Chapter 214: A's Rage

A noticed Mabui's expression and a frown formed on his face.

Mabui said, "Raikage-sama, we have bad news!"

A asked, "What happened this time?"

Mabui said, "Various rumors are spreading throughout the country about the clash between Konoha ninjas and our forces."

A shouted in anger, "WHAT? I told you to keep it a secret! How did that information spread?"

Mabui quickly answered, "I kept it a secret. I am sure that Advisor Hari did too. I did some analysis and I believe that the rumors haven't started in our village. Instead, they have entered our village from the outside."

A asked, "What do you mean by outside?"

Mabui said, "I believe that someone is spreading the rumors in other villages in our country. The rumors reached our village while spreading through them."

A was stunned. However, he soon realized. He got angry and once again smashed his desk while shouting, "That damned Hiruzen!"

Mabui sighed in her mind thinking, 'I just replaced that old desk.'

However, she agreed with his analysis. She too believed that Konoha was spreading these rumors. She said, "Raikage-sama, the rumors themselves are worrying. While some rumors say the truth, a majority of them say that our 60 ninja force was defeated by one young Konoha ninja. Some even say that they were defeated by a kid who hadn't even graduated yet from the Academy."

A's eyes widened. His rage grew further. He stood up. A lightning cloak appeared around him as he cursed, "First those bastards spread rumors and then they dare to defame us?"

Before he could speak more, Mabui said, "That's not all Raikage-sama. There is another worrying situation."

A asked, "What else?"

Mabui said, "I haven't received any communications from Advisor Hari. His report should have arrived a couple of hours ago."

A calmed down and became serious on hearing that. He had sent 2 Elite Jounin, dozens of Jounins, more than two hundred Chunins and an advisor to the mine. If anything happened to them or the mine, then the losses would be severe. He didn't want to act on emotions on such a serious matter.

He said, "The messenger birds could get lost at times. Are you sure that it is something to be worried about?"

Mabui replied, "I just have a bad feeling, Raikage-sama."

A thought for a bit and said, "Wait till this afternoon. If Hari doesn't send a message once more, then have Darui's team check on them. In the meantime, arrange for some ninjas to explore the villages in our country. Eliminate any of those Konoha scums spreading rumors.

After ending the spar, they went to Bee's home for a late lunch.

The spar and the break from others helped A relax. But Bee could still see that he was worried and his mind wasn't on the food he was eating. In order to get it off his mind, Bee asked, "So, what's the dealio? Why you lookin' like you just saw a ghost or somethin'?"

A sighed and explained the situation. He explained his plan to start a new war with Konoha, Hiruzen's tactics and annoyance caused by the Elders and Clan leaders from their village.

Bee nodded and said, "Oh snap, now that is quite a mess indeed! But you still wanna push forward, huh?"

A nodded and said, "It is for our village's prosperity."

Bee argued, "I feel you, I feel you. But let me ask you this, do we need to keep being so aggressive? The village has been chillin' lately, why not take a step back and enjoy the peace?"

A said, "This peace is only temporary. A new Great War will eventually start. Konoha and Suna are in an alliance. If Konoha manages to convince Iwa and Kiri to make a move against us, we will be in a tough spot. Anyways, I have to leave. I can't leave the office for too long."

Having finished his food, A began leaving. Bee looked at his back and said, "Just remember, brother, even if something goes wrong, we got each other's backs. We'll fix it together."

A smiled and nodded before disappearing. He soon appeared in his office. However, his smile disappeared even before he entered his office!

He entered his office from the same hole that he created and saw every elder, clan head and advisor in his office waiting for him. He looked at Mabui who had a helpless expression on her face.

Before A could say anything, an old man asked, "Lord Raikage, is it about time for you to inform us about the important events? Or do you plan to keep us in the dark until the very end?"

A frowned. Though he didn't always inform others about his plans, he was confused about why they decided to gather together and confront him. More importantly, the identity of the old man was very sensitive. He was Inazuma, an advisor to his father, the 3rd Raikage.

He asked, "What do you mean?"

Mabui stepped forward and informed, "Raikage-sama, some of the ninjas I dispatched returned back to the village. They said that there are a lot more rumors spreading around in the country."

A asked, "It's just some rumors. I can understand common people being scared of them, but why are you giving it unnecessary attention?"

Inazuma said, "It is due to the nature of those rumors. Though some of them are ridiculous, all of them say one thing in common."

Inazuma stopped speaking and observed A's expression. Unfortunately, he couldn't gauge what A was thinking.

A waited for a few seconds and shouted aggressively, "Stop testing me and just speak!"

Inazuma said, "They say that all the ninjas we sent to the mine have been wiped out. The mine itself has also been destroyed."

A was stunned!