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Midorima watched quietly as the leaders of the various major ninja villages filed out of the conference hall. Among them, only Fugaku paused at the doorway and turned back to look at him. In that brief glance, Midorima could clearly see a deep sense of gratitude shining in the Uchiha clan leader's eyes.
Although it was almost impossible for Itachi to ever return to the Hidden Leaf Village, Midorima had openly revealed the true reasons behind Itachi's defection in front of so many powerful leaders. Itachi had carried a heavy burden of suffering, forced to commit the most despised act imaginable in the eyes of the villagers—all for the sake of protecting his younger brother.
Another reason for Fugaku's gratitude was that Midorima had helped clear the Uchiha clan of some of the false accusations leveled against them. While this single revelation would not completely absolve the entire clan of suspicion, it meant a great deal to Fugaku. At a time when almost everyone else was looking down on the Uchiha with distrust and hostility, having a complete stranger willing to speak up on their behalf felt incredibly rare and valuable.
Midorima, however, had not been thinking about any of these deeper implications. He simply let out a tired yawn, feeling a wave of weariness wash over him after the intense discussion.
Terumi Mei gently hooked her finger around his, an action that caught Midorima slightly off guard. He turned his head and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Terumi Mei replied. She lifted her gaze toward the entrance of the conference room, where the sky outside was gradually darkening as evening approached. "I just didn't realize you had gone through so much. Whether it's the truth about the Third Kazekage or Akatsuki's ultimate goal—these are not things that ordinary people could easily uncover."
Midorima gave an awkward laugh. Most of that knowledge had come from the original manga he remembered from his previous life.
Since crossing over into this world, many events had shifted and changed, but certain things that had already occurred in the timeline remained fixed and unchangeable. Unfortunately, both the assassination of the Kazekage and Akatsuki's true objectives fell into that category of immutable events.
"You already know enough," Midorima said with a grin, showing his teeth. "Honestly, I feel like I'm dealing with death almost every single day. But this kind of dangerous lifestyle should be coming to an end pretty soon."
Terumi Mei did not respond with words. Instead, she simply squeezed Midorima's hand more firmly, holding it in silence as a quiet show of support and concern.
The leaders from the different villages took roughly half an hour to rest and collect their thoughts before they gradually returned to the conference hall one by one.
"Given how explosive the information Midorima shared with us earlier is, I felt it necessary to take some time to organize my thoughts. Now, I believe everyone here has gained a much clearer and more three-dimensional understanding of the Akatsuki organization. With that in mind, let us begin our discussion on how we should respond to this threat!"
Hiruzen, the Hokage, set the tone for the second half of the summit with these opening words.
...
On a rooftop in a quiet corner of the village, Sasori crouched low, looking down at the ninja patrolling the streets below.
This was his first time visiting the Hidden Leaf Village, so he had no personal knowledge of what its normal security levels were like. Even so, he had to admit that the current state of alert far exceeded anything he had imagined.
The entire village seemed to be on edge, with every blade of grass and every tree appearing ready for potential trouble. The atmosphere was thick with suspicion and heightened vigilance.
"Could the plan have been leaked somehow?" Sasori muttered to himself.
Launching an operation at this particular moment was far from ideal timing, but since Pain had made the final decision, there was little point in opposing it. Besides, Sasori himself had no real desire to argue against the plan.
After all, the chance to strike against all five Kage at the same time was an extremely rare opportunity.
However, if the villages had somehow received advance warning and were now waiting to spring a trap, the situation could turn into a complete disaster.
There shouldn't be any way for the information to have leaked, right?
Sasori could not think of any plausible reason why the plan would have been exposed—unless someone had betrayed the organization.
The moment the word "betrayal" crossed his mind, Sasori immediately thought of "Yoshida Shin," which in turn brought up the annoying face of Midorima.
If anyone among them was likely to betray the group, Itachi seemed to be the most probable candidate.
Could it be…
Sasori was still deep in thought when a sudden gust of wind blew past, causing his long black cloak to flutter dramatically.
He turned his head to see what had caused the breeze, only to realize that Itachi had somehow appeared behind him without making a single sound.
"Would it kill you to say something before sneaking up on people?" Sasori hissed in a low voice filled with clear irritation.
He had just been thinking about Itachi, and now the man was standing right behind him. Anyone else would have been scared half to death by such a silent approach.
"If I spoke, wouldn't that increase the chance of being discovered?" Itachi replied, looking at Sasori with genuine confusion. "Don't you realize that the security measures today are much stricter than usual?"
"Why is that?" Sasori asked.
"Because the Five Kage Summit is currently underway. Not long ago, I killed the Kazekage just outside the village. If anything happens to the other four Kage while they are here, the Hidden Leaf Village would truly be finished."
Sasori nodded slowly. That made perfect sense.
"What about you? How are things progressing on your end?" Sasori inquired.
"The Nine-Tails jinchuriki is also inside the meeting venue, together with the Hokage and the others," Itachi reported.
"What?" Sasori frowned deeply.
The conference hall was far from an ideal location for an ambush.
Attempting to seize the Nine-Tails there would mean confronting all four remaining Kage at once. The odds of successfully capturing the beast under those conditions were extremely slim.
"The Six-Tails is there as well," Itachi added.
"Midorima?" Sasori's expression changed instantly. His eyes sharpened with a chilling, predatory gleam that sent a cold shiver down the spine.
"Exactly. With two tailed beasts present in the same venue at the same time, this operation cannot afford even the slightest mistake," Itachi stated firmly.
"The difficulty level seems quite high, doesn't it?"
Although most of Akatsuki's members had gathered for the mission, they were still unlikely to be a match for four Kage combined—especially since they were deep inside the Hidden Leaf Village, where powerful enemies were far more numerous than in any other location.
"I have already contacted Pain. He will provide support," Itachi continued. "And don't forget about the shinobi from the Uchiha clan."
"Can they be trusted?" Sasori asked skeptically. He found it hard to believe that members of the Uchiha clan would actually attack their own village.
It simply didn't seem worth it, nor did it make much sense.
"You need to understand that the Uchiha clan is not a monolithic group. There are individuals within it who harbor deep resentment toward the Hidden Leaf Village. They are like dry kindling that has been left out in the sun for too long—one small spark is all it takes to set them ablaze. They don't even need additional fuel," Itachi reminded him calmly.
"But why would they turn their blades against the people of the Leaf?" Sasori asked, still puzzled.
"That… is actually quite simple," Itachi replied. He raised his head and gazed up at the night sky, where the moon had already risen. "The time is almost here. Would you like to see with your own eyes how I intend to handle this?"
"Me?" Sasori frowned for a moment, then gave a small nod of agreement.
...
The shinobi of the Uchiha clan had been divided into two separate teams. The elite members had been assigned to the conference venue to safeguard the safety of the Five Kage, while the rest of the police force shinobi, along with other village ninja, were tasked with patrolling the entire village to maintain order and security.
One such patrol squad composed entirely of Uchiha shinobi was making its way through the busiest street in the Hidden Leaf Village.
Although the nighttime security measures were significantly stricter than usual, they had not disrupted the normal daily life of the villagers. Pedestrians continued to move about, and the streets remained lively even after dark.
"Seriously, I just saw a dark shadow pass over the rooftops," Uchiha Mizuo said quietly as he looked upward.
"Huh? Are you seeing things?" teased Uchiha Nai from the same squad. "Or maybe it was just a cat."
"It was pretty big."
"Then… it must have been more than one cat," Uchiha Nai replied with a grin.
The other Uchiha shinobi in the team turned their heads to look, using the light from the shop signs to scan the rooftops. However, there was nothing there.
"See? Just like I said…" Uchiha Nai began as he turned back around, only to find another patrol squad approaching from the opposite direction. The newcomers greeted them politely.
Out of courtesy, Uchiha Nai stopped walking and prepared to return the greeting. Suddenly, the leader of the approaching squad lunged forward without warning and thrust a blade straight through Uchiha Nai's throat.
"Someone's been killed!"
A panicked shout rang out from somewhere in the crowd. In an instant, the once-lively street descended into complete chaos. Terrified villagers scattered in every direction, leaving only the two patrol teams standing in the middle of the road.
The Uchiha shinobi quickly knelt down to check on Uchiha Nai's condition, then shook their heads grimly toward Uchiha Mizuo.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Uchiha Mizuo demanded angrily.
"Orders from Lord Hokage—to eliminate the entire Uchiha clan," the other ninja replied in a cold, emotionless voice.