"That crafty old fox, Hiruzen…"
After learning Hiruzen's true reason for bringing a squad of Konoha ninja to the Land of Rain, Akio could only laugh and curse under his breath.
News had reached Konoha that several minor lords who had left the Land of Rain the day before were attacked on the road. The moment Hiruzen heard, he immediately spotted an opportunity.
Some of the more timid daimyō or those with weaker personal guards now feared traveling at all. They were effectively stuck in the Land of Rain, unwilling to leave without proper protection.
That was why Yahiko's residence had been so lively the previous evening.
Those daimyō were making a fuss, demanding that the Land of Rain, as the organizer of the summit assign escorts to safely see them home.
That was Yahiko's headache.
None of these lords were short on money. Every single one wanted jonin-level guards.
But the Land of Rain had barely a dozen jonin in total. Yahiko couldn't send them all out and even if he did, three or five guards at most wouldn't be enough to satisfy everyone.
Who gets priority? Who gets left behind?
Hiruzen, on the other hand, had a ready-made solution.
Konoha had manpower. Plenty of it.
Not only would these missions pay extremely well, they'd also earn Konoha goodwill from multiple nations at once. A win on every front.
Residential District
Akio watched as Konoha ninja accepted one lucrative escort mission after another, smiling broadly.
Beside him, Yahiko wore an expression of pure disbelief.
Hiruzen emerged from inside, his elderly face creased in a cheerful grin but the moment he reached Akio and Yahiko, his expression turned serious.
He nodded politely to Akio, then turned to Yahiko.
"I've already heard from Kakashi about yesterday's Akatsuki meeting," Hiruzen said.
"You handled it well. Jiraiya truly raised an exceptional student."
Akio raised an eyebrow, his smile deepening.
Pulling rank as the grandmaster now, are we?
Yahiko inclined his head slightly.
"You flatter me. But you once said you needed time to decide whether Konoha would join Akatsuki. A year has passed, have you made up your mind?"
Hiruzen's expression didn't change.
"Konoha is inclined to join," he said evenly.
"But I can't speak for the daimyō just yet. That will require further discussion."
He still hadn't fully committed.
Konoha, as it stood, was simply too strong.
Even without Akatsuki, it could deal with that young man on its own.
If he tried anything like 'letting the world feel pain', four Uchiha Susanoo would tear him apart on the spot.
The only person capable of truly threatening Konoha right now… was Akio.
After a few polite exchanges with Yahiko, Hiruzen's tone grew heavier.
"Elder Akio… that Akatsuki leader, his objective is the tailed beasts, correct?"
Akio nodded.
"It always has been. I just didn't expect him to move this early."
"And the reason?"
"To gather all nine tailed beasts," Akio said casually.
"Resurrect the Ten-Tails. Become its jinchūriki. Beat me. End the world. Something along those lines."
Hiruzen stared, utterly lost but he caught the important part.
Kushina. Naruto.
"And you"
Akio waved him off, gazing up at the sky.
In the distance, a small, hunched figure was flying rapidly toward them Ōnoki, his face twisted with irritation.
"Still that hot-headed, huh? Body seems fine," Akio mused.
"He might outlive everyone except me and Kakuzu. You, Hiruzen? Not a chance."
Hiruzen smiled bitterly.
He and Ōnoki had been rivals since their youth, once evenly matched. Now…
His body was already worn thin.
Yahiko spotted Ōnoki as well and quickly led people forward to receive him.
Inside the residential district, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane emerged with more than a dozen ninja, nodding to Hiruzen.
These were the leftovers, the ones who didn't get picked for escort duty.
Akio swept his gaze over them.
A pile of unremarkable chūnin…
and one guy in a green jumpsuit with a bowl haircut.
"No wonder none of the lords picked Guy," Akio muttered.
"It really is a looks-driven world."
To be fair, Konoha had gone all out to show sincerity this time.
Not only had the Hokage come personally, two of the three elders had shown up as well.
They came quickly.
They left just as quickly.
They didn't take a single cloud with them, only a group of grateful daimyō.
Akio offered a few words of comfort to Ōnoki, whose pride was bruised but carefully hidden, reminding him to keep an eye on the Five-Tails' jinchūriki.
Once he returned home, his "sweet" granddaughter would make sure he didn't have time to dwell on it anyway.
"…The Seven-Tails, wild?"
Akio stared at Kakuzu in shock. He had not expected that answer.
"That was before I took control of Takigakure," Kakuzu said calmly.
"During the First Great Ninja War, the village ambushed Iwagakure and stole the Seven-Tails. Later, when Ōnoki"
"Oh right," Akio cut in.
"After mastering Dust Release, he nearly wiped Takigakure off the map. That's when they begged you to come back as leader."
Kakuzu nodded.
"The Seven-Tails' jinchūriki died to Dust Release. When the beast reformed, I failed to capture it."
Akio paused.
He remembered the Seven-Tails, a massive insect adept at burrowing and camouflage.
That thing is a nightmare to track…
"And then there's the Six-Tails' jinchūriki who defected from the Hidden Mist years ago…"
Akio frowned slightly.
"Worst case scenario, that bastard already has a third of the tailed beasts."
Two Days Later
"Karin, this is the desert you've always wanted to see," Akio said cheerfully.
"Having fun?"
Karin had her tongue hanging out like a dying animal.
"It's hot! It's filthy! Haku, come cool me down!"
"Haku, don't," Akio said lightly.
"The desert is all about embracing heat and sand."
Haku turned to Karin and gave her an apologetic smile.
Karin looked even more miserable.
"Kimimaro, aren't you hot? Kim...huh?! Ah!!"
Akio, walking ahead, froze and turned slowly, his mouth twitching.
"Kimimaro," he said flatly.
"Put your clothes back on. We're about to enter the Hidden Sand."
"Yes, my lord."
There was a fifth person with them.
"Three kilometers to go," the Sand ninja said.
"We're used to this climate."
Akio smiled.
"Every time I come here, I'm reminded how hard life is for you, Chiyo."
"That's why generation after generation died fighting Konoha," Chiyo sighed.
"I was out of my mind back then. What happened to Gaara… that sin is mine."
"Hatred's a vicious cycle," Akio said lightly.
"Good thing you have Sasori, right?"
"…Yes."
Under Chiyo's guidance, the group entered Sunagakure without incident.
Akio soon saw his objective.
The Love kanji on Gaara's forehead.
The massive gourd on his back.
The deep black rings under his eyes.
Impossible to miss.
"The One-Tail is already loud enough," Akio said.
"And you sealed it with an unstable method. That kid paid the price."
Chiyo sighed.
"Elder, please reinforce the seal while you're here."
"Easy enough."
Akio glanced at the pedestrians keeping their distance, then at the ANBU watching from afar.
His eyes settled on the gourd.
"I'll go say hello first."
"Elder!"
The next second, Gaara felt his shoulder suddenly lighten.
When he looked up, a red-haired man stood before him, someone who felt no fear at all.
Akio held two gourds in his hands and smiled warmly.
"Hey there, kid. Did you drop this sand gourd…
or this Truth-Seeking gourd…
or uh—"
"Ice Release: Ice Gourd Technique!"
"…or this candied ice gourd?"
Gaara stared at him.
"…I'm going to kill you."
---
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