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Chapter 303: Tell the Raikage to Come See Me
🕑 Added 2024-11-15 11:11:01 +0000 UTCAkira and his team's route to the Cloud Village wasn't kept a secret. As they traveled, many people along the way lined up to welcome them.
Unless they used a Transformation Jutsu, Akira's distinctive features—his handsome face and the pair of dragon horns growing from his forehead—were already well-known throughout the entire shinobi world. And, with Naruto and the others beside him wearing their Leaf Village forehead protectors, it was easy to guess Akira's identity.
"Lord Akira, why say such things? Having you stay at my humble inn is an honor. How could I possibly take your money? If others heard I charged Lord Akira, I might as well close down!"
"It's an honor to have Lord Akira dine in our restaurant!"
"Having Lord Akira use our hot springs is truly an honor!"
As they traveled, no matter where Akira and his companions stayed—be it inns, restaurants, or hot springs—once they were recognized, the proprietors refused to take any payment.
Seeing how enthusiastic the store owners were, Akira had no choice but to "reluctantly" accept the free hospitality.
The mission fund of 100 million ryo hadn't really been spent.
Of course, this kind of hospitality only happened within the Land of Fire.
Once they left the Land of Fire and entered the Land of Lightning, the people pointed and stared at the group from the Leaf Village.
Likewise, Akira's pair of dragon horns made it easy for the people of the Land of Lightning to recognize him.
There was no question of getting anything for free here.
Word of Akira and his group's presence in the Land of Lightning and their approach towards the Cloud Village quickly reached the Fourth Raikage.
"Akira Uchiha? He's in the Land of Lightning? And he's headed directly for the Cloud Village!?"
The Fourth Raikage was visibly surprised when he heard the news of Akira's arrival.
Why would Akira suddenly come to the Land of Lightning? Wasn't he just involved in an assault against the Akatsuki?
Even though he was confused, Akira and his group had made no effort to conceal themselves, suggesting they meant no harm.
So, the Fourth Raikage decided to wait quietly in the Cloud Village. After several days, Akira and his team finally arrived.
The news of Akira's arrival was delivered to the Raikage immediately.
"The Cloud Village..." Standing at the entrance to the Cloud Village, Akira looked around, his expression filled with nostalgia.
"Akira-kun, you seem to have some feelings about this place," Hinata said with a gentle smile.
"Well, you could say that," Akira nodded. "After all, the first time my name echoed throughout the shinobi world was here in the Cloud Village. I was only six when I came here to take the Jonin Exam and ended up taking first place. That was when people first started to recognize me as a prodigy."
Indeed, it was during his participation in the Jonin Exam at the age of six, where he emerged victorious, that Akira first made a name for himself in the shinobi world. From that point onward, his fame only continued to grow.
"People of the Leaf Village, please come in." Since Akira and his group were visiting officially, representing the Leaf Village, they were greeted politely by the Cloud Village. The Cloud Village shinobi guided them to a place where they could rest while others went to inform the Fourth Raikage of Akira's arrival.
Once he was informed that Akira had arrived, the Raikage sent word that Akira could come to his office to meet him.
"The Fourth Raikage, huh... What an attitude," Roshi said, clearly annoyed upon hearing that the Raikage had essentially summoned Akira.
"That's right. Even though he's the Raikage, my brother-in-law is known as the strongest in the shinobi world. This kind of attitude is really inappropriate," Hanabi chimed in, equally displeased.
"Cloud Village shinobi are always like this—they just make people uncomfortable," even Hinata spoke up, her usually gentle demeanor giving way to a hint of irritation.
For Hinata to say something like that, it was clear she was truly upset.
"Don't worry. The people of the Cloud Village tend to overestimate themselves, but our purpose this time is to shatter that confidence," Akira said, gently patting Hinata's head. A flash of coldness appeared in his eyes.
Their goal this time was to demonstrate their power and remind the Cloud Village of their place. Moreover, years ago, the Cloud Village had attempted to kidnap Hinata, and this had been a deep stain on the Leaf Village's honor.
After the Third Hokage stepped down, the Cloud Village's kidnapping attempt was publicly revealed as one of his many failings—not just as a shame for the Hyuga Clan but for the entire Leaf Village.
The first time Akira patrolled the borders with Hiashi Hyuga, part of the reason was to seek revenge on the Cloud Village for what they did. However, the situation quickly escalated, and they never reached the Land of Lightning, so that matter was left unsettled.
Now that Akira was here with Hinata, it was time to demand an explanation for what had happened.
After a brief conversation with Hinata and the others, Akira decided on the tone of his upcoming meeting with the Raikage.
With that, everyone else stayed behind in their accommodations, while Akira took Hinata and Hanabi with him to the Raikage's office.
Before long, Akira arrived at the entrance to the Raikage's office.
"Please wait here. The Raikage is currently handling some important matters," said one of the Raikage's Jonin guards to Akira.
"Wait? How long will we need to wait?" Akira asked, his expression calm, betraying no emotion.
"Well... I can't say for sure. Maybe just a minute or two," the Jonin said, somewhat hesitantly.
"Or maybe a few hours, right?" Akira interjected, finishing the Jonin's sentence for him.
"Well..." The Jonin opened his mouth but didn't know how to respond.
Seeing the Jonin's speechless expression, Akira couldn't help but smile wryly. He knew immediately that he had hit the mark.
So this was it? Was the Cloud Village truly feeling this confident just because they had never been attacked by the Akatsuki?
Had they grown so arrogant that they thought they could make the representative of the Leaf Village wait for hours?
Without bothering to start a fight right then and there, Akira simply turned around, signaling Hinata and Hanabi to leave with him.
"Wait, where are you going?" Seeing Akira decisively turning to leave, the Jonin asked in confusion.
"Where else would I go? Back to rest, of course." Akira kept walking, not even pausing as he replied.
Not giving the Jonin another chance to speak, Akira's voice rang out from a distance, "If the Raikage doesn't have time now, tell him to come see me when he's free."
With his back turned, Akira waved dismissively and left.
Back at their accommodations, Naruto and the others were visibly surprised when Akira returned so quickly.
After asking about what had happened, they found out that the Raikage had tried to make Akira wait on purpose, which made the Jinchuriki furious.
They were also thrilled by how Akira refused to tolerate the Raikage's disrespect.
Especially the two Hyuga sisters—Hinata and Hanabi—felt incredibly encouraged by Akira's stance.
During the time of the Third Hokage, the Leaf Village had shown nothing but weakness in similar situations.
Having someone like Akira now, who dared to openly express his displeasure towards the Cloud Village's arrogance, was truly inspiring.
"But, Akira-kun..."
After a while, Hinata spoke up, "What if... what if the Raikage decides not to come see us for ten days or even half a month?"
"Yeah, what if he never comes to us?" Naruto agreed, nodding his head in concern.
It might seem like Akira had stood up to the Raikage, but what if the Raikage just refused to meet them? Wouldn't that leave them in an awkward position?
"Don't worry. I have my plans," Akira said with a reassuring smile, showing no sign of concern.
Meanwhile, in the Raikage's office, the Raikage looked up at the Jonin who had just entered and asked, "Where is Akira? Is he still waiting outside?"
"Lord Raikage, Akira has already left," the Jonin replied after a moment of hesitation.
"Left?" The Raikage frowned, clearly displeased.
"Did he say anything before leaving?" the Raikage asked.
"He said that when you have the time, you should go see him," the Jonin answered.
"What!? He wants me to go see him!? This is the Cloud Village!" The Raikage shot up from his seat, his temper flaring.
The idea that he, the Raikage, should go and meet Akira? If word of this got out, wouldn't he become the laughingstock of the entire shinobi world?
The Jonin remained silent, head lowered.
After a moment of furious silence, the Raikage let out a mocking laugh, "Fine, let him wait. We'll see if he can wait for ten days, maybe even half a month."
