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In fact, the Mist Village's situation was even more dire than the Sand Village's. Drawing this comparison helped restore a measure of equilibrium to Rasa's heart. Although the entire matter filled him with profound worry, his concern was ultimately futile. He lacked both the leisure and the energy to target the Akatsuki specifically. Until the war reached its conclusion, the Sand Village could do absolutely nothing.
To be precise, among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, only the Leaf and the Cloud still possessed the capacity for meaningful action. While the Cloud Village was locked in a ferocious, no-holds-barred struggle with the Stone Village, the foundation of their village's strength was such that even while engaged in active warfare, they could still dispatch sufficient forces to confront the Akatsuki. As for the Leaf Village, it went without saying – although they too were embroiled in war, they were the ones among the Five Great Villages who had reaped the most benefits. They were also the village that had incurred the least consumption of both material resources and personnel. The meager costs of sustaining the war were, for the Leaf Village, nothing more than a sprinkle of water – hardly worth mentioning as a burden.
Regrettably, the Leaf Village had no inclination to focus on the Akatsuki. If they had that kind of spare time, they might as well do something more practical and tangible. Besides, even if the Leaf did jump out at this moment to target the Akatsuki, the enemy would actually have to engage. If the Akatsuki simply hid and played a game of subterranean cat-and-mouse with you, who exactly were you targeting? Nothing but air. It was highly probable that, as one might expect, the Akatsuki's current location was hidden somewhere within the Land of Water. With the Land of Water currently at war with the Land of Wind, if you sent personnel to search for traces of the Akatsuki within their territory, it would be extremely difficult to convince the Land of Water that your objective was truly the Akatsuki. More likely, they would suspect you were actually targeting them. Otherwise, why come onto our Land of Water's turf to search for some Akatsuki? It seemed your Leaf Village harbored impure intentions.
Due to the above reasons, the matter of the Akatsuki had to be temporarily shelved. At least until the wars ended, none of the Five Great Villages would have surplus energy to spare on watching them. During wartime, the Leaf Village's inspection protocols for people entering and leaving the village were considerably stricter than usual. Even so, infiltrating the Leaf was far easier for Kisame than for the average person – he was leagues beyond those spies whose strength was mediocre and whose concealment techniques were merely average.
However, once he had successfully infiltrated the Leaf Village, Kisame found himself utterly lost. With absolutely no backup or support whatsoever, how the hell was he supposed to find Kakashi? Let alone finding him, he then had to capture the target and successfully extract him. This was fundamentally an impossible mission! Before coming to the Leaf Village, Kisame's private thought had been: if things go wrong, I'll find a way to save myself. Now, Kisame had reached the point where saving himself was no longer optional – it had become an absolute necessity. In fact, he was already beginning to regret infiltrating the Leaf Village at all. Not entering had been one thing, but once inside, it felt as if he'd been locked into an enormous cage. Getting back out wouldn't be nearly so easy.
In the original timeline, Kisame and Itachi had been able to enter and exit the Leaf Village with ease because they had used the Anbu passageways. With a single genjutsu, Itachi had effortlessly manipulated the ninja guarding the passages, allowing the two of them to swagger straight into the Leaf while openly wearing the battle robes of the Akatsuki. Without access to those Anbu passages and without anyone to assist him, Kisame could try taking an Anbu route, but he'd find it even more perilous than simply walking through the main gate. Using the main gate, as long as your disguise was convincing enough and your behavior wasn't overly conspicuous, you wouldn't attract focused attention. But attempting to use the Anbu passages... the slightest hint of something wrong, and what awaited you would be a massive pursuit force of Anbu ninja. The Anbu, after undergoing reformation under Kazuki and Tsunade, was no longer the collection of pushovers from the old days, so easily handled. Although the overall combat strength of the Anbu hadn't been dramatically elevated, its transformation was profound. Even the Third Hokage himself, if handed the Anbu's current organizational charts and deployment data, would be left completely bewildered. If even an insider could be thrown into confusion, what chance did an outsider have?
The night was deep and silent. The once-bustling commercial streets had grown cold and empty. Kazuki remained seated in the Hokage's office, still working overtime. He personally loathed overtime work and much preferred clocking out right on schedule. However, the remaining administrative tasks weren't many. If he just pushed a little harder and cleared everything out, starting tomorrow he could officially enter his slacking-off period. This was the fundamental reason why Kazuki was still sitting in the Hokage's office in the middle of the night. The moon was dark, the wind was high...
A strange, shadowy figure drew ever closer to the Hokage building. Even the covertly deployed Anbu squads failed to detect the intruder's presence. Inside the Hokage's office, Kazuki was busy at his desk while Kakashi stood to the side like a wooden post. Even though Kazuki had permitted him to read his risqué Icha Icha Paradise right there in the office, Kakashi was too thin-skinned to pull the book out and could only stand there stiffly. With the Hokage's Advisor still working, Kakashi, serving as a temporary bodyguard, had no choice but to wait.
"??" Suddenly, Kakashi raised his head and looked sharply toward the window, his gaze turning fierce. 'Don't mind it,' Kazuki signaled with his eyes for Kakashi to relax, indicating there was no need for concern. Kakashi hesitated for a moment, then obediently withdrew his hand from the hilt of his blade. If a situation was noticeable enough for even Kakashi to detect, Kazuki had naturally perceived it long before – after all, sensory perception was hardly Kakashi's forte. Without any haste, Kazuki unhurriedly reviewed the final document. Once he confirmed there were no issues, he picked up the Hokage's official seal, stamped it, and set the document aside properly. As for Izumi, Kazuki had long since shooed her off to rest. Only he and Kakashi remained in the Hokage's office.
"Done! That's a wrap!!!" Kazuki announced. "Kakashi, go prepare a cup of coffee for me. Extra sugar. Thank you."
"Yes, my lord." Casting one last meaningful glance at the window, Kakashi exited the office to prepare Kazuki's coffee. Kazuki rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck, then said without turning around: "You've been plastered against the wall out there for quite a while now. Aren't you tired? Come on in."
"..." The figure crouched outside – Kisame – paused for a beat, then obediently leaped in through the window. Once inside the Hokage's office, Kisame stood perfectly still with the disciplined posture of a subordinate, bowed his head respectfully toward Kazuki, and said, "Hoshigaki Kisame of the Akatsuki. I pay my respects to you, lord Advisor."
"Heh heh heh..." Kazuki laughed softly, crossing one leg over the other. He asked casually, "Kisame, tell me – what do you think Nagato, your leader, would do if he knew you were standing in the Hokage's office, bowing to me like a subordinate? I wonder if he'd simply twist your neck off."
Having dared to infiltrate the Leaf Village alone and creep up to the Hokage's office in the dead of night, Kisame was no coward. He cracked a grin and replied, "At the very least, I can be certain that you, my lord, won't be the first to twist my neck. That's enough." Whether or not Nagato would end up killing him remained unclear, but if he didn't show proper respect right now, he feared Kazuki might kill him first.
"A very clever answer. A very smart approach," Kazuki sincerely offered Kisame an approving assessment.
Click. The office door swung open. Kisame didn't even turn around; he simply remained standing there obediently. Kakashi, his eyes brimming with wariness and vigilance, entered carrying the coffee. He closed the door behind him, placed the cup on the desk, and moved to the side, his gaze fixed on Kisame. Though he appeared to be in a relaxed state, every muscle in his body was coiled taut. At the slightest suspicious move from Kisame, Kakashi would strike immediately.
"..."