"What exactly is going on?"
"How could Lord Raikage and the others...?"
"And what about our teacher?"
Inside the council hall of the Raikage Building in Kumogakure, a young man with short white hair wore an expression of utter disbelief.
The man's name was Omoi, a young jonin of Kumogakure. Among those of his generation in the village, his talent was second only to Darui's.
He also had another identity: Killer B's disciple.
At this moment, besides him, there were several others in the room: the red-haired Karui, and Samui, a beautiful blonde with a cool-looking demeanor and a pair of formidable assets.
They were all members of Kumogakure's younger generation, specifically left behind in the village by the Fourth Raikage during this operation against Kirigakure.
Aside from them, there was also an older-looking man present.
The man had a head of white hair, his face covered in deep lines carved by the passage of time. Though he looked advanced in years, his build remained exceptionally robust.
The man's name was Hui. He belonged to the same clan as the Fourth Raikage, and after the Fourth Raikage led Kumogakure's forces out of the village, all of Kumogakure's affairs had temporarily been entrusted to him.
As someone from the Third Raikage's generation, Hui possessed immense experience and ability. Handling all village affairs for a short time was no problem for him.
Yet Hui's brow was tightly furrowed at that moment, and several more deep creases seemed to have been added to his somewhat aged face.
As Kumogakure's temporary leader, Hui had been the first to receive news about the Fourth Raikage and the others. At the time, he had been just as shocked as Omoi was now.
Like the vast majority of Kumogakure shinobi, Hui had always believed that Kirigakure was