Konoha Village, Hokage Office.
"Jōnin Jūbei of Kirigakure pays his respects to the Hokage-sama!"
A man wearing a half-mask knelt before Tsunade, his icy expression unmoved even in her presence.
"Judging by your demeanor, you must be from Kirigakure's Hunter-Nin Corps, one of the Fifth Mizukage's trusted operatives. What brings you here?" Tsunade quickly discerned his background based on his bearing and chakra signature.
The Hunter-Nin of Kiri—equivalent to Konoha's ANBU—answered directly to the Mizukage. Their members were at least elite chūnin, specializing in assassination techniques more than other villages' covert squads.
"I accompanied Ao-sama to inspect the Three-Tails' sealing site a few days ago. There, we received an urgent message from one of our comrades: the Akatsuki's leader, Pain, is coming personally to capture the Three-Tails. By order of the Mizukage-sama, I have come to request aid from Konoha!"
Jūbei presented a letter. "This is the Mizukage's handwritten request for assistance!"
Tsunade took the letter, gave it a brief glance, and after confirming its authenticity, asked, "Whom does the Mizukage wish to request for assistance?"
"Konoha chūnin, Kamizuki Hikari."
---
Hikari, straight out of bed, was summoned to the Hokage Office once again.
After glancing at the unfamiliar man, he let out a yawn.
"Haaah... Seriously? If it's about Kirigakure's matter, shouldn't you at least take your time deciding, Hokage-sama? Give me ten days, or maybe half a month, to prepare."
Upon hearing this, Jūbei immediately dropped to one knee.
"Kamizuki-dono, by the Mizukage-sama's command, the Three-Tails must not fall into enemy hands. The Akatsuki leader is incredibly powerful. We implore you to lend us your strength!"
Unlike Tsunade, who didn't know much about Akatsuki, Hikari immediately noticed something off in his words.
"You said the leader of Akatsuki is coming personally. Do you even know his name?"
Jūbei bowed his head. "Yes, Kamizuki-dono. The Akatsuki leader is called Pain. He proclaims himself a god in Amegakure, an arrogant and fanatical man. This time, he intends to capture the Three-Tails himself. Please, you must help us!"
At that, Hikari's expression turned serious.
"You say the Akatsuki leader is called Pain. Where did you get that information? Don't tell me it came from your own ANBU agents."
Reflecting on the original story, Hikari noted that Nagato, Pain's true identity, only acted personally after the rest of Akatsuki was defeated—point one. Point two: Kirigakure lacked the strength to track Nagato's movements. Their confidence in this intel screamed deception.
Either Kirigakure was trying to deceive Konoha... or Akatsuki was deceiving Kiri.
When Pain invaded Konoha in the past, no one had detected his approach beforehand. Compared to Konoha, Kiri was even weaker in intelligence gathering. How could they possibly "discover" Pain's movements? It was absurd.
"Kamizuki-dono," Jūbei said urgently, "this information was passed on at the cost of my comrade's life. The Three-Tails' safety concerns the peace of the entire shinobi world! Last time, you personally attempted to destroy the Three-Tails—surely you won't stand by and let others take it now?"
Hikari waved his hand. "Someone, take him away. Treat him well, give him food and rest."
At Tsunade's nod, two ANBU appeared and escorted Jūbei out.
Hikari sat down on his familiar chair, rubbing his temples.
Headache.
"What's the matter? You're not planning to deal with the Three-Tails situation?" Tsunade rested her chin on her hands, watching him with curiosity.
By now, she was getting comfortable in her role—delegating most tasks to Shikaku, Shizune, and Kakashi, only handling a few herself. Apart from occasional boredom, everything was fine.
"It's not that I don't plan to deal with it," Hikari said, slumping lazily in his chair, "but something about this whole thing seems off."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, amused. "What's off? You think he's under a genjutsu?"
Hikari shook his head. "His chakra flow is perfectly stable—no sign of external chakra interference. His mental state is also icy cold, without any trace of another's influence. So, what he said... is true."
Tsunade frowned slightly. "If what he said is true, why don't you believe him?"
"Manipulating someone to believe fabricated intel is the lowest trick in the book." Hikari explained. "Even without me, a Hyūga could've detected genjutsu interference simply by observing his chakra flow. The fact that his story holds means he—and his superiors—truly believe Pain is targeting the Three-Tails."
Tsunade spread her hands in exasperation.
"If that's the case, then just go. Why overthink it?"
Hikari sighed patiently. "Because if the intel is genuine, then Akatsuki must have some other plan. Based on the intelligence I've gathered, Akatsuki's movements can't be detected by Kirigakure—not this easily. That means the leak was intentional."
"If I go to the Three-Tails' location... and Akatsuki comes here to Konoha instead, then what?"
At that, Tsunade actually laughed in disbelief.
"Hikari, you're underestimating us. Konoha has Kakashi, Gai, that fool Jiraiya, me—the inheritor of Wood Release—and plenty of other jōnin. You really think Akatsuki can take Konoha down under those conditions?"
Hikari wasn't so sure.
Konoha's overall strength was formidable, but Akatsuki's members were no pushovers either.
He pointed toward the window suddenly. "Better call Jiraiya in. I'm pretty sure he's spying on us right now, Hokage-sama."
Tsunade turned toward the window and spotted a tiny hole. Her temper flared instantly.
"Jiraiya! You damaged Konoha property again! Fine's one million ryō—pay up!"
"Hey, isn't that to harsh?!"
The window opened, and Jiraiya climbed inside with a grin.
"Come on, Tsunade, you've got Wood Release now—just *whoosh, whoosh* and fix the wall yourself. Talking about money ruins friendships!"
Tsunade glared daggers at him. "Pay up, or I'll punch you through the floor."
Jiraiya sighed, pulled out his wallet, and placed 100,000 ryō on her desk.
"This is all I've got. Take it or leave it."
Figuring a hundred thousand was better than nothing, Tsunade pocketed it and got to business.
"Just now, Hikari said he's worried that if he leaves, we won't be able to protect Konoha properly. What do you think?"
If it had been anyone else doubting Konoha's defenses, Tsunade would've already shown them firsthand what Wood Release could do. It wasn't just for growing trees—it could kill.
Jiraiya stroked his chin, eyeing Hikari thoughtfully.
"Seems like you know a lot about Akatsuki, Hikari. If you're not in a rush, maybe you can tell me more about this organization?"
----
Read 45+ advanced chapters on my P@treon.
[email protected]/KakuzuTL