Kurotsuchi braced herself against the window frame and leaned half her body out.
Looking at the plume of smoke in the distance, the corner of her mouth twitched.
Kitsuchi stood beside her. A rare trace of helplessness appeared on that honest, heavy-featured face.
Father and daughter looked at each other.
Both saw the exact same thought in the other's eyes.
Have ordinary ninja guard a jinchuriki who could wield Tailed Beast chakra?
Just listen to how absurd that sounded.
That was Roshi, the Four-Tails jinchuriki, a Yoton (Lava Release) user.
His temper was even hotter than his magma.
Ordinary ninja?
They would be little more than cannon fodder.
The Anbu ninja kept his head lowered and reported stiffly, "We don't know where Lord Roshi heard about the failed mission against Sunagakure and the heavy losses the village suffered..."
He paused, his voice turning even more strained.
"He said... he said he couldn't swallow this humiliation."
"And then..."
"Boom."
Onoki finished the sentence for him.
The Anbu lowered his head even further.
Hovering in midair, Onoki's old face twitched violently.
Couldn't swallow the humiliation?
What right did that old fool have to be the one who couldn't swallow it?
Was he the one who took the mission?
Was he the one who caused the losses?
He was a jinchuriki under confinement.
Where had he gotten the news?
Where had he gotten the nerve?
"Outrageous... absolutely outrageous!"
Onoki cursed through gritted teeth, yet all he could do was rage impotently.
What else could he do?
Send people after him?
That was Roshi: the Four-Tails jinchuriki, a Yoton (Lava Release) user, one of the top three fighters in the entire village.
Send ordinary ninja after him?
That would be sending them to their deaths.
Send elites?
The village had just lost a thousand of its best. It was still reeling from the blow.
Where was he supposed to find the spare strength to chase down a rampaging jinchuriki?
But if he didn't send anyone?
If that bastard ran outside and caused some disaster, who would end up carrying the blame if not him, the Tsuchikage?
"Hurry..."
Onoki drew a deep breath, forcing down his anger.
"Send people after him! Don't let him get too far! And..."
"Notify the border outposts. If they spot Roshi, report it immediately. Do not try to stop him."
The Anbu ninja accepted the order and vanished.
Onoki remained floating in the air, staring at the gradually thinning smoke in the distance.
His expression kept shifting.
Kurotsuchi held onto the window frame and looked at her grandfather's small back.
For some reason, her chest tightened.
The old man really had not had it easy this past year.
First the failed mission against Sunagakure, with the loss of a thousand elite shinobi.
Then Bunmatsu's death, and her own capture.
Then, after finally getting her back, they discovered she was pregnant.
And now that thorn in their side, Roshi, had gone running off to stir up more chaos...
"Grandpa..."
She spoke softly.
Onoki did not turn around. He only waved a hand.
"It's nothing."
His voice sounded tired and old.
"You two get some rest first. I'll handle this."
With that, he flew off toward the distant smoke.
Kurotsuchi watched his retreating figure for a long time in silence.
Kitsuchi walked over to her side and gently patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry."
There was a rare softness in his simple, honest voice.
"Your grandpa's lived most of a lifetime. He's seen worse than this."
"One Roshi won't break him."
Kurotsuchi nodded.
But she understood perfectly well...
No matter how strong the old man was, he was still over eighty.
Sooner or later, this village would be handed over to their generation.
Her hand drifted back to her lower abdomen.
It still was not showing, nowhere near the curve of a three-month pregnancy.
But she knew there was a new life growing inside her.
A life that belonged to both Iwagakure and Sunagakure.
A life that might... perhaps... change something.
"Come on," Kitsuchi said. "Get some rest first. We still have a lot to do tomorrow."
Kurotsuchi nodded.
After one last glance at the fading smoke in the distance, she turned and quietly walked back into the room.
Outside, the sun was still shining brightly.
But the sky over Iwagakure seemed to dim a little more.
...
Sunagakure.
Teizawa finally received Konoha's reply, brought back by Might Guy.
After Guy and Kakashi left, the Kazekage's office fell quiet again.
Leaning back in his chair, Teizawa held Tsunade's letter in one hand, a thoughtful, amused smile curling at his lips.
Konoha's reaction had turned out exactly as he expected.
Leave Asuma's body behind. Faced with a "righteous" reason like that, Konoha had no room to refuse.
To refuse would mean disrespecting a hero.
It would mean disregarding the feelings of an ally.
No matter how forceful Tsunade was, she still could not afford to make a mistake in an inter-village matter.
As for the intelligence on Akatsuki...
Teizawa's eyes moved over the letter.
Tsunade had written very clearly that she needed all the information on Akatsuki: its members, abilities, purpose, and also...
Why had he said that Amegakure was Akatsuki's main base?
"Konoha hasn't discovered anything unusual about Amegakure."
Teizawa softly read the line aloud, and the smile at the corner of his mouth deepened.
Of course they had not.
Nagato's Rinnegan was not just for decoration.
And the Ukojizai no Jutsu (Rain Tiger at Will Technique) surrounding Amegakure could detect every intruder.
If Konoha's spies had really been able to infiltrate the place, it would have been exposed long ago.
Still...
He set the letter down and lightly tapped a finger against the armrest.
Should he mix in a little private agenda here?
That was the real question.
Tell the full truth? Of course not.
The intelligence on Akatsuki was one of the trump cards in his hand.
If he handed it all over in one go, it would be a complete waste.
But if he gave them nothing at all, that would not work either.
After all, Asuma had died in Sunagakure.
Konoha needed some kind of explanation.
Teizawa's gaze flickered slightly.
Then give them half and keep half.
The basic facts about Akatsuki - the number of members, their primary abilities, their area of operations - those could be shared.
But Pain's true identity, the secret of the Rinnegan, the existence of Uchiha Obito, the truth behind the Eye of the Moon Plan...
Those had to be kept in reserve.
Saved for later.
As for Amegakure...
A cold smile tugged at Teizawa's lips.
"If you don't believe me, then I'll make sure you have no choice but to."
He picked up his pen and began writing.
The pen tip moved across the paper with a soft scratching sound.
He briefly explained Amegakure's unusual situation in the letter.
He pointed out that Amegakure's so-called demigod was already dead.
The village was now under the control of a dangerous terrorist organization: Akatsuki.
He also made it clear that Konoha missing-nin Uchiha Itachi was one of its members.
Even Orochimaru had once been part of it.
A vast conspiracy aimed at sweeping across the entire shinobi world was being planned from the shadows.
As for what that conspiracy actually was?
Teizawa naturally did not say.
He even went out of his way to note that Akatsuki had deep ties to Konoha in more ways than one.
Once the serious business was done...
Teizawa also piled on a good deal of sweet talk.
He very explicitly wrote about his admiration, and even affection, for Tsunade.
Yes, affection.
After writing the final line, Teizawa set down the pen and read the whole thing over from start to finish.
Perfect.
Everything that should be said had been said, and not one word that should be withheld had slipped through.
He had even dangled the bait just enough.
That information would land right where Tsunade was most vulnerable, but it still would not give Konoha the full truth.
As for Amegakure...
The smile on his lips deepened.
Once Konoha sent people to investigate it for themselves, they would find out soon enough whether he was telling the truth.
Of course, whether they could uncover anything meaningful was another matter entirely.
Teizawa folded the letter, slid it into an envelope, and stamped it with the Kazekage's seal.
Then he looked up toward the door.
"Someone."
The door opened, and an Anbu ninja flashed inside.
"Deliver this letter to the Konoha delegation. Tell them to take it back to the Hokage."
"Yes, sir."
The Anbu ninja took the letter.
With a blur, he vanished through the doorway.
The office fell silent once more.
Teizawa leaned back in his chair, looking out at the sunlight beyond the window, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Tsunade...
You think you're asking me for intelligence.
But in truth, you're helping me deliver a message.
Once this letter reaches Konoha, once Tsunade is forced to take Akatsuki seriously, Konoha will become one of Akatsuki's priorities much sooner than it otherwise would have.
The clash between Akatsuki and Konoha would arrive ahead of schedule.
And all he had to do was sit in Sunagakure and watch it unfold.
(End of Chapter)
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