"Impossible, impossible…"
In a deserted village in the Land of Wind, Pakura stared at the document in her hand, stunned into silence.
Hidezawa sat nearby with Yugao, while Shisui—eyes irritated from overuse—kept dripping solution into them and otherwise ignored her.
The battle a day ago had been anything but easy. Sasori's puppets had been numerous, vicious, and terrifyingly precise. Worst of all, that bastard could fly using his puppets—harrying them from angles that made pursuit and containment a constant headache.
Compared to Sasori, who only needed to focus on fighting through his puppets, Hidezawa and the others had far more to juggle. Their top priority had been preventing his escape, and that alone had chewed through chakra and attention. Fortunately, things had gone more or less to plan.
"Moreover, now we still need to thank Sasori properly…"
Hidezawa's gaze drifted over the abandoned house. Unsurprisingly, this village had likely been one of Sasori's "stockpiles". Because of his identity—and the "figurine" of the Third Kazekage at his hip—Kabuto had been handed an opening.
If the situation was unfolding as expected, Sunagakure should be hunting Sasori relentlessly by now, right?
"How are you feeling? Better?"
While Hidezawa was privately thanking Sasori for his "contribution", Yugao stepped over and sat beside him.
"I didn't expect this mission to turn so troublesome—and I didn't expect to run into something like this…" She glanced toward Pakura, still locked on the document with a hollow stare, then looked back at Hidezawa. "You're really amazing."
"I've always been amazing, senpai." Hidezawa replied, shrugging, a lazy humor in his voice. "If I weren't a little amazing, how could I protect you?"
"The 'amazing' I'm talking about isn't just fighting…" Yugao pursed her lips, then changed tack. "I mean, you actually guessed Sunagakure's deployments and intentions."
"Exactly. You're incredible." Shisui said, leaning in from the side. He didn't pry into where the document had come from—he didn't think Hidezawa would try forge something like this, and besides, Hidezawa's… department often meant unusual connections.
But to read Sunagakure that thoroughly without specialized intel? That wasn't something ordinary people could do.
"Alright, enough about me being amazing." Hidezawa said, rubbing his chin. "Let's talk aftermath. We've gathered essentially all the intelligence we need. We should plan what comes next—and how we're leaving."
They had made a mess of Sunagakure's plans—and still completed their mission. That was part of why Shisui trusted the intel; this report had to be submitted, and faking something like this was the kind of mistake that got people killed.
"Naturally." Shisui nodded. Then, with a hint of caution: "So… your plan? And what do we do with Pakura?"
The plan, of course, was to weaken Sunagakure—and Shisui was eager to win merit for the Uchiha.
"Senpai will know the plan soon. As for Pakura, of course we're returning her."
Hidezawa tried not to sigh. The plan was nearly finished—why did Shisui's brain sometimes sprint and sometimes stroll?
He didn't explain further. Instead, he looked between Shisui and Yugao, thought for a moment, and said, "However, senpais, there's one thing I need you to do right now."
"Tell us." they said together, without a hint of refusal. Hidezawa's capability had already earned their confidence; if he had a request, they would back it.
Hidezawa's next words, however, made both their faces tighten…
…
"Why haven't I seen anyone yet?"
At an oasis near the Land of Rivers, Ebizo stood frowning, waiting.
Yesterday's battle still burned in his mind. He had seen it—the Third Kazekage's puppet. And the puppeteer he could hardly believe, even now.
"Is it you, Sasori?"
Ebizo was silent a long time. He weighed how to tell his sister, and how to minimize the impact if the truth spread.
Then, that very night, someone calling himself Hideyoshi had demanded a meeting, given him these coordinates, and handed him a kunai.
A standard Konoha-forged kunai. Not uncommon—plenty of villages could copy it. But given the stakes, Ebizo couldn't ignore even small signs. Especially since this "Hideyoshi" had used a shadow clone to make contact.
'Konoha—how deep is their hand in this?'
He felt a knot of discomfort but, calculating the risks, chose to "believe rather than doubt". He set off under cover of darkness and arrived here by dawn.
Waiting this long tested his patience. Just when he began to think he'd been played, two figures appeared, walking toward him through the heat shimmer.
"That is…"
One wore a mask—clearly Anbu. The other—
"Pakura?"
Pakura, escorted by Konoha?
Ebizo's expression darkened, but beneath the gloom, he exhaled a thin breath of relief. At least she was alive.
"Ebizo-sama, hello." the masked man said when they drew near—Hidezawa's voice calm, almost conversational.
"From Konoha, are you?" Ebizo's gaze was like a blade. "You have guts—causing trouble in the Land of Wind. Should I admire you, or kill you?"
"That depends entirely on your lordship's mood." Hidezawa replied evenly. He flicked a glance at Pakura, still silent, then continued, "After all, Anbu are positioned everywhere around here. A single order from you, and I'm surrounded. Are you certain that's what you want?"
"Do you think Konoha will acknowledge your identity after you've caused so much chaos?" Ebizo asked flatly. An Anbu running wild in the Land of Wind was as good as dead—unless he got home. If anything happened in another village, deniability was standard.
"Konoha won't." Hidezawa said, shaking his head. "But I don't represent only Konoha."
He held Ebizo's stare. If he dared to face Ebizo head-on, it wasn't just personal strength—he had other cards.
"Moreover, your lordship should trust our professionalism. We have essentially grasped all the necessary intelligence. If you make a move, certain information will be transmitted. After all, I'm here on behalf of an elder—to discuss cooperation."
"…What have you grasped?" Ebizo asked, displeasure shading his tone. Still, the boy's confidence forced the question from him.
Hidezawa had been waiting for that line. He straightened, expression turning solemn, and spoke in a quiet voice.
"Ebizo-sama, Danzo-sama asked me to convey his greetings."
"…"
'Damn it. Danzo?!'
*****
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