Sasori turned to look at Deva Path Pain.
"And what do you think?"
"He might just be trying to gather intelligence on the Akatsuki."
Orochimaru immediately defended himself.
"I wouldn't do something like that. I'm simply interested in Akatsuki."
Pain pondered briefly before ultimately agreeing to Orochimaru's request.
Sasori still had reservations.
"Is that really wise?"
Pain replied calmly,
"Rather than letting him roam freely outside, it's better to keep him under our watch."
"As long as I'm here, he won't be able to act recklessly."
Orochimaru nodded.
"That's true. You are indeed stronger than I am."
Pain gave a cold snort.
"Good. Know your place."
"Let's return."
Watching Pain's retreating figure, Orochimaru muttered to himself,
"Strange… I feel like I've seen him somewhere before."
"Fate truly is a curious thing."
After a round of expansion, the Akatsuki gradually became active across the ninja world.
Amassing wealth.
Assassinating daimyō.
Instigating conflicts between smaller nations.
It didn't take long for the major hidden villages to take notice.
Konoha was no exception.
Hokage's Office
A masked Anbu pushed the door open.
"Lord Hokage, new intelligence has arrived."
The Third Hokage, pipe in hand, unfurled the scroll. His brows furrowed almost instantly.
Orochimaru had joined the Akatsuki?
What was he planning?
Hiruzen knew his former student well.
Unlike Jiraiya's carefree nature, Orochimaru acted with clear and calculated purpose.
Konoha was already unstable.
And now there was the mysterious masked man lurking in the shadows.
The Third Hokage sighed.
Another turbulent season.
With Danzo defeated, his only true pillar left was Tsunade.
As for the two advisors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane—
Perhaps they had been helpful in their youth. Now, it was a blessing if they didn't cause trouble.
Ever since Tsunade's reforms began, they had constantly come to argue.
But Hiruzen needed Tsunade to balance Uchiha Akihito.
He couldn't afford to offend her for their sake.
After careful thought, he decided to convene a meeting to discuss both Akatsuki and Orochimaru.
Hokage Building – Conference Room
Konoha's core figures gathered.
Uchiha Akihito and Tsunade were naturally present.
The Third Hokage presented the newly acquired intelligence and invited opinions.
Because Orochimaru had once been his beloved student, many chose silence.
Hiruzen felt both love and resentment toward him.
He had once had the chance to execute Orochimaru on the spot—but had let him go.
Jiraiya had tried repeatedly to bring him back, without success.
Now that Orochimaru had joined Akatsuki, not a single person proposed dispatching Anbu to eliminate him.
Everyone knew—
The Third Hokage's heart was soft.
Even Tsunade doubted he would send assassins after Orochimaru.
Akihito himself had little interest in Orochimaru.
But Akatsuki?
That was another matter entirely.
A force capable of shaking the entire ninja world.
Nagato with the Rinnegan.
Obito mastering space-time ninjutsu.
Black Zetsu, lurking for a thousand years to revive Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
These were dangerous figures.
They would eventually ignite the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Akihito took a breath and stepped forward.
"This Akatsuki organization is dangerous."
"I'd like to personally lead a team to investigate."
His volunteering surprised the Third Hokage.
Normally, such thankless and high-risk tasks drew no eager hands.
But Akihito had his own considerations.
After prolonged training, his strength had improved significantly.
He was now only one step away from achieving the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
He didn't intend to destroy Akatsuki outright—
But testing their depth would be worthwhile.
Moreover, the newly formed Anbu under his command needed real combat experience.
Kakashi, Might Guy, Kurenai—
All were capable, but still not quite at Kage-level.
They had room to grow.
This mission could temper them.
The Third Hokage was about to approve—
When Tsunade suddenly interrupted.
"Investigate Orochimaru and Akatsuki?"
"That sounds interesting. I'll take this mission."
She had no particular desire for the mission itself.
She simply wanted an opportunity to compete with Akihito.
He had constantly avoided direct confrontation.
That still irritated her.
Now that he was stepping forward, she wouldn't miss her chance.
The Third Hokage hesitated.
Tsunade was powerful—but her hemophobia was a serious concern.
He tried to persuade her.
"Tsunade, perhaps Akihito should handle it."
"The village still needs you overseeing things."
She waved him off casually.
"Leave that to Shizune."
"I need to stretch my muscles."
Akihito clicked his tongue internally.
This woman really enjoyed making trouble for him.
With Tsunade adamant, Hiruzen deliberated.
Her hemophobia was classified. Few knew of it.
And this was merely an intelligence-gathering mission—large-scale combat seemed unlikely.
Against ordinary opponents, Tsunade would be more than capable.
With elite Anbu accompanying her, it should be manageable.
At last, the Third Hokage made his decision.
"Akihito."
"Would you object to Tsunade joining you?"
Akihito nodded calmly.
"No objection."
Hiruzen smiled.
"Then it's settled."
Tsunade was satisfied.
She finally had her opportunity.
With two of Konoha's most formidable figures mobilizing together, the Third Hokage concluded the meeting:
Mission Rank: Super S
Objective: Investigate the Akatsuki
The Next Day
Akihito awoke early.
After checking his ninja tools, he headed to the meeting point.
At Konoha's gate—
Might Guy and Kurenai were already waiting.
Kakashi was nowhere to be seen—likely late again.
Since the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, Kakashi had inherited Obito's chronic tardiness.
Akihito greeted the two with a smile.
Kurenai showed no impatience.
Guy, however, was pacing like an ant on hot coals.
"Why isn't Kakashi here yet?!"
"This is an insult to burning youth!"
Guy flailed dramatically.
He had already decided—
During this mission, he would challenge Kakashi to a duel of youth.
Kurenai stole glances at Akihito.
Confident. Aloof. Strikingly handsome.
A faint blush crossed her face.
As expected of the man I chose.
Among the three teammates Akihito selected, Kurenai's combat strength was the weakest—
But her genjutsu talent was exceptional.
Even Uchiha Jonin with Sharingan might fall prey to her illusions.
Kakashi, Guy, and Kurenai—
All were highly moldable talents in Akihito's eyes.
With early tempering, they could become powerful allies.
After nearly twenty minutes, Kakashi finally arrived.
"Sorry, everyone."
"On the way here, I saw an old lady who needed help…"
Akihito rolled his eyes.
At this hour? The morning market wasn't even open yet.
There were no elderly ladies in need.
He truly had inherited Obito's worst excuse.
Just as they were about to depart—
Tsunade's voice rang out behind them.
"Well, aren't you all early?"
Turning around, they saw Tsunade leading the way, followed by Genma Shiranui, Raido Namiashi, and Iwashi Tatami.
The three had once served as Minato Namikaze's bodyguards.
Together, they could perform the Flying Thunder Formation Technique.
The Third Hokage had clearly put thought into Tsunade's protection.
With such a team, she would be safe—so long as she didn't act recklessly.
Akihito simply nodded politely.
Better not provoke this troublesome princess.
Tsunade looked slightly dissatisfied.
What's so impressive about the Uchiha?
I'll show you what I can do.
After brief greetings, the two search teams departed.
Tsunade chose to investigate the newly established Otogakure—the Hidden Sound Village.
Akihito planned to head toward the Land of Water.
Otogakure had deep ties to Orochimaru, who was now confirmed to have joined Akatsuki.
Meanwhile, Obito was likely preparing to move against Kirigakure.
The era of the "Bloody Mist" was approaching.
Kirigakure was widely believed to be connected to Akatsuki's origins.
Akihito suspected that Akatsuki members might soon appear in the Land of Water.
Both choices were sound.
How much intelligence they would gather depended on luck.
Akatsuki members were elusive, their movements unpredictable.
Even during the Konoha Crush, the Five Great Nations had known little about them.
The Third Hokage had once relied on Itachi's verbal agreement and believed Konoha safe.
Sunagakure had ignored Akatsuki until the Fourth Kazekage was assassinated.
Ōnoki of Iwagakure feigned ignorance and even used Akatsuki for small-scale wars.
Yagura of Kirigakure had noticed Akatsuki early—
But was controlled by Obito's Sharingan and turned into a puppet.
As for the Fourth Raikage—
He had dismissed the rumors outright.
Mutual suspicion among the Five Nations was one of Akatsuki's greatest advantages.
Recruitment.
Funding.
Tailed Beast collection.
All progressed smoothly because of it.
If not for timely resistance from Konoha and Sunagakure, Akatsuki might have developed unimpeded until the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Come to think of it—
Most Akatsuki members ultimately fell at the hands of Konoha ninja.
Within the Land of Fire
Akihito's squad advanced while gathering intelligence.
The masked man had recently appeared near Konoha.
There had to be traces.
Unfortunately—
They found nothing.
Akihito had expected as much.
Kamui made Obito nearly impossible to track.
Even Konoha's sensory barrier was meaningless to him.
Years ago, he had slipped through it to trigger the Nine-Tails incident.
During the Uchiha Massacre night, he would play a crucial role.
Akihito expanded their search parameters to include black cloaks with red clouds and rogue ninja headbands.
They traveled deep into the Land of Fire.
Finally, near the Fire Temple, at an underground black-market bounty exchange—
They found their first lead.
According to an informant, a masked man in a red-cloud cloak had recently visited.
Akihito immediately thought of one person—
Kakuzu.
Among Akatsuki members, most had ideological motivations.
Kakuzu's belief system was refreshingly simple.
Money.
He cared little for war or peace.
Only profit.
A seasoned veteran who had lived for decades—
Rumor even claimed he once attempted to assassinate the First Hokage.
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