Inside the Hokage Office, the other four Kage frowned deeply at the intelligence before them.
They had never expected the situation to be far more complicated than they had imagined.
The scroll lay open on the desk, its ink not yet fully dry, but the information between its lines was like an icy blade, cutting into everyone's hearts again and again.
Raikage A slammed the scroll in his hand onto the desk with a heavy thud.
His brow creased deeply, the densely packed words reflected in his golden eyes.
Kazekage Rasa folded his arms, his fingers tightening slightly beneath his sleeves, his gaze dark and brooding.
Mizukage Karatachi Yagura looked pale. His body was still recovering after being freed from the genjutsu, but his eyes never left the scroll.
Tsuchikage Ōnoki floated in midair, his small body leaning slightly forward, his aged eyes narrowed to slits as he mulled over every word on the scroll several times.
The four Kage had begun to take the Akatsuki seriously.
They had never imagined that a single organization could gather so many powerful fighters, even someone with the legendary Rinnegan.
With Uchiha Madara, Kakuzu, Sasori of the Red Sands, and a host of other Kage-level fighters, such a lineup could launch a frontal assault even against the Five Great Nations.
No! No! That had to exclude the Leaf Village. Its current strength was unparalleled, with far too many Kage-level fighters.
After all, the Leaf Village had fought them during the Nine-Tails Incident, causing an uproar throughout the Ninja World.
Though the details were unknown, the Leaf Village had not lost a single top-tier fighter. Clearly, even the Akatsuki's Rinnegan wielder had gained little from the encounter.
The air in the office seemed to freeze.
Raikage A spoke first, his voice low and cold,