At the center of Kumogakure, a massive open-air stage gleamed beneath the afternoon sun.
Colorful drapes hung from pillars at the four corners, while speakers piled on both sides of the stage blasted wave after wave of powerful, cheerful beats.
"Yeah—! Yeah—! Young people—!"
Killer B stood at the center of the stage, wearing a cool pair of sunglasses. He gripped a microphone in one hand, dressed in a loose, bright yellow robe with several glittering chains around his neck.
His body swayed from side to side with the rhythm, while eight octopus tentacles extended from behind him and waved up and down to the beat, as if greeting the fans below.
"Throw your worries behind you—yeah! Shake 'em all off—!"
"My rap is overflowing with passion now—baby—! Thank you all—yeah—!"
Below the stage, thousands of young Kumogakure villagers were packed shoulder to shoulder, everyone raising their hands and swaying and shouting along with Killer B.
Cheers, whistles, and applause blended together into a deafening wave of sound that crashed back and forth over Kumogakure.
The noise drifted along the mountain wind into the Raikage Building, passing through corridors and cracks beneath doors before slipping into Fourth Raikage A's office.
Inside the office, A was bare-chested, the muscles all over his body glistening bronze beneath a sheen of sweat.
The training equipment before him—cast-iron barbells and weighted discs totaling several tons—was lifted and lowered again and again as he repeated set after set of intense training.
Every time he exerted himself, the muscles in his arms bulged, veins coiling beneath his skin like green snakes. Even the floor beneath his feet trembled faintly with his movements.
Then the music outside exploded again—and it was even louder than before.
The Raikage abruptly stopped moving. He tilted his head, the veins on