The Land of Lightning, Hidden Cloud.
The Fourth Raikage, A, was in his office, single-handedly lifting a dumbbell heavy enough to crush an adult.
After a session of physical training, the Fourth Raikage dissatisfiedly put down the dumbbell in his hand.
"It's way too light. Seems like I'll need Mafui to bring me a heavier dumbbell."
As the representative of the greatest strength in Hidden Cloud, the Fourth Raikage not only dealt with paperwork each day but also spent a large amount of time training himself, continuously refining his power every day.
Only in this way can he better lead Hidden Cloud Village forward.
"Now, my Lightning Style Armor has become even harder, and my strength and speed have increased considerably compared to before. But if I encounter that Byakugan woman again…"
The Fourth Raikage contemplated deeply.
He wasn't feeling fear; rather, he was objectively stating facts.
The Gentle Fist technique can easily direct power inside the human body, to some extent ignoring the external Lightning Style Armor.
In terms of speed, he was on par with that Byakugan woman, perhaps even a notch better, but the Byakugan's all-round insight is enough to bridge the speed gap, allowing the opponent to react in advance.
Over the years, he's sent the Hidden Cloud Anbu to continuously gather information about the Byakugan and Gentle Fist, starting from the origins of the Hyuga Clan all the way to Konoha's Hyuga. Although no significant secret was found, it wasn't entirely fruitless.
"Now my Lightning Style Armor, speed and power have little room for improvement. The only way to counter the Gentle Fist is to train my internal organs to be as hard as the exterior."
Therefore, the next training goal for the Fourth Raikage was clear: to enhance the body's internal resistance to strikes, rather than just boosting the power of the Lightning Style Armor.
Because against Gentle Fist, the Lightning Style Armor is of little significance.
At this moment, the office door was pushed open.
A gray short-haired, clean-cut female ninja walked in from outside.
It was, indeed, the Raikage's secretary, Hidden Cloud Jonin Mafui.
One of the few in Hidden Cloud who could use Space-Time Ninjutsu, the Heavenly Transfer Jutsu.
"Lord Raikage…"
"For now, replace all the training equipment here; it can no longer improve my physical condition. Also, look for any training method in the Ninja Realm that can strengthen the internal organs. If found, quickly dispatch the Anbu to retrieve it; I urgently need it."
This wasn't the first time Hidden Cloud carried out such tasks.
The Fourth Raikage issued orders straightforwardly without feeling there was anything amiss.
Ever since the end of the Third Ninja World War, Hidden Cloud has been collecting Secret Techniques and Forbidden Techniques from the Ninja Realm to continuously strengthen Hidden Cloud Village and train excellent ninjas.
In these years, Hidden Cloud has wiped out a dozen or so small ninja villages.
Any pretext can be used to suppress them.
Moreover, there is no effective organization internationally that can constrain Hidden Cloud's methods. Fellow ninja villages of the great nations, knowing this, can only condemn verbally, yet secretly they strengthen their armaments and remain cautious of Hidden Cloud.
But to the Fourth Raikage, this verbal condemnation is utterly irrelevant.
As long as it doesn't involve principle issues, the other nations will turn a blind eye.
Mafui was momentarily stunned upon hearing the Fourth Raikage's orders, but nodded in response: "Understood, Lord Raikage, I'll arrange it soon."
"Thank you."
"It's my job. Also, the results of the war between the Land of Wind and the Land of Demons are out."
Mafui said.
The Fourth Raikage's expression froze.
"So soon?"
The war between the Land of Demons and the Land of Wind was only about a month old, after all, that Byakugan woman's ally. How could they lose so quickly?
"Yes, the Land of Demons won."
"I expected this... Hmm, wait, what did you say, the Land of Demons won? How is this possible?"
The Fourth Raikage's eyes bulged, with a shocked expression.
Despite Hidden Sand's situation, they have the Land of Wind, one of the Five Great Nations, as their backing.
Plus, they were the first ninja village to leave the battlefield of the Third Ninja World War; the wounds inflicted by the Third Ninja World War have long healed. It's not difficult for them to rally over ten thousand ninjas.
Though these ten thousand ninjas need to defend various parts of the Land of Wind, they could not all be mobilized to deal with the Land of Demons; otherwise, other countries would pose a military threat to the Land of Wind.
However, gathering five thousand ninja squads would still be an easy task for Hidden Sand Village.
"It's absolutely true, Lord Raikage."
Mafui sighed, this outcome wasn't something she expected either.
Perhaps observing from the sidelines and hoping for mutual destruction between the two nations wasn't a very wise decision.
Because the combat effectiveness of the Land of Demons was severely underestimated.
"Hidden Sand Village and the military here from the Land of Demons have already made damage assessments. The statistics I have are simplistic."
In fact, the source of this statistical report mostly comes from the Land of Demons.
Well, Hidden Sand Village refused to negotiate with outsiders regarding this matter.
"Speak quickly!"
"Understood. Based on this simplified statistical report, Hidden Sand lost a total of over three thousand seven hundred ninjas in this war, with one thousand two hundred injured. Among the injured, seven hundred are severely injured, with some having physical disabilities, making them unsuitable to be ninjas anymore. Zero civilian casualties, no building damage."
"How long has the war been going on, how did so many Sand Ninjas die?"
The Fourth Raikage's face changed drastically.