"Naruto, how are you? Are you alright?"
Inside the classroom, Choji asked Naruto with a worried expression.
Beside them, even Sasuke occasionally glanced at Naruto. Naruto's state today was simply too strange, he was usually the most energetic. Since morning, he had been unusually calm.
"I'm fine, Choji." Naruto scratched his head and chuckled.
He was truly fine. He had already come to terms with things when he woke up that morning. Moreover, Shinji had stayed by his bedside all night, which made Naruto feel very guilty. After all, he was so busy, yet he was still concerned about him.
It was just Minato's disappearance that made him look very tired now.
Sasuke, standing to the side with his arms crossed, thought, 'Loser looks forced, not at all like someone who is fine.'
Shikamaru, beside him, glanced at Naruto, then quietly asked Hinata, "Hinata, did sensei say anything?"
After all, Naruto had been taken away by Shinji yesterday. So, the best way to find out what happened was to ask Shinji.
Hinata shook her head and said, "Sensei said to just spend more time with Naruto these next few days."
When she asked Shinji, that was the only answer she received.
Shikamaru covered his forehead.
If sensei said that...
For a moment, he had no good ideas. It was probably something they couldn't know about for now.
From Naruto's expression, it was clear that he felt the loss of a loved one.
As for how Shikamaru knew, if anyone had used the shinkirou pearl the longest, it was him. He had seen various partings and losses in his illusions dozens of times, all from the experiences of those people in the illusions. After all, to deduce a person was to understand their past.
Shikamaru's fingers rubbed together incessantly, thoughts flashing through his mind.
A loved one...
An idea suddenly flashed through Shikamaru's mind, and his pupils contracted.
Though absurd, his current thought was that there could be no other explanation.
After a long while, he finally straightened up and walked over to Naruto.
"Naruto, want to skip class?"
At these words, everyone turned to look at Shikamaru, their faces filled with disbelief.
Naruto also looked up, not understanding why Shikamaru suddenly had such an idea.
Shikamaru smiled as he invited Naruto, "I've been a good student for too long, and there aren't many classes this afternoon, so Naruto, let's go play."
Beside him, Sasuke looked at Shikamaru's expression and then understood.
"Loser, you're not scared, are you?"
Hearing this, Naruto instinctively retorted, "Who's scared?!"
"Then let's go."
With that, Sasuke stepped out of the classroom.
"Hey, no!"
Ino blinked, and before she could say anything, Hinata beside her pulled her and Karin and ran out.
Shikamaru's lips curled. Sure enough, this kind of thing needed Sasuke.
He gave Choji a look, and the two of them picked up Naruto, who was still sitting in his seat.
The group ran out of the Academy in a grand procession.
In the Academy's Vice Principal's office, Shinji watched his disciples run out of the school gate from the window. He couldn't help but smile.
Indeed.
It had to be Shikamaru and his peers who could keep Naruto company during this time, even if it meant skipping class.
Just as Shinji was still watching, a voice sounded from his side.
"Shinji-sama, Hokage-sama has summoned you." Shisui was still dressed the same, kneeling on one knee beside Shinji.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Shinji was startled, as his Shadow Clone was in the Hokage Office.
Shisui didn't pause, stating the reason Hiruzen had summoned Shinji. "The representative teams sent by Kumogakure and Kirigakure have arrived in Konoha."
Hearing this, Shinji nodded knowingly.
With Six-Tails captured, Kumogakure and Kirigakure could no longer sit still.
—
"Shinji, you're here."
When Shinji appeared in a small conference room, Hiruzen took off his pipe and smiled.
Shinji quickly walked to Hiruzen's side, finally having time to look at everyone in the meeting.
From Kumogakure, Samui and Darui.
From Kirigakure, Ao and an unknown Jonin.
Hiruzen only stood up at this moment, saying with a smiling expression, "Alright, the discussion will now be handed over to Shikaku and you, Shinji."
Everyone present was just a Jonin from their respective villages. There was no need for him, the Hokage, to stay and accompany them. Moreover, with Shikaku planning everything and Shinji executing, he didn't need to worry too much.
The representatives from Kumogakure and Kirigakure all stood up to show their respect, they also shared this sentiment.
With the Hokage here, they would feel overly constrained.
Shikaku crossed his arms, looking at the representatives sitting on either side, and spoke with a serious expression, "You have all traveled a long way, there's no need for pleasantries."
Ao's single eye looked at Shikaku and Shinji as he said, "Alright, let's get straight to the point. We, Kirigakure, are more interested in knowing what exactly this Akatsuki is."
In this setting, he dared not use his Byakugan to probe Hiruzen's disciple.
If Kirigakure didn't still need Mei to hold the fort, and if they didn't have many Jonin who could come to Konoha, Ao would never have come like this.
Darui leaned lazily in his chair, his eyes observing everyone in the conference room.
Samui pushed forward a scroll and said, "On behalf of the Fourth Raikage, I propose to Konoha that we hope to share more intelligence and discuss a coordinated response plan."
This Akatsuki was simply too good at hiding. During this time, Kumogakure had sent many personnel to investigate throughout the Ninja World, but they hadn't found any useful information.
Most of what they heard was that the Akatsuki was a mercenary group, specializing in taking missions from various ninja villages to earn bounties. Other than that, there was no news whatsoever.
This infuriated the Fourth Raikage. It was just an organization, yet it had been hidden for so many years. Now, they couldn't even find a single piece of information.
Ao said, "Indeed, I also represent the Fifth Mizukage in proposing an alliance with Konoha."
"The existence of this Akatsuki is not only a threat but also an entity that we, Kirigakure, must eliminate."
Thinking of how Kirigakure had been manipulated by this organization for so many years, even leading to the Bloody Mist policy, Ao couldn't help but feel a chill.
Moreover, he was also the first to directly face the Chakra of the person who manipulated the Fourth Mizukage. It was cold, vast, and full of malice. Such a person was more terrifying than overt threats.
The current Kirigakure leadership was almost like startled rabbits, deeply afraid that the Fifth Mizukage might be controlled someday. If that happened, Kirigakure would be erased from the Ninja World.