Sunlight fell over them, while wind blew in through the gate, carrying the chill of autumn.
"Hey, why did those Hidden Cloud envoys look so awful when they left yesterday?"
"Who knows? Maybe the negotiations fell apart."
"Anyway, it has nothing to do with us. We just need to guard the gate..."
The Chunin with a grass stem between his teeth stopped halfway through his sentence.
His gaze landed on the distant road, where a large group was rapidly approaching. At the very front was a burly, dark-skinned man crackling with lightning, taking strides so broad it looked like he was crossing field ridges.
"...What is that?"
"Looks like people? A lot of people... Wait, isn't that—the Raikage?!"
Before the two Chunin could react further, A had already reached them.
He stood more than a head taller than the two of them. Facing them, he was like a moving wall, his deep voice rumbling like muffled thunder.
"Go tell Hiruzen Sarutobi that the Third Raikage, A, has arrived! Tell him to come out and see me."
The Chunin with the grass stem swallowed and raised a hand to stop him. "May I ask, are you here to..."
Before he could finish, A casually swung his hand. A burst of Lightning Release chakra mixed with wind pressure slammed directly into his chest.
His whole body flew backward. He rolled across the ground several times before crashing into a gatepost and coming to a stop.
But he quickly climbed back to his feet—A had not struck too hard. He had merely made him lose face.
The other Chunin hurriedly backed away two steps, dropping the rice ball in his hand. His voice trembled slightly. "I-I'll report this right away!"
The two of them scrambled toward the Hokage Building.
A stood at the