"Hikari?"
Seeing Kamizuki Hikari running back across the sea, Kakashi immediately immediately went to meet him.
"You didn't kill the Three-Tails, did you?"
Hikari reached the shore and glanced at Kakashi, who looked both tense and fearful. He rolled his eyes irritably.
"I wanted to, but the Fifth Mizukage was ready to die for it. If I had killed the Three-Tails, what if she actually took her own life?"
Hearing that, Kakashi sighed in relief.
"So the Three-Tails is fine, and the Fifth Mizukage is fine too. That's a relief."
"Relief? You're relieved now, huh?" Hikari shot Kakashi a disdainful look. "You just hope things stay calm for a while, don't you? Because if war breaks out later, you'll be the one suffering."
Kakashi's face turned awkward. After a moment, he asked suspiciously, "Hikari, you mentioned enemies trying to capture the Three-Tails. Who exactly were they?"
Hikari replied, "Who? Someone who arrived even earlier than us. Don't tell me you didn't manage to find out anything at all."
If that were true, Hikari would really start to suspect that this Kakashi might be a fake.
Kakashi responded, "I got a little bit of info. I heard Uchiha Itachi was there too?"
Hikari nodded. "Yeah, he was. And aside from him, there were a few others who could go toe-to-toe with you. Why do you ask?"
Kakashi frowned slightly. "It sounds like you're implying something else... but never mind. You're saying that in Akatsuki, there are several others as dangerous as Uchiha Itachi?"
"Exactly. Even for me, those people are troublesome opponents." Hikari nodded.
Deidara's ultimate technique was a doomsday-level explosion capable of atomizing everything around him. And Uchiha Itachi hadn't even unveiled his Susanoo yet. Without the advantage of being his brother like Sasuke, facing a fully armed Susanoo, equipped with the three legendary weapons, would be no easy feat.
Then there was Hidan's Death Controlling Possessed Blood, a curse technique that could kill Hikari using just a drop of his blood.
Compared to them, Sasori's techniques were easier for Hikari to handle.
Unless Hikari unleashed his ultimate form — the state that summoned the Yin-Yang Truth-Seeking Orbs — he couldn't guarantee surviving a fight against all of them at once. But doing so risked altering the course of events too much. If he wiped them out completely, who knew what kind of new monsters would appear to counterbalance the timeline?
"Hikari... why are you so strong?"
Looking at Hikari's calm face, Kakashi couldn't help but voice the question in his heart.
That question made Hikari pause and think for a moment, then he answered seriously, "Maybe because I'm better looking than you."
Kakashi: "...?"
What kind of answer was that?!
---
"Mizukage-sama!"
Ao led a group of elite Kiri shinobi across the sea, finally catching up to the Mizukage. They were now over a hundred kilometers from the coast of the Land of Hot Water.
Terumi Mei nodded slightly, then pointed at the small island beneath her feet. "Come up. You must be tired after running so far."
Ao didn't argue and led the squad onto the island. He glanced around — the island was barren, nothing but rocks and cliffs, with no vegetation in sight.
Activating his Byakugan, he saw a chakra-sealing formation at the island's center.
The Three-Tails was likely sealed there.
"You few, go inspect it. See if that seal can be undone," Ao ordered the sealing team.
Mei simply watched the group move toward the formation without saying a word. Instead, she turned to Ao. "Did the Akatsuki members leave?"
Ao replied, "They demanded a commission fee of one hundred million ryō. After that, they headed toward one of the towns in the Land of Hot Water. They even left us an address to deliver the payment."
Mei nodded. "Fine. Prepare the money when we return. Compared to that sum, the Three-Tails is far more valuable."
While they talked, one of the Kiri shinobi from the sealing team walked back toward them.
"Mizukage-sama, this seal is far beyond our ability to handle. It's too advanced — we can't break it in a short time!"
Ao frowned. "Useless! That's our own Three-Tails. What does the sealing corps even do all day besides wasting village funds?"
Ao's scolding made the Kiri shinobi visibly frustrated, but with Terumi Mei standing right there, he swallowed his anger and stayed silent.
"It's fine," Mei said softly. "If you can't figure it out now, stay here and study it slowly. We'll leave a garrison anyway. You can remain and continue your research."
"Thank you, Mizukage-sama!"
"Alright, go on and study it. If we can decipher these seals, our village's sealing techniques will improve significantly." Mei said encouragingly, dismissing the sealing team member.
Ao was still fuming inside but didn't dare show it in front of Mei.
Sensing his frustration, Mei patted his shoulder. "Don't think too much. Kamizuki Hikari's strength exceeded even my expectations. With Tsunade and him, Konoha alone can suppress any opposition. Instead of worrying, focus on improving your own strength."
Ao took a deep breath, tasting the faint salt of the sea in the air. His mood eased slightly.
"Konoha really has become too powerful... but honestly, I'm more concerned about Akatsuki."
"Today's clash between Kamizuki Hikari and Akatsuki was likely just a test. Neither side went all out."
"Uchiha Itachi, Deidara, Sasori, Hidan, and that Tobi — each one of them is stronger than I am. What's more, their mysterious leader hasn't even shown himself yet."
"A leader capable of commanding such monsters must be far stronger than any of them. If they're truly after the Tailed Beasts, what should we do?"
No one knew their own weakness better than they did.
Because of the Bloody Mist era, Kirigakure had lost too many elite shinobi.
Among the shinobi of Terumi Mei's generation in Kirigakure now, let alone reaching half her strength, none could even match a tenth of it. Under these circumstances, Kirigakure simply couldn't compete with Konoha, Kumo, or Iwa.
At best, they were just a little stronger than Sunagakure.
And only a little.
Mei said, "Let the strong deal with the strong. Our village has the Three-Tails and Six-Tails. Iwagakure has the Four-Tails and Five-Tails. Kumogakure has the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails. And Konoha has the Nine-Tails. If such a large-scale threat arises, we'll seek Konoha's aid. If we lack the strength, we must be willing to swallow our pride. Losing a bit of face to preserve our village's future is worth it."
Ao said nothing.
He could only curse his own weakness — his inability to protect Kirigakure.
No one could have imagined that the world now faced not only Konoha's growing might, but also the mysterious Akatsuki. Compared to those two forces, Kirigakure was nothing more than a small sibling needing its elder brother's protection.
"Let's go. Leave one squad to guard this place. The rest of us will return to the village."
"But... the Three-Tails..." Ao hesitated, pointing toward the sealed beast.
Mei waved her hand dismissively. "That seal was created by Kamizuki Hikari. If even he found his opponents troublesome, sending more people won't change anything. Pass down my orders: if the Akatsuki come for the Three-Tails again, the sealing team should prioritize preserving their lives above all else."
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