Deep within the mountains, an unknown number of kilometers outside the Imperial Capital, lay hidden the assassin group, Night Raid's, base.
On this day, within the Night Raid base, all five remaining members of Night Raid gathered solemnly in the meeting room.
Najenda, as Night Raid's leader, sat at the head of the table. To her left and right were Akame, Sheele, Bulat, and Lubbock, respectively.
It is worth mentioning that behind Najenda also stood a man with horns on his head and wearing loose clothes. This man was Susanoo, the Imperial Arms Najenda had awakened some time ago.
Najenda looked gravely at her only four remaining subordinates. After an undetectable sigh, she spoke seriously:
"Everyone, I believe you all know what has happened in the Imperial Capital, right?!"
All four members nodded with solemn expressions.
Their current sworn enemy, Uchiha Madara, had appeared in the Imperial Capital and engaged in a great battle outside the city with General Budo of the Empire. He easily defeated Budo and also captured Esdeath, another of the Empire's strongest, who came along. It is said that Esdeath and Uchiha Madara are currently infatuated with each other.
For Night Raid, these pieces of news were simply the worst possible news.
Najenda said heavily:
"According to our previous investigations, and the intelligence Sheele gathered, as well as Uchiha Madara's situation in the Imperial Capital, I'm afraid that Leone was taken by Uchiha Madara in the first place! Moreover, if our assumptions are correct, Sheele and Mine, who haven't been heard from yet, have probably also fallen into Uchiha Madara's hands!"
Although everyone had their suspicions, having it spoken aloud by Najenda still added a considerable amount of heaviness to the atmosphere.
Bang! Lubbock excitedly slammed his fist on the table, raging:
"Damn it! Why does this guy have to be so against our Night Raid?! If anything happens to Leone and the others, I'll definitely make him pay!!"
Although these words were violent, they also reflected Lubbock's concern for his companions.
Thinking carefully, what kind of outcome would three girls face, falling into the hands of such a monstrous devil?
Knowing the treacherous hearts of the Imperial Capital's people, none of them dared to imagine.
The calm Bulat comforted the agitated Lubbock:
"Lubbock, calm down. You alone are absolutely no match for that Uchiha Madara. We cannot act rashly!"
Bulat's words also garnered the agreement of the other Night Raid members, especially Najenda.
As someone who had personally witnessed Uchiha Madara annihilate the Revolutionary Army, Najenda deeply knew that Uchiha Madara was unfathomably powerful. If they acted recklessly to save their comrades, not only would they fail to save anyone, but they might also get themselves involved.
At this moment, Sheele angrily bit on her lollipop and said unwillingly:
"Dealing with one Uchiha Madara is already difficult enough. Now, an additional Esdeath, the strongest in the Empire, has joined. Furthermore, it is said that after fighting Uchiha Madara, Budo greatly admired his strength and even has a good relationship with him. This... what are we supposed to do?!"
Sheele's complaint also served as an indirect way to summarize the enemies Night Raid might now face.
If they really sent out all members to rescue Leone and the others, Uchiha Madara and Esdeath would certainly confront them. And if things went wrong, Budo might even send troops to assist!
Having to deal with two super powerhouses at once, and potentially another powerhouse and his army under his command... No matter how they thought about it, it seemed utterly hopeless.
Thinking of this, everyone in Night Raid fell into a state of melancholy.
Akame, who had been silent, finally spoke:
"Actually, so far, these are all just our guesses. We cannot definitively confirm that Leone and the others have truly fallen into Uchiha Madara's hands!"
Najenda's eyes lit up. Akame's words hit the mark. She spoke in agreement:
"Akame is right. After all, we haven't seen it with our own eyes, so we can't be 100% sure. If we rashly break into Uchiha Madara's home, and then find out Leone and the others aren't even there, wouldn't that just invite trouble for nothing?"
With the conversation having reached this point, what was there left not to understand?
Sheele, still elegantly sucking on her lollipop, stood up and indicated:
"Boss, everyone, it's better if I go to Uchiha Madara's home to investigate!"
Everyone in Night Raid nodded in agreement.
Ever since Sheele joined Night Raid, her natural Imperial Arms' convenience and strong intelligence-gathering ability were obvious to everyone. If there was any intelligence that even Sheele couldn't find, then that matter would probably never be known. In short, everyone had absolute trust in Sheele's intelligence-gathering ability.
However, trust was trust, but this time, Sheele was going to investigate Night Raid's most formidable enemy yet. This couldn't help but cause Najenda to worry and instruct her.
Najenda stood up and said sternly to Sheele:
"...Sheele, the danger level of this investigation into Uchiha Madara's residence is higher than any previous mission. Uchiha Madara's strength is immense, and his methods are unfathomable. You absolutely must be cautious!"
"Furthermore, you only have one mission for this investigation into Uchiha Madara's residence: to confirm whether Leone, Sheele, and Mine have fallen into Uchiha Madara's hands, and whether they are still alive (doing well)."
"Aside from that, don't worry about anything else. Even if Minister Honest appears, and you are 100% confident you can kill him, do not bother with him!"
"Once the intelligence is confirmed, immediately withdraw!"
"Once you encounter Uchiha Madara, immediately withdraw!"
"If you don't get the intelligence, immediately withdraw!"
Najenda's final three "immediately withdraws" deeply moved Sheele. This also reflected how much Najenda cared about them now.
Smiling at Najenda, Sheele showed a confident smile:
"Boss, don't worry, I will definitely bring back good news!"
With that, Sheele pushed the door open and left.
Everyone in Night Raid watched the direction Sheele left in, all silent, filled with endless worry.
They worried that Sheele might also fall into his hands...
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