"That is essentially everything. End of report."
Inside the Hokage's office, Natsuhiko stood straight and composed, delivering a thorough report of the mission before Minato Namikaze and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He was well aware that most of the people in this room had already received intelligence reports—some perhaps even more detailed than his own recollection. After all, he had withdrawn immediately after striking; the full extent of the damage he caused wasn't something he could confirm firsthand.
But intelligence was never meant to stand alone. It needed to be cross-verified—especially by those in power. Even when they believed a report, they always wanted more.
So he spared no detail.
From the moment he engaged Ebizō and eliminated six ANBU operatives in one decisive move, to how he deliberately misled the pursuing forces during his escape, luring them off course before wiping out two additional divisions…
To how he patiently wore down Sunagakure's forces by hiding within an oasis, waiting for the right moment…
And finally, how he used the Flying Thunder God Technique in tandem with Lizardmaru to break free completely—every step was laid out with precision.
To avoid unnecessary complications, Natsuhiko even mentioned taking out the sealing squad and Chiyo's pursuit.
However, just like before, he carefully omitted certain critical details.
The little lizard. Rōran. The sudden surge in his power. And the partial deal he struck with Chiyo.
In his version of events, Chiyo had tracked him down only after he stumbled upon and annihilated Sunagakure's sealing unit, leaving behind traces that led her straight to him.
As for the escape, he described it simply—relying on the Flying Thunder God Technique to maneuver around her, destroying enough puppets to keep her on edge, before slipping away the moment she braced for another attack.
"…I didn't expect you to have taken out Sunagakure's sealing team as well."
Minato finally spoke after a long silence, a faint sigh escaping him. "That must have been quite the ordeal."
It truly was.
Even Hiruzen and the others—who had already reviewed fragments of the intelligence—couldn't help but feel a surge of astonishment upon hearing the full account.
What this young man had gone through…
It was nothing short of extreme.
Faced with such overwhelming encirclement, most would have been crushed without a chance. Yet Natsuhiko had responded in a completely different way.
Calm. Calculated. Resourceful.
He had pushed his abilities to their limits, weaving through enemy forces like a phantom, playing a deadly game of cat and mouse until the perfect moment arrived.
Then, in a single decisive breakout—
He left behind over a hundred corpses…
—and returned alive.
At that moment, even Hiruzen couldn't help but wonder…
Had they truly grown old?
"…Ah, right." Hiruzen spoke again after a pause, his gaze sharpening slightly. "I heard you captured a woman during the mission. Who is she?"
Natsuhiko didn't hesitate. "Her name is Pakura."
"She appeared and attacked us during our mission to repatriate Yashamaru. I recognized her, so we captured her."
"…Pakura of the Scorch Release?" Hiruzen froze for a brief moment.
That name carried a weight that echoed across nations.
Whether during the war or in its aftermath—especially in Sunagakure's conflicts with Kirigakure—Pakura had built a reputation for her exceptional combat prowess.
A kunoichi whose name was known far and wide.
Especially her Scorch Release—this kekkei genkai alone was enough to make anyone wary. If they could bring a woman like her back to Konoha, the village would naturally gain the opportunity to study her bloodline.
Compared to Hiruzen's visible surprise, Minato remained far more composed. After all, he had already been briefed on this matter.
"That's right. It's her." Natsuhiko nodded seriously before continuing, "And I've obtained some additional information… which led me to a certain idea."
"Oh?" Minato's interest was piqued. "What kind of information?"
"Yes. Please, both of you—take a look."
Natsuhiko promptly retrieved the letter he had taken from Viper and handed it over to Hiruzen and Minato.
"…This is?"
Hiruzen took the initiative, unfolding the document as Minato leaned in to read alongside him.
The letter was written entirely in Sunagakure's cipher.
But what caught them completely off guard—
Was that it came with a full translation.
At the sight of it, both men instinctively lifted their heads, their gazes locking onto Natsuhiko. They understood all too well what such a translation implied.
"The decoded cipher was found on an ANBU operative," Natsuhiko explained before they could ask. "As for the letter itself, I took it from Viper."
He paused briefly, then added with a hint of regret:
"Unfortunately, I didn't realize what I had found at the time. And… I didn't have the luxury to clean up the scene."
"I see."
Both Hiruzen and Minato couldn't help but sigh, faint disappointment flickering across their faces.
But neither of them blamed him.
With such a cipher key, Sunagakure would have had no secrets left from Konoha's perspective.
However, given the life-and-death situation Natsuhiko had been in, escaping alive had already been a miracle. Surrounded by enemies, hunted relentlessly—if he had wasted even a moment trying to cover his tracks, whether he would have made it back at all was questionable.
Besides, he hadn't even known the significance of what he'd found. A bit of rough handling under those circumstances was only natural.
Letting out a quiet breath, the two of them focused back on the letter.
But as they read on…
Their expressions began to shift.
"…This…"
Minato stared at the translated contents, momentarily at a loss for words.
Hiruzen, on the other hand, fell into silence.
Rasa's actions… were, frankly speaking, not particularly honorable.
Yet, from a purely pragmatic standpoint, they made a certain kind of sense.
Sacrifice one life in exchange for the village's stability—freeing up resources to deal with greater threats.
There was a harsh logic to it.
The real problem…
Was that it had been exposed.
Once something like this came to light, it could drag Sunagakure into an irreversible abyss—regardless of whether the intention had been for the village's benefit.
Of course, there was also another possibility.
Pakura might not belong to Rasa's faction at all. This could very well have been a convenient opportunity to eliminate her under the guise of strategy.
Hiruzen gave a small shake of his head, choosing not to dwell on it any further.
After all…
It wasn't Konoha that would suffer the consequences.
"What are your plans?" he asked at last, steadying his tone. "Regarding that woman—Pakura."
"For now, we detain her," Natsuhiko replied calmly. "Her value is far too great—especially her kekkei genkai."
He paused slightly, then his eyes sharpened.
"As for what comes next… I intend to find a way to turn her."
"After all, this is a perfect opportunity to strike at Sunagakure. Not only that—we can extract even more intelligence. It's not something we should let slip by…"
...
Once he had finished reporting everything—including his own proposal—Natsuhiko received, just as expected, a fairly reasonable period of leave.
For an ANBU operative, time off was already one of the best rewards imaginable.
Of course, a vacation didn't mean the material rewards were lacking. On the contrary, they were often far more generous than those given to regular mission shinobi.
The risks ANBU faced were on an entirely different level, and the missions they undertook were ones ordinary ninja rarely even touched.
If the village expected them to risk their lives, then faith alone wasn't enough—compensation had to match.
And this time, Natsuhiko's payout was… substantial.
Roughly a third of the bounty that would one day be placed on Asuma's head.
How could he not be pleased?
He hadn't forgotten the deal he made with Sara—he still owed her a considerable sum. With this reward, he could not only settle that debt but still have plenty left over.
"Money really does solve a lot of problems… and a break isn't bad either."
Walking out of the Hokage Building, Natsuhiko let his thoughts wander.
"That said… I have no idea how the Third Division is doing right now. As their division commander, I've been… somewhat negligent."
Ever since taking command, the amount of time he'd actually spent with his unit could be counted on one hand. After all, he'd turned right around and plunged straight into Sunagakure—a move only someone as reckless as him would make.
At this point, he didn't even have a clear picture of his own division's condition.
Training duties had been handed off entirely to Trout. Whether it was the new recruits or the members placed under his command by the Senju clan, he'd left everything to that man.
As for how things were progressing…
He hadn't checked.
Still, unless Trout was a complete fool, he should have handled things properly.
"Looks like I'll have to stop by during my leave and see how things are going… and there's something else I need to deal with as well."
Natsuhiko's gaze sharpened slightly as that thought crossed his mind.
Pakura.
He intended to see if it was possible to make her stay in Konoha for good.
Not only could they extract valuable intelligence about Sunagakure from her, but her kekkei genkai would also be invaluable for research.
More importantly—
Her combat ability was no joke.
Even if she had lost to him—almost instantly, at that—that didn't mean she was weak.
That victory had been built on the Flying Thunder God Technique. In this era, there were very few who could truly counter it.
Even Chiyo had fallen to him.
Pakura, lacking any knowledge of his abilities, being defeated in near seconds—
That was only natural.
Still, turning her to their side wouldn't be easy.
But it wasn't impossible either.
During this break, Natsuhiko planned to meet her personally… and have a proper conversation.
After all, he had already reported his intentions to Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze.
And for one reason or another—
Neither of them had objected.
Of course, they wouldn't.
Because no matter who nominally commanded the ANBU…
They ultimately belonged to the Hokage.
Natsuhiko had made it very clear—his intention was to turn Pakura and bring her into the ANBU.
For Hiruzen Sarutobi, the current beneficiary, and Minato Namikaze, the future one—
This was undoubtedly a good thing.
Even if the two still had their share of disagreements, when it came to certain matters, they would unconsciously find themselves standing on the same side.
That said, Natsuhiko knew he had to move quickly.
The longer something like this dragged on, the more likely complications would arise.
"Looks like I'll have to trouble Kakashi again… Might as well have him lead a squad on some missions—good chance to train those Senju brats too."
When it came to using Kakashi, Natsuhiko had never once worried about "overworking" him.
If anything, he believed this was something only Kakashi could handle properly. After all, Kakashi had already been in charge of guarding Pakura for some time—they were at least familiar with each other.
What, was he supposed to handle everything personally?
Obviously not.
And Konoha wouldn't allow that either.
A division commander constantly running around outside—what kind of example would that set? Especially when the Third Division still had a pile of unresolved issues waiting for him.
Even if he wanted to leave, he'd have to sort out his unit first.
With that thought in mind, Natsuhiko quickened his pace.
After being away for so long, he was more than ready to return home and get some proper rest.
Of course, he knew there would still be follow-up reports waiting for him.
But compared to surviving inside Sunagakure—
A simple report was practically a vacation.
"And while I'm at it… I might be able to get my hands on some Wood Release research materials."
—
"Pakura of the Scorch Release…?"
Beneath the Hokage Rock, within the shadowed halls of Root's underground base, Danzō Shimura muttered quietly as he stared at the report in his hands—and the photograph attached to it.
As the leader of Root, one of Konoha's largest intelligence networks, Danzō recognized her instantly.
When Natsuhiko and his team had entered the village through the side gate, they hadn't just been observed by ANBU.
Root had been watching too.
This was a recent development. In the past, Root hadn't interfered when Natsuhiko returned to the village.
Which was why he hadn't paid it much attention.
What he didn't know…
Was that this change had something to do with him.
Root had recently discovered that something important had gone missing.
Because of that, the entire organization had entered a heightened state of alert. Danzō hadn't dared report it immediately—he needed to investigate thoroughly first.
So placing operatives at the village's entry points, secretly monitoring everyone who came and went—
Was only natural.
Still…
Even he hadn't expected to come across something this interesting.
A photograph.
And in it—
Pakura of Sunagakure.
"…This woman is a fine prospect."
Danzō's eyes narrowed slightly.
If he hadn't known, that would've been one thing.
But now that he did—
He had no choice but to act.
For Root.
For Konoha.
Only by bringing this woman into Root…
Could her value be fully realized.
—or so he believed.