"Rumble!"
Faint thunder reverberated through the mist, and howling winds scattered the clouds high above, bringing everything into clear view.
Silence. All of Kumogakure was unimaginably quiet.
The wind swept past, carrying the rustle of leaves into everyone's ears. The sky was blue and the sunlight dazzling, yet neither could dispel the gloom in their hearts.
The enormous meteorite stood before them, casting a slanted shadow over the crowd and making the shinobi's faces twitch.
Fear, confusion, tension, anger, resentment, despair, helplessness-all these emotions shifted endlessly within their hearts.
The group that called itself the Akatsuki had left, but the pain it had inflicted on Kumogakure would never fade. Everyone would remember it forever.
"Lord Raikage!"
Someone threw back their head and cried out, their sobs wrenching at everyone's hearts.
"Hurry! What are you standing around for? Get Lord Raikage out!"
Someone shouted and ran toward the meteorite.
The others froze for a moment before reacting, though doubts inevitably arose in their hearts.
Could he really have survived being struck by a meteorite like that-let alone two?
They gathered before the meteorite and used every ounce of their strength to break through the rock. After a considerable amount of time, they finally found Fourth Raikage A lying in the center of a massive crater, his entire body drenched in blood.
"Lord A!"
The shinobi burst into tears.
It was the first time they had ever seen Lord Raikage in such a horrific state.
People dropped to their knees all around the meteorite, and their sobbing merged into a chorus that swept through Kumogakure.
Without question, this was a day of grief for the village.
Almost all of Kumogakure had been destroyed. Countless shinobi had lost their lives at the enemy's hands, and even the Fourth Raikage lay before them, covered