and their respective intentions. Konoha, having been besieged by various nations, had weakened from its pre-Third Shinobi World War peak. As the Land of Fire, which had always considered itself the strongest nation in the ninja world, its top priority was to cut its losses early and recover quickly through its powerful national strength. Therefore, the Land of Fire did not want to fight.

At this point, as long as the Land of Earth could use the rogue ninja incident as an excuse and entangle Konoha, Konoha would have to deploy more forces along its borders to guard against the Land of Earth turning on them at any moment. This way, even with a long supply line, the Land of Lightning could see a glimmer of victory.

But the situation was different now. The Land of Fire could fully focus on dealing with the Land of Lightning, while the Land of Lightning, due to its long supply lines, was also at its wit's end. The Land of Lightning also didn't want to fight because there was no hope of victory.

However, the traditions of the Land of Lightning did not include the disgrace of defeat due to no fault of their own. The war faction had always been the mainstream, even when everyone knew that continuing the war was not beneficial.

But this was Kumogakure's corporate culture. The Yugito Clan preferred to solve problems directly with their fists. Indirect political means were always a last resort. Therefore, most of them held the belief of risking everything to overthrow the emperor.

The Yugito Clan, the ruling family of Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning, possessed naturally large physiques, were strong, and excelled at Lightning Release. Since the First Raikage, every Raikage had come from this clan.

The Yugito Clan had a strong sense of lineage and unity.

A strong sense of unity could easily lead to more extreme decisions during wartime. They were often unafraid of sacrifice, and the belief of "a desperate struggle where both sides perish" for the collective's greater benefit was widespread.

The newly appointed Fourth Raikage, A, although he ascended to the Raikage's throne and was called "the boss" based on his personal strength, possessed more than just power. In the original story, the Fourth Raikage was also a strong individual who could bear the title of Kage. While his intellect might not have been the best, it was definitely above the average Kumogakure ninja's standard.

Having just received Konoha's rejected negotiation terms again, the higher-ups were restless. However, during the meeting, everyone held their own opinions, and no one noticed Konoha's ulterior motive behind their repeated evasiveness. They were either discussing lowering their demands or making grand pronouncements about fighting Konoha to the end.

Now, the Raikage's words finally clarified the issue, accelerating the unification of opinions.