章 103: Ch.103 Reporting!
In the Hokage's office.
Third Hokage listened silently as Kakashi and the others gave their report, his pipe held between his fingers. The three advisors in attendance each had different expressions.
Koharu Utatane furrowed her brows tightly, her face filled with confusion. The information Kakashi brought back had not alleviated her concerns; instead, it only deepened her uncertainty about the recent shinobi disappearance cases.
Homura Mitokado seemed thoughtful.
The strangest reaction, however, came from Danzo, who sat with his head lowered as if dozing off.
After a long silence, the Third Hokage waved his hand. "Kakashi, stay. The rest of you, leave."
Asuma hesitated momentarily before turning to follow Kurenai and Yamashiro Aoba out of the office.
Once the team had left, Kakashi bowed to the Third Hokage and apologized. "I'm sorry. I wasn't able to make contact with him this time."
Kakashi, of course, was referring to Itachi.
The Third Hokage sighed in disappointment. Had Kakashi been able to speak with Itachi, the mysteries surrounding this incident might have been solved.
Koharu couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "What exactly is going on with the Akatsuki? Why have they recruited so many S-rank rogue shinobi? What are they planning?"
Homura turned to Danzo, "Danzo, I remember you had dealings with this group called 'Akatsuki,' didn't you?"
Prompted by Homura's pointed question, Danzo seemed to snap out of his daze.
He didn't deny it. "Yes, I was involved in one operation against Akatsuki. But that operation was orchestrated by Hanzō of the Hidden Rain Village. I was merely a witness. And as far as I know, that Akatsuki group was wiped out by Hanzō."
"Hanzō of the Salamander," Homura muttered, his face turning grim.
In his mind, Hanzō, the leader of the Hidden Rain, was one of the most powerful shinobi in the world, holding the title of 'Demi-God.' If Danzo invoked Hanzō's name, it was hard for Homura to press him further.
Strangely, despite having an opening to elaborate, Danzo remained unusually quiet this time.
In reality, Danzo knew more about the Akatsuki than anyone in the room. Years ago, the operation against Akatsuki was not just Hanzō's doing but also something Danzo had orchestrated from behind the scenes. His goal was to weaken the Hidden Rain.
However, that operation was far from perfect.
The Akatsuki had not been completely wiped out, as he had claimed. There were survivors, and they had gone into hiding.
Over the years, Danzo had attempted to track down the remnants of the Akatsuki, but with little success.
Of course, he had not bothered to search in the Hidden Rain Village itself. He had assumed that with Hanzō's cautious nature, the village was impenetrable, leaving no room for the Akatsuki to hide there.
Thus, when his investigations yielded no results, he concluded that the Akatsuki had simply faded away with time.
But now, not only had the Akatsuki survived, but they had also grown stronger, assembling a group of dangerous S-rank rogue shinobi!
At that moment, the Third Hokage put down his pipe and turned to Kakashi. "What's your opinion?"
Kakashi carefully considered his words before speaking. "I believe there may be a split within Akatsuki. This incident could be a result of that internal conflict."
The Third Hokage's eyes sharpened. "Explain."
Kakashi continued his analysis. "I've done some research. Up until now, Akatsuki's activities have avoided the Five Great Nations, indicating that they don't want direct conflict with the Five Great Shinobi Villages."
The Third Hokage nodded, signaling his agreement with Kakashi's analysis.
Kakashi went on, "But this time, Akatsuki actively attacked shinobi from our villages, which contradicts their previous behavior."
Koharu chimed in, "So, you believe there's an internal division within Akatsuki, leading to this conflict?"
Kakashi nodded. "Exactly."
Koharu continued, "Even if that's the case, we can no longer afford to ignore this Akatsuki."
Homura added, "By recruiting S-rank rogue shinobi from various villages, they are already showing complete disregard for us!"
Seeing the Third Hokage still deep in thought, Kakashi quickly advised, "Hokage-sama, Akatsuki's strength far exceeds our expectations. If we are to deal with them, we should consider collaborating with the other villages."
The Third Hokage nodded in agreement.
...
That night, in a quiet grove within the Hidden Leaf Village.
Haku stood beside a large tree, speaking softly. "Is there something urgent that you needed to contact me about?"
A shadowy figure emerged from behind the tree, lowering their voice. "Have you gathered any information on Akatsuki?"
Haku's heart tightened.
Sensing something, the shadow asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I haven't found any information on Akatsuki." Shaking his head quickly, Haku cautiously inquired, "Did something happen?"
The shadow spoke in a grave tone. "Two squads from the village have gone missing recently. The higher-ups suspect Akatsuki is responsible."
Haku understood immediately.
The missing shinobi were undoubtedly the victims of Doma and Akaza, the two Upper Moons who had impersonated Akatsuki members.
The shadow continued, "We've also received intelligence that there's not just Uchiha Itachi in Akatsuki, but another Uchiha—possibly a woman. And she has the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan, making her incredibly dangerous!"
"That's not another Uchiha; that's Karin," Haku thought to himself.
Before this mission, Haku hadn't even known that Uchiha Shinji had secretly implanted a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan into Karin's eyes.
It wasn't until Shinji used a genjutsu to activate Karin's Sharingan during the mission that Haku became aware.
The shadow changed their tone, speaking with certainty. "So, it's clear that the Uchiha Clan is tied to Akatsuki! Are you telling me you've learned nothing from being close to Uchiha Shinji?"
Haku shook his head. "Shinji has no connection to Akatsuki."
Then, in his mind, he added, "Sorry, it's me who's connected. I am an Akatsuki member!"
The shadow spoke coldly, "It seems Uchiha Shinji is just a castaway from the Uchiha Clan. The real key is Uchiha Sasuke."
Haku replied with some difficulty, "I can't get close to Sasuke. He refuses to interact with me."
"Then find a way!" the shadow snapped. "The village didn't place you in the Hidden Leaf just to make friends with a castaway. Don't forget your mission!"
Haku could only nod. "Understood."
The shadow added one more instruction. "And investigate that boy Kimimaro. Why is he suddenly attending the Hidden Leaf's shinobi academy?"
Haku was taken aback. Wasn't Kimimaro sent by the village?
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