Hoshigakure. The Star Kage Building.
Menma sat in the primary seat, idly twirling a glass vial between his fingers. Inside, submerged in a pale green preservative liquid, lay a single Three-Tomoe Sharingan. The blood-red pupil shimmered with an eerie, supernatural luster as it caught the shifting light and shadows of the room.
"His name was Shisui?"
Menma tapped the vial lightly against the wooden desk. He had just finished listening to the combat reports from Uzumaki Kasumi and Uchiha Hikari. He tilted his head slightly, a hint of curiosity in his gaze.
"So, is this the left eye or the right?"
"The left," Hikari replied.
She sat in the first seat to Menma's left, a position that clearly marked her high standing within the organization.
From the seat to the right, Kakuzu's raspy, muffled voice emerged from behind his mask.
"Uchiha Shisui of the Hidden Leaf. During the Third Shinobi World War, he performed legendary feats against the Hidden Mist. He earned the title 'Shisui of the Body Flicker' for his mastery of high-speed movement. The Mist placed a thirty-million ryo bounty on his head."
As a bounty hunter who spent most of his life prowling the underground black markets, Kakuzu knew every name on the bingo book by heart.
He couldn't help but feel a growing sense of wariness toward Hikari. A veteran Jonin of Shisui's caliber had fallen to her—to 'Nanashi.' According to the report, she had single-handedly routed three Leaf shinobi.
Though they hadn't taken prisoners, claiming one of Shisui's eyes was a massive victory.
Kakuzu's gaze then shifted to Uzumaki Kasumi. Not long ago, she was barely at a Chunin level. Yet, in this mission, she had managed to restrain a Jonin and two Chunin from the Hidden Stone.
Her growth is unnervingly fast, he noted silently.
Menma kept his hand over the glass vial, his index finger tapping a rhythmic, crisp beat against the cap. The sound echoed sharply in the silent hall.
The name Uchiha Shisui was more than familiar to him.
That man's Mangekyo Sharingan possessed 'Kotoamatsukami,' the ultimate genjutsu capable of rewriting a person's very will. And Hikari had physically ripped it out of him.
Impressive.
However, Menma remained cautious. He wasn't in a hurry to transplant the eye into himself. If Shisui had left a lingering trap or a delayed ocular jutsu within the pupil, it would be a headache to deal with. Besides, with so much currently on his plate, he couldn't afford to be compromised.
He pocketed the vial and looked at Hikari.
"Well done. I like this gift very much."
Hikari maintained a cold, aloof expression, giving a small huff and turning her head away. But the slight upward curve of her lips betrayed her satisfaction.
Next, Menma listened to Kakuzu's report regarding the capture of the two Hidden Sand shinobi.
After separating from Pakura, the pair had attempted to blend into a merchant caravan to infiltrate Hoshigakure. Kakuzu's Anbu units had intercepted and neutralized them immediately.
As for Pakura... Menma recalled the image of that woman, limping and battered, yet still stubbornly trying to weave hand signs.
"Based on the preliminary interrogations of these infiltrators, it's almost certain," Menma said, resting his chin on his hand. His gaze pierced through the room toward Akaboshi. "Someone from the Land of Bears—or perhaps from within Hoshigakure itself—sent out a distress signal."
Akaboshi, the former 'Third Hoshikage,' immediately dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead to the floor.
"Lord Shura! This has absolutely nothing to do with me!"
"I know. You haven't had the time to do it," Menma said dismissively. "But do you have any suspects?"
Akaboshi hesitated, his breath hitching. The room went cold. It was clear to everyone that the old man was hiding something.
"You old fox! Stop holding back and spit it out!" Gato barked irritably.
Pinned by the collective gaze of the room, Akaboshi finally confessed.
"My Lord... There are indeed two Jonin from Hoshigakure who have been living in exile."
As Akaboshi told it, a year ago, the two most talented practitioners of the 'Star' training, Hotarubi and Natsuhi, discovered the lethal side effects of the meteorite's radiation. They had attempted to steal and destroy the Star to save the village.
Akaboshi had led the Anbu to intercept them. However, knowing that the Star training was indeed killing their youth, he used the incident as an excuse to ban the practice and seal the Star away.
He had then secretly tasked Hotarubi and Natsuhi with a mission: stay outside the village and watch. If anyone—including himself—tried to restart the Star training, they were to intervene.
To the villagers, Akaboshi had declared them heroes who died protecting the Star from thieves.
"Are you certain they are the ones who sent the distress calls?"
Menma actually knew about Hotarubi and Natsuhi already. He had merely been testing Akaboshi to see if the old man would be honest.
Akaboshi had passed—barely.
"I... I am not entirely sure..." Cold sweat dripped from Akaboshi's pale temples.
"Go find them and bring them back," Menma commanded. "If they are the traitors, I will deal with them. If not, the organization gains two Jonin-level combatants."
Menma recalled that Natsuhi's mastery of the 'Mysterious Peacock Method' was formidable—likely the highest in the village. Her husband, Hotarubi, was in worse shape, his life likely fading due to the radiation, but his skills were still valuable.
"Understood!" Akaboshi bowed deeply.
Once Akaboshi retreated, Menma tossed a scroll to Kakuzu.
"Arrest everyone on this list. I'm leaving the interrogations to you."
With the 'Negative Emotion Sensing' of the Black Nine-Tails, Menma knew exactly who in the village harbored the most malice toward him. Rounding them up was the fastest way to find the mole.
"Heh... heh... heh..." Kakuzu let out a dry, rasping laugh as he clutched the scroll.
As Kakuzu rose to leave, Uzumaki Kasumi stood up, volunteering herself.
"My Lord, let me assist in the interrogations."
Menma raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"I've been practicing 'Kagura Shanshin' (Mind's Eye of the Kagura)," Kasumi explained. "I've found that I can sense minute fluctuations in a person's chakra. It might serve as an effective lie detector during questioning."
Menma nodded. "Very well. Go."
The Land of Rain. Akatsuki Headquarters.
A swirl of space-time fluctuations distorted the air as 'Uchiha Madara' emerged, his tiger-striped mask gleaming in the dim light.
"Where have you been? You smell of blood," Konan remarked, her eyes narrowing at the ninja blade strapped to his back.
"Just finding a bit of amusement," Obito replied.
His voice carried a rare hint of satisfaction. He had just helped a young Uchiha awaken his eyes, successfully placing another pawn on the board.
From the shadows, the Deva Path of Pain slowly opened his eyes.
"Zetsu has returned with intelligence. That mysterious 'Shura'... there is a high probability he is located in Hoshigakure."
"Oh?" Obito rested a hand on his sword hilt, his single Sharingan meeting the purple ripples of the Rinnegan. "Are you taking an interest in that masked rat now?