In the middle of the grassy Kusagakure, there lied the Hozuki Castle.
Quite a landmark it was, standing tall and proud even during the times of war; although it could be said that Iwa simply wasn't interested in destroying it.
Standing at the top was an elderly, black-haired man.
Hozuki Muuta.
He was the current clan head of the Hozuki clan, and at the same time, the leader of the Kusagakure.
"...Something isn't right."
Spectating the silent plain as he stroked his thin and long beard that reached all the way down to his chest, Muuta whispered. Though the wind was cold and the garment he wore wasn't thick enough to shield himself from it, the accumulating coldness on his skin didn't seem to be of his interest.
"It's been eight hours. According to the calculation, the mission shouldn't take longer than five at best."
With anticipation, he walked back and forth.
"Did they encounter enemies? It can't be Konoha or Ame. I am one hundred percent sure that they haven't noticed the Shizen compound, and even if they did, they shouldn't be interested... for they shouldn't know the name of Shizen, one that was erased from history."
Iwa then? Kumo? Suna?
None of them made sense. Muuta hoped that his wandering thoughts were nothing but paranoia, that they weren't the reality.
"There is no better way to further develop the Hozuki clan's fire release than the Shizen clan's secrets. If we can only decipher that energy release..."
The Hozuki clan's greed for the Shizen clan's energy release began ever since they discovered that the energy release wasn't a bloodline limit; it simply required a tremendous mastery over chakra control.
It meant that technically, anyone could learn it.
Anything in the land of grass belonged to the Hozuki clan. Naturally, the Shizen clan's secrets should be theirs... not someone else's.
In front of the nervous Muuta, several ninjas appeared, kneeling.
"Muuta-sama."
"So? What did you find?"
Muuta hurriedly asked. The ninjas grimaced.
"We... retrieved dead bodies. Jonin Mikado's corps were found dead, all of them, without an exception."
"...By whom?"
"We weren't able to identify."
"The killers shouldn't have gone far away!!"
"The trail stopped in the innermost chamber of the compound, as if they magically teleported out of the area."
"...Teleported?"
Muuta paused. With a stoic expression, he faced the ninjas. His face then wrinkled up, exhibiting anger.
"Lies!"
He barked, refusing to accept the answer.
"No matter how skillful a ninja may be, there is always a trail that a human being inherently leaves!! If your senses aren't enough, use the dogs!!"
"...We tried, Muuta-sama. We tried everything, and that was the conclusion that we drew."
Muuta's face reddened. It seemed as if he was about to shout at the ninjas kneeling, before he paused in realization.
"You..."
Finally, calming his anger down, Muuta saw a hint of conviction in the speaking ninja's eyes. Yes, it looked like the ninja had an idea of why this may be the case.
"What is it that's in your mind?"
"...There is only one man who is capable of such a feat in this world. A long-distance-teleportation-like phenomenon, one that the case of the Body Replacement technique isn't enough to explain... yes,"
The ninja who was speaking on behalf of his division looked certain as he voiced the name,
"Namikaze Minato, the Yellow Flash... as well as the newly appointed Hokage of Konohagakure. It has to be his Flying Thunder God technique."
Muuta's eyes widened. Clenching his fists, anger re-surged in him.
"First, those barbarians from the land of earth ruin the beauty of our land, and now, the leaf dares to steal what is ours? Under our nose?"
...Yet, they couldn't afford to make this instance publicly known. The more the number of villages that are aware of the Shizen clan, the more the number of hyenas there would be.
"...Muuta-sama."
"What?!"
The ninja spoke up, to which Muuta responded with a foul mood.
"The grievance isn't something to be forgotten, but at the moment... I believe that we must let go."
"Let go?"
"We are barely managing thanks to the Konoha-centric alliance. Should we reveal our hostility to them, we will be isolated, to be crushed by the war between the major nations."
Muuta snorted. Then, he leaned in,
"No, no... that's not it. Instead, this is how it will go."
He clenched his hand as if crushing an imaginary something in his palm.
"We infiltrate Konoha. Retrieve the scroll from that wretched village, along with a couple of theirs. They will never know."
"...But,"
"Stop. Don't you dare say any more."
Muuta turned away, refusing further talk.
"Ninjas don't question. You will follow, for I ordered."
There was a short pause. Then, all of them bowed in sync.
"""Yes, Muuta-sama."""
Unknown to them, there was someone seated on a rooftop of the tall building nearby them.
Hidden from the sight of many capable ninjas, it could be said that this man was a master at hiding.
"Hm..."
It was a man whose face was hidden behind an orange-colored, swirly mask. Only his two eyes were visible, ones that revealed crimson sharingans.
"Looks like things are about to get busy."
Uchiha Obito stood up from his seat, having heard what he needed.
"Minato-sensei... are you really the one who infiltrated the Shizen compound?"
The story didn't add up. As far as Obito knew, Minato should currently be in Konoha, trying to stabilize the village.
"I don't recall you as someone who'd greed over things like this..."
A vortex-like phenomenon occurred centering Obito.
As if something was pulling him in, his figure disappeared into this mysterious vortex, one that disappeared shortly after his disappearance.
__________
In the middle of the grassy plain that was basked in sunlight, a small, dirt-made house stood.
Just outside, Mei was found reading leisurely, the book that she and Akashi found in the Shizen compound. After Akashi finished reading it, he passed it to her as per her wish.
On the rooftop, Akashi was found relaxing, blowing a leaf flute and playing simple tunes.
It wasn't long until the peace lasted, however, as the company arrived.
"A temporary shelter made of the earth... how convenient, heheh."
Kisame chuckled as he walked along with Hidan by his side. Waving hands, they reached the house that Akashi and Mei occupied.
"You're here."
Without looking up from the book, Mei greeted them. She flipped through a page.
"Hidan looks like he's gone through an intense battle. Quite an eventful journey you had in the land of earth, I see."
"This brat tried to fight all the enemies on his own. Of course, I had to intervene in the middle."
"...I need to train more."
Kisame said playfully, and Hidan didn't deny his words.
"Anyway, perfect time, you two."
Mei finally closed her book and shifted her eyes to the left.
There, Juzo and Gai were found walking.
Similar to Hidan, Gai too was roughened up, wounded here and there.
"He—"
Juzo, noticing the eyes on Gai, was about to explain, only for Mei to interrupt.
"He dared to fight alone, didn't he?"
"Yes, quite recklessly."
"Hahah! These two surely are alike!"
Kisame laughed.
Gai and Hidan, with a light frown, stared at each other, annoyed by the fact that they didn't manage to outdo one another.
From the sky, a leaf flew past them.
"So?"
Akashi hopped down from the roof, asking.
"Any findings?"
"A couple of things, although I'm not sure if they're helpful."
Kisame scratched his cheek.
"We did confirm that the battle between Uchiha Madara and Mu and Onoki happened, and that Madara was the victor. As to what technique Madara specifically used to bypass Mu and Onoki's infamous Dust Release, it is unknown."
"We got something to say about that."
Juzo then spoke up.
"We found that the battle between Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama involved Madara controlling the nine tails, first of all. However, Hashirama's Wood Release is known to have a chakra-suppressing property, and therefore, is considered a direct counter to the nature of the tailed beasts. Based on what the site suggests, it is likely that Madara had an ability to form an armor-like construct of some sort."
"Hmm..."
Mei hummed.
"Perhaps it has something to do with that mysterious Mangekyo Sharingan. We know that Sharingans generally allow their users to perceive and copy other ninja techniques and cast powerful, ocular genjutsus. However, the abilities of Mangekyo Sharingan aren't known as well, since rarely anyone has awakened it."
Everyone, after sharing the information, turned to look at Akashi.
"We've reached the limit, I believe."
Akashi stated as he shoved the information into his head.
"In contrast to his legends and feats, Uchiha Madara is a man full of mystery."
"Then..."
Gai breathed deeply.
"It's time."
The village that Uchiha Madara once dwelled in, and the village that his descendants live in.
Konohagakure should have much valuable information.
"And of course."
Reaching his hand out, Akashi ruffled Gai's hair.
"We'll be rescuing your father meanwhile."
Gai, swallowing his saliva, nodded firmly.
"Yeah!"