In mid-June of Konoha Year 59, the Fourth Raikage received another letter from Jiraiya. Its contents left him no choice but to consult his trusted aide.
Back in early March, A had inexplicably received a suspicious piece of intelligence concerning the mastermind who controlled Turtle Island.
The sender wanted him to attend the Five Kage Summit and promised to disclose all the intelligence afterward. A had never intended to attend such a boring meeting, but that condition suddenly changed his mind.
He could test whether the intelligence was genuine. If it proved false, he could simply go back on his word.
After all, tearing up agreements was what ninja did best. Fourth Raikage A provisionally agreed, then began receiving related intelligence every week.
Over more than two full months, the mysterious sender delivered the complete intelligence. A, who had intended to break the agreement, instead changed his mind.
The information was too shocking. After considering it carefully, A found much of it highly credible. To reclaim Turtle Island, he could put up with attending that boring Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron.
Interestingly, just after he fully changed his mind, Jiraiya's letter arrived. A compared the two repeatedly and found that the intelligence from the unknown source matched the letter's contents remarkably well!
With the Five Kage Summit approaching, A decided to stop keeping it secret and shared all the intelligence with his loyal aide, Dodai.
Inside the Raikage Building, A stood silently by the window in a white robe, gazing at the clear blue sky. Although Kumogakure's reforms were still underway, its ninja had yet to enjoy particularly good lives.
Compared to Konoha's pharmaceutical profits, Kumogakure still lagged far behind. A could do nothing about it; these were the limitations of industrial development.
Cold sweat gradually appeared