Kumogakure, the Raikage's office.
The atmosphere was as oppressive as the sky before a storm.
The Fourth Raikage, A, had every muscle in his powerful body tensed, veins bulging across his forehead. He slammed a heavy fist onto the hard desk, and cracks instantly spread across its surface.
"Bastards! The Hidden Leaf has gone too far!"
A's roar echoed through the office. On the floor lay Killer B and several other envoys in a miserable state. They had brought back not only humiliation, but also a deep fear of the young man named Kamizuki Yu.
Owl's condition stoked A's fury even further. Having one's chakra crippled was, for a ninja, worse than death.
"The Hokage, and that brat Kamizuki Yu... Kumogakure will never forget this humiliation!" A gritted out.
He was furious, yet a lingering apprehension remained. According to Killer B's report, Kamizuki Yu's strength was unfathomable, while the Hidden Leaf's attitude had been unprecedentedly firm.
Kumogakure's higher-ups in the office, Mabui and C, remained silent. Mabui calmly analyzed the intelligence, while C, a sensory ninja, was deeply alarmed by the bottomless chakra reserves Killer B had described.
Just as A's rage peaked and he contemplated how to retaliate against this unbearable disgrace—
"Knock, knock."
A light tapping suddenly sounded from outside the window.
Not the main door—the window. The Raikage's office was located at the very top of the central tower in Kumogakure. Beyond the window lay sheer cliffs and howling winds.
A and every Kumogakure ninja in the office, including the ANBU guards outside, tensed in an instant.
Who?!
A whipped his head around and stared at the enormous floor-to-ceiling window.
A figure stood quietly outside, seemingly merged with the night. Without any support, he floated in midair amid the raging winds.
Moonlight outlined his refined features, and