The Cloud Ninja around the Fourth Raikage had long since grown used to his behavior.
It was precisely his straightforward nature, with its clear-cut likes and dislikes, that earned their trust. At least they would not find themselves casually dragged into conspiracies as they might in other shinobi villages.
That frank approach, along with a reasonably fair system of rewards and punishments, had put the once unremarkable Kumogakure on course to replace Konoha as the foremost shinobi village.
In fact, beyond a powerful ninja like the Raikage, Kumogakure also had two jinchūriki capable of fighting effectively. That was something the other shinobi villages could hardly match.
Rising and walking over to the floor-to-ceiling window, the Fourth Raikage gradually unclenched his fists and asked his secretary, Mabui, about affairs both inside and outside the village, particularly anything concerning the Akatsuki.
"Lord Fourth, these are all the records of Akatsuki activity across the shinobi world."
Mabui nodded slightly, took a stack of documents from under her arm, and handed them to the Fourth Raikage.
Compared with the Raikage brothers, whose heads contained more muscle than brains, she was the one who truly handled Kumogakure's administration. Only with her doing so could the Raikage focus entirely on improving his strength.
The Fourth Raikage carefully leafed through the documents. They largely matched the intelligence Kakashi had provided. It seemed Konoha had shown some sincerity.
Yet the more he compared them, the more one thought rose in his mind.
The strength the Akatsuki had demonstrated already exceeded the combined strength of Kumogakure's elite fighters. He could not afford to ignore that threat.
Just then, Mabui's bronze ankles appeared before the Fourth Raikage. When he looked up, she handed him another report.
"Lord Raikage, you should read this report yourself."
The Fourth Raikage frowned. Spotting words