Back then, the Third Raikage had been famous for his iron will, known across the world as the strongest shield. Yet even he had been helpless against a monster like Mōryō, which said everything about how terrifying that fiend truly was.
And yet Akira had gone and sealed Mōryō all by himself, without borrowing Shion's power as the priestess. Strength like that had clearly gone far beyond the usual limits of Kage level.
After all, the priestess Miroku from that era had been a peak Kage-level powerhouse in her own right. If she had ever truly fought all out, she might well have surpassed even Hanzo, the man once called the Salamander.
And Hanzō was no empty legend. His title as the "Demigod" had been earned blade in hand across the entire ninja world. Nobody had handed that name to him out of courtesy.
Now the Fourth Raikage sat behind his desk, brows knotted so tightly they could have been carved there. His face was dark enough to storm, and deep down, he trusted Yugito's judgment completely.
She was a genuine Kage-level fighter. Aside from Killer B, who spent his days rapping and dancing like a fool, she was the only other top-tier force in Kumogakure capable of perfectly controlling a Tailed Beast.
Yugito might have been proud to a fault, but her loyalty to the village had never once been in question. She would never speak carelessly on a matter this serious.
At that moment, the Fourth Raikage's mind was filled with a single problem.
If Akira truly was even more monstrous than the God of Ninja, Senju Hashirama, then what exactly did that mean for Kumogakure?
The office remained deathly silent for a long while before he finally raised his huge eyes and fixed them on Samui.
"Samui. You've barely said a word since getting back. You've dealt with him twice now, so tell me straight. What kind of person is he?"
Samui blinked at being called out, then unconsciously glanced toward Yugito beside her. After thinking for a moment, she answered slowly.
"I don't think he's the type who would deliberately put himself on our side of the board as an enemy. The way he handles things feels very similar to Konoha's Fifth Hokage. At his core, he hates war and wants peace."
"But his strength really is ridiculous. In the Land of Water, I saw him casually throw out a few ordinary jutsus and pin the rampaging Three-Tails down like it was nothing. A monster like that is someone we're better off not provoking. Since he handed over that intelligence himself, the smartest move is to verify it."
"And if what he said about the Akatsuki is true, then for Kumogakure, that information could save lives."
After hearing that, the tension in the Raikage's shoulders eased slightly, and he gave a heavy nod.
"That makes sense. Mabui, get the intelligence division moving right now. I want every word checked."
Mabui, who had been standing quietly off to the side the whole time, immediately nodded and began writing things down at speed.
The Raikage rubbed at the stubble along his jaw and said in a low voice, "From now on, if any of you run into that monster, you keep your heads down and stay out of his way. If he's really as terrifying as Yugito says, then avoiding him is the only smart option."
He could not help thinking back to how his father had once had to deal with the First Hokage. The comparison alone was enough to make his scalp prickle.
If only the current ninja world had someone who could match Akira, even just enough to keep him occupied.
Back then, Uchiha Madara had been arrogant beyond belief, but at least Hashirama had been there to keep him in check.
Now Akira had appeared out of nowhere, and across the entire ninja world, there did not seem to be a single person worthy of forcing him to take things seriously.
That was what made the whole thing so unsettling.
If you could not win, then the only sensible way to survive was to admit it and avoid poking the sleeping dragon.
Still, one thing kept nagging at the Raikage.
Akira had no ties whatsoever to Yugito, so why had he handed over information that sensitive the very first time they met?
He cast a suspicious glance at Samui, but the ice queen wore the same unreadable expression as always. There was nothing on her face to give him a hint.
For all his explosive temper and habit of smashing desks, the Fourth Raikage was far sharper than people gave him credit for. Underneath the bluster, he was a careful man.
"If this Akatsuki organization is really after the Tailed Beasts, sooner or later they're coming for our village too. For the time being, Yugito, you are to stay in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning with B. The two of you are too important to this village. Nothing can be allowed to happen to either of you."
Keeping Killer B in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning had always been part protection, part confinement.
Ever since his father's death, the Raikage had been terrified something might happen to his only brother as well. So he had basically kept B there practicing Tailed Beast Bombs day after day.
If an enemy ever came, then the two jinchuriki could simply serve as a pair of mobile artillery platforms, staying back and blasting the battlefield apart. Nobody was asking them to charge into close combat.
In plain terms, he wanted B tied down in the valley so the fool would stop wandering off and causing trouble.
And now that the Akatsuki had shown their hand, there was no way he was going to let Yugito keep roaming around on missions either.
The moment she heard the order, Yugito's brows drew together sharply. She had just opened her mouth to protest.
"Raikage-sama, I..."
Before she could finish, the Raikage shot her a glare hard enough to crack stone.
"Enough. That's an order. You're staying in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning for the time being. If the Akatsuki really show up, you hit them with a Tailed Beast Bomb and blow them to hell. The moment the alarm goes up, the whole village will move in to back you up."
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