The raikage sat in her office with a saccharine look on her face. Her attention to detail and more over her predatory mindset is what often set her apart from her kage counterparts. In a weeks time they had all decided to work in close arms with one another and more importantly begin the cultivation of the Jinchuriki. Most of them were young and that meant they were inexperienced beyond rapport. The need for strength within the youth was growing more than ever considering that every nation had been brought under the vengeful guise of attack from those within the ever present shadow realm. Her brow knit with forethought and frustration alike causing heart to pound within her chest accompanied by a bead of sweat. She stopped her deep thought only being torn away by the presence of sweat and thought to herself. “Am I nervous?” her head craned from side to side shaking the thought free from her mind before turning her attention to her desk. The team she’d sent to the gold district was still doing well in their endeavor last she had heard and more over her annexation of Ouza. This was the important piece among the lightning’s pawns: a small nation that could bridge the gap between smaller nations and moreover bolster the resources of the lightning itself. It was a two way street in the eyes of those in the know. A public trading route and more over a means to test the waters on how exactly Nagi academy was going to uphold a standard of training long since lost to the old world.
The Kumoi had done away with the idea of sending their children to the academy first. Their young often joined clansmen on the hunt getting their first taste for the thrill of battle well before they even joined the ranks of the cloud village or ventured out into the world all their own to make a name for themselves in their teenage years. Individuals like this were no different than the Raikage herself. The raikage began to reminisce on her past almost as if lost in the memory of the hunt itself. The very thing that brought her one of her most treasured weapons to date.
Fifteen years ago…
Chika Kumoi faced her first hunt amidst the treacherous Floating Peaks of Raiyama. The levitating landmasses swayed above the tumultuous landscape, their rocky surfaces illuminated by lightning arcing between them. At only fifteen, she scaled the peaks alone, her twin wakizashi in hand, tracking a fierce thunderbird known as the Raijitoran. This majestic predator, revered and feared among the Kumoi hunters, was said to be born from the island’s violent storms, its feathers crackling with electricity. The Raijitoran thrived in the volatile environment, blending seamlessly with the lightning-charged air. Slaying the beast would not only solidify Chika’s place among the hunters but also grant her a deeper connection to the island’s legendary lightning chakra.
The battle unfolded high above the storm-tossed earth, where unstable ground shifted unpredictably beneath her feet. The Raijitoran attacked with savage force, its colossal wings beating to summon gusts of wind that sent chunks of floating rock crashing down. Chika danced through the chaos, leaping from one hovering platform to the next, her blades sparking as they clashed against the bird’s electrified talons. Each strike demanded flawless timing and balance, every breath drawn amid the storm’s howls. As she closed in, the bird unleashed a blinding bolt of lightning, but Chika twisted away, countering with a decisive slash that severed its wing, sending it plummeting to a lower peak.
With a screech of pain, the Raijitoran crashed onto the rocky surface, its body convulsing as the last of its energy crackled across its iridescent plumage. Chika followed, landing beside her fallen prey, her breath heavy in the electrified air. Kneeling beside the creature, she ended its suffering with a swift, clean strike. The storm roared its approval, casting eerie light across the Floating Peaks. Standing over the kill, Chika gazed at the bird, knowing the Raijitoran would be remembered as the first of many to fall by her blade—a creature touched by the lightning itself, now marking the beginning of her own legend among Raiyama’s hunters.
She clawed her way back from the exhilarating memory as a soft smile crept across her face almost eager to cultivate the newer generation but more importantly handle the impending threat of the shadow’s that threatened both her and her people. It was only a matter of time before things began to unfold into what could only be described as sheer pandemonium amongst the powers that be, an exciting possibility as far as she was concerned.
