At that moment, the Third Raikage, A, took a small step forward, turned his head, and looked toward a nearby tree before calling out:
"I've found you. Come out."
Surprised by A's confident voice, Rikuo stopped hiding and calmly stepped out from behind the tree. He revealed himself to A and the others, staring coldly at them with his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
"This guy is..."
The Hidden Cloud ninja were startled when they saw Rikuo's face. Clearly, they all recognized him, and their expressions turned wary.
"Lord Raikage, please be careful. Don't underestimate him just because he's young!"
One of them called out nervously.
He had seen Rikuo's strength clearly from the spectator stands at the joint chunin ninja exams several years earlier.
This was a genuine monster, someone who couldn't be judged by ordinary standards.
"I know. You can't be too careful around someone who can use Susanoo. Besides, he's that man's younger brother."
Even without the reminder from his subordinate, A knew that Rikuo's strength couldn't be underestimated.
"It seems you weren't simply passing through. Did you come here specifically?"
A stared at Rikuo as he asked.
"I had no choice. An allied nation commissioned us to intercept the thieves targeting its secret technique. Still, I didn't expect you to come in person, Lord Raikage."
Rikuo rubbed his forehead, looking thoroughly troubled. With the thief himself standing before him, there was no need to hide anything.
After all, the Land of Night and Hidden Cloud Village had been undermining each other behind the scenes for some time.
Despite being called a "thief," A showed no displeasure. On the contrary, he remained perfectly composed.
"Since your Land of Night intends to intervene, we'll give up on the Land of Flow's secret technique. Consider it a courtesy to your elder brother."