บท 95: Chapter 95: Sipping tea and Hinting... Understand?

Hatake Kakashi left without looking back.

Uchiha Itachi actively tried to contact the members of the Intelligence Department for help but couldn't reach anyone, no matter what. He hadn't expected the members of the Intelligence Department to have left the town so quickly.

The Intelligence Members of Rock Village, Yakushi Kabuto and Yakushi Nono, were not in the mood to consider anything else. Both were preparing and figuring out how to carry out the mission in the Tsuchi River Gorge

"Are we going to do nothing?"

Karin, wearing glasses, was somewhat confused and naive.

"I'm thinking."

Akihara Kagura leisurely picked up a cup of tea, so relaxed it seemed as if he was not at all concerned about the life or death of his boss: "Can this work be not done? Can it be passed on to someone else? Can it be done tomorrow? Can it be passed on to someone else tomorrow?"

Like right now.

Should I go save Hatake Kakashi?

Or should I let Uchiha Obito save Kakashi?

Is it up to me to inform Uchiha Obito to save Kakashi? Or should I let White Zetzu inform Uchiha Obito to save Kakashi?

It's just one thing, yet there are so many ways to do it, and it seems there won't be any consequences, truly a kind of happy worry for the working people.

"..."

Karin didn't understand the inner thoughts of Akihara Kagura.

However, Karin was greatly shocked the first time she heard the declaration of him thinking.

Karin didn't quite understand, and she brought up the issue she cared about the most: "If Lord Kagura doesn't do something, Mr. Kakashi will die, right?"

"Then I guess I'll do something..."

Akihara Kagura sighed, unable to ignore the system prompt in his mind.

[System Prompt]: [New task, tell Uchiha Obito that Hatake Kakashi and Rin will always be watching over his life from the Pure Land.]

This is troubling!

Can this message even become a last message?

Uchiha Obito, that petty boss, would surely rush to save someone immediately, and might even scold Hatake Kakashi for not daring to die before him or something like that.

Akihara Kagura, using the characteristics of "Ninja in the Shadows," investigated Uchiha Obito's location and directly used the Flying Thunder God technique to travel to where Uchiha Obito was.

Fortunately.

Uchiha Obito was nearby, otherwise, Akihara Kagura would have had to find White Zetzu Awei first, to have Awei run over to pass the information.

As expected of Akihara Kagura's boss, Uchiha Obito's courage was also great.

After causing the incident of assassinating the Third Tsuchikage with the Five Tails Jinchuriki in Rock Village, he had been planning to keep an eye on the aftermath and had not left the Land of Earth.

Even at this time, Uchiha Obito seemed to be in a good mood, actually sitting at a roadside tea stall on the edge of the town, completely unnoticeable as the person who had just stirred trouble in Rock Village.

"At a time like this, he is still in the mood to drink tea…"

Akihara Kagura muttered to himself in dissatisfaction, took a gulp of the tea in his cup, and vanished on the spot, leaving only a message for Karin: "Stay put here, I'll be right back."

At the edge of the small town.

A roadside tea stall.

Uchiha Obito was sitting there, holding a cup of tea.

Akihara Kagura's figure appeared beside him in an instant, even taking a seat and grabbing a tea cup for himself right after appearing.

"The plan went without a hitch, and I completed my mission well, didn't I? Hatake Kakashi is no longer investigating those two from the Akatsuki, bringing me and Uchiha Itachi to the Land of Earth."

After finishing his statement, Kagura took Obito's teapot and poured himself a cup of tea to moisten his throat: "Let's start with a cup of tea, I'm almost dying of thirst from the journey... This tea tastes good, did you add chrysanthemums to it?"

"You used the Flying Thunder God Technique to get here."

Obito corrected Kagura's mistake and, with a grim face, asked: "When did you put a Flying Thunder God mark on me?"

"Last time we met..."

Kagura answered nonchalantly, giving himself an excuse: "This way, as long as I sense the mark of the Flying Thunder God on you, I can come directly to see you. I didn't expect you to have the leisure to drink tea here..."

Guessing that his superior might be displeased with his actions, Kagura took the initiative to pour him a cup of tea: "Here, let me refill your cup, let's have tea together."

"Hmph..."

Obito snorted coldly, feeling dissatisfied but unable to voice his complaints, reluctantly continuing the topic: "Forget it, our plan is good, and you did well in your task."

[System Prompt]: [Change Hatake Kakashi's direction of investigation to prevent him from uncovering the truth about the Akatsuki, task completed, reward: Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique.]

[Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique (An earth release technique that allows one to burrow into the ground.)]

As Kagura looked at his newly acquired reward, she invited Obito to drink tea while casually mentioning: "By the way, I have something to tell you, Kakashi is going to die here..."

"Cough, cough..."

This statement made Obito unable to swallow anything.

Obito turned his head sharply, staring hard at Kagura, then turned back as if he didn't care at all. "Hmph, what does that have to do with me?"

Kagura calmly completed his mission: "Before Captain Kakashi left, he entrusted me with his last words. If I ever met you one day, he asked me to pass on a message to you. Seeing you here in this town, I came right away to tell you..."

"I don't want to hear it."

Uchiha Obito carefully set down the teacup.

"He said that he and Rin will always watch over your life in the Pure Land."

[System Prompt]: [Inform Uchiha Obito that Hatake Kakashi and Rin will always watch over his life in the Pure Land. Task completed, reward: Lightning Blade.]

[Lightning Blade (By forming the hand signs Ox → Rabbit → Monkey, Lightning Release chakra is concentrated into an intense electric current in the hand, combined with the speed of a thrust to pierce the target. Lightning Blade can also be attached to a kunai for long-range attacks. This technique combines the properties and form manipulation of Lightning Release chakra, allowing for the free transformation of the jutsu's form and the development of more Lightning Release techniques.)]

Akihara Kagura felt this task was surprisingly easy.

Merely by passing on a message, not only could he enjoy a cup of tea, but he also received a Lightning Release ninjutsu he had long admired. With proper development, this Lightning Release technique could lead to the creation of numerous useful jutsus.

Perhaps this was a task to convey a last message by Hatake Kakashi, unexpectedly revealing a proud ninjutsu created by Kakashi himself. Could there be any more "mines" to extract from this superior?

"Where is he?"

After hearing this, Uchiha Obito looked angrily at Akihara Kagura, his face darkening with rage: "Kakashi, that waste, where is he now?"

Why!

Why can Kakashi be with Rin in the Pure Land! It was Kakashi, that waste, who killed Rin with his own hands!

"He should be on his way to Rock Village."

Akihara Kagura poured himself another cup of tea, leisurely revealing the truth: "Captain Kakashi refused to heed our advice and insisted on infiltrating Rock Village alone. He wanted to obtain information about you from the Five-Tails Jinchuriki. Before leaving, he left me that message, and I felt I had to tell you…"

"It's better if Captain Kakashi is dead."

Akihara Kagura teased Uchiha Obito leisurely: "In Konoha, only you and I have fought each other. When the time comes for the next investigation on you, I should be the one leading the team. With the superior dead, I might even get a promotion…"

While sipping his tea, Akihara Kagura discussed Hatake Kakashi's posthumous matters with Uchiha Obito: "Speaking of which, what should be done with Captain Kakashi's inheritance in Konoha? Are you, his past companion, the beneficiary, or am I, his current companion, the beneficiary? If it comes down to it, should we split it between us?"

"..."

Uchiha Obito was nearly infuriated to death by his subordinate!

He had thought that Hatake Kakashi was so severely injured that he couldn't be saved! But it turned out, Kakashi, that waste, was merely infiltrating Rock Village to gather intelligence!

Of course.

An infiltration mission was not dangerous for Kakashi.

The most dangerous part was asking the Five-Tails Jinchuriki for information.

Uchiha Obito, having recently controlled the Five-Tails Jinchuriki Han, was very aware of the latter's stubborn nature and unwavering loyalty to Rock Village, who would definitely not miss the chance to capture Kakashi.

"Go save him."

Uchiha Obito gave a clear order to his subordinate: "Don't let Hatake Kakashi, that waste, die here. Otherwise, when Konoha sends someone else to probe my information next time, you might not be able to influence Konoha's decisions. Don't expect to become the Team Leader; the Konoha higher-ups would never entrust the situation to an eleven-year-old child…"

"I was actually looking forward to sharing this good news with you…"

Akihara Kagura sighed softly, never expecting that this task would fall upon him, let alone that he could dig out a mine from this affair.

[System Prompt]: [New work assignment, proceed to Rock Village and rescue Hatake Kakashi, who has infiltrated it.]

This is a good start.

The existence of bonds between these two superiors is bound to lead to many stories, and I will leisurely unearth treasures among them.

For instance, the bond between Shimura Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen, these two elders, often results in the issuance of the same tasks, allowing one to earn double the reward for a single job.

In the future, when seeking out superiors, I should also consider their bonds, as it makes it easier to receive tasks and rewards.

"Alright then."

Akihara Kagura somewhat helplessly set down his teacup, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally starting to remind: "Captain Kakashi has also been good to me; he taught me many jutsus in Konoha…"

Akihara Kagura knew that rescuing Hatake Kakashi would be quite straightforward, just use the Flying Thunder God Technique to get in, and then bring the person directly out…

Back and forth.

The reward for rescuing Hatake Kakashi is secured.

Hatake Kakashi had to make it seem as if he infiltrated Rock Village for the sake of obtaining information on Uchiha Obito, as if this venture to meet the Five-Tails Jinchuriki in Rock Village would make it impossible for him to come out alive.

"The jutsus Kakashi taught you…"

Uchiha Obito's lips revealed a cold smile, immediately showing disdain for Hatake Kakashi: "That idiotic jutsu he developed, if not for the Sharingan, even he himself couldn't control it, nearly killing himself on the battlefield once…"

"…"

Akihara Kagura looked at Uchiha Obito somewhat speechlessly.

Who said I learned Chidori?

Although I did indeed just learn Chidori!

But…

Is that the point?

The point is, why don't you, as a superior, distribute benefits to your subordinates?

What's the deal with Uchiha Obito as a superior, is he unable to understand human speech, or have I become too subtle in my speech after spending time with Shimura Danzo as my superior?

"I might encounter danger in rescuing Captain Kakashi."

Akihara Kagura decided to mention his difficulties, giving Uchiha Obito another chance: "I want to understand the Dust Release and Earth Release of the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, to avoid any accidents when infiltrating Rock Village to rescue Captain Kakashi…"

"Do you not have the Flying Thunder God Technique?"

Uchiha Obito looked at Akihara Kagura in surprise, continuing: "The activation time for Dust Release is very slow, enough for you to escape with Hatake Kakashi using the Flying Thunder God Technique…wait, doesn't Kakashi also know how to use the Flying Thunder God Technique?"

If it weren't for the fear of Hatake Kakashi using the Flying Thunder God Technique to chase after him, I would have been hiding somewhere eavesdropping, instead of hiding here drinking tea!

"Um…"

Akihara Kagura recalled how he had deliberately been ambiguous the last time, took a sip of tea, and continued vaguely: "Captain Kakashi has already mastered the key points of learning the Flying Thunder God Technique…"

"That idiot hasn't learned it yet, has he?"

Uchiha Obito was always adept at catching the essence concerning old teammates.

"I'm leaving now."

Without responding, Akihara Kagura slowly set down his teacup: "By the way, I have news for you. On my way to the Land of Earth, I found that a person named Orochimaru might be investigating information about the Akatsuki organization, and even knows quite a bit…"

Akihara Kagura thought for a moment, then added: "Orochimaru has always considered me as his experiment, supposed to be his vessel. Has he guessed my connection with the Akatsuki organization?"

"Orochimaru? Impossible!"

Uchiha Obito's attention was quickly diverted.

As a ninja who once hailed from Konoha, Uchiha Obito grew up listening to the legends of the Three Sannin of Konoha, with S-rank rogue ninja Orochimaru being a major figure in the ninja world!

"Only I and Zetzu know that you are my subordinate…"

Uchiha Obito frowned and asked: "If Orochimaru really has some unknown channels of information to find out about this, then we must deal with him…"

"Can we invite him to join the Akatsuki organization?"

Akihara Kagura made his suggestion, continuing: "After all, I have a good relationship with Orochimaru. It was him using me as an experiment that allowed me to acquire the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai…"

Akihara Kagura looked at Uchiha Obito, hinting casually: "Even Orochimaru prepared a gift for me specially for the New Year. When there's a chance to meet him, it's only right and proper for me to respectfully address him as Lord Orochimaru."

"In terms of strength…"

Uchiha Obito didn't catch Akihara Kagura's hint, nodding to himself: "Orochimaru's strength indeed meets the standards for recruitment by the Akatsuki."

This was not something he could do.

After all, as a former senior of Konoha Village, he might not be willing to follow the orders of a junior. If it came to a fight, Uchiha Obito felt it might be a bit tricky…

It would be best…

To let Pain, the nominal leader of the Akatsuki, do the recruiting.

Uchiha Obito always considered himself well-versed in social niceties. Once, when he was in Konoha helping the elderly, he knew that some strong-willed and stubborn elders did not like being ordered around by their juniors.