"Why is there still no news?"
In the Root base of Konohagakure, Danzō Shimura sat quietly, waiting for Orochimaru's reply.
It had been more than a week since Orochimaru had agreed to cooperate. The money and resources had already been transferred, leaving Danzō with no choice but to wait.
Truthfully, he wasn't happy about paying upfront, but after years of working with Orochimaru, this had become their standard mode of cooperation.
At least, it had produced results in the past.
"Let's hope nothing goes wrong this time," Danzō muttered under his breath.
But just then, a furious voice echoed through the base.
"Danzō Shimura, come out here right now!"
The voice sent a shiver down Danzō's spine. It was both familiar and unfamiliar.
He recognized it as belonging to his old friend, but it had been years since he'd heard such anger from him.
As he pondered this, he saw Hiruzen Sarutobi storming in with a dark expression, flanked by several Anbu.
The sight made Danzō's heart skip a beat.
Are they here to surround Root again?
"Hiruzen, what's going on?"
Despite his unease, Danzō maintained his composure and stood up calmly to ask.
"What's going on?"
Hiruzen felt his head spinning just thinking about the report he'd received. He suppressed his anger and asked,
"Back then, in the Land of Rain—how much did you hide from me?"
At these words, Danzō felt a surge of irritation.
Every time this matter came up, it left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Why was Hiruzen bringing it up again now?
"What happened? Why are you suddenly asking about this?"
Though frustrated, Danzō couldn't help but notice Hiruzen's grim expression. He decided to tread carefully.
"Jiraiya encountered Orochimaru," Hiruzen said, taking a deep breath. His tone was heavy with seriousness.
"Orochimaru revealed some information. Some members of that mysterious organization were targets you and Hanzō the Salamander attempted to eliminate back then.
So, what exactly happened?"
"..."
Danzō's pupils dilated in shock.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru had crossed paths?
Wasn't Jiraiya supposed to be looking for Tsunade?
What on earth had happened?
Whatever it was, Danzō knew this was a serious problem.
He had long suspected that the group responsible for destroying Root might be connected to the Akatsuki.
But the identities didn't match up!
"I don't know much about it either," Danzō said, his face darkening as he feigned helplessness.
"Hanzō invited me to join him in eliminating a rebellious organization, promising future support in return.
For the sake of Konohagakure, I agreed.
But things went terribly wrong. Hanzō assured me they had been completely eradicated."
"Eradicated?"
Hiruzen's gaze remained fixed on Danzō, unrelenting.
"If they were eradicated, how do you explain what's happening now?
Do you even know who those people were?"
Hiruzen could no longer contain his frustration.
Danzō had clearly kept him in the dark about this!
Of course, Hiruzen himself hadn't been entirely forthcoming either.
He hadn't told Danzō that the individuals in question were Jiraiya's former students.
After all, Jiraiya had never mentioned it to him either.
Back then, after the war, Jiraiya had disappeared for several years.
Both Orochimaru and Tsunade had claimed he was merely taking time to relax.
Who could have known they were hiding something so significant, leading to this mess?
"Who were they?"
Danzō looked at Hiruzen in confusion, but the Third Hokage merely waved him off and turned away.
"At this point, I don't want to hear any excuses.
I have only one demand: you must contact Hanzō the Salamander.
Didn't you say everything you did was for Konohagakure?
Well, I'm giving you a direct order—find out what happened to those people.
Where are they now? Do they harbor hatred toward Konohagakure?
If you can't accomplish this, I'm afraid I'll have to reinstate your retirement."
With that, Hiruzen felt a weight lift from his chest.
For a moment, he had truly felt like the sky was falling.
He had even wished he could faint and escape the situation entirely.
But alas, he couldn't faint no matter how hard he tried.
All he could do was address the issues he could manage.
"Is this what they call venting?"
Hiruzen mused, feeling a bit conflicted.
Still, he couldn't deny that he felt much better now, even if it meant being unfair to his old friend.
Meanwhile, Danzō felt as though his world was crumbling.
He opened his mouth to speak, but Hiruzen had already turned and left, giving him no chance to argue.
"Retirement?"
To Danzō, that was as good as a death sentence.
"Orochimaru, you've screwed me over!"
As he watched Hiruzen and the Anbu leave, Danzō couldn't help but curse inwardly.
"And Hanzō the Salamander... could he really be dead after all?"
Amegakure, Akatsuki Base
When the holographic projections of the Akatsuki members appeared one by one, Hidan couldn't help but shout,
"Hey, is there a mission or what?"
Kakuzu shot him a glare, but it had little effect.
Fortunately, Pain spoke up.
"There's an urgent mission in the Land of Cedars.
Anyone available can participate."
"The Land of Cedars?"
Itachi Uchiha frowned, his tone questioning.
"What's happening there?"
"We've encountered some minor yet persistent trouble.
The targets are currently in the Land of Cedars," Pain explained coldly, his gaze sweeping over the group.
"Recently, certain individuals have been investigating us too closely.
You've all crossed paths with them before."
"Crossed paths?"
Sasori raised an eyebrow, suddenly realizing something.
"You mean those Konohagakure shinobi? That brat, Kitagawa Minamoto?"
Kitagawa Minamoto's name might not have spread widely across the ninja world yet, but within the Akatsuki, it was well-known.
It had started with Itachi and Jūzō Biwa encountering him and suffering significant losses.
Then Kisame Hoshigaki was outwitted in the Land of Water.
Next, Kakuzu and Hidan had faced him, with Kakuzu losing several hearts in the process.
Finally, Sasori had been severely beaten during a mission in Iwagakure.
His puppets were nearly destroyed, his identity likely exposed, and even the Third Kazekage puppet had been damaged.
The Iwagakure incident had also drawn Ōnoki's attention, and Deidara had ended up defecting to Konohagakure.
If Obito Uchiha were added to the mix, the Akatsuki's grievances against Minamoto were practically a ledger of blood debts.
"Indeed, Kitagawa Minamoto is there, along with Hatake Kakashi, Jiraiya, and even Tsunade," Pain confirmed.
"All familiar faces, huh?" Kisame grinned, revealing his sharp teeth.
Itachi remained silent, while Kakuzu and Sasori wore expressions of resentment.
After a moment, both shook their heads.
"I haven't fully recovered yet. I can't participate."
"My puppets still need repairs. I'm out as well."
Pain nodded, unsurprised by their responses.
"In that case, you two will stay behind. Hidan, you'll assist them with their recovery."
"Tch, fine by me," Hidan muttered indifferently.
He hadn't had much interaction with Minamoto, but he still held a grudge against that "damn kappa ghost" he'd encountered before.
"So, it's just the two of us and the leader, huh?" Kisame asked, glancing at Itachi.
"But we're pretty far from the Land of Cedars."
"Don't worry. We won't be the only ones," Pain replied calmly.
"There's another participant.
You'll be transported there when the time comes."
Land of Cedars, a Mountain Cave
"Brat, I'll kill you!"
The Fourth Raikage roared in anger, his voice echoing through the cave.
Kitagawa Minamoto merely shrugged, unfazed.
The Raikage had regained consciousness but was struggling to accept his current state.
As a taijutsu specialist, losing an arm was a devastating blow.
"Come on, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Don't take it so hard," Minamoto said, attempting to console him.
His words only made the Raikage angrier.
"Sooner or later? Brat, you're dead!"
"Same lines again? And your Chakra is sealed. What can you even do to me?"
Minamoto tilted his head, his casual attitude fanning the Raikage's flames.
"Hmph! You wouldn't dare kill me.
If you do, you'll spark a Shinobi World War. You'll have no choice but to release me, and then I'll—"
"Yeah, yeah. You guys and your bandit logic—always taking advantage but never willing to suffer losses.
Whether it's stealing from others or dealing with your own problems, it's all the same.
Guess I wasn't wrong about you."
Before the Raikage could finish, Minamoto waved him off and walked away.
Dealing with someone like him was pointless.
Besides, the real headache wasn't his to solve—Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Kakashi were all here.
Worst case, they still had the Third Hokage to rely on.
"By the way, don't even think about reattaching that arm.
Sasuke burned it with Amaterasu, and I..."
Minamoto ignored the Raikage's renewed shouting as he headed toward Kakashi and the others.
He couldn't help but reflect on his own actions.
The moment his blade, charged with purple lightning, severed the Raikage's arm, it had burned the nerves beyond repair.
Even a medical ninja of Tsunade's caliber couldn't fix it.
"Well, I guess it was fate."
At that moment, his Status Panel lit up.
[Side Quest Completed: A Family That Fights Together]
[Rewards Calculating...]
Seeing the notification, Minamoto nodded in satisfaction.
This mission hadn't been particularly difficult.
As for the rewards, he wasn't sure what to expect.
"But with Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Orochimaru, and the Fourth Raikage all involved, the rewards should be pretty good."
Stretching lazily, Minamoto allowed a smile to spread across his face.
"Time to relax a bit before heading back to Konohagakure.
I've got plenty of research to catch up on."
Just as he was about to unwind, the System flashed again.
[New Side Quest Unlocked]
[We're All Just Trying to Survive]
[Defend Against the Akatsuki's Attack]
"...Seriously?"
Minamoto stared at the notification, his mouth twitching in disbelief.
"Not again?"
(End of Chapter)
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