Chapter 316 Xiao Ai

The Fourth Raikage sat in the supreme and unique office. The decoration in his office was quite peculiar. There were no calligraphy and antiques symbolizing elegance, nor any famous quotes expressing one's will. Instead, there was only a pile of fitness equipment.

As the head of a village, the Fourth Raikage had too many shortcomings: irritability, temper, lack of strategy, impulsiveness, etc. But since the death of the Third Raikage, he took over steadily and was even more legitimate than Yeshan.

The reason is a long story. The country of thunder has many mountains and valleys. Since ancient times, the people are tough and often fight to the death. To outsiders, they are just a group of barbarians who eat raw meat and drink blood. The people advocate the use of force, so naturally they need a strongest person to be the leader. The fourth generation Raikage has been the strongest among his peers since the Genin period. He once had a terrifying record of defeating 100 people in one day, so he was tattooed with the word "thunder" early on and officially became the only successor to the next Raikage.

The Fourth Raikage had been holding a grudge all these years. His father's body was not found anywhere and the morale of the village's ninjas plummeted, which led him to develop a great hatred for the culprit, the Konoha Village. He completely forgot that it was the Land of Lightning that first invaded the Land of Fire.

"1009, 1010, 1011"

Now, the Fourth Raikage is doing his daily warm-up. To him, the village affairs are nothing more than copying others, and how to improve his personal strength is the top priority.

A sound of footsteps was heard in the corridor, and a moment later the half-closed door was pushed open from the outside. A middle-aged man walked slowly into the office, looked at the Raikage who was doing a one-finger handstand, and sat down on the sofa in the meeting room without any hesitation.

"Snapped!"

The cigarette was lit, the middle-aged man took a deep breath, leaned back on the sofa, and stared at the Raikage without saying a word.

The Fourth Raikage raised his eyebrows, and with a little force on his fingertips, he finished his warm-up. He picked up a towel from the rack and wiped his sweat, then said, "What a rare guest! What are you doing here?"

The middle-aged man smiled slightly: "Why, Master Raikage doesn't welcome me?"

"How dare I! The village's famous conservative leader is visiting, which is something that I, the Raikage, have been dreaming of."

"Haha." The middle-aged man exhaled smoke and said slowly, "You are still so naive. Your thoughts and emotions are clearly shown on your face. This is not what a qualified leader should look like."

The Fourth Raikage clenched his palms, and said angrily amidst the sound of bones crackling: "What the Hidden Cloud Village needs is a warrior with strong strength, not a coward with a belly full of petty tricks!"

The middle-aged man waved his hands helplessly and said calmly: "I didn't come here to argue with you today. Sit down and let's talk. Since the death of the third generation master, we haven't had a formal conversation for a long time."

The man who acted calm and composed in the Raikage's office was of great origin. He was the best partner and right-hand man of the Third Raikage. He had been in charge of the village's Anbu for many years and had made a great name for himself with his ninjutsu. He was the undisputed second in command of the Cloud Ninja Village.

The Fourth Raikage sat on a chair, his eyes seemed to contain lightning, he suppressed his anger and asked: "What's the matter with you?"

The middle-aged man said, "Don't be so angry. As the leader of a village, you should not show your emotions. Even if you are furious, you should maintain your dignity. This is what a qualified leader should do. Well, you have hated evil since you were a child, and I don't think you will change because of my nagging. I came to you for something important. Yesterday, you announced at the meeting that you would hold an exercise. Tell me, what are you going to do next?"

Sure enough, the Fourth Raikage slammed the table, cracking it into pieces. Then a roar that could be heard throughout the entire building came out: "I am the leader of the village. I have the absolute power to mobilize any ninja in the village! Do I have the obligation to report to you for a small-scale exercise?"

The middle-aged man put out his cigarette and said, "Of course you have no obligation to report to me, but you have an obligation to report to the hundreds of thousands of people in the village, and to the hundreds of millions of people in the country of Thunder! You made such a major decision without prior notice or a high-level meeting. Do you really think the village belongs to your Yeyue clan?"

After a pause, the middle-aged man continued, "Your little thoughts are almost written on your face. Do you really think others are brainless idiots? I don't care what you want to do when Konoha is weak. Cancel all your plans immediately!"

"How...did you know that?"

"Humph!" The middle-aged man snorted coldly, "It's just like lice growing on a bald head - it's obvious! I've watched you grow up since you were a child, and as soon as you stick your butt out, I know what kind of shit you're going to do."

The language art of the Lightning Country is zero. They always say whatever they think of, without any so-called euphemisms.

"Konoha is powerful, and Baikumoyeshan is the strongest in the ninja world. The Kumogami Village must not take the initiative to cause trouble during a sensitive period, otherwise a disaster will not be far away!"

The Fourth Raikage closed his eyes, tapping the table unconsciously with his thick fingers. After a long time, he opened his eyes and asked, "Can I trust you?"

The middle-aged man's pale face gradually turned red, and a long-lost anger crept into his heart. After kicking over the coffee table, he calmed down and said, "I didn't expect that the relationship between us would develop to the point where we are incompatible. Remember this, if everyone in the world betrays you, I will be the last person standing by your side. I know that you have been bored as the Raikage all these years, but that's because I am putting a rope around you! Governing a village and fighting a war are two different things. Don't always think that force can solve all problems. This will only make you look like a fool."

The middle-aged man stood up and continued in a calm voice: "I won't stop you if you want to prepare for revenge, but not now. As long as Baiyun Yeshan is still in that position, you have to stay in the village honestly."

The Fourth Raikage was a man of rough but meticulous character. Any fool who treated him as a fool would bear fruit on his grave. Upon hearing the middle-aged man's words, he let down his guard, knowing that even though the two of them had some conflicts, they were ultimately of the same mind.

"and many more!"

The middle-aged man paused as he was leaving and said, "Lord Raikage, do you want to keep me for lunch?"

The Fourth Raikage stepped forward and stretched out his hand to grab the other's clothes: "Second Uncle, you have to help me!"

The middle-aged man was struck by lightning. He was always known for his calmness, but when he heard the name "second uncle", his eyes became wet and he stood there sobbing.

"Xiao Ai, I know that you have looked down on me as your second uncle over the years and have never even said a greeting to me during the holidays, but I have never blamed you in my heart, really."

He turned around and looked at the sturdy man in front of him. He could vaguely see the shadow of that old friend. "My elder brother died tragically. I really want to rush to Konoha and tear Yeshan into pieces. I also want to take up arms and fight Konoha, but I can't do that. The village is the precious wealth left to you by my elder brother. It is also the treasure that our ancestors fought for with great difficulty. I dare not and will not sacrifice the public interest for personal gain."

"The village values ​​a happy revenge. When I was young, I was also a straightforward person who did what I wanted to do, but things are different now. Baiyun Yeshan suddenly appeared and killed many soldiers in the village with his own strength. He is no less terrible than Uchiha Madara back then. No, he is more terrible than Uchiha Madara because he is a smart and scheming person. In the past few years, your policies in the village have been inappropriate, and I have rejected your face many times, but it was all for the village!"

"At my age, I have lived enough. My sons are not very good. If I really want to keep my wealth and leave a foundation for my children and grandchildren, why should I go against you again and again? Ah? Isn't it because you are brave but not smart? I have only been out visiting the daimyo for a few days, and you have organized a military exercise that everyone knows about. How can I hand over the village to you with confidence?"

The Fourth Raikage was timid and after a while, he pulled the middle-aged man's sleeve and asked him to sit down. He then clumsily poured a cup of tea and said, "Uncle, you know that I'm not that bad. Although I've been a bit reckless in government affairs, I still think twice before acting when it comes to the safety of the village."

At that moment, the Fourth Raikage explained the whole story to the middle-aged man: "Outsiders cannot be trusted. I am cautious and will only send a thousand people to cause trouble. There are many captured criminals in the village prison. Let them cause trouble and vent their anger. Since someone is willing to be the enemy of Konoha, we can also test their strength and make some preparations for the next layout. If they really defeat Konoha, it would be better. If things fail, it is also a good thing to disgust Konoha."

The middle-aged man was dumbfounded. There was too much information. Even though he was resourceful, he couldn't believe it. "The Samsara Eye? And that legendary figure?"

The middle-aged man lit a cigarette and said in the rising smoke: "I believe in your vision and strength. It seems that Konoha is in big trouble this time!"

“Hehehe,” the middle-aged man smiled sinisterly and said, “You did the right thing. Opportunities are created by breaking through, but there are also shortcomings.”

The Fourth Raikage asked hurriedly, "What can Second Uncle teach me?"

"A thousand people are fine, but we must not send criminals. If we decide to do it, we must do it thoroughly! Over the years, I have been in charge of the Anbu and integrated many shady guys. When the time comes, with the addition of the elite troops carefully selected by the village going south, it will be enough to give Konoha a hard time."

The Fourth Raikage looked hesitant: "Isn't this too arbitrary?"

When the time came, he became hesitant, which shows that he is really indecisive and lacks strategy.

The middle-aged man said, "What if I go with a head? It is well known that you and I are not in harmony with the ninja world. It is human nature to do something extraordinary while the army is away."

"Second Uncle can't go!"

The middle-aged man smiled and said, "Xiao Ai, you have grown up and become more mature. I have spent a lot of effort in the past few years to cultivate two good seedlings. Let them come to tutor you in the afternoon."

He waved his hand to interrupt the Raikage and continued, "Because I hate Konohagakure, I chose to lead people to make a mindless move. This reason is justifiable even if Konoha investigates it later. People who can't give up anything will get nothing in the end. You understand this principle without me saying more."

"You've been feeling depressed these years, and I feel even worse. I'm old, and my whole body aches when it rains. I don't have many years left to live, so it would be nice to go down early and catch up with my brother."

The middle-aged man stood up and pushed the door open, ready to leave, but he finally stopped and said, "Xiao Ai, you will have to shoulder the burden from now on. Don't hate me. When you encounter problems, you should discuss them with your subordinates more often, okay?"

The Raikage nodded with a serious expression, and the middle-aged man waved his hand and slowly walked out, just like he did when he returned home after finishing his work many years ago.

The Fourth Raikage took a deep breath. He knew that after all the changes in the world, the good days he once missed would never come back.

On the second day, thousands of elite troops from the Cloud Ninja Village left the village in a mighty procession, and eventually arrived at the border of the Frost Country under the watchful eyes of numerous scouts and spies. A formal military exercise began.