Hokage Rock Office
Watching Sakura diligently finish the documents before her, Mitokado Homura couldn't help but stroke the beard on his chin with satisfaction.
As Hiruzen approached retirement, he had finally cultivated a qualified successor.
If nothing else, her speed in handling government affairs was several times faster than Hiruzen's.
Tossing her pen aside as she finished the last file, Sakura couldn't help but stretch.
Heaven help her, she actually felt the absurd sensation of having finished her homework.
Once the old man returned, Sakura was determined to make him train a batch of administrative staff before he officially retired. When the time came, she wanted to head into action unburdened; she didn't want to be pestered by every trivial little thing.
Also, this chair—it was a bit hard on the backside.
And this desk—the drawers were a struggle to open; that had to be replaced too.
Furthermore, the surrounding walls were covered in cracks. This Hokage Building was practically becoming a condemned structure, wasn't it?
Tear it down and rebuild!
"I'm leaving now. Don't call me if nothing's happening."
"Actually, don't call me even if something is happening."
Leaving those words behind, Sakura jumped straight out of the open window.
This left Mitokado Homura with no choice but to give a helpless smile.
"Hmph, that brat."
Utatane Koharu curled her lip, watching the completely ill-mannered Sakura.
As the next Hokage, how could she just jump out of a window?
Where was the etiquette? The solemnity? Where was the dignity of a Hokage?
"Don't be like that. Sakura is only thirteen," Mitokado Homura said, shaking his head. He picked up the document Sakura had just tossed onto the desk to take a look.
It was a routine maintenance report from the Barrier Team.
In it, Sakura had specifically noted that the Barrier Team was forbidden from playing poker on the clock. Playing was one thing, but the members of the Hyuga clan were actually using their Byakugan to cheat and look at cards—it was a complete lack of competitive spirit.
So, the question remained: was Sakura actually allowing them to play poker at work or not?
Land of Rain: Hidden Rain Village
Inside the central high tower, the members of the Akatsuki had gathered together.
"Let me introduce our newest member."
"Hiruko."
Pain spoke, looking at the assembled crowd.
Standing beside him was a short figure with white hair, white clothes, red eyes, and a delicate face... a boy?
"This brat looks pretty cute, hmm!"
Deidara, always the one to run his mouth, looked at Hiruko beside Pain and spoke up with his usual lack of restraint.
"He will take Orochimaru's place as our tenth member."
"However, the 'Sky' ring is still in Orochimaru's possession. Therefore, we need to find Orochimaru and take the ring from him."
"And while we're at it, eliminate that traitor."
"Who is willing to go?"
Pain ignored Deidara's comment and continued speaking.
"Heh, I have no interest in such matters."
Sasori of the Red Sand was the first to speak.
Having lost the Third Kazekage and hundreds of puppets, his strength had dropped to an all-time low. He needed to quickly finish processing the corpse of the Fourth Raikage, which Zetsu had secretly delivered to him.
"That guy Orochimaru... the Great Lord Jashin has no interest in cold-blooded crawling creatures."
Hidan, carrying his blood-red triple-bladed scythe, scratched his ear.
"I'll go!"
"I'll let Orochimaru appreciate the Art of an Explosion."
Deidara was the first to respond to Pain's mission.
Pain nodded at his words and then looked toward the others.
"I'll go as well."
Standing next to Uchiha Itachi, Kisame grinned, revealing his rows of sharp teeth.
Beside Kisame, Uchiha Itachi had his eyes closed in a mock doze, seemingly indifferent to everything.
"Itachi, you have fought Orochimaru before. Do you have any suggestions?"
Pain looked toward the detached Uchiha Itachi.
"...Winning is easy," Itachi said after a moment of silence. "But he is impossible to kill."
"Ha? Are you scared?"
Deidara raised an eyebrow at Itachi.
Itachi ignored the problem child whose head was filled with nothing but bombs.
"In that case, Hiruko, Deidara, and Kisame will go find Orochimaru."
Pain agreed with Itachi's assessment of Orochimaru; his phrasing had shifted from "eliminate" to simply "find."
"One more thing," Pain continued.
"Regarding the Tailed Beast capture plan."
The moment these words were uttered, everyone in the Akatsuki sharpened their focus. Even Uchiha Itachi opened his eyes.
Only Hiruko watched it all with a cold gaze.
"Because the Three-Tails Jinchuriki, Yagura Karatachi, died in battle, the Three-Tails is currently in a state of revival. Our plan must be postponed."
"According to my predictions, the Three-Tails will not fully manifest for about three years."
"I hope everyone uses this time to improve their strength in preparation for the coming battles."
Pain's tone was calm, but the rest of the Akatsuki members became collectively solemn.
To capture all the Tailed Beasts meant they would inevitably clash with the Five Great Shinobi Nations.
Among the nine Tailed Beasts, both the Two-Tails and the Nine-Tails were in Konohagakure.
That meant they would have to face that pink-haired girl who had performed so brilliantly in the recent war in a head-on collision.
There was no way she would sit idly by while her village's Two-Tails and Nine-Tails were captured.
Given that pink-haired girl's blindingly impressive record, no one present dared to say they could definitely defeat her. Even just holding her off would be an extremely challenging task.
Especially for Kakuzu.
Last time, he had been hunted down by her all the way from the Land of Rivers to the Land of Rain.
Sasori, too, had been beaten so badly he had to flee in disgrace, leaving even his Kazekage puppet behind in Konohagakure.
This pink-haired girl was an unavoidable obstacle for the Akatsuki.
As the meeting concluded, the members of the Akatsuki dispersed, each heavy with their own thoughts.
Hiruko returned to his quarters.
Waiting there for him was a single individual.
Uchiha Obito.
"What's the verdict?"
Obito had already removed his mask, revealing his true face.
"An ambitious organization," Hiruko sneered, then sat down leisurely in a nearby chair.
"Who's asking about that?"
"I'm asking about the Chimera Technique. When can it begin?"
Obito's gaze was calm as he looked at the man who resembled a youth.
Yes, a man.
The man was already fifty years old, yet he maintained the appearance of a teenager—all thanks to the Chimera Technique he had created.
"The Chimera Technique is already complete. Now, I am simply waiting for the right Kekkei Genkai users."
Hearing Obito's words, a slight curve appeared on Hiruko's lips.
Working with this man was a necessity for Hiruko. After all, the Chimera Technique required five different Kekkei Genkai to be integrated into one's body to be perfected.
And among those five, the Sharingan was particularly difficult to acquire.
Currently, the only owners of the Sharingan were the Obito before him, Uchiha Itachi in the Akatsuki, and Kakashi Hatake and Sasuke Uchiha in Konohagakure.
Since Kakashi and Sasuke were tucked away in Konohagakure, the Obito in front of him was the most suitable candidate.
He would use Obito as a guinea pig to test the freshly developed Chimera Technique. If there were no issues, he would then undergo the procedure himself.
As for the Sharingan issue, Hiruko already had a backup plan. He would only move once he was certain the Chimera Technique was flawless.
"Kekkei Genkai..." Obito murmured.
Hiruko's suggestion for him was to integrate Swift Release, Steel Release, and Dark Release, in addition to his own Sharingan and Wood Release.
Swift Release would grant him unparalleled speed, while Steel Release would provide a body hard and powerful enough for direct combat. These two would bolster Obito's frontal assault capabilities.
Dark Release would grant the ability to absorb an opponent's ninjutsu, turn it into his own chakra, and fire it back.
"I think Dark Release should be replaced with Storm Release."
At that moment, Zetsu slowly emerged from the ground.
"Hmm? Why?"
Neither Hiruko nor Obito were surprised by Zetsu's appearance.
"Obito himself doesn't fear ninjutsu. Kamui allows him to ignore it entirely. Combined with Steel Release, ninjutsu is essentially useless against him anyway."
"Dark Release is a bit redundant."
"On the contrary, Storm Release could provide Obito with a powerful offensive tool."
Even though Kamui had been countered before, it didn't mean it was useless; the ability to ignore attacks for five minutes was still a divine skill.
Hiruko narrowed his eyes slightly.
"If that is what you think, it's fine with me—provided you capture a Storm Release ninja."
Hiruko was well aware of the drawbacks of Dark Release. He had chosen it precisely for that reason. If Obito became too powerful to control in the future, Hiruko had intended to use that choice to preemptively weaken his combat potential.
Now, it seemed this Zetsu was getting in the way.
He would have to find a way to kill him.
"The Chimera Technique requires the celestial phenomenon of the solar eclipse. By my calculations, it will occur in about a year."
"When that time comes, just have the Swift Release, Steel Release, and Storm Release ninjas ready."
Hiruko waved them off.
"Rest assured on that front."
Obito nodded at Hiruko's words.
Zetsu, meanwhile, watched the entire exchange in silence.
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