Raikage A gritted his teeth, staring at the hundred-meter-tall Susanoo in the distance. Its dark blue Chakra Armor gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
His fists clenched and unclenched, then clenched again, his knuckles whitening under the strain.
A trace of regret stirred in his heart.
Back when they had discussed joint operations in the Leaf Village, he had rejected the proposal himself.
He had thought Kumogakure's strength and Killer B's Eight-Tails would be enough to handle any threat.
He had thought war was still far from the Hidden Cloud Village.
He had thought-
It was too late for any of that now.
Countless footsteps converged from every direction as the Hidden Cloud Village's shinobi emerged from the rubble, from behind the hills, and from the woods.
One after another, they gathered beside the Raikage and Killer B.
A medical ninja hurried forward, green chakra glowing around both hands, and tried to examine Raikage A's injuries.
But Raikage A raised his uninjured hand and gently pushed the medical ninja's hands away.
"No need."
His voice was low and hoarse, carrying a calm that was impossible to describe.
He slowly rose to his feet, looking away from the medical ninja's face toward the dark blue giant in the distance and the figure standing atop its head.
"It's already too late."
Raikage A started walking toward the Susanoo, one step at a time.
His pace was neither hurried nor slow. Every step was steady, his boot soles scraping against the shattered ground.
"Brother-!"
Killer B's voice came from behind him, urgent and uneasy.
He struggled to get up from the ground, his entire body trembling slightly as he pushed himself upright, but Raikage A did not turn back.
"Killer B."
The Raikage's voice drifted back, without anger or a roar, only calm.
"Listen