"Oh!"
There was a loud slam.
Hearing Tsunade's outrageous accusation, Itachi struck the table and shot to his feet, his eyes staring down at his trembling palms.
Stay calm. She's the Fifth Hokage. For the clan's sake… for the village's sake… don't let anger take control.
His fingers curled into a tight fist against the table as he struggled to contain the fury rising in his chest.
"Deputy Clan Leader Hikaru, my mission is complete. I'll take my leave now."
Under the gaze of everyone in the room, Itachi turned and made his way to the door.
Then he paused, glancing back toward Uchiha Hikaru.
"Deputy Clan Leader… don't forget to increase my mission reward. I ran into two Akatsuki members along the way."
"And my short blade needs reimbursement too."
With that, he slammed the door and left.
Uchiha Hikaru sat quietly, still digesting Itachi's words.
As expected, the Akatsuki sent someone to hunt Orochimaru. But if Itachi encountered them… then in this timeline, who takes Deidara and Sasori's place?
Tsunade's eyes remained locked on Orochimaru long after Itachi's departure. Her gaze ran up and down his feminine form.
A complete gender change… how is this medically even possible?
And why this specific body? Was it just convenient… or does this freak actually have a kink?
And that reaction from Itachi... was it just from embarrassment, or was there something deeper there?
Just as Tsunade's thoughts began spiraling, Orochimaru gently shifted the topic.
"Tsunade, Hikaru… about the Akatsuki members who attacked us a few days ago."
"Akatsuki? What's that? A bounty hunter group?" Tsunade asked curiously before Hikaru could say anything.
"What kind of organization would dare attack you, Orochimaru of the Legendary Sannin? They've got guts."
Orochimaru shook his head, his usual arrogance replaced with a rare seriousness. A shadow passed through his golden eyes.
"At this point, I suppose I count as a bounty ninja myself."
"'At this point'?" Tsunade repeated, catching the wording. Her tone grew more thoughtful. "So this group… they're something else?"
Orochimaru nodded.
"Tsunade, do you remember those three war orphans Jiraiya took in near the end of the Second Great Ninja War?"
"You mean those kids he stayed behind to train? The ones from the Hidden Rain?"
Orochimaru leaned back as he spoke.
"Yes. The Akatsuki was originally founded by that orange-haired boy. The purple-haired girl is also one of its members now."
His words sent Tsunade down memory lane.
She recalled the ruined, rain-soaked village. The cold, hungry orphans clinging to life.
She had only met them once, but never imagined they'd grow up to become mercenaries.
"What about the red-haired kid? Is he in it too?"
Orochimaru gave her a glance, voice quiet.
"He's dead."
"I haven't seen him among their ranks."
"But it doesn't matter. What's important is that the orange-haired one… has awakened the Rinnegan."
"The Rinnegan?!"
Tsunade slammed her sake cup down, face pale with disbelief. Her voice trembled as she leaned in.
"You're sure? That's the eye of the Sage of Six Paths!"
Orochimaru nodded grimly.
"Yes. When they found me, I tried to test their strength. But with a single jutsu, a repulsive force burst out from his body—"
"I was seriously injured. I had no choice but to join Akatsuki temporarily to avoid death."
Tsunade's hands clenched into fists without her realizing.
She'd only just returned to Konoha. She'd wanted peace, stability—time to rebuild.
But now, a group as dangerous as Akatsuki was already at their doorstep.
"You said they're acting like bounty hunters. Are they mercenaries? Who else is in this organization?"
Orochimaru's lips curled slightly, though it wasn't a smile.
"More like a war-based mercenary group now."
"And every member… is infamous in their own right."
"Kakuzu, the immortal bounty hunter. Sasori of the Red Sand. Biwa Juzo, the former Seven Ninja Swordsman. A masked man who never shows his face. A strange ninja named Zetsu—master of espionage."
"When I was with them, we were constantly accepting contracts from Iwagakure—attacking small nations and hidden villages."
"Akatsuki used the war to gain massive funds. As for what those funds are truly for… I never found out."
Tsunade rested her chin on her hands, fingers laced tightly.
This is worse than I thought. We don't even know their true goals, and yet their combat power is already comparable to the Five Great Nations—maybe even enough to challenge four of them outright.
If they're allowed to grow any further, the balance of the ninja world could collapse.
War would become inevitable.
And no matter how strong Konoha was, it wouldn't remain untouched.
At that moment, Uchiha Hikaru finally spoke.
"The Root has files on Akatsuki. They're part of Danzo's restricted intelligence archive."
Tsunade's eyes lit up instantly.
As expected of Uchiha Hikaru. At every crucial moment, he had the answers she needed.
Even Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, though his gaze darkened slightly.
He'd worked with Danzo for years. If the man had secret intelligence on Akatsuki, then it was almost guaranteed to be tainted by manipulation.
Knowing Danzo, he'd probably tried to control the organization himself—or at the very least, sabotage it.
There was a decent chance he was even behind the death of the red-haired boy.
"According to Root's records," Hikaru continued, "Akatsuki originated in the Hidden Rain during the Third Great Ninja War."
"They were founded with the goal of stopping war, seeking peace."
Tsunade and Orochimaru each reacted differently.
Orochimaru sighed bitterly.
Danzo again. That bastard definitely interfered. No doubt about it—he probably had that red-haired kid eliminated.
Tsunade, however, looked confused.
"Then… how did they go from peace-seekers to war-driven mercenaries in just a few years?"
Hikaru remained calm.
"As Akatsuki grew in influence, they caught the attention of Hanzo the Salamander—the then-leader of the Hidden Rain."
"In fact, Hanzo even praised them. He supported their mission and encouraged them to propose peace talks between Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure."
Tsunade blinked.
"Wait—seriously? That's… surprisingly good. So what happened?"
She had already left Konoha by the start of the Third War, so she hadn't followed the political developments that followed.
What could have possibly gone so wrong after that?
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