To the side, Sasuke and Sakura, who was practicing Medical Ninjutsu, both looked at Naruto as if he were an idiot. Then, unconsciously, they both moved a little further away from the two.
A full-body black robe, a mask on the face, and a processed voice.
Yes, that was true.
However, small habits and every movement—like eating or walking—are not so easy to disguise. And Amane had no intention of deliberately hiding these details.
Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke had long since tacitly realized that Amane was at least a woman.
"Uncle Jiu," Naruto's sincere smile tugged at the six whisker-like marks on his face, looking bright as sunshine. "He's not always late like Kakashi-sensei, and his explanations of cultivation methods are so clear that even I can understand them! He's just a bit short."
He completely failed to notice that Sasuke and Sakura beside him had already pressed their hands together, silently offering prayers for him.
The wind seemed to stagnate for a moment. Amane turned silently and walked toward the distant forest, her back looking somewhat desolate.
[Calm down, he's my brother, and he was always an idiot to begin with. Amane, you need to be more mature. You can't let the subconscious urge to throw a few Wind Blades at him become a reality...]
Hearing Sakura's fist land on Naruto behind her, mixed with scolding like "Are you blind?", Amane's mood improved slightly.
"They're all good kids..." Kakashi's voice rang out from a nearby treetop, where Amane's Shadow Clone was standing right beside him.
After a long sigh, Amane adjusted her mood and asked, "How did things go?"
The Shadow Clone beside Kakashi vanished in a 'poof' of smoke. Instantly, a massive amount of information flooded into the Main Body of Amane like a tide.
The corners of her mouth curled up slightly; it seemed her probing had yielded results.
So, what exactly did Kakashi do during the time he was away?
When Kakashi asked what other intelligence she could provide, Amane had used indirect questioning to inform him of the current state of the Hidden Mist after the end of the Village of the Bloody Mist era.
Combining what he had seen at the client's place over the past few days with the dilapidated state of this country, it wasn't difficult to identify Gatō as the culprit.
Similarly, looking at the Gatō Group's global status, the purpose behind the Hidden Mist Village's significant mobilization this time could be fully inferred.
Thus, after Kakashi confirmed this information one by one through his own means, he made his choice.
Using the power of Amane's Shadow Clone, he managed to draw out Mei Terumī and Zabuza Momochi to open a negotiation.
During the negotiation, Amane merely played the role of an expert with "strength not inferior" to Kakashi to build momentum for him, while her focus remained entirely on Kakashi's every move.
The result was that Amane could at least determine that Kakashi was a very formidable person and could not be considered a bad man.
"Copy Ninja Kakashi, I have heard of your great name for a long time."
In the night, Mei Terumī displayed a charming smile, but her eyes were full of wariness as she stared intently at Kakashi and Amane beside him.
"It is also a great honor to meet the heroine who ended the Village of the Bloody Mist."
Kakashi returned the pleasantries.
After the greetings were over, both sides began to talk about business.
Relying on Amane's powerful sensory abilities and the intelligence she had already gathered, Kakashi seized the initiative at the start, laying out the details of Mei Terumī's team clearly.
"Two candidates for the Ninja Swords, and two Bloodline Limit users. Your village really went all out this time."
His meaningful words made the expressions of Mei Terumī and Zabuza turn increasingly ugly.
In Ninja combat, intelligence is of the utmost importance!
Mei Terumī and Ye had clearly just arrived, yet they hadn't expected their information to already be known by the opponent.
What an unfavorable situation!
If a conflict broke out under these circumstances, it was conceivable that with the skill of the world-renowned Copy Ninja before them, their team would almost inevitably suffer losses.
Why was the Hidden Mist lineup so luxurious this time?
Firstly, as a top global tycoon, if a partnership could be reached with Gatō, it would undoubtedly be a timely help for the severely weakened Hidden Mist.
Secondly, it was naturally because of Zabuza's failure; after obtaining some information about the opponent, she and Ye happened to be nearby. To be safe and to prevent promising children from being lost, she had also rushed over.
In Mei Terumī's original estimation, this lineup was like using a mountain to crush a mosquito; they wouldn't necessarily lose even if they encountered a Kage-level enemy.
She never expected the opponent's intelligence gathering capability to be so terrifying!
"Then what about you?" Mei Terumī countered. "As far as I know, aside from that rogue Ninja, the Uchiha Clan only has one sprout left, right?"
She meant: don't just talk about us, you are in the same boat!
But this played right into Kakashi's hands.
"Exactly," Kakashi admitted frankly. "In my team, there are also children who absolutely cannot be lost."
This honest answer made Mei Terumī instantly understand his intent.
Thinking about it, Mei Terumī's lineup was indeed too luxurious to ignore, to the point where it would be difficult to handle even with intelligence.
Kakashi and Mei Terumī stared at each other for a long time before finally sharing a tacit smile.
"We are determined to win this mission. Wanting us to give up? No chance."
Mei Terumī spoke softly, but her words contained an indestructible resolve. It was a will to carry on even if there were losses.
Kakashi did not meet her head-on or attempt a futile persuasion, but instead proposed:
"Of course, it's the same for both of us. So, why don't we make an agreement..."
Having finished receiving the Shadow Clone's memories up to this point, a smile curled under Amane's mask as she said to Kakashi:
"You're quite the schemer. But have you thought through the risks of this plan?"
Hearing Amane say this, Kakashi also showed a bit of seriousness and said:
"So whether this plan succeeds or not, what truly matters is you and I. If it fails, we will have no choice but to abandon the mission, and this can also become valuable experience for them."
"I understand what you mean. But why do you trust me so much?" Amane asked in confusion.
Not only did he dare to leave alone, leaving the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and Sasuke in Amane's temporary care, but if Kakashi didn't trust Amane, he wouldn't dare to proceed with the next part of the plan.
To this, the seriousness in Kakashi's eyes turned into a smile as he said, "Because of your words and deeds." After speaking, his gaze turned to the three people training not far away.
They weren't just doing Tree Climbing training; they had even started Water Walking. Moreover, she had guided Sakura onto the path of a Medical Ninja, greatly increasing the team's combat power and overall potential.
Furthermore, she hadn't used any forceful means to reach this point; the step-by-step guidance was excellent.
Kakashi was not stupid; he was also a genius of Konoha, a man who became a Jonin at the age of twelve.
So far, through his observations of Amane, an idea had actually sprouted in his mind.
Perhaps... this Root member named 'Jiu' before him was testing what kind of Ninja he was.
Then Kakashi hesitated and continued, "Are you really not considering returning with us? As I said, Root was disbanded several years ago. I can introduce you to the Third Hokage."
Although they had spent very little time together and he didn't know Amane's specific purpose.
Kakashi truly felt that this Root member before him was a talent, and her character was definitely not bad.
In response, Amane pulled down the mouth portion of her mask.
As a former Anbu and the Hokage's right-hand man, Kakashi naturally knew that Root members had this unspeakable difficulty.
"I see," Kakashi thought to himself.
He decided to report the matter of Jiu first after returning.
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