En Oyashiro was puzzled.
A dignified Konoha jōnin, son of the Third Hokage, and once one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja—Sarutobi Asuma—had actually been beaten half to death, looking like a mangled dog.
And upon hearing that the mission he had taken was merely a C-rank assignment, En Oyashiro's confusion only deepened.
However, out of professional courtesy, he didn't pry into the secret of how Asuma had been injured. Instead, he immediately dispatched people to escort the entire team back to Konoha.
This matter quickly reached Takeshi's ears.
"There's actually something like this?"
Takeshi personally met with Anko, and under her guidance, went to see the bedridden Asuma. After confirming the situation with his own eyes, he was sure Anko's report wasn't false.
"Who is Ras? Why have we never heard of this person before?"
Takeshi had no idea where this man named Ras had suddenly come from, but he was certain that the man who had hired him—Gatō—must know something.
Although the mission had technically ended with Tazuna's death, the fact remained that someone had dared to attack a shinobi of Konoha, and Konoha didn't even know who that person was.
Takeshi would never allow such a thing.
More importantly, Takeshi vaguely sensed that this incident might somehow be connected to the Akatsuki.
Still, he had no intention of using Konoha's forces to deal with it directly.
Better to let a certain "boss" test the waters first—after all, that guy had five lives to spare. Losing one or two wouldn't matter.
And so, Kakuzu—who was happily counting money at home—received a letter from his employer.
"The Land of Waves? Hmph, sounds interesting."
Upon hearing that Gatō was rich—very rich—Kakuzu eagerly pounded his chest and declared that he'd handle this personally, promising Takeshi he'd settle the matter beautifully.
Thus, after accepting the mission, Kakuzu casually picked two subordinates of jōnin level and set off for the Land of Waves.
...
Land of Fire, Daimyō's Mansion
As the videotape slid out of the player, the nobles who had just finished watching the entire recording began whispering among themselves.
"Such power… even the man once hailed as the God of Shinobi, Hashirama, likely never possessed something like this..."
"Uchiha Madara... this existence surpasses even the strength of both Hashirama and Madara combined!"
"With such a being on our side, we could completely abandon Konoha!"
After the uproar, a heavy silence followed.
"Immediately seal this recording and deliver it to the Daimyō himself. Whether we proceed with cooperation or not will depend on his final decision."
Several attendants, under the nobles' direction, entered the chamber and took away the videotape.
"What do you think, Shogun?"
Suzuya Gozen, stepped softly to the side of Imagawa Shigeaki, who seemed lost in thought, and quietly inquired about his opinion.
"Huh?"
Startled—since he hadn't heard her approach—Imagawa Shigeaki's loud reaction made Suzuya Gozen frown slightly in displeasure.
"I asked, Shogun, what do you think about these so-called artificial humans?"
"Ah… that? It depends on what the Daimyō decides," Imagawa Shigeaki replied, clearly unwilling to state his own view.
He had many secret dealings with Konoha, and naturally didn't want any 'artificial human' scheme to disrupt things. Yet, publicly, he was known as a staunch anti-Konoha advocate—so he had to conceal his true stance carefully.
"Eternal life... it's certainly an appealing concept."
Seeing that Imagawa Shigeaki wouldn't comment, Suzuya Gozen didn't press further. With a faint look of regret, she turned and left the chamber.
Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, Imagawa Shigeaki watched as the nobles departed one by one. After a moment of hesitation, he finally made up his mind.
If the Daimyō truly became immortal, then there would never be a chance for him to rise to that position.
He had to report this to Konoha.
...
After several days of waiting, Yōwan finally received the news he'd been hoping for.
"Excellent. The Daimyō of the Land of Fire has agreed to cooperate with us."
Delighted, Yōwan brought this message straight to Amado.
The reason he told Amado was simple—the next phase of their plan required the participation of his artificial humans.
And the ideal participant would be the one who had already appeared before others: Ras.
However, when Yōwan requested to use Ras for the mission, Amado flatly refused.
The reason was simple—Ras was currently in the repair pod, recovering from damage sustained in his last battle.
Still, Amado didn't leave him empty-handed. Instead, he assigned a tanned young man to accompany Yōwan.
"Sloth. His strength is no less than Ras's."
Pointing toward the drowsy-looking youth, Amado gave a brief introduction.
"Hehe, I look forward to working with you, Sloth."
Although he hadn't gotten Ras, since Amado claimed this young man's power rivaled his, Yōwan chose to trust him.
"Boring."
Unlike the emotionless Ras, this man—Sloth—had far more expression, but that only made him harder to deal with.
Ignoring Yōwan's polite greeting, he turned away, drew the sword from his waist, and sliced open a spatial rift.
"Destination. Mission target. Keep it short. I've got to get back to sleep," Sloth muttered lazily, his half-lidded eyes shadowed by his long lashes, his entire demeanor exuding indolence.
"The Land of Fire, the Daimyō's Mansion. Target: Shimura Takeshi."
Following Sloth's instructions, Yōwan stated the mission objective clearly.