"Is this the place?"
Hozuki Gengetsu raised his gaze past the long, dragon-like stone staircase, staring at the vermilion Torii Gate standing like a samurai amid the mist.
"Ryūchi Cave. That's right."
Though the misty haze formed an invisible barrier, the Raikage could still clearly make out the words on the plaque hanging within the Torii Gate.
"Tagorihime's test just now—"
"Idiot Raikage, didn't I warn them?"
"Who could decipher the code hidden in the blueprint that quickly?!"
"At least the Mist ninja figured it out."
"Gengetsu, are you asking for a punch?"
The tower-like figure clenched his fists within the mist, arcs of lightning crackling around them and throwing the surrounding air into violent agitation. The sizzling thunder echoed across the clearing.
"Raikage-sama, don't get worked up." As though nothing had happened, Gengetsu brushed at the raised lint balls on his trench coat. "We've come this far. We can't leave White Snake Sage with a bad impression."
After saying that, Gengetsu took the lead up the steps without looking back, heading toward the temple atop the platform.
"Hoo—"
Standing where he was, the Raikage took several deep breaths and suppressed the indignation born of his impatience.
He was anxious.
Kumogakure's progress in replacing the nation with the village was nowhere near as fast as Konoha's.
The key obstacles came down to only two things: a lack of people and a lack of money.
It was not merely a matter of being short on funds. Kumogakure was still burdened by a massive debt to Konoha, making it difficult to launch any kind of research.
They could only watch helplessly as that damned Konoha climbed, step by step, toward the highest summit in the Shinobi World.
That silhouette hidden within the sea of clouds made it impossible for him, the leader