Konoha, Hokage's Office.
Because this mission was highly confidential, the others only knew that Kamizuki Hikari had gone out on a mission, but they didn't know the specifics of what his mission was.
Inside the office, Tsunade, Shikaku, Shizune, and the "Ero-sennin" Jiraiya were gathered, listening to the mission report. The tension that had hung in the air finally eased.
"It's good you didn't kill the Three-Tails. Kirigakure is still one of the Five Great Villages. If a war broke out, the consequences would be unimaginable!" Tsunade patted her chest in relief — the swaying motion of her twin peaks drawing more attention than her words.
Jiraiya, for instance, was staring so hard his eyes were practically popping out.
"I hope you can all maintain such a cheerful mood when you encounter other dangers in the future." Looking at the group of people who were relieved just because he hadn't killed the Three-Tails, Hikari felt somewhat uncomfortable.
He had acted for Konoha's sake, for the entire shinobi world — so why did it feel like no one trusted him?
"Hikari."
"Can you tell us about the Akatsuki organization?"
Jiraiya's tone grew serious. "I've been tracking that group for a long time. At first, I thought Orochimaru had founded it — after all, I discovered him among their ranks. But later I learned he was merely one of their members."
"After Orochimaru left, I kept investigating. The others in that organization... they're dangerous. I've been probing all sides, trying to find any trace of them."
Hikari rolled his neck, loosening the tension in his shoulders.
"The Akatsuki runs deep. Everyone in that group is at least at Orochimaru's level. Don't even think about investigating them on your own. When the time comes, I'll tell you what you need to know. For now, the less you know, the safer you'll be."
Since his strength had already been revealed, Hikari no longer bothered to pretend in front of this group.
It was time to lay his cards on the table.
'I'm strong. Just listen to me.'
Jiraiya fell silent. Hikari's meaning wasn't hard to understand.
'You're too weak. Don't go poking around in dangerous places. I don't want to have to save your sorry ass later.'
Even though Hikari hadn't said that directly, that was exactly how it sounded to Jiraiya.
"At least tell us who's in that group," Jiraiya pressed reluctantly.
Ever since earning the title of one of the Three Legendary Sannin, no one had ever questioned his strength — until today.
Now, being looked down on by Hikari, he could only swallow his pride.
"The ones you've already encountered — Kakashi will fill you in. As for the rest, don't ask, and don't try to find out. Jiraiya, your priority now is to teach Naruto how to control the Nine-Tails' power. The early appearance of the Three-Tails means danger will come sooner than expected. Once Naruto masters that power, my odds of winning later will increase."
"That's all I have to say. For the rest, talk to Kakashi."
Without waiting for a reply from Tsunade or Jiraiya, Hikari turned, opened the window, and leapt out into the open air.
Watching Hikari's silhouette disappear, the people left in the room fell silent.
Everyone here was part of Konoha's leadership — one Hokage, three advisors, and Jiraiya, a Sannin. For Kamizuki Hikari to just walk out like that... it was a bit much.
Wasn't he worried they'd make things hard for him later?
...Actually, he really didn't seem to care.
Hikari had no desire for authority. Aside from his elder brother, Kamizuki Izumo, he had no strong ties binding him to Konoha.
And given the current circumstances, now that everyone knew how powerful he was, there was no way they would simply let him go.
"Kakashi, tell us what you know about the Akatsuki," Jiraiya said.
Kakashi was about to speak, but Tsunade interrupted.
"Hold on! Before that, let's talk about what kind of techniques Hikari used this time. Did he perhaps try using his charm on that woman, Terumi Mei?"
Shizune's eyes widened, her hands clenching unconsciously.
No, she didn't have a crush on Hikari—she was just curious about the gossip.
It's a woman's nature, after all!
Ignoring Tsunade's nonsense, Kakashi got to the point.
"During this mission, Hikari demonstrated two main abilities in front of me. The first was a short-term flight ability — he could hover in midair without any visible external support. The second looked like taijutsu, but its power was overwhelming. Even the Hyūga clan's 'Mountain Crusher' technique can't compare to a tenth of its strength."
"In that battle, Hikari only used those two abilities, and he still forced multiple Akatsuki members to retreat."
"Oh, and I almost forgot — his resistance to genjutsu is incredible. When Uchiha Itachi used Tsukuyomi on him, the illusion was instantly reflected back. Itachi nearly collapsed on the spot."
So strong?
To endure Itachi's genjutsu and then counterattack — and on top of that, to wield a mysterious taijutsu so powerful it overwhelmed Akatsuki's members — that level of combat power was terrifying.
And this likely wasn't even his full strength. If Kamizuki Hikari went all out, he might even be able to wipe out Akatsuki entirely.
But then... why had he held back? Was there some limitation to his abilities?
"What about the Akatsuki members? Who are they, and what are their powers?" Tsunade asked, finally voicing what everyone was wondering.
Kakashi recalled carefully before answering:
"There was Tobi, Uchiha Itachi, Hoshigaki Kisame, Hidan, Deidara, and Sasori. Those five appeared this time.
"Tobi possesses a unique kekkei genkai that allows his body to become intangible and avoid attacks. According to Hikari, it likely involves space-time ninjutsu, though the exact mechanism is still unclear."
"Uchiha Itachi wields the Mangekyō Sharingan — his left eye uses Tsukuyomi, and his right eye uses Amaterasu. The rest of his powers are still unknown."
"Hoshigaki Kisame — wielder of the sword Samehada, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. He has massive chakra reserves and excels in Water Release and kenjutsu. A missing-nin from Kirigakure."
"Deidara — a missing-nin from Iwagakure. His abilities seem connected to explosions, though their full extent is unknown."
"Sasori — I suspect he's the 'Sasori of the Red Sand', once the genius of Sunagakure. A master puppeteer, and one of his puppets can even use Magnet Release."
"Hidan — his strength is unknown, but he wields a triple-bladed scythe and seems specialized in taijutsu."
When Kakashi finished, he sat down and took the cup of water Shizune handed him, sipping slowly.
"Dragons don't nest with snakes. If shinobi like Kisame, Itachi, and Tobi can coexist in the same organization, the others must be at a similar level. Gathering this many missing-nin... the Akatsuki must have a deeper goal. That confirms my suspicions — I just don't yet know what their true objective is."
At that, Kakashi's expression shifted. He remembered something Tobi had said earlier.
"Kakashi, spit it out," Jiraiya urged.
"Well... I'm not sure if what they said is true, so I didn't want to jump to conclusions... Alright, alright, I'll say it!"
He started to protest, but seeing the Rasengan forming in Jiraiya's right hand, he quickly gave in.
"Tobi said their purpose is to bring peace to the shinobi world. This time, they appeared not as enemies, but supposedly to stop Hikari from destroying the Three-Tails — out of 'good intentions.'"
Jiraiya blinked.
Peace in the shinobi world? Are you serious?
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