Upon hearing Raikage's words, Yuki Yoru fell silent.
The other man had spoken so directly, it was clear he was trying to hand this girl over to him.
But… could he accept her?
Mei Terumī was right outside packing their luggage—if she saw him step out for just a moment and come back with a pale-skinned, beautiful, and exceptionally "well-endowed" evil "female disciple," tonight he might very well be on the receiving end of her wrath—perhaps straight to the "kidney-removal redemption service."
Still, refusing outright wasn't ideal either. After all, Raikage wasn't wrong—everything he sought was for the sake of Kumogakure gaining better mastery over spiritual power.
Samui's calm, thoughtful nature was rare in a village full of muscle-brained athletes. Having her receive spiritual power training from Yoru could indeed greatly improve Kumogakure's ability to wield such forces.
"To so brazenly beg power from me, the leader of another village, just for the sake of your own village…"
Yuki Yoru regarded the Fourth Raikage with interest.
"Why do you think I'd grant you such power? Or perhaps these abilities come with my own hidden methods—wouldn't that mean you're pushing all of Kumogakure straight into a pit of fire, Fourth Raikage?"
"…"
The Fourth Raikage, A, fell silent.
Indeed—he was the Kage of Kumogakure, and Yuki Yoru was the Kage of Kirigakure. While the two villages had no major historical conflicts, not long ago they'd still clashed in Konoha.
All under heaven hustle for profit; all under heaven move for advantage.
Both were rulers of their respective villages. With competing interests, Yoru had neither the obligation nor the reason to help Kumogakure.
And yet A had made this request—more than that, he truly believed Yoru would agree!
Perhaps it was because Yoru, during the power struggles back then, had chosen to transform chakra into spiritual power instead of simply slaughtering them all in Konoha.
Or perhaps it was because Yoru already possessed the power to sweep across the entire shinobi world, yet had not launched any war of conquest—instead developing the economy, promoting industry and commerce across all the villages, and even freely sharing his knowledge with others.
Courage and magnanimity.
In Yoru, he saw a measure and boldness beyond reckoning. Perhaps that was why he dared to say such a thing.
"I understand."
Sensing the Raikage's expression, Yoru sighed softly.
: "You are an excellent Kage, A. Kumogakure is indeed lucky to have a Kage like you."
"I can agree to part of your request. As for training in spiritual power, I can assist Samui and guide her—but as for taking her as my disciple… let's leave that be."
Yoru put on a mildly troubled expression.
"You understand, don't you? A disciple is like a child—having one already is troublesome enough. Another one would throw my whole daily life into chaos."
"…I see." A glanced at Samui, who lightly bit her lip, and nodded.
"I was indeed too presumptuous. But if you're willing to give her guidance, that's already a great honor for both Samui and Kumogakure!"
"Thank you, Mizukage-sama!" Samui quickly bowed deeply.
"No need for such formality. I've always been this way toward those who thirst for knowledge and strive for improvement."
Samui and A both looked at Yoru in puzzlement. They didn't understand why he would show such an expression.
A mask?
No—he was already invincible. Why would he need to pretend?
His true nature?
Impossible. This was the same Yuki Yoru who stole souls on the battlefield, who slaughtered countless Konoha shinobi during the Third Great Ninja War, who returned to his village and decisively overthrew the Third Mizukage. How could his nature be like this?
"Why?" The Fourth Raikage clearly wasn't the type—like Hiruzen Sarutobi or Ōnoki—to swallow his words.
"Mizukage, why do you act this way? What benefit is there for you?"
"Benefit?" Yoru paused, then smiled faintly.
"Don't you think it's beautiful to see the people of the shinobi world gradually transform—from doubt and weakness into clarity and strength?"
"Of course, such words sound too saintly. I'm no self-sacrificing sage. If I had to give a reason…"
"Perhaps I just want this world… to keep up with my pace."
For the world… to keep up with my pace…
A stared at Yoru, and in that instant, his doubts vanished.
This—this was the Yuki Yoru he had imagined.
"I understand."
The Fourth Raikage rose to his feet and gave Yoru a deep bow.
"Tomorrow's Kage Summit—please attend on time."
"Of course," Yoru replied with a smile.
The Fourth Raikage glanced at Samui.
Samui, who was originally sitting cross-legged, quickly stood up, but the Fourth Raikage just turned and left, which made Samui feel a little helpless.
But her hesitation only lasted for a tenth of a second. Samui bowed her head deeply to Yoru: "Please, Mizukage-sama, feel free to..."
"Yoru, has the Fourth Raikage left? I thought he had a young woman with him—what…"
Mei Terumī's voice drew closer from afar, but stopped abruptly at the doorway.
Her beautiful eyes kept darting back and forth between Yoru and Samui, who was bowing in respect. Although she was young, her fair skin and great assets could definitely be compared to her own. Mei Terumī's eyebrows immediately furrowed, and a dangerous look appeared in her eyes.
"Mizukage-sama… could you tell me exactly what's going on here?"
The gentle tone made Yoru's scalp tingle. Looking at Samui, he could only sigh.
"I'll have to trouble you with the schedule in Kumogakure for now, Samui. But you should go down and rest for now."
"Yes, Mizukage-sama."
Samui bowed respectfully again, then stood up in a disciplined manner, nodded gently to Mei Terumī, and walked out the door.
Mei Terumī responded gently. After Samui's figure disappeared from her sight, Mei Terumī turned around and closed the door. The expression on her face became even gentler.
"As expected of the strongest Fourth Mizukage in the shinobi world… I step out for just a moment to put away luggage, and you've already found yourself such a pretty little 'companion.'"
"…You're unbelievable."
...
Due to the danger of the Akatsuki organization, the Kage summit was held very quickly. The day after the representatives of each village settled down, the meeting was held as planned.
The venue was grand—unlike the Land of Iron's simple round table, the Fourth Raikage had deliberately chosen a vast, majestic hall to showcase Kumogakure's deep heritage and the importance he placed on this summit.
There were no barriers in the center and on both sides of the venue to conceal secrets. It was completely open. In addition to the huge round table in the center, there were also several rows of seats around it, as if to allow observers, and there was no fear of the contents of the meeting being leaked.
It made sense. This Kage summit was not so much a secret meeting of the five great nations' highest authorities as it was a pre-war declaration against the Akatsuki organization. Starting the meeting in such a manner was a show of absolute confidence in their own forces and their determination to declare war on the Akatsuki organization!
"Although the Tsuchikage isn't here, with the Fourth Mizukage, the Fourth Kazekage, and the Fifth Hokage all present, we can begin the summit."
Standing at the host's position, Dodai looked at the four figures seated around the table:
The Fourth Raikage A, all muscle and stern seriousness.
The Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Fugaku, in his Hokage robes, hands folded before him.
The Fourth Kazekage Rasa, gaze mostly fixed on Yoru while occasionally glancing at the Raikage and Hokage.
And the young man with a calm smile, leaning back casually in his chair—the absolute core of this meeting, the strongest in the shinobi world: Yuki Yoru.
"Akatsuki's ambitions are immeasurable. They've recruited missing-nin, controlled both the Third Mizukage and Fourth Kazekage, and now they target the Tailed Beasts!"
The Fourth Raikage wasted no time after Dodai's opening, cutting straight to the point:
"We must stop their schemes and annihilate this evil organization!"
Rasa, whose name was mentioned, frowned slightly. It was extremely shameful for a Kage to be controlled, let alone have the Fourth Raikage bring it up in the open.
However, Rasa didn't dwell on these minor points. Instead, he nodded and agreed with the Raikage's words: "The threat of the Akatsuki organization cannot be ignored. Their ambition must be curbed!"
"Since their goal is the Tailed Beasts, we should first determine the location of the Tailed Beasts and their core base," Fugaku Uchiha said in a deep voice: "The One-Tails should be inside you, Kazekage-sama."
"Yes, the One-Tails was implanted inside me when I was controlled."
Rasa's hands clasped together, expression heavy.
"If not for the Mizukage, both I and Sunagakure would have faced disaster, and Shukaku would have fallen into Akatsuki's hands. For this, I must once again thank you, Mizukage-sama."
"It was my duty. There's no need to be so polite, Kazekage-sama," Yoru said with a smile. "As for the Three-Tails and Six-Tails, you needn't worry—they're both with me."
"The Two-Tails and Eight-Tails are inside Yugito Nii and Killer B," the Raikage added, looking at Fugaku. "Plus the Nine-Tails of Konoha. That means that the Tailed Beasts that are currently loose and may have been captured by the Akatsuki organization are the Four-Tails, Five-Tails, and Seven-Tails."
"Indeed. The information on the Four-Tails, Five-Tails, and Seven-Tails has disappeared from the shinobi world since the Third Ninja World War."
"There's been no news from them. Does that mean they've already been captured by the Akatsuki organization?"
"The revival location of the Tailed Beasts is completely random! It's also possible that they've already been captured by the Akatsuki organization!"
"Damn it..."
Looking at the Kage who were discussing and continuously elevating the threat of the Akatsuki organization, Yoru did not say anything.
The Four-Tails, Five-Tails, and Seven-Tails had actually been marked by Yoru with a special mark, just like the Three-Tails and Six-Tails.
That mark was not something that would disappear after they died. It was like a brand, deeply engraved into their very essence.
Every time they were resurrected and reformed, these marks would re-notify Yuki Yoru of their location. Therefore, the reason why these few Tailed Beasts had been missing for the past few years was not because they had been captured by the Akatsuki organization, but because Yoru had been harvesting them.
Well, as soon as they were resurrected, it was 500,000 points. Five Tailed Beasts at once was 2.5 million. Weren't they just big golden leeks for him to harvest?
In any case, Yoru had a blast farming points. These few Tailed Beasts had helped his Hōgyoku and Yhwach's power a lot!
"We must prepare for the worst. If those three have already fallen into Akatsuki's hands, the rest will surely be targeted next," Fugaku warned.
"They also possess the Rinnegan, a Mangekyō with space-time ninjutsu, and Wood Release. If they make a move against us, any one of us, besides the Mizukage, will be in huge trouble."
"As much as it pains me to say it, Sunagakure has no ability to resist Akatsuki's power," Rasa admitted.
The Raikage slammed a fist into the air, growling:
"That's exactly why we're here! To stop them before their plans fully unfold—we must strike first and destroy Akatsuki!"
"But with their space-time ninjutsu, if they choose to hide, they'll be hard to track," Fugaku countered, clearly thinking of Kamui.
"That's right. And their genjutsu is formidable—enough that even I couldn't resist it," Rasa added. "If they embed themselves in a village's leadership, we'd have no way to find them."
"I agree with the Raikage's proposal, but locating them will be like finding a needle in a haystack."
"I actually have a little information about the Akatsuki organization."
The sudden words attracted the attention of everyone present. The eyes of the three Kage all fell on Yoru.
"It was an unexpected gain during the Sunagakure battle. While we fought there, some of their members even tried to infiltrate Kirigakure," Yoru said without batting an eye: "Fortunately, Kirigakure's defense was tight, and they were successfully repelled. Although we paid a price, we also gained something, and this information is one of them."
"According to the information I've received, the Akatsuki organization's largest core base... is located in the Land of Rain!"
"The Land of Rain?"
"Hanzō's territory?"
"Impossible—how could Hanzo allow such a force to appear in his territory?!"