Cloud Village, a dilapidated residence in the forbidden area behind the mountain.
Kinkaku crouched in the courtyard, his rough fingers gently brushing across the slightly rusted Basho Fan. He had once wielded this fan to unleash storms capable of annihilating entire armies, yet now, a trace of dark red rust had formed along the edge of this divine artifact.
It was the result of improper maintenance.
Ever since returning to the village, no one had come to maintain it for several days.
"Eldest Brother, stop looking at it."
Ginkaku sat on the stone steps nearby, holding a rice ball as hard as a rock. He took a vicious bite and nearly cracked his teeth. "This is today's meal. Those bastards sent moldy old rice, and even the salted fish inside smells like a stagnant ditch."
Kinkaku said nothing, but his gaze turned terrifyingly gloomy.
"I shouldn't have held back at that meeting."
Ginkaku smashed the rice ball into the ground with a dull thud. "That brat named Sadei, whose feathers haven't even grown in yet, actually dared to say before the entire village leadership that we're remnants of a bygone era," that our existence would only obstruct peace talks between the two villages. And that so-called Second Raikage just sat there without even lifting an eyelid.
"Cloud Village is no longer the Cloud Village we carved out with blood." Kinkaku finally spoke, his voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping. "Under the pretense of protecting us, A confined us to this desolate back mountain. On the surface, it's to guard against Konoha assassins, but in truth, he's afraid we'll ruin his dream of peace. Since when had the mighty Land of Lightning fallen so low that it had to wag its tail and beg before the Land of Fire?"
At that moment,