Standing on the training ground, A rolled his arms and shoulders, preparing to test where his combat strength actually stood.
He hadn’t even cycled his chakra yet, hadn’t activated his Lightning Release Armor, when a grating rap reached his ears.
He almost smiled.
Wasn’t there a line in Dream of the Red Chamber?
Before the lips part, you already hear what’s coming.
Except in this case, “laughter” was a generous description.
A didn’t need to guess.
He looked toward the training ground entrance, and sure enough, a dark-skinned octopus in sunglasses was already bounding and bouncing his way over.
“Yo, yo, my good brother!
You out on the training ground, looking mighty proud — joy bursting through the ground!
Something good must’ve happened, come tell your brother — bakayarō, kono yarō!”
A watched Killer B come bounding up and felt a wave of genuine warmth.
Whether from the anime of his previous life or the memories of the body he now inhabited, Killer B was his most trusted partner, no question.
The name of the A-B Combo resounded throughout the entire Shinobi World.
“Haha, something good indeed, B.
I can’t wait to stir up some major commotion in this world!”
Killer B raised an eyebrow, looking at him with open puzzlement.
“Yo, brother!
The way I feel it, today you’re, real peculiar!
But no matter what, as long as you’re happy, I support you!
You got something going on, just tell B — I’ll bring the Eight-Tails along, to vent for you!
Yee, ”
A clapped him on the shoulder.
“B, you bastard.
Nothing’s going to happen to me, I’m the fastest Fourth Raikage in all of Kumogakure.
But thanks anyway.”
“By the way.
What do you think of the female ninja over in Konohagakure?”
Killer B froze.
Then a wide, knowing grin spread across his face.
“Yo, yo, bakayarō, kono yarō, so THAT’S what, you’ve been scheming!”
“The female ninja of Konohagakure, truly are outstanding, but don’t you, overdo it!
Otherwise trouble, will keep on coming, oh yeah, ”
A stretched out his palm and slowly closed his fist, eyes wild with confidence.
“Trouble?
That word doesn’t exist for me.
I’m going to make the entire Shinobi World know that the Fourth Raikage, A, is the strongest man alive.
Every female ninja out there, I’m taking them all.”
As a hardcore Naruto fan, A had complete confidence in how things would unfold.
He knew exactly which opportunities to seize and which paths to take.
He’d shatter the ceiling of Kage-level and push into Beyond Kage-level territory, and that alone would be more than enough to roam the Shinobi World however he pleased.
And he still had the Entry Compendium on top of that.
The thing had talked itself up like it was some divine artifact.
Surely it had to have some real ability, right?
Killer B shook his head, helpless.
He knew that once his brother made up his mind, it was nearly impossible to change.
“Since you’re, so full of confidence, then I’ll just, wait and see!
But don’t neglect the real work, Kumogakure still needs, the Raikage to protect it!
Bakayarō, kono yarō!
Woo-yee, ”
“Hahahaha!
Alright, alright, you damn B, your rapping is still murder on the ears.
Come on, let’s head over to Cloud Lightning Gorge and spar!”
A night passed.
Kumogakure stirred awake under the morning light.
At 8 o’clock, A walked into the conference room with steady, confident strides, ready to open the day’s briefing.
(Transmigrated to another world and still couldn’t escape the 8 AM meeting?
Interesting.)
After yesterday’s extended one-on-one real-man brawl with Killer B, he had fully settled into this body.
The raw physical power and massive chakra reserves gave him a bone-deep, unshakeable confidence.
Inside the conference room, Kumogakure’s senior leadership was already assembled.
They watched A walk in, their expressions carrying a tangle of things, confusion, shock, but most of all, unmistakable relief.
[Lord Raikage has finally come around.
Ever since the Third died, the pressure on him has been immense.
A little relaxation is exactly what he needed.]
A had told people not to spread what happened in the office yesterday.
But gossip doesn’t care which world you’re in, it grows wings and flies on its own.
The news had already reached everyone.
Mabui entered shortly after.
Her face was a shade paler than usual, and her eyes still carried a thread of unease mixed with something almost shy.
She didn’t dare meet A’s gaze.
She kept her head down as she walked to his side, biting her lower lip.
A noticed.
The corner of his mouth curved into a smile that said considerably more than it needed to.
“Lord Raikage, there is important intelligence that requires your attention.” The Head of Intelligence stood, seeing that most people had arrived.
“Go ahead.” A put away his smile and straightened, restoring the composed authority that the Raikage’s seat demanded.
“Yes, sir.” The Head of Intelligence nodded and produced a letter.
“Lord Raikage, border scouts have reported that Konohagakure appears to be organizing a significant operation.
There are also signs of coordination with Sunagakure.”
“Our intelligence personnel are still investigating the specifics, but this situation may have a considerable impact on Kumogakure.”
A’s brow furrowed slightly.
He reached up and stroked the goatee on his chin.
Konohagakure was a veteran powerhouse of the Shinobi World, a cradle of geniuses, the origin of four great wars.
If they were moving, Kumogakure couldn’t afford to ignore it.
[But given the timeline…
Konoha, Suna, unusual movements…]
[It’s almost certainly, the Konoha Crush.
Orochimaru, huh?]
A turned it over for a moment.
The shape of it fit.
“Keep a close watch on Konohagakure.
The moment you have confirmed intelligence, report directly to me.”
“Understood!” The Head of Intelligence sat down, and several elders responsible for Kumogakure’s civilian affairs and defenses spoke in succession after that.
Half an hour later, the meeting wrapped up.
The senior leadership filed out one by one until only A and Mabui remained.
Mabui was like an ant on a hot griddle, she couldn’t leave, couldn’t stay.
The old her would have slipped out the moment the meeting ended and gone straight back to work.
But now…
“Mabui.
Close the door.”
The quiet command cut through her wandering thoughts.
She snapped her head up in alarm and found herself looking directly at A’s smile.
“Lord Raikage, this is the conference room…”
“I said close it, so close it.
Enough.” His tone came down cold and flat, cutting her off before she could finish.
Mabui pressed her lips together and said nothing more, a flash of something wounded moving through her eyes.
…
After their private meeting concluded, A returned to his office and sank into his chair, eyes closed.
[The Konoha Crush Plan erupts during the Chunin Exams.
The recent movements from Konoha and Suna are building toward exactly that…
Maybe I should make a trip over there.]
He was still mapping out his plan when his vision suddenly smeared, and his consciousness dropped into the compendium space.
A moment of disorientation passed.
A looked up at the cartoon watch floating in the air and smiled.
“Haki-compendium.
You bastard, you’ve finally got your act together?”
The Entry Compendium let out a cold snort and flicked the entry harvested from Mabui down in front of him.
“What choice do I have?
Things are what they are.
Let me show you what this Creator God can actually do.”
➤ Next: Blue Entry Effect — Mirror, You’re For Real?