The return to Konoha was quiet in the worst possible way.
Days of dirt, restless nights, the weight of the clearly unfairly failed mission. And lastly, them suffering from one of their teammates' worsening attitude.
Team 7 came back with dust on their clothes, tired eyes, and nothing solid to show for weeks of searching. No bodies. No witnesses who mattered. No proof beyond a single ugly truth: Itachi Uchiha and another rogue shinobi had been in the area when Kiyomi was gravely injured and Izumi had been killed.
That too they only knew thanks to Sukuna taking things into his own hands; however, besides that, nothing.
That was it.
They had chased shadows through towns and forests, questioned innkeepers and merchants, followed half-baked rumors that led nowhere. In the end, the trail had gone cold, as if the people responsible had never existed at all.
And what else could be expected from a Genin team anyways, going after S-rank missing-nin? That was either Hiruzen being high after mixing something into his smoke, or he was finally losing it in his old age.
This mission was a public stunt, nothing much, and once the use of it was done, Hiruzen finally called them back. Results be damned.
When the recall order arrived, Kakashi did not argue. He already knew there was nothing left to find.
As for which member was suffering from an attitude issue, was there even a reason to ask? It was the resident emo Uchiha.
Sasuke's attitude became worse the more time passed without them getting any results. Ultimately, the team just started ignoring him during the mission to avoid any unwanted commotion until they reached Konoha.
They understood him. Being friends for such a long time, they knew how Sasuke would feel. He might show that he didn't care; however, they knew he cared about his sister. His only family left. Of course Sasuke would be extremely angry over the matter, searching for the culprit.
So, they just decided to give the boy some time alone.
Now they stood in the Hokage's office.
Kakashi knelt first, his team following suit. Naruto looked restless, Sakura tired, Sasuke quiet in a way that honestly concerned his team. Sukuna stood slightly apart, hands in his pockets, posture relaxed in a way that suggested he was very much not relaxed at all.
Hiruzen Sarutobi listened to Kakashi's report without interruption. His pipe rested untouched beside him. He nodded at the right moments, asked no unnecessary questions, and gave no hint that any of this surprised him.
When Kakashi finished, silence settled over the room.
Before Hiruzen could speak, the door opened again.
Team 8 entered, along with Tsunade and Shizune.
Naruto's head snapped up. "Oh! You guys are back too!"
Kiba groaned. "Barely. Next time someone says 'simple retrieval mission,' I'm biting them."
While Team 8's mission had been completed quite a while ago, they were still delayed because many of their members were injured and needed rest. Especially Kurenai.
Not to mention, Tsunade went gambling in every gambling house she set her eyes on during their journey back. They got broke, and then had to somehow acquire the money, and the vicious cycle kept on repeating.
Even recalling the terrible time, Kurenai shuddered. However, she focused her distracted mind, telling the Hokage what took place with the Raikage and his party was far more important. She would have sent back intel earlier by a summon bird or something, if not for the gravity of the matter.
Hiruzen gestured for them to speak, and Kurenai gave the report. The Raikage's subordinate. The explosive insects. Tsunade's treatment. The sudden betrayal. The attack. The kidnapping of Hinata and Karin.
The entire thing, and the longer the story went on, the harder Hiruzen's expression became.
The Old looked like his heart was about to gave out any second.
Of course, her account was limited to the Raikage wounding her and kidnapping both Hinata and Karin.
From that point onward, the edited version was entailed to the Hokage. Only five people knew what truly took place: Tsunade, Shizune, Hinata, Karin, and of course Sukuna.
In fact, all the above mentioned were currently secretly glancing at the boy standing by the wall's support, hands in his pockets like this matter had nothing to do with him.
He only showed interest when he learned that the Raikage attacked them and the girls were kidnapped, that too only surprise and expected anger.
'This brat is surprisingly a good actor.' Tsunade clicked her tongue, but didn't say anything beyond that.
Hiruzen seemed to be on the edge of his seat, like hearing an interesting story, eager to learn more. He frowned when Kurenai stopped at the kidnapping part. "And then?" he asked quietly.
"They were found later," Kurenai continued. "Unconscious. Alone in the forest. No sign of the Raikage or his men."
That was the moment the room truly went still.
"Just left behind?" Hiruzen frowned, wondering whether his hearing was starting to dull with age.
"Yes, they were left behind in the forest, completely unconscious."
"And the Raikage?"
"He wasn't there, not even his men. They were gone by the time we arrived there."
Hiruzen leaned back, fingers steepled. A missing Raikage was not just a problem. It was a potential disaster. Wars had begun over far less.
But after a long moment, he exhaled slowly.
"That's very strange. However, it's still a favorable outcome," Hiruzen muttered to himself, eyes flickering to Hinata for a second. Karin getting kidnapped would mean Konoha losing one of the last pure Uzumaki bloodlines, a loss but still something he could accept.
Hinata though. She was from the Hyuga main family. Her getting kidnapped could lead to many more troubles. He didn't even wish to think what the Hyuga clan would have done if that truly had happened.
His mind still reeled at what the Raikage was really after, kidnapping the girls only to leave them behind. Why?
However, right now wasn't the time to ponder that.
"The Raikage initiated hostilities," he said. "And then vanished. Until we have proof of Konoha's involvement beyond defending our own, this matter will be… set under S-rank Secret. No one here is to let out what happened to anyone. Is that clear?" Hiruzen said with authority in his tone.
"Hai..."
Everyone responded in unison. Even Sukuna. Especially him.
Naruto blinked. "What? That bad guy tried to kidnap both Hinata-chan and Karin. Are we going to let him go just like that?"
Of course, if there was one person who didn't understand the political ramifications of this matter, then it was Naruto.
He uttered it with clear dissatisfaction.
It wasn't that others weren't angry over what the Cloud shinobi had tried to do. Everyone was, from Kurenai who failed her team to even Tsunade who knew that the Raikage paid for his actions.
The inability to take any action regarding this was what truly made them more angry. Acting against a Kage of a village like that would invite war.
And the man who had just killed the said Kage, he was acting all nonchalant. Tsunade and others glanced at him with twitching eyes.
'How thick is this guy's skin to act like he knows nothing this smoothly...' they honestly pondered.
Sighing at Naruto's outburst, Hiruzen said, "Yes, Naruto. Since both Hinata and Karin are safe and back with us, for the time being, until we know what really took place, we'll act like we know nothing about this case."
Naruto didn't like that response; however, before the blond could say something else, Sukuna, who had finally left his cozy wall, walked up to him and placed a hand on the knucklehead's shoulder, quieting him down.
Tsunade crossed her arms, scowling. "You're playing a dangerous game, old man. Rather than wasting time, just put the blame on the Cloud before they try pulling something similar, like blaming us for their Raikage's disappearance."
"Anyone can play the blame game, Tsunade. It's the proofs which make or break a situation. They have nothing to put blame on us. If we were to target them first, they would instead find us more of a guilty party, even when we have nothing to do with the Raikage's disappearance. Just forget the matter and feign ignorance," Hiruzen corrected calmly.
That answer did not please her, but she did not argue further, because that was really what she was aiming for from the very start.
Hiruzen then changed the subject.
"I wish to talk about something with Tsunade. Kakashi, and Kurenai, both of your teams are dismissed for the time being..."
"Hai..."
"Oh, and Sukuna… you stay back." Just as both teams were ready to move out, Hiruzen called him. Hinata, Karin, Shizune, even Tsunade, and Sukuna's heart trembled at the specific person Hiruzen asked to remain back.
Both Hinata and Karin gave Sukuna a look, before he signaled them to get moving with confidence, and they finally left.
"My boy, I have something to talk with you about later. Would you mind waiting outside until I talk with Tsunade here..."
"Oh… yes, no problem." Sukuna sighed; this meant the matter shouldn't be about what happened with the Raikage.
Even Tsunade looked visibly relaxed at this.
Once Sukuna finally left, Hiruzen turned to Tsunade.
"I assume Kurenai has given you the details why you were called suddenly..." Hiruzen asked, only to earn a distorted clicking from Tsunade in dissatisfaction. However, she nodded in the end.
"The deceased," Hiruzen continued, his voice heavier now. "Izumi Uchiha. We learned from our intelligence that she possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan before she was killed. Both eyes were taken when we found her body."
Tsunade's posture changed instantly. Dismissed until now, her gambler's slouch vanished almost instantly upon hearing those words, replaced by a sharp, professional focus.
"Old man, you realize what you're saying, right? After Madara Uchiha, no Uchiha had those eyes..." she muttered, uncertain about her own claim.
"That's not true… three others actually did, but that's beside—"
"What, there were three others?" Tsunade almost jolted from her place.
"...the point," Hiruzen sighed.
"I'll tell you later, Tsunade. For now, focus. This is important..."
"Tch… why is it always the Uchiha."
"I wonder myself," Hiruzen replied, dodging her eyes, which made Tsunade narrow hers but say nothing.
"And Kiyomi Uchiha," Hiruzen added. "The only spectator of this incident remains under a powerful genjutsu which put her into a coma. Waking her is now our highest priority."
"We have to find who took those eyes..."
Tsunade nodded once. "Well, I see why you had to send a team to bring me back like that."
"I'll see what I can do." Tsunade, for once, didn't act like a spoiled princess and cooperated.
As she was ready to leave the office, Hiruzen recalled her. "By the way, that boy Sukuna. He has a serious talent in Medical Arts, dare I say it's comparable to yours back in the day. Aizawa could tell you better once you visit the hospital. Give the boy a go; you might be surprised..." Hiruzen almost said it like a proud grandfather to his grandson.
Tsunade, hearing that, just snorted to herself. 'Oh, I'm surprised alright… you'll be too when you know...'
The door closed behind her, Sukuna waiting just outside. Their eyes met, and without a word, both doctors went their own ways.
Hiruzen turned his full attention to the pink-haired boy once he came back into the office.
"Sukuna, my boy," he said, smiling, studying him carefully. "Your performance in recent missions, especially the Waves one, places you well above your current rank."
"I couldn't talk to you back then because of the various matters at hand."
Sukuna shrugged. "I did what I did; there is nothing much." Sukuna just waved it off, not interested in his old man's sweet talk.
Hiruzen sighed. "Oh, but it is, my boy. You have outgrown the Genin rank by now, easily Chunin level if I say so myself. Possibly higher."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"It is a compliment. However, it is also a problem," Hiruzen said dryly.
Sukuna raised an eyebrow.
"I could promote you immediately," the Hokage continued. "But instead, I wish for you to participate in the upcoming Chunin Exams."
Sukuna tilted his head. "For show." He remembered how the Chunin Exam worked; if the Hokage wished him to participate, then Konoha already had first place, didn't it?
"For reassurance," Hiruzen replied, silently cursing why the boy caught the notion so fast.
'Can you play around a bit brat...'
"Konoha needs to remind the other villages that its next generation is strong."
Sukuna considered this for a moment, then nodded. "Fine by me."
Hiruzen allowed himself a small smile. "Good. Remember, it's still three months before the next Chunin Exam. So there is time."
xXx
A/N : Oh, I can't believe it took almost 150 chapter to even come to Chunin exam. Man, I honestly though I'll be doing that in around 30 or 40 chapter. But things went on and on.
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