Konoha Village, Hokage's Office.
"Lord Hokage, this intelligence report just arrived from the Land of Fields," an ANBU operative stated, appearing suddenly within the Hokage's office and presenting a scroll to the Third Hokage.
"Hm?" Hiruzen reacted with mild surprise, quickly accepting the scroll and unrolling it to read carefully. As he absorbed the information recorded within, Hiruzen's brow furrowed tightly.
The Ta-kage of the newly established Yakugakure was Pakura, formerly a hero of Sunagakure known for her Scorch Release! An organization named Akatsuki had attacked Yakugakure but was repelled by another group called the Divine Court. The battle involved a clash between Mangekyō Sharingan and the legendary Rinnegan! Furthermore, the members of both organizations possessed astonishing strength, and Konoha's own missing-nin, Orochimaru, was confirmed as a member of Akatsuki.
This flood of information left Hiruzen reeling. When did the ninja world suddenly produce so many powerful individuals and mysterious organizations?
Suddenly, a thought struck Hiruzen. He addressed the ANBU operative still kneeling before his desk, "Go find Danzo and bring him here."
"Yes, sir!" The ANBU acknowledged the order and vanished.
Alone in his office, Hiruzen sat behind his desk, lost in thought. Akatsuki... If he recalled correctly, wasn't that the organization Danzo claimed to have annihilated years ago in cooperation with Hanzo of the Salamander? Why had they suddenly reappeared now, with their leader possessing the legendary eyes of the Sage? The Rinnegan! Could Danzo be hiding something from the village regarding this? Ever since Orochimaru's defection, Danzo's clandestine activities had increasingly caused Hiruzen dissatisfaction. It felt as though this sharp blade, hidden in the shadows, harbored intentions of slipping its leash. That was something Hiruzen absolutely could not permit.
Meanwhile, deep within Root headquarters.
Danzo Shimura had also just received the report relayed by his Root operatives from the Land of Fields. His face was incredibly grim. Akatsuki... so Jiraiya's student has finally shown himself again. An undeniable sense of deep apprehension flickered in Danzo's eyes. He had personally witnessed the devastating power Nagato wielded with the Rinnegan during that battle years ago. So much time had passed; who knew how powerful the boy who possessed the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths had become? After years of silence, Akatsuki was active in the ninja world once more. From the intelligence report, it was clear that the boy named Nagato had truly matured into a formidable force.
And what about this Divine Court organization? Why had there been absolutely no mention of them in the ninja world before now? Two members of this Divine Court were apparently able to fight Nagato head-on; their strength could not be underestimated. And Pakura of the Sand... what was her connection to the Divine Court? Could Sunagakure possibly be the hidden backer?
"Lord Danzo, Lord Hokage summons you," an ANBU operative announced respectfully, having been escorted into Danzo's presence while he was lost in thought.
"Very well," Danzo replied, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. He followed the ANBU operative out of the Root base.
Seeing Danzo enter the office, Hiruzen looked at him, his voice heavy. "Danzo, what is the situation with Akatsuki? Didn't you already eliminate them years ago in conjunction with Hanzo? Why have they appeared again?"
Danzo remained silent for a moment before replying, "Two members of Akatsuki escaped that day."
"Escaped? Was one of them the Akatsuki leader who possesses the Rinnegan?"
"Mm. At the time, that individual hadn't revealed his true power. The nominal leader of Akatsuki was always Jiraiya's other student," Danzo explained.
"Jiraiya's students?!" Hiruzen exclaimed, shocked.
"Indeed," Danzo confirmed, a faint smirk touching his lips. "The deceased former leader of Akatsuki, and the current Rinnegan user – both were students of Jiraiya. The original Akatsuki had three leaders, all orphans from Amegakure. Jiraiya encountered them at the end of the Second Shinobi World War, took them in as disciples, and taught them ninjutsu in Amegakure for three years." Danzo delivered this information with a subtle hint of mockery. While his own actions might have contributed to Akatsuki's current state, the ultimate root cause lay with Jiraiya. If Hiruzen intended to use this situation to reprimand him, Danzo wondered how Hiruzen planned to deal with Jiraiya.
Hearing this, Hiruzen fell silent.
After a while, Danzo calmly took his leave from the Hokage's office.
Alone once more, Hiruzen pondered for a long moment before finally summoning an ANBU operative and issuing a classified directive: Investigate both Akatsuki and the Divine Court with maximum effort.
In the following period, Konoha dispatched numerous ANBU intelligence personnel towards the Land of Fields and the Land of Rain.
Sunagakure, Kazekage Tower, within a secret meeting room.
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, sat at the head of the table. The two esteemed Suna Elders, Chiyo and Ebizo, were seated to his left and right. Elite Jonin Baki stood respectfully behind Rasa.
"Fourth Kazekage, regarding the matter of Pakura, how do you intend to proceed?" Chiyo asked gravely after listening to Baki's report. In recent years, as Rasa demonstrated increasing competence in managing village affairs, Chiyo and Ebizo had gradually stepped back from Sunagakure's leadership council, seldom intervening in village matters. This time, however, Rasa had personally sent for them.
From the head seat, Rasa replied sternly, "Pakura establishing Yakugakure in the Land of Fields behind the village's back is a blatant challenge to Sunagakure. Furthermore, she harbored strong hostility towards the village upon her departure. If Yakugakure is allowed to grow strong, it will inevitably become detrimental to our village. We must dispatch personnel to handle this situation swiftly."
"A blatant challenge? I wouldn't go that far," Chiyo countered, waving a dismissive hand. "We are all well aware of the reasons why Pakura fled the village back then. Ultimately, we wronged her first."
Rasa retorted sharply, "It was for the greater good of the village's peace! As an elite Jonin of Sunagakure, Pakura should have been prepared to make sacrifices for the village in a critical moment!" Rasa had been the one who single-handedly pushed for handing Pakura over to Iwagakure in exchange for peace. Although Chiyo and Ebizo, still influential at the time, had reservations, they hadn't strongly opposed it. For Chiyo to bring this up now was akin to slapping Rasa in the face.
Chiyo glanced at Rasa coolly. "There's no point dwelling on who was right or wrong back then. Pakura's departure is an irreversible fact. From the intelligence reports, her strength has increased significantly, and there's that mysterious Divine Court organization backing Yakugakure. Antagonizing them at this time offers the village no benefits whatsoever. If the village sends a team to capture her and fails, that would truly disgrace Sunagakure's authority. Rather than risk that," Chiyo proposed, her eyes gleaming shrewdly, "why not send a delegation to congratulate them, openly and with great fanfare? The outside world is unaware Pakura defected. If we proactively make such a gesture, other nations will speculate endlessly about the relationship between Suna and Yakugakure. In this way, Yakugakure and the mysterious Divine Court might even become an implicit source of support for us. Not only can we avoid war with a powerful force, but the other powers in the ninja world won't look down on Sunagakure either."
Within the room, Ebizo and Baki's faces lit up with surprise and admiration upon hearing Chiyo's plan. Her strategy completely turned a disadvantageous situation around for Sunagakure. Although Rasa's expression didn't change drastically, a look of consideration flickered in his eyes. As Chiyo said, based solely on the reports, sending an elite team to capture or kill Pakura was practically impossible without mobilizing a large army. This was the main reason Rasa had requested the presence of Chiyo and Ebizo – he had hoped Chiyo herself might undertake the mission. Within Sunagakure, Chiyo's strength had always been top-tier. She was a master puppeteer capable of manipulating puppets with a single finger, and also an incredibly versatile kunoichi skilled in taijutsu, medical ninjutsu, and sealing jutsu; her abilities were unfathomable. Yet, even if Chiyo personally went, the chances of success were slim. In this context, Chiyo's suggestion was undoubtedly the optimal solution. However, accepting it felt like bowing down to Pakura, which Rasa was reluctant to do.
After deliberating for a moment, Rasa asked, "Elder Chiyo, do you have a suitable candidate in mind for this envoy mission?" Having weighed the options, he decided to adopt Chiyo's proposal. As Kazekage, he couldn't let personal feelings dictate village policy.
"I will go," Chiyo stated simply.
"What?!" The other three in the room were stunned. Ebizo looked at his sister with incomprehension.
After a brief silence, Rasa's face broke into a pleased expression. "If Elder Chiyo is willing to go personally, then there is naturally no issue! If Elder Chiyo has any other requests, please state them. The village will fully cooperate."
"I only need one person to accompany me," Chiyo replied.
"Who?" Rasa asked.
"Maki," Chiyo said.
Understanding dawned on Rasa's face. He nodded immediately. "Very well! I will notify her at once."
A short while later, Chiyo and Ebizo left the secret meeting room. Once outside the Kazekage Tower, Ebizo could no longer contain his curiosity. "Sister, why did you volunteer to go to Yakugakure yourself?"
Chiyo walked in silence for a moment before answering softly, her voice barely audible, "Because Sasori was sighted there."
Ebizo frowned. "But he has joined Akatsuki, and they are adversaries of Yakugakure. If you want intelligence on Sasori, I can dispatch agents to investigate secretly. There's no need for you to go personally." In his younger days, Ebizo was also a skilled puppeteer and had long managed Sunagakure's intelligence and espionage network. Though retired, he still maintained numerous contacts throughout the ninja world.
Chiyo glanced at her brother. "It is precisely because they are adversaries that I must go myself. Sometimes, only your greatest adversary is the one who truly understands you best."
Ebizo fell silent, understanding her meaning.