The Mangekyo Sharingan, a purple 'Susanoo,' and proficiency in Lightning Release—combined, these three points forced even Tsunade and Jiraiya, who were most reluctant to believe Sasuke was Akatsuki's 'E,' to weigh the possibility seriously.
On the surface, however, they stood firm. "Uchiha Sasuke is absolutely not Akatsuki's 'E.' We've already confirmed this!"
"Hmph!" The Fourth Raikage snorted coldly, adding, "If I encounter Akatsuki's 'E' again, I won't hold back!"
Seeing the Raikage only issue a threat, the Third Tsuchikage dropped the topic.
After all, the alliance of the five great ninja villages was merely a response to the Akatsuki's threat, not a sign of true harmony. Without catching 'E' red-handed, there was no way Hidden Leaf would hand over their Mangekyo Uchiha based on mere accusations.
The Third Tsuchikage turned to Shinji. "Whether Upper Moon Two truly died by your hand remains unconfirmed. We'll discuss the bounty once it's verified!"
The Fourth Raikage chimed in, "Exactly. The bounty will only be issued after Upper Moon Two's death is confirmed!"
Shinji was momentarily taken aback before quickly catching on.
To hunt Upper Moon Two, Hidden Stone and Hidden Cloud had offered substantial bounties through various channels: thirty million ryo for killing him, doubled to sixty million for capturing him alive!
Before Shinji could respond, the Third Tsuchikage and Fourth Raikage hurriedly left.
Watching the two Kage depart, Tsunade's team was stunned. Shizune couldn't help but blurt out, "That's… that's just shameless!"
Jiraiya chuckled lightly. "A couple of old foxes!"
It was common knowledge that Upper Moons turned to ash upon death, leaving no body behind. Their so-called 'verification' was clearly an excuse to dodge the bounty.
Shinji wasn't short on money, but Hidden Stone and Hidden Cloud's behavior irritated him.
If they hadn't brought it up, he wouldn't have even thought about it. Mentioning it deliberately was like assuming he couldn't do anything about it!
"I'll remember this!"
Shinji had no time to deal with them now, but when he had a chance later, they'd regret it.
After the Third Tsuchikage and Fourth Raikage left, Tsunade and Jiraiya stepped aside to confer quietly.
Tsunade asked, "Didn't the old man have Kakashi verify Sasuke last time?"
"Yeah, that happened," Jiraiya nodded.
Tsunade hesitated, then asked, "Do you think Akatsuki's 'E' could actually be Sasuke?"
Jiraiya rubbed his chin. "'Susanoo Tomoshibi' is a Mangekyo Sharingan dojutsu, but it's fundamentally about chakra manipulation. Different colors indicate different chakra properties. The fact that 'E' and Sasuke's 'Susanoo Tomoshibi' are the same color suggests that, even if they're not the same person, they might share close blood ties, which would explain the similar chakra properties."
Tsunade nodded slightly. "Uchiha business is a headache. Let's send this back to the old man and let him decide!"
Jiraiya immediately summoned a 'communication toad,' relaying everything that happened on the snowy plains—Upper Moon Two's accidental death at Shinji's hands, Hidden Stone and Hidden Cloud's suspicions about Sasuke being 'E,' and more—without leaving out a single detail.
Hidden Leaf Village
Having swapped with the shadow clone he left in the village, Sasuke dragged his exhausted body back to his apartment.
After a quick wash, he collapsed onto his bed, his eyes vacant.
"Damn it, that was my prey! How did Shinji steal it? That was Upper Moon Two!"
Upper Moon Two's reputation in the shinobi world was on par with the Akatsuki's.
Hidden Stone, Hidden Cloud, and the Land of Iron had mobilized two Kage and a host of elite shinobi to hunt him. The sheer scale of the operation spoke to Upper Moon Two's strength.
And yet, with Upper Moon Two clearly at the end of his rope, Sasuke had let such an opportunity slip through his fingers. After chasing him for three days and nights, anyone would feel the sting, especially Sasuke.
Knock, knock.
Suddenly, a knock came at the door.
Sasuke, his face sour, opened the door and frowned. "Kakashi, what's up?"
Without a word, Kakashi attacked.
Three days ago, Sasuke might have been caught off guard by such a sudden assault, but after three days and nights of real combat on the snowy plains, even in his exhausted state, his reflexes and alertness remained sharp!
The two engaged in a rapid exchange, quickly passing through the room and leaping onto the balcony, continuing their fight across the village's streets and rooftops.
After a long chase, they ended up at the training ground and finally stopped.
Sasuke smirked. "Kakashi, I've been wanting to test myself against you for a while!"
"Then today's the day," Kakashi replied, lifting his headband to reveal the scarlet Sharingan.
Seeing the Sharingan in Kakashi's eye, Sasuke's expression shifted. "An outsider like you thinks you can use a Sharingan against me? I don't know if that's ignorance or fearlessness!"
Kakashi ignored Sasuke's rudeness. A flicker of nostalgia passed through his eyes before his expression turned cold. "Maybe my Sharingan is stronger than yours!"
Sasuke snorted. "Then I'll show you what a true Sharingan can do! Don't worry, I won't use my Mangekyo Sharingan—three-tomoe is enough to handle you!"
Whoosh.
As soon as the words left his mouth, both moved at once!
Both used Lightning Release chakra to stimulate their cells, boosting their speed. They moved so fast it was almost unbelievable, with faint blue arcs occasionally sparking across their bodies.
On a nearby tree, the Third Hokage, puffing on his pipe, quietly observed the sparring match in the training ground.
After the 'communication toad' relayed the events from the snowy plains, the Third Hokage acted swiftly, ordering Kakashi to verify Sasuke's identity again.
This time, there was almost no time gap. The toad's transmission used a space-time summoning technique, so unless the Akatsuki possessed a space-time ninjutsu faster than the 'Flying Thunder God,' there was no way Sasuke, who was on the snowy plains in the Land of Iron moments ago, could have instantly returned to the village.